Atheist Foundation of Australia

  • To encourage and to provide a means of expression for informed free-thought on philosophical and social issues.
  • To safeguard the rights of all non-religious people.
  • To serve as a focal point for the community of non-religious people.
  • To offer verifiable information in place of superstition and to promote logic and reason.
  • To promote atheism.
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Atheists disturbed over religious discrimination by NSW Government

The NSW government has rejected the nomination of Sydney Atheists President, Steve Marton, to sit on its newly devised Faith Affairs Council.  According to the most recent Census, one third of the NSW population is non-religious.  But the views of this large...

What do “human rights” mean to you?

The Human Rights Commission has released a video marking 10th December as the 75th anniversary of the Declaration for Human Rights. The video features several people stating what human rights mean to them, including Steve Marton who currently serves on the Atheist...

Atheist applies for seat on new NSW Religious Affairs Council

President of Sydney Atheists and Committee Member of The Atheist Foundation of Australia, Steve Marton, has applied for nomination to the NSW Government’s inaugural Faith Affairs Council.  The Minns Government has called for a 16-member council to be set up to provide...
Secularism Australia Conference

Secularism Australia Conference

With guest speakers already sharing their excitement surrounding the Secularism Australia Conference, we would like to offer you the opportunity to purchase tickets at the discounted early-bird rate, which will conclude on Saturday 7 October. The early-bird rate of...
Religious Affiliation in Australia

See what we’ve been up to

The Atheist Foundation of Australia Committee would like to thank for your support. We also like to update you of two of our important and successful achievements in the last two years. In 2021, we took a leading role in association with six other free-thought...

Atheism is not a religion, mark “no religion”

As you know, the Australian Government is conducting a census of the population on the 10th August 2021. The census is an important snapshot of the country and informs government and businesses in their decision making. Census data is used to plan and deliver services...

Census21 No Religion Campaign Rejects Fake News and Fearmongering

The Census No Religion campaign is aware of a particularly hateful and misleading message circulating on social media, by email and SMS text message. The message suggests that non-religious people should incorrectly record that they are religious or face the...

Census No Religion Campaign

On the 10th of August, a census is being conducted to collect important data on the circumstances and attitudes of the Australian people. Your friends and family will be asked if they hold religious beliefs, and it’s an important...

Religious Discrimination Bill is resurrected

In a recent webinar with Family Voice Australia, Kevin Andrews (Liberal Party Back Bencher) indicated that "compromise had been reached" regarding the proposed Religious Discrimination Bill, and that it would be introduced into the Parliament "shortly". Mr. Andrews...

Religious Freedom Bill Submission

Religious Discrimination Bill – Second Exposure Draft Date: 19 January 2020 Submission type: Non-Profit – Atheist Foundation Of Australia and Sydney Atheists Email: [email protected] Confidentiality: For Public Release The Atheist Foundation of...

Submission to the Australian Bureau of Statistics – Review of 2021 Census Topics

The question on religion in the Australian Census contains an element which is problematical in obtaining accurate figures. The problem is that it asks “What is the person’s religion?” This is a leading question and can elicit a religion of baptism when the person may...

Campaigns

Census No Religion

The current census data does not accurately reflect our country’s religious views.

This is due to a large number of Australians marking that they belong to a religion in the census when in fact they no longer practise or hold those beliefs.

Census data is used by the government and many other organisations to inform a wide range of important decisions from the amount of public funding religious organisations receive, to the voice and influence religion is given in public affairs and media.

The next Australian Census will be held on Tuesday 10th August 2021 and we need it to accurately reflect what Australians truly believe.

So, when you’re filling in the census and you come to the question of religion, this is your chance to think carefully and decide whether you still see yourself as religious.

If you don’t see yourself as religious anymore, this census, mark ‘No Religion’.

Visit the Campaign Web Site

Our Philosophy

The Atheist Foundation of Australia recognises the scientific method as the only rational means toward understanding reality. To question and critically examine all ideas, testing them in the light of experiment, leads to the discovery of facts.

As there seems to be no scientific evidence for supernatural phenomena, atheists reject belief in ‘God’, gods, and other supernatural beings. The universe, the world in which we live, and the evolution of life seem to be entirely natural occurrences.

No personality or mind can exist without the process of living matter to sustain it. We have only one life – here and now. All that remains after a person dies is the memory of their life and deeds in the minds of those who remain.

Atheists reject superstition and prejudice along with the irrational fears they cause. We recognise the complexity and interdependence of life on this planet. As rational and ethical beings we accept the challenge of making a creative and responsible contribution to life.

Past AFA Members

To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim that Jesus was not born of a virgin.

Cardinal Robert Bellarmine 
Cardinal Robert Bellarmine

To sum up:
1. The cosmos is a gigantic flywheel making 10,000 revolutions a minute.
2. Man is a sick fly taking a dizzy ride on it.
3. Religion is the theory that the wheel was designed and set spinning to give him a ride.

H. L. Mencken 
H. L. Mencken

Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.

Voltaire 
Voltaire

It ain’t the parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.

Mark Twain 
Mark Twain

The Bible and Church have been the greatest stumbling block in the way of women’s emancipation.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton 
Elizabeth Cady Stanton

For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.

Carl Sagan 
Carl Sagan

Truth in matters of religion is simply the opinion that has survived.

Oscar Wilde 
Oscar Wilde

I cannot be angry at God, in whom I do not believe.

Simone de Beauvoir 
Simone de Beauvoir

I count religion but a childish toy,
And hold there is no sin but ignorance.

Christopher Marlowe 
Christopher Marlowe

A man’s ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.

Albert Einstein 
Albert Einstein