Atheists, Agnostics, and Other Doubters Quiz

Answer: Protagoras

Protagoras was born in Thrace around 490 BC. He was a student of Democritus, and a member of the philosophical school of thinking known as Sophists. Protagoras taught that truth is a relative concept, and differs from one individual to another. In his work "Peritheon," or "On the Gods," he wrote: "Respecting the gods, I am unable to know whether they exist or do not exist." This attitude did not endear him to the powers that be; he was banished from Athens and his books ordered to be burned. He supposedly died at sea in 411 BC while on his way to Sicily.

Answer: Epicurus

Epicurus lived from 341 to 270 BC. He was one of the most influential of all the ancient philosophers, and his ideas attracted many followers. One could sum up his philosophy as "don't worry, be happy." He believed that living a happy and peaceful life, and avoidance of pain, were the goals that men should strive to achieve. Epicurus was not an atheist; he believed the gods existed, but were of no importance as far as human beings were concerned.

He wrote: "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?" While Epicurus was not an atheist, per se, many of his followers were, and he was widely denounced by early Christian writers for his "atheism."

Answer: Abul ʿAla Al-Maʿarri

Al-Maʿarri was critical of all religions, and did not spare Islam. For example, he wrote: "Do not suppose the statements of the prophets to be true; they are all fabrications" and "The inhabitants of the earth are of two sorts: those with brains, but no religion, and those with religion, but no brains." He also described the Hajj as "a pagan journey." Despite this, he lived to a very old age and enjoyed a great reputation. One cannot imagine this happening today.

In 2013, jihadists from the Al-Nusra Front beheaded a statue of Al-Ma'arri in his hometown of Maarat al-Numaan in modern Syria.

Answer: Christopher Marlowe

During his lifetime Marlowe enjoyed a much greater reputation than Shakespeare. As early as 1592, Marlowe's supposed atheism was a matter of public record. In his famous pamphlet, "A Groats-worth of Wit," Robert Greene wrote: "Greene, who hath said with thee (like the foole in his heart) There is no God." There is near universal agreement that these words were addressed to Marlowe. In May 1593 authorities investigating an unrelated matter were searching the room of playwright Thomas Kyd when they discovered "vile heretical conceits denying the eternal deity of Jesus Christ." Kyd told them the papers belonged to Marlowe, who had shared his quarters a few years earlier.

A warrant for Marlowe's arrest was issued on May 18, 1593 but he was released on his own recognizance. In the meantime, the Privy Council received the report of an informer named Richard Baines, who wrote: "Almost into every Company he Cometh he perswades men to Atheism willing them not to be afeard of bugbeares and hobgoblins, and vtterly scorning both god and his ministers." Another man, Richard Cholmeley, asserted "Marlowe is able to show more sound reasons for atheism than any divine in England is able to give to prove divinity, & that Marlowe told him that he hath read the atheist lecture to Sir Walter Ralegh and others."

In Elizabethan England, atheism was a form of "petty treason" and a capital offense. But before he could be questioned or brought to trial, Marlowe died in a quarrel at a private home (not a tavern, as is often reported) in Deptford on May 30, 1593. Or did he? The mysterious circumstances surrounding his death lead many people to believe that it was staged, and that Marlowe lived on to write write the works now attributed to William Shakespeare.

It cannot be proven that Marlowe was actually an atheist because in addition to being a writer, he had another job - a spy for the English government. If he did actually say the things he was accused of saying, it could all have been a ruse to ferret out real atheists. We will probably never know the truth.

Answer: Robert G. Ingersoll

Robert G. Ingersoll was born in New York, but lived most of his early life in southern Illinois, which he described as "a very miserable part of the world." The son of a minister, Ingersoll went on to become the most famous orator in the United States, and its most outspoken critic of organized religion.

Ingersoll is one of those fascinating characters who was very famous in his own day, but who is almost forgotten now. After a brief stint as a schoolteacher, Ingersoll became a lawyer and moved to Peoria, Illinois in 1857. When the Civil War broke out, Ingersoll raised a regiment of cavalry and fought at the Battle of Shiloh. After the war, he served as Illinois Attorney General, and rose to a position of prominence in the Republican Party due to his skills as an orator. He gave James G. Blaine's nomination speech at the 1876 Republican Convention, and later delivered Walt Whitman's eulogy at the latter's funeral in 1892.

In the last half of the 19th century public speaking was an important form of entertainment, and Ingersoll was acknowledged by many as America's finest orator. He drew huge crowds and made a great deal of money as a result of his speeches. He was also a prolific author. And he never pulled any punches when it came to denouncing religion. Among his writings one can find statements such as "If there is a God who will damn his children forever, I would rather go to hell than to go to heaven and keep the society of such an infamous tyrant" and "The notion that faith in Christ is to be rewarded by an eternity of bliss, while a dependence upon reason, observation and experience merits everlasting pain, is too absurd for refutation, and can be relieved only by that unhappy mixture of insanity and ignorance, called 'faith'. "

Despite his outspoken agnosticism, Ingersoll remained a popular public figure, and was admired by Mark Twain, George Bernard Shaw, and Thomas Edison, all of whom wrote about him in glowing terms.

Answer: Bertrand Russell

Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970) was a brilliant man who had many and varied interests. He is perhaps best known for having co-authored "Principia Mathematica," one of the most influential books of the 20th century, with his colleague Alfred North Whitehead. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950 "in recognition of his varied and significant writings."

"Why I Am Not a Christian" began as a speech and was published as a pamphlet in 1927. In it, Russell writes: "The whole conception of God is a conception derived from the ancient Oriental despotisms" and "Religion is based primarily upon fear." He goes on to say "I believe that when I die I shall rot, and nothing of my ego will survive." The work inspired a number of similar writings on other religions by various authors, such as "Why I Am Not A Jew," "Why I Am Not a Hindu," etc.

For such a famous work, the main points that Russell makes are fairly simple, and numerous refutations of his arguments have been made. It might be noted that Russell's colleague, Alfred North Whitehead, did not share his atheistic views.

Answer: Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov was an incredibly prolific author who wrote over 500 books during his lifetime. Although most famous as a science fiction author, he also wrote hard science books, books on history, and literary criticism, among other topics. Despite being the author of "Asimov's Guide to the Bible," he was an outspoken atheist.

He wrote: "I am an atheist, out and out. It took me a long time to say it. I've been an atheist for years and years, but somehow I felt it was intellectually unrespectable to say one was an atheist, because it assumed knowledge that one didn't have." Asimov died in 1992 from AIDS contracted via a blood transfusion.

Answer: Andy Rooney

Curmudgeonly Andy Rooney (1919 - 2011) was a favorite of viewers of "60 Minutes," despite (or perhaps because of) his controversial statements. His segment, "A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney," was one of the most popular features of the show; when Rooney was suspended for three months for making what some saw as an anti-gay statement, the show's ratings fell by 20%. Rooney was on record as saying: "I am an atheist. I don't understand religion at all. I'm sure I'll offend a lot of people by saying this, but I think it's all nonsense."

Answer: Dave Allen

Dave Allen was born in Dublin in 1936. His anti-religious attitude seems to have started young; he described the nuns at his school as "Gestapo in drag." His successful BBC television show, "Dave Allen At Large," which aired from 1971 to 1976, was one of the first to make fun of religion, and many of his skits caused a great deal of outrage among some viewers. One of his many gag lines was "I'm an atheist, thank God." Despite his atheist views, Allen always closed his shows with the line, "Thank you, goodnight, and may your God go with you." Dave Allen passed away in 2005.

Answer: Stephen Hawking

Although few physicists achieve celebrity status, Stephen Hawking may be the most recognized scientist of recent times. In his best-selling book, "A Brief History of Time," Hawking had made a reference to knowing "the mind of God." In a September 2014 interview he clarified his views: "Before we understand science, it is natural to believe that God created the universe.

But now science offers a more convincing explanation. What I meant by 'we would know the mind of God' is, we would know everything that God would know, if there were a God, which there isn't. I'm an atheist." In contrast, Hawking's first wife, Jane Wilde Hawking, is a devout Christian.