List of former atheists and agnostics

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For lists of atheists who converted to Christianity, Islam, or Judaism see the following links:

Contents

All other former atheists and agnostics that have been listed so far are below.

Former atheists

Atheists who converted to Hinduism

Atheists who became an unspecified/uncertain form of theism or deism

Former agnostics

See also

Related Research Articles

Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, the divine, or the supernatural is either unknowable in principle or currently unknown in fact. It can also mean an apathy towards such religious belief and refer to personal limitations rather than a worldview. Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficient rational grounds to justify either the belief that God exists or the belief that God does not exist."

Atheism is, in a broad sense, the lack of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is simply the absence of belief that any deities exist. This is a compilation of the various lists of atheists with articles on Wikipedia by category. Living people in these lists are those whose atheism is relevant to their notable activities or public life, and who have publicly identified themselves as atheists.

These are articles that list people of a particular religious or political belief or other worldview.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ram Swarup</span>

Ram Swarup, born Ram Swarup Agarwal, was an Indian author and one of the most important thought leaders of the Hindu revivalist movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sita Ram Goel</span> Indian activist, writer and publisher (1921–2003)

Sita Ram Goel was an Indian historian, religious and political activist, writer, and publisher known for his influential contributions to literature pertaining to Hinduism and Hindu nationalism in the late twentieth century. His work has been both celebrated and criticised for its bias towards Hindu nationalism and its controversial portrayal of other religions, particularly Islam and Christianity.

Nontheism or non-theism is a range of both religious and non-religious attitudes characterized by the absence of espoused belief in the existence of God or gods. Nontheism has generally been used to describe apathy or silence towards the subject of gods and differs from atheism, or active disbelief in any gods. It has been used as an umbrella term for summarizing various distinct and even mutually exclusive positions, such as agnosticism, ignosticism, ietsism, skepticism, pantheism, pandeism, transtheism, atheism, and apatheism. It is in use in the fields of Christian apologetics and general liberal theology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural Christians</span> People who adhere to Christianity primarily because of its cultural legacy

Cultural Christians are the nonreligious or non-practicing Christians who received Christian values and appreciate Christian culture. As such, these individuals usually identify themselves as culturally Christians, and are often seen by practicing believers as nominal Christians. This kind of identification may be due to various factors, such as family background, personal experiences, and the social and cultural environment in which they grew up.

Atheism is the rejection of an assertion that a deity exists. In a narrower sense, hard atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities, effectively taking the stance of a positive claim in regards to the existence of any goddess or god. The English term 'atheist' was used at least as early as the sixteenth century and atheistic ideas and their influence have a longer history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Criticism of Jesus</span> Secular and theological arguments against the purported divinity of Jesus

Jesus was criticised in the first century CE by the Pharisees and scribes for disobeying Mosaic Law. He was decried in Judaism as a failed Jewish messiah claimant and a false prophet by most Jewish denominations. Judaism also considers the worship of any person a form of idolatry, and rejects the claim that Jesus was divine. Some psychiatrists, religious scholars and writers explain that Jesus' family, followers and contemporaries seriously regarded him as delusional, possessed by demons, or insane.

Nontheist Quakers are those who engage in Quaker practices and processes, but who do not necessarily believe in a theistic God or Supreme Being, the divine, the soul or the supernatural. Like traditional Quakers, also known as Friends, nontheist Friends are interested in realizing peace, simplicity, integrity, community, equality, love, joy, and social justice in the Society of Friends and beyond.

Christian atheism is an ideology that embraces the teachings, narratives, symbols, practices, or communities associated with Christianity without accepting the literal existence of God.

Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities. Atheism is contrasted with theism, which in its most general form is the belief that at least one deity exists.

The religious views of the English rock band the Beatles evolved over time and differed among members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.

The following is largely a link to lists of notable people who left Christianity, sorted by the religious or non-religious ideology they switched to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seth Andrews</span> American author and activist

Seth Andrews is an American activist, author, and speaker on the subject of atheism. He is the creator and host of The Thinking Atheist online community, podcast, and YouTube channel, as well as the author of four self-published books. Prior to his atheist activism, he was a fundamentalist Christian and had a ten-year career as a Christian radio host.

This is a bibliography of literature treating the topic of criticism of Christianity, sorted by source publication and the author's last name.

References

  1. "John Dobson: Amateur Astronomy's Revolutionary". space.com. Archived from the original on 2006-04-09.
  2. Wall Street Journal Article about John
  3. Goel, Sita Ram, "How I became a Hindu" Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ABC Australia.
  5. "The Australian". Archived from the original on 2009-09-19. Retrieved 2007-10-29.
  6. BBC Interview Quote: "What I was converted to was the existence of an Aristotelian God, and Aristotle's God had no interest in human affairs at all."
  7. "Moses Hess: The Holy History of Mankind and other writings" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-05-13. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  8. Peterson, Jordan (April 4, 2022). "Speech About Religion and The Bible | I'm NOT an ATHEIST". YouTube. Retrieved June 4, 2024. I'm not an atheist, anymore. Because I don't look at the world that way anymore. I'm not a materialist anymore. I don't think the world's made out of matter. I think it's made out of what matters. It's made out of meaning.
  9. Am I Christian? – Timothy Lott and Jordan B. Peterson (video). 1 August 2017. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2017 via YouTube.
  10. Morris, Travis (2016-12-14). Dark Ideas: How Neo-Nazi and Violent Jihadi Ideologues Shaped Modern Terrorism. Lexington Books. ISBN   9780739191057.
  11. Christianity Today
  12. "Quick Takes: Anne Rice quits Christianity". Los Angeles Times . 2010-07-30. Archived from the original on 2010-07-31.
  13. Baltimore Sun: My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn't understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me. But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been or might become.
  14. Three Brilliant Atheists Became Christians|accessdate=2023-01-18
  15. Interview with Schulman: "After a thorough analysis of my previous life's experiences, and later experiences that lent validation, I concluded that the reality was that what had happened to me were really encounters with God -- therefore proving God's existence to me."
  16. Village Voice Archived 2008-06-13 at the Wayback Machine
  17. Sun Comics
  18. "Ted Turner apologizes, joins churches' $200M malaria fight". USA Today. Associated Press. 2008-04-01. Retrieved 2009-10-27.
  19. Julie Zauzmer (December 30, 2016). "Mark Zuckerberg says he's no longer an atheist, believes 'religion is very important'". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 30, 2016.