"ATHEISM IS A "MODERN, LOGICAL
PROGRESSION" FROM "SILLY FANTASIES" BORN OF "PRIMITIVE
SUPERSTITION." OTHER "FREETHINKER" BELIEFS ARE MERELY PRE-ATHEIST
MOVEMENTS."
Atheism existed even as men started to believe, and
in fact, its existence in history is well noted—it has not been recently
"set free."
The Deists, who are a related "freethinker" movement
(belief in a divine creator that does not interfere with the universe), had
a surge in popularity with the "Enlightenment" movement during the
18th Century, yet atheism has been shown to be present and active in the world
as far back as the 16th and 17th centuries. Some records point to atheists present
in Europe's medieval age, even back to the days of the Roman empire.
The Bible's Old and New Testaments also refer to them.
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Again, atheists were present for thousands of years, and
they were involved in theological discourse as far back as the 17th and
18th centuries.
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Clearly, if Deism were merely a stepping-stone to atheism,
then atheists would not have existed at all during or before that time.
However, they did.
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Deists still exist in force today, along with other beliefs
termed as 'freethinkers" (Pantheism, panentheism, open theism).
Between the abundance of adherents to other religions into modern
times and the many modern-day scientists and intellectuals have religious beliefs
(not to mention those great minds of modern history who were also non-atheists),
it is quite clear that atheism is not progressive, no matter how
many atheist zealot groups claim otherwise. In fact, it was likely one of the
earliest kinds of belief, further undermining the "forward-looking"
image that some militant atheist organizations proudly adorn themselves with
in an attempt to potray themselves as more civilized or of a higher state of
being, or as the next step in civilization's advancement.