Atheist symbols, like chakras, Hinduism, and other religions, have their own meanings. As it literally means a lack of faith in any kind of god, religion, or holy book, atheism has no representatives such as prophets and saints, nor does it imply any kind of text.
Now, that makes it lack a certain amount of surprise factor and receive less attention, but rest assured that atheism is represented just as well around the world. For those who want to know how, here are the most prominent atheist symbols and their meanings:
The Darwin fish
Most people instantly recognize the “Jesus fish” as a Christian symbol. Atheists have their own version of this symbol, known as the Darwin fish, which is a play on the Christian symbol.
The atheist version has a couple of alterations, including the addition of legs and the word “Darwin” inside the fish’s body. An interesting aspect is that this is a public domain image that was once at the center of a lawsuit between its creators, Al Shekel and John Edwards, and Chris Gilman, a manufacturer of car decorations with a similar design.
Variations of this design include a fish with the words “evolve” or “science” instead of “Darwin,” a fish made of bones, and one with a tool in its hand. It is not only associated with atheists, but also with those who believe in Darwinism.
Another version has legs and the word “Atheist” in the middle. In response to the Darwin Fish, Christians created a new version, which is a combination of the Christian version and the atheist version, with the Christian fish eating the Darwin fish.
The Ring of Fire
Atheists couldn’t let Christians get the better of them, so they came up with their own response to the Christian mockery of their beliefs: the Ring of Fire. It is a dinosaur eating the Jesus fish. There is another version that has a Darwin fish and a Jesus fish copulating. What is ironically funny about this is that it not only shows a disbelief in Christianity and other religions, but also the fact that many fundamentalist religious sects refuse to acknowledge the existence of dinosaurs.
American Atheist Symbols
The American atheist symbols, created by Madalyn O’Hare in 1963, are one of the oldest, if not the oldest, symbols used to represent atheism. It consists of an “atomic swirl” surrounding the letter “A.” This symbol has been registered by the group, which is composed of only 3,000 members but has a strong voice in the country. It is also recognized by the International Atheist Alliance.
One might think that the A in the center of the symbol represents “atheism,” but this is not the case. It represents (the United States of) America, as in the country where the organization is based. The actual part of the symbol that represents atheism is the vertical orbit of electrons in the center that looks like an A missing its bottom.
The letter “A” as an atheist symbol
A simple letter “A” is often used to represent atheism, since the word for atheist in many languages begins with an “A.” This symbol is used by the International Atheist Alliance, the organization that awarded it first place in a symbol design contest held for that purpose.
There are many variations of “A” as an atheist symbol, including one that resembles the Star Trek symbol, and an “A” that is part of a five-pointed star. Perhaps the most recognizable version is the one that resembles the “A” mentioned in The Scarlet Letter, the 1850 novel about an adulterous woman (often required reading for many high school and college students) by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne. In the book , the woman wears the letter “A” on her chest as a symbol of her sin, adultery.
Empty circle
Many people who do not believe in an all-knowing god or gods use an empty circle as a symbol. There are many variations of the empty circle, including a mathematical “null set” ({ }), and a zero with a line through it, which is one of the most meaningful atheist symbols.
Another design includes the words “agnostic,” “humanist,” “rationalist,” “free thinker,” “secular,” “infidel,” “non-believer,” “atheist,” “heretic,” and “godless” printed so that they are outside or inside the circle, or form the circle itself.
The Happy Humanist as an Atheist Symbol
The Happy Humanist is a symbol used by humanists around the world. It was designed in 1965 by Dennis Barrington, winner of the British Humanist Association’s symbol design competition, which still holds the trademark for this symbol.
This symbol represents a person standing with arms outstretched toward the sky, representing human beings and all they have achieved. Although the Happy Humanist symbol is popular among both humanists and atheists, it could be said that many people outside these groups probably won’t even recognize it.
The Invisible Pink Unicorn
The Invisible Pink Unicorn is one of the lesser-known atheist symbols. It is a combination of a unicorn and the mathematical symbol for emptiness (empty set). It basically means “nothing,” and in the case of atheists, it represents not having faith or believing in any god or goddess.
Many atheists refer to the unicorn as a symbol in itself that represents their beliefs and use the fictional animal to express their views on supernatural beliefs. The Invisible Pink Unicorn is also considered the “goddess of a satirical parody religion” that pokes fun at traditional religions.
The Flying Spaghetti Monster
In 2005, the world was introduced to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster through a letter from Bobby Henderson to the Kansas State Board of Education. This letter suggested that in addition to creationism, they should also teach “pastafarianism,” as in their view, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is just as believable as any god or goddess.
Although it is a fake religion, many people take it very seriously. In fact, it has been recognized in some areas as a real religion, and members can be ordained. Some members have even insisted on being allowed to wear the religion’s hat, a colander, for their driver’s license photos.
