Okay, I'll start from the top. Him not saying anything about not being religious would mean we have neither proof that he was nor proof that he wasn't. Just because he could have got in trouble does not mean he was an atheist. Now, the pope would have had nothing to do with it. Thomas Edison did not fall under the jurisdiction of the pope. The two are incomparable situations.
=/= means not equal to or not the same. A freemason does not have to be deist and a deist does not have to be freemason.
Lastly, you can believe in god without believing in souls. You can also hate religious and still believe in a deity. I know several people who do, in fact. Therefore, Edison's comments cannot be assumed to mean he was atheists. Nothing short of a statement saying he was an atheist would suffice.
=/= means not equal to or not the same. A freemason does not have to be deist and a deist does not have to be freemason.
Lastly, you can believe in god without believing in souls. You can also hate religious and still believe in a deity. I know several people who do, in fact. Therefore, Edison's comments cannot be assumed to mean he was atheists. Nothing short of a statement saying he was an atheist would suffice.
