Charles Southwell

Charles Southwell
Charles Southwell (1814–1860) was an English radical, atheist, and writer known for his outspoken criticism of religion and advocacy for free thought. He co-founded "The Oracle of Reason", the first avowedly atheist periodical, in 1841, which led to his imprisonment for blasphemy. Southwell also authored works such as "Superstition Unveiled" and "The Confessions of a Free-thinker," where he challenged the influence of religious institutions. Throughout his life, he was involved in various progressive movements, championing secularism, social reform, and the spread of rationalist ideas.

Author's Books:


SUPERSTITION UNVEILED. Religion has an important bearing on all the relations and conditions of life. The connexion between religious faith and political practice is, in truth, far closer than is generally thought. Public opinion has not yet ripened into a knowledge that religious error is the intangible but real substratum of all political injustice. Though the 'Schoolmaster' has done much,... more...

AN APOLOGY FOR ATHEISM It would be absurd to doubt that religion has an important bearing on all the relations and conditions of life. The connexion between religions faith and political practice is, in truth, far closer than is generally thought. Public opinion has not ripened into a knowledge that religious error is the intangible but real substratum of all political injustice. Though the... more...