Atheism Quote by Dan Brown
““The term ‘atheist,’ ” Kirsch continued, “should not even exist. No one ever needs to identify himself as a ‘nonastrologer’ or a ‘nonalchemist.’ We do not have words for people who doubt that Elvis is still alive, or for people who doubt that aliens traverse the galaxy only to molest cattle. Atheism is nothing more than the noises reasonable people make in the presence of unjustified religious beliefs.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: The Da Vinci Code Promotion, 2003
Atheism is a label for rational doubt of unfounded religious claims, similar to lacking a label for other absurd beliefs.
In simple terms: Atheism labels rational doubt of baseless religion.
Key Takeaway
Question labels that marginalize skeptics.
Themes
skepticism
religion
language
identity
logic
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- debates on religion
- science communication
- education
- media commentary
Key Concepts
philosophy of language
critical thinking
secularism
Questions to Reflect On
- Why do we need a term for non‑belief?
- How can language foster inclusive dialogue?
A Different Perspective
Labels can reinforce division rather than promote understanding.
![“I feel the gods are pretty dead, though I suppose I ought to know that however, to be somewhat more philosophical in the matter, if atheism means simply not being a theist, then of course I'm an atheist. [Letter to Max Otto]” quote by John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1bb/john-dewey-545_atheism_i-feel-the-gods-are-pretty-dead-though-i_1765425.jpg)
![“John Hodgson can describe Richard Dawkins's atheism as vacuous only because 'atheist' is a term which non-believers use purely as a polemical convenience when we have to define concisely what we don't believe [...]. No atheist is principally that. What we'd want to call ourselves is humanist or…” quote by David Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/df6/david-craig-23078_atheism_john-hodgson-can-describe-richard-dawkin_2552152.jpg)
