Chapman Cohen’s Followers (12)

Chapman Cohen

Born

in Leicester, England, The United Kingdom

September 01, 1868

Died

February 04, 1954

Genre

Nonfiction, Religion

Influences

Robert Ingersoll, George William Foote, John William Gott, Charles Bra ...more

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Chapman Cohen (1 September 1868 – 4 February 1954) was a leading English atheist and secularist writer and lecturer.

Chapman Cohen was the elder son of Enoch Cohen, a Jewish confectioner, and his wife, Deborah (née Barnett). He attended a local elementary school but was otherwise self-educated. He had read Spinoza, Locke, Hume, Berkeley, and Plato by the time he was eighteen.

Cohen recalled that he had "little religion at home and none at school", as he was withdrawn from Religious Instruction classes.

Cohen and his wife had two children; a son (who entered the medical profession) and a daughter, who died at the age of 29.

On his death, The Times printed a short obituary of Cohen, which said:

"He was the author of many books setting forth the fr Chapman Cohen (1 September 1868 – 4 February 1954) was a leading English atheist and secularist writer and lecturer.

Chapman Cohen was the elder son of Enoch Cohen, a Jewish confectioner, and his wife, Deborah (née Barnett). He attended a local elementary school but was otherwise self-educated. He had read Spinoza, Locke, Hume, Berkeley, and Plato by the time he was eighteen.

Cohen recalled that he had "little religion at home and none at school", as he was withdrawn from Religious Instruction classes.

Cohen and his wife had two children; a son (who entered the medical profession) and a daughter, who died at the age of 29.

On his death, The Times printed a short obituary of Cohen, which said:

"He was the author of many books setting forth the freethought philosophy of life, which had a large sale, and he was outstanding as a forthright, witty and courteous debater and lecturer."

Cohen moved to London in 1889, and soon became involved in the secularist movement. Cohen commented that,

"My introduction to the platform of the National Secular Society was quite accidental. I had heard none of its speakers, read none of its publications, except an occasional glance at Bradlaugh's National Reformer. I knew there was a Freethought movement afoot, but that was about all."

Cohen relates that in the Summer of 1889 he was walking in Victoria Park when he came across a crowd listening to a Christian speaker:

"the speaker was opposed by an old gentleman – at least he seemed old to me – who suffered from an impediment in his speech. The lecturer in replying spent part of his time in mimicking the old gentleman's speech. After he had 'replied,' the lecturer asked for more opposition. Mainly because of his treatment of the old man I accepted the invitation."

He spoke against the same lecturer – at their invitation – a few weeks later. Shortly afterwards he was invited to speak the local branch of the National Secular Society. After a year of lecturing for the freethought cause, he joined the NSS.

He was a popular lecturer for the Society, at his peak delivering over 200 lectures a year. He was elected a vice-president of the NSS in 1895.

In 1897 Cohen began contributing weekly articles to G. W. Foote's Freethinker, having previously written accounts of his lecture tours. In 1898 he became assistant editor of The Freethinker, and after Foote's death in 1915 he was appointed editor. Cohen had written for other freethought journals before joining The Freethinker, and had edited The Truthseeker, owned by J.W. Gott. Cohen also succeeded Foote as President of the National Secular Society. ...more

Combine Editions
Chapman Cohen’s books

Average rating: 3.8 · 166 ratings · 18 reviews · 83 distinct works • Similar authors

	Theism or Atheism 3.65 avg rating — 48 ratings — published 1921 — 23 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Determinism or Free-Will? 3.36 avg rating — 25 ratings — published 1919 — 17 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Religion & Sex: Studies In The Pathology Of Religious Development 3.41 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 1919 — 24 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Grammar of Freethought 3.71 avg rating — 14 ratings — published 1921 — 27 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Christianity Slavery & Labour it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2011 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Essays in Freethinking (Revised Edition) (Vol. 1) 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 1987 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Materialism restated really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	God and Me it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 1935	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Socialism, Atheism And Christianity (1908) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Monism and Religion it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by Chapman Cohen (?)

“Gods are fragile things, they may be killed by a whiff of science or a dose of common sense. They thrive on servility and shrink before independence. They feed upon worship as kings do upon flattery. That is why the cry of gods at all times is “Worship us or we perish.” A dethroned monarch may retain some of his human dignity while driving a taxi for a living. But a god without his thunderbolt is a poor object.”
― Chapman Cohen

tags: atheism, fragility, gods, petty, reason, science, theism

27 likes

“ATHEIST is really a thoroughly honest, unambiguous term, it admits of no paltering and no evasion, and the need of the world, now as ever, is for clear-cut issues and unambiguous speech.”
― Chapman Cohen

tags: atheism, obscurantism

9 likes

“All my life I have made it a rule never to permit a religious man or woman take for granted that his or her religious beliefs deserved more consideration than non-religious beliefs or anti-religious ones.
I never agree with that foolish statement that I ought to respect the views of others when I believe them to be wrong.”
― Chapman Cohen

5 likes

See all Chapman Cohen's quotes »

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Chapman Cohen’s Followers (12)

Chapman Cohen

Combine EditionsChapman Cohen’s books

Topics Mentioning This Author

Combine Editions
Chapman Cohen’s books