Bacon and American Atheists

Originally published Saturday, April 29, 2006.

Since I've been tired I haven't been up to anything special during the day. However, while casually surfing the net I bumped in to an essay written by Sir Francis Bacon.

Bacon stated that "The contemplative atheist is rare" in one of the chapters in this essay. That might have been true during the Elizabethan era. However, I would argue that this statement could be questioned in present time. The only atheists that I think Bacon knew of came from the ancient times. He mentions a few so called "contemplative atheists" like Diagoras the Atheist and Lucian of Samosata. The latter might have been considered a pagan just like the the Indians Bacon is discussing from the newly discovered continents of the Americas (e.i. Native americans). Diagoras was a sophist and poet who denounced religion after being left unpunished by the gods for something he did. I'd say that there are some similarities with Diagoras thoughts and how people nowadays perceive paradoxes in - at least Christianity - religious teachings. However, there were a few atheists that Bacon may or may not have known of. An English dramatist, Christopher ("Kit") Marlowe, was accused of being an atheist in 1593. An interesting side note is that both Bacon and Marlowe have been thought to be the real author of William Shakespeare's plays.

I also stumbled upon an article on American Atheists web page. They argue that the expression "There are no Atheists in foxholes" was used inaccurately in connection to the war - I presume in Iraq - during an NBC broadcast. Interesting reading but I think that they might have missed the point of the expression, that soldiers in war are scared shitless and turn to religion in desperation.

I feel that I've wasted enough time on this subject now. Time to get something to eat.