Celebs Who are Atheists

[lilwriter85]

Cillian Murphy is atheist. Another lesser known celeb who is an atheist is Amber Heard. She is a bit outspoken about it. She was raised Catholic but started questioning religion after her friend died in a car accident. Over time, she became an atheist.

[lilwriter85]

Well, Daniel Radcliffe has been quite outspoken about his stance on religion.

I find it sort of interesting that Brad Pitt is so different from his [link=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/9530393/Brad-Pitt-Why-my-mother-is-wrong-about-Barack-Obama-and-gay-marriage.html]fundie-mum[/link].

I didn't know about Daniel being an atheist until several months ago when this pic popped on my FB feed.

[Koala]

I am an Atheist parent and I have never felt called upon to expose my children to religion via the church. In fact, I'm rather troubled by the idea that we're somehow obligated to expose our children to what (to me) amounts to religious brainwashing.

My kids are young (8 & 9) and there is no way I am going to direct their attention to adults who believe in various sky fairies and tell them just to decided which one (if any) to believe. I consider my children very intelligent, but they are children and their brains are not done developing. To expect them to sift through all the various religions and decide which one makes sense is an unnecessary burden to place on their shoulders, and to take them to church when they know full well I'm an Atheist would be confusing at best.

There are many decisions I make for my children every day. That's my job as their mother. This is just another decision. When they are older, if they decide to go to church that will be their choice. I will love them and be there to support them no matter what they decide. What I will not do is lead them to it.

[terranova]

http://www.celebatheists.com/wiki/Main_Page has a huge list.

Douglas Adams, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Woody Allen, Fred Armisen, Lance Armstrong, Darren Aronofsky, Isaac Asimov, Dan Barker, Dave Barry, Ingmar Bergman, Niels Bohr, Richard Branson, James Cameron, George Carlin, John Carmack, Adam Carolla, John Carpenter, Asia Carrera, Fidel Castro, Noam Chomsky, Jeremy Clarkson, Billy Connolly, Francis Crick, David Cronenberg, David Cross, Alan Cumming, Rodney Dangerfield, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Ani DiFranco, Micky Dolenz, Albert Einstein, Harlan Ellison, Paul Erdős, Richard Feynman, Harvey Fierstein, Larry Flynt, Dave Foley, Jodie Foster, Janeane Garofalo, Bill Gates, Bob Geldof, Ricky Gervais, Ira Glass, James Gleick, Robert Heinlein, Ernest Hemingway, Katharine Hepburn, Christopher Hitchens, Jamie Hyneman, Eddie Izzard, Penn Jillette, Billy Joel, Diane Keaton, Michael Kinsley, Keira Knightley, John Landis, Hugh Laurie, Artie Lange, Richard Leakey, Bruce Lee, Tom Lehrer, John Lennon, Tom Leykis, James Lipton, H.P. Lovecraft, Ernst Mach, Seth MacFarlane, Bill Maher, John Malkovich, Barry Manilow, Todd McFarlane, Sir Ian McKellen, Arthur Miller, Frank Miller, Claude Monet, Julianne Moore, Rafael Nadal, Randy Newman, Mike Nichols, Jack Nicholson, Gary Numan, Bob Odenkirk, Patton Oswalt, Camille Paglia, Trey Parker, Steven Pinker, Paula Poundstone, Terry Pratchett, Robin Quivers, James Randi, Ron Reagan Jr., Rob Reiner, Keanu Reeves, Rick Reynolds, Gene Roddenberry, Joe Rogan, Henry Rollins, Andy Rooney, Salman Rushdie, Adam Savage, Brian Sapient, Erwin Schrödinger, Bob Simon, Steven Soderbergh, Annika Sorenstam, George Soros, Richard Stallman, Howard Stern, Matt Stone, Julia Sweeney, Teller, Studs Terkel, Pat Tillman, Alan Turing, Eddie Vedder, Gore Vidal, Vincent van Gogh, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Steven Weinberg, Joss Whedon, Ted Williams, Steve Wozniak

and the list goes on. Makes me happy :)

[SpeakNow]

http://www.celebatheists.com/wiki/Main_Page has a huge list.

and the list goes on. Makes me happy :)

But...but...but... John Lennon can't be on that list. Ray Comfort made a movie that PROOVES that Lennon believed in G-d!!!11!!!!!!!

[Blahblah]

Some of my favourite people are on that list! Douglas Adams! Ricky Gervais! Billy Connolly! Eleventy! (also some total douches but you can't have it all you own way now can you.)

I'm an atheist. My kids get enough exposure to religion through tv (Ned Flanders anyone?) and school (Easter projects, nativity play) and if they have any questions they can ask.

[lilwriter85]

Julia Sweeny is another vocal atheist. Her comedy special/monologue doc "God Said Ha" was very interesting. She detailed a bit how she transitioned from Catholic to atheist.

[Ellimenopy]

I wouldn't have a problem letting my kids decide religion for themselves if I really thought religion was neutral. I did figure out that it was fake after applying logic and reason myself, after all. But religion did a lot of harm to me before I figured it out, and I don't feel that the time that it took me to get it was spent very productively. In some ways it still affects me to this day. There are other things for my kids to hone their critical thinking skills on. We can still talk about respect and they will still be very familiar with religious content. But I feel no need to expose them to religious ideas that I found harmful, except in the context of talking to them about why I feel they're wrong. They will be free to make their own choices as adults.

Also: Kevin Bacon is my favorite atheist just like Applewood Bacon is my favorite breakfast food. Yum.

[Dev83]

I explained that above, which is that if they apply logic and critical thinking, they will come to the appropriate conclusion on their own. That is better is the long run, no?

I do find it a little unsettling that FJ rails (albeit appropriately) against parents who isolate and fail to expose their children to choice in religion, but a self-admitted atheist who isn't against exposing her child to a mainstream religion is called out. Isn't that the point? To give your children the information and allow them to apply their intellect and knowledge to make their own conclusions.

I should note that my children minimally attend a liberal, mainstream Lutheran church. And our attendance record is, I'm sure, quite pathetic compared to even the most fair weather church goers.

There is a huge difference between exposes your kids to different things and raising them in a church. You should reallyr ead "Raising Freethinkers" - it is an awesome book about just this situation. Raise kids to think critically and on their own, and do not prevent them from learning about religions.

Me not taking my hypothetical chicldren to church is in no way the same as raising my kids Gothardite. I will never restrict them of information and life experiences.

[duplessis3]

"To be an atheist is to maintain God. His existence or nonexistence it amounts to much the same, on the plane of proof. Thus "proof" is a word not often used among the Handdarata, which have chosen not to treat God as a fact, subject either to proof or to belief: and they have broken the circle, and go free." -Ursula K. LeGuin, "The Left Hand of Darkness."

I.e., I find it disturbing when atheists say "they know" as much as I find it disturbing when theists say "they know." As long as neither one tries to legislate their religious beliefs, it is all good. So I find right wing fundies more dangerous. But damn, can atheists be obnoxious when they think they have solved it all. Even Dawkins holds out a small percentage that there could be some god thing. (Probably isn't the Abrahamic god thing. I personally think if there is a god, or gods, they don't like everyone equally, and in fact, the best bet is to get them to leave you the fuck alone because bad things happen to people that court the gods' attention. ) FWIW, I'm a UU, one kid is a polytheist, the other is an atheist depending on how you define god. My husband won't discuss his religious beliefs - so he is the most free of it of all, I suppose.

[valsa]

I.e., I find it disturbing when atheists say "they know" as much as I find it disturbing when theists say "they know."

Why?

As an atheist I "know" there's no God in the same way I "know" there's, say, not a giant tapping-dancing zebra that orbits our planet while signing Bulgarian folk songs- there's no empirical evidence for either one. Does the second part of my statement disturb you as well?

[jinx_apologist]

Why?

As an atheist I "know" there's no God in the same way I "know" there's, say, not a giant tapping-dancing zebra that orbits our planet while signing Bulgarian folk songs- there's no empirical evidence for either one. Does the second part of my statement disturb you as well?

Observation for a tap-dancing zebra orbiting our planet is possible, so we have no evidence that one exists. You can't do the same with god. We have no evidence now that a god exists, but we can't check every last corner of the universe, or outside the universe for a god. What sort of experiment could be conducted to prove that there is no god whatsoever?

[Minerva]

Why?

As an atheist I "know" there's no God in the same way I "know" there's, say, not a giant tapping-dancing zebra that orbits our planet while signing Bulgarian folk songs- there's no empirical evidence for either one. Does the second part of my statement disturb you as well?

I can't speak for duplessis3, but I think what they mean is that a complete lack of empirical evidence for something doesn't rule out its existence, although it can be proof that the chances of its existence are negligible in certain contexts.

[infooverload]

Well one has to remember their are degrees of atheism which is its own interesting topic. I personally think there are a fair number of what I call closet atheist/agnostics because there is such a social stigma here in the US. I was suprised to see Einstein, because religious people often use his quote "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."

[Dev83]

Well one has to remember their are degrees of atheism which is its own interesting topic. I personally think there are a fair number of what I call closet atheist/agnostics because there is such a social stigma here in the US. I was suprised to see Einstein, because religious people often use his quote "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."

How can there be degrees of athiesm? I mean, you either believe in God or not, right?

[valsa]

Observation for a tap-dancing zebra orbiting our planet is possible, so we have no evidence that one exists. You can't do the same with god. We have no evidence now that a god exists, but we can't check every last corner of the universe, or outside the universe for a god. What sort of experiment could be conducted to prove that there is no god whatsoever?

:roll: Fine, a giant, tap-dancing, folk singing zebra existing somewhere in outer space.

I can't speak for duplessis3, but I think what they mean is that a complete lack of empirical evidence for something doesn't rule out its existence, although it can be proof that the chances of its existence are negligible in certain contexts.

While I agree with you about this, why is it that only God is held to that standard? Using the zebra example, if I were to randomly say to you "there are no tap-dancing zebras in space", would you nitpick with the "a complete lack of empirical evidence for something doesn't rule out its existence" or would you assume that's already implied?

[infooverload]

What I meant by that is that the degree of proof threshold varies to atheist to atheist. Dawkins discusses it and I found the following online: A strong atheist believes that they have proof that there is no God and does not believe in one.

An agnostic atheist believes that there is not enough proof on either side, but chooses not to believe until proven wrong.

An agnostic religious person believes that there is not enough proof on either side, but chooses that they do believe until proven wrong.

A strong religious person believes that they have proof that there is a God and believes in it.

The above explains it better than I probably would.

[Minerva]

While I agree with you about this, why is it that only God is held to that standard? Using the zebra example, if I were to randomly say to you "there are no tap-dancing zebras in space", would you nitpick with the "a complete lack of empirical evidence for something doesn't rule out its existence" or would you assume that's already implied?

I assume it's implied when people talk about God not existing, too. But I didn't until I got used to the concept of atheism, so it doesn't come naturally to everyone.

[DifferentGurl]

Bruce Lee was an atheist.

Bruce....why did you have to die?!

I'd love to have seen him debate with JimBob. He'd probably defeat JimBob with ease, especially since he was *gasp* college educated in philosophy ( correct me if I'm wrong ). It'd probably surprise JimBob that an atheist can be so philosophical and that not all atheists are dumb and ebil hethens.

Then again, I'd love to see any of the celeb atheists ( who are smart and nice and will debate in a way that's not like "Believing in God is so dumb! *blows raspberry*" ) debate JimBob or Smuggar, the Bates, the Maxwells, DPIAT ( Doug Phillips Is A Tool ), etc.

[debrand]

Valsa, make that zebra invisible but shows itself to those who believe and you have a much better comparison to the Christian god. Better yet, put it outside space and time too.

I am hard core atheistic when it comes to the Christian god. There is no way a being could exist with all those omnis(omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent) It is as impossible and illogical for the Christian concept of god to be real as it is for Valsa's zebra.(All hail his stripey goodness)

However, it is possible that a higher power of some sort exists. I doubt that it does, but it could exist. Before I debate the possible existence of god, I have to know what the other person's definition of god is.

This doesn't mean that I disrespect religious people or believe that they are stupid. The human mind evolved to find patterns in randomness. That is why some people think that they see a deity's face in a grilled cheese sandwich. It makes sense that some would seek meaning out of the sometimes random events in life. And who doesn't want to see their dead grandmother again? The idea of heaven is comforting. That doesn't make any of it true, but it is understandable why people believe.

[GolightlyGrrl]

Julia Sweeny is another vocal atheist. Her comedy special/monologue doc "God Said Ha" was very interesting. She detailed a bit how she transitioned from Catholic to atheist.

I noticed a lot of former Catholics on that list-Bob Geldof, Bill Maher, Janeane Garofalo, the late George Carlin. I, myself, was raised Catholic but now identify as Unitarian. There's quite a few recovering Catholics at my church.

[flyaway]

This doesn't mean that I disrespect religious people or believe that they are stupid. The human mind evolved to find patterns in randomness.

That's an interesting perspective to me, particularly since I'm reading the Signal and the Noise right now -- have you read it? I hadn't thought of religion through that lens (as opposed to the lens of simply having no clue how people believe).

And who doesn't want to see their dead grandmother again? The idea of heaven is comforting. That doesn't make any of it true, but it is understandable why people believe.

This is the part I don't get, though -- how you take something that you would like to be true and turn that into something you believe to be true. I feel like my brain is not capable of doing it. Like I really wanted to believe in God/Jesus when I was growing up, to be like all the other kids, but none of that wanting could make me believe what I was being told in Sunday School. I do wonder if I would have believed if I lived a thousand years ago -- pretty much everyone did, right? Or were atheists just way too scared of being killed for heathenism for us to know they existed?

[jaynie]

This is the part I don't get, though -- how you take something that you would like to be true and turn that into something you believe to be true. I feel like my brain is not capable of doing it. Like I really wanted to believe in God/Jesus when I was growing up, to be like all the other kids, but none of that wanting could make me believe what I was being told in Sunday School. I do wonder if I would have believed if I lived a thousand years ago -- pretty much everyone did, right? Or were atheists just way too scared of being killed for heathenism for us to know they existed?

The thinking now is that some people (most people) have a religious "gene" of sorts that leads them to believe in the supernatural. (People with such a tendency that are *not* religious might be inclined to believe in, for example, alternative medicine, or ghosts). So it stands to reason that some of us are born without said gene, and are therefore baffled when people so happily go along with something so doubtful.

I suspect that atheists of a sort existed long ago, although it may have manifested in different ways, because "the gods did it" was the best explanation they had for a lot of things. Possibly they went "well, this whole jesus-resurrection-repent-for-your-sins thing seems doubtful, but probably there was some sort of being that made the earth, because how else could it exist?" And then we discovered physics and astronomy. So the unbeliever's "god" became unnecessary.

[Kitchen Princess]

Back to an interesting topic: based on his Twitter feed, I think John Cusak is an atheist, but he's a douche, so perhaps that's a bad example. He's also 90 percent incoherent.

John Cusak's a douche? :(

[debrand]

That's an interesting perspective to me, particularly since I'm reading the Signal and the Noise right now -- have you read it? I hadn't thought of religion through that lens (as opposed to the lens of simply having no clue how people believe).

This is the part I don't get, though -- how you take something that you would like to be true and turn that into something you believe to be true. I feel like my brain is not capable of doing it. Like I really wanted to believe in God/Jesus when I was growing up, to be like all the other kids, but none of that wanting could make me believe what I was being told in Sunday School. I do wonder if I would have believed if I lived a thousand years ago -- pretty much everyone did, right? Or were atheists just way too scared of being killed for heathenism for us to know they existed?

I haven't read the Signal and Noise yet but Nate Silver's book is on my to read list. Many years ago when I took psychology classes, we touched on the fact that people find patterns in randomness. When I lost faith, the concept suddenly had meaning for me. It was like a light switch went off in my mind and I realized that is what I had been doing.

Loki is my favorite mythological deity and I so want him to be real. Come on, who wouldn't want to hang out with a gender switching, prankster, rebellious immortal? Sadly, he isn't real but I always liked the Norse myths the best.