List of atheist Americans

This list of atheist Americans includes atheists born in the United States, who became citizens of the United States, or have lived in the United States.

A surnames

Name Dates Known for Reference
Aaron, JasonJason Aaron 1973– American comics writer, known for his work on The Other Side, Scalped, Ghost Rider, Wolverine and PunisherMAX. "I’ve been an atheist for many years, but I’ve remained fascinated by religion. If anything, I’ve become more fascinated by religion and faith after I lost mine."[1]
Adams, ClarkClark Adams 1969–2007 American freethought leader and atheist activist. "In college, after reading material from American Atheists, he became, in his words, 'a pretty hard core atheist.'"[2]
Adler, LarryLarry Adler 1914–2001 American musician, widely acknowledged as one of the world's most skilled harmonica players. "I was among friends and family who packed a chapel at Golders Green crematorium on Friday to hear more than two hours of tributes to Larry Adler. In accordance with Larry's wishes - he was an inveterate atheist who refused to recognise the supernatural in any shape or form - there were no religious observances."[3]
Alkon, AmyAmy Alkon 1964– American advice columnist known as the Advice Goddess, author of Ask the Advice Goddess, published in more than 100 newspapers within North America. "Come on, somebody tell me I can't possibly have morals because I'm an atheist."[4]
Allen, WoodyWoody Allen 1935– American film director, writer, actor, comedian, playwright and jazz musician, winner of numerous awards. "To you, I'm an atheist; to God, I'm the Loyal Opposition."
Altman, RobertRobert Altman 1925–2006 American film director, recognised in 2006 with an Academy Honorary Award. "Still, it's worth noting that by the age of 20 this whistle-blower had resisted two of the most powerful institutions - church and army, both. He is an atheist, "And I have been against all of these wars ever since.""[5]
Angier, NatalieNatalie Angier 1958– American nonfiction writer and science journalist for The New York Times; 1991 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting. "I may be an atheist, and I may be impressed that, through the stepwise rigor of science, its Spockian eyebrow of doubt always cocked, we have learned so much about the universe.[6]
Ansari, AzizAziz Ansari 1983– American Comedian. Ansari has described himself as an atheist.[7]
Asimov, IsaacIsaac Asimov 1920–1992 Russian-born American author and professor of biochemistry, a highly prolific and successful writer of science fiction and popular science books. Widely considered a master of the science-fiction genre, he was considered one of the "Big Three" science-fiction writers during his lifetime. "I am an atheist, out and out. It took me a long time to say it... I don't have the evidence to prove that God doesn't exist, but I so strongly suspect he doesn't that I don't want to waste my time."[8]
Atran, ScottScott Atran 1952– American anthropologist. "I find it fascinating that among the brilliant scientists and philosophers at the conference, there was no convincing evidence presented that they know how to deal with the basic irrationality of human life and society other than to insist against all reason and evidence that things ought to be rational and evidence based. It makes me embarrassed to be a scientist and atheist."[9]
Avakian, BobBob Avakian 1943– American author of Away With All Gods! (2008) and Chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA. Part Four of Away With All Gods! contains a section called "God Does Not Exist — And There Is No Good Reason to Believe In God".[10]
Avalos, HectorHector Avalos 1958– Mexican-American professor of Religious Studies at Iowa State University and author of several books about religion. "I was a child evangelist and preacher, and I used to go around a lot of churches in Arizona specifically [...] it was coming along sort of in stages [...] slowly through high school, and so by the first year of college, I pretty much had realised that I am an atheist."[11]
Axelrod, JuliusJulius 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. "Although he became an atheist early in life and resented the strict upbringing of his parents’ religion, he identified with Jewish culture and joined several international fights against anti-Semitism."[12]

B surnames

Name Dates Known for Reference
Bacon, KevinKevin 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. "I don't believe in God, but if I did I would say that sex is a Godgiven right. Otherwise it's the end of our species." [13]
Barker, DanDan Barker 1949– American atheist activist, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation and author of Losing Faith In Faith: From Preacher To Atheist. "Following five years of reading, Dan gradually outgrew his religious beliefs. "If I had limited myself to Christian authors, I'd still be a Christian today," Dan says. "I just lost faith in faith." He announced his atheism publicly in January, 1984."[14]
Beaird, Charles T.Charles T. Beaird 1922–2006 American industrialist, investor, newspaper publisher, philanthropist, philosopher, college professor, world traveler, and civic leader, a self-identified "liberal Republican" politician and a champion of civil rights. "He had many friends across a wide spectrum of economic, social and religious backgrounds, all of whom he respected and honored. While Carolyn [his wife] was a devoted Presbyterian, he was a 'nontheist'."[15]
Besser, MattMatt Besser 1967– American comedian. ""My name is Matt Besser, and I'm an Arkansas Razorback. My father is a Jew from Little Rock, Ark., my mother was a Christian from Harrison, Ark., and somehow I'm an atheist now living in L.A. I am a Razorback living in the Razorback diaspora." Thus begins Woo Pig Sooie, Matt Besser's one-man comedic rant that fearlessly confronts all the folly and confusion of what it means to be religious in America."[16]
Braga, BrannonBrannon Braga 1965– American TV producer and writer, creator of Star Trek: Enterprise. "The fact that we're all gathered here today is kind of odd when you think about it, because we really have nothing to talk about other than our conviction that religion sucks, isn't science great, and how the hell do we get the other 95% of the population to come to their senses? We don't believe anything. Therefore, we have no need for a mythology."[17]
Brain, MarshallMarshall Brain 1961– American author, founder of HowStuffWorks. "I am an atheist...I do not believe in any supernatural being, including the god of the bible.[18]
Bridges, CalvinCalvin Bridges 1889–1938 American geneticist, known for his work on fruit fly genetics. "...he always remained true to his own concepts and ideals and did not dissimulate. His open designation of himself as "atheist" in "Who's Who in America" and his opposition to the invasion of the Soviet Union by the Allies..."[19]
Isaac BrockIsaac Brock 1975– American singer, guitarist, banjoist, and songwriter for the indie rock band Modest Mouse. Interviewer: "Do you still consider yourself an atheist?"

Brock: "Pretty much, but there are things that make me think. Like that guy who played Jesus [Jim Caviezel] getting hit by lightning during the filming of that movie? That just makes you think, "I can't be 100 percent sure." But I'm not going to change my game plan anyway. [...] I'm 100 percent on the whole Christianity thing being a crock of shit, pretty much, but I don't give a fuck if other people are religious. Believe what you want. Whatever makes the day easier for you."[20]

Brooks, PhilPhil Brooks 1978– American professional wrestler, known by the ring name CM Punk. "I am an atheist."[21]
Brooks, RodneyRodney Brooks 1954– Australian-born American robotics engineer, artificial intelligence and artificial life researcher, and director of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. "I've been an atheist - I had found it difficult to have religious beliefs and scientific ones, but I've accepted that I have a duality - there's a human way of interacting with people but also a mechanistic explanation of what people are and how they work."[22]
Brown, Lori LipmanLori Lipman Brown 1958– American politician, lobbyist, lawyer, educator, and social worker supporter, Nevada Senator 1992-1994. ""You can be elected as an openly gay politician in this country, but you can't be elected as an openly atheistic one," said Lori Lipman Brown, who was hired last fall to be the Washington, D.C., lobbyist for an organization devoted to atheist causes, the Secular Coalition for America. She's believed to be the first paid lobbyist for the unbelievers in the nation's capital, the front lines of the culture wars. Now, all Brown is seeking is a constituency willing to go public. "Think of where the LGBT movement was 25 years ago," said Brown, who has worked on gay and lesbian rights issues as a legislator and attorney. "That's where atheists are today." [...] Brown, who is married and was raised a "humanistic Jew," talks about how she "came out" as an atheist several years ago, and how most atheists aren't "out yet" at work. She says atheist kids—like many gay children—are made to feel outcasts at school, and explains that she wants to erase the negative connotation to the word "atheist" just as homosexuals have reclaimed slurs like "queer" and "dyke.""[23]
Brown, William MontgomeryWilliam Montgomery Brown 1855–1937 American Episcopal bishop, communist author and atheist activist. "An ecclesiastical court [...] sitting at Cleveland, Ohio, yesterday, found Dr. William Montgomery Brown, retired Bishop of Arkansas, a self-styled "Christian Atheist", guilty of heresy."[24]
Brunswick, Ruth MackRuth Mack Brunswick 1897–1946 American psychologist, a close confidant of and collaborator with Sigmund Freud. "Although in her youth she had shared her father's Zionist sympathies, she was not otherwise involved in Jewish affairs and was by conviction an atheist."[25]
Bush, LawrenceLawrence Bush 1951– American author of several books of Jewish fiction and non-fiction, including Waiting for God: The Spiritual Explorations of a Reluctant Atheist. "Caught between the atheism of his parents and the religion of his peers, Bush writes from what he calls "my own peculiar perch as an atheist who has nevertheless worked intimately in Jewish religious institutions as a writer and editor for much of my adult life." As a result, he writes about non-belief with an empathy for believers missing from the works of the New Atheists. [...] Bush may be reluctant, but he remains an atheist: "No matter how therapeutic religious observance might be for individuals, no matter how beguiling the symbols, metaphors, ceremonies, and community spirit, there is something about the surrender to God and to a prescribed worship tradition that simply offends my arrogant soul.""[26]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Sims, Chris (3 December 2012). "War Rocket Ajax #138: Jason Aaron Talks 'Thor: God Of Thunder'". Comics Alliance.
  2. ↑ Clark Adams: 1969-2007, American Humanist Association News Flash, 24 May 2007 (Accessed 14 April 2008)
  3. ↑ Richard Ingrams, 'Larry Adler: brilliant musician, formidable campaigner', The Observer, 12 August 2001, Observer News Pages, Pg. 24.
  4. ↑ Amy Alkon/Advice Goddess Blog, Awww, How Sweet!, 25 May 2008 (accessed 9 June 2008).
  5. ↑ Suzie Mackenzie interviewing Altman, 'Still up to mischief', The Guardian, 1 May 2004, Pg. 30.
  6. ↑ My God Problem Secularhumanism.org
  7. ↑ Itzkoff, Dave (June 4, 2010). "Feeding the Comedy Beast Without Serving Leftovers". New York Times.
  8. ↑ Isaac Asimov in "Free Inquiry", Spring 1982, vol.2 no.2, p. 9 (See Wikiquote.)
  9. ↑ Atran criticising other speakers in an Edge discussion following the Beyond Belief conference in 2006 (accessed 13 August 208).
  10. ↑ Table of Contents from the publisher, Insight Books (accessed 13 August 2008).
  11. ↑ From a Freethought Radio podcast: Fighting Words: The Origins of Religious Violence (mp3), 2 June 2007 (accessed 25 April 2008).
  12. ↑ Craver, Carl F: "Axelrod, Julius", Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography Vol. 19 p. 122. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2008.
  13. ↑ Wendy Ide interviewing Bacon, 'The outsider wants in', The Times (London), 1 December 2005, Features, Pg. 20.
  14. ↑ Minister Turned Atheist, Barker's Freedom From Religion Foundation biography page.
  15. ↑ Obituary: 'Charles T. Beaird, Ph.D.', Shreveport Times, 20 April 2006 (accessed 19 August 2008).
  16. ↑ 'Razor Sharp', Nashville Scene, 1 June 2006 (accessed 20 August 2008).
  17. ↑ Siðmenntar, Stjórn (16 August 2006). "Every religion has a mythology," speech before the International Atheist Conference in Reykjavik Iceland 24 & 25 June 2006. Siðmennt.
  18. ↑ Marshall Brain, biographical page at rationalatheist.com
  19. ↑ H J Muller, 'Dr. Calvin B. Bridges', Nature 143, 191-192 (4 February 1939).
  20. ↑ Brock interviewed by Josh Modell, 'Modest Mouse', AV Club, 7 April 2004 (accessed 19 August 2008).
  21. ↑
  22. ↑ Rodney Brooks on A.I.
  23. ↑ Joe Garofoli, 'Atheists hoping to assert rights in religious era', San Francisco Chronicle, 20 February 2006 (accessed 16 June 2008).
  24. ↑ "U.S. Heresy Trial. A "Christian Atheist."". The Times (43667). 2 June 1924. p. 13. col C.
  25. ↑ 'Brunswick, Ruth Jane Mack (17 February 1897 – 24 January 1946)' in Notable American Women: 1607-1950. Retrieved 1 August 2008, from Credo Reference
  26. ↑ Andrew Silow-Carroll, The rabbi and the atheist, New Jersey Jewish News, 20 September 2007 (accessed 21 April 2008).
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