The Atheist Bible

A Secular Humanist view on life, the Universe, and everything

Fabian M. Suchanek

Copyright © 2026 Fabian M. Suchanek. All rights reserved.
Published by Fabian M. Suchanek
Edited by D. Olson Pook and Jessica Kaplan
ISBN 978-1-291-72074-7

The Web site of this book isThis book is available online as a PDF, e-book, audio-book, and Web site, as well as in several print versions, at https://suchanek.name/texts/atheism.

The present version is v2026-05-27-NI-SC.

See the legal conditions at the end of this book or online.

The Atheist Bible

A Secular Humanist view on life, the Universe, and everything

CC-BY 2006-2026 Fabian M. Suchanek

This book describes a worldview without gods and the supernatural. Unlike a number of other books, it does not merely argue that God does not exist or that religion is harmful. Rather, it offers an atheist perspective on life, the Universe, morality, truth, and the meaning of life. To this end, it draws inspiration from secular humanism, a philosophy in the Enlightenment tradition that values every human being equally and emphasizes ethical behavior, science, democracy, human rights, and freedom of religion. The book also explores the history, functioning, tenets, diversity, benefits, and liabilities of the major world religions. Thus, it aims to be a comprehensive handbook that atheists can use to support, enrich, and scrutinize their perspective.

With more than 700 pages, 300 illustrations, 500 inspirational quotes, 1700 references, and 1500 cross-references, the Atheist Bible is one of the largest works on atheism, and, quite possibly, the largest monograph on the topic. The book is available online for free at https://suchanek.name/texts/atheism. It is licensed by the author, Fabian M. Suchanek, under a Creative Commons Attribution license. See the legal conditions at the end of the book.

Book formats

The Atheist Bible describes an atheist view on life, the Universe, and everything. With 700 pages, it is one of the largest works on atheism.© Michel Desnoues, with permission
The Atheist Bible is available in different formats.
Digital formats
  • The Atheist Bible full and free online in HTML (what you are currently reading)
  • The Atheist Bible as an EPUB e-book
  • The Atheist Bible as PDF
Audio formats
The book is progressively made available as an audio book, narrated by an AI. Some chapters are available also as an AI-generated podcast.
Social media formats
The Atheist Bible is on BlueSky, Mastodon, X, and Reddit.

T-Shirts, hoodies, and mugs with atheist and Humanist designs can be found on Redbubble.com.

Print formats
The Atheist Bible is available in several print editions:
  • Hardcover: The standard version of the book. €66 at Lulu.com.
  • Hardcover (Premium): Printed on coated paper with premium color and high-quality photo reproduction. €173 at Lulu.com.
  • Softcover: Will be available through major retailers (Amazon, bookstores, etc.) for €95, as the retailers do not allow hardcover or premium color printing.
Prices are approximate and may vary by location, change over time, and be subject to additional taxes and fees.
In printed form, the Atheist Bible will likely dwarf any other book you have. At 2 kilograms and in A4 format, it is about as heavy and large as your laptop.
It will be the crown jewel in your collection.

Contents

Preface
The preface introduces the book from the author’s point of view.7
Atheism and Atheists
Chapter 1: Atheism13
Defines atheism, responds to common criticisms leveled against atheism, and introduces secular humanism as an alternative to religion.
Chapter 2: Atheists55
Explains what it means to be an atheist and addresses common stereotypes about atheists.
The World
Chapter 3: Truth83
Discusses the concept of truth.
Chapter 4: The Universe129
Gives an overview of what science knows about the Universe.
Chapter 5: Morality181
Discusses morality and ethics from a secular humanist point of view.
Chapter 6: The Meaning of Life225
Treats the principal questions of humanity: What is the meaning of life? And what happens when we die?
Gods
Chapter 7: Gods243
Introduces an atheist view on gods.
Chapter 8: Proofs257
Discusses proofs for the existence of gods.
Chapter 9: God of the Gaps303
Discusses the idea (often brought forward by believers) that God is the explanation for the unexplained.
Religion
Chapter 10: Religion329
Formally defines religions and gods and shows the diversity of today’s religions .
Chapter 11: The World Religions353
Traces the history of religion from ancient rites to today’s world religions.
Chapter 12: Founding of Religions415
Discusses factors that may lead to the creation of a religion.
Chapter 13: Following Religions449
Discusses factors that may make people believe in religious statements.
Chapter 14: Memes477
Analyses strategies that religions have developed to survive across generations.
The Abrahamic Religions
Chapter 15: The Abrahamic God527
Discusses the god of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Spiritualism, and the Bahai Faith.
Chapter 16: Christianity561
Discusses the Christian worldview.
Chapter 17: Islam637
Discusses the Muslim worldview. (For security reasons, this chapter is not available here.)
The Effects of Religion
Chapter 18: Criticism of Religion639
Criticizes the effects of religion on people and society.
Chapter 19: Benefits of Religion695
Discusses the positive effects of religion on people and society.
Chapter 20: Conclusion727
Summarizes the book and provides an outlook on the future of religion, secular humanism, and atheism.


Each chapter consists of several sections, and each section of several articles. The articles are numbered as Chapter.Section.Article, and these numbers appear in cross-references as well as at the bottom of each page. Page numbers are included to meet book retail requirements.