Friendly Freethinker: All of Us are Atheists to Somebody

In classes I teach on Freethought and Religion, I often startle students with the factual claim that Christians are atheists. This isn’t some trick to upset participants or attack the faith of those who believe. I simply remind students that choosing to believe in any particular deity means choosing *not* to believe in a whole array of divinities. By definition, that choice makes you an atheist, at least to someone and somebody’s god.

We begin by considering what happened to the great philosopher Socrates centuries before Christianity was born. Socrates was tried and convicted in Athens after being accused of corrupting the youth (by teaching them to question tradition) and espousing atheism. The wise old philosopher was no atheist since he referred to “the god” and the divine word of the oracle at Delphi stating Socrates was the wisest of all people. Yet, in the context of his Athenian culture, he was judged an atheist.

Most students in my classes come from Christian or Jewish backgrounds, so I present a long list of deities in history; gods and goddesses worshipped by Greeks, Romans, Norse, indigenous cultures, as well as Hindu, Muslim and others. Then I ask the question: Who believes in any of these gods? Usually no one does. So I respond: “To each of these religious traditions, you are atheists.”

Many Romans looked upon early Christians as atheists since they didn’t accept Roman gods. Jesus of Nazareth may have been considered an atheist due to the fact he acted so familiar with the God of Israel, calling him “Father” and (according to some records) claiming he himself was God’s Son. Not only blasphemous but atheistic. The response may have been: “That sure isn’t OUR God!” His practice of breaking the rules made him not only an outcast and heretic but a serious threat to the Roman and Jewish religions of the day. His God was not the “right” God.

Centuries later, Muhammad emerged from a desert cave with a message from “The God” (“Allah”). This was deeply offensive to Arabian tribes who practiced polytheism—the belief there are many divinities in the world. Sound familiar? Seems somewhat similar to what Socrates stood for, and died for.

The often forgotten American founder Thomas Paine wrote that Christianity was a form of atheism. He argued that restricting the Creator of the Universe to one book (the Bible), the doctrines of a religion, or one divine man, was disrespectful to the Almighty. Later, Paine himself was accused of being an atheist, though, when any open minded person reads his writings, they can’t miss his rational Deism. But of course, that theological viewpoint is not considered “orthodox” (correct belief) by traditionalists.

Through many ages of history, the worst thing a person could be called was an “infidel”—a person outside the faith. Which faith? The dominant faith. Heretics—or those who chose to hold different, un-orthodox beliefs—might be tolerated by some, persecuted or prosecuted by others. Whoever held power, especially political and religious power, sought to silence these freethinkers; they were too dangerous to the established worldview.

Christians are obviously believers in a divine being they call God, Lord, Christ. To believers, this is the one and only God and there can be no other. What many don’t stop to consider is that nearly every other faith in the world thinks their God is the only one that exists (or their many gods are the only divine beings). When religion gets drawn into competition, these beliefs and those gods come into conflict; not only in religious wars, but more personal family fractures or cultural clashes. Atheist versus atheist. Who’s God is real, the best, the One to serve?

Is there a solution to the battle of the gods? I would suggest the first step is to practice a degree of humility. Rather than fight over faiths or judge others atheists or infidels, why not admit there are many and various opinions on these matters. When believers can let down their guard (their swords and shields) long enough to listen and learn from others who are just as sincere, it doesn’t mean they have to drop their faith. Understanding another person and their views on the divine may actually deepen one’s convictions, yet with the added benefit of a wider and more curious outlook.

If you believe in God, which one do you choose? Is your choice better than someone else’s? What if “God” is Nature, or a Creative Force that encompasses all believers and all beliefs? That may be a bridge too far for some, yet perhaps this would invite more thinking, building more relationships with those with different perspectives, and may even lead to something greater than religion or atheism.

Chris Highland

2026