The Atheist World Atlas

I was familiar with the high rates of atheism in The Czech Republic, Japan, France, and China. Although, I've come across some contradictory info on China: it seems the Communist government suppresses a lot of the ancestral worship based religion, and the numbers aren't trustworthy. I also thought Northern Europe would have higher rates of atheism. After all, Berlin was called both "the atheist capital of Europe" and the "most godless place on Earth."



http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...rising-map-of-where-the-worlds-atheists-live/

 

An interesting map indeed! (I only see 3 black areas)

 

Thank you!

It sort of renews my interest in going to Tokyo, and Hong Kong. Also, I've always thought that Berlin was my spiritual home in Europe, but lo and behold, Prague may be it after all.

And how interesting that a presumably Catholic country like France has such close ties to atheism. Do you have an idea why?

It may be the Jacobin tradition.

 

I wounder if these people are truly athiests , or they are just unhappy with reglion ?

 

The surveyors mysteriously disappeared in the grey countries.

 

I'm trying to figure out whether those are areas they have no data for.

What does "convinced atheist" spell to you?

I'm pretty sure the rates of agnostics and atheists combined run into the 80 percentiles in countries like The Netherlands, Sweden, etc.

 

Have been sacrificed to their gods, no doubt.

 

In fact, the majority of Russians, according to their polls, claim that they are Orthodox Christians. And at the same time they say that they visit a church only once a year, if at all, and even that they don't believe in God. Religion for them is just a part of the national tradition, and they don't know much about it. If you asked them, for example, to recite the Creed or the Lord's Prayer, they wouldn't be able to.

So are they believers, agnostics or atheists?

I think if we considered some other countries, we would find the same problem, more or less.

 

Can't be.. the UK is greyed out in that picture, and according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_atheism the rate of atheism is fairly high.

 

Well, like I mentioned, the poll represented on the map is based on the question, "Are you a convinced atheist?"

So, no. I would not throw in non-observing believers in the same mix.

Yep. Strange. Incidentally, I like the wording of the poll you linked.

No belief in god, spirit, or life force. Although, I would call it, supernatural force or intelligent design.

 

Perhaps it's because the main movement which inspired the identity of the French as a nation was the Enlightenment whose main figures were known for their skepticism. In the 19th century they were followed by so-called accursed poets, and in the 20th, by surrealists, existentialists and situationists. So at least for 300 years skeptics have been dominant in French culture.

 

Very good point. And I wonder if Mitterrand might have had something to do with it as well...

 

No data on UK?

 

That map is inaccurate, since the netherlands has a much higher number of atheists than 10-19%.