The Freethinker (journal)

The Freethinker was a British secular humanist magazine, founded by G.W. Foote in 1881.^[1] One of the world's oldest surviving freethought publications, it moved online-only in 2014.

It has always taken an unapologetically atheist, anti-religious stance. In Issue 1 (May, 1881), Foote set out The Freethinker's purpose:

The Freethinker is an anti-Christian organ, and must therefore be chiefly aggressive. It will wage relentless war against superstition in general, and against Christian superstition in particular. It will do its best to employ the resources of Science, Scholarship, Philosophy and Ethics against the claims of the Bible as a Divine Revelation; and it will not scruple to employ for the same purpose any weapons of ridicule or sarcasm that may be borrowed from the armoury of Common Sense.

Although closely linked with the National Secular Society for most of its history (NSS Presidents and General Secretaries have at various times also served as Freethinker editor), The Freethinker is strictly autonomous and is not, and never has been, published by the NSS.

In 2006, the magazine's front-page masthead was changed from "Secular humanist monthly" to "The Voice of Atheism since 1881".

Barry Duke was the editor from 1998 until January 2022. Emma Park succeeded him from January 2022.

History[]

Following the publication of anti-religious cartoons in the Christmas 1882 edition of The Freethinker, Foote was prosecuted for blasphemy, and sentenced to 12 months imprisonment with hard labour. On receiving his sentence from Mr Justice North (a devout Catholic), Foote said "with great deliberation" to the Judge "My Lord, I thank you; it is worthy of your creed". His description of this experience was published in 1886 as Prisoner for Blasphemy.

The April 2014 edition of The Freethinker contained an announcement that the May issue would be the last to appear in print; publication would continue online.^[2]

The Freethinker bulletin of 22nd January 2022 announced that Barry Duke was moving to the OnlySky.media. His successor, Emma Park, was announced on The Freethinker website on 27th January 2022.^[3]

List of Freethinker editors[]

Here is a list of editors of The Freethinker from 1881:

• George William Foote, 1881–1915 (Edward Aveling edited the paper during Foote's imprisonment, 1883)
• Chapman Cohen, 1915–1951
• Frank Ridley, 1951–1954
• A Committee consisting of F. A. Hornibrook, , 1954–1957?
• replaced Simmons in 1957 and became sole editor until December 1965
• David Tribe, January 1966 – July 1966
• Kit Mouat, August 1966 – January 1967
• , January – November 1967
• , November 1967 – August 1968
• David Reynolds, September 1968 – July 1970
• William McIlroy, 1970 – December 1971
• , January 1972 – November 1973
• , November 1973 – December 1974
• William McIlroy, 1975–1976
• Jim Herrick, January 1977 – 1981
• William McIlroy, September 1981–December 1992
• Peter Brearey, January 1993–1998
• Barry Duke, 1998–January 2022
• Emma Park, January 2022-

See also[]

• National Secular Society
• Freethought
• Atheism
• Secular humanism

Citations[]

Bibliography[]

• Cohen, Chapman (1940). Almost an Autobiography: Confessions of a Freethinker. London: Pioneer Press.
• Herrick, Jim (1982). Vision and Realism: A Hundred Years of The Freethinker. London: . ISBN 0-9508243-0-5.
• Marsh, Joss (1998). Word Crimes: Blasphemy, Culture, and Literature in Nineteenth-Century England. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-50691-6.
• Smoker, Barbara (2002). Freethoughts: Atheism, Secularism, Humanism – Selected Egotistically from 'The Freethinker'. London: . ISBN 0-9508243-5-6.

External links[]

• The Freethinker's website
• Google Books (holds Vol. 10 [1890]).