Many people out in the world, such as members of the Freedom from Religion Organization, would love nothing more than to see a Godless society. They make the claim that "the history of Western civilization shows us that most social and moral progress has been brought about by persons free from religion." So what would happen if they got their way? What if we lived in a Godless world? John Lennon once told us to "Imagine there's no Heaven. It's easy if you try. No hell below us, above us only sky. Imagine all the people Living for today." Well, if John had done a little research, he would know that we don't have to imagine. We have a perfect example of what life would be like if we were all "free from religion."
In the summer of 1880, a man by the name of George H. Walser founded the town of Liberal, Missouri. His objective was “to found a town without a church, [w]here unbelievers could bring up their children without religious training,” and where Christians were not allowed. The people living in Liberal even made an advertisement which bragged that Liberal “is the only town of its size in the United States without a priest, preacher, church, saloon, God, Jesus, hell or devil”. They believed that their town of "freethinkers" would strive. But all of their optimism faded away pretty soon. One young resident wrote this about Liberal in 1895, “...like all other unworthy causes, it had its day and passed away.”
Clark Braden visited Liberal in 1885, and this is what he had to say in an article titled "An Infidel Experiment" which appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on May 2, 1885. "The boast about the sobriety of the town is false. But few of the infidels are total abstainers. Liquor can be obtained at three different places in this town of 300 inhabitants. More drunken infidels can be seen in a year in Liberal than drunken Christians among one hundred times as many church members during the same time. Swearing is the common form of speech in Liberal, and nearly every inhabitant, old and young, swears habitually. Girls and boys swear on the streets, playground, and at home. Fully half of the females will swear, and a large number swear habitually.... Lack of reverence for parents and of obedience to them is the rule. There are more grass widows, grass widowers and people living together, who have former companions living, than in any other town of ten times the population.... A good portion of the few books that are read are of the class that decency keeps under lock and key....These infidels...can spend for dances and shows ten times as much as they spend on their liberalism. These dances are corrupting the youth of the surrounding country with infidelity and immorality. There is no lack of loose women at these dances. Since Liberal was started there has not been an average of one birth per year of infidel parents. Feticide is universal. The physicians of the place say that a large portion of their practice has been trying to save females from consequences of feticide. In no town is slander more prevalent, or the charges more vile. If one were to accept what the inhabitants say of each other, he would conclude that there is a hell, including all Liberal, and that its inhabitants are the devils."
The town of Liberal was a complete failure. Braden went on to say that “[n]ine-tenths of those now in town would leave if they could sell their property. More property has been lost by locating in the town than has been made in it.... Hundreds have been deceived and injured and ruined financially” Even committed atheists found that living in Liberal was too much to bear.
The town of Liberal, Missouri still exists today. However, it is a quite bit different. There are at least seven different religious groups associated with Christianity in a town which once banned Christianity. And a recent poll showed that 50% of the people living in Liberal are actively involved in church.
So to all of those out there who would love to live in a world free from religion, we tried that once, and it simply doesn't work.
-Colton Scott
"The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.'"- Psalm 14:1
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