How Christianity compares
Atheism and Secular Humanism
Living without God, trusting reason and science, and seeking a good life here and now.
Atheists believe there is no God; agnostics say we cannot know; secular humanists seek a good, ethical life without religion. About one in four people worldwide claims no religion. Christians share their love of truth and human dignity, but ask where dignity, morality, and hope come from if nature is all there is.
- Began
- Roots in ancient Greek thinkers; the modern form grew from the Enlightenment of the 1700s; the Humanist Manifesto was published in 1933
- Followers
- About 1.9 billion people are religiously unaffiliated (Pew, 2020), including atheists, agnostics, and many who are 'nothing in particular'; about 3 in 10 American adults (Pew, 2024)
- Scriptures
- None; influential writers include Bertrand Russell, Carl Sagan, and Richard Dawkins
- Main groups
- Atheists, agnostics, secular humanists, and the unaffiliated 'nones', many of whom still consider themselves spiritual
Where it began and how it spread
The story
Some ancient Greek philosophers taught that the world is made only of atoms moving by chance. In the 1700s, Enlightenment thinkers stressed human reason, and some rejected God altogether. After 1859, many used Darwin's theory of evolution to explain life without a Creator.
In the twentieth century, communist governments in the Soviet Union, China, and elsewhere promoted atheism by force. In free societies, humanist organizations published manifestos in 1933, 1973, and 2003. Today, the number of people with no religion is growing in many Western countries.
What secular humanists believe
Reality
Nature is all there is. There is no God, soul, or supernatural world, or, for agnostics, no way to know.
Knowledge
Reason, science, and evidence are the best guides to truth.
Morality
Right and wrong are based on human well-being, empathy, and reason.
Meaning
Life has no given purpose, so people create their own meaning.
After death
Death is the end; we live on only through our influence and the memories of others.
Jesus
A moral teacher or a legend; not God, and not risen. (Most historians, including many skeptics, agree that Jesus really lived.)
Side by side
| Atheism and Secular Humanism | Christianity | |
|---|---|---|
| God | No God, or no way to know (agnosticism). | One God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: the eternal, holy, loving Creator. |
| Jesus | A moral teacher or a legend; not God, not risen. | God the Son, who became fully human, died for our sins, rose bodily from the dead, and is Lord and the only Savior. |
| The problem | Ignorance, superstition, injustice, and suffering; no 'sin' against God. | Sin, our rebellion against a holy God, separates us from him and corrupts everything. |
| The answer | Reason, science, education, and human cooperation. | Grace: forgiveness and new life as a free gift, received by faith in Jesus's death and resurrection, not earned. |
| Scripture | No sacred text; reason and evidence. | The Old and New Testaments (66 books), the inspired Word of God. |
| After death | Nothing; we live on through our influence and memory. | Judgment, the resurrection of the body, and eternal life with God for all who are in Christ, in a new heaven and new earth. |
Common ground
- A love of truth, evidence, and honest questions
- The value of science; many founders of modern science, such as Kepler, Newton, Boyle, and Faraday, were Christians
- Human dignity, justice, and compassion
Talking with a friend
- Listen to their story; many people leave faith after being hurt by Christians or churches.
- Take hard questions seriously; Christians are told to be ready to give a reason for their hope, with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).
- Never assume an atheist has no morals.
- Suggest reading a Gospel as history; good next steps are C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity, Lee Strobel's The Case for Christ, and Timothy Keller's The Reason for God.
Key differences
If nature is all there is, where do human dignity and real moral duties come from? Christians believe they come from being made in God's image (Genesis 1:27).
The universe had a beginning and is finely tuned for life. Christians see these as pointers to a Creator (Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:19–20).
Christian faith is not blind. It rests on historical events, above all the resurrection of Jesus, reported by eyewitnesses (Luke 1:1–4; 1 Corinthians 15:3–8). If Christ was not raised, Paul wrote, our faith is futile (1 Corinthians 15:17).
Christianity offers what naturalism cannot: forgiveness, a purpose given by God, and hope beyond death.
Read in the Bible
- Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God
- Romans 1:19–20 God's power seen in creation
- Acts 17:22–31 Paul reasons in Athens
- Luke 1:1–4 An orderly account
- 1 Corinthians 15:12–20 If Christ has not been raised
- 1 Peter 3:15 A reason for the hope