A Biographical Dictionary of Freethinkers.

A BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF FREETHINKERS OF ALL AGES AND NATIONS.
BY J. M. Wheeler. This is probably the best collection of Freethinker Biographies available, but no such collection will ever be able to list all Freethinkers of all ages and nations, that is entirely impossible. Because there are so much bigotry and hate directed against all who cannot believe whatever superstition reigns supreme in a nation or community, most non-gullible folks tend to keep their thoughts to themselves. From the Preface of this book we find: "JOHN STUART MILL in his “Autobiography” declares with truth that ‘( the world would be astonished if it knew how great a proportion of its brightest ornaments, of those most distinguished even in popular estimation for wisdom and virtue are complete sceptics in religion.” Many of these, as Mill points out, refrain from various motives from speaking out. The work I have undertaken will, I trust, do something to show how many of the world’s worthiest men and women have been Freethinkers. My Dictionary does not pretend to be a complete list of those who have rendered services to Freethought. To form such a compilation would rather be the task of an international society than of an individual. Moreover details concerning many worthy workers are now inaccessible. Freethought boasts its noble army of martyrs of whom the world was not worthy, and who paid the penalty of their freedom in prison or at the stake. Some of the names of these are only known by the vituperation of their adversaries. I have done my best to preserve some trustworthy record of as many as possible." Besides this very good list of Freethinkers, we offer Carol Gray very good 'Freethought Women of the Nineteenth Century', McCabe's 'Dictionary of Modern Rationalists, Noyes, 'Views of Religion,' (Quotes) and others available here. Superstitious Religions do no greater evil than to erase the memory and writings of those they have tortured and burned, imprisoned, intimidated, slandered, and removed from the memory of humanity. Religion has removed History's greatest minds so those of lesser intelligence can profit and control the masses of frightened and believing worshipers.
Emmett F. Fields