This poster is awesome. Okay, yeah, Lincoln, Jefferson, and Franklin probably were not thorough atheists, but they certainly had the fortitude to reject religious claims based on their own reasoned analysis. Darwin probably wouldn’t classify as a thorough atheist either, but he recognized the value of skepticism, too.
The lesson to take is that you don’t have to fall lock-step into any religious tradition to be a great person or do great things. Exercise your own mind and never underestimate your own ability to see through the lies of others, even when they tell them forcefully, with great conviction. And watch out, because you might be lying to yourself, too.
Found via Pharyngula.