When did atheism first become a mainstream belief system?

Answer 1

It has a long history, and starts, at minimum, with Baron d'Holbach, a French intellectual who was the first declared atheist known of. d'Holbach had dinner parties with such people as Benjamin Franklin and the philosopher David Hume.

Skepticism in general has a much larger history, longer than Christianity, in fact. Jennifer Michael Hecht gives a very good history of doubt, skepticism, and atheism in her book "Doubt: A History". Also, look up (on Google Video or YouTube) a BBC documentary hosted by Jonathan Miller called "A Brief History of Disbelief".

I'm not sure if it's ever been mainstream, at least in America. Europe is larger secular nowadays and unbelief is common, and is most common in northern countries like Norway and Sweden, which (at maximum) is 80% atheists (they also boast a very low crime rate, btw).

Atheism is getting noticed now because of authors like Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens (and, more peripherally, authors like Daniel Dennett, Victor Stenger, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Anthony Grayling, Michel Onfray, and John Allen Paulos). Harris started them off in 2004 when he published The End of Faith.

Answer 2

Well, it's not a mainstream belief system because it isn't a belief system at all. An atheist is a person who lacks belief in any kind of god or deity. There is no dogma, no ideology, no beliefs and no moral or immoral code of conduct associated with atheism. It is an inherent state in which one exists.

Now, if you're asking when did atheism become approved by mainstream society, I would say it hasn't. There is still quite a negative stigma assigned to atheism, although I would say it has lessened considerably over the past decade.

Answer 3

When atheism becomes what 50% of what the world's population believes, then, and ONLY then, will it have become "mainstream". Atheism is common in communist countries, but they usually tolerate religion there too - as long as it does not conflict with the views of the state.

Answer 4

Atheism is not a belief system. It is a lack of belief. It has always been around . . . before religion and the concept of God.
After all, we're all born atheists, and so were prehistoric peoples.

Answer 5

I think it may have had its origins several million years ago, but maybe they were premptively worshipping Jesus back then...maybe fire had attained God status...I don't know, I kind of see atheism as a default way of thinking for human beings, with religious belief being tacked on as soon as society started to form...

It is a natural state that has always been, rather than something that is just popping up out of the blue.

Answer 6

I don't think it can be regarded as a mainstream belief system even now!

Answer 7

Atheism is not a "belief" system--it has no tenets--no leader--no rules--it is just the rejection of some belief in a supernatural being/s.

Answer 8

Atheism has never been a belief system. It is a disbelief. Atheism is not a system. It is based on one single disbelief. No system.

Answer 9

It's not a system.

A system consists of multiple parts. The idea of atheism is, however, entirely singular: there are no deities.

Answer 10

IS it a mainstream belief system? I doubt anyone could pinpoint a date when it stopped being taboo. Even now, it's a minority sport.