Log in / create account

Sandbox

The Sandbox is a place where you can quickly give us information about a famous nonbeliever and one of our editors will do the leg work necessary to have a listing on celebatheists. Some categories are listed below and we suggest you simply add your data into the first mish-mosh category below.

PLEASE HELP ADD THESE PEOPLE TO OUR MAIN LIST. HERE IS A PAGE ABOUT How to create a page.

Mish Mosh Sandbox - random data added by casual helpers

All mish-mosh data is currently categorized, please add yours here!

Greg Epstein is the current Humanist Chaplain at both Harvard and MIT.

As Humanist Chaplain he has instigated a number of initiatives, both on and off campus intended to promote humanist and secular approaches to major social issues such as climate change, civil rights, LGBT issues, and issues pertaining to technology and ethics. He is the author of the book, “Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe.”


https://chaplains.harvard.edu/people/greg-epstein https://archive.ttbook.org/book/transcript/transcript-greg-epstein-building-community-without-god

John McWhorter, famed linguist and academic, called himself an atheist when interviewed on Coleman Hughes' podcast "Conversations with Coleman" (episode #002) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPiNiTwf5bM

Heather Mac Donald, American political commentator and essayist, calls herself a "secular conservative" and has defended her position on "The Rubin Report" youtube show & podcast. Among other things, she had said "I base my conservatism on empirical truth" and "I don't think it's particularly stable to rest a set of political principles or moral principles on the basis of 'revealed wisdom'; that this Holy Book supports this." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGYrhd3qsSk

Russell Peters (comedian/actor)

"Peters doesn’t shy away from provocative subject matter....However, religion and politics are not part of [his] act. 'I am an atheist,' he says, but he doesn’t want to offend believers. 'And I know nothing about politics.'" - https://variety.com/2015/biz/spotlight/russell-peters-25-years-in-comedy-1201539908/

"He says he tends to avoid hot-button topics like religion, of which he is no fan. 'Too many people have too much religion in their lives,' Mr. Peters, an avowed atheist, said. 'You live your life, and I’ll live mine, and we’ll meet on the comedy grounds of culture and just being people.'"- https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/sep/17/russell-peters-avoids-religion-in-his-comedy-act/

"I'm more of a science guy than I am a beliefs guy. I'm more into facts than I am into beliefs." - http://www.ora.tv/larrykingnow/2014/8/6/lknpetersrussell004-0_5yhqhlfpfu7y (2014)


Playboy Interview with The Beatles (February 1965)

PLAYBOY: "You guys seem to be pretty irreverent characters. Are any of you churchgoers?"

JOHN: "No."

GEORGE: "No."

PAUL: "Not particularly. But we're not anti-religious. We probably seem anti-religious because of the fact that none of us believe in God."

JOHN: "If you say you don't believe in God, everybody assumes you're anti-religious, and you probably think that's what we mean by that. We're not quite sure 'what' we are, but I know that we're more agnostic than atheistic."

http://www.beatlesinterviews.org/db1965.02pl.beatles.html 

"The idea of God is the sole wrong for which I cannot forgive mankind." - Marquis de Sade

Atheist Patrick Stewart

http://www.tv3.ie/xpose/article/entertainment-news/188574/Atheist-Patrick-Stewart

John de Lancie - Openly Secular

https://youtu.be/-EjUahdJEY0

“I Was Always Skeptical”: An Interview with Star Trek’s John de Lancie http://thehumanist.com/features/interviews/i-was-always-skeptical-an-interview-with-star-treks-john-de-lancie


Science-fiction author Eric Flint self-proclaims his atheism (sorry if in contextualizing I'm quoting too much - to be trimmed-down if necessary):
"Any author—or publisher, or editor—who gets widely associated with a political viewpoint that generates a lot of passion will inevitably suffer a loss of attractiveness when it comes to getting nominated for awards—or just reader reviews. Somebody is bound to get angry at you and denigrate your work, and often enough urge others to do the same.
Does it happen to people who are strongly associated with the right? Yes, it does. But it also happens to people who are strongly associated in the public mind with the left. If you don’t believe me, all you have to do is read through Amazon reader reviews of my work and see how many “reviews” are obviously triggered off by someone’s outrage/indignation/umbrage at what they perceive as my political viewpoint and have little if anything to do with the book which is theoretically being “reviewed.”
Nor does it matter very much whether the assessment people have is accurate or not. To give an example which is germane to this issue, there is a wide perception among many people in fandom—the average reader-on-the-street could care less—that Baen Books is a slavering rightwing publisher. And never mind the inconvenient fact that the author who has had more books published through Baen Books than any other over the past twenty years is… (roll of drums) Me.
Who is today and has been throughout his adult life an avowed socialist (as well as an atheist), and hasn’t changed his basic opinions one whit. A fact which is well-known to Baen Books and has been well-known ever since my first conversation with Jim Baen almost twenty years ago, which was a two-hour discussion of politics. (The next day we talked about my novel which he was considering buying—and did buy, saying: “Well, I guess if John Campbell could get along with Mack Reynolds, I can get along with you.”) So why does Baen keep publishing me? For the same reason any sensible commercial publisher keeps publishing a given author. I sell well. Duh. This whole argument is just silly, and reflects the habit too many people have of seeing nefarious conspiracies everywhere they look, all of them aimed against them." --ParToutatis (talk) 04:41, 9 July 2015 (UTC)


Sorry if I'm doing this wrong, have never wiki'd before. Entertainer John Davidson has proclaimed his atheism: https://richarddawkins.net/2015/04/openly-secular-john-davidson/

When I get the chance, I'll add the following people:
- The famous environmentalist David Brower is someone to do some research on. "Put The Bible on the shelf for twenty years and read the Earth. It's a hell of a good show." (9:50) [1]
- Fran Lebowitz is an atheist. "I've been an atheist since I was about 7 years old. But I feel completely Jewish because here at least [in the States generally, and in New York specifically], or in the world really, it's also an ethnicity. You know, it shouldn't be really, but it is." [2]
- The late civil rights leader, James Baldwin, is cited as an atheist online and is definitely at least something close. [3]
- BIG FIND: Bhagat Singh, the Indian revolutionary who rivaled Gandhi in importance in the fight for Indian independence, was an atheist. In response to being accused of being an atheist out of vanity, Singh penned an essay entitled, "Why I am an Atheist." [4]
- Jose Mujica, former president of Uruguay, is an atheist. [http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-27476027 ]
- Michah White, the co-creator of the Occupy Movement and inventor of the "rolling jubilee" debt forgiveness tactic is an atheist. [5]
(update: in an email correspondence, when asked if he was an atheist, White responded, "No, I'm not. Secularism is too limited of a worldview." He will likely fit in the Ambiguous category. I know his upcoming book delves into spirituality, so it will offer more info to properly categorize him.) - Comedian Lee Camp is an atheist. On his show, he stated, "I'm not saying I support the church. I'm an atheist for God's sake. I mean, not "God's sake. But I'm just saying, Pope Francis seems more in line with Jesus' teachings than his predecessors, right?" [6] (14:54)
- Professional FOX News turd Greg Gutfeld was outed as an atheist by Penn Jillette: "Greg Gutfeld who is a buddy of mine. Greg Gutfeld who, after I do red eye, takes me out and we have steaks aftewards. A good buddy of mine that I write emails back and forth to. A good buddy of mine that we talk about our books with. A good buddy of mine WHO...DOES...NOT...BELIEVE IN GOD. Greg Gutfeld is there sucking God's dick to keep his job on The Five, because he makes some long green. He makes some serious, long green doing that show." [7] (0:27) Not sure if that's enough to throw him in the atheist category or not. - Political prisoner/journalist Barrett Brown is an atheist. Activist Robert Jensen is an atheist. I'll add citations later.
- Alex Honnold, the top "free solo" climber in the world, is an atheist. [8] (0:18)
- François Hollande, president of France, is an atheist. It's confirmed, but I forgot where I put my citation.
- José Mujica, president of Uruguay, is an atheist. Again, I'll cite this when I add him.

Brian Johnson of AC/DC - "I mean I’m aware of the fact that I’m not long for the world but, I’m just not afraid of death. I don’t believe in anything so I’m not afraid what’s gonna happen afterwards.”

http://metalhammer.teamrock.com/news/2015-04-16/malcolm-inspired-ac-dc-world-tour


Call The Midwife nuns are atheists https://www.list.co.uk/article/67214-call-the-midwife-nuns-are-atheists/

Actor Stellan Skarsgård Is an Atheist http://youtu.be/dQmcq3RIHog

21 November 2013

Carl Froch ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Froch ) is the current World Super-Middleweight boxing champion. On Wednesday 20th Nov 2013, an interview appeared in the UK's Guardian where Froch said he was an atheist... and also reads Richard Dawkins: http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/nov/20/carl-froch-george-groves-super-middleweight

Abby Martin, host of RT's "Breaking the Set", stated, "I mean I don't trust any religion/institutionalized religion, but especially one that makes me pay to get these secrets of "God" or whatever their interpretation of what God is." [9] (10:50) An additional quote by Abby Martin from an interview on 'Buzzsaw', where she is talking about the film 'Zeitgeist': "Zeitgeist was such a mindblowing movie. The religion thing was really a mindfuck for me. I never grew up religious, but it was also just, like, really awesome to see him break all that stuff down." (23:32) [10]

12/25/14: New York Times columnist Mark Bittman self-identified as a secular Jew and atheist in this column: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/25/opinion/an-atheists-christmas-dream.html?ref=todayspaper. He stated: "I’ve spent much of my life trying to ignore Christmas. As a secular Jew, an atheist and a progressive, my reasons are common. It’s a commercial, obnoxious, even dreaded holiday. But it’s not changing anytime soon and we should make the best of it. (Hanukkah, I might note, is no better, although it gives us an excuse to eat latkes.)"

1/19/15: W. C. Fields, the famous comedian of stage and screen, appears to have been an atheist. A line in the Wikipedia entry on him states that "Although Fields was an avowed atheist—who, according to James Curtis, "regarded all religions with the suspicion of a seasoned con man"—he yielded to Hattie's wish to have their son baptized." James Curtis is the author of "W.C. Fields: a Biography" (New York: A. Knopf, 2003).

Atheists and Agnostics ready to be added

PLEASE HELP ADD THE PEOPLE BELOW TO OUR MAIN LIST. HERE IS A PAGE ABOUT How to create a page.

An additional quote for David Attenborough article. I'll add it when I get the chance. - Jorge Regula [11]

Well chuff me, it turns out that Mother Teresa was an atheist! Even the catholic church isn't denying it. Quotes and citations are forthcoming from the old hag as and when the press (and vatican) release them.

See here for initial details:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20497111/site/newsweek/


More on Mother Teresa:

My conclusion: she was not really an atheist. --Lpetrich (talk) 09:56, 31 December 2020 (UTC)

Charles Clarke UK govt home secretary , just been sacked, big name in the labour party, quote staing his non-belief: From the Daily Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/03/22/nedu22.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/03/22/ixhome.html

Clarke opposes creation teaching By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent

Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, stepped into the controversy over creationism yesterday by declaring that he was "totally opposed" to the concept.

Mr Clarke, who said that he did not believe in God, insisted that science was the basis for progress and praised Charles Darwin as one of the greatest scientists in history."


Brannon Braga; Producer, Writer and Actor from Star Trek fame wrote this article: http://www.sidmennt.is/archives/2006/16/08/every_religion_has_a_mythology.php

Patricia Highsmith (1921-1995), Texas-born expatriate, author of such modernistic novels like Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley, and memorable short-story collections, Little Tales of Misogyny, The Black House and The Animal Lover's Book of Beastly Murder. More popular in Europe than in the United States, she eventually won praises by literary maestros like Graham Greene and Gore Vidal.

According to her biography, A Beautiful Shadow by Andrew Wilson, Patricia Highsmith had no faith in the after-life and loathed any form of organized religion. A good number of her stories and novels confirm such worldview.

In London, on 18 June 1988 she appeared in Channel 4's After Dark, a live and informal late-night show starting at 11.30 p.m. along with few other notable individuals to debate the question of how to survive a murder, including James Nelson, a minister in the Church of Scotland who had served nine years for the murder of his mother in 1969.

Central to the debate was also the question of absolution � was it possible to forgive the murderer? Highsmith's atheistic attitude stood in stark contrast to the strong Christianity of the Reverend James Nelson, who took the attitude that, ultimately, only God could forgive. "I'm not in such good touch with God as you", she said spikily. "When you say to me, 'It's only God [who can forgive],' how do I know God is going to even tell me?"

Katsuni - Adult Film Star --- She states on her Myspace that she Is an Atheist http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=77424151

Tim Kasher and Ted Stevens (the creative forces behind the rock band Cursive) describe themselves in a recent "Omaha Reader" article (http://www.timmcmahan.com/cursive4.htm) as an atheist and an agnostic, respectively. In addition, Conor Oberst (lead singer of Bright Eyes)'s University of Nebraska transcript identifies him as agnostic, presumably from a self-entered response on the ACT.

Could someone add David Draiman from the band Disturbed? (I Googled him, but couldn't find any quotes. If anyone has proof that Draiman is an atheist, your contribution would be greatly appreciated. - Jorge Regula)

Mike Burkett aka Fat Mike Lead singer and bassist for NOFX Bassist for Me First and the Gimme Gimmes

I couldn't find quotes outside of his music lyrics, such as these from "Happy Guy" "how could he Turn his back on on reason worshiping A God finding truth through fear and mind control" "Turned his back on free will - has he lost his mind? He'd rather kneel down than take charge of his life" "His hopes may be false but his happiness is real"

Robert Llewellyn

He is best known as the actor who plays Kryten on the tv show Red Dwarf and the co-host of the UK's "Scrapheap Challenge".

At the end of the program "who's got god's millions?", which was broadcast (as a repeat) on the UK's Channel 5 on 29th December 2008, Robert referred to himself "as an atheist".

Robson Green, British TV actor declares he is an atheist here:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/tv--radio/stranger-in-a-strange-land/2007/09/15/1189277038312.html?s_cid=rss_entertainment

George Nakhnikian -- Professor Emeritus Philosophy, Indiana University. Doubtful there are more than a few contemporary atheists more significant. [12]


Corey Taylor, Lead singer of the American heavy metal band Slipknot. Describes himself as a "vocal Atheist" while still having a deep belief in the supernatural and paranormal. He also states that he tries to figure out his experiences by using a scientific and mathematical point of view. Source: http://loudwire.com/corey-taylor-new-stone-sour-albums-favorite-childhood-swear-words-more/ (Skip to 5:40)

He has also been known to speak out against religion and has stated: "If there is a god, and that is a big "if", he is in each and every one of us" Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWNzV52y9VY

William "Bill" Chen, American poker player and software designer. Stated that he did not believe in god. Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klVVbMQSTd4


Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs and Steel. "religious supernatural beliefs are irrational, but emotionally plausible and satisfying. That’s why they’re so believable, despite at the same time being rationally implausible." source: http://www.salon.com/2013/01/13/jared_diamond_its_irrational_to_be_religious/

Vivian Campbell: Guitarist

http://blog.musicinsidermagazine.com/2012/11/vivian-campbell/ As bombs burst in Belfast nine miles away, an angry adolescent raged against the system. An atheist during the Catholic-Protestant separatist uprising, Vivian Campbell was trying to find his song. Armed with heavy-metal guitar defiance and lyrics of nonconformity that still hold true today

Facebook Post https://www.facebook.com/officialviviancampbell/posts/649838585041856

Frankly (and I know I've said this before), some of you just don't deserve me. You know who you are: When you have a picture of Jesus as your Facebook avatar, for example, that's a big clue that you shouldn't be following my page.

I've had enough of ignorance, and in my 50 years of life I've endured more than enough stupidity. I can't tolerate any more. I ask those of you who take offence at my tone to please just go away. There are plenty of other minor celebrities out there who would love to have you, I'm sure.

According to this article, Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator of Tarzan) called himself an atheist when speaking privately to his sons, and was outspokenly irreverent in general. He belongs at least on the 'Ambiguous' page: http://www.hillmanweb.com/reason/1434.html

Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård states on his imdb page: "I'm not religious or anything, but to me it's great fun and it's nice to have a lot of kids. They take care of each other." His son Alexander Skarsgård said in an interview that both of his parents are atheists. Youtube video of his interview with subtitles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Kms6pUKfdg

Mila Kunis stated in an interview with esquire that she in not a practicing Jew.(http://www.esquire.com/women/women-we-love/mila-kunis-video) warning slightly NSFW video might play in this link but it's the only version of the interview I could find.

Peter DeLuise, writer and director on Stargate: SG-1, may be an atheist. In December 2012 he tweeted Richard Dawkins (http://twitter.com/RealPDeLuise/status/282919114299813889/photo/1), saying "Sing it, Richard!" with a picture supporting atheism. Also, Stargate was known for criticizing organized religion and promoting freethinking.


It looks as though Carl Froch, current IBF Super-Middleweight boxing champion, may well be an atheist. An entry in his Twitter feed (in reply to an atheist fan) would seem Froch equates belief in God with that of belief in Santa:

http://twitter.com/Carl_Froch/status/257617852759154689


George Eliot (aka Mary Ann Evans) one of the most influential female writers of all time. http://www.jstor.org/pss/2871945 and quote: “God, Immortality, Duty … how inconceivable the first, how unbelievable the second, and yet how peremptory and absolute the third.”

Awaiting Quotes and Supporting Information

I'm fairly certain that most of the leaders of the "sextremist" feminist group FEMEN are atheists. Also, it's likely that some of the members of Pussy Riot who were imprisoned are also atheist. I'll look into this when I have a chance. Just leaving a note here for myself.

Ousmane Sembene, filmmaker director of Xala and Black Girl. Considered the father of African Film. encouraged secularism in Africa and lived in a house called "Galle Ceddo" meaning home of the unbeliever.

Jello Biafra isn't on the site, but he needs to be. He is extremely outspoken against religion and at least qualifies under Ambiguous, but more than likely would turn out to be an atheist, with a little bit of research. - Jorge Regula

Perhaps Walt Disney was an atheist. In this talk, A.C. Grayling mentions how Daniel Dennett just mentioned that Walt Disney was an atheist. Let's look into this! (at ~7:30) [13] (Jorge Regula: a cursory look into his life doesn't seem to reveal any atheism. However, if others have a quote which would prove otherwise, please post it! - Jorge Regula)


Charles Laughton Laughton may be an atheist, but I couldn't find the quote from his wife's biography which supposedly says so - Jorge Regula)

Vic Reeves was interviewed for Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. At the end he showed extreme displeasure at being allowed to take a copy of the bible 'You know where you can stick that' or some such, although I can't find any specific references.

March 13, 2011
Supposedly George C. Scott said that he did not believe in a God at all during a 60 Minutes interview, shortly before his 1999 death. If anybody has information on this and can get an exact quote, please do!

Dead Prez - In the song "Propaganda' by hip-hop duo Dead Prez, they rap, "Man made God outta ignorance and fear/If God made man then why the hell would he put us here?/I thought he's supposed to be all loving/The same God who let Hitler put Jews in the oven." I'm not all that familiar with the group, so I don't know which member to attribute this verse to. I'm trying to find out, but if anyone knows, please post it. [14]

Oscar Niemeyer's atheist citation should cite the source where he says he's an atheist: the documentary 'Urbanized', where he notes that it's strange that he's built so many churches, yet is an atheist. This is just a note to myself. I'll add the direct quote later. (Jorge Regula)


John Cleese's views need to be looked into. It's very evident from this video that he is staunchly against Christianity...or at least most forms of it. I'll bet he at least qualifies in the Ambiguous category. I'll look into this later. [15] (Jorge Regula)


October 17, 2012 - Niccolo Paganini wasn't an atheist, but should be looked into. He almost certainly would fit in with the ambiguous category. I haven't researched any of this, but I just have a general sense that he embraced all the rumors about him supposedly having sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his prodigious violin skills and he was dug up from Christian cemetery because they considered him so morally foul. I'll look into it when I get the chance. This is just a reminder. (Jorge Regula)


These people are listed as atheist elsewhere, and we should add them

If the name is red, we don't have an entry for it!

From PZ Myers's blog article on Susan Jacoby, this uncredited list of female nonbelievers:



Mitchell Stephens is working on a book, "Without Gods: Toward a History of Disbelief", and his Cast of Characters may also be useful as a starting point.




Jennifer Michael Hecht's book Doubt: A History may contain some more names.

I have discovered A Biographical Dictionary of Ancient, Medieval, and Modern Freethinkers by Joseph McCabe (1920)
It could be a useful resource in doing research, but it ought to be treated with caution; that list contains several deists, pantheists, and nominal believers.

Lists of atheists - Wikipedia - has several lists, like

Some rather complicated cases

Marianne Williamson

She seems "spiritual but not religious", and she's reportedly Oprah Winfrey's spiritual advisor.

What Is God? Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson and Other Leaders Give Their Definition (VIDEO) | HuffPost - "An all-encompassing love that is the source of all, the reality of all, and the being through which I am."

A RETURN TO LOVE: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles - Marianne Williamson

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”


Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Here are some selections about her and religion.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on her Catholic faith and the urgency of criminal justice reform | America Magazine - it's about giving ex-cons another chance, but it has language like "Innocence, in its mercy, partly excuses us from having to fully reckon with the spiritual gifts of forgiveness, grace and redemption at the heart of the Catechism: I believe in the forgiveness of sins." Language unlike most of the language that AOC has used in public before or since.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: The IN THE THICK Interview An Interview With Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Young Democratic Socialist Who Just Shocked the Establishment AOC Meets with Pine Ridge Delegation - YouTube AOC: After Standing Rock Protest I Prayed 'Lord, Do With Me What You Will' | RELEVANT Magazine Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Talks Winning Congressional Primary Election in New York Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Facebook Videos of Her Trip to Standing Rock Reveal Her Political Awakening | Time

In late 2016, AOC visited the Standing Rock protest camp to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline, an action she called a "spiritual" and "transformative" experience. From Elle magazine:

“I had actually just gotten off of camp at Standing Rock. I was there with the Lakota Sioux and all of the Native peoples that were really standing up to protect the water supply in the Midwestern United States,” she says. “That experience was very personally important and transformative, and I kind of left feeling like I had to do more, and I didn’t know what that was. When I got that call, I just felt like, 'OK, the universe is telling me something, so I’m going to listen.'"

Muslims in Congress host Ramadan feast - The Washington Post

At a Congressional Iftar (breaking-of-Ramadan-fast) dinner, AOC said "When Ilhan [Omar] prays, when I pray, when Rashida [Tlaib] prays, when Ayanna [Pressley] prays, when Jan Schakowsky prays, I believe those prayers all go to the same place — up." (Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib are both Muslims, Ayanna Pressley is a Baptist, and Jan Schakowsky is Jewish)

Ocasio-Cortez invokes Bible in response to White House on climate change | TheHill

Responding to Sarah Huckabee Sanders on how we should leave our planet's climate to "a higher authority", AOC quoted the Bible on why we ought to preserve it, then followed up by stating "You shouldn't need a Bible to tell you to protect our planet, but it does anyway." and giving the source for her Bible quotes.

A no-nonsense conversation between Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Kerry Washington

WASHINGTON: I remember reading an interview where you said you believe in working hard and leaving the rest up to the universe, that you didn’t even watch the polls as they were trickling in on election night. What is your connection to God and the universe?

OCASIO-CORTEZ: I really connect with Martin Luther King Jr.’s concept of a moral universe—the idea that we can operate within a moral framework and tap into something powerful. Growing up in a community that’s so diverse, I felt really blessed to see all the different ways that our community taps into that same idea. Among all of these faiths, there’s a shared faith that’s very powerful. So I didn’t watch the polls, because I knew that the best thing we could do is work as hard as we can for what is right and what is good.

THE SQUAD IS HERE! #OnOneWithAngelaRye LIVE Podcast at NAACP Town Hall - YouTube

To keep going in a struggle, AOC recommends doing some spiritual practice, like prayer or reading or contemplation or meditation.

MLK Now 2020 - YouTube

AOC had a wide-ranging conversation with Ta-Nehisi Coates, and at the end of it, she said that she does not have a plan for her life, that it's more like waiting to find out what the plan is. It could be living in a cabin in the wilderness. "I don't know what shape or or what form my life will take, and I don't impose a plan on it, because I have given it - myself, personally - in my context of things - I have given it to a higher power."

Ocasio-Cortez hits NRA after New Zealand shooting: 'What good are your thoughts and prayers?' | TheHill

At 1st I thought of saying, “Imagine being told your house of faith isn’t safe anymore.”

But I couldn’t say “imagine.”

Because of Charleston.

Pittsburgh.

Sutherland Springs.

What good are your thoughts & prayers when they don’t even keep the pews safe?

(“Thoughts and prayers” is reference to the NRA’s phrase used to deflect conversation away from policy change during tragedies. Not directed to PM Ardern, who I greatly admire.)

Conway responds to Ocasio-Cortez: 'I judge no one's faith' | TheHill

"On Easter I was away from tech visiting my grandmother in Puerto Rico, which continues to suffer from the White House’s incompetent disaster response," Ocasio-Cortez said on Twitter. "Are you trying to imply that I am less Christian? What was the point of you bringing this up on national TV?"

"You are using this as an excuse to stoke suspicion around my Christianity + faith life," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted later. "The Sri Lanka massacre was horrifying. No one should be targeted for their religion. If you’re so moved, let’s do more to welcome immigrants fleeing religious persecution."

AOC Calls Out GOP on Abortion Bans: "a creepy theological order led by a mad king."

To the GOP extremists trying to invoke “the unborn” to jail people for abortion:

Where are you on climate change? OH right, you want to burn fossil fuels til there’s hell on Earth.

If they were truthful about their motives, they’d be consistent in their principles. They’re not.

The GOP doesn’t care about babies at all - especially brown, black, or poor ones. If they did, they’d:

- cosponsor the Green New Deal or at LEAST have a real climate plan

- guarantee healthcare so ALL can get prenatal care

- not stand for the death+caging of babies on our border

What angers me about the GOP’s attempts to turn the United States into a far-right Christian theocracy is how dishonest they are about it.

At least be forthright about your desire to subvert and dismantle our democracy into a creepy theological order led by a mad king.

AOC Flips the Religious Freedom Argument on Its Head | NowThis - YouTube In a Congressional hearing on the Trump Administration and LGBTQ rights, AOC had a remarkable response. Calling herself a "woman of faith", she stated that if Jesus Christ himself showed up in Congress with his message of universal inclusion and rejection of great wealth, he would be "maligned" as a "radical". She then stated that, according to her "faith", all people are "sacred" and "holy", and that she's tired of "religious freedom" only being used to defend nastiness and bigotry. She also stated that everybody is equal in the eyes of the law, and also, according to her "faith", in the "eyes of the world". She then said that it is our responsibility to care for everybody.

AOC credits her Catholic faith for positions on health care, environment | National Catholic Reporter

The Gospel parable of the Good Samaritan and the biblical stories of healing inspire her view in support of universal health care. Care for the sick and healing is a biblical value, she said, all part of "the stories we were raised with."

... Her religious sense, she said, makes health care in particular a high priority. It has, she said, caused her to look at the issue in a way that some see as uncompromising. Many health care proposals, she said, take it for granted that millions of people, mostly poor, will remain without health coverage. She said that is unacceptable.

"The right to life is closely tied to caring for one another," she said. "So much of the good work we see is tied to healing in a physical and metaphysical sense. … [For that] reason I am insistent that every human being should have access to a doctor, every human being should be cared for."

... "We do know that the Earth is sacred. We do know it is a sacred gift. We have a responsibility to steward it and protect it," she said.

She described climate change as "fundamentally a moral issue" tied to concern for future generations. "Are we willing to make changes to our present lives to protect a future for our children and life on Earth?" she said. That concern for future generations is similar, she said, to Pope Francis' ongoing critique of short-sighted forms of capitalism and consumption.

... She said she had a strong encounter with faith issues during her college years, "I was trying to figure out the world and my place in it." She explained why her favorite biblical story is that of Jesus throwing out the money changers from the temple in a fit of rage.

"You see Christ as human," she said, noting how she appreciated that he lived "as a human being who could lose his temper."

In summary, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a rather complex figure. Is she a very liberal Christian? "Spiritual but not religious"? She'd qualify as "Heretic" or maybe "Ambiguous", I think.

People that have been in the Sandbox that have had data moved to the site:

If you posted a quote from one of these people, we thank you very much. Once we move a name to this area, it's because we've added the quote from the sandbox to the main site.


Arian Foster, Stephen Hawking, Chris Kluwe(this page needs help), Riley Reid, Frances Wright, Julian Assange,

Retrieved from "http://www.celebatheists.com/edit/index.php?title=Sandbox&oldid=8219"