Who's Who in Hell, or Why Hell is a Silly but Harmful Theological Invention

by

Warren Allen Smith

Author, "Who's Who in Hell"

This is the recap of a talk given at the February 9, 2003 CDHS monthly meeting.

"Hell is a silly theological invention, one that has done great harm to anyone who has been brainwashed into believing it."

Warren Allen Smith, author of Who's Who in Hell and Celebrities in Hell, joined us for our February gathering. He discussed how damaging this invention called Hell is, and described the research that led to the publication of his humorously titled resource books for freethinkers. His mission is to create awareness of both historical and contemporary nonbelievers and provide them with a rationalist form of immortality. As Smith says, "no one dies...so long as someone still remembers." Smith wants to encourage freethinkers to come out of their closets and be more public about their beliefs. Over ten thousand individuals, including some CDHS members, can be found in the 1,268 pages of Who's Who in Hell. Smith's Celebrities in Hell focuses on freethinking artists, writers, and entertainers.

In 1948, Smith started a humanist club at Columbia University. John Dewey was the first person to become a member. Later, Smith started a CSH Chapter in New York City. Smith's interest in history began around the time he first read a statement by James H Leuba (1868-1946): "History is the record of the many dead that are still alive; and of the reasons why so many who expected to live on are dead." Voltaire said: "History is a trick played by the living upon the dead," These thoughts highlight the need for healthy skepticism. Is what we think we know about people in history really true?

For those who ask this question, Who's Who in Hell provides a wealth of information. To learn what they didn't teach you in school about George Washington's views on religion, turn to page 1,159. Wondering how closely Jody Foster's views match her character in the movie Contact? Look on page 391. Looking for a local Humanist group or individual? They can be found here too. Smith's work reflects his desire to set the record straight for nonbelievers. He provides access to the people and ideas that comprise our heritage along with other people and subjects of significance to us. In describing his book, Smith notes the importance of including humor and says "instead of giving the dull stuff, I dish the dirt."

The following books were his inspiration for Who's Who in Hell. Through his research, he learned "how much religious history has been falsified for centuries":

Dictionnaire des athees (1798) by Pierre Sylvain Marechal.

Biographical Dictionary of Freethinkers of All Ages and Nations (1899) by Joseph Mazzini Wheeler.

Short History of Freethought, Ancient and Modern (1914, 2 volumes) by John M Robertson.

A Rationalist Encyclopedia, A Book of Reference on Religion, Philosophy, Ethics, and Science (1948), by Joseph McCabe

Smith described the variety of reactions to his books; including an interview with CNN's Jeanne Moos who took Who's Who to St. Patrick's Cathedral and, as people came out from a service, would ask their last name and see if she could find them in the book. There was also the surprising discovery that a religious website has taken on the task of saving or baptizing the soul of every living person listed in the book. This report elicited hearty laughter from the CDHS audience. (See Nicholas Fuller’s letter, above, for one member’s reaction to this audience response.)

Concerning the book reviews, Smith points out that it has never been disinterestedly reviewed. It received an excellent review in Publishers Weekly, and Paul Edwards (Editor-in-Chief of The Encyclopedia of Philosophy) describes it as "a remarkably comprehensive listing of freethinkers....not only informative but also frequently amusing....of special value to librarians and historians of freethought." Freethought journals in India, England, and other locations also gave favorable reviews. Through correspondence that Smith has received, it is evident that the book has been enormously helpful to freethinkers, writers and researchers around the world. The reaction from the two major Humanist groups in the United States is a different story. Although The Humanist did place an ad for the book, there has never been a review. Free Inquiry did a book review, but Smith pointed out that it was full of errors. Referring to the book, he clearly refuted claims made in the review that he had left out dates and details from specific entries.

Currently, Who's Who in Hell is in eight hundred to one thousand libraries and a copy was purchased by the FBI. Warren Allen Smith encourages you to include it in more libraries. He would also like you to contact him with suggestions for entries (including yourself) in a future updated version.

Contact Info: Warren Allen Smith wasm@mac.com, http://humanists.net/wasm/