A Symbol for Atheism
Wednesday, May 25th, 2005UPDATE March 12, 2008: Since this entry has become my main source of visitors over the past few years I decided it was time that the Athterisk got its own domain. Visit http://athterisk.org for more up to date information and designs.
Was thinking today about religious symbols [brought to mind by the paraphernalia that people stick to / dangle inside their cars] and it occurred to me that I had no idea whether there was any kind of widely recognized symbol associated with atheism. I decided I must find out immediately [before I forgot all about it and watched an episode of Gilmore Girls instead]. A turned up surprisingly little, but the following seemed the most prevalent:
This is the [trademarked] symbol of the American Atheists, which I had never seen before, and if you visit their about page you can see a full-color version which might give you some idea of why I went to the trouble of reproducing it in black-and-white. It’s all science-y and stuff, and IMHO conveys completely the wrong message [“We will suppress the believers by harnessing the LIMITLESS POWER of the ATOM!” ].
This is a popular variant on the Jesus fish, and although the gag works for me it seems an inappropriate symbol for atheism in general. Still great for fans of evolution though [except maybe the Christian ones] and because it’s self explanatory I’d kind of like to see a few more of these on the back of cars.
It seems my original question is answered; there is no widely recognized symbol for atheism — or if there is, Google is being strangely coy with me tonight.
And so, for the record, even though it’s pointless, no one really cares, etc etc etc, here is my humble submission(s):
This is, of course, a [bold] Times New Roman asterisk, but I think it has many traits which would render it an ideal symbol for the godless:
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It is rotationally symmetrical, thereby privileging no single direction [actually it’s not quite rotationally symmetrical, see newer version below].
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The odd number of arms means that no one is in direct opposition to any other, discouraging overly simplistic binary interpretations [good/bad, love/fear etc].
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As a typographic element, it alludes to the significance of writing without being [too] language-specific.
- It is easy to reproduce, and easy to describe. If someone asked "what’s an atheist symbol?" you could describe it over the phone (why you would ever need to answer this question over the phone is hair).
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The asterisk is commonly employed to draw attention to things, so it is kind of anti-complacent.
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The asterisk is commonly used as a “wildcard”, capable of representing a multiplicity of real things, and so it evokes the unknown without invoking the unknowable.
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It can be seen as a stylized representation of the Big Bang — currently the most workable theory to describe the origin of the cosmos.
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It looks a bit like a little person reaching out for a hug. Very humanist.
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Five is a very human/natural number— 5 fingers, 5 toes, 5 senses, 5 major appendages. And from the Pixies song: "if man is 5, then the devil is 6, and god is 7"
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It also looks a little like a flower, and the pansy is considered a symbol of free thought. Marvel at how some of are vaguely asterisk shaped!
__________
UPDATE: Sunday, October 29, 2006 - 8:15 PM
Here’s an alternate version created from scratch for a slightly more "robust" symbol, less styled (and less proprietary) than the TNR asterisk above. Clicking on the symbol will open an SVG version which you can view at high resolution or open in a drawing program like Adobe Illustrator.
This one really is rotationally symmetrical (almost!), and constructed from a continuous curve (made of ten cubic segments)— the whole thing can be drawn in one fluid movement, a bit like the pattern from a spirograph. I prefer it because it is simpler and there is more harmony (?) and tension in this design.
Ultimately any symbol has to be able to survive being restyled to work best given a visual context, so with this second design I am merely attempting to provide a more neutral starting point.
BTW All designs from this page are free to copy and reuse however you see fit, although only for the last two can I guarantee that there are no copyright or trademark issues.
May 25th, 2005 at 7:59 am
I second the motion [well argued sir!].
I for one welcome our new Atheist Pansy Overlords!
*
May 25th, 2005 at 9:39 am
unfortunately Georgia and Verdana [two of the most popular web fonts] appear to feature asterisks with 6 arms rather than 5 :(
May 25th, 2005 at 9:20 pm
You got my vote!
May 26th, 2005 at 1:16 am
Yes, I prefer the asterix over the ‘official’ one.
It strikes me as odd that in the official one the ‘A’ in the centre is supposed to represent “the first letter of the country in which an affiliated group is located.”
Is it intended to be used only as a symbol for -American- atheists? In which case, why bother with the ‘A’? And if their intent is that other countries adopt the same design, then clearly their one letter system is not going to cut the mustard at a global atheist convention.
Go ASTERIX!
May 30th, 2005 at 12:17 am
Did I really twice refer to an asterisk as an asterix?
Please tell me you edited my comment as some sort of cruel joke…
May 30th, 2005 at 12:38 am
I was going to arks you about that— I thought you were the one making the joke ;)
May 30th, 2005 at 1:03 am
Yes. I was making a reference to everyone’s favorite indomitable gaul.
That must be what I was doing. How delightful of me!
May 30th, 2005 at 1:04 am
…with a capital ‘G’.
May 31st, 2005 at 5:14 pm
I hope to see a lot more asterisks on t-shirts starting now. I for one will be getting one as soon as I can.
And, thank you for providing.
It also looks like a starfish, and they say that if a leg is cut off a starfish, it grows a new starfish. That’s way cool, and inherently acephalous.
June 3rd, 2005 at 9:31 pm
I think it is going to take a long time and some sort of PR campaign before any of the asterisk symbol would be recognized outside the atheist community.
June 4th, 2005 at 1:38 pm
Indeed… I doubt there will ever be a widely recognized symbol, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
It’s a fun thought though ;)
October 5th, 2005 at 8:09 am
heh! GOOD IDEA!!! PROPS TO YOU!
im so using that on my art project ;)
December 24th, 2005 at 2:22 am
I have been a convinced atheist all my life (since I could think for myself that is). I say: This is indeed a very nice symbol, which has the potential for an international “crusade” (just teasing ;-] )
The “A” thingy doesn’t work, me being from Amsterdam and all…
Skip the T-shirt stuff. I’ll have it tattooed on my right shoulder this spring!
Will sent you a pic when it is done.
January 22nd, 2006 at 1:29 pm
Thanks for asking for comments. I’m not an atheist. However, an ‘outside’ opinion may be useful. When I first saw the symbol I automatically free associated ‘pentacle’. You know the pentacle; associated with wicca and paganism. Inverted a pentacle represents Satanism. I apologize if my comments come across as being negative. Obviously, the opinions of those who think alike on this issue are of most concern. Cheers.
January 22nd, 2006 at 9:20 pm
Good point, for some reason I hadn’t even thought about the various incarnations of the pentagram.
Interesting articles on pentagrams and here
May 28th, 2006 at 10:33 am
The in itself idea is not bad. Originally. But basically the symbol of atheism is already perceived as the image of atom, in the different variants, stylized and is not present. On site FOTW, the flag of atheists is represented as a flag of white color in logo amer. atheists without the letter “A”.
May 28th, 2006 at 11:21 am
FOTW link
I still think it’s too much an icon of the Atomic Age, evoking an Absolute Power of science. It says nothing of uncertainty, which is exactly what we must be willing to face if we are not to be tempted by the comforting embrace of belief.
October 23rd, 2006 at 5:54 am
I like your attempt. But as an atheist I also have views on symbols and flags as being just as devisive as religion so I dont think I would adorn it. I am a citizen of the Cosmos and happy to be so.
But I value your attempt and afterall I came looking for atheist symbols so maybe I just invalidated my own argument! God Bless
October 29th, 2006 at 10:09 am
[…] There is a tradition of using the pansy (pensée) as a symbol, but it isn’t exactly easy to render. The Invisible Pink Unicorn is cool, I think, but really just mocks silly beliefs. American Atheists has a trademarked symbol, a stylized atom, which really ought to be the symbol for Scientism or something, and I’d rather see a symbol that isn’t specific to just atheism. I ran across one site with a simple idea, which might work; I’d have to think about it. It’s an asterisk, which looks a tiny bit like a pansy, and has that open wildcard vibe to it. […]
October 29th, 2006 at 10:45 am
I had a similar idea in the past, for the atheist group i belonged but it didn’t get much support, because some people defended an adapted «Atom logo».
But i second your idea and will use it.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:14 am
Are you sure you are using a times new roman font? I have a linux version of the times new roman font that comes with the free microsoft font set, and the asterisk has a 6-tip simmetry…
October 29th, 2006 at 11:54 am
Did you try bold? In the TNR supplied with Windows, the non-bold asterisk has 6 arms and the bold has 5. Offhand the only other 5 pointed version is in Courier New (although there are probably others)
October 29th, 2006 at 12:58 pm
You are right. Bold does it. The problem seems to be in the drawing program i was using: Inkscape wich let’s you select bold, but then applies the normal font…
In Gimp you could directly choose the bold times new roman font.
My problem. Thanks for your attention
October 29th, 2006 at 1:01 pm
Could i sugest to make one of the «petals» a white one? It would reinforce the idea of the «one odd out» and at the same time be more similar to a pansy…
Although i like the simplicity of the asterisk.
October 29th, 2006 at 1:42 pm
Take a look:
http://www.opusathei.org/
October 29th, 2006 at 2:13 pm
I like it, very clean (nice layout in general). A new Wordpress install I see :)
October 29th, 2006 at 3:10 pm
I don’t think atheism needs a symbol. Stick a symbol on us, and the next thing you know, we’ll have a dogma and a hierarchy, and everything else that entails. And that’s exactly what happened with American Atheists, wasn’t it?
October 29th, 2006 at 3:33 pm
I think a lot of atheists feel that a symbol might be used to signify a positive message without a particular agenda— like the universally recognized peace symbol. A good symbol for atheism would remind people of the value of free and rational thought… trying to develop such a symbol is a fascinating mental exercise in itself.
I don’t think there’s too much danger of hierarchy dogma etc, because atheism is itself quite straightforward (and anti-doctrine) so being an active atheist really comes down to encouraging others to question their beliefs.
October 30th, 2006 at 9:46 am
It’s a question of territory. The wildcard is the perfect symbol for godless people(atheists, agnostics, etc), for it defines not a territory but those that are outside the territory.
It is modern,progrssive, simple and universal.
October 30th, 2006 at 9:55 am
Well put :)
October 30th, 2006 at 10:42 am
Any chance you could define the new symbol in a “LOGO” sort of way [obviously in some other application… like jujuscript for instance] to get around the asymmetry issues. It would also “formalize” the geometry of the design.
October 31st, 2006 at 1:23 pm
There’s The Brights movement, of course…
http://www.the-brights.net/
October 31st, 2006 at 11:39 pm
indeed there is…. but I think by calling themselves The Brights they have shot themselves in the foot a little, since it sounds too much like a club— sticking the definite article in the name implies something exclusive, and appropriating the word Bright makes them sound elitist.
I totally sympathize with their views but they are more a movement than a philosophy.
I think the search for an atheist/godless symbol is largely about finding something which can signify an outlook without indicating a particular affiliation.
November 3rd, 2006 at 5:20 am
I’ll also add that the semi-official ASCII symbol of Babylon 5 fandom is <*> (representing a jumpgate from the show), and Babylon 5 was created by Joe Straczynski, an atheist.
November 11th, 2006 at 9:42 am
love the symbol. im getting it in tattoo form on my hip :)
November 12th, 2006 at 12:07 am
That’s two tattoos promised now… I’m yet to see the photographic evidence from Lars :)
November 23rd, 2006 at 7:18 am
My favourite is the walking fish. I’ve found that humour is the best way to debunk this religeon stuff. Have you ever seen a zealot laugh?
November 30th, 2006 at 7:00 am
Well done. I’m up for the TNR asterisk. In fact, I may just start to adopt it. :)
December 13th, 2006 at 12:16 pm
wow this is pretty cool. i never thought that a symbol that looks like a flower could relate to atheism =)
December 16th, 2006 at 11:30 am
I’m going to get my asterisk tattoo on Winter Solstice - on my right wrist.
March 3rd, 2007 at 3:59 pm
I have just crossed over if you will, but even so here is an idea most likely already thought of- a solid black circle with a ? in the middle.
March 5th, 2007 at 11:35 am
Welcome to the other side :)
Question marks have featured pretty strongly in the suggestions I’ve seen, not sure why but they don’t do it for me.
March 10th, 2007 at 11:22 am
You might not believe in God (yet)… but He believes in you!
For agnostics, google “Pascals wager”. Believing is the “best bet”.
March 10th, 2007 at 11:56 am
Since there is ample evidence that I exist, it’s a lot easier to believe in me.
Pascal’s Wager is so lame… not only does it privilege a single God (of an infinite number of possibilities), it privileges a single God who doesn’t care that you’re playing the odds, and by all accounts should really smite thee for being a smart ass.
Show me the manna!
April 5th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
I cannot believe that someone is using the “Pascals wager”! If the remote possibility that ‘god’ is real…he frowns on you today. Talk about a religion based on fear. “I’ll believe in this as long as i don’t have to go to hell.”
April 26th, 2007 at 2:25 am
[…] etc, but what do atheists get? Well, "Nothing" might be the proper symbol, but look here, there’s a bunch of possibilities. Atheist, Humanist, Darwinist. BTW, the American Atheist (MM O’Hare) […]
May 6th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
I like the simplicity of the encircled letter ‘A’ (or ‘a’, though I think I’d prefer the capital one) just suggested, but I worry about it already having an established meaning. If it doesn’t (unlikely, I think), then let’s grab it! I’d also like to point out this symbol:
link
(In case that doesn’t work, it’s a stylized ‘A’ (upper-case) with an infinity sign (broken in places - I’m not sure why) in place of the horizontal line of the A.
For the record, I think centering a symbol for atheism on a drawing of an atom or Darwin’s name is not a good approach as it alludes to ‘God’ or gods filling some logical space which would demand a replacement in their absence. They do not. To me, one of the main (and beautifully simple) points about atheism is that there need be no alternative to ‘God’ or gods. There is no vacuum to be filled once the notion of their existence is removed. They are simply superfluous. Any scientific knowledge is a separate addition to this fact.
Further, people who believe in the supernatural are likely to see any reference to the natural (such as physics (the atom) or biology (evolution)) as completely impertinent to a discussion of faith.
Further again, most people are understandably unreceptive when they think they are being called stupid, and though I think people who believe in anything supernatural are completely wrong, it is not helpful to confront them with something about which they, in addition to thinking is beside the point (again, physics, biology, etc.), believe atheists may be trying to boast superior knowledge. It may be taken as ridicule of their ignorance. Let’s not aggravate the already terrible case of anti-intellectualism in society (more than we have to to effect change).
Referring, again, to the view of a believer in god(s) that knowledge about the natural is unrelated to knowledge about the supernatural, an atheist presenting details of the natural world could possibly be seen as someone who spends too much time thinking about the natural area vice the wholly separate supernatural one.
In communicating with people not already in our fold, I think the most effective bumper stickers and T-shirts are those that simply state that it is OK not to believe (religion as unnecessary), that demonstrate that religion or fear of God is not a prerequisite for morality or good conduct (again, religion as unnecessary), or that illustrate the damage that is done by religion (religion as a negative force). I think the design process for any symbol for atheism should involve all of these considerations.
Of course, the implications of using a given symbol are reduced dramatically by simply not mixing the symbol with the message. The circled ‘A’, for instance, does not lend itself to any criticism like that I level against the ‘A’ with the encircling electron orbits (unless you think of it as hydrogen lol) or the ‘Darwin’ fish-animal. I think the peace symbol is a great model in that respect. The correspondence between the symbol and the message need not be a logical leap (as with, for example, a picture of a crossed-out gun), but can simply be made and reinforced by including one with the other as often as possible. Include any drawing (here a simple collection of lines and curves, not a depiction of anything), originally meaningless by itself, beside discussions of an idea consistently enough and it will take on meaning. The association between the symbol and the idea will be forged, and the symbol will as defensible from criticism as the idea itself.
Of the symbols on this page, I think the asterisk is best because its baggage of intuitive meaning is the least. It is also nice that the symbol is graphically simple. That said, I think we should strive for a symbol that is completely original and that can be dedicated to and (eventually) clearly associated with our cause. Graphical simplicity wouldn’t hurt either. Consider what could be deemed our direct competition: the Christian fish, the Jewish star (almost an asterisk, by the way!), the Islamic crescent moon (though I’m not sure how much it is used), and the supremely simple cross!
Wow. It’s late.
I’m (at)hotmail if you want to write me. ;)
May 8th, 2007 at 1:09 am
this must be the longest thread by far on intepid. it’s all about semiotics and anti-biotics
May 15th, 2007 at 5:34 pm
i think the asterisk is good but most people expecially those who we are trying to get our message out to will be totally clueless about what the symbol means. Personally i dont’ want to have to explain to every person who walks by why i have an asterisk since they have not read up on symbolism and will not get it anyways.
July 13th, 2007 at 9:21 am
Years ago - before I knew I was an atheist - I drew my first (and only) tattoo based upon pondering infinity (second semester calculus in undergrad). It is comprised of four overlaid infinities, two large ones perpendicular to each other and then two small (also perpendicular to each other) at a 45 degree angle from the other two; it can be drawn in one fluid movement. People always think it’s an odd shaped flower. But your last drawing reminded of it a bit. I do like the idea of an odd number of “petals” though.
July 15th, 2007 at 11:09 am
I DONT BELIEVE IN GOD!!!! AND IM NOT A RELIGIOUS PERSON AT ALL!!!!
July 15th, 2007 at 11:10 am
SO WHAT WOULD YOU SAY I AM A ATHEIST??????
July 15th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
Yes CHANTEL I believe that makes you an atheist ;)
August 12th, 2007 at 3:53 am
nscan6, the A with the infinity symbol is cool looking, and would definitely work, but it looks more like the Greek uppercase letter Lambda, with a broken infinity symbol. Maybe if it were a finished A and a whole infinity symbol, it would look better.
_____
As for the asterisk, I like the idea, but I also noticed the pentagram, mentioned earlier, before I read the comments.
I have a tattoo of the Invisible Pink Unicorn on my arm, which is my favorite symbol for Atheism, because it is recognizable by Atheists, but most theists don’t have a clue what it is. One of these days, when I have enough guts, and someone is preaching to me, I’m going to raise my sleeve and say, “See that? That means I don’t care.” (a line from “American History X”) or “That means I don’t believe a thing you just said.”
September 8th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
Is it me or does the top arm seem longer than the others??
September 27th, 2007 at 2:23 am
I like the fact that its simple and nice looking, but isnt that Wallpaper magazine’s symbol? :P
September 27th, 2007 at 2:47 am
sort of but not quite… they uses a mouse cursor in place of one lobe, possibly in order to create a symbol they can trademark http://www.wallpaper.com/
October 5th, 2007 at 10:17 am
I really like the asterisk as a symbol for free thought and atheism. One suggestion would be to enclose the asterisk in a circle. The circle of life, a powerful symbol in its’ own right, which is part of the silly unicorn symbol. I have drawn it out and it looks good. So, what do think?
October 5th, 2007 at 10:35 am
I think any symbol used must be able to incorporate variants, but personally I prefer without the circle, since even a circle has mystical connotations (see buddhism, reincarnation etc)
October 10th, 2007 at 2:30 am
I have the perfect symbol for atheism: none at all. As an atheist I mean that sincerely. I mean, think about. Atheism is not a religion. That and you do a disservice to atheism when you try to limit to some dinky symbol.
October 10th, 2007 at 10:09 am
Dave– I understand what you’re saying, but if we don’t need a symbol, then maybe we don’t need a word, then maybe we don’t even need a “we”.
Atheism is not a religion but it cannot be defined without reference to religion. To say it doesn’t need a symbol is like saying that we need no symbol for zero– people got by without one for a long time but look how the concept of zero took off once there was a symbol for it :)
October 20th, 2007 at 11:57 pm
I really like the concept of the asterisk. They explanations are really informative and justified.
I read that people will associate this with such symbols as paganism and satansim but, unless I am largely misinformed, isn’t true satanism athiesm but slandered by the church back in the days of old?
I understand the opinions that athiesm shouldn’t be branded, lest we become what we don’t follow, but I think in a world where people feel the need to express what they believe upon others, having an asterisk on your forehead may start of silly (any tat would really), but would soon become the symbol for, “don’t bother me, sir, I’m not interested.”
Or I could be wrong.
You decide.
November 12th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
Personally, I’d try to stay away from anything that presented a language or alphabet barrier. In English, and probably all of the romantic languages, atheism starts with an “A”, and “Darwin” looks like it does, but I think it would be best not to make it language-specific at all. So personally I like the asterisk. Actually I prefer the second and third ones, because of their simplicity, and somehow the symbol seems more powerful and assertive, while also being associated with, as you said, the pansy.
If the asterisk were to be used, what would it be called? The “atheist asterisk”? I think that’s a bit odd, personally. It could be called the atheist pansy, or something… just throwing that out there.
Also, I agree with stevie here. And in that case the association with satanism might be not only justified but welcomed…
November 12th, 2007 at 9:23 pm
Hank Fox suggested calling it the mentis in this comment as part of a larger discussion (even longer than this one) which mostly ended up in a bunch of people failing to agree on anything.
I believe PZ (the host of that site) now uses the “scarlet letter” A in his sidebar, although this is more emblematic of a particular campaign than a philosophy.
November 12th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
At-the-risk of being facetious may I propose that the device be called an “athterisk”?
November 12th, 2007 at 11:41 pm
Oh man if you had suggested that back in 2005 we would have so nailed it :)
November 13th, 2007 at 12:57 am
i vote no-symbol.
it would be easy-to-print
it would be non-representative
it would be non-emotive
it would be anti-deity
it would not be subject to subjectivity.
anything else would be
deitiesque and incur subjectivity.
αθεοι
December 14th, 2007 at 6:23 am
to say “let’s not have any symbol for atheism at all” is naive at best. you’re in denial about how the human brain functions. if you do not broadcast your own symbol, someone else will impose one on you (an upside-down cross, a star of baphomet, etc.) symbols are how we communicate. if your world view entails a desire not to discuss it on any level, then fine. don’t call yourself an atheist then. however once you’re willing to claim the label you’ve already entered the world of semantics.
not being willing to adopt the label of atheist myself [i think my symbol would more accurately be “?”], i would not be so presumptuous as to impose my ideas for a symbol on those who are; but to say that the “purely scientific world view” eschews symbolism or symbology is patently absurd. how about these symbols: !@#$%^&+= and of course * and ? and all those wonderful special characters that i’m sure you are familiar with as scientists that you need to do equations. yes, those are symbols too, sometimes (gasp!) for things that cannot be heard, seen, tasted or smelled.
December 25th, 2007 at 11:53 am
I really like this idea for a symbol, and may well go for a tattoo too. Ill post a pic once I get it done.
Jo
December 25th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
It brings a smile to my face that this post gets such a comment on xmas day :)
January 22nd, 2008 at 4:55 am
Stupid… xP
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Hey, I know what you are but what am I?
January 24th, 2008 at 11:45 am
The AA atom symbol is only the symbol of American Atheists as a political organization, not of atheism in general. I’ve also seen other symbols used, such as the lightning bolt for freethought-atheism (the power of thought), which is my preferred symbol. The IPU symbol graces my car.
February 28th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
I now have a tattoo of a TNR asterisk on my back, just below my neck :) if there were a way (that I could’ve easily found) to contact you personally I’d have sent the picture.
February 28th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Ex-cellent! [tents fingers] My unholy army continues to grow! bwoohahaha!
February 28th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
I’m loving athterisk.org!
April 8th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
I’m down with it. Very cool.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Hmmmm…I have a strong spiritual (no religious) side, so atheism isn’t my gig, but my favorite thing about this idea is that you so eloquetly described your notion, supported it in a number of clearly thought out ways (back in 2005!), and people are still commenting on it today. What else have you thought out this well?
April 10th, 2008 at 10:59 am
I’d like to point out that I too have a strong spiritual side and it does not in any way conflict with my atheism.
My sense of the numinous does not include a god or anything supernatural simply because I have no evidence for such things.
My sense of wonder, awe and order in the universe is not diminished at all - in fact since finally realizing my atheist stance I have experienced an increase in my spirituality.
That the universe works without supernatural intervention is infinitely more awesome and empowering than any fairy story a human has created.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Asterisks are very practical. I am not. I like pretty things, so I’ll stick to my sun-moon thingymahoogie. The idea is awesome, though.
April 11th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Check “only sky”, my proposed symbol for atheism:
*o|-<(
April 12th, 2008 at 3:07 am
Not to be a dick, but why would I need a symbol to represent that I don’t believe in a supreme being?
Makes no sense at all.
April 30th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
well, the symbolism and meanings is too close to the symbolism of any religion.
however. I’ve actually been contemplating the idea of getting an asterisk tattoo, the one with 5 points, because i like the literary reference, implying that there is something more–to read further, and also because it looks like a star or flower. I do consider myself an Atheist and a realist, so this idea of an atheisk sort of actually works out well for me. Irregardless of my initial qualms about the whole symbolism thing. If it caught on, i suppose that’d be okay.
Also, i just found out that the Red Hot Chili Peppers use an astrisk as their symbol to represent anarchy. I am opposed to both the RHCP and Anarchy. So i was a little depressed to find this out. However, upon further investigation, i realized that they actually use an 8-point asterisk. Which looks very little like the 5 point one we see here. especially the times roman one with the rounded ends.
Interesting. Im glad to have come upon this site. it almost makes me want to go out and really get this tattoo.
April 30th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
“Atheist Pansy” sounds a tad insulting, don’t you agree?
Athterisk is much better.
May 1st, 2008 at 2:31 am
“Irregardless” is not a word.
May 1st, 2008 at 11:03 am
don’t ever believe these blindless beliefs.
if you believe in a religion defend it.
this isn’t a religion for starters.
May 3rd, 2008 at 3:10 am
I also noticed the pentagram in the red-gray line drawing version. I don’t think it’s a big deal as that’s not the symbol, the upright 5 part asterisk is.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:10 am
Good to see you have a site for the Atherisk. You should set yourself up in Zazzle or CafePress and make it available to those godless who resonate with it.
Also… Thank you for not lumping me with the “Yet more (mostly unknown, mostly terrible) symbols”. I really appreciate it. Some of them were inexcusably hideous.
*departs after first giving you the super-secret-atheist-secret handshake and putting on his fez*
;)
GT
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:11 am
…
Yes, I typoed my own name. ^^^
The shame of it…
August 29th, 2008 at 2:05 am
i like that… i’m thinking of getting this tattooed :) most of the other ones look like road signs… i must say i’m disappointed in the creativity of my fellow atheists :(
October 22nd, 2008 at 5:36 pm
I have always enjoyed the concept of the asterisk/star/anything with five symmetric protruding forms. I also like the explanation of how the asterisk can symbolize atheism. Someone said that they don’t think “we” need to have a “name” (i.e. atheist). I have TOTALLY thought about that before. I was like, “Well, hm. If you call me anything, call me sane.” Ok that is kind of mean to those who really take this kind of crap personally. But sometimes, that is the way I feel.