HERB’S CORNER | Who’s Who in Hell

Who’s Who in Hell is a wonderful book, written by Warren Allen Smith. He served in World War II and referred to himself as “the atheist in the foxhole.” His military dog tag said “None” under religion, unheard of at that time. This book makes a case not only for the respectability of atheists, but also for their positive outlooks and creativity.

Since the book is tongue-in-cheek about Hell, many people in the book are still alive. I’m honored to be included because of my battle to allow atheists to hold public office in South Carolina. Also in the book are many famous people you might not know as atheists, like Marlon Brando and Katherine Hepburn.

I met Warren Allen Smith at a freethought conference after the book was published. He, of course, is included in the book with many interesting stories he relates about himself. He died in 2017, and many theists are probably saying that he is now burning in their imaginary Hell.

I’m guessing that Warren Allen Smith is one of the few people to have read every word in the book, which is more than 1,200 pages. This impressive tome is the product of fifty years of painstaking research. The reader can turn at random to any given page and be both entertained and enlightened. In addition to listing thousands of freethinkers, past and present, along with some of their anecdotes and quotes, the author provides useful information on topics such as freethought, religion, philosophy, science, and sexuality. The book demonstrates the enormous contribution freethinkers of all stripes have made to humanity throughout the ages.

Every movement needs to maintain a sense of its own history. Who’s Who in Hell serves that purpose for freethinkers, and every freethinker should have a copy.

Many other freethought books would not have been written if not for the bravery of men and women whose lives you can explore in this book. Most of the people in the book were new to me, and I learned why I should appreciate them. The book is not just a dry recitation of names and dates. It contains many witticisms. Individuals listed come to life in Warren’s descriptions—the only type of resurrection freethinkers would accept. I would call this book a heavenly read.

NOW, I have to say there is one important omission in the book. Warren doesn’t say much about why people believe in Heaven and Hell, and why people worry about going to Hell.

And here are some questions I might add to the book for theists to answer.

Why is faith not only important, but perhaps the deciding factor about who winds up in Heaven or Hell? What moral purpose does eternal torture serve? If we have free will on Earth, will we have free will in Heaven? If so, might we sin and go from Heaven to Hell? If not, will we be heavenly robots?

If God can make us sinless in Heaven, why didn’t he create us sinless on Earth? Can you be blissfully happy in Heaven knowing that some of your loved ones are being tortured in Hell? And what do you do for an eternity in Heaven without getting bored? Wouldn’t a loving God who wants us all to go to Heaven make it unambiguously clear how to get there?

I’d really like to know how God believers would answer these questions.