In the 19th century, Robert G. Ingersoll championed freethought with unmatched clarity and courage, reshaping American debates about belief and civic life. ✨📜
#FreeThought
Let the human Mind loose. It must be loose; it will be loose. Superstition and Despotism cannot confine it.
John Adams (1735-1826) American lawyer, Founding Father, statesman, US President (1797-1801)
Letter (1816-11-13) to John Quincy Adams
More about this quote: wist.info/adams-john/6140/
#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #johnadams #despotism #dogma #freethought #freedom #liberty #orthodoxy #superstition #tyranny #freethinking
I want to congratulate librarians, not famous for their physical strength or their powerful political connections or their great wealth, who, all over this country, have staunchly resisted anti-democratic bullies who have tried to remove certain books from their shelves, and have refused to reveal to thought police the names of persons who have checked out those titles. So the America I loved still exists, if not in the White House or the Supreme Court or the Senate or the House of Representatives or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries.
-- Kurt Vonnegut (A Man Without a Country)
⬆ #Wisdom #Quotes #KurtVonnegut #Bullies #CivilLiberties #FreeThought #Libraries
⬇ #Photography #Panorama #Sunset #Kayaks #Everglades #Florida
Conversation with Tauya Chinama on Philosophy, Theodicy, and Humanist Education in Zimbabwe
Keywords: Tauya Chinama, philosophy, theodicy, humanist education, Zimbabwe
Scott Douglas Jacobsen
In-Sight Publishing, Fort Langley, British Columbia, Canada
Correspondence: Scott Douglas Jacobsen (Email: scott.jacobsen2025@gmail.com)
Received: September 29, 2025
Accepted: November 8, 2025
Published: November 8, 2025
Abstract
The interview with Tauya Chinama explores the intellectual and emotional trajectory of a Zimbabwean philosopher and humanist who journeyed from theology to freethought. Trained for the priesthood, Chinama’s inquiries into theodicy—the reconciliation of divine justice with human suffering—provoked a philosophical transformation from belief to apatheism. Through critical engagement with theological defenses of evil, such as Augustine’s original sin and free will theories, he found these explanations logically inconsistent and ethically unsatisfying. His story embodies the struggle between inherited faith and emerging reason in postcolonial Africa. The dialogue situates his evolution within the broader humanist movement in Zimbabwe, connecting his critique of religion to his advocacy for indigenous languages and cultural preservation in education.
Keywords: African Humanism, Apatheism, Freethought, Humanism in Zimbabwe, Indigenous Languages, Philosophy of Religion, Problem of Evil, Secular Education, Theodicy, Theology and Logic
Introduction
This conversation documents Tauya Chinama’s philosophical evolution from a theological trainee to a secular humanist and apatheist. Emerging from Zimbabwe’s complex intersection of colonial religious education and indigenous intellectual revival, Chinama represents a new generation of African thinkers reclaiming moral autonomy outside religious dogma. His academic focus on theodicy—the problem of reconciling divine goodness with the existence of evil—became the catalyst for an enduring critique of institutional belief. The interview follows this transformation chronologically, highlighting the tension between inherited spiritual traditions and the pursuit of reasoned ethics. It also underscores Chinama’s belief that education rooted in indigenous languages sustains cultural identity and intellectual authenticity, reflecting his broader humanist commitment to justice, knowledge, and social progress.
Main Text (Interview)
Interviewer: Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Interviewee: Tauya Chinama
Tauya Chinama is a Zimbabwean freethinker, educator, and advocate for human rights and cultural preservation. Trained in philosophy and theology, he transitioned from religious study to humanism, emphasizing intellectual honesty, dialogue, and heritage-based education. As a teacher of heritage studies, he works to integrate indigenous knowledge and languages into learning systems, arguing that language carries culture, history, and identity. Chinama is active in Zimbabwe’s humanist movement, contributing to interfaith dialogues, academic research, and public discourse on secularism, ethics, and education reform. He champions the preservation of Shona and Ndebele while critiquing systemic barriers that weaken local language education.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: When you were doing your training, what was your main specialization? What was the core research question?
Tauya Chinama: I had several questions, but my primary focus was on theodicy: the relationship between the existence of God and the problem of evil.
That was the question that led me to think more deeply. Years ago, I preached about an omniscient, omnipotent, all-good God. But then I looked at the reality: people who are disabled, people dying in natural disasters, people dying from diseases. Why is God not ending all this suffering? Where is he? Is he enjoying it?
The key issue is theodicy. The Greek words are theos (God) and dike (justice). Is it just for God to allow these things to happen? That question pulled me further. I came to feel that I could act more justly as a human being than the God being preached, who supposedly is capable of ending poverty, disease, disability, and natural disasters, but does not. Why should I believe in him? Why should I revere him?
The realization was: we are on our own. We are responsible, and we must act to address what is happening to us. That was the key lesson that pushed me from being a believer to an agnostic, and then to what I now call an apatheist—a person indifferent to God’s existence. Today, I describe myself as an apatheist with a touch of cosmopolitanism.
Jacobsen: For theodicy, what were the standard arguments? How did theologians justify evil, suffering, and pain?
Chinama: A number of them talked about free will. Others leaned on determinism. But this did not make sense to me. If we say that human beings have free will, then it means God is not omniscient—he does not know everything that will happen before it occurs. If he knows it all, then free will does not exist.
On the other hand, if determinism is true, then we are simply victims of a plan. We cannot resist; we can only follow the flow. We are what Martin Heidegger might call Dasein—a being-toward-death. We are thrown into existence, moving toward death, with limited choice. That line of argument, whether from free will or determinism, did not make sense to me.
It could not resolve the harm and suffering I saw in the world. The defences of theologians like St. Augustine of Hippo also did not persuade me. Augustine introduced the doctrine of original sin and linked sexuality to sin, claiming virginity was a higher state. But none of this made sense to me. He had emerged from Manichaean philosophy, which emphasized dualism—light and darkness, good and evil as opposing forces. His framework seemed more like a leftover from dualism than a convincing defence of Christian doctrine.
Jacobsen: Was it the weakness of the theological arguments for God in the face of evil that made you drift away? Or was it the strength of non-religious arguments that convinced you to adopt a non-religious way of looking at life?
Chinama: It was both. When you look at the theological arguments and test them through logic—a branch of philosophy about correct reasoning—you quickly see the conclusions do not follow from the premises. That leaves you confused.
So I moved from being a believer to an agnostic, saying, “Perhaps I am wrong, perhaps I am right.” Over time, you sober up. Sometimes you even become militant, but then you realize militancy does not work. You calm down, or you risk messing things up.
I remember when I was training to be a priest. I confided in a particular Indian priest—I will not give his name—that I was slowly losing my faith. He told me something shocking: that many high-ranking figures in the Catholic Church, including bishops and cardinals, do not actually believe the doctrines they defend.
I was surprised. Here were people defending the Church’s teachings every day, yet privately admitting they did not believe them. He even told me he had gone through the same phase and had never fully recovered his faith. His advice was: “Do not fight it. Just go with the flow.”
But I felt I was too honest to live that way. I could not simply go along with something I did not believe.
Jacobsen: In the end, was your decision to leave a faith-based position and move to a non-religious position more an intellectual exercise, or more about changing how you felt? Or was it a little of both?
Chinama: It was both. Several factors led me to change. It was an intellectual practice, but also an emotional realization that what I thought religion was turned out not to be. The whole motivation collapsed, and I was left with no choice but to withdraw.
I do not regret it, but it was a hard decision. There is stigmatization, ostracism, and other consequences that come with choosing such a path. It is serious—you need to be mentally strong. For me, it was primarily intellectual, but I also required mental resilience to overcome it.
Jacobsen: Thank you for your time today, Tauya.
Discussion
Tauya Chinama’s reflections reveal a deeply introspective yet socially engaged freethinker whose intellectual honesty led him beyond orthodoxy. His interrogation of theodicy exemplifies the enduring philosophical dilemma of faith confronted by empirical reality. While traditional theologians rely on constructs like free will and divine mystery, Chinama dissects these notions through logic, concluding that such reasoning collapses under moral scrutiny. His disillusionment with clerical hypocrisy—priests who privately disbelieve the doctrines they preach—illustrates a crisis of authenticity within institutional religion.
Yet his departure from faith is not marked by bitterness but by clarity. By adopting apatheism—a stance of indifference toward divine existence—Chinama reframes human responsibility as self-generated rather than divinely assigned. His evolution aligns with a broader movement of African secular intellectuals reclaiming ethical discourse from religious monopoly. Parallel to his philosophical journey, his pedagogical work in heritage studies demonstrates that the preservation of indigenous languages like Shona and Ndebele is a moral act of cultural resistance. Language, for him, is not merely communication but a repository of collective memory and ethical orientation.
The dialogue ultimately positions Chinama within Zimbabwe’s emerging secular humanist network, bridging philosophical critique with practical reform in education and human rights. His insistence that moral progress depends on intellectual freedom situates him among Africa’s most reflective voices challenging inherited hierarchies of belief and identity.
Methods
The interview was conducted via typed questions—with explicit consent—for review, and curation. This process complied with applicable data protection laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), and Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), i.e., recordings if any were stored securely, retained only as needed, and deleted upon request, as well in accordance with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Advertising Standards Canada guidelines.
Data Availability
No datasets were generated or analyzed during the current article. All interview content remains the intellectual property of the interviewer and interviewee.
References
(No external academic sources were cited for this interview.)
Journal & Article Details
- Publisher: In-Sight Publishing
- Publisher Founding: March 1, 2014
- Web Domain: http://www.in-sightpublishing.com
- Location: Fort Langley, Township of Langley, British Columbia, Canada
- Journal: In-Sight: Interviews
- Journal Founding: August 2, 2012
- Frequency: Four Times Per Year
- Review Status: Non-Peer-Reviewed
- Access: Electronic/Digital & Open Access
- Fees: None (Free)
- Volume Numbering: 13
- Issue Numbering: 4
- Section: A
- Theme Type: Discipline
- Theme Premise: Theology
- Theme Part: None
- Formal Sub-Theme: None.
- Individual Publication Date: November 8, 2025
- Issue Publication Date: January 1, 2026
- Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
- Word Count: 944
- Image Credits: Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash
- ISSN (International Standard Serial Number): 2369-6885
Acknowledgements
The author acknowledges Enos Mafokate for his time, expertise, and valuable contributions. His thoughtful insights and detailed explanations have greatly enhanced the quality and depth of this work, providing a solid foundation for the discussion presented herein.
Author Contributions
S.D.J. conceived the subject matter, conducted the interview, transcribed and edited the conversation, and prepared the manuscript.
Competing Interests
The author declares no competing interests.
License & Copyright
In-Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
© Scott Douglas Jacobsen and In-Sight Publishing 2012–Present.
Unauthorized use or duplication of material without express permission from Scott Douglas Jacobsen is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links must use full credit to Scott Douglas Jacobsen and In-Sight Publishing with direction to the original content.
Supplementary Information
Below are various citation formats for Conversation with Tauya Chinama on Philosophy, Theodicy, and Humanist Education in Zimbabwe.
American Medical Association (AMA 11th Edition)
Jacobsen S. Conversation with Tauya Chinama on Philosophy, Theodicy, and Humanist Education in Zimbabwe. November 2025;13(4). http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/chinama-humanism
American Psychological Association (APA 7th Edition)
Jacobsen, S. (2025, November 8). Conversation with Tauya Chinama on Philosophy, Theodicy, and Humanist Education in Zimbabwe. In-Sight Publishing, 13(4).
Brazilian National Standards (ABNT)
JACOBSEN, S. Conversation with Tauya Chinama on Philosophy, Theodicy, and Humanist Education in Zimbabwe. In-Sight: Interviews, Fort Langley, v. 13, n. 4, 2025.
Chicago/Turabian, Author-Date (17th Edition)
Jacobsen, Scott. 2025. “Conversation with Tauya Chinama on Philosophy, Theodicy, and Humanist Education in Zimbabwe.” In-Sight: Interviews 13 (4). http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/chinama-humanism.
Chicago/Turabian, Notes & Bibliography (17th Edition)
Jacobsen, S. “Conversation with Tauya Chinama on Philosophy, Theodicy, and Humanist Education in Zimbabwe.” In-Sight: Interviews 13, no. 4 (November 2025). http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/chinama-humanism.
Harvard
Jacobsen, S. (2025) ‘Conversation with Tauya Chinama on Philosophy, Theodicy, and Humanist Education in Zimbabwe’, In-Sight: Interviews, 13(4). http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/chinama-humanism.
Harvard (Australian)
Jacobsen, S 2025, ‘Conversation with Tauya Chinama on Philosophy, Theodicy, and Humanist Education in Zimbabwe’, In-Sight: Interviews, vol. 13, no. 4, http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/chinama-humanism.
Modern Language Association (MLA, 9th Edition)
Jacobsen, Scott. “Conversation with Tauya Chinama on Philosophy, Theodicy, and Humanist Education in Zimbabwe.” In-Sight: Interviews, vol. 13, no. 4, 2025, http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/chinama-humanism.
Vancouver/ICMJE
Jacobsen S. Conversation with Tauya Chinama on Philosophy, Theodicy, and Humanist Education in Zimbabwe [Internet]. 2025 Nov;13(4). Available from: http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/chinama-humanism
Note on Formatting
This document follows an adapted Nature research-article format tailored for an interview. Traditional sections such as Methods, Results, and Discussion are replaced with clearly defined parts: Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Main Text (Interview), and a concluding Discussion, along with supplementary sections detailing Data Availability, References, and Author Contributions. This structure maintains scholarly rigor while effectively accommodating narrative content.
#AfricanHumanism #Apatheism #Freethought #HumanismInZimbabwe #IndigenousLanguages #PhilosophyOfReligion #problemOfEvil #secularEducation #theodicy #TheologyAndLogic
A Free Mind -- In A Free Body -- In A Free Society -- With a Free Humanity -- On A Free Earth
#freethought #secularism #nudism #naturism #bodyfreedom #socialism #anarchism #communism #feminism #animalliberation #earthliberation #ecology #emancipation #totalliberation
Happy Freethought Day!
Keep it on!
https://www.kuriose-feiertage.de/freidenker-tag/
#freethought #freidenker
A quotation from Eleanor Roosevelt
I have been one of those who have carried the fight for complete freedom of information in the United Nations. And while accepting the fact that some of our press, our radio commentators, our prominent citizens and our movies may at times be blamed legitimately for things they have said and done, still I feel that the fundamental right of freedom of thought and expression is essential. If you curtail what the other fellow says and does, you curtail what you yourself may say and do.
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) First Lady of the US (1933-45), politician, diplomat, activist
Column (1947-10-29), “My Day”
More info about this quote: wist.info/roosevelt-eleanor/60…
#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #eleanorroosevelt #huaac #redscare #censorship #freespeech #freethought #freedomofexpression #freedomofinformation #freedomofspeech #freedom of thought
2025 First in the Family Humanist Forward Freethought Scholarship Awardees announced: American Humanist Association via Black Skeptics Los Angeles
#Afghanistan faces a crisis as professors are expelled for free thought. 🎓 Expelling intellectuals leads to scientific, social, and political decline. 🌍 #EducationCrisis #FreeThought #AfghanUniversities
"But, it wasn’t the constant degradation of women or the villainization of feminism from the summit’s speakers that disturbed me the most. Instead, what really bothered me was the all-female crowd’s eager embrace of the sermon-like remarks that urged the attendees to trade ambition for obedience, education for marriage and independence for servitude."
A quotation from Robert Ingersoll
Whoever worships, abdicates. Whoever believes at the command of power, tramples his own individuality beneath his feet, and voluntarily robs himself of all that renders man superior to the brute.
Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899) American lawyer, agnostic, orator
Lecture (1873-12) “Individuality,” Chicago Free Religious Society
Sourcing, notes: wist.info/ingersoll-robert-gre…
#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #robertingersoll #robertgreeningersoll #belief #coercion #freethought #individuality #obedience #power #worship
#Congressional #Freethought Caucus Asks #IRS to Reconsider Decision to Allow #Church Endorsements of #Candidates
A quotation from Robert Ingersoll
The Church hates a thinker precisely for the same reason a robber dislikes a sheriff, or a thief despises the prosecuting witness. Tyranny likes courtiers, flatterers, followers, fawners, and superstition wants believers, disciples, zealots, hypocrites, and subscribers.
Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899) American lawyer, agnostic, orator
Lecture (1873-12) “Individuality,” Chicago Free Religious Society
Sourcing, notes: wist.info/ingersoll-robert-gre…
#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #robertingersoll #Christianity #church #freethought #rationality #religion #superstition #thought #tyranny #freethinker
CLÉANTE:These are the arguments of all your kind:
Since they can’t see, they think that no one ought;
Whoever does, is tainted with free thought;
Whoever balks at pious affectation
Fails to hold piety in veneration.
Come now, for all your talk, I’m not afraid;
Heaven sees my heart, and I know what I’ve said.
[Voilà de vos pareils le discours ordinaire:
Ils veulent que chacun soit aveugle comme eux;
C’est être libertin que d’avoir de bons yeux;
Et qui n’adore pas de vaines simagrées
N’a ni respect ni foi pour les choses sacrées.
Allez, tous vos discours ne me font point de peur;
Je sais comme je parle, et le ciel voit mon cœur.]
Molière (1622-1673) French playwright, actor [stage name for Jean-Baptiste Poquelin]
Tartuffe, or the Hypocrite [Le Tartuffe, ou L’Imposteur], Act 1, sc. 6 (1669) [tr. Frame (1967), 1.5]
Sourcing, notes, other translations: wist.info/moliere/77776/
#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #moliere #tartuffe #accusations #blindness #clearseeing #conscience #devotion #freethought #freethinking #heresy #impiety #orthodoxy #piety #religion
Today I learned there is a Congressional Freethought Cacus with 31 members! Of course there's no Republican members since fealty to Trump the God King is virtually, if not actually, a requirement for that party.
freethoughtcaucus-huffman.house.gov
#atheism #freethought
Freethought Caucus
“But the whole thing, after all, may be put very simply. I believe that it is better to tell the truth than to lie. I believe that it is better to be free than to be a slave. And I believe that it is better to know than be ignorant.”
― H.L. Mencken
#Republicans are Inventing Studies to Support their BS
sounds and colours of realness
exploding into the actuality of
moments drifting through time at varying speeds
accelerating decelerating
moving in confused motions, imploding
then exploding again
into a kaleidoscope
of psychedelic things...
#poetry #poetryblog #poems #ProsePoetry #poemsonmedium #consciousness #contemplation #freethought
Read “of psychedelic things…“ by for-much-deliberation on Medium: https://medium.com/@formuchdeliberation/of-psychedelic-things-f73e70522a47
Efforts to promote the National Day of Reason have always emphasized secularism more than reason itself. Has this been a mistake, turning off many of those who would benefit from understanding the value of reason?
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