The Necessity of Atheism

"There are no problems related to human progress and happiness in this age which any theology can solve, and which the teachings of freethought cannot do better and without the aid of encumbrances. ... Agree or disagree with this contention you may, but only when you are made aware of the facts that can be brought to the aid of this conviction. ... The supernaturalist's armamentarium of God, Bible, Heaven, Hell, Soul, Immortality, Sin, The Fall and Redemption of Man, Prayer, Creed, and Dogma, leave as much impression on the mind of intelligent man as would an arrow against a battleship." The author reviews the effects of religious thinking upon various aspects of human history and human thought: science, medicine, morality, witchcraft, warfare, slavery, women, labor, philosophy. He quotes many persons who have written on this subject, both in distant past and in recent years. He argues that the decline of religion and the rise of atheism are inevitable.