Here are some of the definitions I have found on the web on the term 'freethinker'
Freethinker is
- a British secular humanist journal, founded by G.W. Foote in 1881. It is the world's second oldest surviving freethought publication, the first being The Truth Seeker, launched in 1873 by D M Bennett. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Freethinker_(journal)
- a person who has formed their opinions using reason and rational enquiry; somebody who has rejected dogma, especially with regard to religion en.wiktionary.org/wiki/free-thinker
- A person who forms his opinions about religion and God without regard to revelation, scripture, tradition, or experience. www.carm.org/atheism/terms.htm
- a person who forms opinions on the basis of reason, independent of authority or tradition, esp. a person whose religious opinions differ from established belief. http://dictionary.reference.com
- One who speculates, reflects, forms opinions, and willingly suspends final judgment on religious, spiritual, and philosophical positions independently of the authority of others. Union of Freethinking Students
- a person who 1. reject dogma, 2. acknowledge human progress and 3. quest for wisdom and knowledge Cleveland Freethinkers Blog [please read the complete post]
An interesting idea:
Freethinking is not synonymous with atheism (despite what “The Freethinker” mag may suggest.) I suspect many atheists are atheists because they are freethinkers (and thus they were able to form their own opinion about the existence of God(s)), but it does not follow that freethinkers must become atheists (i.e., form the opinion that there are no Gods). [comment posted by F. Andy Seidl to source]
Also see
Definition of Atheism for Early Freethinkers
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