Correction in Order?

by Groff Schroeder

The August 20, 2008 Colorado Springs Gazette “Our View” column[1], “Dems Dismiss the Atheists” appears to contain numerous factual errors, logical fallacies and personal criticisms.  This advertisement addresses several.       

Almost 2500 years ago, the Greek philosophers Aristotle and Socrates laid the foundations of freethought by defining the principles of rational thought, ethics and morality.  At about the same time Gautama Buddha advocated not accepting something as true just because someone or something claims it is true.  Many believe modern freethought began with the execution of Giordano Bruno (in 1600 during the Catholic Inquisition) for refusing to recant statements that the earth orbits the sun.  Freethinkers have varied personal philosophies yet are generally skeptical of claims, scriptures, testimonials and traditions as sources of information.  Furthermore, despite organized competitive experimental reproduction and intergenerational cross checking, many freethinkers remain skeptical of theories derived from the methods of science until after about 100 years of scholarly validation. 

The Freethinkers of Colorado Springs is neither “atheist” nor a “club” belonging to anyone, but a Colorado nonprofit corporation holding a 501(c)3 exemption letter from the United States Internal Revenue Service since 2006.  The Freethinkers of Colorado Springs was founded in 1993 in response to Colorado's infamous Amendment Two, which would have legalized discrimination against gays and lesbians in housing, employment etc., and would have made it illegal for them to petition their government for redress of grievances.  The Gazette “Our View” column supported Amendment Two, perhaps due to their published “Principles of Freedom,” which appear to have more to do with belief in god than belief in freedom.  In either case, journalists, editors and publishers in a republic (or even a theocracy) should be accurate, honest and fair – even on the opinion page. 

The Gazette cites “case law that defines atheism as just another religion.”  While the author appears to define reality by current legal precedent, freethinkers eschew traditions, scriptures, claims etc., researching documents, facts, evidence and points of view which may be verified independently.  In these strange days of “representative” government by institutionalized bribery, monopoly dominated “free” markets, for profit health care “slavery,” political religiosity and “war” on an emotion (terror), it appears that most anything can become case law – even defining a word whose rhetorical definition is “without religious belief” as a religious belief. 

While “from the objective, legalistic view of government, one belief is no more valid than another,” the beauty of the methods of logic and science is that there is no need for belief – it is possible to know.              Humans have collected data and used geometry for more than 5000 years and modern (post dark age) science employs repeatable, verifiable experiments to produce mathematical relationships with which humans have been correctly predicting the future behavior of materials, structures and systems for at least 400 years.  Despite this rich history, most freethinkers do not rule out the possibility of gods.  However, they realize that after countless generations of careful searching, not one repeatable experiment supports the existence of omnipotent, omniscient beings be they human, extra-terrestrial or divine. 

Freethinkers trust verifiable sources, scientific experiments, engineering and a system of personal morality predating many religions, and have every right to expect fair treatment – especially in official political contexts in the United States of America.