A List of non-believers

The list of atheists comes, predominately, from Wikipedia's list of atheists (extensively notated). Scientology is a brainwashing cult, religious people are delusional... best wishes The_Phyrexian XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Atheist activists and educators * Clark Adams (1969–2007): Prominent American freethought leader and activist.[1] * Ayaan Hirsi Ali (1969–): Dutch feminist and politician.[2] * Natalie Angier (1958–): Nonfiction writer and science journalist for The New York Times; 1991 winner of Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting.[3] * Dan Barker (1949–): American atheist activist.[4] * Peter Brearey (1939–1998): British secularist, socialist and journalist, Editor of The Freethinker from 1993 until his death.[5] * William Montgomery Brown (1855–1937): Episcopal bishop and Communist author.[6] * Richard Carrier (1969–): historian, philosopher, and atheist activist.[7] * Chapman Cohen (1868–1954): English freethought writer and lecturer, and an editor of The Freethinker and president of the National Secular Society.[8] * Margaret Downey: an atheist activist who is the current President of Atheist Alliance International.[9] * Joseph Edamaruku (1934–2006): Indian journalist, author, leader in the rationalist movement, and winner of the International Atheist Award in 1979.[10][11] * Sanal Edamaruku (1955–): Indian rationalist, president of the Indian Rationalist Association.[12] * Reginald Vaughn Finley, Sr. (1974–): ("The Infidel Guy"): Internet radio host and Podcaster in Atlanta, Georgia, co-founder of the Atheist Network and founder of FreethoughtMedia.com.[13] * Annie Laurie Gaylor (1955–): co-founder of the Freedom From Religion Foundation and, with her husband Dan Barker, is the current co-president.[14] * Emma Goldman (1869–1940): Lithuanian-born radical, known for her writings and speeches defending anarchist communism, feminism, and atheism.[15] * Gora (1902–1975): Indian atheist leader, co-founder with his wife of the Atheist Centre in Andhra Pradesh.[16] * Saraswathi Gora (1912–2006): Indian social activist, wife of Gora and leader of the Atheist Centre for many years, campaigning against untouchability and the caste system.[16] * John William Gott (1866–1922): English trouser salesman and leader of the Freethought Socialist League, the last person in Britain to be sent to prison for blasphemy.[17] * E. Haldeman-Julius (1889–1951): American author, editor and publisher of the Little Blue Books series[18] * Erkki Hartikainen (1942–): is a Finnish atheist activist. He is the chairman of the Atheist Association of Finland (Suomen Ateistiyhdistys) and former chairman of the Union of Freethinkers of Finland (Vapaa-ajattelijoiden liitto), the biggest atheistic association in Finland.[19] * George Holyoake (1817–1906): English secularist. Holyoake was the last person in England to be imprisoned (in 1842) for being an atheist.[20] He coined the term "secularism" in 1846.[21] * Ellen Johnson: President of American Atheists, 1995-2008.[22] * Edwin Kagin (1940–): lawyer, activist, founder of the Camp Quest secular summer camp, and American Atheists' Kentucky State Director.[23] * Dave Kong (19??–): Director of the California chapter of the American Atheists.[24] * Paul Kurtz (1925–): Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo, best known for his prominent role in the United States humanist and skeptical communities.[25] * Joseph Lewis (1889–1968): American freethinker and atheist, president of Freethinkers of America 1920–1968.[26] * Hemant Mehta (c.1983–): Author of I Sold My Soul on eBay, chair of the Secular Student Alliance and author of the blog FriendlyAtheist.com.[27][28] * William L. Moore (1927–1963): Postal worker and Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) member who staged lone protests against racial segregation. He was murdered on his final protest.[29] * Michael Newdow (1953–): American physician and attorney, who sued a school district on the grounds that its requirement that children recite the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, containing the words "under God", breached the separation-of-church-and-state provision in the establishment clause of the United States Constitution.[30] * Madalyn Murray O'Hair (1919–1995): founder of American Atheists, campaigner for the separation of church and state; filed the lawsuit that led the US Supreme Court to ban teacher-led prayer and Bible reading in public schools.[31] * Keith Porteous Wood (19??–): Executive Director, formerly General Secretary, of the National Secular Society in the United Kingdom.[32] * Philip K. Paulson (1947–2006): American plaintiff in a series of law suits to remove a Christian cross from a prominent summit in the city of San Diego.[33] * James Randi, (1928–): magician, debunker, and founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation.[34] * A. Philip Randolph, (1889–1979): African-American civil rights leader.[35] * J. M. Robertson (1856–1933): Scottish journalist, advocate of rationalism and secularism, social reformer and Liberal Member of Parliament.[36] * Terry Sanderson (1946–): British secularist and gay rights activist, author and journalist, President of the National Secular Society since 2006.[37] * Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (1883–1966): Indian revolutionary freedom fighter, and Hindu nationalist leader.[38] * Robert I. Sherman: American atheist advocate and member of Illinois Green Party.[39] * Charles Lee Smith (1887–1964): an atheist activist in the United States and an editor of the Truth Seeker until his death. He also founded the American Association for the Advancement of Atheism. Smith was arrested twice in 1928 for selling atheist literature and for blasphemy. Since he refused to swear an oath to God on the Bible, he was not allowed to testify in his own defense.[40] * Barbara Smoker (1923–): British humanist activist and freethought advocate. Wrote the book Freethoughts: Atheism, Secularism, Humanism – Selected Egotistically from The Freethinker.[41] * Polly Toynbee (1946–): British journalist, columnist for The Guardian.[42] * Nicolas Walter (1934–2000): British anarchist and atheist writer, speaker and activist.[43] [edit] Other activists and educators People who are/were activists or educators in other areas (social reform, feminism etc), but who were also atheists. Kropotkin Sanger Suzuki * Pietro Acciarito (1871–1943): Italian anarchist activist who attempted to assassinate King Umberto I.[44] * Zackie Achmat (1962–): South African anti-HIV/AIDS activist; founder of the Treatment Action Campaign.[45] * Baba Amte (1914–2008): Respected Indian social activist, known for his work with lepers.[46] * Yaron Brook (1961–): Current president and executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute.[47] * Deng Pufang (1944–): Chinese handicap people's rights activist, first son of China's former Paramount leader Deng Xiaoping.[48] * David D. Friedman (1945–): Economist, law professor, novelist, and libertarian activist.[49] * E. Haldeman-Julius (1889–1951): American social reformer and publisher, most noted as the editor of Appeal to Reason newspaper.[50] * Peter Kropotkin (1842–1921): Russian anarchist communist activist and geographer, best known for his book, Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution, which refutes social Darwinism.[51] * Taslima Nasrin (1962–): Bangladeshi physician, writer, feminist human rights activist and secular humanist.[52] * Ingrid Newkirk (1949–): British-born animal rights activist, author, and president and co-founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the world's largest animal rights organization.[53] * Ron Reagan (1958–): American magazine journalist, board member of the politically activistic Creative Coalition, son of former U. S. President Ronald Reagan.[54] * Henry Stephens Salt (1851–1939): English writer and campaigner for social reform in the fields of prisons, schools, economic institutions and the treatment of animals, a noted anti-vivisectionist and pacifist, and a literary critic, biographer, classical scholar and naturalist, and the man who introduced Mahatma Gandhi to the influential works of Henry David Thoreau.[55] * Margaret Sanger (1879–1966): American birth-control activist, founder of the American Birth Control League, a forerunner to Planned Parenthood. The masthead motto of her newsletter, The Woman Rebel, read: "No Gods, No Masters".[56] * Rosika Schwimmer (1877–19486): Hungarian-born pacifist, feminist and female suffragist.[57] * Bhagat Singh (1907–1931): Indian revolutionary freedom fighter.[58] * Marie Souvestre (1830–1905): French headmistress, a feminist educator who sought to develop independent minds in young women.[59] * David Suzuki (1936–): Canadian university professor, science broadcaster, and environmental activist.[60] Authors * Douglas Adams (1952–2001): British radio and television writer and novelist, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.[1] * Tariq Ali (1943–): British-Pakistani historian, novelist, filmmaker, political campaigner and commentator.[2] * Jorge Amado (1912–2001): Brazilian author.[3] * Sir Kingsley Amis (1922–1995): English novelist, poet, critic and teacher, most famous for his novels Lucky Jim and the Booker Prize-winning The Old Devils.[4] * Eric Ambler OBE (1909–1998): influential English writer of spy novels who introduced a new realism to the genre.[5] * Sir Isaac Asimov (1920–1992): Russian-born American author of science fiction and popular science books.[6] * Diana Athill (1917–1992): British literary editor, novelist and memoirist who worked with some of the most important writers of the 20th century.[7] * Iain Banks (1954–): Scottish author, writing mainstream fiction as Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M. Banks.[8] * Pierre Berton CC, O.Ont (1920–2004): Noted Canadian author of non-fiction, especially Canadiana and Canadian history, and was a well-known television personality and journalist.[9] * Wilfrid Scawen Blunt (1840–1922): English poet, writer and diplomat.[10] * William Boyd CBE (1952–): Scottish novelist and screenwriter.[11] * Marshall Brain (1961–): Author of WhyWontGodHealAmputees.com and GodIsImaginary.com and HowStuffWorks founder. * Lily Braun (1865–1916): German feminist writer.[12] * Howard Brenton (1942–): English playwright, who gained notoriety for his 1980 play The Romans in Britain.[13] * John Brockman (1941–): American literary agent and author, specializing in scientific literature, and founder of the Edge Foundation.[14] * Brigid Brophy, Lady Levey (1929–1995): English novelist, essayist, critic, biographer, and dramatist.[15] * Alan Brownjohn (1931–1995): English poet and novelist.[16] * Lawrence Bush (19??–): Author of several books of Jewish fiction and non-fiction, including Waiting for God: The Spiritual Explorations of a Reluctant Atheist.[17] * Mary Butts (1890–1937): English modernist writer.[18] * João Cabral de Melo Neto, (1920–1999): Brazilian poet, considered one of the greatest Brazilian poets of all time.[19] * Angela Carter (1940–1992): English novelist and journalist, known for her feminist, magical realism and science fiction works.[20] * Luigi Cascioli (19??–): Italian author, who trained to become a Roman Catholic priest, but he left to become a pronounced atheist, arguing that Jesus never existed.[21] * Sir Arthur C. Clarke (1917–2008): British scientist and science-fiction author.[22] * Edward Clodd (1840–1930): English banker, writer and anthropologist, an early populariser of evolution, keen folklorist and chairman of the Rationalist Press Association.[23] * Claud Cockburn (1904–1981): Renowned radical British writer and journalist, controversial for his communist sympathies.[24] * Jonathan Coe (1961–): British novelist and satirical writer.[25] * G. D. H. Cole (1889–1959): English political theorist, economist, writer and historian.[26] * Ivy Compton-Burnett DBE (1884–1969): English novelist.[27] * Cyril Connolly (1903–1974): English intellectual, literary critic and writer.[28] * Edmund Cooper (1926–1982): English poet and prolific writer of speculative fiction and other genres, published under his own name and several pen names.[29] * William Cooper (1910–2002): English novelist.[30] * Jim Crace (1946–): English writer, winner of numerous awards.[31] * Theodore Dalrymple (1949–): pen name of British writer and retired physician Anthony Daniels.[32] * Rhys Davies (1901–1978): Welsh novelist and short story writer.[33] * Frank Dalby Davison (1893–1970): Australian novelist and short story writer, best known for his animal stories and sensitive interpretations of Australian bush life.[34] * Alain de Botton (1969–): English writer and television producer.[35] * Marquis de Sade (1740–1814): French aristocrat, revolutionary and writer of philosophy-laden and often violent pornography.[36] * Isaac Deutscher (1907–1967): British journalist, historian and biographer.[37] * Thomas M. Disch (1940–2008): American science fiction author and poet, winner of several awards.[38] * Roddy Doyle (1958–): Irish novelist, dramatist and screenwriter, winner of the Booker Prize in 1993.[39] * Ruth Dudley Edwards (19??–): Irish historian, crime novelist, journalist and broadcaster.[40] * Carol Ann Duffy (1955–): Award-winning British poet, playwright and freelance writer.[41] * Turan Dursun (1934–1990): Islamic scholar, imam and mufti, and latterly, an outspoken atheist.[42] * Terry Eagleton (1943–): British literary critic, currently Professor of English Literature at the University of Manchester.[43] * Greg Egan (1961–): Australian computer programmer and science fiction author.[44][45] * Dave Eggers (1970–): American writer, editor, and publisher.[46] * Barbara Ehrenreich (1941–): American feminist, socialist and political activist. She is a widely read columnist and essayist, and the author of nearly 20 books.[47] * George Eliot (1819–1890): Mary Ann Evans, the famous novelist, was also a humanist and propounded her views on theism in an essay called Evangelical Teaching'.[48]. * Harlan Ellison (1934–): American science fiction author and screenwriter.[49] * Gavin Ewart (1916–1995): British poet.[50] * Michel Faber (1960–): Dutch author who writes in English, most famous for the Victorian-set postmodernist novel The Crimson Petal and the White.[51] * Oriana Fallaci (1929–2006): Italian journalist, author, and political interviewer.[52] * Vardis Fisher (1895–1968): American writer and scholar, author of atheistic Testament of Man series.[53] * Tom Flynn (19??–): American author and Senior Editor of Free Inquiry magazine.[54] * Ken Follett (1949ndash;): British author of thrillers and historical novels.[55] * E. M. Forster OM (1879–1970): English novelist, short story writer, and essayist, best known for his ironic and well-plotted novels examining class difference and hypocrisy in early 20th century British society.[56] * John Fowles (1926–2005): English novelist and essayist, noted especially for The French Lieutenant's Woman and The Magus (novel).[57] * Maureen Freely (1952–): American journalist, novelist, translator and teacher.[58]. * James Frey (1969–): American author, screenwriter and director.[59] * Frederick James Furnivall (1825–1910): English philologist, one of the co-creators of the Oxford English Dictionary.[60] * Alex Garland (1970–): British novelist and screenwriter, author of The Beach and the screenplays for 28 Days Later and Sunshine.[61] * Constance Garnett (1861–1946): English translator, whose translations of nineteenth-century Russian classics which first introduced them widely to the English and American public.[62] * Nicci Gerrard (1958–): British author and journalist, who with her husband Sean French writes psychological thrillers under the pen name of Nicci French.[63] * Sir William Golding (1911–1993): British novelist, poet and Nobel Prize for Literature laureate, best known for his novel Lord of the Flies.[64] * Rebecca Goldstein (1950–1993): American novelist and professor of philosophy.[65] * Nadine Gordimer (1923–): South African writer and political activist. Her writing has long dealt with moral and racial issues, particularly apartheid in South Africa. She won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1991.[66][67] * Robert Graves (1895–1985): English poet, scholar, translator and novelist, producing more than 140 works including his famous annotations of Greek myths and I, Claudius.[68] * Graham GreeneOM, CH (1904–1991): English]] novelist, short story writer, playwright, screenwriter, travel writer and critic.[69][70] * Germaine Greer (1939–): Australian feminist writer. Greer describes herself as a "Catholic atheist".[71] * David Grossman (1954–): Israeli author of fiction, nonfiction, and youth and children's literature.[72] * Jan Guillou (1944–): Swedish author and Journalist.[73] * Daniel Handler (1970–): American author better known under the pen name of Lemony Snicket. Handler has admitted to being both an atheist[74] and a secular humanist.[75] Handler has hinted that the Baudelaires in his children's book series A Series of Unfortunate Events might be atheists.[76] * Sam Harris (1967–): American author, researcher in neuroscience, author of The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation.[77] * Harry Harrison (1925–): American science fiction author, anthologist and artist whose short story The Streets of Ashkelon took as its hero an atheist who tries to prevent a Christian missionary from indoctrinating a tribe of irreligious but ingenuous alien beings.[78] * Tony Harrison (1937–): English poet, winner of a number of literary prizes.[79] * Seamus Heaney (1939–): Irish poet, writer and lecturer, winner of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature.[80] * Zoë Heller (1965–): British journalist and novelist.[81] * Dorothy Hewett (1923–2002): Australian feminist poet, novelist, librettist, and playwright.[82] * Archie Hind (1928–2008): Scottish writer, author of The Dear Green Place, regarded as one of the greatest Scottish novels of all time.[83] * Christopher Hitchens (1949–): Author of God Is Not Great, journalist and essayist.[84] * Thomas Jefferson Hogg (1792–1862): British biographer, and co-author with Percy Bysshe Shelley of The Necessity of Atheism.[85] * R. J. Hollingdale (1930–2001): English biographer and translator of German philosophy and literature, President of The Friedrich Nietzsche Society, and responsible for rehabilitating Nietzsche's reputation in the English-speaking world.[86] * Michel Houellebecq (1958–): French novelist.[87] * A. E. Housman (1859–1936): English poet and classical scholar, best known for his cycle of poems A Shropshire Lad.[88] * Stanley Edgar Hyman (1919–1970): American literary critic who wrote primarily about critical methods.[89] * Howard Jacobson (1942–): British author, best known for comic novels but also a non-fiction writer and journalist.[90] * Susan Jacoby (1945–): an American atheist, secularist, and author, most recently of the New York Times best seller, The Age of American Unreason, which is about anti-intellectualism.[91] * Clive James (1939–): Australian author, television presenter and cultural commentator.[92][93] * Robin Jenkins (1912–2005): Scottish writer of about thirty novels, though mainly known for The Cone Gatherers.[94] * Neil Jordan (1950-): Irish novelist and filmmaker.[95] * S. T. Joshi (1958–): American editor and literary critic.[96] * Ismail Kadare (1936–): Albanian novelist and poet, winner of the Prix mondial Cino Del Duca and the inaugural Man Booker International Prize.[97][98] * Ludovic Kennedy (1919–): British journalist, author, and campaigner for voluntary euthanasia.[99] * Douglas Kennedy (1955–): American-born novelist, playwright and nonfiction writer.[100] * James Kelman (1946–): Scottish author, influential and Booker Prize-winning writer of novels, short stories, plays and political essays.[101] * Marian Keyes (1963–): Irish writer, considered to be one of the original progenitors of "chick lit", selling 22 million copies of her books in 30 languages.[102] * Paul Krassner (1932–): American founder and editor of the freethought magazine The Realist, and a key figure in the 1960s counterculture.[103] * Pär Lagerkvist (1891–1974): Swedish author who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1951. He used religious motifs and figures from the Christian tradition without following the doctrines of the church.[104] * Philip Larkin CH, CBE, FRSL (1922–1985): English poet, novelist and jazz critic.[105][106] * Marghanita Laski (1915–1988): English journalist and novelist, also writing literary biography, plays and short stories.[107] * Rutka Laskier (1929–1943): Polish Jew who was killed at Auschwitz concentration camp at the age of 14. Because of her diary, on display at Israel's Holocaust museum, she has been dubbed the "Polish Anne Frank."[108] * Stanislaw Lem (1921–2006): Polish science fiction novelist and essayist.[109] * Giacomo Leopardi (1798–1837): Italian poet, linguist, essayist and philosopher. Leopardi is legendary as an out-and-out nihilist.[110] * Primo Levi (1919–1987): Italian novelist and chemist, survivor of Auschwitz concentration camp.[111] * Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742 - 1799): German scientist, satirist, philosopher and anglophile. Known as one of Europe's best authors of aphorisms. Satirized religion using aphorisms like "I thank the Lord a thousand times for having made me become an atheist."[112] * Pierre Loti (1850–1923): French novelist and travel writer.[113] * H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937): American horror writer.[114] * Franco Lucentini (1920–2002): Italian writer, journalist, translator and editor of anthologies.[115] * Norman MacCaig (1910–1996): Scottish poet, whose work is known for its humour, simplicity of language and great popularity.[116] * Colin Mackay (1951–2003): British poet and novelist.[117] * Naguib Mahfouz - Egyptian novelist who won the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature and is regarded as one of the first contemporary writers of Arabic literature.[118] * Gareth McLean (19??–): Scottish journalist, writer for The Guardian and Radio Times, shortlisted for the Young Journalist of the Year Award at the British Press Awards in 1997 and 1998.[119] * Roger Martin du Gard (1881–1958): French author, winner of the 1937 Nobel Prize for Literature.[120] * W. Somerset Maugham CH (1874–1965): English playwright, novelist, and short story writer, one of the most popular authors of his era.[121][122] * Charles Maurras (1868–1952): French author, poet, and critic, a leader and principal thinker of the reactionary Action Française.[123] * Joseph McCabe (1867–1955): English writer, anti-religion campaigner.[124] * Mary McCarthy (1912–1989): American writer and critic.[125] * Ian McEwan, CBE (1948–): British author and winner of the Man Booker Prize.[126] * China Miéville (1972–): British Science Fiction author.[127] * Arthur Miller (1915–2005): American playwright and essayist, a prominent figure in American literature and cinema for over 61 years, writing a wide variety of plays, including celebrated plays such as The Crucible, A View from the Bridge, All My Sons, and Death of a Salesman, which are widely studied.[128] * David Mills (author) (1959–): Author who argues in his book Atheist Universe that science and religion cannot be successfully reconciled.[129] * Terenci Moix (1942–2003): Spanish writer who wrote in both Spanish and in Catalan.[130] * Brian Moore (1921–1999): Irish novelist and screenwriter, awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1975 and the inaugural Sunday Express Book of the Year award in 1987, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize three times.[131] * Sir John Mortimer CBE QC (1923–2009): English barrister, dramatist and author, famous as the creator of Rumpole of the Bailey.[132] * Dame Iris Murdoch (1919–1999): Dublin-born writer and philosopher, best known for her novels, which combine rich characterization and compelling plotlines, usually involving ethical or sexual themes.[133] * Aziz Nesin (1915–1995): Turkish humorist and author of more than 100 books.[134] * Joyce Carol Oates (1938–): American author and Professor of Creative Writing at Princeton University.[135] * Redmond O'Hanlon (1947–): British author, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.[136] * George Orwell (1903–1950): English writer and journalist, a novelist, critic, and commentator on politics and culture, one of the most admired English-language essayists of the twentieth century, and most famous for two novels critical of totalitarianism in general (Nineteen Eighty-Four), and Stalinism in particular (Animal Farm).[137][138] * John Oswald (activist) (c.1760–1793): Scottish journalist, poet, social critic and revolutionary.[139] * Frances Partridge (1900–2004): English member of the Bloomsbury Group and a writer, probably best known for the publication of her diaries.[140] * Camille Paglia (1947–): American post-feminist literary and cultural critic.[141] * Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922–1975): Italian poet, intellectual, film director, and writer.[142] * Edmund Penning-Rowsell (1913–2002): British wine writer, considered the foremost of his generation.[143] * Calel Perechodnik (1916–1943): Polish Jewish diarist and Jewish Ghetto policeman at the Warsaw Ghetto.[144] * Harold Pinter (1930–2008): British playwright, screenwriter, poet, actor, director, author, and political activist, best known for his plays The Birthday Party (1957), The Caretaker (1959), The Homecoming (1964), and Betrayal (1978). Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2005.[145] * Fiona Pitt-Kethley (19??–): British poet, novelist, travel writer and journalist.[146] * Terry Pratchett (1948–): English Fantasy author known for his satirical Discworld series.[147] * Kate Pullinger (19??–): Canadian-born novelist and author of digital fiction.[148] * Philip Pullman CBE (1946–): British author of His Dark Materials fantasy trilogy for young adults, which have atheism as a major theme.[149] * Craig Raine (1944–): English poet and critic, the best-known exponent of Martian poetry.[150] * Ayn Rand (1905–1982): Russian-born American author and founder of Objectivism.[151] * Derek Raymond (1931–1994): English writer, credited with being the founder of English noir.[152] * Stan Rice (1942–2006): American poet and artist, Professor of English and Creative Writing at San Francisco State University, and husband of writer Anne Rice.[153] * Joseph Ritson, (1752–1803): English author and antiquary, friend of Sir Walter Scott.[154] * Michael Rosen (1946–): English children's novelist, poet and broadcaster, Children's Laureate 2007–2009.[155] * Salman Rushdie (1947–): Indian-born British essayist and author of fiction, known for his frequent criticism of Islam.[156] * José Saramago (1922–): Portuguese writer, playwright and journalist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1998.[157] * Dan Savage (1964–): Author and sex advice columnist.[158] Despite his atheism, Savage considers himself Catholic "in a cultural sense."[159] * Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822): British Romantic poet, contemporary and associate of John Keats and Lord Byron, and author of The Necessity of Atheism.[160] * Michael Shermer (1954–): Science writer and editor of Skeptic magazine. Has stated that he is an atheist, but prefers to be called a skeptic.[161] * Joan Smith (1953–): English novelist, journalist and human rights activist.[162] * Warren Allen Smith (1921–): Author of Who's Who in Hell.[163] * David Ramsay Steele (19??–): Author of Atheism Explained: From Folly to Philosophy.[164] * George Warrington Steevens (1869ndash;1900): British journalist and writer.[165] * Bruce Sterling (1954–): American science fiction author, best known for his novels and his seminal work on the Mirrorshades anthology, which helped define the cyberpunk genre.[166] * Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894): Scottish novelist, poet and travel writer, especially famous for his works Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.[167] * Allen Tate (1899–1979): American poet, essayist and social commentator, and Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress 1943–1944.[168] * Vladimir Tendryakov (1923–1984): Russian short story writer and novelist.[169] * Tiffany Thayer (1902–1959): American author, advertising copywriter, actor and founder of the Fortean Society.[170] * James Thomson ('B.V.') (1834–1882): British poet and satirist, famous primarily for the long poem The City of Dreadful Night (1874).[171] * Miguel Torga (1907–1995): Portuguese author of poetry, short stories, theatre and a 16 volume diary, one of the greatest Portuguese writers of the 20th century.[172] * Sue Townsend (1946–): British novelist, best known as the author of the Adrian Mole series of books.[173] * Freda Utley (1898–1978): English scholar, best-selling author and political activist.[174] * Frances Vernon (1963–1991): British novelist.[175] * Kurt Vonnegut (1922–2007): American author, writer of Cat's Cradle, among other books. Vonnegut said "I am an atheist (or at best a Unitarian who winds up in churches quite a lot)."[176] * Ethel Lilian Voynich (1864–1960): Irish-born novelist and musician, and a supporter of several revolutionary causes.[177] * Edmund White (1940–): American novelist, short-story writer and critic.[178] * Simon Winchester OBE (1944–): British author and journalist.[179] * Tom Wolfe: Noted author and member of 'New Journalism' school[180] * Leonard Woolf (1880–1969): Noted British political theorist, author, publisher, and civil servant, husband of author Virginia Woolf.[181] * Gao Xingjian (1940–): Chinese émigré novelist, dramatist, critic, translator, stage director and painter. Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2000.[182] [edit] Journalists Writers who are primarily known for their journalism. * David Aaronovitch (1954–): British journalist, author and broadcaster.[183][184] * Amy Alkon (19??–): American advice columnist known as the Advice Goddess, author of Ask the Advice Goddess, published in more than 100 newspapers within North America.[185] * Lynn Barber (1944–): British journalist, currently writing for The Observer.[186] * Paul Barker (1935–): English journalist and writer.[187] * Anna Blundy (1970–): British journalist and author.[188] * Richard Boston (1938–2006): English journalist and author, dissenter and pacifist.[189] * Jason Burke (1970–): British journalist, chief foreign correspondent of The Observer.[190] * Chandler Burr (1963–): American journalist and author, currently the perfume critic for the New York Times.[191] * John Diamond (1953–2001): British broadcaster and journalist, noted for his column chronicling his fight with cancer.[192][193] * Robert Fisk (1946–): Multi-award-winning British journalist, Middle East correspondent for The Independent, "probably the most famous foreign correspondent in Britain" according to the New York Times.[194] * Paul Foot (1937–2004): British investigative journalist, political campaigner, author, and long-time member of the Socialist Workers Party.[195] * Linda Grant (1951–): British journalist and novelist.[196] * Muriel Gray (1958–): Scottish journalist, novelist and broadcaster.[197] * Johann Hari (1979–): British journalist and writer, columnist for The Independent and the London Evening Standard.[198] * John Harris (1969–): British journalist, writer, and critic.[199] * Simon Heffer (1960–): British journalist and writer.[200] * Anthony Holden (1947–): British journalist, broadcaster and writer, especially of biographies.[201] * Mick Hume (1959–): British journalist – columnist for The (London) Times and editor of Spiked. Described himself as "a longstanding atheist", but criticised the 'New Atheism' of Richard Dawkins and co.[202] * Tom Humphries (19??–): English-born Irish sportswriter and columnist for The Irish Times.[203] * Simon Jenkins (1943–): British journalist, newspaper editor, and author. A former editor of The Times newspaper, he received a knighthood for services to journalism in the 2004 New Year honours.[204] * Terry Lane (1943–): Australian radio broadcaster and newspaper columnist.[205] * Dominic Lawson (1956–): British journalist, former editor of The Spectator magazine.[206] * Magnus Linklater (1942–): Scottish journalist and former newspaper editor.[207] * Heather Mallick (1959–): Canadian columnist, author and lecturer.[208] * Lucy Mangan (19??–): British journalist, columnist for The Guardian.[209] * Andrew Marr (1959–): Scottish journalist and political commentator.[210] * Jules Marshall (1962–): English-born journalist and editor.[211] * Jonathan Meades (1947–): English writer and broadcaster on food, architecture and culture.[212] * Padraic McGuinness AO (1938–2008): Australian journalist, activist, and commentator.[213] * Stephanie Merritt (1974–): British critic and feature writer for a range of newspapers, Deputy Literary Editor at The Observer since 1998.[214] * Martin O'Hagan (1950–2001): Northern Irish journalist, the most prominent journalist to be assassinated during the the Troubles.[215] * Deborah Orr (19??–): British journalist and broadcaster, married to writer and satirist Will Self.[216] * Matthew Parris (1949–): South African-born British journalist and former Conservative politician.[217] * Ruth Picardie (1964–1997): British journalist and editor, noted for her memoir of living with breast cancer, Before I Say Goodbye.[218] * Claire Rayner OBE (1931–): British journalist best-known for her role for many years as an agony aunt.[219] * Jay Rayner (1966–): British journalist, writer and broadcaster.[220] * Ron Reagan (1958–): American magazine journalist, board member of the politically activist Creative Coalition, son of former U. S. President Ronald Reagan.[221] * Ariane Sherine (1980–): British comedy writer, journalist and creator of the Atheist Bus Campaign.[222] * Jill Singer (19??–): Australian journalist, columnist and television presenter.[223] * Matt Taibbi (1970–): American journalist and political writer, currently working at Rolling Stone.[224] note: he calls himself an agnostic/atheist. * Jeffrey Tayler (1970–): American author and journalist, the Russia correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly.[225] * Bill Thompson (1960–): English technology writer, best known for his weekly column in the Technology section of BBC News Online and his appearances on Digital Planet, a radio show on the BBC World Service.[226] * Nicholas Tomalin (1931–1973): British journalist and writer, one of the top 40 journalists of the modern era.[227] * Jerzy Urban (1933–): Polish journalist, commentator, writer and politician, editor-in-chief of the weekly Nie and owner of the company which owns it, Urma.[228] * Francis Wheen (1957–): British journalist, writer and broadcaster.[229] * Peter Wilby (1944–): British journalist, former editor of The Independent on Sunday and New Statesman.[230] Film, radio, television and theatre * Douglas Adams (1952–2001): British radio and television writer and novelist, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.[1] * Mary Adams (1898–1984): English producer and administrator in the BBC, instrumental in setting up the BBC's television service.[2] * Phillip Adams (1939–): Australian broadcaster, writer, film-maker, left-wing radical thinker and iconoclast. He was the Australian Humanist of the Year in 1987.[3] * Adithya (1974–): Indian actor.[4] * Joe Ahearne (1963–): British television writer and director, best known for his work on several 'cult' fantasy-based programmes including Ultraviolet and Doctor Who.[5] * Brandy Alexandre (1964–): American adult actress.[6] * Woody Allen (1935-): American film director, writer, actor, comedian, and playwright.[7] * Robert Altman (1925–2006): American film director, recognised in 2006 with an Academy Honorary Award.[8] * Wil Anderson (1974–): Australian comedian, radio presenter, and former host of The Glass House.[9] * Asia Argento (1973–): Italian television and film actress, film director, and model.[10] * Darren Aronofsky (1969–): American film director and screenwriter, known for his films Requiem for a Dream, Pi and The Wrestler [11] * Kevin Bacon (1958–): American film and theatre actor whose notable roles include Animal House, A Few Good Men, Stir of Echoes, JFK, Apollo 13, Mystic River and Footloose.[12] * Joan Bakewell CBE (1933–): English television presenter and journalist.[13] * Javier Bardem (1969–): Spanish actor and former rugby player best known for his roles in Jamón, Jamón and No Country For Old Men.[14] * Sarah Bernhardt (1844–1923): French stage actress referred to as "the most famous actress in the history of the world". She was asked by French composer Charles Gounod if she ever prayed. Bernhadt replied "No, never. I'm an atheist".[15] * Paul Bettany (1971–): English actor, known for his roles in A Knight's Tale, A Beautiful Mind, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, and The Da Vinci Code.[16] * Orla Brady (1961–): Irish actress.[17] * Brannon Braga (1965–): American TV producer and writer, creator of Star Trek: Enterprise.[18] * Jim Broadbent (1949–): English Academy Award-, Golden Globe- and BAFTA-winning theatre, film and television actor.[19] * Jeremy Brock (1959–): British actor, producer, writer, and director, whose work includes Mrs. Brown and the BAFTA award winning screenplay for The Last King of Scotland.[20] * Charlie Brooker (1971–): British writer and satirist best known for his TV show Screenwipe.[21] * Derren Brown (1971–): English psychological illusionist, mentalist, and skeptic of paranormal phenomena. Professed to being an atheist in his book Tricks of the Mind and described Bertrand Russell's collection of essays Why I Am Not a Christian "an absolute joy." * Luis Buñuel (1900–1983): Spanish film-maker, activist of the surrealist movement. Known for his one-liner, "Thank God I'm still an atheist."[22] * Gabriel Byrne (1950–): Irish actor and film producer, star of over thirty-five films including The Usual Suspects, Miller's Crossing, and Stigmata.[23] * Peter Caffrey (1949–2008): Irish actor, best known for playing Padraig O'Kelly in Series 1-4 of Ballykissangel.[24] * Simon Callow (1949–): English stage, film and television actor.[25] * Dean Cameron (1962–): American television and film actor known for his role as Francis "Chainsaw" Gremp in the 1987 Mark Harmon comedy Summer School.[26] * Richard Carleton (1943–2006): Current affairs journalist for Australia's 60 Minutes.[27] * Adam Carolla (1964–): American comedic radio personality and television personality, best known for co-hosting the radio program Loveline and the television series The Man Show.[28] * Jimmy Carr (1972–): English comedian, author, actor and presenter of radio and television.[29] * Asia Carrera (1973–): Former American pornographic actress.[30] * Jeremy Clarkson (1960–): English journalist and broadcaster. Presenter of Top Gear and columnist in The Times.[31] * Billy Connolly (1942–): Scottish comedian, actor, former musician.[32] * Sir Noël Coward (1899–1973): English actor, playwright and composer of popular music.[33] * David Cronenberg (1943–): Canadian film director, one of the principal originators of the 'body horror' genre.[34] * Mackenzie Crook (1971–): English actor and comedian, known for playing Gareth Keenan in The Office and Ragetti in Pirates of the Caribbean.[35] * Alan Cumming (1965–): Scottish actor known for his roles in Goldeneye and X-Men 2.[36] * Adrianne Curry (1982–): American model, television host, and film actress, well-known as the winner of the modelling competition America's Next Top Model.[37] * Alan Davies (1966–): English comedian, writer and actor.[38] * Russell T Davies (1963–): Welsh television producer and writer, most famous for reviving Doctor Who on British television.[39] * Terence Davies (1945–): English screenwriter, film director, actor and novelist.[40] * William B. Davis (1938–): Canadian actor, known for his role as the Cigarette Smoking Man in The X-Files.[41] * Andrew Denton (1960–): Australian comedian and television presenter host of the ABC's weekly interview program Enough Rope.[42] * Marlene Dietrich (1901–1992): German-born American actress, singer and entertainer. She is considered to be the first German actress to flourish in Hollywood.[43] * Stanley Donen (1924–): American film director, best known for his musicals including Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Singin' in the Rain; awarded honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement.[44] * Amanda Donohoe (1962–): English film, stage and television actress.[45] * Natalie Dormer (1982–): English film and television actress.[46] * John Doyle (1953–): Australian comedian, actor and writer, famous as "Rampaging" Roy Slaven in the comedy duo Roy & HG.[47] * Christopher Eccleston (1964–): English stage, film and television actor, known for his roles in Shallow Grave, 28 Days Later, and as the ninth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who.[48] * David Edgar (1948–): British playwright, noted for his adaptation of Charles Dickens's novel Nicholas Nickleby.[49] * Frances Farmer (1913–1970): American film, television and theater actress.[50] * Diane Farr (1969–): American actress perhaps best known for her role as FBI agent Megan Reeves in the television CBS series NUMB3RS.[51] * Harvey Fierstein (1962—): American Tony award-winning actor, playwright, and Emmy-nominated screenwriter best known for his work in the Torch Song Trilogy.[52] * Brian Flemming (1966–): American film director and playwright, notable for his 2005 film The God Who Wasn't There.[53] * Dave Foley (1963–): Canadian actor best known for his work in The Kids in the Hall and NewsRadio.[54] * Sir Denis Forman (1917–): British Director (1949–1954) and later Chair (1971–1973) of The British Film Institute, Chairman and Managing Director of Granada Television, and Director of the Royal Opera House in London.[55] * Jodie Foster (1962–): American film actress, director, and producer. Two-time Academy Award-winner.[56] * Nick Frost (1972–): Award-winning English actor, comedian and writer.[57] * Stephen Fry (1957–): British humourist, writer, actor and filmmaker.[58][59][60] * Ricky Gervais, British (voice)actor, film and tv director, (screen)writer, producer and comedian. [61] * Paul Giamatti (1967–): American film and television actor.[62] * Richard E. Grant (1957–): British actor perhaps most well known for portraying the world-weary, drug-crazed alcoholic Withnail in Withnail and I.[63] * Eva Green (1980–): Award-winning French actress and model, notable for her roles in Casino Royale and The Golden Compass.[64] * Seth Green (1974–): American actor, comedian, voice actor, and television producer.[65] * Peter Greenaway, CBE (1942–): Welsh-born English film director.[66] * Rachel Griffiths (1968–): Australian Golden Globe- and SAG Award-winning, Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-nominated film and television actress.[67] * Kamal Haasan (1954–): Indian film actor and film director, considered among the leading method actors of Indian cinema.[68] * Brian Hall (1937–1997): English actor best known for his role as Terry the chef in Fawlty Towers.[69] * Tony Hancock (1924–1968): British actor and comedian, star of the popular Hancock's Half Hour.[70] * Sir David Hare (1947–): Award-winning English dramatist and theatre and film director.[71] * Nina Hartley (1959–): American pornographic actress, film director, author and sex educator.[72] * Amber Heard (1986–): American film and television actress.[73] * Katharine Hepburn (1907–2003): American actress who appeared in 53 films from 1932 to 1994; winner of four Academy Awards for Best Actress.[74] * Mathew Horne (1978–): English comedian and actor, best known for playing Gavin Shipman in the BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey.[75] * Kenny Hotz (1973–): Canadian comedian, filmaker, actor, producer, director, photographer and co-star of the Canadian television show Kenny vs. Spenny.[76] * John Huston (1906–1987): American Academy Award-winning film director and actor, especially known for the classic films The Maltese Falcon (1941), The Asphalt Jungle, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Key Largo, The African Queen, The Misfits and The Man Who Would Be King.[77] * Jamie Hyneman (1956–): American visual effects expert, best known as the co-host of the television series Mythbusters.[78] * Clive James AM (1939–): Australian expatriate author, poet, critic, memoirist, travel writer and cultural commentator, though perhaps best known as a talk show host and television presenter.[79] * Penn Jillette (1955–): American magician, co-host of the television show Bullshit!.[80] He has also taken the Blasphemy Challenge. * Sarah Kane (1971–1999): English playwright.[81] * Jonathan Katz (1946–): American comedian, actor, and voice actor who is best known for his starring role in the animated sitcom Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist. When asked by Bill Maher on the talk show Politically Incorrect if he was an atheist, Katz responded "Yes. And my parents were atheists".[15] * Skandar Keynes (1991–): English actor (Chronicles of Narnia films).[82] * Rajeev Khandelwal (1975–): Indian Television actor.[83] * Margot Kidder (1948–): Canadian-American film and television actress best known for playing Lois Lane in the Superman movies of the 1970s and 1980s.[84] * Michael Kinsley (1951–): American political journalist, commentator, and television host.[85] * Jerzy Kawalerowicz (1922–2007): Polish film director.[86] * Jan Kott (1914–2001): Polish theatre theoretician and influential critic.[87] * Burt Lancaster (1913–1994): American Academy Award-winning film actor.[88] * Hugh Laurie OBE (1959–): English actor, comedian and writer, star of the television show House.[89] * Nigella Lawson (1960–): English journalist, food writer, broadcaster and television presenter.[90] * Bruce Lee (1940–1973): Martial artist and philosopher. When asked in 1972 if he believed in God, he responded, "To be perfectly frank, I really do not."[91] * Tom Leykis (1956–): American radio talk-show host.[92] * Rebecca Lord (1973–): French pornographic actress.[93] * Kevin Macdonald (1967–): Scottish two-time BAFTA winning director, most famous for his films The Last King of Scotland and Touching the Void.[94] * Seth MacFarlane (1973–): Creator, animator, executive producer, actor, writer for American Dad and Family Guy.[95][dead link][96] * John Malkovich (1953–): Emmy Award-winning American actor, producer and director.[97] * Paul Mazursky (1930–): American director, producer and actor.[98] * Ian McDiarmid (1944–): Scottish Tony Award-winning theatre actor and director, with occasional film and television roles, most famous worldwide for his role as Palpatine in both Star Wars trilogies.[99] * Sir Ian McKellen (1939–): English stage and screen actor.[100] * Butterfly McQueen (1911–1995): American actress, most renowned for her performance as Prissy, the young maid in Gone with the Wind.[101] * Stephen Merchant (1974–): British actor and writer, co-creator of The Office.[102][103] * George Meyer (1956–): American television producer and writer, notably for The Simpsons.[104] * Helen Mirren (1945–): English stage, television and Oscar-winning film actress.[105] * Warren Mitchell (1926–): English actor, most famously in the long-running BBC TV series Till Death Us Do Part.[106] * Julianne Moore (1960–): Academy and BAFTA Award-nominated, Emmy and Golden Globe-winning American actress.[107] * Cillian Murphy (1976–): Irish stage and screen actor.[108] * Jonathan Myerson (1960–): British television and radio dramatist.[109] * Jack Nicholson (1937—): American actor, three time Academy Award-winner. Nicholson told Vanity Fair he doesn't believe in God anymore but envies people with faith.[110] * Dara Ó Briain (1972–): Irish comedian and television presenter. Describes himself as an atheist, but "ethnically Catholic" for comic effect.[111] * Bree Olson (1986–): American pornographic actress and Penthouse Pet.[112] * Bruce Parry (1969–): English former Royal Marine instructor who presents the BBC / Discovery Channel documentary Tribe.[113] * Julia Pascal (1949–): British Jewish playwright and theatre director. [114] * Guy Pearce (1967–): Award-winning English-born Australian-raised actor, perhaps best known for his crticially acclaimed roles in Rules of Engagement, The Count of Monte Cristo and L.A. Confidential as well as a starring role in The Proposition.[115] * Sam Perrin (1901–1998): American Emmy Award-winning screenwriter.[116] * Peter Purves (1939–): English actor and television presenter, best known for a role in Doctor Who and presenting Blue Peter.[117] * Julia Phillips (1944–2002): Academy Award-winning film producer and author, the first woman to win an Oscar as a producer.[118] * Michael Pitt (1981–): American actor and musician.[119] * Sarah Polley (1979–): Canadian actress and director.[120] * Gail Porter (1971–): Scottish television presenter.[121] * Keanu Reeves (1964–): Canadian-American actor best known for his portrayal of Neo in the action film trilogy The Matrix and Ted Logan in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey.[122] * Carl Reiner (1922–): American actor, film director, producer, writer and comedian, winner of nine Emmy Awards.[123] * Griff Rhys Jones (1953–): Welsh comedian, writer, actor and television presenter.[124][125] * Anna Richardson (1971–): English presenter, television producer, writer and journalist.[126] * Fyfe Robertson (1902–1987): Scottish television journalist.[127] * Richard Rodgers (1902–1979): was an American composer of the music for more than 900 songs and 40 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. [128] * Adam Savage (1967–): American television co-host on the program MythBusters.[129] * Andy Serkis (1964–): English actor and director, best known for his portrayal of Sméagol/Gollum in The Lord of the Rings.[130] * Elyse Sewell (1982–): American fashion model based in Hong Kong, and a finalist in the reality television modeling competition America's Next Top Model.[131] * Omar Sharif (1932–): Academy Award-nominated Egyptian actor who has starred in many Hollywood films; an Egyptian Melkite Catholic who converted to Islam, but is now an atheist.[132] * Don Siegel (1912–1991): Influential American film director and producer.[133] * Ian Smith (1938–): Australian soap opera character actor and television scriptwriter, best known today for his long-running role as Harold Bishop in Neighbours.[134] * Steven Soderbergh (1963–): American filmmaker, Academy Award-winning director of such films as Traffic, Erin Brockovich, Ocean's Eleven, and Sex, Lies and Videotape.[135] * Todd Solondz (1959–): American screenwriter and independant film director known for his style of dark, thought-provoking satire.[136] * David Starkey CBE (1945–): English historian, television and radio presenter, and specialist in the Tudor period.[137] * Juliet Stevenson (1956–): English actress.[138] * J. Michael Straczynski (1954–): American writer and producer, creator of Babylon 5.[139] * Paul Taylor (1930–): American choreographer, one of the foremost of the 20th century.[140] * Teller (magician) (1948–): American magician, co-host of the television show Bullshit!.[141] * Emma Thompson (1959–): English Academy Award-, Emmy Award-, BAFTA Award- and Golden Globe-winning actress, comedian, and screenwriter.[142] * Fernando Trueba (1955–): Academy award-winning Spanish book editor, screenwriter and film director.[143] * Wendy Turner Webster (1967–): English TV presenter and animal rights campaigner.[144] * Kenneth Tynan (1927–1980): Influential and often controversial British theatre critic and writer.[145] * Theo van Gogh (1957–2004): Dutch film director, television producer, publicist and actor, murdered following the broadcasting of his film Submission.[146] * Ram Gopal Varma (1962–): Indian film director, writer and film producer.[147] * Wynford Vaughan-Thomas CBE (1908–1987): Welsh newspaper journalist and radio and television broadcaster with a lengthy career.[148] * Paul Verhoeven (1938–): Dutch BAFTA Award nominated film director, screenwriter, and film producer, filming in both the Netherlands and the United States, best known for the American feature films RoboCop, Total Recall, Basic Instinct and Starship Troopers and Dutch films Black Book and Soldier of Orange.[149] * Paolo Villaggio (1932–): Italian actor, writer, director and comedian, especially famous for his grotesque irony and satire, who often worked with Federico Fellini.[150] * Joss Whedon (1964–): American screenwriter and director, most famous for creating the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise.[151] * Lalla Ward (1951–): English actress and illustrator, best known for playing Romana in Doctor Who; she is married to evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins.[152] * Peter White (1947–): English broadcast journalist and DJ; blind since birth, he is closely associated with disability issues.[153] * Gene Wilder (1933–): American actor best known for his role as Willy Wonka.[154] * Robyn Williams (1944–): Australian science journalist and broadcaster, interviewer and host of the Science Show on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.[155] * Ted Willis (1914–1992): British television dramatist, also politically active in support of the Labour Party.[156] * Terry Wogan KBE DL(1938–): Irish radio and television broadcaster, woring for the BBC for most of his career; a leading media personality in Ireland and the UK since the late 1960s, and is often referred to as a "national treasure" of both the United Kingdom and his native Ireland.[157] Music * Larry Adler (1914–2001): American musician, widely acknowledged as one of the world's most skilled harmonica players.[1] * Javed Akhtar (1945–): Indian lyricist, poet and Scriptwriter.[2] * Roy Bailey (1935–): British socialist folk singer.[3] * Matthew Bellamy (1978–): British guitarist, pianist and vocalist with Muse.[4] * Björk (1965–): Icelandic singer/song writer, composer and producer.[5] * Isaac Brock (1975–): American singer, guitarist, banjoist, and songwriter for the indie rock band Modest Mouse.[6] * Chico Buarque (1941–): Brazilian singer, composer, poet and writer, one of most famous of MPB. [7] * Geoffrey Burgon (1941–): British composer notable for his television and film themes.[8] * Henry Burstow (1826–1916): English shoemaker, singer and bellringer from Horsham, Sussex, best known for his vast repertoire of songs, many of which were collected in the folksong revival of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.[9] * Ferruccio Busoni (1866–1924): Italian composer, pianist, teacher of piano and composition, and conductor.[10] * Vic Chesnutt (1964–): American singer-songwriter.[11] * Eddie Collins (a.k.a. Greydon Square) (September 28, 1981–): African-American hip hop artist.[12] * Wayne Coyne (1961–): American lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter for the band The Flaming Lips.[13] * Jonny Craig (1986–): Post-hardcore singer-songwriter, poet, lead vocalist for Emarosa and co-leader for Isles & Glaciers. [14] * Justin Currie (1964–): Scottish singer and songwriter, best known as a founder member of Del Amitri.[15] * Frederick Delius CH (1862–1934): Noted English composer.[16] * King Diamond (1956–): Danish heavy metal singer [17] * Ian "Dicko" Dickson (1963–): English-born music industry and television personality in Australia, best known as a judge on the television shows Australian Idol and The Next Great American Band.[18] * Ani DiFranco (1970–): Singer, guitarist, and songwriter.[19] * Beth Ditto (1981–): American vocalist with the band Gossip.[20] * Brian Eno (1948–): English electronic musician, music theorist and record producer, known as the father of modern ambient music.[21] * Fenriz (1971–): Norwegian drummer and lyricist for the two-piece black metal band Darkthrone.[22] * Liam Gallagher, (1972–): Lead singer for Oasis, younger brother of Noel Gallagher.[23] * Noel Gallagher, (1967–): Lead guitarist for Oasis, older brother of Liam Gallagher.[24] * Bob Geldof, (1951–): Irish singer/songwriter, organized the Live Aid and Live 8 charity concerts.[25] * David Gilmour CBE (1946–): English guitarist, songwriter and vocalist of Pink Floyd.[26][27] * Dave Godin (1936–2004): English champion of African-American music who coined the term 'Northern soul'.[28] * Greg Graffin (1964–): Lead singer of the punk rock band Bad Religion. Received his zoology PhD with the thesis Monism, Atheism and the Naturalist Worldview: Perspectives from Evolutionary Biology.[29][30] * Percy Grainger, (1882–1961): Australian-born composer and pianist.[31] * David Gray (1968–): English Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter who came to prominence with his multi-platinum selling album White Ladder.[32] * Kathleen Hanna (1968–): Lead singer of Le Tigre.[33] * Jeff Hanneman (1964–): American guitarist, a founding member of the thrash metal band Slayer.[34] * Yip Harburg (1896–1981) Hollywood lyricist and poet, most notably wrote the lyrics for Somewhere Over the Rainbow and It's Only a Paper Moon[35] [36] * Roy Harper (1941–): English rock / folk singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for his longtime associations with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant and for his guest lead vocals on Pink Floyd's song 'Have a Cigar'.[37] * Paul Heaton (1962–): English singer-songwriter, leading member of The Housemartins and The Beautiful South.[38] * Anthony Heilbut (19??–): American record producer of gospel music and writer, a Grammy Award winner and noted for his biography of Thomas Mann.[39] * Mick Jagger Kt (1943–): Golden Globe-winning and two-time Grammy-winning English rock musician, actor, songwriter, record and film producer and businessman, best known as the lead vocalist and frontman of The Rolling Stones.[40] * Leoš Janáček (1854–1928): Czech composer, famous for his Glagolitic Mass.[41] * Stephan Jenkins (1964—): Musician, lead singer for the American rock band, Third Eye Blind.[42] * Alex Kapranos (1972–): Lead singer of Scottish band Franz Ferdinand.[43] * Maynard James Keenan ((1964—)): Musician, Lead Singer for Tool (band) and A Perfect Circle [44] * Kerry King ((1964—)): American guitarist, best known as one of the founding members of the thrash metal band Slayer.[45][46][47] * Linton Kwesi Johnson (1952–): British-based dub poet.[48] * Lemmy (1945–): English rock singer and bass guitarist, most famous for founding the rock band Motörhead.[49] * John Lennon (1940-1980): English rock singer and guitarist, most famous for founding the rock band The Beatles.[50] * Till Lindemann (1963–): Lead singer of the German industrial metal band, Rammstein[51] * Dave Lombardo (1965–): Cuban American heavy metal drummer, best known for his work with American thrash metal band Slayer.[34] * Emcee Lynx (1980–): anarchist hip hop musician who identifies as potentially pantheist, agnostic or atheist.[52] * Shirley Manson (1966–): Lead singer of the British-American alternative rock band, Garbage. [53] * Ida Maria (1984–): Norwegian rock musician.[54] * George Marshall-Hall (1862–1915): English-born Australian composer, conductor and professor of music.[55] * Sir Peter Maxwell Davies CBE (1934–): English composer and conductor, currently Master of the Queen's Music.[56] * MC Chris (1975–): Underground hip-hop artist.[57] * George Melly (1926–2007): English jazz and blues singer, critic, writer and lecturer.[58] * Vinicius de Moraes (1913–1980): Brazilian composer and poet, best known as one of the first songwriters of bossa nova. [7] * Napalm Death: grindcore/death metal band from Birmingham, England. All members hold atheistic outlooks.[59] * Simon Napier-Bell (1939–): English music producer, songwriter, journalist and author, best known as manager of (among others) The Yardbirds, Marc Bolan, T. Rex and Wham!.[60] * Gary Numan (1958—): British New Wave and industrial musician whose albums Sacrifice (1994), Exile (1997), Pure (2000), and Jagged (2006) mock and condemn religious beliefs.[61] * Alice Nutter (19??–): British singer and percussionist for Chumbawamba.[62] * Andy Partridge (1953—): Member of English rock band XTC.[63][64] * Guy Pratt (1962—): Session bassist, actor, comedian and radio DJ.[65] * Marc Riley (1961—): British musician, alternative rock critic and radio DJ.[66] * Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844–1908): Russian Nationalist composer, member of "The Five", best-known for the symphonic suite Scheherazade.[67] * Richard Rodgers (1902–1979): American composer of the music for more than 900 songs and 40 Broadway musicals, best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II.[68] * Henry Rollins (1961–): American punk/rock musician, author, spoken word performer and actor. When asked "Henry, Do you believe in any form of afterlife or form of "God"? Also, what makes you get up out of bed every morning?" Henry responded- "No. Curiosity/anger."[69] * Ned Rorem (1923–): American composer[70] * Eric Sams (1926–2004): British musicologist and Shakespeare scholar.[71] * Justin Sane (1973–): Lead Singer of Anti-Flag,Lyrics include many atheist views.[72] * Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975): Soviet composer, one of the greatest and most popular of the 20th century.[73] * Robert Smith (1959–): British musician, songwriter, singer and guitarist of the band The Cure.[74] * Donita Sparks (1963–): American vocalist, guitarist and song-writer with her band Donita Sparks and The Stellar Moments and co-founder of grunge band L7.[75] * Wayne Static (1965–): Frontman for Industrial Metal band Static-X[76] * Richard Strauss (1864–1949): German composer of the late Romantic and early modern era, particularly noted for his tone poems and operas.[77] * Tracey Thorn (1962–): English pop singer and songwriter, best known as one half of the duo Everything but the Girl.[78] * Sir Michael Tippett OM (1905–1998): English composer, regarded as one of the greatest of the 20th century.[79] * Eddie Vedder (1964–): lead singer and lyricist of the band Pearl Jam[80] * Caetano Veloso (1942–): Brazilian singer-songwriter, musician. Best know for his relevant participation in tropicalia moviment. [7] * Roger Waters (1943–): English rock musician; singer, bassist, guitarist, songwriter and composer, best known for his career with Pink Floyd.[81] * Jerry Wexler (1917–2008): American music journalist and producer, regarded as one of the major record industry players behind music from the 1950s through the 1980s, coiner of the term Rhythm & Blues.[82] * Earl Wild (1915–): American classical pianist, considered a leading virtuoso of his generation.[83] Philosophy * John Anderson (1893–1962): Scottish-born Australian philosopher, founder of the empirical philosophy known as 'Sydney realism'.[1] * Hector Avalos (1958–): Mexican-American professor of Religious Studies at Iowa State University and author of several books about religion.[2] * A. J. Ayer (1910–1989): British philosopher and advocate of logical positivism. Though technically he viewed the idea of God existing as meaningless, he was happy to call himself an atheist.[3][4] * Julian Baggini (1968–): British writer specialising in philosophy, author of Atheism: A Very Short Introduction.[5] * Mikhail Bakunin (1814–1876): Russian philosopher, writer and anarchist.[6] * Jonathan Barnes (1942–): British philosopher, translator and historian of ancient philosophy, and brother of the novelist Julian Barnes.[7] * Bruno Bauer (1809–1882): German philosopher, theologian and historian, the first propounder of the Jesus myth hypothesis.[8] * Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986): French author and existentialist philosopher. Beauvoir wrote novels and monographs on philosophy, politics, social issues and feminism.[9][10] * Simon Blackburn (1944–): British academic atheist philosopher known for his efforts to popularise philosophy.[11] * Ludwig Büchner (1824–1899): German philosopher, physiologist and physician who became one of the exponents of 19th century scientific materialism.[12] * Albert Camus (1913–1960): French philosopher and novelist, a luminary of existentialism. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1957.[13][14] * Rudolf Carnap (1891–1970): German philosopher who was active in central Europe before 1935 and in the United States thereafter. He was a leading member of the Vienna Circle and a prominent advocate of logical positivism.[15][16] * Robert Todd Carroll (1945–): American writer and academic, professor of philosophy at Sacramento City College until 1997, and keeper of the Skeptic's Dictionary website.[17] * David Chalmers (1966-): Australian philosopher of mind.[18] * Noam Chomsky (1928–): American linguist, philosopher, political activist, author, and lecturer, Institute Professor and professor emeritus of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, credited with the creation of the theory of generative grammar.[19] * Auguste Comte (1798–1857): French positivist thinker, credited with coining the term "sociologie" (sociology).[20][21] * André Comte-Sponville (1952–): French philosopher, author of L'Esprit de l'athéisme (2006) and The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality (2007).[22] * Marquis de Condorcet (1743–1794): French philosopher, mathematician, and early political scientist who devised the concept of a Condorcet method.[23] * Benedetto Croce (1886–1952): Italian philosopher and public figure.[24] * Gilles Deleuze (1925–1995): French philosopher of the late 20th century. From the early 1960s until his death, Deleuze wrote many influential works on philosophy, literature, film, and fine art.[25] * Daniel Dennett (1942–): American philosopher, author of Breaking the Spell.[26] * Henry Louis Vivian Derozio (1809–1831): Anglo-Indian poet and teacher.[27] * Diagoras of Melos (5th century BCE): Ancient Greek poet and sophist known as the Atheist of Milos, who declared that there were no Gods.[28] * Denis Diderot (1713–84): editor-in-chief of the Encyclopédie.[29] * Theodore Drange (1934–): Philosopher of religion and Professor Emeritus at West Virginia University. Drange authored Nonbelief & Evil: Two arguments for the nonexistence of God.[30] * Paul Edwards (1923–2004): Austrian-American moral philosopher and editor of The Encyclopedia or Philosophy.[31] * Dylan Evans (1966–): British philosopher, known for his work on emotion and the placebo effect.[32] * Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach (1804–1872): German philosopher whose major work, The Essence of Christianity, maintains that religion and divinity are projections of human nature.[33] * Friedrich Karl Forberg (1770–1848): German philosopher and classical scholar.[34] * Michel Foucault (1926–1984) : French philosopher and social theorist famous for his influential analysis of power and discourse. He is best known for his revolutionary philosophical analyses of social institutions such as Discipline and Punish and The History of Sexuality.[35] * A. C. Grayling (1949–): British philosopher and author of, among others, Against All Gods: Six Polemics on Religion and an Essay on Kindness.[36] * John Harris (1947–): British professor of bioethics at the University of Manchester, and member of the UK Human Genetics Commission.[37] * Claude Adrien Helvétius (1715–71): French philosopher whose ethical and social views helped shape the school of utilitarianism later made famous by Jeremy Bentham.[29] * Baron d'Holbach (1723–1789): French philosopher and encyclopedist, most famous as being one of the first outspoken atheists in Europe.[38] * Corliss Lamont (1902–1995): American humanist and Marxist philosopher, and advocate of various left-wing and civil liberties causes.[39] * David Kellogg Lewis (1941–2001): American philosopher. One of the leading thinkers of the second half of the 20th century.[40] * Peter Lipton (1954–2007): British philosopher, the Hans Rausing Professor and Head of the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University until his unexpected death in November 2007. He was "one of the leading philosophers of science and epistemologists in the world."[41] * Kazimierz Lyszczynski (1634–1689): Polish noble and philosopher, author of philosophical treatise De non existentia Dei, condemned to death penalty for atheism and executed.[42] * John Leslie Mackie (1917–1981): Australian philosopher who specialized in meta-ethics as a proponent of moral skepticism. Wrote The Miracle of Theism, discussing arguments for and against theism and concluding that theism is rationally untenable.[43] * Michael Martin (1932–): analytic philosopher and professor emeritus at Boston University, author of, amongst others, Atheism: A Philosophical Justification (1989) and The Impossibility of God (2003).[44] * Harriet Martineau (1802–1876): was an English writer and philosopher, renowned in her day as a controversial journalist, political economist, abolitionist and life-long feminist.[45] * Karl Marx (1818–1883): philosopher, political economist, sociologist, humanist, political theorist and revolutionary. Often called the father of communism, Marx was both a scholar and a political activist.[citation needed] * Colin McGinn (1950–): British philosopher and author, best known for his work in the philosophy of mind.[46] * Jean Meslier (1678–1733): French village Catholic priest who was found, on his death, to have written a book-length philosophical essay, entitled Common Sense but commonly referred to as Meslier's Testament, promoting atheism.[47][48] * Julien Offray de La Mettrie (1709–51): French physician and philosopher, earliest materialist writer of the Enlightenment, claimed as a founder of cognitive science.[49] * John Stuart Mill (1806–1873): The famous philosopher declared his atheism, and that of his father, in a famous essay published posthumously.[50] * Michael Neumann (1946–): American professor of philosophy at Trent University, noted for his work on utilitarianism, rationality and antisemitism.[51] * Kai Nielsen (1926–): adjunct professor of philosophy at Concordia University in Montreal and professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of Calgary.[52] * Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900): German philosopher whose Beyond Good and Evil sought to refute traditional notions of morality. Nietzsche penned a memorable secular statement of the Doctrine of Eternal Recurrence in Thus Spake Zarathustra and is forever associated with the phrase, "God is dead" (first seen in his book, The Gay Science).[53] * Piergiorgio Odifreddi (1950–): Italian mathematician, philosopher and science writer.[54] * Michel Onfray (1958–): French philosopher, founder of Université populaire de Caen, and author of Atheist Manifesto: The Case Against Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.[55][56] * Graham Oppy (1960–): Australian philosopher and Associate Dean of Research at Monash University, and Associate Editor of the Australasian Journal of Philosophy. His main area of research is the philosophy of religion.[57] * Leonard Peikoff (1933–): an Objectivist philosopher, Ayn Rand's legal heir. He is a former professor of philosophy, a former radio talk show host, and founder of the Ayn Rand Institute.[58] * Herman Philipse (1951–): professor of philosophy at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Philipse has written many philosophical works in Dutch, including the widely-read Atheist Manifesto and the Unreasonableness of Religion (Atheistisch manifest & De onredelijkheid van religie.[59] * James Rachels (1941–2003): American philosopher who specialized in ethics.[60] * Ayn Rand (1905–1982); founder of Objectivism and novelist.[citation needed] * Jean-François Revel (1924–2006): French politician, journalist, author, prolific philosopher and member of the Académie française.[61] * Michael Ruse (1940–): English philosopher of science, known for his work on the argument between creationism and evolutionary biology.[62] * Bertrand Russell, (1872–1970): British philosopher and mathematician. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950. Though he considered himself an agnostic in a purely philosophical context, he said that the label atheist conveyed a more accurate understanding of his views in a popular context.[63] * George Santayana (1863–1952): Philosopher in the naturalist and pragmatist traditions who called himself a "Catholic atheist."[64][65] * Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980): French existentialist philosopher, dramatist and novelist who declared that he had been an atheist from age twelve.[66] Although he regarded God as a self-contradictory concept, he still thought of it as an ideal toward which people strive.[67] He rejected the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964. According to Sartre, his most-repeated summary of his existentialist philosophy, "Existence precedes essence," implies that humans must abandon traditional notions of having been designed by a divine creator.[68] * Michael Schmidt-Salomon (1967–): German philosopher, author and former editor of MIZ (Contemporary Materials and Information: Political magazine for atheists and the irreligious)[69][70] * Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860): Pessimistic German philosopher and author of the book The World as Will and Representation.[71] * John Searle (1932–): American philosopher, Slusser Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley, widely noted for contributions to the philosophy of language, the philosophy of mind, and to social philosophy.[72] * Peter Singer (1946–): Australian utilitarian philosopher, proponent of animal rights, and Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University.[73] * George H. Smith (1949–): Libertarian philosopher, author and educator. Smith authored Atheism: The Case Against God.[74] * Quentin Smith (1952–): Philosopher and professor of philosophy at Western Michigan University. Smith co-authored the book Theism, Atheism and Big Bang Cosmology with William Lane Craig.[75] * Carlo Tamagnone (1937–): Italian philosopher. Theorician and historian of atheism. Wrote whether works of theoretical proposal or of historical analysis. * Theodorus the Atheist (lived around 300 BCE): Philosopher of the Cyrenaic school who taught that the goal of life was to obtain joy and avoid grief.[76] * Sir Bernard Williams FBA (1929–2003): British philosopher, widely cited as the most important British moral philosopher of his time.[77] * Sherwin Wine (1928–2007): Founder of the non-theistic Society for Humanistic Judaism, who has also called himself an "ignostic".[78] * Slavoj Žižek (1949–): Slovenian sociologist, postmodern philosopher, and cultural critic.[79] Politics and law * Guy Aldred (1886–1963): English anarchist communist and a prominent member of the Anti-Parliamentary Communist Federation.[1] * Subhashini Ali (19??–): Indian Marxist politician and President of the All India Democratic Women's Association.[2] * Graham Allen (1953–): British Labour politician and Member Member of Parliament for Nottingham North, and a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association and an honorary associate of the National Secular Society.[3] * Luisa Isabel Alvarez de Toledo, 21st Duchess of Medina Sidonia (1936–2008): Spanish duchess, holder of the ducal title Medina-Sidonia, known as the "Red Duchess".[4] * William Crawford Anderson (1877–1919): British socialist politician, a founder member of the Union of Democratic Control.[5] * Julio Anguita (1941–): Spanish politician and a former teacher, Mayor of Córdoba 1979–1988, then General Secretary of the Communist Party of Spain 1988–1998.[6] * Carmen Argibay (1939–): Argentinian lawyer, a member of the Argentine Supreme Court of Justice, the first woman to be nominated for the Court by a democratic government in Argentina.[7] * Clement Attlee 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC (1883–1967): Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, under whose government the National Health Service and Welfare State were established.[8] * Bob Avakian (19??–): Chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA, and author of Away With All Gods! (2008).[9] * Edward Aveling (1849–1898): English Marxist activist and partner of Karl Marx's daughter Eleanor.[10] * Uri Avnery (1923–): German-born Israeli journalist, left-wing peace activist, and former Knesset member.[11] * Michelle Bachelet (1951–): Chilean politician, the current President of Chile and the first woman to hold this position in the country's history.[12][13] * Charles T. Beaird (1922—2006): Liberal Republican Party (United States) member and newspaper publisher.[14] * Leo Blair (1923–): Barrister and father of Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.[15] * Bessie Braddock JP (1899–1970): British Labour politician, vice-chairman of the party in 1968.[16] * Charles Bradlaugh (1833–1891): Political activist and one of the most famous English atheists of the 19th century.[17] * Edvard Brandes (18471931): Danish politician, critic and author, Minister of Finance 19091910 and 1913–1920.[18] * Lori Lipman Brown (19??3–): American politician, lobbyist, lawyer, educator, and social worker supporter, Nevada Senator 1992-1994.[19] * James Callaghan KG, PC (1912–2005): British politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and the only person to have served in all four of the Great Offices of State.[20] * Alastair Campbell (1957–): Director of Communications and Strategy for the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2003.[21][22] * Douglas Campbell (1959–): Atheist advocate and member of the Green Party of Michigan. Member, national advisory board, Godless Americans Political Action Committee[23]. Co-founder, Michigan Godless Americans Political Action Committee.[24] Green Party candidate for Governor of Michigan, 2002 & 2006. * Michael Cashman (1950–): British actor turned Labour politician, a Member of the European Parliament since 1999.[25] * Colin Challen (1953–): British Labour politician.[26] * Nick Clegg (1967–): Leader of the Liberal Democrats since 2007.[27][28] * Dimitris Christofias (1946–): Greek Cypriot politician, President of Cyprus 2008-Present.[29] * Charles Clarke (1950–): British Labour Party politician, a Member of Parliament since 1997 and former Home Secretary.[30] * Georges Clemenceau (1841–1929): French statesman, physician and journalist, prime minister of France 1906-1909 and 1917-1920. Led France during World War I and was one of the major voices behind the Treaty of Versailles.[31] * Robin Cook (1946–2005): Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs of the UK (1997–2001), whose funeral service was held in the High Kirk of Scotland, where he was described as a "Presbyterian atheist."[32] * James Connolly (1868–1916): Irish socialist leader.[33] * Vaso Čubrilović (1897–1990): Bosnian student, a conspirator in the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria.[34] * Clarence Darrow (1857–1938): American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union, best known for defending John T. Scopes in the so-called Monkey Trial (1925).[35][36][37] * Meghnad Desai, Baron Desai (1940–): British economist, writer and Labour politician.[38] * Frank Dobson (1940–): British Labour politician and member of Parliament for Holborn and St. Pancras.[39] * Jack Dormand (1919–2003): British educationist and Labour politician.[40] * Norman Douglas (1910–1985): New Zealand Labour Party politician.[41] * Alex Erwin (1948–): South African politician, the country's Minister of Public Enterprises since 2004.[42] * Giuliano Ferrara (1952–): Italian politician, journalist, and occasional talk show host.[43] * Herbert Fisher OM (1865–1940): English historian, educator, and Liberal politician.[44] * Donald Findlay QC (1951–): Senior Scottish advocate and Queen's Counsel.[45] * Shreela Flather, Baroness Flather (1934–): British Conservative peer in the House of Lords, the first Asian woman to receive a peerage.[46] * Michael Foot (1913–): British politician and writer, leader of the Labour Party 1980–1983.[47] * Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807–1882): Leader of the Italian Risorgimento, unifier of Italy, "Hero of the Two Worlds".[48] * Sir George Taubman Goldie (1846–1925): Manx administrator who, as founder of the Royal Niger Company, played a major role in the founding of Nigeria.[49] * Władysław Gomułka (1905–1982): Polish Communist leader.[50] * Mikhail Gorbachev (1931–): Former Soviet president and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.[51][52][53] * Dick Gross (1954–): Australia politician, President of the Municipal Association of Victoria and former three-time Mayor of the City of Port Phillip, Australia.[54] * Vincent Hallinan (1896–1992): American lawyer who ran for President of the United States in 1952, the third highest polling candidate in the election.[55] * Evan Harris (1965–): British Liberal Democrat politician and MP.[56] * Roy Hattersley PC (1932–): British Labour Party politician, author and journalist, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party 1983–1992.[57] * George Hawi (1938–2005): Lebanese politician and former secretary general of the Lebanese Communist Party.[58] * Bill Hayden (1933–): Governor-General of Australia (1989–1996).[59].[60] * Theodor Herzl (1860–1904): Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist and founder of modern political Zionism.[61] * Douglas Houghton PC CH (1898–1996): British Labour politician.[62]. * Enver Hoxha (1908–1985): Communist ruler who declared Albania the first atheist state, and who has been identified as an "arch-atheist."[63][64] * Robert Hughes, Baron Hughes of Woodside (1932–): British Labour politician.[65] * Ion Iliescu (1930–): Romanian politician, three times President of Romania.[66] * Nilde Iotti (1920–1999): Italian politician, the first woman to became president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies for three consecutive legislatures 1979–1992.[67] * Dale Jackaman (1956–): Canadian politician.[68] * Tommy Jackson (1879–1955): English founder of the Socialist Party of Great Britain and later the Communist Party of Great Britain.[69] * Zoran Janković (1953–): Slovenian businessman and current mayor of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.[70] * Jiang Zemin (1926–1955): Chinese communist politician, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China 1989–2002 and President of China 1993–2003.[71] * Joel Joffe, Baron Joffe CBE (1932–): South Africa-born British Labour peer in the House of Lords.[72] * Sir Reginald Johnston (1874–1938): Scottish diplomat and tutor of Puyi, the last emperor of China, later appointed as commissioner of British-held Weihaiwei.[73] * Kanimozhi (1968–): Indian politician and poet, and daughter of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.[74] * M. Karunanidhi (1924–): Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.[75][76] * Jim Kemmy (1936–1997): Irish socialist politician.[77] * Nikita Khrushchev (1894–1971): Soviet General Secretary, 1953-1964.[78][79] * Kim Jong-il (1941–): Korean politician, leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and officially referred to as the "Dear Leader".[80] * Oona King (1967–): Former Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Bow (1997-2005).[81] * Neil Kinnock PC (1942–): British Labour politician, Leader of the Opposition and Labour Party leader 1983–1992.[82] * Aleksander Kwaśniewski (1954–): Former President of Poland (1995-2005).[83] * Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870—1924): Marxist revolutionary, Bolshevik Leader and President of the All Russian Congress of Peoples' Soviets. Lenin considered atheist propaganda to be essential to promoting communism.[84] * Ken Livingstone (1945–): Mayor of London 2000-08.[85] * Alexander Lukashenko (1954–): President of Belarus, self-described "Russian Orthodox atheist."[86] * Heather Mac Donald (c.1956–): American writer and lawyer, member of the Manhattan Institute and author of The Burden of Bad Ideas: How Modern Intellectuals Misshape Our Society.[87] * Gus Macdonald, Baron Macdonald of Tradeston CBE, PC (1940–56): distinguished British Labour politician.[88] * Mao Zedong (1893–1976): was a Chinese military and political leader, who led the Communist Party of China to victory in the Chinese Civil War, and was the leader of the People’s Republic of China from its establishment in 1949 until his death in 1976. Under his leadership, China officially became an atheist state.[89][90][91]. * Karl Marx (1818–83): a 19th-century philosopher, political economist, sociologist, political theorist, often called the father of communism.[92] * John Maxton, Baron Maxton (1936–): Scottish politician, MP and now member of the House of Lords.[93][94] * David Miliband (1965–): British Labour politician, Foreign Secretary since 2007.[95] * Montague Miller (1839–1920): Australian unionist, secularist and revolutionary socialist.[96] * Violet Milner (1872–1958): English Edwardian society Lady and editor of the political monthly, National Review.[97] * Slobodan Milošević (1941–2006): Serbian politician, former President of Serbia and of Yugoslavia.[98] * John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn OM, PC (1838–1923): British Liberal statesman, writer and newspaper editor.[99] * Mo Mowlam (1949–2005): Former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.[100] * Elaine Murphy, Baroness Murphy (1949–2005): British politician and a member of the House of Lords, and a doctor and academic, formerly Professor of Psychiatry of Old Age at Guy's Hospital.[101] * Jawaharlal Nehru (1889–1964): First prime minister of India (1947–1964). [102] * Nursultan Nazarbayev (1940–): Kazakh polititian, President of Kazakhstan since 1991.[103] * Barack Obama, Sr. (1936–1982): A senior economist for the Kenyan government, ex-Muslim, and father of United States President Barack Obama.[104] * Culbert Olson (1876–1962): American politician and Governor of California (1939–1943).[105] * Nick Palmer (1950–): British politician and Labour Member of Parliament, a Parliamentary Private Secretary and a member of the Justice Committee.[106] * Periyar E. V. Ramasamy , known as Periyar (1879–1973): Indian social reformer and politician, the 'Socrates of South East Asia', who founded the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam. [107] * Marion Phillips (1881–1932): Australia-born Labour Party politician and British Member of Parliament.[108] * Phil Piratin (1907–1995): British member of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) and one of their few Members of Parliament.[109] * Pol Pot, birthname Saloth Sar (1925?–1998): genocidal dictator of Cambodia.[110] * Santiago Casares Quiroga (1884–1950): Spanish politician, Prime Minister of Spain from May 13 to July 19, 1936.[111] * Ivica Racan (1944–2007): former Croatian leftist politician who led the Social Democratic Party of Croatia between 1989 up to 2007. He was also the last leader and democratic transformer of the League of Communists of Croatia. [112] * Sir Dove-Myer Robinson (1901–1989): New Zealand politician, Mayor of Auckland from 1959–1965 and 1968–1980.[113] * Gilbert Romme (1750–1795): French politician and mathematician who developed the French Republican Calendar.[114] * Proinsias De Rossa (1940–): Irish politician, former President of the Workers Party, leader of Democratic Left, and later a senior member of the Labour Party.[115] * Manabendra Nath Roy (1887–1954): born Narendra Nath Bhattacharya, popularly known as M. N. Roy, was a Bengali Indian revolutionary, internationally known political theorist and activist, founder of the Communist parties in Mexico and India. He later denounced communism, as exponent of the philosophy of radical humanism.[116] * Phil Sawford (1950–): British politician and former Member of Parliament for Kettering.[117] * Brian Sedgemore (1937–): former left-wing British Labour Party politician.[118] * Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington (1877–1946): Irish suffragist and nationalist.[119] * Owen Sheehy-Skeffington (1909–1970): Irish university lecturer and Senator.[120] * Clare Short (1946–): British politician, former Labour Secretary of State for International Development, now an Independent MP.[121] * Bhagat Singh (1907–1931): Indian freedom fighter. Wrote a pamphlet entitled Why I am an atheist.[122] * Dennis Skinner (1932–): British politician, who has been the Labour Member of Parliament for Bolsover since 1970.[123] * Joe Slovo (1926–1995): South African Communist politician, leader of the South African Communist Party and leading member of the African National Congress.[124] * Hedi Stadlen (1916–2004): Austrian Jewish political activist, philosopher and musicologist.[125] * Joseph Stalin: General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee from 1922 until his death in 1953..[126] * Pete Stark (1931–): U.S. Representative (D-CA), the first openly atheist member of Congress.[127] * Harkishan Singh Surjeet (1916–2008): Indian politician, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) from 1992 to 2005 and a member of the party's Polit Bureau from 1964 to 2008.[128] * Veton Surroi (1961–): Kosovo Albanian publicist and politician.[129] * Eddie Tabash is an American lawyer and atheist activist and debater.[130] * Peter Tatchell, human rights activist[131] * William Thompson (1775–1833): Irish socialist and economist.[132] * Xuan Thuy (1912–1985): North Vietnamese political figure, foreign minister for North Vietnam 1963–65, official leader of the delegation to the secret talks with Henry Kissinger, and the main negotiator at the earliest meetings with Kissinger.[133] * Palmiro Togliatti (1893–1964): Italian politician, the leader of Italian Communist Party from 1927 to his death in 1964.[134] * William Trenwith (1846–19254): Austrlian trade union official and labour movement politician.[135] * Leon Trotsky (1879–1940): Marxist theorist.[136] * Frederick Vosper (1869–1901): Australian newspaper journalist and proprietor, and politician, known for his ardent views and support of Australian republicanism, federalism and trade unionism.[137] * Bengt Westerberg (1943–): Swedish politician, leader of the Liberal People's Party from 1983 to 1995. Minister for Social Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister from 1991 to 1994. Currently holds office as the Deputy President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva, Switzerland.[138] * Phillip Whitehead (1937–2005): British Labour politician, television producer and writer.[139] * Alan Wolfe (19??–): American political scientist and sociologist, director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life.[140] Science and technology * Peter Atkins (1940–): English chemist, Professor of chemistry at Lincoln College, Oxford in England.[1] * Julius Axelrod (1912–2004): American Nobel Prize winning biochemist, noted for his work on the release and reuptake of catecholamine neurotransmitters and major contributions to the understanding of the pineal gland and how it is regulated during the sleep-wake cycle.[2] * Sir Edward Battersby Bailey FRS (1881–1965): British geologist, director of the British Geological Survey.[3] * Sir Patrick Bateson FRS (1938–): English biologist and science writer, Emeritus Professor of ethology at Cambridge University and president of the Zoological Society of London.[4] * William Bateson (1861–1926): British geneticist, a Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge, where he eventually became Master. He was the first person to use the term genetics to describe the study of heredity and biological inheritance, and the chief populariser of the ideas of Gregor Mendel following their rediscovery.[5] * Patrick Blackett OM, CH, FRS (1897–1974): Nobel Prize winning English experimental physicist known for his work on cloud chambers, cosmic rays, and paleomagnetism.[6] * Susan Blackmore (1951–): English psychologist and memeticist, best known for her book The Meme Machine.[7] * Sir Hermann Bondi KCB, FRS (1919–2005): Anglo-Austrian mathematician and cosmologist, best known for co-developing the steady-state theory of the universe and important contributions to the theory of general relativity.[8][9] * Paul D. Boyer (1918–): American biochemist and Nobel Laureate in Chemistry in 1997.[10] * Calvin Bridges (1889–1938): American geneticist, known especially for his work on fruit fly genetics.[11] * Ruth Mack Brunswick (1897–1946): American psychologist, a close confidant of and collaborator with Sigmund Freud.[12] * Sean M. Carroll (1966–): American cosmologist specializing in dark energy and general relativity.[13] * Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1910–1995): Indian American astrophysicist known for his theoretical work on the structure and evolution of stars. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983.[14] * William Kingdon Clifford FRS (1845–1879): English mathematician and philosopher, co-introducer of geometric algebra, the first to suggest that gravitation might be a manifestation of an underlying geometry, and coiner of the expression "mind-stuff".[15] * Frank Close OBE (1945–): British particle physicist, Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford, known for his lectures and writings making science intelligible to a wider audience, for which he was awarded the Institute of Physics's Kelvin Medal and Prize.[16] * Francis Crick (1916–2004): English molecular biologist, physicist, and neuroscientist; noted for being one of the co-discoverers of the structure of the DNA molecule in 1953. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962.[17][18][19][20][21][22][23] * Sir Howard Dalton FRS (1944–2008): British microbiologist, Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from March 2002 to September 2007.[24] * Richard Dawkins (1941–): British zoologist, biologist, creator of the concepts of the selfish gene and the meme; outspoken atheist and popularizer of science, author of The God Delusion and founder of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science.[25] * Arnaud Denjoy (1884–1974): French mathematician, noted for his contributions to harmonic analysis and differential equations.[26] * Paul Dirac (1902–1984): British theoretical physicist, one of the founders of quantum mechanics, predicted the existence of antimatter, and won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1933.[27][28] * Albert Ellis (1913–2007): American psychologist who in 1955 developed Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy.[29]. * Leon Festinger (1919–1989): American social psychologist famous for his Theory of Cognitive Dissonance.[30]. * Richard Feynman (1918–1988): American theoretical physicist, best known for his work in renormalizing Quantum electrodynamics (QED) and his path integral formulation of quantum mechanics . He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965.[31][32] * Sigmund Freud (1856–1939): Father of psychoanalysis.[33] * Erich Fromm (1900–1980): renowned Jewish-German-American social psychologist, psychoanalyst, and humanistic philosopher, associated with the Frankfurt School of critical theory.[34] * Christer Fuglesang (1957–), Swedish astronaut and physicist.[35] * Vitaly Ginzburg (1916–): Russian theoretical physicist and astrophysicist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2003. He was also awarded the Wolf Prize in Physics in 1994/95.[36] * Stephen Jay Gould (1941–2002): American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science, one of the most influential and widely read writers of popular science of his generation.[37] * Susan Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield, CBE (1950–): British scientist, writer and broadcaster, specialising in the physiology of the brain, who has worked to research and bring attention to Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.[38] * Jonathan Haidt (c.1964–): Associate professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, focusing on the psychological bases of morality across different cultures, and author of The Happiness Hypothesis.[39] * E. T. 'Teddy' Hall (1924–2001): English archaeological scientist, famous for exposing the Piltdown Man fraud and dating the Turin Shroud as a medieval fake.[40] * Sir James Hall (1761–1832): Scottish geologist and chemist, President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and leading figure in the Scottish Enlightenment.[41] * Beverly Halstead (1933–1991): British paleontologist and populariser of science.[42] * G. H. Hardy (1877–1947): a prominent English mathematician, known for his achievements in number theory and mathematical analysis.[43][44] * Stephen Hawking CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA (1942–): British theoretical physicist, Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, and a Fellow of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, known for his contributions to the fields of cosmology and quantum gravity, especially in the context of black holes, and his popular works in which he discusses his own theories and cosmology in general, including A Brief History of Time.[45][46].[47] * Peter Higgs (1929–): British theoretical physicist, recipient of the Dirac Medal and Prize, known for his prediction of the existence of a new particle, the Higgs boson, nicknamed the "God particle".[48] * Lancelot Hogben (1895–1975): English experimental zoologist and medical statistician, now best known for his popularising books on science, mathematics and language.[49] * Nicholas Humphrey (1943–): British psychologist, working on consciousness and belief in the supernatural from a Darwinian perspective, and primatological research into Machiavellian intelligence theory.[50] * Sir Julian Huxley FRS (1887–1975): English evolutionary biologist, a leading figure in the mid-twentieth century evolutionary synthesis, Secretary of the Zoological Society of London (1935-1942), the first Director of UNESCO, and a founding member of the World Wildlife Fund.[51] * Frédéric Joliot-Curie (1900–1958): French physicist and Nobel Laureate in Chemistry in 1935.[52][53] * Steve Jones (1944–): British geneticist, Professor of genetics and head of the biology department at University College London, and television presenter and a prize-winning author on biology, especially evolution; one of the best known contemporary popular writers on evolution.[54] * Harold Kroto (1939–): 1996 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry.[55] * Alfred Kinsey (1894–1956): American biologist, sexologist and professor of entomology and zoology.[56] * Richard Leakey (1944–): Kenyan paleontologist, archaeologist and conservationist.[57] * Sir John Leslie (1766–1832): Scottish mathematician and physicist best remembered for his research into heat; he was the first person to artificially produce ice, and gave the first modern account of capillary action.[58] * H. Christopher Longuet-Higgins FRS (1923–2004): English theoretical chemist and a cognitive scientist.[59] * Samarendra Maulik (1881–1950): Indian entomologist specialising in the Coleoptera, who worked at the British Museum (Natural History) and a Professor of Zoology at the University of Calcutta.[60] * John Maynard Smith (1920–2004): British evolutionary biologist and geneticist, instrumental in the application of game theory to evolution, and noted theorizer on the evolution of sex and signalling theory.[61] * Ernst Mayr (1904–2005): a renowned taxonomist, tropical explorer, ornithologist, historian of science, and naturalist. He was one of the 20th century's leading evolutionary biologists.[62] * Sir Peter Medawar (1915–1987): Nobel Prize-winning British scientist best known for his work on how the immune system rejects or accepts tissue transplants.[63] * Jeff Medkeff (1968–2008): American astronomer, prominent science writer and educator, and designer of robotic telescopes.[64] * Jonathan Miller CBE (1934–): British physician, actor, theatre and opera director, and television presenter. Wrote and presented the 2004 television series, Atheism: A Rough History of Disbelief, exploring the roots of his own atheism and investigating the history of atheism in the world.[65][66] * Peter D. Mitchell (1920–1992): 1978-Nobel-laureate British biochemist. Atheist mother, and himself atheist from age 15.[67] * Jacques Monod (1910–1976): French biologist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1965 for discoveries concerning genetic control of enzyme and virus synthesis.[68] * Desmond Morris (1928–): English zoologist and ethologist, famous for describing human behaviour from a zoological perspective in his books The Naked Ape and The Human Zoo.[69][70] * Fritz Müller (1821–1897): German biologist who emigrated to Brazil, where he studied the natural history of the Amazon rainforest and was an early advocate of evolutionary theory.[71] * Hermann Joseph Muller (1890–1967): American geneticist and educator, best known for his work on the physiological and genetic effects of radiation (X-ray mutagenesis). He won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1946.[72] * PZ Myers (1957–): American biology professor at the University of Minnesota and a blogger via his blog, Pharyngula.[73] * Paul Nurse (1949–): 2001 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine.[74] * Linus Pauling (1901–1994): American chemist, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry (1954) and Peace (1962)[75][28] * John Allen Paulos (1945–): Professor of mathematics at Temple University in Philadelphia and writer, author of Irreligion: A Mathematician Explains Why the Arguments for God Just Don't Add Up (2007)[76] * Ivan Pavlov (1849–1936): Nobel Prize winning Russian physiologist, psychologist, and physician, widely known for first describing the phenomenon of classical conditioning.[77] * Francis Perrin (1901–1992): French physicist, co-establisher the possibility of nuclear chain reactions and nuclear energy production.[78] * Massimo Pigliucci (1964–): Professor of Ecology and Evolution at the Stony Brook University and is known as an outspoken critic of creationism and advocate of science education.[79] * Steven Pinker (1954–): Canadian-born American psychologist.[80] * Norman Pirie FRS (1954–): British biochemist and virologist co-discoverer in 1936 of viral crystallization, an important milestone in understanding DNA and RNA.[81] * Ronald Plasterk (1957–): Dutch prize-winning molecular geneticist and columnist, and Minister of Education, Culture and Science in the fourth Balkenende cabinet for the Labour Party.[82] * Derek J. de Solla Price (1922–1983): British-American historian of science. [83] * Frank P. Ramsey (1903–1930): British mathematician who also made significant contributions in philosophy and economics.[84] * Richard J. Roberts (1943–): British biochemist and molecular biologist. He won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1993 for the discovery of introns in eukaryotic DNA and the mechanism of gene-splicing.[85][86][87] * Steven Rose (1938–): Professor of Biology and Neurobiology at the Open University and University of London, and author of several popular science books.[88] * Marshall Rosenbluth (1927–2003) American physicist, nicknamed "the Pope of Plasma Physics". He created the Metropolis algorithm in statistical mechanics, derived the Rosenbluth formula in high-energy physics, and laid the foundations for instability theory in plasma physics. [89] * Oliver Sacks (1933–): United States-based British neurologist, who has written popular books about his patients, the most famous of which is Awakenings.[90] * Carl Sagan (1934–1996): American astronomer and astrochemist, a highly successful popularizer of astronomy, astrophysics, and other natural sciences, and pioneer of exobiology and promoter of the SETI.[91][92] * Robert Sapolsky (1957–): Professor of Biological Sciences and Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford University.[93] * Marcus du Sautoy (1965–): mathematician and holder of the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science.[94] * Amartya Kumar Sen (1933–): 1998 Nobel Laureate in Economics.[95][96][97][98] * Claude Shannon (1916–2001): American electrical engineer and mathematician, has been called "the father of information theory", and was the founder of practical digital circuit design theory.[99] * Michael Smith (1932–2000): British-born Canadian biochemist and Nobel Laureate in Chemistry in 1993.[100] * Richard Stallman (1953–): American software freedom activist, hacker, and software developer.[101] * Victor J. Stenger (1935–): American physicist, emeritus professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Hawaii and adjunct professor of Philosophy at the University of Colorado. Author of the book God: The Failed Hypothesis.[102] * Jack Suchet (1908–2001): South African born obstetrician, gynaecologist and venereologist, who carried out research on the use of penicillin in the treatment of venereal disease with Sir Alexander Fleming.[103] * Eleazar Sukenik (1889–1953): Israeli archaeologist and professor of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, undertaking excavations in Jerusalem, and recognising the importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls to Israel.[104] * Leonard Susskind (1940–): American theoretical physicist; a founding father of superstring theory and professor of theoretical physics at Stanford University.[105] * Raymond Tallis (1946–): Leading British gerontologist, philosopher, poet, novelist and cultural critic.[106] * Frank J. Tipler (1947–): American mathematical physicist and professor at Tulane University.[107] * Gherman Titov (1935–2000): Soviet cosmonaut and the second human to orbit the Earth.[108] * Linus Torvalds (1969–): Finnish software engineer, creator of the Linux kernel.[109] * Alan Turing (1912–1954): English mathematician, logician, and cryptographer; often considered to be the father of modern computer science. The Turing Award, often recognized as the "Nobel Prize of computing", is named after him.[110][111] * Matthew Turner (d. c.1789): chemist, surgeon, teacher and radical theologian, author of the first published work of avowed atheism in Britain (1782).[112][113] * W. Grey Walter (1910–1977): American neurophysiologist famous for his work on brain waves, and robotician.[114] * James D. Watson (1928–): 1962-Nobel-laureate co-discover of the structure of DNA.[115][116] * Joseph Weber (1919–2000): American physicist, who gave the earliest public lecture on the principles behind the laser and the maser, and developed the first gravitational wave detectors (Weber bars).[117] * Steven Weinberg (1933–): American theoretical physicist. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1979 for the unification of electromagnetism and the weak force into the electroweak force.[118][119][120] * David Sloan Wilson (1949–): American evolutionary biologist, son of Sloan Wilson, proponent of multilevel selection theory and author of several popular books on evolution.[121] * Lewis Wolpert CBE FRS FRSL (1929–): developmental biologist, author, and broadcaster.[122] * Steve Wozniak (1950–): co-founder of Apple Computer and inventor of the Apple I and Apple II.[123] * Elizur Wright (1804–1885): American mathematician and abolitionist, sometimes described as the "father of life insurance" for his pioneering work on actuarial tables.[124] * Will Wright (1960–): American computer game designer and co-founder of the game development company Maxis.[125] * Victor Weisskopf (1908–2002): Austrian-American theoretical physicist, co-founder and board member of the Union of Concerned Scientists. [126] List of atheists (miscellaneous) [edit] Business * John Baskerville (1706–1775): English typesetter, printing innovator and typefounder, designer of the typeface that bears his name.[1][2] * Sir Richard Branson (1950—): British entrepreneur, founder of the Virgin Group.[3] * Felix Dennis (1947–): British magazine publisher and philanthropist.[4] * Larry Flynt (1942–): American publisher and the head of Larry Flynt Publications.[5] * Stephen Girard (1750–1831): French sailor turned American banker and philanthropist.[6] * Allan Pinkerton (1819–1884): Scottish-born American detective and spy, best known for creating the Pinkerton Agency, the first detective agency of the United States.[7] * Graeme Samuel (19??–): Australian businessman, currently serving as the chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.[8] * Sir Clive Sinclair (1940–): British entrepreneur and inventor of the world's first 'slim-line' electronic pocket calculator and early personal computers.[9] * George Soros (1930–): Hungarian-born investor, philanthropist and writer.[10] * Warren Buffett (1930–): American-born investor and philanthropist.[11] * Christer Sturmark (1964–): Swedish IT entrepreneur and chairman of The Swedish Humanist Organisation.[12] * Dana White (1969–): American entrepreneur and current president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts organization. [13] * Will Wyatt (1942–): British media consultant and company director, formerly a journalist, television producer and senior executive at the BBC.[14] * Mark Zuckerberg (1984–): Founder and CEO of Facebook[15][16] [edit] Comedians * Dave Allen (1936–2005): Irish comedian, popular on United Kingdom and Australian television in the 1960s, 1970s and also in the 1990s.[17] * Keith Allen (1953–): British comedian, actor, singer and writer, father of Lily Allen.[18] * Wil Anderson (1974–): Australian television, radio and stand-up comedian, former host of ABC's The Glass House.[19] * David Baddiel (1964–): English comedian, novelist and television presenter.[20] * Matt Besser(1967–): American comedian.[21] * Abie Philbin Bowman (19??–): Irish comedian and columnist, writer/director/performer of Jesus: The Guantanamo Years.[22] * Marcus Brigstocke (1973–): English comedian, satirist and presenter of The Late Edition.[23] * George Carlin (1937–2008): American comedian, actor and author; outspoken atheist who has described religion as being "the greatest bullshit story ever told."[24] * Adam Carolla (1964–): American comedian, actor and comedy writer.[25] * Jimmy Carr (1972–): English-Irish comedian.[26] * Pat Condell (1951–): English stand up comedian, writer and secularist.[27] * Billy Connolly (1942–): Scottish comedian, musician and presenter, also known as an actor in films such as Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and Mrs. Brown.[28] * David Cross (1964–): American actor and comedian.[29] * Catherine Deveny (1968–): Australian comedy writer, stand-up comedian and sometimes controversial opinion columnist in the Age newspaper.[30] * Ben Elton (1959–): English comedian, writer and director.[31][32] * Janeane Garofalo (1964–): American actor and comedian.[33] * Ricky Gervais (1961–): British comedian and actor, co-creator of the original version of The Office.[34][35] * Kathy Griffin (1963–): American comedian.[36] * Andy Hamilton (1954–): English comedian, game show panellist, director and comedy scriptwriter for television and radio.[37] * Jeremy Hardy (1961–): English alternative comedian, frequently on BBC Radio 4 shows such as The News Quiz and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue.[38] * Richard Herring (1967–): British comedian and writer, best known as part of Lee and Herring.[39] * Bill Hicks (1961–1994): was an American stand-up comedian in the 1980s and early 1990s. He challenged mainstream beliefs, aiming to "enlighten people to think for themselves." His jokes included general discussions about society, religion, politics, philosophy and personal issues. Hicks' material was often deliberately controversial and steeped in black comedy. * Robin Ince (1969–): English stand-up comedian, actor, writer and impressionist.[40] * Eddie Izzard (1962–): English stand-up comedian and actor, winner of several awards.[41] * Dom Joly (1967–): Award-winning British television comedian and journalist, best known as the star of Trigger Happy TV.[42] * Stewart Lee (1968–): English stand-up comedian, writer and director, best known as one half of Lee and Herring and for co-writing and directing the critically-acclaimed and controversial stage show Jerry Springer: The Opera.[43] * Tim Minchin (1975–): Australian comedian, actor, composer, songwriter, pianist, musical director, winner of the 2005 Best Newcomer Perrier Comedy Award.[44] * Dylan Moran (1971–): Irish comedian, most famous for the creation and roll in hit British sitcom Black Books, as well as his work with Simon Pegg in movies such as Shaun of the Dead and Run Fatboy Run.[45] * Dermot Morgan (1952–1998): Irish comedian and actor, who achieved international renown as Father Ted Crilly in the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted.[46][47] * Patton Oswalt (1969–): American actor and comedian.[48] * Paula Poundstone (1959–): An American stand-up comedian. She is known for her quiet, self-deprecating style, political observations, and her trademark style of dress: a suit and tie.[49] * Arthur Smith (1954–): English alternative comedian and writer.[50] * Linda Smith (1958–2006): English comedian and comedy writer, president of the British Humanist Association from 2004 until her death.[51][52] * Julia Sweeney (1959–): American actor and comedian. Alumna of Saturday Night Live, author/performer of a one-woman autobiographical stage show about finding atheism: Letting Go of God.[53] * Mark Thomas (1963–): English comedian, presenter, political activist and reporter, best known for political stunts on his show, The Mark Thomas Comedy Product on UK Channel 4.[54] * Gene Weingarten (1951–): Humor writer for The Washington Post.[55] [edit] Historians Grote * G. E. M. de Ste. Croix (1910–2000): British historian, specializing in examining the classical era from a historical materialist perspective.[56] * Constantine Fitzgibbon (1919–1983): Irish-American historian and novelist.[57] * George Grote (1794–1871): English classical historian, best known in the field for a major work, the voluminous History of Greece, still read.[58] * Keith Hopkins (1934–2004): British classical historian and sociologist, professor of ancient history at the University of Cambridge 1985–2001.[59] * Robin Lane Fox (1946–): English academic and historian, currently a Fellow of New College, Oxford, Lecturer in Ancient History at Exeter College, Oxford and University Reader in Ancient History.[60] * James Murdoch (Scottish journalist) (1856–1921): Scottish scholar and journalist, whose three-volume History of Japan was the first comprehensive history of Japan in the English language.[61] * Tony Parker (1923–1996): English oral historian, whose work was dedicated to giving a voice to British and American society's most marginalised figures.[62] * Pierre Vidal-Naquet (1930–2006): French classical historian.[63] [edit] Military * Abdul Rashid Dostum (1954–): Afghani military figure, the current leader of Uzbek-Afghan northern provinces.[64] * William Sholto Douglas, Baron Douglas of Kirtleside, Marshal of the Royal Air Force GCB, MC, DFC (1893–1969): Distinguished British airman, a senior figure in the Royal Air Force up to and during World War II.[65] * Jeremy Hall (1985–): American army specialist who sued the U.S. Department of Defense, alleging his atheism led to discrimination, death threats and being denied promotions.[66] * Lakshmi Sahgal (1914–): Activist of the Indian independence movement, an ex-officer of the Indian National Army, and the Minister of Women's affairs in the Azad Hind Government.[67] [edit] Social Sciences * Scott Atran (1952–): American anthropologist.[68] * Herbert de Souza (1935–1997): Brazilian sociologist and activist against economic injustice and government corruption in Brazil, and founder of the Brazilian Institute of Social Analysis and Economics (IBASE).[69] * Émile Durkheim (1858–1917): French sociologist whose contributions were instrumental in the formation of sociology and anthropology.[70] * Norman Finkelstein (1953–): American political scientist and author, specialising in Jewish-related issues, especially the Holocaust and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.[71] * Sir Raymond Firth CNZM, FBA (1901–2002): New Zealand ethnologist, considered to have singlehandedly created a form of British economic anthropology.[72] * Michel Foucault (1926–1984): French philosopher, historian, critic and sociologist.[73] * Thor Heyerdahl (1914–2002): Norwegian ethnographer and adventurer, famous for his Kon-Tiki expedition.[74] * Mayer Hillman (1931–): British political scientist, architect and town planner, a Senior Fellow Emeritus at the Policy Studies Institute.[75] * Baruch Kimmerling (1939–2007): Romanian-born professor of sociology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.[76] * Kemal Kirişci (19??–): Turkish political scientist, professor at the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Boğaziçi University, Istanbul.[77] * Peter Lawrence (1921–1987): British-born Australian anthropologist, pioneer in the study of Melanesian religions noted for his work on cargo cults.[78] * Sir Edmund Leach (1910–1989): British social anthropologist, a Fellow of the British Academy.[79] * James H. Leuba (1868–1946): American psychologist, one of the leading figures of the early phase of the American psychology of religion movement.[80] * Franz Leopold Neumann (1900–1954): German political scientist, known for theoretical analyses of National Socialism, and considered among the founders of modern political science in Germany.[81] * Alfred Radcliffe-Brown (1881–1955): English social anthropologist who developed the theory of Structural functionalism.[82] * Herbert Simon (1916–2001): American political scientist and economist, one of the most influential social scientists of the 20th century.[83] * Robert Spitzer (19??–): American psychiatrist, Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University, a major architect of the modern classification of mental disorders.[84] * Laurie Taylor (1936–): British sociologist and radio presenter.[85] [edit] Sports * Lance Armstrong (1971–): American cyclist, winner of the Tour de France seven consecutive times.[86] * Fausto Coppi (1919–1960): Italian racing cyclist, nicknamed Il Campionissimo ("the greatest champion") one of the most successful and popular cyclists of all time.[87] * Robin Dixon CBE (1935–): British Olympic gold medal bobsledder, army Major, businessman, British and Northern Irish politician, latterly a member of the House of Lords.[88] * Jan Hein Donner (1927–1988): Dutch chess grandmaster and writer.[89] * Jonathan Edwards (1966–): British triple jumper. Former Olympic, European and World champion. Holds the current world record in the event.[90] * Hugh Falkus (1917–1996): British writer, film maker, World War II pilot, but best known as an angler, with seminal books on salmon and sea trout fishing.[91] * David Feherty (1958–): Irish golfer, a former European Tour and PGA Tour professional who now works as a writer and broadcaster.[92] * Dan Fouts: Former American football quarterback for the National Football League's San Diego Chargers and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[93] * Olga Galchenko (1990–): Juggler.[94] * Joe Simpson (1972–): British mountaineer, author and motivational speaker, famous for his book Touching the Void, subsequently filmed.[95] * Robert Smith (1972–): former Minnesota Vikings running back and NFL Network football analyst.[96] * Matthew Syed (1970–): English table tennis international, three times the Men's Singles Champion at the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships and competing for Great Britain in two Olympic Games, now a Times journalist.[97] * Savielly Tartakower (1887–1956): Polish and French chess Grandmaster, the king of chess journalism in the 1920s and 30s.[98] * Diana Taurasi (1982-): Current WNBA player for the Phoenix Mercury [99] * Bob Woolmer (1948–2007): English international cricketer, professional cricket coach and commentator, playing in 19 Test matches and 6 One Day Internationals for England and later coaching South Africa, Warwickshire and Pakistan.[100] [edit] Visual arts * Abu Abraham (1924–2002): Indian political cartoonist, journalist, and author.[101] * Franko B (1960–): British performance artist who uses his own body in his art.[102] * Francis Bacon (1909–1992): Irish-born figurative painter whose work is known for its bold, austere, and often grotesque or nightmarish imagery.[103] * Jemima Blackburn (1957–): Scottish painter and illustrator, especially of evocative images of rural life in 19th century Scotland.[104] * Iwona Blazwick OBE (19??–): British art gallery curator, Director of the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London.[105] * Berkeley Breathed (1957–): American cartoonist, children's book author/illustrator, director, and screenwriter, best known for the cartoon strip Bloom County.[106] * Joan Brossa (1919–1998): Catalan graphic designer and plastic artist, one of the leading early proponents of visual poetry in Catalan literature.[107] * Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004): French photographer considered to be the father of modern photojournalism, an early adopter of 35 mm format, and the master of candid photography, who helped develop the influential "street photography" style.[108][109] * Mitch Clem (1982–): American cartoonist and webcomic author.[110] * Walter Crane (1845–1915): English artist and book illustrator, a main contributor to the child's nursery motif in English children's illustrated literature of the latter 19th century.[111] * Eric de Maré (1910–2002): British architectural photographer.[112] * Barry Driscoll (1926–2006): British painter, wildlife artist and sculptor.[113] * John Ernest (1922–1994): American-born artist, a key member of the British constructivist art movement.[114] * Ernst Ludwig Freud (1892–1970): German/Austrian architect, the youngest son of Sigmund Freud.[115] * Sam Fullbrook (1922–2004): Prize-winning Australian artist.[116] * Peter Fuller (1947–1990): British art critic and magazine editor, founding editor of the art magazine Modern Painters and art critic of The Sunday Telegraph.[117] * Sir Alfred Gilbert (1854–1934): English sculptor and goldsmith, central participant in the New Sculpture movement.[118] * Sir Ernst Gombrich OM, CBE (1909–2001): Austrian-born British art historian.[119] * Antony Gormley OBE, RA (1950–): English sculptor, famous for his Angel of the North.[120] * George Grosz (1893–1959): German draughtsman and painter, a prominent member of the Berlin Dada and New Objectivity group.[121] * Damien Hirst (1965–): English artist, internationally renowned and the most prominent member of the group known as "Young British Artists".[122] * Alfred Hrdlicka (1928–): Austrian sculptor, draughtsman, painter and artist, whose 2008 religious work about the Apostles, Religion, Flesh and Power, attracted criticism over its homoerotic theme.[123] * Mark Hofmann (1954–): Prolific counterfeiter and ex-Mormon who murdered two people in Salt Lake City, Utah.[124][125] * Sebastian Horsley (1962–): English artist and writer, best known for having undergone a voluntary crucifixion.[126] * Waldemar Januszczak (1954–): British art critic, former Guardian arts editor and maker of television arts documentaries.[127] * Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, known as Le Corbusier (1887–1965): Swiss-born architect, designer, urbanist, writer and also painter, famous for his contributions to what now is called Modern Architecture.[128] * Giulio Mancini (1558–1630): Italian biographer and writer on art, art collector and noted physician.[129] * Alexander McQueen CBE (1969–): English fashion designer.[130] * Oscar Niemeyer (1907–): Brazilian architect, considered one of the most important names in international modern architecture.[131] * Jorge Oteiza (1908–2003): Basque sculptor, painter, designer and writer, renowned for being one of the main theorists on Basque modern art.[132] * Simon Patterson (1967–): English artist, shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 1996.[133] * Grayson Perry (1960–): English artist, best known for his ceramics and for cross-dressing, the first ceramic artist and public transvestite to win the Turner Prize.[134] * Sigmar Polke (1941–): German post-modern painter and photographer.[135] * Gwen Raverat (1885–1957): English wood engraving artist who co-founded the Society of Wood Engravers in England.[136] * Gerhard Richter (1932–): German artist, considered one of the most important German artists of the post-World War II period.[137] * Bryan Robertson OBE (1925–2002): English curator and arts manager, "the greatest Director the Tate Gallery never had".[138] * Martin Rowson (1959–): British political cartoonist, novelist and satirist.[139] * Maurice Sinet, known as Siné (1928–): French radical left-wing cartoonist.[140] * Brendan Powell Smith (19??–): American artist, author, and creator of The Brick Testament, which illustrates stories from the Bible by dioramas of LEGO bricks.[141] * "Normal" Bob Smith (1969–): American graphic artist, who prompted controversy with his creation of Jesus Dress Up.[142] * Kurt Westergaard (1935–): Danish cartoonist, creator of a controversial cartoon of the Muslim prophet Muhammad wearing a bomb as a turban which was part of the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy.[143] [edit] Other * Christopher Robin Milne (1920–1996): Son of author A. A. Milne who, as a young child, was the basis of the character Christopher Robin in his father's Winnie-the-Pooh stories and in two books of poems.[144] ___________________________________________________________________________________ please leave a comment if you want, this is just to show what is out there... And before you go and spam, dl it watch it and make up your own mind... cheers the_phyrexian Are you a British citizen? Click here! (Petition to stop Sharia Law) http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/shariastop there is a reseed section, read it / use it... http://suprbay.org/forumdisplay.php?f=35 or visit my blog... http://thephyrexian.tk

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baboonbob (2009-03-07)

I visited your website, but I am unclear as to whether you agree or disagree with atheism. I'm just curious why you've posted this list. Can you please elaborate? Thanks

baboonbob (2009-03-07)

I have 3 questions:
1- Who says any of these are Atheists?
2- Even if they themselves have said so, how do we know any of them did not or will not change their minds at some point in their life?
3- Whose business is it anyway?
~

Ryogathelost (2009-03-08)

I'm so fucking tired of religious people and atheists. It's like goddamn cowboys and indians. Both sides are hypocrites. I hope you're happy with yourself. I'm sure God is proud of what a good job you did showing off your hatred. That makes a shitload of sense, because from what I've seen God just loves prejudice. Just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside right?
Fuck, I just want a Jackson and his Computer Band torrent that works!

baboonbob (2009-03-08)

You are so tired of religious people and atheists. Then... you're tired of everybody?
On another hand, I believe in God, but I'm not religious, so are you tired of me?

spetznatz (2009-03-08)

Thanks for that!
One point: Richard Rogers is not a composer -- he's an architect!

Z_Snake (2009-03-09)

What is the reason behind this list? are you targeting this people? why do we need to know this people's business?

Nablic (2009-03-09)

Hey, you forgot me!

NinjaWanker (2009-03-09)

So, what's in the file?

kweh (2009-03-10)

you guys suck ALL OF YOU!!

floepiejane (2009-03-11)

>>>It's like goddamn cowboys and indians. Both sides are hypocrites.
please explain
Humanism is a religion, too

toblakai (2009-03-11)

Humanism isnt a religion.
if you cant find the answer yourself try google...
twat.

druu0 (2009-03-12)

Nice work on compiling the list, i cut and pasted it from here. You can add,
"Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus (often referred to as "the wise"; April 26, 121[2] ? March 17, 180) was Roman Emperor from 161 to his death in 180. He was the last of the "Five Good Emperors", and is also considered one of the most important Stoic philosophers." (from wikipedia).
I read a comment he wrote at age 42 specifically about this subject. I also found the link title is a somewhat ambigous, but, what ya gonna do? We must remember, Their faiths are supposed to outweigh our reason.

TwentySecond (2009-03-13)

What's the point of this??

telx09 (2009-03-13)

Anyone saying anything rude here will be going to hell!!!!!
i think!

sam1004 (2009-03-16)

hi guys
Unfortunately I am also Indians But far far away from those religious people who never try to question but they are doing what they are taught since their childhood.
They will never came to know about the reality and there is nothing such to be believed so Actually non-believers are the Right guys.
Can someone tell what this torrent is about????

bellagitana (2009-03-18)

We are all born Atheist, then we are indoctrinated.

seedmeup (2009-03-19)

What's it all about you ask.
It is not an exceptionally large file, download it and check it out, I did.
And then you too will know what 3 out of the first 4 US Presidents had in common. I don't feel so alone any more, I am in good company.

viedma (2009-03-19)

Atheism (not believing in gods or supernatural beings) is such a natural attitude that it's hard to understand how so many people can be so weak and ignorant to appeal to such imaginary beings to find comfort and sense in life. But that is changing, there is still hope for a rational mankind.

a0t (2009-03-19)

I'm an atheist thank God!
But can some one tell me what is the purpose of this list?

Kanapi (2009-03-19)

It's just actually how atheists explain to themselves other people accepting religious concepts: for comfort and all that. Ironically, it's really so much easier to be confident in your own rights and wrongs neglecting gods and higher judgement than to share other people's interests putting yourself aside.
You might imply to the world out there that needs researching and not acceptance. But all atheists are not scientists, they're mostly busy treating their unaffected ego's with lowly passions. And those who do study something have no advantage over their religious collegues.

lordhailen (2009-03-20)

O.K. I'm gonna sound like everyone else and ask what the point of you posting this list was. I am a Christian and fairly religious, but if these people declared themselves atheist then why should I care. Yea I don't believe the same thing that they do but I'm not going to publicly point them out. That isn't very christian of you. (or whatever religion you are)

lordhailen (2009-03-20)

Humanist whatever....it's still not a very moral thing to do.

MIKEROCKS (2009-03-21)

KingKongFetus (2009-03-22)

Hi. I am a Christian. Who cares? Smoke your own pipes! lol

dilbertgeg (2009-03-22)

I dont know that I really need to be impressed with what other 'famous' people do or dont believe, but WHY NOT post their names. Why are these Christians so sensitive? How many institutions post lists of famous believers and Christians, and honor pastors, ministers, priests, crusaders, etc. etc.
How many people use the name of God to boost their own image and credibility, for material gain and for social rewards, as "good Christians" [or other]?
Is it so necessary to "rain on the parade" of independent thinkers and philosophers to tell them how much you don't care?
Just something to consider. (I don't call myself an atheist, but I like rationality.)

Kannibal_Holocaust (2009-03-22)

"We are all born Atheist, then we are indoctrinated."
sorry but ima have to call bullshit homie, atheism is just as much a conscious decision as religion is, people are born WITHOUT AN OPINION on a subject they've never even thought about
and ignorance from either side is still ignorance, ill never know why atheists and the religious are always trying to disprove each other, its never going to happen and its pointless to argue about it
i dont agree with either side, both are right in a way. there is no man in the clouds, but the universe itself could be seen as a super-organism... like sects of human society, even the human body could be seen as a super-organism, its made up of many individual living organisms
and there would be no way to know if there was a being/multiple beings in higher dimensions

baboonbob (2009-03-23)

Because the description of this torrent has almost every name in it, I keep finding it when I search for almost ANYTHING! Maybe it is a plea for attention?
There are many books which show the Founding Fathers of the U.S. as being Christian. Are you saying all those books are bullshit? Either they are or you are.
BTW, just because so many religious people are full of crap doesn't mean there is no God. And what I said about some on this list changing their minds later in life, I wasn't thinking of deathbed repentance. I just figured some may have thought about it more and changed their mind. I didn't say they came to their senses either. People change their minds, that's all.

baboonbob (2009-03-23)

You say you got most of this list from Wikipedia? I think it's delusional to believe something you find on Wikipedia is completely true.

baboonbob (2009-03-23)

Being brilliant does not make one correct about everything.

baboonbob (2009-03-23)

Dr. Gene Scott was brilliant and he believed in God. Of course a lot of people think he was a con man, why don't we start a debate about that?
http://www.genescottteachings.ning.com

baboonbob (2009-03-23)

Yes, I know....how dare I?

royalfreakiness (2009-03-24)

Baboonbob ;)
Algebra was made by a muslim named al-jabr
you gonna say he's shit coz he's muslim?
Surah 109 - Al Kafirun (THOSE WHO REJECT FAITH)
1. Say : O ye that reject Faith!
2. I worship not that you worship.
3. And nor you worship what I worship.
4. And I shall not worship what you worshiped.
5. And nor you shall worship what I worship.
6. For you, your religion. and for me my religion.

KingKongFetus (2009-03-25)

Dude! This things shows up on every single search I run! lol

qtraker2000 (2009-03-25)

Christian Lobbyists should all be banned. The only reason all this bs has gone on so long is because aetheists don't see the need to shout from the highest roof top that we are right, we just know!
Religion = child abuse.

stevic123 (2009-03-26)

Religion = Shit
Be free thinkers people don't let others brainwash you.
You are born without belief and you will die that way.Belief is not a comprehension we need to live with nor is faith.We live to survive and we go on and on like this in whatever way possible.Im of the thought that we have to rid the world of negative people and the best place to start is the religious.So look out all you fanatic god believers and islamic freaks your devil is coming and it is relentless and his name is earth.

ektheguy (2009-03-27)

I read most of the comments here before I decided to post my own. I think, after deliberation I've decided to omit which religion (or lack of) I believe in (or don't) for fair bias in the eyes of future comment readers. Take a step back and think before you make a comment either way.
There is no proof for, OR against, god. It's all subjective, and that's important.
But I do want to know (mostly from non-Christians, hopefully outside the US) if they feel like accepting their religion is rejecting christianity. Basically...the inverse.
You cannot convince me that a believer in christianity can also accept Islam, or Judaism, probably all others. Even the bible says clearly that (Christian) god is a jealous god, and you will have no other gods before him.

ninexhelix (2009-03-29)

Re baboonbob: "Founding fathers as Christians"
???? Not sure which books you're referring to here, but most of them, at least the most prominent and often thought of when the term "Founding Fathers" is bandied about (Jefferson, Hamilton, Adams, etc) were not Christians (Protestants, Catholics, Calvinists, etc). Most history texts agree they were Deists (big, big, diff then Christians). Though they all supported religious liberty it was in the sense that there should be no state (national) religion because they didn't want a Theocratic State (e.g. the Vatican). Also since we're talking over 200 years ago here...there is much evidence in their correspondence which supports their views were more in line with that of the modern day atheist than than the Deistic nature they (perhaps) claimed to hold (not many people announced themselves as Atheists in the 18th or early 19th centuries for fear of prosecution, those that did were primarily in established religious countries...Diderot, D'Alembert, D'Holbach, Condorcet)
Please actually know your history...I know we in the states have allowed in the last 20 years to let fundamentalism run rampant (esp the last 8 years), but our country isn't even out of the infant stages compared to the rest of the modern world so our history is pretty easy to research....
To talk of immaterial existences is to talk of nothings. To say that the human soul, angels, god, are immaterial, is to say they are nothings, or that there is no god, no angels, no soul. I cannot reason otherwise ... without plunging into the fathomless abyss of dreams and phantasms. I am satisfied, and sufficiently occupied with the things which are, without tormenting or troubling myself about those which may indeed be, but of which I have no evidence.
-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to John Adams, August 15, 1820 (note: taken from the original document...no capitalization of god...)

 IndianChristian (2009-03-29)

Ha ha ha what a joke........
There are 4 religious groups in the world each with their own set of beliefs. and yes. these beliefs contradict one another.
1. Atheism - No God
2. Judeo-Christian - Yahweh as God with belief in the Messiah and as Moses as the greatest prophet
3. Islam - with Allah as God and Muhammad as the greatest prophet
4. Hindu oriented religions - total confusion here...with man as god
leave hinduism out. Hinduism actually tries to preach that all these four are true at the same time depending on how you look at it. What rot. hinduism with its dogmas of "man is god", self worship in a mirror, drinking cow piss as heavenly syrup, and its four objectives of human life - dharma (faith), artha (earning wealth), kama (sexual satisfaction irrespective of whose daughter or wife you covet) and moksha (liberation from continous cycle of life and death) is packaged satanism.
Talk about the rest 3. Each of these 3 are totally distinct from one another. The dogmas are basically diagonally opposites. But in each of these 3 major groups, I can show at least 100 great people who were very sincere and honest to themselves? They were convinced that their faith is true. however bottom line is only one of these can be true. It is also possible that none of these are true.
Conclusion: Just by quoting some great people, it doesn't mean that it is true. The number of great people who thought something is true is no measure that that thing is true.

Shiningwit (2009-03-30)

viedma : 'it's hard to understand how so many people can be so weak and ignorant to appeal to such imaginary beings to find comfort and sense in life'
Emile Durkheim developed a concept called "anomie." It refers to the anxiety that humans feel when social and civil norms are disrupted. Durkheim concluded that there was a connection between increased levels of anomie and higher instances of suicide.
It is therefore only natural that as individuals we seek activities and communal organisations that assuage our anomie. Our choice is dependant upon the way in which we have been socialised throughout our lives and leans heavily on what Dawkins refers to as memes.
A good example of responses to anomie is ethnonationalism. The individual feels isolated and subject to the whims of chaos in an unfriendly world, which provokes a regression to more simplistic responses to problems. The construct of the nation (nation as in ethnic group, not eg Belgium which is a state not a nation) provides the individual with a psychological shelter by providing an indentity as a part of something larger than the self and the illusion of control.
This can be drawn as a parallel example for why people adhere to religious or political beliefs, or why some people are such fanatical supporters of one sports franchise. It provides us with a sense of belonging.

Haniel_P (2009-03-31)

Honestly and without a doubt, I have to ponder exactly how high some of you people were when you made your comments. I could enumerate several things, but the one that stands out is atheism as a "religion".
A religion? Really?
A-(without)-theism (an anthropomorphic god) is by definition not a religion.
One couldn't possibly consider atheism a religion, as it has no prescribed rules or dogma, no ritual, no punishment, no apocalypse, no (literal) overlord. To keep it simple, these things (and more) infer atheism to be absolutely contrary to the basic formulary of "any" religion. To refer to it as such is innaccurate and (face it) just plain silly.
In my opinion (as I can only speak for myself) it is a threat the the power structure of the organized religions simply because when the mind is not clouded by "faith" and inability to question for fear of reprisal from the "Jealous" (oh, really?!) god, there resides a fertile ground for THOUGHT. Ponderings and musings that one trusts that oneself is as qualified to interpret as anyone else.
Man has done a beautiful job of creating his god in his own image. For the thinker, however, something as powerful and omniprescient as a "god" embodying such lowly human traits as "jealousy" and "rage" is just plain stupid.
Outside of that, it is a free-for-all "out there", which is just how us atheists and human secularists like it. Unlike the dogma choked power structures & hierarchies which demand order and obedience, the atheist views natural chaos not as something to control, but something to celebrate in all its opportunity and diversity.
Nothing personal.

lkjafs (2009-03-31)

You wasted your time!

Feril (2009-03-31)

Thanks Phyrexian!!
This seems to have made a lot of people think..
Hopefully for themselves.... ;)
"When you can see the garden is so beautiful, why imagine fairies at the bottom of it??"
How many people have died/been killed in the name of 'god'?
Far too many.. and in my opinion 'god' is just a f*cking piss-poor excuse for murder and genocide...
Why be a sheep?
Peace.

Fnee (2009-04-03)

god! come punish me you little bitch.. show yourself for once!! or are you just an old rumor, fucking little fag ass bastard.. I promis you, if I get sent to heaven I wil kill you with my bear hands!!! kiss my ass all religion, religion has made more pain than anything else in this world, period!!

Fnee (2009-04-03)

peace.. religion just piss me of.. my grand dad died because of an religious freak

mick661 (2009-04-04)

about the british humanist media campaign
"there probably is no god, so stop worrying and enjoy you life"
many criticised the 'probably no god' saying if you are meant to be atheists say " there is no god" dont sit on the fence.
the explanation: saying 'probably no god' is a rational statement when concerning an intangible concept i.e god
it is the absolute assertion, discounting all other points of view (rational or not), that god exists,
that causes trouble. this position is manifest in organised religion.
the humanist society dont know whether god exists or not and so take the pragmatic view, based on their beliefs, that there ' probably is no god'
followers of a religion, do so if you wish, but do so without fighting each other and the world, for there exists the rational possibilty that your beliefs are false.
my brother lost a leg in the madrid train bombings . in the name of allah?
my cat brings me dead mice because he's dumb.
the terrorists brought allah a train load of dead people because they were dumb.

BrimCat (2009-04-07)

"religious people are delusional..."
May God Bless Atheists... I think they have the best chance at finding God, once and for all ^_^

TurboTuck (2009-04-09)

I see a lot of people here actually don't know what an atheist is. An atheist "believes" in Darwins proven theory of evolution, and though not religious, an atheist still respects people around him, and the religions.
I am an atheist simply because religion as far as we know it, is following some sort of book, which was written either 1000, 2000 og 5000 years ago and edited lots of times to fit with the leaders plans... But I won't judge, and I won't mock someone who chooses to believe in religion, if they are happy with the choice, then why convince them otherwise?
By the way, I was tought christianity as a FACT the early years at school... You should at least teach all religions/beliefs and let people choose for themselves...

chuckn16 (2009-04-14)

Well, TurboTuck you are a very understanding man yourself.
I myself do believe in God, and do respect people just as yourself. I try not to insult others and keep peace.
And Darwin, evloution..I believe in to an extent.
But being a Christian we are susposted to try and convince others to follow. But I also believe don't cast unto conformity. So convincing or converting, how ever you see it would be casting unto conformity. I often see myself stuck with this problem. Maybe some explaination of your brilliance would be helpful.

JaytheRed (2009-04-15)

why do you people find it necessary to spend your time downing religion. you are worse then those uberchrist wacko's or muslim extremists. just let people be. assholes.

BobDan (2009-04-19)

you do realise that rationally speaking you Should believe in God. because if your wrong its no big deal and its just lights out. However if there is a god then your covered.
Religious people are no more delusional than anyone else on this planet its the sense of community and believe in a higher purpose that makes people believe.
Atheism is a reactionary malignant RELIGIOUS ideology that is at its core (although they would all strenuously deny this) a direct result of Monotheistic religious ideology not believing in god is the fucking same as believing in him. Except a Christian, Muslim or whatever actually has a centuries old believe structure were as what/who do you fucking believe in? Bill Mayer? Alexander Mcqueen?
Fuck it. become a Taoist not a fucking douchebag atheist who seeks nothing but is eternally searching for something.

shutterbun (2009-04-22)

Atheism is no more a "religion" than believing "shit happens" is a religion.
I don't "believe there's no god" any more than I "believe the Earth is round." I know it. Try as they might, religious folks will never get around the fact that there's no way they can KNOW god exists, which is why the word "faith" comes in such handy.
And I'm also willing to admit that being an Atheist is not terribly satisfying. I would certainly prefer I'm going to end up in paradise after I die, but the facts tell me I'll be little more than worm food.

GGAllinlives (2009-04-23)

I R start Fite on teh interwebz bout' religionz and stuff, yea?

doc_blaise (2009-04-24)

He loves you.

lamarpye308 (2009-04-26)

When it comes to bullshit, big-time, major league bullshit, you have to stand in awe of the all-time champion of false promises and exaggerated claims, religion. No contest. No contest. Religion. Religion easily has the greatest bullshit story ever told. Think about it. Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time!

But He loves you. He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can't handle money! Religion takes in billions of dollars, they pay no taxes, and they always need a little more. Now, you talk about a good bullshit story. Holy Shit!

But I want you to know something, this is sincere, I want you to know, when it comes to believing in God, I really tried. I really, really tried. I tried to believe that there is a God, who created each of us in His own image and likeness, loves us very much, and keeps a close eye on things. I really tried to believe that, but I gotta tell you, the longer you live, the more you look around, the more you realize, something is fucked up.

Something is wrong here. War, disease, death, destruction, hunger, filth, poverty, torture, crime, corruption, and the Ice Capades. Something is definitely wrong. This is not good work. If this is the best God can do, I am not impressed. Results like these do not belong on the résumé of a Supreme Being. This is the kind of shit you'd expect from an office temp with a bad attitude. And just between you and me, in any decently-run universe, this guy would've been out on his all-powerful ass a long time ago. And by the way, I say "this guy", because I firmly believe, looking at these results, that if there is a God, it has to be a man.

No woman could or would ever fuck things up like this. So, if there is a God, I think most reasonable people might agree that he's at least incompetent, and maybe, just maybe, doesn't give a shit. Doesn't give a shit, which I admire in a person, and which would explain a lot of these bad results.

So rather than be just another mindless religious robot, mindlessly and aimlessly and blindly believing that all of this is in the hands of some spooky incompetent father figure who doesn't give a shit, I decided to look around for something else to worship. Something I could really count on.

And immediately, I thought of the sun. Happened like that. Overnight I became a sun-worshipper. Well, not overnight, you can't see the sun at night. But first thing the next morning, I became a sun-worshipper. Several reasons. First of all, I can see the sun, okay? Unlike some other gods I could mention, I can actually see the sun. I'm big on that. If I can see something, I don't know, it kind of helps the credibility along, you know? So everyday I can see the sun, as it gives me everything I need; heat, light, food, flowers in the park, reflections on the lake, an occasional skin cancer, but hey. At least there are no crucifixions, and we're not setting people on fire simply because they don't agree with us.

Sun worship is fairly simple. There's no mystery, no miracles, no pageantry, no one asks for money, there are no songs to learn, and we don't have a special building where we all gather once a week to compare clothing. And the best thing about the sun, it never tells me I'm unworthy. Doesn't tell me I'm a bad person who needs to be saved. Hasn't said an unkind word. Treats me fine. So, I worship the sun. But, I don't pray to the sun. Know why? I wouldn't presume on our friendship. It's not polite.

I've often thought people treat God rather rudely, don't you? Asking

daxx1178 (2009-04-27)

You know, the easiest way to get the crazy hypocritical religious right wingers to show themselves is to post something like this... altho I TOTALLY agree with Phyrexian. It's all nonesence and bullshit. And why the hell should everyone be fucking EXPECTED to believe in that shit is beyond me. We all have brains but are not allowed to judge for ourselves. and if you question it, youre branded a bloody outsider.
God is man-made, get over it and start taking responsibility for your own life. There is no such thing as heaven or hell, there is no such thing as a soul... the pope is just a man in a funny hat!
If God were real, why would he allow us to kill and murder each other ALL THROUGH TIME... and dont give me that "god's plan" bullshit... thats nothing more than a friggin cop out for someone who cant answer the damn question.
Great! Now I hafta go for a walk to calm the fuck down!

roscopp (2009-04-28)

There probably isn't a God

duracell3 (2009-04-28)

may be the most pointless torrent ever posted.

JamesBlond007 (2009-04-30)

I believe in God the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son,
our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father almighty.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.

Amen.

adrak (2009-05-01)

What YOU believe to be true need not be absolute truth
What YOU believe to be false need not be absolute false
Religion is like Constitution (law)
GOD = ones own conscious
Terrorists are like Lawyers who know how to misuse it

rahat-lukum (2009-05-03)

Oh, guys! If you'll find god somewhere, please give me a link to download :)

jservin55 (2009-05-04)

With all due respect
more people have died because of religions and gods, and from any other cause. Hitler killed millions of Jews because they "killed Jesus". The crusades were masacres against middle east in the name of God.
The obscure ages were obscure because religion didnt want the people in their town to prospere of it wasnt for their help, they killed thinkers, scientist and others.
And the lost can go on and on,but there is no need to point out such horrendous acts religions have brought upon humanity, how behind we actualy are from out time because religions doesnt let us advance at the speed we need to.
I am a server of the poeple, I have worked in the name of others to help others, I have been of good, and I am not a believer. We dont need to believe to be good.
Think fo your self, question authorities!

jservin55 (2009-05-04)

btw, sorry for my bad english, I am foreign and I am tired from work

Nosferat22 (2009-05-06)

I believe in myself.I believe in my species.
Creators of food and shelter
I believe that we do not need imaginary friends.
I believe that we can do what we want to do on our own.
I believe in my mother and father,my creators,and their creators(my grandparents)
They were conceived by love not by power and mysticism.
They suffered so that i can live a happy life.
They fell and rose again because they believed in themselves and did not put their pain and burden on something imaginary
They do not judge people by not thinking the same,that is why in their name no one has killed.
I believe in the freedom of thought.
I believe that one day will come when Big Brother will go away and then we will be freed.
I believe in a world where people will not torch you for not believing in something they do,or not thinking the same way they do.
I believe in a world where people will not alienate you just because you think,look different.
Amen

JamesBlond007 (2009-05-10)

It is not true that religion is responsible for most deaths or wars in the world. Greed, lust, pride, politics of HUMANS are mostly to blame. A lot more people would have been killed if it were not for the peace making efforts of religions (Christians). Christians are mostly to blame for peace in spite of man's greed and selfishness.
How many hospitals, prison-rehabilitation, drug-rehabilitation, marriage counseling in the name of religion has not help people?
Humans on the other hand only bring misery on themselves and the world. We are in a economic crisis beacause of human greed. Our enviroment is in crisis because of human greed. Our politics is in crisis because of human pride.
HUMANS = BAD (for each other, for the enviroment, for the economy) (SIN)
I believe in myself? Good luck!
Why believe? Why discard people who do believe in God?
Who do you say AMEN to?
Don?t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there.Ps 146:3

1057 (2009-05-16)

JamesBlond,
AMEN is a Hebrew word that means "let it be". It is merely an affirmation of the words that came before it.
It does not belong to Christianity (or any religion) any more than words like "truly" or "verily".
Rational thinkers can self affirm too. (^_~)b
But this was good for a laugh: "Christians are mostly to blame for peace in spite of man's greed and selfishness."
It's always humorous when the superstitious make humanity out to be a bunch of deranged ego-centrists, barely held together by the tethers of religion. It makes me wonder what tendencies and desires lurk behind your Christian veil.
Many people manage to be "good" by their own virtue and sense of morality, despite not having some mythological all-powerful daddy to cower beneath. If that is so difficult for you to fathom, maybe you have more to fear in yourself than those dirty heathens dancing beyond your locked door.

asne (2009-05-18)

ppl...dont buy this religius propaganda...

nzap (2009-05-19)

Because others are atheist, doesn't mean you should be. You should be atheist simply because you are rational.
There is no evidence for a god or any other religion therefore there is no reason to believe in it. Although the existence of God can't be disproved, that is not a reason to throw away your mind. Similarly, you can't disprove the existence of a magical omnipotent pink unicorn, so you should limit praying to it to only once a month;) (and Zeus only twice a year). Religion isn't the direct cause of strife, but it does identify irrational thinkers.
In the bible so many miracles happened. Have you ever seen (a real) one in the past thousand years. The arguments against religions go on and on, I'm not going to list them all.
Also, to the one that said people should worship God so they're 'covered'. That's the stupidest piece of bullshit I've ever heard, from all points of view. If you don't understand why, shoot yourself in the head, increase the worldwide intelligence average.
Finally, I'm tired of people associating religion with 'right wingers'. I'm an agnostic conservative and although there are a lot of conservative Christians, there are also a lot of liberal Christians(Obama claims to be). Just because there might be a little less don't try to forward your political agenda by associating the opposite with idiots. Conservatism (I'm talking about US politics, not sure if other countries are termed differently) is about liberty and opportunity and rationality. Politicians only represent bullshit, don't look to them for an example. For a small glimpse at true conservatism, read Atlas Shrugged.

nzap (2009-05-19)

Also, atheism isn't defined by believing in Darwin's Theory of Evolution like someone suggested. It's highly likely that rational thinkers would believe in it, but atheism is simply a lack of belief in a supreme being, religion, etc. (and, by definition, atheism is not a religion)

nzap (2009-05-19)

I just reread TurboTuck's post. Atheists do not have to respect other people or their religions. Don't add on other principles to atheism. If you want to form your own religion, pick another name for it. I don't respect other peoples' religions, I don't respect the cult of scientology, and I don't respect Hitler's beliefs.

Floret (2009-05-22)

interesting...

bighappy (2009-05-22)

atheism also has the ability to lead to ignorance as you all who posted have already proven for me it makes me laugh how you believe that atheism is the only rational choice and all else is irrational you remind me of the volcans so arrogant and pushy you treat everyone else as mindless drone and put yourselves on a pedistle i would say to anyone quite listening to these so called rational thinkers who try to bullshit you into believing their propaganda while insulting everyone else the only reason they speak like this is cause they once searched for God and didnt find him and since he didnt pop out and bow to them he must not exsist. quit thinking because you dont believ god exsists that you are any more rational than those who do

thayk (2009-05-28)

Sooner later the world, by way of rational thinking (science), will awaken to realize that religion is the biggest hoax that ever happened to mankind.

thayk (2009-05-28)

Fortunately there is a growing movement that promotes "world free of mysticism" and it is snow-balling around the globe. this is a network of unified voices of all who believes in naturalistic view of life. cast your voice now to combat the relentless "pseudo-marketing of world's religions. visit bright.net
I am bright. How about you?

ch33se (2009-05-28)

I believe (hah!) thayk meant http://the-brights.net
The biggest hurdle that people encounter when they aim to debunk the fallacy of religious belief in a person, is that they are attempting to use a rational, logical argument to assail an inherently irrationally-held premise. The whole idea of 'faith' in the context of religious indoctrination is that you are trained to believe in something despite lack of corroborating evidence, and despite evidence which disproves it.
To quote (paraphrasing) Dawkins:
"Christians already reject belief in Allah, and Zeus, and Thor, and Xenu, etc - we atheists just take it one step further."

thayk (2009-05-28)

And yes, it is very comforting to note, however that those people who have the a naturalistic view of life , (atheist, secularist, humanist, agnostic like me etc.) have a high degree of morality. We adhere, and may even surpassed, the universal standard of goodness.
But dont give me wrong. I also promote to friends and people who cant possess enough logic to question the irrational thinking to have a faith of their on since it is also a good source of moral foundation.

ch33se (2009-05-28)

I couldn't leave without posting these two sites:
http://www.evilbible.com/
and
http://www.thebricktestament.com/
Essential tools for anyone attempting to exorcise a friend of Christian-flavoured religious delusion. ;)

mooseburner (2009-06-04)

Dear friends, i am an atheist.
I do however hold 2 immutable beliefs - for 2 truly divine sources (in the secular sense).
1. "Religion is like your salad bar, we take what we want and leave the rest" - Big Trouble In little China
2. "Don't force it on anyone, man!" - Any stoner I've ever met
Broadly speaking, believe what you want and stfu. Any Arguments?

Barbarus1 (2009-06-17)

i am an 'atheist' if you like. although i do not agree with the definition of someone who believes in darwinism. I think that is a darwinist.
Some people blame religion for violance, wars and killings (and discrimination, prosecutions etc) in history. Although religion was used as an excuse for these actions, usualy true motives where of political, economical nature or served any other personal gain.

ch33se (2009-06-17)

With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
? Steven Weinberg, US physicist (1933?)
Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.
? Voltaire, French Philosopher (1694?1778)
"Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear."
? Thomas Jefferson, 3rd US President (1743?1826)
Great list. Thanks for seeding!

ch33se (2009-06-17)

(Damn, the dashes I used didn't come out right)

twaseverthus (2009-06-20)

whoa - Man will fight about anything - nuff said.
whats the point of a list of prominent atheists? If there is a God (i believe so) he'll do the sorting out at judgement day. Not some rednecks. The bible says God gives us free choice. It's man that fucks everything up with stupid laws and rules. Ask a lawyer how many more than 10 rules has he in his law books.
Am i allowed to share information? Say on a torrent site? Who made that a crime. They advertise all through films - Fast cars, jewels,drugs, guns, fashion, drinks and other guff. Then tell us we have to pay big bucks to go to the cinema to be exposed to their subliminal messages. They should pay the public.

SupaCow (2009-06-20)

lrn2greek. The text on your pic transcribes to 'tèe pepsrexian'

 TAKINI (2009-06-21)

GOD doesn't exist you fuckin religious pigs.
Believe in yourself.

sam1004 (2009-06-21)

hi guys
You know what is the moral of the story? ok let me try
People who believe in things which they believe is there(god) though its not there, is due to the fact They never had a Question to themselves what i believe is true or not?
They never have question why it is so or am i right?
Even if they believe it they will not agree,I am telling you a fact i spoke with one of my friend he told me as we keep on learning all this for whole our life since the birth even if we want to we cant except the truth or against our belief.
And Religion is the thing to which you people are force to bound before you took birth So you have to prove it since to have it before you know anything... lol
So guys don't worry there is no end of the story.
I am an Indian(all are not alike) and in my country most of the people believe that the Ganesha idol which they worship was drinking milk if you offer it(a long story short happened few years back)
So guys dont condemn them if science prove later on that what the whole world belief was a mere myth nothing else.
So if you try to convince such people then absolutely they wont so don't waste your time working against all this thing we have lot more to explore in this nature which we all believe is a part of a process,So don't waste your time and finish what you want before the next big bang.
Hope i am clear to you.
And i really apologize to the religious people if i hurt them in anyway,Please forgive me as still all this and that , blood flows in all of us,we breathe the same air,So i am linked to you in so many ways even i don't have a thought process like you I believe in the biggest religion called humanity which has almost come to the verge of extinction.So i beg you to save it and preserve for our coming generations..
Thanks one of your brother...
sam

loard (2009-06-23)

Dear atheists: your're right that God doesn't exist. At least not any God science knows. Because if he did, he would be weak. He wouldn't be the God.
And remember - science is not a way of life or answer to all questions - it's just a damn good system that lets you understand many mechanical aspects of the measurable world. A system made by humans, not some absolute religious-like revelation.
And try reading some serious religious stuff instead of getting pissed off by creationist or scientologists (now they're really irritating). Like Michael Heller (Tempelton Prize laureate) or even Joseph Ratzinger ("Introduction to Christianity" and there's nothing about Africa there too).
Dear everyone: don't waste your time fighting each other. Fight fundamentalist and ignorants, religious or secular, they can be really dangerous.
But be humble too, you're not experts on everything, you just don't have time or capacity to really comprehend the whole cosmos at once.
And if you don't want to do some serious reading and thinking (try - some years of reading and thinking about both sides of the argument) then just let go - you don't know nothing.

nglmp (2009-06-24)

thanx

muckguppy (2009-07-10)

I like pie.

Gigatol (2009-07-12)

muckguppy's comment is God, take that atheists

wrtyhop (2009-07-12)

i would worship muckguppy's comment, heck, id go to war for it!

corundum (2009-07-13)

When come back, bring pie.

Nterwoven (2009-07-20)

Any mythical concept of God is obviously out-dated, but to completley deny the existence of any spiritual realitiy, is itself also naive. All that is needed is a more advanced perspective on thease matters. Just like scientific perspectives have evolved and advanced, so has spiritual perspectives. Only problem is the vast majority of thease perspectives are still at a mythic level.

IamDUFF (2009-07-24)

oy, gabbit, nice sales pitch? it's funny how you want me to ask one specific question. Look, i have a higher IQ than any teacher i've had, yet i dropped out of high school.
Do you know how stupid your being? no, obviously and evidently not.
But i suppose it isn't a matter of stupidity or natural selection would have had this done and over.
Look i've looked up all the history i've found, all the evidence, all what people claim as the myth, done all that, i've asked all the questions and read skeptics to make sure my questions were good enough for a doubtful perspective, and indubitably i believe.
I'm not about to read "why God won't heal amputee's" but i'll tell you two things. Sin is selfishness. Jesus preached love.
And i want you to find a flaw in that. Please, go ahead, i've simplified the bible just in that, my entire beliefs in that spectrum of a sentence.
=)
so what's your problem? you don't like love? or you like being selfish? well, the two can't happen at the same time.
so, i'm sorry i'm being selfish in by not reading your contextual (i suspect out of context) question, i really am, however i know what the outcome will be, because i've read the TOP scientists opinions on religion and they're ridiculous. go look it up, our best Atheist believes that all life and living organisms started from the backside of crystals, or from another life source, seeded on planet earth.
Really?, go look it ALL up for yourself, not just one sheltered question.
G'night mate, best of luck to your search. =)

AquaRed (2009-07-26)

IamDUFF, just for arguments sake, I'd say you can love and be selfish at the same time.
Do you know what the word selfish means? It means having one's own best interests in mind.
Now who wouldn't want to have their own best interests in mind? Granted we do things that are "selfless".
But why? Because it gives us a "selfish" pleasure. We do things for other people, because it makes us feel good.
Otherwise we wouldn't do it.
Unless you're completely selfless.
But then you're SELF-less.
I get what you're saying about Jesus and how he preached love and everything - that's great.
I feel like you should read Ayn Rand's "The Virtue of Selfishness."

mstetson72 (2009-07-30)

Of course, let's be honest here - nobody who was REALLY religious would be on the Pirate Bay in the first place... after all, wasn't one of God's commandments "Thou shalt not STEAL?" LOL

IamDUFF (2009-07-31)

mmm, AquaRed, thanks i guess. But honestly i don't help other people in that way, i do it because i seriously want to help, so i guess i'm one those SELF-less people.
And ya know your kinda right mstetson =) but i hate copyright, and the way i view it, they're only doing that for money's sake. i kinda hate money, so pirate away =) i love robin hood =)
however, the historical man was just a petty thief, but the romanticized legends are the ones i love

stormbringer88 (2009-08-04)

To IamDuff: Jesus did preach love. But, he also preached hatred. Take this for example, "But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring them hither, and slay them before me." ( Luke 19 ) Jesus includes this heartwarming phrase in a parable. He also said, "I came not to send peace, but a sword." ( Matthew 10:34 ) Contrary to popular belief, Jesus is a controversial figure, both concerning his existence and his morality. Examples like these and others can be found in Dan Barker's excellent book, Godless.

Alaron251 (2009-08-05)

Isn't it against the bible to download illegally? Fucking morons, I HATE RELIGIOUS PEOPLE.

Ianpbx (2009-08-07)

What exactly is this? A documentary about atheism? Or just a list of atheists bloated to 31.66mb? A proper explanation is more helpful than a pointless list of atheists. BTW Fred Engels, Charley Darwin and HG Wells are missing.

Mr_Duck (2009-08-08)

jesus loves you all :]

gyth (2009-08-10)

This is one strange torrent.

shaden666 (2009-08-10)

uh,jesus never existed.anyone who says there is proof i na book that has been re-written a million times is just an unbelievable idiot.get a clue already.and for the record anyone who tells you they know what will happen to you after you are dead is a liar,plain and simple.destroy the church.kill all child molesting priests and free your mind!

riddleren (2009-08-10)

If there is no God. Who is telling the priests, it's ok to molest children?

OOHMATRON (2009-08-13)

Do I believe there is an evil goatheaded bad guy who is trying to get me into his lake of fire by tempting me to do bad stuff?
Do I believe there is a bearded guy in the sky who is trying to get me into his wonderland by tempting me to do good stuff?
FUCK OFF.

Sunn0)) (2009-08-20)

While I support this list . . . why is it in the 'Video > Other' section?

LokeAs (2009-08-20)

lol
This list is proposterous, and have been debunked several times - with all it derivaties.
ATHEISM = Denies the existance of god(s). LITERALLY!
Most of this list have been composed of ppl who have disaffiliated themselves with RELIGION, not with god(s). Many considered themselves, and some still considers themselves, as AGNOSTIC (No knowledge of the existance of god(s))
Feeble-minded atheists grasping this weak straw of lies and betrayal, to unjust, unfair and wrongly hanging their RELIGION on VIPs - ...despicable!

albert745 (2009-08-23)

I personally do not believe in a "God figure", but I do respect my fellow man.
I help people when I can, without expecting any reward.
I respect their choice of beliefs, including religion.
I just get fed up when they try to force their beliefs on me, and think I am rude and obnoxious to not follow them like sheep.
The best comment I have seen on here so far is "I like pie", I think this made the most sense of it all!

LokeAs (2009-09-01)

@albert745
I'd say: "puhlease, shut your ignorant pie-holes, while grown-ups discuss existential matters..." But, even that would be an undeserved answer to your infantile "I"-rant of no consequence.
This erroneous "list" is a well-documented HOAX; SLANDEROUS EXPLOITATION...
- And your "pie-comments" are IRRELEVANT, OFF-TOPIC and pure displays of TROLLING.

fingerfluteplayer (2009-09-07)

Wow. Just wow. I'm a very proud Christian! I love God with all my heart! Yay me!
Aside from all that, this entire conversation isn't going to benefit a single person. One side argues, the other side feels a need to defend so they deepen their roots into whatever they put their faith in and attack back. And the cycle continues with no real conclusions, mostly just people rambling at each other.

emexbee (2009-09-12)

Hello all!
Non jebus believer here(but inclined towards the tao), wanting to share a fact with you. Most of you probably now this already, but I feel it's a brilliant example of the inherent flaw of any religion, that religion is created not for our benefit or our peace of mind but for our OBEDIANCE, and the ease of which any dogma is perverted. Here goes.
The hell described in the bible was a garbage-dump outside of jerusalem where dead people of ill-repute would go to their final rest. Instead of a traditional funeral, they would be burned like common garbage.
The fiery underground pit with the brimstone and the son of the morning with the horns and the pichfork and the eternal damnation... is just scaretactics. Or a conveniant misunderstanding. That's it. Period.
Ask your pastor if you don't belive me, most bible scholars know this to be true.
Without hell, what is the point of of christianity? None. Without hell it's completely impotent. Understand that religion is just a tool to control the weak minded masses into following the patriarchy.
Who are probably lizards in disguise.
Peace, love and rational thought!

paradime1 (2009-09-12)

Will have a look at these heathens! Cheers!!!!

dustbite (2009-09-22)

Hi, just want to say I really enjoyed reading the contributions of Haniel_P, mick661, shutterbun, the_Phyrexian (for starting this nice thread), lamarpye308 (for his well written humorous essay on the bulshitt that religions are trying to sell), adrak (for the only Christian contribution that somehow made a little sense), Nosferat22, JamesBlond007 (for his really "blond" remarks...), alienjesus, 1057 (for filling me in on the meaning of the word "amen"), thayk( religion has had it longest time), ch33se, Barbarus1, Nterwoven,
thanks for a couple of hours of reading fun.

jemimac (2009-09-25)

is there any point to this list whatsoever? for god's sake (lol), it includes ayn rand, polly toynbee, liam gallagher, damien hirst and the fucking mohamme d cartoonist. while it may be true that the smartest people are more often than not atheists, that doesn't mean you can't be an atheist and be an idiot, or be an atheist and be a terrible, terrible, terrible human being.

qe2 (2009-09-28)

Why do so many arseholes (yes real English) here reference Wikipedia like it is some kind of acknowledged reference material!!!!
It is full of American influenced crap compiled by bias to a large degree though I do admire the positive contributions by a very many educated talented people! shame it is lost in a generally flawed concept. At least have the decency to reference your comments from a legitimate source. And for all religions! They have a faith (which is fine, enjoy it) not a right to dictate! Nor should they be dictated to. It's called freedom of expression, belief, and speech last time I checked it out!

killr_j (2009-10-01)

(mstetson72) ur totally right ! - great comment . kudos, fellow man.... page 5 for reference

XeNo94 (2009-10-09)

I don't call Christianity a religion,
I call it a relation
a relation with god:)

Tamarind777 (2009-10-28)

So what these people are non-believers. Does this necessarily say anything positive about them? I could have saved you the time and tell you that the Bible already said, thousands of years ago, that MOST of the folks on planet earth will NOT believe and WILL be lost. This is not news to the Bible believing Christian. You see, God has already told His people the outcome of the story from the beginning. It's atheists who are searching for answers by digging in the dirt. My dog does that. Christians already have answers, so we don't need to scrape and dig around like animals.

AIKISBEST (2009-10-29)

GOD DID NEVER EXIST, AND THEREFORE HE DIDN'T CREATE ANYTHING. GOD IS A MAN-MADE EXCUSE TO START A FUCKING WAR!!!
(English)
Live (Leva) = Evil! (Ond)
God (gud) = Dog! (Hund)
(Swedish)
God (Good) = Dog (Died)

mhornbach (2009-11-03)

So basically this shit list is supposed to convince people to become atheists because it's full of so-called "celebrities"? I mean seriously, Liam Gallagher? That guy is a fucking douch, man.
Dumbest torrent ever.

miller126 (2009-11-14)

i really wish i could say this to you all......... GOD, and JESUS, are REAL! more real than we will ever know......... until we get to HEAVEN........... I CANNOT WAIT....
what do you think??????? that everything on Earth just suddenly appeared????? never mind i don't want to know what you "THINK"..........
BUT I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT WHERE YOU WANT TO GO WHEN YOU DIE.... AND HOW YOU ARE GONNA FEEL WHEN YOU ARE BURNING IN HELLS FIRE AND BRIMSTONE...
none of you "non believers" must have never seen a woman give birth to a child......... to sum it up it is truly a miracle that words cannot describe...... just like how a tiny little acorn can turn into a 100 foot tall oak tree........ only one answer for all the good things, and people that are left on this earth. "The Father"
"The Son"
and
"The Holy Spirit"
why did i say one answer?????????
because they are all the same

Sanity (2009-11-15)

A list of atheists doesn't prove that God does not exist yet it suffices to prove some other points about religion. E g that God, iff he exists, created men destined for hell and therefore that it doesn't matter what people believe.
Religious people wish they'll come to heaven after death and are willingly giving their money or whatever to whoever claims he/she/it represents God here on earth. However that doesn't prove their religion is the true one or that there actually exists a "true religion".
In my opinion religion is politics for the already convinced members of a movement or a party, which claims after-worldly relations and revelations, and consequently they are easily manipulated and would not recognize even the most flagrant superstitions advanced by their leaders. That's also the reason why disciples of a religion never question their leaders; no matter what they do or say. This means that there exists no democracy in religion and that religious people behave like cattle although cattle have no choice.
So "God" is just a concept and religious people need to add a "meaning" to it that they can use. Of course this "meaning" has no logical connection with reality other than what their congregation accept or religious leaders concoct.
The point is that we don't know what happens after death, yet this doesn't justify jumping to conclusions. Either we believe in our ability to understand or to gain knowledge or else ...
?The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.?
- ?The Call of Cthulhu?, H. P. Lovecraft"

azeram (2009-11-16)

The Phyrexian...????
The Phyrexian way of life derives from the instinct for survival. Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest is represented here with Yawgmoth as the directional co-ordinator. While it is without a doubt the most effective as well as efficient way of gaining superiority, it is one tracked and single minded in its approach. Whereas Yawgmoth delved only in the aspect of "war" and its applications to life, he had to forsake the aspects of art, exploration, and thought. The very nature of Phyrexian "life" is a countermeasure to the culture and morality of Dominaria. For the sole means of destroying another, Yawgmoth's "phyresis" is really insurpassable in its success, yet it is a path to sterility. The ultimate result of a mechanically cruel existence like Phyrexia's is the eliminations of all adversaries, and without enemies the causal drive of the race drops out.

applesack (2009-11-17)

Religion is deemed by the commoners as true, by the wise as false and by the rulers as useful

Screamroot (2009-11-22)

If god is real then he's a total cunt

Pastafarian101 (2009-12-02)

Disbelievers priding their atheism with pride? What a disgrace.
Look at the pasta, look at the sauce, look at the tomatoes, the stars, how can there not be a Flying Spaghetti Monster?
I will pray to almight FSM for your salvations! May he show you the light,
Ramen!

kludge420 (2010-06-16)

Why are Atheists so Annoying?
Here are some answers and some observations:
What does atheism even mean? Are they satan worshipers? Isn't it just a religion too?
Atheism simply means the lack of belief in any gods. That's it. You can't be a satanist and be an atheist because satanists believe in god and satan while atheists don't believe in either. Atheism does not make a positive claim that there are no gods it is simply a response to an unsupported supposition that there are gods so it is not a religion but simply a response to religions.
But I heard an atheist say there was no god! He didn't just say he didn't believe but that there was no god! Explain that Mr. Smarty pants!
There are two forms of atheism, strong atheism and weak atheism. Strong atheism, or gnostic atheism, says not only do they not believe in any gods they know there are none. Weak atheism, or agnostic atheism, says they have no belief in any gods but they can't prove there aren't so don't make the positive assertion that there are none. Contrary to the misconceptions of theists this is the most common position simply because it is the most rational. For instance I am an agnostic atheist generally, I don't KNOW that some being didn't create DNA based life to watch it evolve, but when it comes to the Abrahamic God I am a gnostic atheist, I KNOW their god is not real because it can be proven that it is a made up belief system not based on even one shred of evidence.
So why this list?
To let theists and atheists know that atheists have made major contributions to society. To let atheists not feel so alone in a world where theists so flippantly say, "Who cares about atheists?" While simultaneously demanding everyone follow their superstitions and mythologies.
Why do you say people started out as atheists? You CHOSE to be an atheist!

The default position is atheism; that is to say before you know about a thing you have no belief in it. You do not believe in Gramble McGlippydo the Magical Elf, peace be upon him, because you've only just heard about him. In addition your reaction to me saying Gramble created the whole universe would be one of skepticism, you wouldn't just believe me, because not only is there no proof of this but it sounds quite preposterous; just as many religious claims sound to anyone not indoctrinated into that religion.
So, while it can be argued a child has no choice in the religion they are indoctrinated into they can chose to stop believing without proof. In that case then sure, atheism is a choice. However if you have never been brainwashed as a child to believe in patently absurd non-sense then when presented with it as an adult you would chose not to believe it but before that your natural position, non-belief, is not a choice. It all depends on how you look at it. Do you chose not to believe in The Flying Spaghetti Monster, hallowed be his noodly appendage?
I'm sick of both you atheists and religious people, just shut up already!
When women are not murdered because they were raped I'll shut up.
When children no longer have their genitals mutilated because of superstitious beliefs I'll shut up.
When wars are not blamed on religion and someone's "god given right" to something I'll shut up.
When children are not mentally abused with threats of eternal damnation if they don't believe I'll shut up.
When religious people stop trying to force their beliefs on others and stop denying human rights to all I'll shut up.
When religion stops meddling in science and stops hindering the advancement of the species I'll shut up.
When the religious stop claiming their rights are being violated because I took away the stick they were beating someone with... I'll shut up.
Until then you can kiss my lilly white ass, I'm standing up to the oppression, hatred, and ignorance of religion and I will rejoice in pointing out the idiocy. I will point my finger at the dirty little cracks and laugh and I will enjoin others to laugh as well. I will mock and ridicule the ridiculous and I will not apologize but will stan

Peterc340 (2011-02-04)

Hey Phyrexian! Thanks for the up. Take heart. Not every commenter here is an idiot that completely missed the point of your list. Keep 'em coming!