An insight into the infidel hall of fame 1

From the wiki dictionary, it explains that an Infidel is an ecclesiastical term in Christianity around which the Church developed a body of theology that deals with the concept of infidelity, which makes a clear differentiation between those who were baptized and followed the teachings of the Church versus those who are outside the faith. 

The term infidel was used by Christians to describe those perceived as the enemies of Christianity. When applied to non-monotheists, the usage of the word is similar to the appellations heathen or pagan. As such, the term infidel has often been applied to atheists, whose disbelief is viewed negatively in both Christianity and Islam. But there are those who on their reasoning asset never doubted nor believed on the existence of a supreme being. Some names could be mentioned of the most influential philosophers who agued on the issues bordering on what they termed ‘Reasoning’ as regarding and the outer space control (Supreme Being, God).

Let’s check some famous philosophers and their short histories. They lived during their generation making impacts where they listed. Let’s take a quick view of some important moments in their histories.

Thomas Paine was born February 9, 1737  of Christian parents, Joseph Paine and Frances Paine, both Anglicans, in Thetford, Norfolk, England

Greatly endowed by God, he was a writer, an inventor and civil engineer. He designed the Sunderland Bridge over the Wear River at Wearmouth, England. He also developed a smoke-less candle, and worked with inventor John Fitch in developing steam engines.

Earlier in life, he was in the influential Vestry church group that collected taxes and tithes to distribute among the poor. He started as a Christian. 

In October 1774 Thomas Paine emigrated from Great Britain to the American colonies.

He later took interest in politics and activism. Thomas Paine is called The Father of the American Revolution because of a pro-independence pamphlet, Common Sense, he published in 1776. Later, He also greatly influenced the French Revolution,

1793–94, Paine wrote a book ‘The Age of Reason’, an assault on organized "revealed" religion.

1803-1805, he also wrote ‘An Essay on the Origin of Free-Masonry, which equated the Bible with allegorical myth describing astrology. In his words, ‘The Christian religion is a parody on the worship of the sun, in which they put a man called Christ in the place of the sun, and pay him the adoration originally payed to the sun.’

 

Having spent his life writing against God, death finally came for Tom Paine on 8^th June, 1809 at the age of 72, and in his dying hours, he lamented: "I would give worlds if I had them, that The Age of Reason had never been published. O Lord, help me! Christ, help me! O God, what have I done to suffer so much?

Then shortly after, he said, ‘but there is no God!’ And then, ‘Yet, if there be, what would become of me hereafter?’ As the elderly woman who was his attendant left the room, Tom Paine said, ‘Stay with me, for God’s sake! For I cannot bear to be left alone. It is hell to be left alone. If ever the Devil had an agent, I have been that one.’ In terrible agony, his last words recorded were, ‘My God, my God, why Has Thou forsaken me?’

His obituary notice read in part: "He had lived long, did some good and much harm." The orator, Robert Ingersol wrote: ‘On the 8th of June, 1809, death came – Death, almost his only friend. At his funeral no pomp, no pageantry, no civic procession, no military display.’ Only six mourners came to his funeral.

Another, Francois Marie Arouet was born February 20, 1694 in France.  He was educated by the Jesuits. He was quite brilliant and had a promising future. He could speak Latin, Greek, Italian, Spanish and English. His father sent him to study law, but the young man loved to be a writer. He spent much of his time writing satirical poetry.

Early on, he had trouble with the authorities for his attacks on the government and the Catholic church. These resulted in numerous  imprisonments and exiles, including his exile to England, where he lived for over two years.

In 1717, he adopted the name Voltaire, as a pen name.

Voltaire was an avowed hater of organized religion. He regarded himself as a  deist who does not believe in the existence of a Supreme being called God. His opinions of the Bible are: an outdated legal and/or moral reference, a metaphor, but one that still taught some good lessons, and a work of Man, not a divine gift.

Voltaire died 30 May, 1778, aged 84. He died about a quarter past eleven at night of a disease attended with horrible pain. At his death, he sent for the priest to get reconciled with the church. When his infidel friends who had respected him as their hero tried to stop him, he exclaimed, ‘Begone! It is you who have brought me to my present condition. Leave me, I say, begone!’ hoping to be relieved of his pain he had written confession prepared, signed it, but it was too late. At last he cried, ‘O Christ! O Lord Jesus! I must die-abandoned of God and of men!’ his nurse was so terrified that she said, ‘For all the wealth of Europe I would never see another infidel die.’ It was a scene of horror beyond description.

One account tells us that Voltaire, in his writings, had predicted before his death: ‘one more century and there will be no more bibles on earth,’

It was however noted that after his death, A Bible Society called 'Maison de la Bible' bought Voltaire’ house, and began to use it to publish the Bible.