| rdfs:comment | - Charles Chilton Moore (1837 - February 7, 1906) was an American atheist, and the editor of Blue Grass Blade, one of the United States' first journals promoting atheism. C. C. Moore's grandfather was the 19th century religious reformer Barton W. Stone. Moore became a preacher, in his grandfather's tradition, but came to doubt the Bible and its teachings. He left the church, passing through deism and agnosticism before becoming an atheist. He founded the Blue Grass Blade in 1884 in Lexington, Kentucky. Due to financial and legal problems, he was only able to publish it sporadically. The journal contained articles advocating such positions as agnosticism, women's suffrage, and prohibition.
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| abstract | - Charles Chilton Moore (1837 - February 7, 1906) was an American atheist, and the editor of Blue Grass Blade, one of the United States' first journals promoting atheism. C. C. Moore's grandfather was the 19th century religious reformer Barton W. Stone. Moore became a preacher, in his grandfather's tradition, but came to doubt the Bible and its teachings. He left the church, passing through deism and agnosticism before becoming an atheist. He founded the Blue Grass Blade in 1884 in Lexington, Kentucky. Due to financial and legal problems, he was only able to publish it sporadically. The journal contained articles advocating such positions as agnosticism, women's suffrage, and prohibition. Moore spent time in prison for his outspoken opposition to religion and The Bible. He was even jailed for blasphemy, but was pardoned by president William McKinley. His autobiography, written in prison, is called Behind the Bars. Moore's legacy is that of a father of American atheism. His Blue Grass Blade was widely circulated, gaining him notoriety among the religious and non-religious alike. He helped to promote arguments against much that is contained in the Bible, for example, geological evidence that Earth existed far before the date of October 23, 4004 BC, calculated by James Ussher from the Old Testament. His legal trials helped establish precedents in free speech law, as it relates to religious dissent. The Blue Grass Blade continued to be published after his death by James Edward Hughes until 1910. Charles Chilton Moore is buried in Lexington, Kentucky.
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