24 Famous People Who Are (Or Were) Atheists (Brad Pitt?)

Celebrities are in the spotlight for every single aspect of their life — including their religion or belief system.

There is no denying that the limelight and religion have always struggled to go hand-in-hand.

So maybe that’s why some celebrities are atheists? Whatever the reason, you might be quite interested to know who believes in what (if anything at all!).

Before we jump straight into the 24 famous people who are atheists, it’s a good idea for you to understand the definition of atheism.

What Is Atheism?

Often, atheism is described as a belief system or religion in itself. But this isn’t technically true.

In fact, the true definition is hardly ever used, and thus, many articles, books, and websites are dedicated to educating those on this matter.

Atheism is this — a lack of belief in gods. It isn’t disbelief or denial and it certainly isn’t a religion.

However, not all atheists are the same.

Since there isn’t a shared belief system, Pope, or scripture it’s difficult to define the common characteristics of atheists.

People who hold an atheist viewpoint often disagree with each other on issues, ideas, and theologies.

Overall, atheism is a simple yet mightily complex concept.

Hopefully, the 24 famous people who are (or were) atheists (including the likes of Brad Pit) will be able to help you better understand the ins and outs of this non-religion or belief system.

So, without further ado, let’s jump right into the details!

List Of 24 Famous People Who Are Atheists:

#1 Sigmund Freud

“The whole thing is so patently infantile, [religion] so foreign to reality, that to anyone with a friendly attitude to humanity it is painful to think that the great majority of mortals will never be able to rise above this view of life.”

#2 Hugh Hefner

Hefner said in an interview with Playboy magazine:

“It’s perfectly clear to me that religion is a myth. It’s something we have invented to explain the inexplicable.”

#3 Isaac Asimov

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

#4 Jack Nicholson

“I don’t believe in God now, but I can still work up an envy for someone who has a faith.”

#5 Natalie Angier

“I don’t believe in God, Gods, Godlets or any sort of higher power beyond the universe itself. Which seems quite high and powerful enough to me.”

#6 Daniel Radcliffe

In a 2009 interview, Radcliffe said:

“I’m an atheist, but I’m very relaxed about it. I don’t preach my atheism, but I have a huge amount of respect for people like Richard Dawkins who do.”

#7 Edward Abbey

“Whatever we cannot easily understand we call God; this saves much wear and tear on the brain tissues …. Belief in the supernatural reflects a failure of the imagination.”

#8 Jodie Foster

“How can you ask me to believe in God when there is absolutely no evidence that I can see?”

In a different interview, Foster said:

“I’m an atheist. But I absolutely love religions and the rituals. Even though I don’t believe in God, we celebrate pretty much every religion in our family with the kids.”

#9 Brad Pitt

“I’m 20% atheist and 80% agnostic.”

#10 Natalie Dormer

“I say I’m an atheist but I wouldn’t mind being visited by a ghost, I’d be open to the experience.”

#11 Arian Foster

During an interview with ESPN, Arian Foster declared:

“Everybody always says the same thing: You have to have faith. That’s my whole thing: Faith isn’t enough for me.”

Foster later added:

”For people who are struggling with that, they’re nervous about telling their families or afraid of the backlash. … Man, don’t be afraid to be you. I was, for years.”

#12 Angelina Jolie

“Hmm … For some people. I hope so, for them. For the people who believe in it, I hope so. There doesn’t need to be a God for me. There’s something in people that’s spiritual, that’s godlike.”

Jolie continued:

”I don’t feel like doing things just because people say things, but I also don’t really know if it’s better to just not believe in anything, either.”

#13 Charlie Chaplin

”By simple common sense, I don’t believe in God, in none.”

#14 George Carlin

“Atheism is a non-prophet organization.”

Carlin also said:

”We created god in our own image and likeness! Religion convinced the world that there’s an invisible man in the sky who watches everything you do.”

George later added:

”And there’s 10 things he doesn’t want you to do or else you’ll go to a burning place with a lake of fire until the end of eternity. But he loves you! …And he needs money! He’s all powerful, but he can’t handle money!”

#15 Kathy Griffin

”A lot of people come up here and they thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus. He didn’t help me a bit… so all I can say is, suck it Jesus.”

#16 Javier Bardem

“I don’t believe in God, I only believe in Al Pacino, and that’s the truth.”

#17 Morgan Freeman

”My belief system doesn’t support a creator as such, as we can call God, who created us in his/her/its image. Has anybody ever seen hard evidence?”

#18 Woody Allen

”How can I believe in God when just last week I got my tongue caught in the roller of an electric typewriter?”

In another interview, Allen said:

”Years ago I was on television having a discussion with Billy Graham about atheism.”

Woody added:

”He was saying, even if you’re right and I’m wrong, and there’s nothing after, I will have had a better life than you, because I do believe there was something. And I couldn’t argue with that, even though I wanted to.”

#19 Joaquin Phoenix

“I don’t believe in god. I don’t believe in an afterlife. I don’t believe in soul. I don’t believe in anything…To me it’s a pretty preposterous idea.”

#20 Johnny Depp

“I have faith in my kids…Faith in terms of religion, I don’t, religion is not my specialty.”

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#21 Keira Knightley

“If only I wasn’t an atheist, I could get away with anything. You’d just ask for forgiveness and then you’d be forgiven. It sounds much better than having to live with guilt.”

#22 Katharine Hepburn

“I’m an atheist, and that’s it. I believe there’s nothing we can know except that we should be kind to each other and do what we can for people.”

#23 Larry King

”I’m probably an atheist… I respect religion, I’ve interviewed every great religious leader except the Pope. … I’ve interviewed the Billy Grahams and the heads of the Mormon Church… and the Presbyterians…”

King continued:

”I don’t buy it. I think the only reason for religion is death. If you didn’t die, there’d be no religion.”

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#24 Paul Giamatti

”I consider myself an atheist. My wife is Jewish. And I’m fine with my son being raised as a Jew. He’s learning Hebrew and is really into it.”

Giamatti also said:

”I will talk to my own son about my atheism when the time is right. But there’s a great tradition of Jewish atheism, there are no better atheists in the world than the Jews.”

Featured image credit – https://www.flickr.com/photos/38494596@N00/352241420

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References

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0316079/bio

About the Author
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Bulgarea Candin

As a founder and chief author at InsightState.com, Bulgarea Candin helps readers on their spiritual journeys. His writings are designed to inspire creativity and personal growth, guiding readers on their journey to a more fulfilled and enlightened life.