REV. ART'S ATHEIST PIN-UPS!

TOM LEHRER - WRITER/SINGER/HUMORIST - MATHEMATICS PROF

From Celebrity Atheists 

Tom Lehrer is best known for his novelty songs, which range from the wacky "The Elements" (whose lyrics contain the names of all known elements in the Periodic Table) to such dark comedy numbers as "I Hold Your Hand In Mine" and "Poisoning Pigeons In The Park". He wrote and performed nearly all of his work during nine years at Harvard, but no longer performs.

From a June 1996 online interview:
Q: So do you consider yourself an atheist or an agnostic?

A: No one is more dangerous than someone who thinks he has The Truth. To be an atheist is almost as arrogant as to be a fundamentalist. But then again, I can get pretty arrogant.

Q: Are you not a fan of organized religion in general and are you a "spiritual" person?

A: To say that I am not a "fan" of organized religion is putting it mildly. My feeling about even disorganized religion is summed up in James Taylor's immortal line in "Sweet Baby James": "Maybe you can believe it if it helps you to sleep." I have no desire to promote secular insomnia.

As for being "spiritual," not in the New Age sense, certainly. I find enough mystery in mathematics to satisfy my spiritual needs. I think, for example, that pi is mysterious enough (don't get me started!) without having to worry about God. Or if pi isn't enough, how about fractals? or quantum mechanics?

MORE SONGS: THE VATICAN RAG * THE OLD DOPE DEALER...

ELLEN JOHNSON - PRESIDENT, AMERICAN ATHEISTS

Ellen Johnson has been active in the American Atheists organization since 1978. She describes herself as a "second-generation atheist" who has been an atheist all her life. Her educational background consists of Bachelor's Degrees in Environmental Studies and Political Science, and a Master's Degree in Political Science from The New School for Social Research^[1].

The American Atheists are a nationwide organization who defend civil rights for nonbelievers, work for the total separation of church and state, and address issues of First Amendment public policy in regards to religion. Johnson took over as president in 1995 after then-president and founder Madalyn Murray O'Hair went missing along with her son and granddaughter (they were later found to have been abducted and murdered by a former American Atheists employee).

In November 2002, Johnson announced the formation of the Godless Americans Political Action Committee (GAMPAC), a PAC to endorse political candidates who support the separation of church and state. She is the executive director of that organization.

Currently, Ellen is also the co-host for "The Atheist Viewpoint" television program, which is available "on dozens of cable systems throughout the nation and on the Internet." She has remained the co-host since 1994.

DIANE KEATON - OSCAR WINNING ACTOR-DIRECTOR

From before "Annie Hall" through all the collaborations with Woody Allen to "As Good As It Gets" - Diane Keaton has grown while retaining the smart, funny, off-center qualities that have endeared her to us.

From CelebAtheists

She laid out her atheism in great detail during a 2002 interview on the Oxygen cable network.

The submitter reports that the interviewer (Brenda Vaccaro?) looked uncomfortable during that segment and tried to soften for the viewers Diane's blatant, hardcore approach, but Keaton just ignored it.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON - ACTOR

Another HOTTT! little atheist actress? You bet ...

Celebrity Atheists

”I remember a weird audition when I was 10. I gave this great reading, but the woman stopped me and said, ‘Scarlett, do you accept Jesus as your savior?’

I was like, ‘I don’t know. My parents are atheists.’

She said, ‘Oh, really? So what does that make you?’ and I said, ‘Um, a 10-year-old?’” – actress Scarlett Johansson, quoted in the Plain Dealer, 24 March 2004

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From an interview in Hollywood Life Feb, 2004, page 54:

Q: I've gotten a lot of mirth out of Oscar acceptance speeches, especially in the past few years. Are you with me on this?

A: They can be so goofy, like the ones where they say, "I'd like to thank our Lord Jesus up above!" I'm like, "For the love of God, keep your mouth shut. That's why the world is so fucked up, because God is focusing solely on your career." And how about being "blessed"? Like you're an angel from on high? ... I promise you that in my "blessed" future, I won't thank my personal savior. I haven't even been saved yet. But I'll let you know when I find Him. Or Her.

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Katie Holmes may have fallen for it, but Tiny Tom Cruise's sci-fi seduction technique scared the bejeezus out of Scarlett Johansson, a source close to the actress says: Weeks before he began wooing his brainwashed bride-to-be, Cruise made repeated phone calls to the 19-year-old starlet, who was then set to co-star with him in Mission Impossible, imploring her to meet him at the Scientology Celebrity Center in L.A. But when the actress finally agreed, the supposedly professional get-together took an oddly spiritual turn.

"[Cruise] took me into this room, which was stifling hot, and was showing me all kinds of info about joining the church, Johansson told our source. The whole time he didn't even offer me a cookie!" Instead, he offered her dinner and a glimpse into the Twilight Zone.

After two hours of proselytizing, our source says Cruise opened a door to reveal a second room full of upper-level Scientologists who had been waiting to dine with the pair, at which point the cool-headed ingenue politely excused herself.

Soon after the meeting, Johansson dropped out of Mission Impossible III, reportedly due to scheduling conflicts...

PENN JILLETTE & TELLER - MAGICIANS-WRITERS-COMDEDIANS

Celeb Atheists

Penn is the loud half of Penn & Teller. They perform their irreverent magic act regularly in Las Vegas and major venues around the world.

Both are very outspoken about being atheists and skeptics. They use it as part of the act.

"Penn is such an ardent atheist he refuses to go to weddings" writes Joshua Quittner in a PJ profile in WIRED 2.09.

Back in 1996, a contributor reports that Penn wears his "Team Satan 666" shirt everywhere.

Penn was interviewed in The Onion (1999?):

[...]being pro-science is one of the oddest things you can do in show business. Which is very strange, because it was science that, oh, cured polio. I could list others--isn't that enough? [Laughs.] Oh, Western medicine doesn't work; I'm sorry, we cured polio. What more do you want? Your herbalism has done jack; we cured polio. And guess what? It cures polio even if you don't believe in it. We don't have it on Earth anymore. And then there's also small pox, and then there's mostly dysentery, and we haven't even gotten into the stuff we're good at, which is physics. We're not good at medicine; we're good at physics. We were good at physics in the 20th century; in the 21st century, one would hope, we'll be good at medicine. But we [Penn & Teller] are pro-science, and when you're pro-science, that means you're an atheist, by definition, because religion... No matter how much they put "10 Top Scientists Talk About Why They Believe In God" on the cover of TIME magazine, you kind of have to look and go, "How come these 10 top scientists are all teaching at community colleges?"

Penn recounts a 1998 appearance on Donny and Marie Osmond's syndicated talkshow: We were asked to do autographs for Donny and Marie. I wrote, "There is no god," and Teller wrote, "He's right."

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Teller is the non-speaking half of Penn & Teller. They perform their irreverent magic act regularly in Las Vegas and major venues around the world.

Both guys are very outspoken about being atheists and skeptics. They use it as part of the act.

Teller was interviewed for the Summer 1998 issue of the New England Skeptics Society newsletter. Here's an excerpt:

NEJS - [Chris Carter, creator of the X-Files] said something in this article I'd like you to respond to: "I asked [Penn & Teller] if they believed in God, and they said no. And I asked: Do any scientists believe in God? And they said: 'None of the important ones.' I just found that somehow, I don't know, very disturbing. I think that the need to believe is, in fact, even with the most hardened atheist. I think that there must be at some point in their lives a need to at least search for some kind of personal answers for existence itself." I thought that was very interesting -- as if atheists aren't looking for some kind of personal answers for existence itself.

Teller - Atheists do look for answers to existence itself. They just don't make them up.

NEJS - Well, what do you think about that comment -- the need to believe being with even the most hardened atheist?

Teller - I think he's wrong. I might qualify as the most hardened atheist, and I have not the slightest need to believe in stuff that is not in some way verifiable. I believe in art, mind you. I don't believe that art is supernatural. I think that beauty and humor are wonderful things, and quite important to us -- in fact, one of the major distinguishing features between us and some of the lesser species. My mother, who is 89 now, says "Oh, you know, I see these old people going to church, and I really envy them. It must be so consoling for them to be able to believe in that stuff." (Laughs) I think she genuinely envies people who are suckers in the sense that there are some things that might be a little easier to confront. It's not going to change her point of view, because it doesn't make any sense to her. It seems like nonsense. And it is! (Laughs)

You can find the full interview at The Ness

P&T have an extensive home on the web at http://www.pennandteller.com

ANGELINA JOLIE - ACTOR-ACTIVIST

In the September 6, 2000 edition of The Onion A.V. Club titled "Is There A God?", celebrities were asked the question. Jolie was among those asked.

The Onion: Is there a God?

Angelina Jolie: "Hmm... For some people. I hope so, for them. For the people who believe in it, I hope so. There doesn't need to be a God for me. There's something in people that's spiritual, that's godlike. I don't feel like doing things just because people say things, but I also don't really know if it's better to just not believe in anything, either."