If you’re an Atheist, chances are someone has asked you “Do Atheists go to Heaven?” or “Do you celebrate Christmas?”

In a world with so many religious and nonreligious beliefs, it’s natural to be curious about what someone else thinks.

Here are some top questions Atheists get all the time.

For general information about Atheism, read this post on how to become an Atheist.

If you’d like to ask a question about Atheism, email veryatheist@gmail.com, and we’ll get back to you ASAP.

1. Do Atheists go to Heaven?

Heaven — a place where you can enjoy eternal eternal bliss in the afterlife. It’s a very tempting concept. It’s no wonder that most religions have a version of heaven, but Atheism does not. Since Atheists don’t believe in heaven, we don’t don’t believe we will go to heaven. Even so, we still try to do the right thing, be good neighbors and treat people as if we did believe in heaven.  

2. Do Atheists celebrate Christmas?

If you believe those people with the “Keep Christ in Christmas” bumper stickers, only Christians can celebrate Christmas. Thankfully most of what the world celebrates about Christmas isn’t Christian at all. I’m talking about Santa Claus, giving gifts and spending time with family. As an Atheist, you are free to enjoy any and all aspects of Christmas that you desire. Atheism is about making up your own mind, and that includes celebrating holidays how you want.

If any “Keep Christ in Christmas” Christians give you any trouble, remind them that Christmas was a pagan holiday way before Jesus’s time. Santa and Rudolf don’t make any appearances in the bible. 

3. Do Atheists pray?

Not typically. But for some Atheists who came from religious backgrounds, mindfulness, self-reflection or meditation can take the place of those quiet moments that they enjoyed when they did pray. Although Atheists do not communicate with any god or higher power, some do enjoy the benefits of quiet introspection.  

4. Do Atheists believe in Jesus?

Atheists typically consider Jesus as a historical figure, not as a theological one. We certainly don’t believe that he should be worshiped, or that he was able to work miracles. Atheists also tend to reject the European representation of Jesus as a white man. From what we know, he was born in Bethlehem, in the Middle East, which means his skin was likely much darker than how he is typically portrayed. 

5. Do Atheists believe in the afterlife?

Since Atheists don’t believe that their actions on earth will decide if their soul will be rewarded or punished in the afterlife, they find meaning and fulfillment in this life, rather than speculating about an existence beyond death. They try to be good neighbors and leave a positive legacy.

Plus, there is a lot of freedom in not believing in a heaven or hell. There is no pressure to live according to ancient rules or traditions. You can decide who to be, who to love, and how to treat people.

6. Can Atheists get married?

Sure, some people get married in churches or other houses of worship. But marriage is a social and legal institution — it’s open to nonreligious people too. Atheists have the same rights and opportunities to marry as anyone else. So if they choose to seal the deal, they can get married through civil ceremonies or alternative rituals that reflect their personal values and beliefs. 

In fact, Atheists tend to take marriage very seriously and believe that marriage equality — the ability for gay people to get married — should be made a law. Not allowing gay people to marry is a religious belief, not an American belief, that infringes on the rights of some Americans based on the views of evangelical Christians.   

7. Do Atheists celebrate Easter?

Nowhere in the bible does it say that Atheists can’t join the egg hunt or eat a chocolate bunny. So yes, Atheists celebrate Easter. Before Christians co-opted Easter, it was originally a pagan holiday that celebrated rebirth around the time of the spring solstice.

8. Do Atheists believe in souls or reincarnation?

Atheists typically don’t believe insouls and reincarnation. We tend to think of those things as supernatural, and without evidence. Instead, Atheists tend to believe in natural explanations for things like consciousness and identity. Others believe in the power of things like human connection and the value of making the most of your lifetime. 

9. Do Atheists believe in evolution?

Evolution is widely accepted by Atheists — and non-Atheists — as the basis for the diversity of life on Earth. Some religions believe that the planet is only 5,000 years old. But science and fact tell us that it’s actually billions of years old, which gave evolution plenty of time to do its thing. 

Conclusion

Atheists get asked — and ask themselves — a lot of questions about spirituality, morality and more. But that’s to be expected. Atheists walk their own path.