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, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. It can be categorized as an indifference or absence of firm beliefs in theistic religions and atheism on that basis. 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.

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 a 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">Hinduism and other religions</span> Relationships between Hinduism and other religions

In the field of comparative religion, many scholars, academics, and religious figures have looked at the relationships between Hinduism and other religions.

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

Criticism of Jesus has existed since the first century. Jesus was criticised 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 a form of atheism that adopts the teachings, narratives, symbols, or communities associated with Christianity without accepting the literal existence of God.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Estonia</span>

Estonia, historically a Lutheran Christian nation, is today one of the "least religious" countries in the world in terms of declared attitudes, with only 14 percent of the population declaring religion to be an important part of their daily life. This is thought to largely be a result of the Soviet occupation of Estonia in 1940, prior to which Estonia had a large Christian majority.

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">Young Hegelians</span> Group of German intellectuals who reacted to and wrote about Hegels ambiguous legacy

The Young Hegelians, or Left Hegelians (Linkshegelianer), or the Hegelian Left, were a group of German intellectuals who, in the decade or so after the death of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel in 1831, reacted to and wrote about his ambiguous legacy. The Young Hegelians drew on his idea that the purpose and promise of history was the total negation of everything conducive to restricting freedom and reason; and they proceeded to mount radical critiques, first of religion and then of the Prussian political system. They rejected anti-utopian aspects of his thought that "Old Hegelians" have interpreted to mean that the world has already essentially reached perfection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seth Andrews</span> 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. Morris, Travis (2016-12-14). Dark Ideas: How Neo-Nazi and Violent Jihadi Ideologues Shaped Modern Terrorism. Lexington Books. ISBN   9780739191057.
  9. Christianity Today
  10. "Quick Takes: Anne Rice quits Christianity". Los Angeles Times . 2010-07-30. Archived from the original on 2010-07-31.
  11. 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.
  12. Three Brilliant Atheists Became Christians|accessdate=2023-01-18
  13. 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."
  14. Village Voice Archived 2008-06-13 at the Wayback Machine
  15. Sun Comics
  16. "Ted Turner apologizes, joins churches' $200M malaria fight". USA Today. Associated Press. 2008-04-01. Retrieved 2009-10-27.
  17. 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.