Elitization of Atheism

The development of a hierarchical, often insular, and intellectually snobbish culture within organized atheism, where a self-appointed vanguard of "proper" skeptics polices ideological purity, dismisses less educated or philosophically nuanced non-believers, and treats religious people as a monolith of idiocy. It creates a priesthood of the godless, where correct jargon, familiarity with specific authors, and a performatively militant stance become the tickets to acceptance, gatekeeping the simple act of not believing.

Example: "At the meetup, the elitization of atheism was palpable. When a new person said they left their faith because 'it just didn't feel right anymore,' a panelist scoffed, 'Feelings? That's epistemically worthless. Have you even read Dennett and Harris? You sound like a theist.' They'd turned a lack of belief into an exclusive club with a dress code of condescension."

by AbzuInExile February 1, 2026