AN
ATHEIST
MANIFESTO
BY
JOSEPH LEWIS
THE FREETHOUGHT PRESS
ASSOCIATION : NEW YORK
Copyrighted, 1954,
and in the 178th Year
of American Independence
by JOSEPH LEWIS
All rights reserved
Second Edition, 1956
Third Edition, 1958
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
JOSEPH LEWIS
Author of
THE TYRANNY OF GOD
THE BIBLE UNMASKED
VOLTAIRE: THE INCOMPARABLE INFIDEL
SPAIN: A LAND BLIGHTED BY RELIGION
BURBANK THE INFIDEL
ATHEISM
THE BIBLE AND THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
FRANKLIN THE FREETHINKER
LINCOLN THE FREETHINKER
MEXICO AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
SOVIET RUSSIA AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
SHALL CHILDREN RECEIVE RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION?
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
THOMAS PAINE: AUTHOR OF
THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
IN THE NAME OF HUMANITY
THE TRAGIC PATRIOT
INSPIRATION AND WISDOM FROM THE WRITINGS OF
THOMAS PAINE
AN ATHEIST MANIFESTO
INGERSOLL THE MAGNIFICENT
AN
ATHEIST
MANIFESTO
Many ask what difference does it make whether man believes in a God or not.
It makes a big difference.
It makes all the difference in the world.
It is the difference between being right and being wrong; it is thedifference between truth and surmises—facts or delusion.
It is the difference between the earth being flat, and the earth being round.
It is the difference between the earth[Pg 8] being the center of theuniverse, or a tiny speck in this vast and uncharted sea ofmultitudinous suns and galaxies.
It is the difference in the proper concept of life, or conclusions based upon illusion.
It is the difference between verified knowledge and the faith of religion.
It is a question of Progress or the Dark Ages.
The history of man proves that religion perverts man's concept of lifeand the universe, and has made him a cringing coward before the blind forces of nature.
If you believe that there is a God; that man was "created"; that he wasforbidden to eat of the fruit of the "tree of knowledge"; that hedisobeyed; that he is a "fallen angel"; that he is paying the penaltyfor his "sins," then you devote your time praying to appease an angry and jealous God.
If, on the other hand, you believe that the universe is a greatmystery; that man is the product of evolution; that he is born withoutknowledge; that intelligence comes from experience, then you devote yourtime and energies to improving his condition with the hope of securing alittle happiness here for yourself and your fellow man.
That is the difference.
If man was "created," then someone made a grievous mistake.
It is inconceivable that any form of intelligence would waste so muchtime and effort to make such an inferior piece of life—with all the"ills that flesh is heir to," and with all the misery and suffering thatis so essential a part of living.
If man is a "fallen angel," by the commission of a "sin," then diseaseand sorrow are part of God's inscrutable