Secular Global Institute

Despite the fact that atheism is usually a huge taboo subject for mainstream media and general dinner-table talks, it recently became quite a comfortable stance for people as a way of life. However, a lot of closed-minded people still consider Atheists and non-believers to be evil, as they often compare them to the people like Adolf Hitler, saying that Hitler was an atheist and he did horrible things.

Even though religion is a big part of each culture, not everyone agrees with the idea that God exists. Some of them are stalwart atheists and they do not believe in any higher power, while others consider themselves as agnostic, which is just a sophisticated way of saying that they do not really know or care if there is a God. Here is the list of those celebrities who publicly admitted to be an Atheist.

1. Lance Armstrong

Lance said that if at the end of the day, there was indeed some Body or presence standing there to judge him, he hopes that he will be judged on whether he had lived a true life and not on whether he believed in a certain book or whether he had been baptized.

2. Angelina Jolie

When she was asked if there is a God, Angelina replied that for some people it is. However, she said that there does not need to be a God for her and that there is something in people that is spiritual, that is godlike. Jolie admitted that she does not feel like doing things just because people say things, but she also does not really know if it is better to just not believe in anything, either.

3. Brad Pitt

Brad admitted that he is probably 20% atheist and 80% agnostic.

4. Morgan Freeman

After being asked if he thinks that God was an invention, Freeman said: "Yes. Has anybody ever seen hard evidence? What we get is theories from our earlier prophets. Now, people who think that God invented us think that the Earth can't be more than 6,000 years old. So I guess it's a question of belief."

5. Billy Joel

"I still feel very much like an atheist in the religious aspects of things. But there are spiritual planes that I'm aware of that I don't know anything about and that I can't explain. That's why I think musicians are so revered and so important to our culture: We're the wizards, we sort of reveal a little bit of this extra-powerful communicative force."

6. Keira Knightley

"If only I wasn't an atheist, I could get away with anything. You'd just ask for forgiveness and then you'd be forgiven."

7. Kevin Bacon

"I think there is a puritanical wind that is blowing. I have never seen such a lack of separation between church and state in America, I don't believe in God, but if I did I would say that sex is a God-given right. Otherwise it's the end of our species."

8. Rodney Dangerfield

He was raised Jewish, but he turned Atheist and he admitted that in an interview with Howard Stern in May 2004.

9. Jodie Foster

"I'm an atheist. But I absolutely love religions and the rituals. Even though I don't believe in God. We celebrate pretty much every religion in our family with the kids. They love it, and when they say, Are we Jewish? or Are we Catholic? I say, Well, I'm not, but you can choose when you're 18. But isn't this fun that we do seders and the Advent calendar?"

10. Emma Thompson

Emma admitted to be an atheist and that she regards religion with fear and suspicion. She said that it is not enough to say that she does not believe in God, because she actually regards the system as distressing and she is offended by some of the things that are written in the Bible and the Koran and she refutes them.

11. Bruce Lee

He felt that anything that replaces the ways or beliefs of others in the place of teaching them how to cultivate their own, was a step in the wrong direction. Because of that, Bruce was opposed to the doctrines and the dogmas of organized religion.

12. John Malkovich

"I believe in people, I believe in humans, I believe in a car, but I don't believe something I can't have absolutely no evidence of for millennia. And it's funny, people think analysis or psychiatry is mad, and they go to church."

13. Jack Nicholson

"I don't believe in God now, but I can still work up an envy for someone who has a faith. I can see how that could be a deeply soothing experience."

14. Joe Rogan

Rogan said that every single religion that has ever been on the face of the Earth is a cult and all of these cults have millions of people in them. Furthermore, he added that they have a lot of really bad stories, which require more belief than an episode of I Dream of Jeannie.

15. Howard Stern

Stern admitted that he is sickened by all religions, because religion has divided people. He does not think that there is any difference between the pope wearing a large hat and parading around with a smoking purse and an African painting his face white and praying to a rock.

16. Julianne Moore

To the question if heaven exists, what would she like God to say at the pearly gates, Moore replied: "Well, I guess you were wrong. I do exist!"

17. Javier Bardem

Penelope Cruz's husband said: "I've always said I don't believe in God, I believe in Al Pacino."

18. Hugh Hefner

"When religion rather than reason dictates legislation, do not expect logic with your law."

19. Joaquin Phoenix

"I don't believe in god. I don't believe in an afterlife. I don't believe in soul. I don't believe in anything. I think it's totally right for people to have their own beliefs if it makes them happy, but to me it's a pretty preposterous idea."

20. Daniel Radcliffe

"I'm an atheist but I'm very relaxed about it. I don't preach my atheism but I have a huge amount of respect for people like Richard Dawkins who do."

21. Diane Keaton

She admitted to be an atheist in 2002 in an interview on the Oxygen network.

22. Björk

"I've got my own religion. Iceland sets a world-record. The United Nations asked people from all over the world a series of questions. Iceland stuck out on one thing. When we were asked what do we believe, 90% said, 'ourselves'. I think I'm in that group. If I get into trouble, there's no God or Allah to sort me out. I have to do it myself."

23. Marlon Brando

"While I do believe in god, I do not believe in the same way as others, so I would prefer not to swear on the bible."

24. Uma Thurman (she is an Agnostic)

"When asked if I consider myself Buddhist, the answer is that not really. But it's more my religion than any other because I was brought up with it in an intellectual and spiritual environment. I don't practice or preach it, however."

Even though many people love to claim that the U.S. was founded on Christian beliefs, they are quite mistaken. Benjamin Franklin was actually an Atheist and he said things like: "Lighthouses are more helpful than churches." Furthermore, Thomas Jefferson actually made his own bible and just left in the common sense lines, like be good to thy neighbor, etc. Despite the fact that Atheism is still quite a taboo subject, more and more celebrities are publicly admitting to be non-believers, without being afraid to lose their reputation.

By Janette Verdnik .. published inThe Guardian, UK