# Who are the world's wealthiest atheists? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 24, 2012, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-worlds-wealthiest-atheists/623008 "2012-05-24T21:28:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-worlds-wealthiest-atheists/623008/1 "2012-05-24T21:28:36Z")
I’m asking about self-proclaimed atheists that are public about their lack of belief in god. My theory is that most people who claim to believe in god have a “just in case” mentality, either consciously or subconsciously. Thus, the very wealthy or very poor tend to be more religious. The wealthy have something to protect so they “believe” just in case there is a god who can take everything away. The poor “believe” just in case a god exists, who may pull them out of poverty. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-worlds-wealthiest-atheists/623008/2 "2012-05-24T21:47:58Z")
Based on [this Wikipedia list](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nontheists_%28miscellaneous%29#Business), I’ll suggest Mark Zuckerberg, whose Facebook stock is worth about $16 billion. Any atheists richer than that? ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-worlds-wealthiest-atheists/623008/3 "2012-05-24T21:48:40Z")
“Zuckerberg was born in 1984 in White Plains, New York. He is the son of Karen (née Kempner), a psychiatrist, and Edward Zuckerberg, a dentist. He and his three sisters, Randi, Donna, and Arielle, were brought up in Dobbs Ferry, New York. Zuckerberg was raised Jewish, had his bar mitzvah when he turned and has since described himself as an atheist.” > **[Mark Zuckerberg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Zuckerberg)** > > Mark Elliot Zuckerberg (/ˈzʌkərbɜːrɡ/; born (1984-05-14)May 14, 1984), also known colloquially as Zuck, is an American business magnate, computer programmer, internet entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is known for co-founding the social media website Facebook and its parent company Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook, Inc.), of which he is the executive chairman, chief executive officer, and controlling shareholder. > Zuckerberg attended Harvard University, where he launched Facebook in Febru... ETA: Too slow! ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-worlds-wealthiest-atheists/623008/4 "2012-05-24T21:50:00Z")
Looks like George Soros is worth $22 billion. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-worlds-wealthiest-atheists/623008/5 "2012-05-24T21:51:42Z")
Per [this Wikipedia reference](http://archive.theamericanview.com/index.php?id=649), both Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are agnostics. Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-worlds-wealthiest-atheists/623008/6 "2012-05-24T21:54:07Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Per [this Wikipedia reference](http://archive.theamericanview.com/index.php?id=649), both Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are agnostics. Does that count? I think self-proclaimed agnostics would count for this discussion. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-worlds-wealthiest-atheists/623008/7 "2012-05-24T22:28:01Z")
As I always say (or sometimes say, anyway); “If you want to know what God thinks of Money, just look at who he gives it to.”