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Atheism can look like the obvious alternative to belief in God, but its story is far more complex than simply “science replaced religion.” In this episode, the Curious team trace the development of unbelief from the ancient world through the Enlightenment and into the modern West, asking why atheism remained a minority position for so long — and what changed. From Diagoras, Democritus and Epicurus to Hume, Voltaire and the intellectual revolutions that followed, we explore the different ideas that slowly reshaped the way Western culture thought about God, reason, morality and human freedom.

Along the way, the team challenge the idea that atheism is one single worldview. Marx, Nietzsche, Russell and Dawkins do not all mean the same thing when they reject God, and even the word atheism has had a fascinating history — Christians themselves were once accused by the Romans of being “atheists” because they rejected the pagan gods. So how did a marginal philosophical position become one of the dominant stories of modern Western culture? And what assumptions does atheism itself bring to the table? This week’s Theology for the Curious is an invitation to look beyond slogans and understand the deeper history behind one of the most influential intellectual movements of our age.

Further Reading
Here’s a bit of homework for you….we’ve included a few articles, for and against, that compliment this episode….

https://sharedveracity.net/2021/12/11/how-believers-become-unbelievers-a-review-of-alec-ryries-emotional-history-of-doubt/

https://learn.ligonier.org/podcasts/5-minutes-in-church-history-with-stephen-nichols/history-of-atheism


What we’re reading?
As a feature to our notes, we are adding the book or books that we’ve browsed related to this episode…enjoy!

John Gray—
Seven Types of Atheism

Alec Ryri—
Unbelievers: An Emotional History of Doubt

Alister McGrath—
The Twilight of Atheism

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