Freethought is a process, and freethinkers are the people who use that thought process to reach conclusions. Freethinkers examine the evidence, listen to arguments made by experts, and use logic and reason to reach conclusions about the world around them. They are careful to identify and avoid logical fallacies and biases.

Are all freethinkers atheists?

No, but many freethinkers describe their religious beliefs as agnostic or atheist. Because freethinkers look for evidence and do not rely on faith, a great many conclude that there is no evidence for any of the deities ever worshipped by humans. Others decide an over-arching creative force is at work in the universe. Sometimes, for some freethinkers, that force takes the form of a god. Remember, most people don’t believe in most of the gods that have been worshipped throughout history – agnostics and atheists just take that disbelief one god further.

Won’t freethinkers change their minds if they just read the Bible with an open heart?

No. Most freethinkers in America were raised in churches. They have read the Bible, and they’ve looked for answers both inside its covers and elsewhere. They have studied, thought deeply and expansively about the nature of the universe and its origins, reflected on morality, and seriously considered religious tradition and writings. There’s nothing wrong with their reading comprehension.

When things get bad enough, people always pray, don’t they?

No. There are atheists in foxholes all over the world. Atheists in the American military even have their own organization. Deathbed conversions are the stuff of legends and wishful thinking – and those said to have converted on their deathbeds rarely survive the experience to tell of it.

Do freethinkers hate God?

No. Even atheistic or agnostic freethinkers don’t hate any of the gods worshipped by believers. They also don’t believe in the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, werewolves, or fairies and manage quite well to get by without hating those entities, either. When freethinkers, agnostics, and atheists get angry about religion, they are angry about the terrible things people do to each other in the name of religion or for religious reasons. Examples include conversion therapy, dress codes aimed at religious minorities, abortion bans, marginalizing or discriminating against people who practice non-conforming religions, lack of adequate sex education, forced marriages, genital mutilation, etc.

Do freethinkers celebrate holidays?

Of course! A freethinker’s celebration of a holiday will look pretty much the same as anyone else’s. For instance, they gather with friends and family to exchange gifts and feast at Christmas, hide eggs for their children at Easter, enjoy cookouts and fireworks on Independence Day, participate in Trick-or-Treat at Halloween, and gather with family and friends to feast at Thanksgiving. None of these activities requires religion.

If freethinkers don’t believe in God or eternal life, how can anything matter to them?

What matters to non-religious people is the one shot they have at living their best life. In other words, non-religious people consider the stakes higher for the short time they spend alive, because they know time is precious and limited. In other words, everything matters more.

Can freethinkers be moral?

Yes. If a threat of punishment is the only reason someone behaves in a moral or ethical manner, then they aren’t actually moral; they’re scared. Freethinkers behave ethically and morally because, like most people, they do not want to cause harm and they want to live peacefully in society.

Are all freethinkers liberal?

No. The process of freethought brings people to different conclusions. Some of those conclusions align with conservative values, some with liberal values, and some in between.

Is it true that “anything goes” with freethinkers?

Absolutely not. Just because someone thinks something doesn’t make it true, or even thoughtful. The act of freethinking means examining the evidence and applying reason and logic. It doesn’t mean accepting every silly idea that comes up, and it definitely doesn’t mean thinking with such an open mind that our brains fall out. It does, however, mean using imagination to look for possibilities, and then applying knowledge to make those possibilities a reality.