Celebs We Didn’t Know Were Atheists

#1 Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Radcliffe is an adamant atheist, despite his affinity for "magic". He was born to a Jewish mother and a Protestant father, but there was little religion within Radcliffe's home. He decided to come up with his own moral system. When asked about his faith, he responded, "I have a lot of faith in my generation. I have to. We have to develop our own moral system."

#2 Jodie Foster

Jodie Foster may be atheist, but unlike other parents who raise their children following their values, she tries to celebrate every religious ritual. "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, âÂ€Â˜Are we Jewish?' or âÂ€Â˜Are we Catholic?' I say, âÂ€Â˜Well, I'm not, but you can choose when you're 18.'"

#3 Billy Joel

Billy Joel is very direct when it comes to religion.He's against it. Billy Joel was raised by two Jewish parents, but they were not particularly devout, and he even admitted to attending a Catholic mass about as many times as he did a Jewish temple. He says at the age of 13 he began to realize it was all a big show being put on by huge corporations. When asked if he believed in God, "No. I'm an atheist."

#4 Kathy Griffin

Kathy is a popular comedian who is very upfront about her atheism. When she won an Emmy in 2007, her speech included a moment reflecting about how others "thank " when they get an award. She instead opted to say, "suck it, Jesus. This award is my now." Her comments had the Catholic League up in arms about her unnecessary jab. But the comedian just replied, "My parents sent me to Catholic school, which only made me the vehement militant atheist that I am today. (Don't get me started about those priests.)"

#5 Angelina Jolie & Bradd Pitt

Though they are apart now, one of the things this one-time Star Couple had in common was their belief that there is no God. Brad Pitt is something of an atheist. The actor was raised a Southern Baptist, but he soon converted to a blend of atheism and agnosticism. He says there is no point dwelling over religion because we'll all find out if there is a God or Heaven when our time comes. Jolie has never been one to follow conventions or expectations. So it's no surprise that she'd be up front about her atheism. She says "There doesn't need to be a God for me. There's something in people that's spiritual, that's godlike."

#6 Seth MacFarlane

Seth MacFarlane is a rather outspoken atheist, and while he talks about a serious issue, he seems to crack a few jokes about religion. Many of his jabs at organized religion have made their way into his shows like Family Guy and American Dad, as well as the film Ted. Seth MacFarlane grew up as a Catholic and even went to church, but when he was only 11-years-old, he started satirizing religion and even drawing up comic strips for the local paper. "I did a strip that had a guy kneeling at the altar taking Communion and saying can I have fries with that? And to my 11-year-old brain that was comedy."

#7 Sir Richard Branson

Richard Branson is among the richest, most entrepreneurial and amazing people in the world. He's also an atheist. He does not give credit for his success to anyone but his own hard work. He does admit that a higher power is "comforting" to believe in, but that he is not at the point in putting his trust in something so mean and hateful as religion. While he doesn't believe in God, he would be "delighted" if someone could convince him that a God does exist.

#8 Keira Knightley

Kiera is a self-proclaimed atheist. She believes that her lack of faith in is a good thing, as she doesn't believe that simply asking for forgiveness earns forgiveness for yourself. She has joked about praying for forgiveness and how it seems like a "Get out of Jail" card. "Sounds much better than having to live with guilt."

#9 Emma Thompson

She is a very outspoken actress when it comes to religion. She has said that she is offended by things said in the Bible and the Koran, and she refutes them completely. She believes religion is fearsome and meant to keep people in fear of pending doom for their actions. Emma Thompson has criticized Christian morality, stating how much it is used to push Christian values but is rarely practiced by the people who follow.

#10 Morgan Freeman

You may know him from his role of GOD in Evan, Almighty, but Morgan Freeman is not religious at all and does not believe in God. But there's a twist. Freeman doesn't actually define himself as an atheist since he believes God exists as a human creation. "We invented God," Freeman said. Luckily for him, since God seems to be one of Freeman's best characters.

#11 Penn Jillette

Penn Jillette is an outspoken atheist who makes great, common sense points. He is convinced that science prevails and that in the absence of either science or religion, either would be rediscovered, for better or for worse. He grew up in a Christian household, but he's seen how Christianity is being used to turn on other religions, especially in the United States after 9/11.

#12 Julianne Moore

When Julianne Moore was asked about her beliefs, she stated quite clearly that she does not believe in a higher power. She never grew up going to church and when her mother died she decided there was no 'higher power'. While she hasn't openly come out as an atheist, she apparently does not believe in God. While she doesn't actively voice her opinions about religion, she does send her children to a Quaker school.

#13 Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking is not afraid to tell anyone what he believes, and that goes for religion and God. He is the great mind of our time. As Einstein was before him, Hawking's control over the media and his devotion to science makes him among the most instantly recognizable geniuses across the world. He is an atheist through all of his scientific academia he has come to the conclusion that spontaneous creation is a more valid reason for existence than creation. He says it hurts his head when people put every once of their life into something like religion instead of working on something scientific that will benefit humankind.

#14 George Clooney

Clooney grew up in a devout Catholic family in Georgetown, Kentucky. While he has expressed respect for his upbringing, he has clearly outgrown his childhood religion. He considers himself agnostic but does not believe in bashing anyone on what they believe. "Whatever anybody believes as long as it doesn't hurt anybody else, it's fair enough, and works, and I think, is real, and matters. I don't happen to have those beliefs, as much, you know, I don't believe in those things."

#15 Mark Zuckerberg

One of the youngest billionaires and the creator of Facebook used the social media platform to distinguish his religious views. He is listed as "atheist" on his Facebook account. He grew up Jewish but isn't shy about his unwavering position as an atheist. He even talked about how at the age of 13 he became an atheist and never looked back. He has said, "The next time you get bullied by religious people on Facebook, remind them that they are using hardware and software invented and built by atheists, including Facebook."

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