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Written by Mike Krachan   

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Many freethinking people have, throughout history, found the courage to speak their minds and share their views on Religion with the world. For some, this meant defying Kings. For some, this meant facing imprisonment, torture, or even death.

For most though, including the Atheists of today, going against the grain means risking careers, possibly losing friends, and definitely causing daily stress-induced headaches.

So, for their courage to stand up (whether admitted atheists or not), to speak out, and too risk without worry,  we honor them and their achievements in life, as our Saints of Atheism...

 Saint Benjamin Franklin, born January 17, 1706, was a scientist, a politician, an inventor, a printer, an Benjamin Franklinauthor, a civic activist, a musician, and one of the founding fathers of the United States of America. Saint Ben, also played a crucial role in the American Revolution.

Famous quotes;

"The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason"
"Lighthouses are more helpful than churches"
"I have found Christian dogma unintelligible. Early in life I absented myself from Christian assemblies."

Saint Thomas Edison, born February 11, 184, was a scientist, a great inventor, and a businessman who held over 1000 patents. He is best known for inventing the practical electric Light Bulb, the phonograph, and the motion picture camera.

Thomas Edison

Famous quotes;

"I have never seen the slightest scientific proof of the religious ideas of heaven and hell, of future life for individuals, or of a personal God"
"I do not believe that any type of religion should ever be introduced into the public schools of the United States."
"All Bibles are man-made."
"So far as religion of the day is concerned, it is a damned fake... Religion is all bunk."

 

 Saint Albert Einstein, born March 14 1879, was a Noble Prize winning physicist. He is best known for his theories on special and general relativity, and he is often cited as one of the greatest thinking minds in history.

Famous quotes;

Albert Einstein 1947
"The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this."

"I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own -- a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotisms
"
"I do not believe in immortality of the individual, and I consider ethics to be an exclusively human concern with no superhuman authority behind it."
"It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously..."
"It was of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it."

 

Saint Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC), was a Greek Philosopher, teacher, and student of Plato.

Famous quotes;

"Men create gods after their own image, not only with regard to their form but with regard to their mode of life"
"A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider god-fearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less easily move against him, believing that he has the gods on his side"
"Prayers and sacrifices are of no avail."

Other Atheist Saints include;

 

Saint Charles Darwin (naturalist, discoverer of evolution)

Saint George Carlin (Comedian)

Saint Bertrand Russell (Nobel prize winning Philosopher, mathematician)

Saint William of Ockham (Ockham's razor)

Saint Peter Higgs (Higgs Bosom)

Saint Gene Wilder (actor)

Saint John Lennon (musician, songwriter, activist)

Saint Gene Roddenberry (Star Trek creator)

Saint Freidrich Nietzsche (German philosopher)

Saint Voltaire (a.k.a François-Marie Arouet, writer and Philosopher)

Saint Carl Sagan (author, astronomer)

Saint Thomas Paine (author, inventor, revolutionary, U.S. Founding Father)

Saint James Madison  (philosopher, author, 4th President and Founding father of the U.S)

Saint Thomas Jefferson (3rd President and Founding Father of the U.S)

Saint Ayn Rand (writer, philosopher)

Saint Samuel Clemens (a.k.a. Mark Twain, author, humorist)

Saint Frank Zappa (musician, composer, songwriter, producer, political shit disturber)

Saint Eric Arthur Blair (a.k.a George Orwell, author)

Saint Ernest Hemingway (writer, journalist)

Saint Che Guevara (doctor, writer, revolutionary)

Saint Helen Keller (author, political activist, lecturer)

 

For periodical updates of newly saints please follow Mike_Krachan on Twitter!

 


 

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Comments (30)
  • Mike
    Any suggestions to add to the list?

    Post them here!
  • cthornton
    How about Saint Richard Dawkins?
  • Mike
    Dawkins, Colbert, and a few others are on the "reserve" list.

    All they have to do now is DIE to be Sainted!
    :D
  • Gawd
    Hmmmm... Saints and Atheism, that just sounds weird. I think you should do more research when "sainting" an "atheist" especially when the one you want to saint isn't even atheist. I'll let you figure out whom and how many *smirks, knowing Phree's on wikipedia RIGHT-ABOUT...NOW* I think you should Phree yourself from the "importance" of labelling.
  • Mike
    For one, Gawd, you DON'T have to be an Atheist...to be a Saint...like I said

    "So, for their courage to stand up (whether admitted atheists or not), to speak out, and too risk without worry, we honor them and their achievements in life, as our Saints of Atheism..."

    Secondly...which Saint are you talking about? That's BLASPHEMY ya know. :)

    Hey..I didn't make up the labels...that's just something humans happen to do. I don't necessarily like it...but that's the way it is.
  • Gawd
    So what your saying is, you are going to saint people (under atheism)even though that person doesn't dismiss the existence of A god/deity or even still may believe in one?

    Also I dont understand by which you state "for their courage to stand up (whether admitted atheists or not), to speak out, and too risk without worry"

    'To speak out' about what exactly, obviously not about atheism (am I suppose to capitalize the 'A') If that were the case you would have to reconsider who you are sainting

    In all honesty though, some of your nominees have publicly clarified that they are not atheist (or anything else for that matter). They are simply, just them selves.


    As for this remark "Hey..I didn't make up the labels...that's just something humans happen to do. I don't necessarily like it...but that's the way it is.

    I would like the jury to take note at the last sentence. Read it very carefully. The defendant is clearly stating, although labeling is something 'humans' do "I don't necessarily like i...
  • Gawd
    (con't phree tried censoring the rest)...it[/i]...". Now ladies and gentlemen, what we have here is, what I like to call a fence sitter.

    Judge declares the defendant guilty. *everyone leaps up from their seat to join in on a unified cheer for justice, Gawd bows and waves with a hearty smile as Phree gets taken away in shackles. CASE CLOSED!!!

    Stay tuned, next week, SENTENCING !!! ;))
  • Mike  - re:
    Gawd wrote:
    So what your saying is, you are going to saint people (under atheism)even though that person doesn't dismiss the existence of A god/deity or even still may believe in one?



    Yup. We don't discriminate against anyone.
    Besides...we're ALL ATHEISTS in a sense ;)

  • Mike  - re:
    Gawd wrote:


    Also I dont understand by which you state "for their courage to stand up (whether admitted atheists or not), to speak out, and too risk without worry"

    'To speak out' about what exactly, obviously not about atheism (am I suppose to capitalize the 'A') If that were the case you would have to reconsider who you are sainting




    Well for those who stated their mind and risked death or imprisonment...who had the GUTS to speak out against religion, we honor them as Saints.
    You know Socrates was killed for speaking out...so there is a perfect example.

    Other Saints just may have inadvertently helped, and yet other still are Atheist Saints because nobody else will do it.

    And yeah...I can make up the rules as I go...I am the Pope after all ;)


    I'll ask my question, again (perhaps you missed it the first time)

    WHICH Saint do you think is not an Atheist on that list? Just out of curiosity.


  • Mike  - re:
    Gawd wrote:


    In all honesty though, some of your nominees have publicly clarified that they are not atheist (or anything else for that matter). They are simply, just them selves.



    WHO?

    And do you have a link to support your claim?

    I have researched all these people...I can provided quotes from each of them if you like.

    And whether we like it or not...nobody is without a label.

    In this world you either believe in a god or gods... or you don't.

    One we call Theist...the other Atheist.

    Male - label
    Female - label
    Human - label
    Dog - label

    If we didn't label things we would get pretty confused having a conversation don't ya think?
  • Mike  - re:
    Gawd wrote:
    (con't phree tried censoring the rest)...it[/i]...". Now ladies and gentlemen, what we have here is, what I like to call a fence sitter.



    Nice try.

    That's what we call ad hominem attacks...attacking the person rather than the argument.

    It's a sure sign that one is losing a debate ;)
  • Mike
    Yeah technically you should capitalize the A.

  • Gawd
    What the...?... didn't you hear the judge? *judge hammers the gavel and hollers at the bailiff "get this lunatic out of my site!!!"*

    I also stated that the 'case is closed'! You just can't reopen a case! You have to follow the procedure of complaint and then you will be CONSIDERED to reclaim your case. NO EXCEPTIONS even to the pope!

    Is winning and losing all you care about... er I guess so, seeing how your GIVING YOURSELF a 'thumb up point' (who does that, really? A cheater thats who!).


    But hey Gawds a nice guy... wikipedia your first 3 saints in your article and look under 'religion,views, beliefs' (along those lines)

    Lastly, labeling doesn't have to be a bad thing. I understand that SOME labeling IS necessary but TOO MUCH (like anything) isn't good. The more you INSIST on putting labels to anything and everything, you are only creating a more segregated world. I thought the whole point was unity?

    "Differences (or as you put it, labeling) are only relevant and...
  • Gawd
    (con't)

    "Differences (or as you put it, labeling) are only relevant and tolerated because of one's/others lack of understanding." -GAWD (can I quote myself or is that weird)
  • Mike  - re:
    Gawd wrote:
    What the...?... didn't you hear the judge? *judge hammers the gavel and hollers at the bailiff "get this lunatic out of my site!!!"*

    I also stated that the 'case is closed'! You just can't reopen a case! You have to follow the procedure of complaint and then you will be CONSIDERED to reclaim your case. NO EXCEPTIONS even to the pope!

    Is winning and losing all you care about... er I guess so, seeing how your GIVING YOURSELF a 'thumb up point' (who does that, really? A cheater thats who!).



    Still attacking the person....tisk tisk...that would be against the rules of debating in the comment section...er...probably our only rule.

    NO AD HOMINEMS!
  • Mike  - re:
    Gawd wrote:
    wikipedia your first 3 saints in your article and look under 'religion,views, beliefs' (along those lines)


    My first three Saints??? I quoted them!

    "The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason"

    "Lighthouses are more helpful than churches"

    "I have found Christian dogma unintelligible. Early in life I absented myself from Christian assemblies."

    Are you suggesting Benjamin Franklin was religious??

  • Mike  - re:
    Gawd wrote:
    (con't)

    "Differences (or as you put it, labeling) are only relevant and tolerated because of one's/others lack of understanding." -GAWD (can I quote myself or is that weird)


    Hey man...I didn't decide those things. PEOPLE did.

    No matter what you agree with...labels exist.

    YOU are a male
    You are Canadian
    You drive a BLACK TOYOTA

    I didn't decide to name those things..language dictated it.
  • Mike  - re:
    Gawd wrote:
    (can I quote myself or is that weird)


    You can do whatever you like...you're a PHREE man!

    We already know (from your chosen user name) that you have a huge ego...and that's coming from a guy with a big ego :)
  • Mike
    ...and if it wasn't for labels you might be putting mustard on your peanut butter sandwiches! :ooo:
  • Gawd
    NO AD HOMINEMS! But yet you are guilty of it as well. And when did I ever 'attack' you. I use humour in my discussion. Where as you use political tactics. You are SET out to defeat me because you choose to look at it as a debate. For you its either win or lose, no common ground.

    All I did was challenge your claim and research.

    You quoted Ben Franklin

    "I have found Christian dogma unintelligible. Early in life I absented myself from Christian assemblies."

    But that statement there isn't complete.

    Franklin was a non-dogmatic believer, who felt that organized religion WAS necessary to keep men good to their fellow men, but rarely attended church himself. His faith in God was an important factor in his support for the American Revolution -wikipedia

    Einstein case is actually very interesting.

    Einstein also stated: "I have repeatedly said that in my opinion the idea of a personal God is a childlike one. You may call me an agnostic, but I do not share the crusading spi...
  • Gawd
    but I do not share the crusading spirit of the professional atheist whose fervor is mostly due to a painful act of liberation from the fetters of religious indoctrination received in youth."


    Thomas Edison

    Edison was called an atheist for those remarks, and although he did not allow himself to be drawn into the controversy publicly, he clarified himself in a private letter: "You have misunderstood the whole article, because you jumped to the conclusion that it denies the existence of God. There is no such denial, what you call God I call Nature, the Supreme intelligence that rules matter. All the article states is that it is doubtful in my opinion if our intelligence or soul or whatever one may call it lives hereafter as an entity or disperses back again from whence it came, scattered amongst the cells of which we are made." -wiki
  • Gawd
    So in conclusion, each one of those guys didn't care about others that are trying to label them. Yeah people label others all the time, but people also judge others all the time doesn't mean it's right. You CHOOSE to follow this way of thinking. Just as I CHOOSE to follow a different way of thinking. Now that doesn't mean one or the other has to be wrong. It just simply means that there is a whole heep of ways to LOOK at things. So labeling EVERYTHING is like putting a limit on the capabilities of man. Labeling are just like laws, we put them there to comfort our minds on things we cant comprehend but wish others to follow it as well. Because admitting we don't know an answer takes a hit to our ego's. We can't have that now (sarcasm). Sorry about the deep/confusing analogy. Hopefully people will understand it.


  • Gawd  - re: re:
    Mike wrote:
    [quote=Gawd](con't)

    You drive a BLACK TOYOTA




    Huh?
  • Mike
    First of all, before we go any further you need to understand two important things:

    1. Agnostics, non-theists,naturalists, humanists, etc...are all Atheists. They use the other names to avoid the stigma of the LABEL of Atheist. In other words...they're just being polite, and they DID care about being labeled Atheists...because half the time the Christians would have killed you had they found out.

    2. Atheist only lack a belief in god..that is much different than saying "god does NOT exist".

    Intelligent Atheists only say that its is highly improbable that a god could or does exist.

    I can go into the quotes, but I don't think its necessary to waste time disputing wikipedia entries. They said what they said in there words at some point in time.

    They could have changed their minds at any point..they could have pulled 180's to cover their asses...but like i said in the article, and again in the comments...it doesn't matter if they are Atheists or not.
  • Mike
    If we are a talking about a particular god...like say the Judeo-Christian, and we look at all the evidence (zero - except what is written in ancient Palestinian scibblings), then we can say for sure that THAT GOD is BS...and like Christopher Hitchens, I will also go as far to say that IF the Judeo-Christian god is real...then he is a terrorist, a child killer, and a psychopath.
  • Mike  - re:
    Gawd wrote:
    So in conclusion, each one of those guys didn't care about others that are trying to label them.


    Sure they did. Depending on who we are talking about, some of them would have gotten killed for being an Atheist....but the truth of the matter is that they were against religion, against Faith, and for reason...In my book...that makes them Saints.

    And Gawd...you realize that we are talking about Politicians here...they have been know to lie once and awhile to get support.

    look again at what Edison said...

    What you call god ...I call nature.

    Therefore the man DID NOT beleive in a god...a defined named god, that has a book and story...yadda yadda.

    And Einstein...he believed the mystery of the universe was god...

    but that is NOT god..as we know it...that is something else...the unknown perhaps.

    To put a name on this unknown thing, like Jesus, or Allah or Zeus, or Thor, or Rai, or Lucifer, or Seth, or Mithra, or whatever...is wiggity wiggity wack! :)

    It BS.

    If one wa...
  • Acer_Negundo
    haha, i heard the best line from the simpsons last night... the episode where ned flanders takes over the school. Superintendent Chalmers says "The Lord has no place in public schools, like facts have no place in organized religions". Thought I'd share it with ya
  • Mike
    Ha haa...I remember that episode. He overhears Flanders reciting a prayer over the PA system. That was some good stuff.

    On a serious note...

    I met a Leprechaun today who promised me a big pot of gold If I told him I loved him.
  • Acer_Negundo
    hmm, did you say you loved him? a big pot of gold is awful tempting. It's better than living the way this omnipotent god tells you to in order to get into a place in the clouds called heaven.
  • Mike
    F@#k no!

    I realized that I must be hallucinating, because there is no such thing as Leprechauns!

    Imaginary creatures always seem to tempt you with something...and some of them try to terrorize you...

    God does both.

    :)
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