Atheism in the United States

According to the Pew Research Center in a 2014 survey, self-identified "atheists" make up 3.1% of the US population, even though 9% of Americans agreed with the statement "Do not believe in God" while 2% agreed with the statement "Do not know if they believe in God".[4]

American atheists
Total population
32,312,751 (10%)
(answered "No" to the question "Do you believe in God?")
(2016)[1][2]
9,571,112 (3.1%)
(self described atheists)
(2014)[3][4]
Religions
Irreligion:
(including antitheism, agnostic atheism, apatheism, casualism, counter-apologeticism, debaptism evangelical atheism, freethought/freethinker, ignosticism, implicit and explicit atheism, Marxist–Leninist atheism, negative and positive atheism, nonbeliever, nontheism, post-theism, rationalism, new/scientific atheism, secular humanism, skepticism, etc.)
Secular religions:
Buddhism
(including secular Buddhism, etc.)
Christian atheism
(including Cultural Christian (Cultural Catholic, Cultural Mormon, Nontheist Quakers, etc.), Lapsed Catholic, Recovering Catholic, Rice Christian, etc.)
Ethical movement
Hinduism
(including Adevism, Charvaka, Hindu atheist, etc.)
Jainism
Jewish atheism
(including Cultural Judaism, etc.)
Modern Paganism
Muslim atheism
(including Cultural Muslim, etc.)
New religious movements
(including Creativity, Raëlism, etc.)
Parody religions
(including Church of Satan, Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster/Pastafarianism, Invisible Pink Unicorn, Jediism, LaVeyan Satanism, etc.)
Satanism
Unitarian Universalism
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According to the 2014 General Sociological Survey, the number of atheists and agnostics in the U.S. grew over the previous 23 years. In 1991, only 2% identified as atheist, and 4% identified as agnostic; while in 2014, 3.1% identified as atheists, and 5% identified as agnostics.[5]

In 2009, Pew stated that only 5% of the US population did not have a belief in a god and out of that small group only 24% self-identified as "atheist", while 15% self-identified as "agnostic" and 35% self-identified as "nothing in particular".[6]

According to the 2008 ARIS, only 2% the US population was atheist, while 10% were agnostics.[7]

In one 2018 research paper using indirect methods estimated that 26% of Americans are atheists, which is much higher than the 3%-11% rates that are consistently found in surveys.[8] However, methodological problems have been identified with this particular study since people do not have binary relationships to questions on God and instead have more complex responses to such questions.[9]

Accurate demographics of atheism are difficult to obtain since conceptions of atheism and self-identification are context dependent by culture.[10]

Demographics

Age
Lack of belief in god/gods among age groups in the United States (2014)
Age group % of lack of belief in god/gods % of self described atheists Source
18-29 year old Americans 16 16
 
 6 6
 
 [4]
30-49 year old Americans 9 9
 
 3 3
 
 [4]
Americans 9 9
 
 3.1 3.1
 
 [4]
50-64 year old Americans 6 6
 
 2 2
 
 [4]
65+ year old Americans 6 6
 
 2 2
 
 [4]

Education
Lack of belief in god/gods among education in the United States (2014)
Highest degree earned % of lack of belief in god/gods % of self described atheists Source
Post-graduate degree, Americans 14 14
 
 5 5
 
 [4]
College graduate, Americans 14 14
 
 5 5
 
 [4]
Americans 9 9
 
 3.1 3.1
 
 [4]
Some college, Americans 9 9
 
 3 3
 
 [4]
High school or less, Americans 6 6
 
 2 2
 
 [4]

Gender
Lack of belief in god/gods among genders in the United States (2014)
Gender % of lack of belief in god/gods % of self described atheists Source
Male American 12 12
 
 4 4
 
 [4]
Americans 9 9
 
 3.1 3.1
 
 [4]
Female American 6 6
 
 2 2
 
 [4]

Generation
Lack of belief in god/gods among generations in the United States (2014)
Generation % of lack of belief in god/gods % of self described atheists Source
Younger Millennial Americans 17 17
 
 6 6
 
 [4]
Older Millennial Americans 13 13
 
 4 4
 
 [4]
Americans 9 9
 
 3.1 3.1
 
 [4]
Generation X Americans 9 9
 
 3 3
 
 [4]
Greatest Americans 7 7
 
 2 2
 
 [4]
Baby Boomer Americans 6 6
 
 2 2
 
 [4]
Silent Americans 6 6
 
 1 1
 
 [4]

Household income
Lack of belief in god/gods among household income in the United States (2014)
Cohort % of lack of belief in god/gods % of self described atheists Source
$100,000 or more, Americans 14 14
 
 5 5
 
 [4]
$50,000-$99,999, Americans 11 11
 
 3 3
 
 [4]
$30,000-$49,999, Americans 9 9
 
 3 3
 
 [4]
Americans 9 9
 
 3.1 3.1
 
 [4]
Less than $30,000, Americans 7 7
 
 2 2
 
 [4]

Immigrant status
Lack of belief in god/gods among immigrant status in the United States (2014)
Generation % of lack of belief in god/gods % of self described atheists Source
Second generation Americans 14 14
 
 4 4
 
 [4]
Americans 9 9
 
 3.1 3.1
 
 [4]
Third generation or higher Americans 9 9
 
 3 3
 
 [4]
Immigrants 8 8
 
 3 3
 
 [4]

Marital status
Lack of belief in god/gods among marital status in the United States (2014)
Cohort % of lack of belief in god/gods % of self described atheists Source
Never married Americans 15 15
 
 5 5
 
 [4]
Living with a partner Americans 14 14
 
 5 5
 
 [4]
Americans 9 9
 
 3.1 3.1
 
 [4]
Married Americans 7 7
 
 2 2
 
 [4]
Divorced/separated Americans 6 6
 
 2 2
 
 [4]
Widowed Americans 3 3
 
 1 1
 
 [4]

Metro area
Lack of belief in god/gods/self described atheists among metro areas in the United States (2014)
State/federal district % of lack of belief in god/gods % of self described atheists Source
Greater San Francisco Bay Area 21 21
 
 5 5
 
 [4]
Seattle metropolitan area 20 20
 
 10 10
 
 [4]
Boston metropolitan area 17 17
 
 4 4
 
 [4]
Providence metropolitan area 15 15
 
 4 4
 
 [4]
Baltimore metropolitan area 14 14
 
 3 3
 
 [4]
Philadelphia metropolitan area 13 13
 
 5 5
 
 [4]
Tampa metropolitan area 13 13
 
 4 4
 
 [4]
San Diego metropolitan area 12 12
 
 3 3
 
 [4]
Washington metropolitan area 12 12
 
 4 4
 
 [4]
Greater Los Angeles Area 11 11
 
 4 4
 
 [4]
New York metropolitan area 11 11
 
 4 4
 
 [4]
Phoenix metropolitan area 11 11
 
 3 3
 
 [4]
Chicago metropolitan area 10 10
 
 3 3
 
 [4]
Americans 9 9
 
 3.1 3.1
 
 [4]
Detroit metropolitan area 9 9
 
 3 3
 
 [4]
Miami metropolitan area 9 9
 
 3 3
 
 [4]
Riverside metropolitan area 8 8
 
 1 1
 
 [4]
Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex 7 7
 
 1 1
 
 [4]
Atlanta metropolitan area 6 6
 
 3 3
 
 [4]
Houston metropolitan area 6 6
 
 2 2
 
 [4]
St. Louis metropolitan area 6 6
 
 3 3
 
 [4]
Pittsburgh metropolitan area 5 5
 
 3 3
 
 [4]

Political affiliation
Lack of belief in god/gods among political affiliation in the United States (2014)
Political affiliation % of lack of belief in god/gods % of self described atheists Source
Democrat/Lean Democrat Americans 13 13
 
 5 5
 
 [4]
Americans 9 9
 
 3.1 3.1
 
 [4]
No lean, Americans 9 9
 
 3 3
 
 [4]
Republican/Lean Republican Americans 5 5
 
 1 1
 
 [4]

Parental status
Lack of belief in god/gods among parental status in the United States (2014)
Parental status % of lack of belief in god/gods % of self described atheists Source
Non-parents of children under 18 year old Americans 10 10
 
 3 3
 
 [4]
Americans 9 9
 
 3.1 3.1
 
 [4]
Parents of children under 18 year old Americans 7 7
 
 2 2
 
 [4]

Political ideology
Lack of belief in god/gods among political ideology in the United States (2014)
Political ideology % of lack of belief in god/gods % of self described atheists Source
Liberal Americans 19 19
 
 7 7
 
 [4]
Americans 9 9
 
 3.1 3.1
 
 [4]
Moderate Americans 9 9
 
 3 3
 
 [4]
Don't know, Americans 8 8
 
 [4]
Conservative Americans 3 3
 
 1 1
 
 [4]

Race
Lack of belief in god/gods among racial groups in the United States (2014)
Racial group % of lack of belief in god/gods % of self described atheists Source
Asian Americans 19 19
 
 6 6
 
 [4]
White Americans 11 11
 
 4 4
 
 [4]
Americans 9 9
 
 3.1 3.1
 
 [4]
Other/Mixed Americans 8 8
 
 2 2
 
 [4]
Latino Americans 6 6
 
 2 2
 
 [4]
African Americans 2 2
 
 1 1
 
 [4]

Region
Lack of belief in god/gods/self described atheists among regions in the United States (2014)
State/federal district % of lack of belief in god/gods % of self described atheists Source
Northeastern United States 12 12
 
 4 4
 
 [4]
Western United States 12 12
 
 4 4
 
 [4]
Americans 9 9
 
 3.1 3.1
 
 [4]
Midwestern United States 8 8
 
 3 3
 
 [4]
Southern United States 7 7
 
 2 2
 
 [4]

Religion
Lack of belief in god/gods among religious/belief groups in the United States (2014)
Religious group % of lack of belief in god/gods Source
Atheist Americans 92 92
 
 [4]
Agnostic Americans 41 41
 
 [4]
Nothing in particular (religion not important), Americans 33 33
 
 [4]
Unaffiliated Americans 33 33
 
 [4]
Buddhist Americans 27 27
 
 [4]
New Age movement, Americans 21 21
 
 [4]
Nothing in particular, Americans 20 20
 
 [4]
Unitarians and other liberal faiths in "other faiths", Americans 19 19
 
 [4]
Jewish Americans 17 17
 
 [4]
Hindu Americans 10 10
 
 [4]
Americans 9 9
 
 [4]
Episcopalian (Mainline Protestant) Americans 4 4
 
 [4]
Anglican Church, Americans 3 3
 
 [4]
Episcopal Church, Americans 3 3
 
 [4]
Nothing in particular (religion important), Americans 3 3
 
 [4]
Eastern Orthodox Americans 3 3
 
 [4]
Lutheran (Mainline Protestant) Americans 2 2
 
 [4]
Mainline Protestant Americans 2 2
 
 [4]
Nondenominational (Mainline Protestant) Americans 2 2
 
 [4]
Roman Catholic Americans 2 2
 
 [4]
Baptist (Mainline Protestant) Americans 1 1
 
 [4]
Christian Americans 1 1
 
 [4]
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Americans 1 1
 
 [4]
Muslim Americans 1 1
 
 [4]
Pentecostal (Evangelical Protestant) Americans 1 1
 
 [4]
Presbyterian (Evangelical Protestant) Americans 1 1
 
 [4]
Presbyterian (Mainline Protestant) Americans 1 1
 
 [4]
Presbyterian Church in America, Americans 1 1
 
 [4]
Presbyterian Church, Americans 1 1
 
 [4]
United Church of Christ, Americans 1 1
 
 [4]
United Methodist Church, Americans 1 1
 
 [4]
Adventist (Evangelical Protestant) Americans <1 [4]
African Methodist Episcopal Church, Americans <1 [4]
American Baptist Churches, Americans <1 [4]
Assemblies of God, Americans <1 [4]
Baptist (Evangelical Protestant) Americans <1 [4]
Baptist (Historically Black Protestant) Americans <1 [4]
Church of God, Americans <1 [4]
Church of God in Christ, Americans <1 [4]
Mormon, Americans <1 [4]
Church of the Nazarene, Americans <1 [4]
Churches of Christ, Americans <1 [4]
Evangelical Protestant Americans <1 [4]
Historically Black Protestant, Americans <1 [4]
Holiness (Evangelical Protestant), Americans <1 [4]
Independent Baptist (Evangelical Protestant) Americans <1 [4]
Interdenominational (Evangelical Protestant) Americans <1 [4]
Interdenominational (Mainline Protestant) Americans <1 [4]
Jehovah's Witness, Americans <1 [4]
Lutheran (Evangelical Protestant) Americans <1 [4]
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, Americans <1 [4]
Methodist (Historically Black Protestant) Americans <1 [4]
Mormon Americans <1 [4]
National Baptist Convention, Americans <1 [4]
Nondenominational (Evangelical Protestant) Americans <1 [4]
Nondenominational (Historically Black Protestant) Americans <1 [4]
Nondenominational charismatic Americans <1 [4]
Nondenominational evangelical Americans <1 [4]
Nondenominational fundamentalist Americans <1 [4]
Pentecostal (Historically Black Protestant) Americans <1 [4]
Restorationist (Evangelical Protestant) Americans <1 [4]
Seventh-day Adventist Americans <1 [4]
Southern Baptist Convention, Americans <1 [4]

Sexual orientation
Self described atheists among sexual orientations in the United States (2014)
Sexual orientation % of self described atheists Source
LGBT Americans 8 8
 
 [4]
Americans 3.1 3.1
 
 [4]
Straight Americans 3 3
 
 [4]

State/federal district
Disbelief in god/gods in the United States by state/territory in 2014
  >20%
  15-19
  10-14
  7-9%
  4-6%
  <4%
Lack of belief in god/gods/self described atheists among states/local district in the United States (2014)
State/federal district % of lack of belief in god/gods % of self described atheists Source
# of population # of population
 Vermont 131,406 21 21
 
 43,802 7 7
 
 [4][3]
 Massachusetts 1,178,573 18 18
 
 327,381 5 5
 
 [4][3]
 Maine 212,538 16 16
 
 26,567 2 2
 
 [4][3]
 New Hampshire 210,635 16 16
 
 78,988 6 6
 
 [4][3]
 District of Columbia 84,241 14 14
 
 24,069 4 4
 
 [4][3]
 Oregon 498,040 13 13
 
 191,554 5 5
 
 [4][3]
 Washington 874,190 13 13
 
 336,227 5 5
 
 [4][3]
 Alaska 85,228 12 12
 
 35,512 5 5
 
 [4][3]
 California 4,470,475 12 12
 
 1,490,158 4 4
 
 [4][3]
 Connecticut 427,834 12 12
 
 178,264 5 5
 
 [4][3]
 Nevada 324,066 12 12
 
 135,028 5 5
 
 [4][3]
 Wisconsin 682,438 12 12
 
 170,610 3 3
 
 [4][3]
 New York 2,131,591 11 11
 
 968,905 5 5
 
 [4][3]
 Idaho 172,434 11 11
 
 31,352 2 2
 
 [4][3]
 New Mexico 226,510 11 11
 
 61,775 3 3
 
 [4][3]
 Rhode Island 115,782 11 11
 
 42,103 4 4
 
 [4][3]
 Arizona 639,202 10 10
 
 191,761 3 3
 
 [4][3]
 Colorado 502,920 10 10
 
 201,168 4 4
 
 [4][3]
 Florida 1,880,131 10 10
 
 564,039 3 3
 
 [4][3]
 Indiana 648,380 10 10
 
 194,514 3 3
 
 [4][3]
 Maryland 577,355 10 10
 
 173,207 3 3
 
 [4][3]
 Pennsylvania 1,270,238 10 10
 
 381,071 3 3
 
 [4][3]
 Hawaii 122,427 9 9
 
 27,206 2 2
 
 [4][3]
 Illinois 1,154,757 9 9
 
 384,919 3 3
 
 [4][3]
 Iowa 274,172 9 9
 
 121,854 4 4
 
 [4][3]
 Michigan 889,528 9 9
 
 296,509 3 3
 
 [4][3]
 Minnesota 477,353 9 9
 
 159,118 3 3
 
 [4][3]
 Nebraska 164,371 9 9
 
 18,263 1 1
 
 [4][3]
 United States 27,787,098 9 9
 
 9,571,112 3.1 3.1
 
 [4][3]
 Montana 79,153 8 8
 
 39,577 4 4
 
 [4][3]
 New Jersey 703,352 8 8
 
 175,838 2 2
 
 [4][3]
 North Dakota 53,807 8 8
 
 13,452 2 2
 
 [4][3]
 Utah 221,111 8 8
 
 82,917 3 3
 
 [4][3]
 Virginia 640,082 8 8
 
 160,020 2 2
 
 [4][3]
 Kentucky 303,756 7 7
 
 173,574 4 4
 
 [4][3]
 Delaware 62,855 7 7
 
 17,959 2 2
 
 [4][3]
 Kansas 199,718 7 7
 
 57,062 2 2
 
 [4][3]
 North Carolina 667,484 7 7
 
 190,710 2 2
 
 [4][3]
 Ohio 807,555 7 7
 
 230,730 2 2
 
 [4][3]
 South Dakota 56,993 7 7
 
 24,425 3 3
 
 [4][3]
 Georgia 581,259 6 6
 
 193,753 2 2
 
 [4][3]
 Louisiana 272,002 6 6
 
 90,667 2 2
 
 [4][3]
 Missouri 359,336 6 6
 
 119,779 2 2
 
 [4][3]
 Texas 1,508,734 6 6
 
 502,911 2 2
 
 [4][3]
 Wyoming 33,818 6 6
 
 16,909 3 3
 
 [4][3]
 South Carolina 231,268 5 5
 
 46,254 1 1
 
 [4][3]
 West Virginia 92,650 5 5
 
 18,530 1 1
 
 [4][3]
 Arkansas 116,637 4 4
 
 58,318 2 2
 
 [4][3]
 Mississippi 118,692 4 4
 
 29,673 1 1
 
 [4][3]
 Tennessee 190,383 3 3
 
 63,461 1 1
 
 [4][3]
 Alabama 95,595 2 2
 
 47,797 1 1
 
 [4][3]

Public officials

United States Representatives
PhotoNameStatePositionPartyTermSource
Pete StarkCaliforniaUnited States Representative from California's 8th district, 9th district, 13th districtDemocratic1973–2013[11]
Jared HuffmanCaliforniaUnited States Representative from California's 2nd districtDemocratic2013–present[12]
Barney FrankMassachusettsUnited States Representative from Massachusetts's 4th districtDemocratic1981–2013[13]

United States Senators
PhotoNameStatePositionPartyTermSource
Thomas GoreOklahomaUnited States Senator from OklahomaDemocratic1907–1921

1931, 1937

 [14]

Governors
PhotoNameStatePositionPartyTermSource
Culbert OlsonCalifornia29th Governor of CaliforniaDemocratic1939–1943[15]
Jesse VenturaMinnesota38th Governor of MinnesotaReform
(1998-2000)		Independence
(2000-2003)		1999–2003[16]

State legislators
PhotoNameStatePositionPartyTermSource
Timothy SmithNew HampshireNew Hampshire State RepresentativeDemocratic2012-Present[17]
Culbert OlsonCaliforniaCalifornia State SenatorDemocratic1934–1938[15]
Jared HuffmanCaliforniaCalifornia State Assembly, 2nd districtDemocratic2006–2012[12]
Sean FairclothMaineMaine Representative, 17th and 117th districts

Maine State Senator

 Democratic1992–1994
2002–2008
1994–1996
Barney FrankMassachusettsMassachusetts State Representative, 5th and 8th Suffolk districtsDemocratic1973–1981[13]
Ernie ChambersNebraskaNebraska State Senator, 11th districtIndependent1971–2009
2013–present		[18]
Lori Lipman BrownNevadaNevada State SenatorDemocratic1992–1994[19]
Andrew ZwickerNew JerseyNew Jersey General Assembly, 16th DistrictDemocratic2016–present[20]
Culbert OlsonUtahUtah State SenatorDemocratic1916–1920[15]

Mayors
PhotoNameStatePositionPartyTermSource
Jesse VenturaMinnesotaMayor of Brooklyn Park, MinnesotaIndependent1991–1995[16]
Rocky AndersonUtah33rd Mayor of Salt Lake City, UtahDemocratic2000–2008[21]

City councils
PhotoNameStatePositionPartyTermSource
Sean FairclothMaineChair of the City Council of BangorDemocratic2016–present
Cecil BothwellNorth CarolinaCity councilor of AshevilleDemocratic2009–2017

Political views
Rocky Anderson, founder of the Justice Party
Douglas Campbell, co-founder of the Godless Americans Political Action Committee
Emma Goldman, founder of anarcho-feminism
James P. Cannon, co-founder of the Communist League of America
Abbie Hoffman, co-founder of the Youth International Party
Richard B. Spencer, founder of the alt-right
Murray Rothbard, founder of anarcho-capitalism
Cenk Uygur, co-founder of the Justice Democrats

Views of atheists

A June–September 2014 Pew Research Center survey found that 69% of atheist Americans identity as Democratic or lean Democratic, 17% have no lean, 15% identify as Republican, 56% liberal, 29% moderate, 10% conservative, and 5% don't know. Among Americans who don't believe in god/gods, 65% identity as Democratic or lean Democratic, 17% have no lean, 18% identity as Republican, 50% liberal, 31% moderate, 13% conservative, and 6% don't know. That makes atheist and nonbelievers in god/gods Americans as belief groups to be the most politically liberal belief group in America and the least politically aligned belief group with Republicans and conservatism in the United States.[4]

Views about atheists

In 2014, a Pew survey found that 53% of Americans claimed they would be less likely to vote for a presidential candidate who was an atheist.[22]

Groups that include atheists

A October 2013 Public Religion Research Institute American Values Survey found 58% of American libertarians report they believe in a personal god, 25% believe god is an impersonal force in the universe, and 16% report that they do not believe in a god. It also found 73% of Americans who identify with the Tea Party report they believe in a personal god, 19% believe god is an impersonal force in the universe, and 6% report that they do not believe in a god. It also found 90% of white evangelical Protestants report they believe in a personal god, 8% believe god is an impersonal force in the universe, and less than 1% report that they do not believe in a god.[23]

List of atheist Americans
Main articles: List of atheist Americans and List of fictional atheists and agnostics

Organizations

See also

References
  1. "The Size of the U.S. and the World in 2016".
  2. Inc., Gallup (2007-06-08). "Religion".
  3. Bureau, U.S. Census. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  4. "Religious Landscape Study". Pew Research Center. 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  5. Hout, Michael; Smith, Tom (March 2015). "Fewer Americans Affiliate with Organized Religions, Belief and Practice Unchanged: Key Findings from the 2014 General Social Survey" (PDF). General Social Survey. NORC. The percentage answering 'no religion' was 21 percent in 2014, 20 percent in 2012, just 14 percent as recently as 2000, and only 8 percent in 1990." & "In 2014, 3 percent of Americans did not believe in God and 5 percent expressed an agnostic view; the comparable percentages were 2 percent and 4 percent in 1991. More people believed in a 'higher power' in 2014 (13%) than in 1991 (7%).
  6. "Not All Nonbelievers Call Themselves Atheists | Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project". Pewforum.org. 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2014-02-27.
  7. Kosmin, Barry; Keysar, Ariela (2009). "American Nones: The Profile of the No Religion Population" (PDF). Trinity Colloge.
  8. Gervais, Will M.; Najle, Maxine B. (2018). "How many atheists are there?". Social Psychological and Personality Science. 9: 3–10. doi:10.1177/1948550617707015.
  9. Resnick, Brian (13 April 2017). "How many American atheists are there really?". Vox. Vox Media. Vox Media. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  10. Zuckerman, Phil (2007), "Atheism: Contemporary Rates and Patterns", Cambridge Companion to Atheism, pp. 47–66, doi:10.1017/CCOL0521842700.004
  11. Stark called himself "a Unitarian who does not believe in a supreme being" and has been identified as an atheist. Rep. Stark applauded for atheist outlook: Believed to be first congressman to declare nontheism, Associated Press, March 13, 2007 (Accessed June 15, 2007)
  12. "lawmaker isn't sure that God exists. Now, he's finally decided to tell people".
  13. Wong, Curtis (2013-08-09). "Barney Frank's 'Pot-Smoking Atheist' Revelation Discussed On 'The Rubin Report'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
  14. "FFRF & Tulsa nontheists salute Gore as first atheist senator". September 7, 2010.
  15. The Hon. Atheist Governor: Culbert L. Olson Archived 2008-09-23 at the Wayback Machine
  16. "Jesse Ventura". NNDB.com. Retrieved 25 April 2012. Formerly a Lutheran, Ventura generally considers himself an atheist.
  17. ""Humanist PAC Marks Gains for Atheists and Freethinkers – and Hope for All Americans in Future Elections"". Freethought Equality. 2020. Retrieved Dec 20, 2020.
  18. Hammel, Paul. "Ernie Chambers targets 'so help me God' in oaths". Omaha World-Herald. Archived from the original on 4 September 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  19. ""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."" Joe Garofoli, 'Atheists hoping to assert rights in religious era', San Francisco Chronicle, February 20, 2006 (accessed June 16, 2008).
  20. "I'm an atheist, but I don't believe that science and religion are by definition incompatible." Andrew Zwicker, Reddit AMA, 13 May 2014 (accessed 9 November 2017).
  21. voterocky.org
  22. "For 2016 Hopefuls, Washington Experience Could Do More Harm than Good". Pew Research Center - U.S. Politics & Policy. 19 May 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  23. "In Search of Libertarians in America" (PDF).

Further reading
  • Casey Cep, "Without a Prayer: Why are Americans still uncomfortable with atheism?", The New Yorker, October 29, 2018, pp. 66–71. Discusses R. Laurence Moore and Isaac Kramnick, Godless Citizens in a Godly Republic: Atheists in American Public Life, Norton, 2018; and John Gray, Seven Types of Atheism, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2018, which defines "atheist" as "anyone with no use for a divine mind that has fashioned the world" (a category that includes nontheist religions with no creator god, such as Buddhism and Taoism).
  • Schmidt, Leigh Eric, Village Atheists: How America's Unbelievers Made Their Way in a Godly Nation, Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press, 2016.
  • Michael Shermer, "Silent No More: The rise of the atheists", Scientific American, vol. 318, no. 4 (April 2018), p. 77.
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