# Is there an Atheist symbol ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 4, 2003, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-atheist-symbol/211400 "2003-11-04T18:57:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rashak\_Mani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rashak\_Mani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rashak_Mani)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-atheist-symbol/211400/1 "2003-11-04T18:57:02Z")
So christians have the cross, the fish and other symbols… is there anything the atheists have ever used as their symbol ? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-atheist-symbol/211400/2 "2003-11-04T19:02:00Z")
A…blank page? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-atheist-symbol/211400/3 "2003-11-04T19:31:38Z")
Atheists, not being a coherent group, have no symbol. Some groups of atheists have symbols, but those groups don’t speak for all atheists and certainly don’t include all atheists. Atheism isn’t a religion. It’s a skepticism of religious claims. Trying to tie people together simply because of a skepticism of religion would be rather absurd. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-atheist-symbol/211400/4 "2003-11-04T19:49:12Z")
“Atheism” describes only what a person \*\*doesn’t \*\*believe, not what he \*\*does \*\*believe. Since there are many atheistic belief systems, there are many atheistic symbols. ---
**Author:** ![Rashak\_Mani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rashak\_Mani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rashak_Mani)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-atheist-symbol/211400/5 "2003-11-04T21:49:20Z")
hhmm… I like the darwin fish… any others ? ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-atheist-symbol/211400/6 "2003-11-04T22:00:00Z")
The [American Atheists](http://www.atheists.org/visitors.center/logo.html) group has made a logo for itself. It’s not a generic logo, though, it’s specific to that group. ---
**Author:** ![jmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dbc845/32.png) [@jmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jmonster)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-atheist-symbol/211400/7 "2003-11-04T22:08:42Z")
Symbols and signs are shortcuts for meaning into the human subconscious that bypass the rational and critical parts of the brain, so they are counterproductive to the atheist, since atheism is an exercise in shedding the mystical in favor of the rational. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-atheist-symbol/211400/8 "2003-11-04T22:27:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lynn Bodoni \* > \*\*The [American Atheists](http://www.atheists.org/visitors.center/logo.html) group has made a logo for itself. It’s not a generic logo, though, it’s specific to that group. \*\* Am I the only one who finds it weird that, in the Seasonal Card section of the American Atheist website, you can buy winter solstice cards, one of which includes the “Solstice deities”??? link: [https://lightning.he.net/~atheists/catalogue/shop/cat006.php](https://lightning.he.net/~atheists/catalogue/shop/cat006.php) ---
**Author:** ![alimarx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@alimarx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alimarx)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-atheist-symbol/211400/9 "2003-11-04T22:31:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rashak Mani \* > \*\*hhmm… I like the darwin fish… any others ? \*\* IIRC, the Darwin fish is actually an _evolutionist_ symbol. While most, if not all, atheists are evolutionists, not all religionists are creationists. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-atheist-symbol/211400/10 "2003-11-04T22:38:48Z")
Here’s the flag: [http://flagspot.net/flags/rel-ath.html](http://flagspot.net/flags/rel-ath.html) at least until somebody designs a good one ---
**Author:** ![Beltane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aca169/32.png) [@Beltane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beltane)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-atheist-symbol/211400/11 "2003-11-04T23:12:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jmonster \* > \*\*Symbols and signs are shortcuts for meaning into the human subconscious that bypass the rational and critical parts of the brain, so they are counterproductive to the atheist, since atheism is an exercise in shedding the mystical in favor of the rational. \*\* …ummm… I am not quite certain I would agree with that statement… or maybe the symbols you are using (called written words) are just too mystical for me. ---
**Author:** ![Rashak\_Mani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rashak\_Mani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rashak_Mani)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-atheist-symbol/211400/12 "2003-11-04T23:23:19Z")
Check out the Satanist flag… ugly looking… ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-atheist-symbol/211400/13 "2003-11-05T00:30:09Z")
I propose _pi_. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-atheist-symbol/211400/14 "2003-11-05T01:18:44Z")
**jmonster** wrote > [@](#): > > Symbols and signs are shortcuts for meaning into the human subconscious that bypass the rational and critical parts of the brain, so they are counterproductive to the atheist, since atheism is an exercise in shedding the mystical in favor of the rational. Not valid for me, and I propose not valid for most other atheists. Also not factual in a few ways. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-atheist-symbol/211400/15 "2003-11-05T01:27:44Z")
[Here is the atheist icon](http://www.angelfire.com/comics/mooreportal/manhattan.html). There can be no other. [Here is the symbol that will be used.](http://www3.telus.net/jeremygray/Media/Atom/Atom-Mark-Large.gif) ---
**Author:** ![WaryEri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ea666f/32.png) [@WaryEri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WaryEri)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-atheist-symbol/211400/16 "2003-11-05T01:57:12Z")
[She’s](http://www.invisiblepinkunicorn.com/download/ipulogoblack_small.gif) not exactly an atheist symbol, but I’d say atheists are alot more fond of her than theists. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-atheist-symbol/211400/17 "2003-11-05T02:54:13Z")
Can an atheist symbol repel a vampire? ---
**Author:** ![Race\_Bannon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Race\_Bannon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Race_Bannon)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-atheist-symbol/211400/18 "2003-11-05T02:55:14Z")
FWIW, if you’re a US veteran you can have a “belief symbol” on your headstone in a national cemetery. [Check this link](http://www.cem.va.gov/hmemb.htm) for a list. There is an atheist symbol that looks to me like the American Atheist’s logo. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-atheist-symbol/211400/19 "2003-11-05T03:24:56Z")
If atheists are going to agree on a symbol, I would suggest going for something that DOESN’T look like the symbol of a Star Trek fan club. ---
**Author:** ![LordVor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90ced4/32.png) [@LordVor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LordVor)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-atheist-symbol/211400/20 "2003-11-05T04:53:14Z")
What about that “cut out” that the Onion prints every year of the Easter Bunny hanging on the cross? -lv [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-atheist-symbol/211400.md?page=2)