Quotes From Famous Atheists

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By Douglas Adams: Question was are you a radical Atheist? his answer was:

I think I use the term radical rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as Atheist, some people will say, Don’t you mean Agnostic? I have to reply that I really do mean Atheist."...I really do mean Atheist. I really do not believe that there is a god - in fact I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one. It's easier to say that I am a radical Atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal, and that it's an opinion I hold seriously. It's funny how many people are genuinely surprised to hear a view expressed so strongly.

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James Dewey Watson (1928-) is, along with Francis Crick, a co-discoverer of the structure of the molecule of heredity, the DNA molecule. The two won a Nobel Prize for that discovery in 1962.
Watson said: "I don't think we're for anything, we're just products of evolution. You can say 'Gee, your life must be pretty bleak if you don't think there's a purpose' but I'm anticipating a good lunch." Later, Dawkins asked if Watson knew many religious scientists: "Virtually none. Occasionally I meet them and I'm a bit embarrassed (laugh) because I can't believe that anyone accepts truth by revelation."

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Belief in God childish, Jews not chosen people: Einstein[/FONT]

May 14, 2008 - 7:00AM
Source: ABC

Albert Einstein described belief in God as 'childish superstition' and said Jews were not the chosen people, in a letter to be sold in London this week, an auctioneer said
The father of relativity, whose previously known views on religion have been more ambivalent and fuelled much discussion, made the comments in response to a philosopher in 1954
As a Jew himself, Einstein said he had a great affinity with Jewish people but said they 'have no different quality for me than all other people.'
word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish.
'No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this,' he wrote in the letter written on January 3, 1954 to the philosopher Eric Gutkind, cited by The Guardian newspaper.
The German-language letter is being sold Thursday by Bloomsbury Auctions in Mayfair, London, after being in a private collection for more than 50 years, said the auction house's managing director Rupert Powell.
In it the renowned scientist, who declined an invitation to become Israel's second president, rejected the idea that the Jews are God's chosen people.
'For me the Jewish religion like all others is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions,' he said.
'And the Jewish people to whom I gladly belong and with whose mentality I have a deep affinity have no different quality for me than all other people.'
And he added: 'As far as my experience goes, although they are protected from the worst cancers by a lack of power. Otherwise I cannot see anything 'chosen' about them.
Previously the great scientist's comments on religion - such as 'Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind' - have been the subject of much debate, used notably to back up arguments in favour of faith.
Mr Powell said the letter being sold this week gave a clear reflection of Einstein's real thoughts on the subject. 'He's fairly unequivocal as to what he's saying. There's no beating about the bush,' he said.

I suppose deluded morons have been around for thousands of years & enlightened people from Darwins' era only a couple of hundred, so its an obvious life but inevitable that religion will have its death. If we patiently spread the word with integrity, humanity may escape a mega religious war. Cheers to all Tpot athiests.

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Steven Weinberg is a a winner of 1979 Nobel Prize for developing the theory of electo-weak unification along with Abdus Salam and Sheldon Glashow.
In his 1977 book The First Three Minutes he had written "the more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it seems pointless." Later, in Dreams of a Final Theory he takes strong issue with the notion that one can hope to find God in the laws of nature. He elaborates on his earlier statement and goes on to argue that "The more we refine our understanding of God to make the concept plausible, the more it seems pointless." He also goes on to attack both religious conservatism and religious liberalism. He criticizes the former for standing in the way of scientific inquiry while he criticizes the latter for reducing theology to vacuousness in attempting to reconcile religion with science.

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Jack Kevorkian:
"I don't call it a 'law.' It is the arbitrary codification of an edict, for the sole benefit of a barbaric religious clique." (February 21, 1993 carried by the Associated Press, commenting on the Michigan law passed specifically to stop him)
"Those now in control of society's destiny are against my proposals simply because they cannot escape some 'eternal truths' of religion or of their own rigid and unreflexive opinions." (his 1991 book "Prescription: Medicide," page 172)
In discussing capital punishment: "Even the various gods invented by humankind to help face the terrifying unknowns of existence are in favor of the ultimate penalty.... Yahweh and Allah have condemned and executed millions guilty of the capital crime of lacking faith." (page 66 of his book)
At a National Press Club Luncheon on July 29, 1996, Jack Kevorkian stated "I'm basically an agnostic."
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At a (December 1998?) news conference, Kevorkian was asked by a reporter "What religion are you?" His reply was "I'm agnostic, what difference does is make?"

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Ted Turner, born Robert Edward Turner III, founder of CNN and TBS, was named 'Humanist of the Year' in 1989.
At a baseball news conference on March 29, 1997, Turner called the Heaven's Gate mass suicide in California "a good way to get rid of a few nuts."
He then tried to look on the bright side: "You know, 29 people, 39 people committed suicide to go up to the comet. Well, what about the other six billion that didn't, you know? That's a small percentage, 39 out of six billion," he said. "That comet does look good. I've been looking at it. I would kinda to go up there myself. I mean, is it that much different from other religions that say you're going to heaven?"