Great Atheistic Quotes

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Religion is not merely the opium of the masses,it's the cyanide. -Tom Robbins

That the world is in a bad shape is undeniable, but there is not the faintest reason in history to suppose that Christianity offers a way out. -Bertrand Russell

Religion is fundamentally opposed to everything I hold in veneration - courage, clear thinking, honesty, fairness, and, above all, love of the truth." -H L Mencken

I cannot be angry at God, in whom I do not believe. -Simone de Beauvoir

The Bible and Church have been the greatest stumbling block
in the way of women's emancipation. - Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Existentialism isn't so atheistic that it wears itself out showing that God doesn't exist.
Rather, it declares that even if God did exist, that would change nothing. - Jean-Paul Sartre

Religions are like fireflies.
They require darkness in order to shine. -Arthur Schopenhauer

Our ignorance is God; what we know is science. -Robert G. Ingersoll

"Christianity is the most perverted system that ever shone on man." -Thomas Jefferson

"Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, & the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people." -Karl Marx

Religion is comparable to a childhood neurosis -Sigmund Freud

"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one." -George Bernard Shaw

"A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death." -Albert Einstein(Agnostic)

Religion is excellent stuff for keeping common people quiet. -Napoleon Bonaparte

The Americans should keep in mind that many of their past presidents were ATHEISTS. -Myself

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@Nitish,

Nitish, nice!

I found this interesting, but the theists may notice the anti religion theme;).

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@Nitish,

I'm not sure that any American president was an atheist. Many (at least seven if I recall correctly) were probably deists, and certainly very critical of organized religion and many common religious claims of their day.

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@Nitish,

What does any of this have to do with aesthetics?... Never mind, I misread the title. Sad

Atheistic has nothing to do with aesthetics... carry on! lol Very Happy

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@Nitish,

Most of these are not really atheist quotes, just arguing against organized or politicized religion. I am a theist and I agree with most of those quotes!

The King of Atheism and one of the most phenomenal authors of the twentieth . . of ever, Isaac Asimov:

"If I were not an atheist, I would believe in a God who would choose to save people on the basis of the totality of their lives and not the pattern of their words. I think he would prefer an honest and righteous atheist to a TV preacher whose every word is God, God, God, and whose every deed is foul, foul, foul."

"Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived."

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@Nitish,

Quote:

Most of these are not really atheist quotes, just arguing against organized or politicized religion. I am a theist and I agree with most of those quotes!

And many of those quotes come from either theists or people who would consider themselves something other than an atheists.

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@Didymos Thomas,

Didymos Thomas wrote:

And many of those quotes come from either theists or people who would consider themselves something other than an atheists.

very true. I believe one even support religion. The one about the fireflys. But nice thread anyways

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@Nitish,

Schopenhauer's personal devotional was the 'Upanishads'.

Thomas Jefferson was a deist, and even complied his own New Testaments - clippings from every edition of the Bible he could find, the teachings of Jesus which he thought were valuable spiritual guidance.

Of course, Einstein famously said "God does not play dice", and to my knowledge Jewish.

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@Nitish,

"I contend that we are both atheists. I merely believe in one less god than you. When you understand why you do not believe in all the possible gods, you will understand why I do not believe in yours."

"Wouldn't God be the first Atheist?"

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@Didymos Thomas,

Didymos Thomas wrote:

Schopenhauer's personal devotional was the 'Upanishads'.

Thomas Jefferson was a deist, and even complied his own New Testaments - clippings from every edition of the Bible he could find, the teachings of Jesus which he thought were valuable spiritual guidance.

Of course, Einstein famously said "God does not play dice", and to my knowledge Jewish.

Jefferson not only used that altered Bible, he distributed it to the pagan Native Americans. While he was a secularist, he did seem to see Jesus's teachings as essential to the sort of civilization he wanted.

Einstein was Jewish, but not too religious as far as I know. He was a deeply spiritual man, and God played a role in his life, but I don't know how "Jewish" he was.

I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals Himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with fates and actions of human beings.
-Albert Einstein

Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.-Albert Einstein
If one purges the Judaism of the Prophets and Christianity as Jesus taught it of all subsequent additions, especially those of the priests, one is left with a teaching which is capable of curing all the social ills of humanity.
It is the duty of every man of good will to strive steadfastly in his own little world to make this teaching of pure humanity a living force, so far as he can. If he makes an honest attempt in this direction without being crushed and trampled under foot by his contemporaries, he may consider himself and the community to which he belongs lucky.
[INDENT] - From Einstein's book The World as I See It (Philosophical Library, New York, 1949) pp. 111-112 [/INDENT]

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@Nitish,

Yes, Jefferson is a personal hero.

As for Einstein, I've always wondered just how religious he was. Thank you for the additional, and insightful quotes!

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@Nitish,

Nitish wrote:

"Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, & the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people." -Karl Marx

Religion is comparable to a childhood neurosis -Sigmund Freud

Religion is excellent stuff for keeping common people quiet. -Napoleon Bonaparte

I'm not an atheist because I believe in god, just not any that are presented in any religions that are in existence. I am against religions.
I thought that being an atheist was implying that god did not exist. It is irrational to see god as nonexistent, but rational to assume it has no experience.
Those quotes that were presented denounced religion a lot, but that doesn't mean atheism. God, based on how humanity has pathetically contrived religions, should probably be separate from religions for the time being.:cool:

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@Holiday20310401,

Also, Einstein said that God is 'childish', he should have been more specific. Physically, yes of course. Fundamentally, God makes us sane, should be a part of who we are. That is why I am not an atheist. He exists, he has potential, and I pity those atheists who call themselves atheists for that very reason.

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@Holiday20310401,

Holiday20310401 wrote:

Also, Einstein said that God is 'childish', he should have been more specific. Physically, yes of course. Fundamentally, God makes us sane, should be a part of who we are. That is why I am not an atheist. He exists, he has potential, and I pity those atheists who call themselves atheists for that very reason.

\

Holiday, Smile

I think Einstein meant humanity should strive to mature intellectually and emotionally. Just as when you matured you accepted at some point, the non-existence of Santa Claus. With a growing maturity one should come to accept that there is no god. Certainly not the commonly expressed notion of a personal god who watches over all human interactions. PS: Einstein was an atheist, he was very very clear on that.

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@boagie,

Quote:

PS: Einstein was an atheist, he was very very clear on that.

I'm no Einstein expert, but from what I recall he was Jewish.

'God does not play dice' I believe, was one of his famous sayings. Of course, I do not know the context, so the claim may not have anything to do with religion per se.

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@Didymos Thomas,

I think you are right, God is like santa, at one point you become mature and independent from it.
But then why do so many people believe in god?

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@Didymos Thomas,

Didymos Thomas wrote:

I'm no Einstein expert, but from what I recall he was Jewish.

'God does not play dice' I believe, was one of his famous sayings. Of course, I do not know the context, so the claim may not have anything to do with religion per se.

Thomas,

He was indeed Jewish. God does not play dice with the universe was his response to a suggestion that the universe was not understandable, it was used as a metaphor, one he grew to regret. The religious often take what he has said out of context to support their dogma. There is a name for this practise but it does not come to mind at present.

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@Holiday20310401,

Holiday20310401 wrote:

I think you are right, God is like santa, at one point you become mature and independent from it.
But then why do so many people believe in god?

Holiday

Well if you ask alot of believers that question they really do not seem to know, others often say the bible tells me so. Personally I think it is a matter of security, non-belief is a state of insecurity, but it is also a state of wonder, something the believer shuts the door to.

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@boagie,

Yeah but doesn't it seem more secure to know the truth? Or is there some ease by having a transcendent faith, a faith with the purpose of not knowing the answer?

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@Holiday20310401,

Holiday20310401 wrote:

Yeah but doesn't it seem more secure to know the truth? Or is there some ease by having a transcendent faith, a faith with the purpose of not knowing the answer?

Holiday,

Well, to some believers it does seem to give them peace of mind. Some believers on the flip side are fearful of any new unfolding knowledge. The thinking I guess is it might be something as damaging to their belief as Darwins, "The Origins Species".

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