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{{short description|None}}
{{distinguish|List of atheists}}


'''For lists of atheists who converted to Christianity, Islam, or Judaism see the following links:''' For lists of atheists who converted to Christianity, Islam, or Judaism see the following links:


*] *]
*] *]
*] *]


'''All other former atheists and agnostics that have been listed so far are below.''' All other former atheists and agnostics that have been listed so far are below.


== Former atheists == == Former atheists ==


=== Atheists who converted to Christianity === === Atheists who converted to Hinduism ===
* ] - American actor. Cameron was an atheist in his early teens. When he was 17, during the height of his career on Growing Pains, he became a born-again Christian.
* ] - Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at ], director and also the founder of the ] Research Group at the ], co-director of the Things That Think Consortium,<ref name="media lab">{{cite web|url=http://www.media.mit.edu/people/bio_picard.html|title=Media Lab Faculty Biography|publisher=]|accessdate=2008-05-05}}</ref> and co-founder of startups ]<ref name="cnet-sb13">{{cite news | url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57567241-93/building-better-super-bowl-ads-by-watching-you-watch-them/ | title=Building better Super Bowl ads by watching you watch them | work=] | date=February 2, 2013 | accessdate=February 3, 2013 | author=Kerstetter, Jim}}</ref> and Empatica
* ] - Canadian astrophysicist, Christian apologist, and old earth creationist.
* ] - Northern Irish scientist, theologian, priest, intellectual historian and Christian apologist.
* ] - American physician-geneticist noted for his discoveries of disease genes and his leadership of the Human Genome Project. He is director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
* ] - ] surgeon and biologist who was awarded the ] in 1912.<ref name="Alexis Carrel 1939">Alexis Carrel, ''The Voyage to Lourdes'' (New York, Harper & Row, 1939).</ref>
* ] - American Christian Apologetic author. He has written several books, including four which received ]s (1994, 1999, 2001, 2005)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecpa.org/christianbookawards/gm1994.php |title=1994 Gold Medallion Book Awards Winners – Missions/Evangelism |accessdate=2008-10-28 |deadurl=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071102231822/http://www.ecpa.org/christianbookawards/gm1994.php |archivedate=November 2, 2007 |df= }}. ecpa.org</ref> and a series which addresses challenges to a ] view of Christianity.<ref>{{cite news|last=Smith|first=Lisa|title=Author digs deeper to defend Christianity|url=http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=36131|publisher=]|date=September 12, 2007|accessdate=2007-11-05|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070922210241/http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=36131|archivedate=September 22, 2007}}</ref>
* ] - Russian novelist, historian. He was awarded the ] in 1970.<ref>O'Neil, Patrick M. (2004) ''Great world writers: 20th century'', p. 1400. Marshall Cavendish, {{ISBN|0-7614-7478-1}}</ref>
*] - current President of the ].
* ] - ], ] writer, ] and ]. He was awarded the ], and in 1980 the ].<ref name="Haven, Cynthia L. 2006, p. 145">Haven, Cynthia L., "'A Sacred Vision': An Interview with Czesław Miłosz", in Haven, Cynthia L. (ed.), ''Czesław Miłosz: Conversations''. University Press of Mississippi, 2006, p. 145.</ref>
* ] - Oxford Scholar http://cslewis.drzeus.net/bio/ and 'Surprised by Joy: The shape of my life' Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1966
* ]
* ]


⚫ * ] - became a believer in ] – astronomer and telescope designer<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astronomy/dobson_astronomer_000507.html |publisher=space.com |title=John Dobson: Amateur Astronomy's Revolutionary |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060409214808/http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astronomy/dobson_astronomer_000507.html |archivedate=2006-04-09 }}</ref><ref></ref>
=== Atheists who converted to Hinduism ===
* ] - ], ] and ]<ref>Besant, Annie. <u>The Building of the Kosmos and Other Lectures: Delivered at the Eighteenth</u>. The Path, 1894.</ref>
⚫ * ] - became a believer in ] – astronomer and telescope designer<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astronomy/dobson_astronomer_000507.html |publisher=space.com |title=John Dobson: Amateur Astronomy's Revolutionary |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060409214808/http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astronomy/dobson_astronomer_000507.html |archivedate=2006-04-09 |df= }}</ref><ref></ref>
* ] - ]n commentator, ] and ] activist<ref name="HIBAH 1">Goel, Sita Ram, {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930184355/http://voiceofdharma.com/books/hibh/ch1.htm |date=2007-09-30 }}</ref> * ] - ]n commentator, ] and ] activist<ref name="HIBAH 1">Goel, Sita Ram, {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930184355/http://voiceofdharma.com/books/hibh/ch1.htm |date=2007-09-30 }}</ref>
* Revathi Thirunal Rama Varma Raja - titular head of ], considered to be the post of the father of Lord ], and retired Government Servant. Was a devout Hindu until his early teens. Later became a strong atheist and a follower of ]. But finally, he reverted to Hinduism in his old age. He says that it was a serious accident which turned him to be a Hindu.


=== Atheists who became an unspecified/uncertain form of theism or deism === === Atheists who became an unspecified/uncertain form of theism or deism ===
* ] - ], ], teaching physician. Author of ''Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife''. * ] - ], ], teaching physician. Author of ''Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife''{{Citation needed|date=September 2018}}
*] former president of Mexico who was an atheist but became a ] later in life. *] former president of Mexico who was an atheist but became a ] later in life{{Citation needed|date=September 2018}}
*] - Australian author of ] who was raised atheist but converted to Catholicism and then explored other theologies.<ref>.</ref><ref></ref> *] - Australian co-author of '']'' who was raised atheist but converted to Catholicism and then explored other theologies.<ref>.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20717523-5003900,00.html |title=The Australian |access-date=2007-10-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090919171625/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20717523-5003900,00.html |archive-date=2009-09-19 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*] - philosopher and respected atheist thinker of the 20th century, became a ].<ref> Quote: "What I was converted to was the existence of an Aristotelian God, and Aristotle's God had no interest in human affairs at all."</ref> *] - philosopher and respected atheist thinker of the 20th century, became a ].<ref> Quote: "What I was converted to was the existence of an Aristotelian God, and Aristotle's God had no interest in human affairs at all."</ref>
*] - ] philosopher and ] who first influenced ] in his criticism of religion, but who later tried to combine the ] of ] with ].<ref></ref> *] - ] philosopher and ] who first influenced ] in his criticism of religion, but who later tried to combine the ] of ] with ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://assets.cambridge.org/97805213/87569/frontmatter/9780521387569_frontmatter.pdf |title=Moses Hess: The Holy History of Mankind and other writings |access-date=2013-08-07 |archive-date=2023-05-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230513170333/https://assets.cambridge.org/97805213/87569/frontmatter/9780521387569_frontmatter.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*] - Canadian ], former atheist and former ], ambiguous beliefs<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peterson |first=Jordan |date=April 4, 2022 |title=Speech About Religion and The Bible {{!}} I'm NOT an ATHEIST |url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XrXU-JJ8d-E |access-date=June 4, 2024 |website=YouTube |quote=I'm not an atheist, anymore. Because I don't look at the world that way anymore. I'm not a materialist anymore. I don't think the world's made out of matter. I think it's made out of what matters. It's made out of meaning.}}</ref><ref name="Lott-Peterson-2017-vid">{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIB05YeMiW8 |title=Am I Christian? – Timothy Lott and Jordan B. Peterson |date=1 August 2017 |medium=video |access-date=22 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015033154/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIB05YeMiW8 |archive-date=15 October 2017 |url-status=live |via=YouTube}}</ref>
*] - American ] and ] who created ].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g-LXDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA35&lpg=PA35&dq=william+pierce+cosmotheism&source=bl&ots=_fgJh5eYCi&sig=IrZjiukpbsGx7lOs0uvgc7IHEH8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjVzJWp2rjUAhVL2oMKHSJ4AH44FBDoAQhLMAg#v=onepage&q=william%20pierce%20cosmotheism&f=false|title=Dark Ideas: How Neo-Nazi and Violent Jihadi Ideologues Shaped Modern Terrorism|last=Morris|first=Travis|date=2016-12-14|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=9780739191057|language=en}}</ref> *] - American ] and ] who created ]<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g-LXDQAAQBAJ&q=william+pierce+cosmotheism&pg=PA35|title=Dark Ideas: How Neo-Nazi and Violent Jihadi Ideologues Shaped Modern Terrorism|last=Morris|first=Travis|date=2016-12-14|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=9780739191057|language=en}}</ref>
*] - best-selling ] author of Gothic and religious-themed books.<ref></ref> She returned to Catholicism, and remained as such for many years, but has since announced that although she still believes in God and in Christ she no longer considers herself a Christian.<ref></ref><ref>: My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn't understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me. But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been or might become.</ref> *] - best-selling ] author of Gothic and religious-themed books.<ref></ref> She returned to Catholicism, and remained as such for many years, but has since announced that although she still believes in God and in Christ she no longer considers herself a Christian.<ref>{{cite web |title=Quick Takes: Anne Rice quits Christianity |date=2010-07-30 |website=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100731020930/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-quick-20100730,0,7660849.story |archive-date=2010-07-31 |url-status=live |url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-quick-20100730,0,7660849.story}}</ref><ref>: My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn't understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me. But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been or might become.</ref>
*] - Astronomer known as the Father of Observational Cosmology discovered the universe was not cyclical and therefore the Big Bang was a one-time event which persuaded him that God existed. He later became a Christian.<ref></ref>
*] - ] writer who states he met, or experienced, God and that this ended his atheism. The first such experience would have occurred when he was 35. That stated he remains skeptical of "the church" and does not belong to any religion.<ref>: "After a thorough analysis of my previous life's experiences, and later experiences that lent validation, I concluded that the reality was that what had happened to me were really encounters with God -- therefore proving God's existence to me."</ref> *] - ] writer who states he met, or experienced, God and that this ended his atheism. The first such experience would have occurred when he was 35. That stated he remains skeptical of "the church" and does not belong to any religion.<ref>: "After a thorough analysis of my previous life's experiences, and later experiences that lent validation, I concluded that the reality was that what had happened to me were really encounters with God -- therefore proving God's existence to me."</ref>
*] - comics writer and ]. He converted to, or created, his own mixture of ]s.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080613213102/http://www.villagevoice.com/books/0413%2Chendrix%2C52244%2C10.html |date=2008-06-13 }}</ref><ref></ref> *] - comics writer and ]. He converted to, or created, his own mixture of ]s.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080613213102/http://www.villagevoice.com/books/0413%2Chendrix%2C52244%2C10.html |date=2008-06-13 }}</ref><ref></ref>
*] - media mogul who stated that he is no longer an atheist or an agnostic. He has not embraced any specific religion.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-04-01-turner-churches_N.htm|title=Ted Turner apologizes, joins churches' $200M malaria fight|date=2008-04-01|work=USA Today|publisher=Associated Press|accessdate=2009-10-27}}</ref> *] - media mogul who stated that he is no longer an atheist or an agnostic. He has not embraced any specific religion.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-04-01-turner-churches_N.htm|title=Ted Turner apologizes, joins churches' $200M malaria fight|date=2008-04-01|work=USA Today|publisher=Associated Press|accessdate=2009-10-27}}</ref>
*] - ] founder and philanthropist.<ref name="wapo-12302016">{{cite news|author1=Julie Zauzmer|title=Mark Zuckerberg says he’s no longer an atheist, believes ‘religion is very important’|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/12/30/mark-zuckerberg-says-hes-no-longer-an-atheist-believes-religion-is-very-important/|access-date=December 30, 2016 | publisher=The Washington Post|date=December 30, 2016}}</ref> *] - ] founder and philanthropist<ref name="wapo-12302016">{{cite news|author1=Julie Zauzmer|title=Mark Zuckerberg says he's no longer an atheist, believes 'religion is very important'|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/12/30/mark-zuckerberg-says-hes-no-longer-an-atheist-believes-religion-is-very-important/|access-date=December 30, 2016 | newspaper=The Washington Post|date=December 30, 2016}}</ref>


== Former agnostics == == Former agnostics ==


{{Empty section|date=March 2022}}
=== Agnostics who converted to Christianity ===

==== Catholicism ====
* ] - ] novelist who was awarded the ] in 1928.<ref></ref>

==== Protestantism ====
* ] - evangelist and author.{{citation needed|reason=Your explanation here|date=August 2015}}

=== Agnostics who converted to Judaism ===
*] - Nobel prize-winning chemist who converted from "orthodox agnosticism" to Orthodox Judaism.<ref></ref>

=== Agnostics who converted to Islam===
*] - Australian Educator. Born to Agnostic Family. Convert to Christianity then to Islam.


==See also== ==See also==
*] *]
*] *]
⚫ * ]
⚫ ** ]
⚫ ** ]
⚫ ** ]
*] *]
*] *]
⚫ *]
⚫ *]
⚫ *]
⚫ *]


==References== ==References==
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] ]
] ]

Latest revision as of 23:53, 11 June 2024

For lists of atheists who converted to Christianity, Islam, or Judaism see the following links:

All other former atheists and agnostics that have been listed so far are below.

Former atheists

Atheists who converted to Hinduism

Atheists who became an unspecified/uncertain form of theism or deism

Former agnostics

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (March 2022)

See also

References

  1. "John Dobson: Amateur Astronomy's Revolutionary". space.com. Archived from the original on 2006-04-09.
  2. Wall Street Journal Article about John
  3. Goel, Sita Ram, "How I became a Hindu" Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ABC Australia.
  5. "The Australian". Archived from the original on 2009-09-19. Retrieved 2007-10-29.
  6. BBC Interview Quote: "What I was converted to was the existence of an Aristotelian God, and Aristotle's God had no interest in human affairs at all."
  7. "Moses Hess: The Holy History of Mankind and other writings" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-05-13. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  8. Peterson, Jordan (April 4, 2022). "Speech About Religion and The Bible | I'm NOT an ATHEIST". YouTube. Retrieved June 4, 2024. I'm not an atheist, anymore. Because I don't look at the world that way anymore. I'm not a materialist anymore. I don't think the world's made out of matter. I think it's made out of what matters. It's made out of meaning.
  9. Am I Christian? – Timothy Lott and Jordan B. Peterson (video). 1 August 2017. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2017 – via YouTube.
  10. Morris, Travis (2016-12-14). Dark Ideas: How Neo-Nazi and Violent Jihadi Ideologues Shaped Modern Terrorism. Lexington Books. ISBN 9780739191057.
  11. Christianity Today
  12. "Quick Takes: Anne Rice quits Christianity". Los Angeles Times. 2010-07-30. Archived from the original on 2010-07-31.
  13. Baltimore Sun: My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn't understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me. But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been or might become.
  14. Three Brilliant Atheists Became Christians|accessdate=2023-01-18
  15. Interview with Schulman: "After a thorough analysis of my previous life's experiences, and later experiences that lent validation, I concluded that the reality was that what had happened to me were really encounters with God -- therefore proving God's existence to me."
  16. Village Voice Archived 2008-06-13 at the Wayback Machine
  17. Sun Comics
  18. "Ted Turner apologizes, joins churches' $200M malaria fight". USA Today. Associated Press. 2008-04-01. Retrieved 2009-10-27.
  19. Julie Zauzmer (December 30, 2016). "Mark Zuckerberg says he's no longer an atheist, believes 'religion is very important'". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
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