List of irreligious organizations

Irreligious organizations promote the view that moral standards should be based solely on naturalistic considerations, without reference to supernatural concepts (such as God or an afterlife), any desire to do good for a reward after death, or any fear of punishment for not believing in life after death.

Thumb — Conway Hall, home of the Conway Hall Ethical Society, is the oldest freethought community in the world (established 1793).

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Individuals and organizations sharing these views, identify themselves by a variety of terms, including, bright, freethinker, naturalist, rationalist, or skeptic.^[1]^[2] Despite the use of these various terms, the organizations listed here have goals in common. Note that, while most of these organizations and their members consider themselves irreligious, there are certain exceptions (Ethical Culture, for example).

In some jurisdictions, a provincial or national humanist society may confer upon Humanist officiants the ability to conduct memorial services, child naming ceremonies or officiate marriages – tasks which would be carried out by clergy in most organized religions.^[3]^[4]^[5]

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Atheist Republic^[6] is the world's largest atheist organization with local chapters called consulates all over the world. Their facebook page has over 2.4 million followers.
The Brights' Net is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to "building a constituency" and "constructively address[ing] the marginalized situation of persons who have a naturalistic worldview."^[7]
The Clergy Project provides support, community, and hope to religious professionals who no longer hold supernatural beliefs.
European Humanist Federation is a union of "numerous humanist organisations from most European countries" whose purpose is to promote humanism and secularism in Europe.^[8]
Humanists International is "the sole world umbrella organisation embracing Humanist, atheist, rationalist, secularist, skeptic, laique, [sic]^[9] ethical cultural, freethought and similar organisations world-wide." Humanists International is a union of over 100 Humanist or secularist organizations in more than 40 countries. It is an international NGO (non-governmental organization) with special consultative status with the United Nations.^[10]
- Young Humanists International, Humanists International's youth wing
International League of Humanists
Rationalist International
Sunday Assembly

Australia

Belgium

Willemsfonds

Brazil

Canada

Finland

Union of Freethinkers of Finland, founded the Eroakirkosta.fi web service^[11]

France

Germany

Atheist Refugee Relief
Central Council of Ex-Muslims
German Freethinkers League
Giordano Bruno Foundation (Giordano-Bruno-Stiftung, gbs)
International League of Non-Religious and Atheists (IBKA)
Humanistischer Verband Deutschlands (HVD)
Party of Humanists (Partei der Humanisten)

Greece

Atheist Union of Greece^[12]

Iceland

Sidmennt – Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association

India

esSENSE Global
Indian Rationalist Association
Atheist Center
Dakshina Kannada Rationalist Association
Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations
Indian Humanist Union
Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham
Dravidar Kazhagam
We The Sapiens
Yukthivada Padanakendram Kerala

Indonesia

Indonesian Atheists

Ireland

Netherlands

De Vrije Gedachte (DVG, "The Free Thought")
Humanistisch Verbond (HV, "Humanist Association")

New Zealand

Northern Ireland

Humani

Norway

Human-Etisk Forbund HEF has over 78,000 members,^[14] making it "the largest group [in Norway] outside the State Church"^[15]
Norwegian Heathen Society

Philippines

Filipino Freethinkers

Romania

Romanian Secular-Humanist Association

Singapore

Humanist Society of Singapore

Sweden

Humanists Sweden

Switzerland

Freethinkers Association of Switzerland

Turkey

Association of Atheism

United Kingdom

National organisations

Humanists UK, founded 1896, is the largest such group.
- LGBT Humanists UK
- Humanist Students
Conway Hall Ethical Society, founded in 1793, identifies itself as "the oldest freethought community in the world"^[16]
Humanist Society Scotland
Scottish Secular Society, founded in 2012, identifies itself as Scotland's largest secular group.
National Secular Society
Rationalist Association, which publishes New Humanist
Camp Quest UK

Local groups

There are many local humanist groups around the United Kingdom, most being affiliates of Humanists UK and the National Secular Society. Of these, Leicester Secular Society has particular claim to fame in being the world's oldest secular society, founded in 1851.^[17] Others include North East Humanists.

United States

American Atheists – dedicated to separation of church and state issues
American Ethical Union – federation of about 25 Ethical Societies representing the Ethical Culture movement founded in 1876 by Felix Adler
American Humanist Association – organization promoting secular humanism in the US
American Secular Union
Americans United for Separation of Church and State is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to preserving church-state separation to ensure religious freedom for all Americans
The Atheist Agenda
Atheist Alliance International
Atheist Community of Austin
Atheists of Florida – founded in 1992 to ensure the separation of state and church
Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, represents multiple Baptist groups (but not the Southern Baptist Convention) in supporting religious liberty and the separation of church and state
Camp Inquiry – summer camp run by the Center for Inquiry
Camp Quest – "The Secular Summer Camp", a residential summer camp in the United States for the children of those who hold a naturalistic world view
Center for Inquiry
- Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science – former independent project created by Richard Dawkins, now a subdivision of CFI
City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism
Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
Ex-Muslims of North America – non-profit based in the US, according to its website, stands "for the rights and dignities of those who leave Islam"
Fellowship of Humanity
First Humanist Society of New York
Foundation Beyond Belief
Freedom From Religion Foundation – according to its website, the "largest group of atheists and agnostics in North America"
The Humanist Institute
Institute for Humanist Studies
Internet Infidels – "a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to defending and promoting a naturalistic worldview on the Internet"
Military Association of Atheists & Freethinkers
Military Religious Freedom Foundation
North Texas Church of Freethought
Practice What You Preach Foundation – a "non-profit organization that builds bridges between faith communities and secular organizations in the Greater Los Angeles Area"
Rational Response Squad
Secular Coalition for America
Secular Student Alliance
Secular Therapy Project
Society for Humanistic Judaism – offers cultural and secular Jews a non-theistic alternative in contemporary Jewish life
United Coalition of Reason

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[1]
Who does the Secular Coalition for America represent? Archived 2008-04-16 at the Wayback Machine
[2]
Some less common labels include: apatheist, godless (in the non-pejorative, literal sense), ignostic, infidel (or unbeliever), heathen, materialist, or realist.
[3]
"Humanist Canada: Humanist Weddings". Archived from the original on 2012-12-28. Retrieved 2014-11-23.
[4]
"Humanists Stand Ready to Perform Same-Sex Marriage Ceremonies". American Humanist Association. March 3, 2010. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
[5]
"The Humanist Society Listing of Humanist Celebrants". Archived from the original on 2013-11-01. Retrieved 2014-11-23.
[6]
Archived 2021-05-07 at the Wayback Machine Atheist Republic
[7]
The Movement Archived 2008-03-12 at the Wayback Machine, The Brights' Network, 2008 (Accessed 9 April 2008)
[8]
Presentation, European Humanist Federation website, 2006 (Accessed 10 April 2008)
[9]
Laïque (French): "secular"
[10]
About IHEU Archived 2008-07-05 at the Wayback Machine, IHEU website Archived 2014-01-02 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed 5 April 2008)
[11]
"Internet Deconstructing State Church in Finland". eroakirkosta.fi. Archived from the original on 2022-09-21. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
[12]
Atheist Union of Greece Statute
[13]
"Les non-religieux veulent aussi être consultés". L'essentiel (in French). Edita SA. 18 January 2015. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
[14]
The Norwegian Humanist Association Archived 2008-04-12 at the Wayback Machine, Human-Etisk Forbund website (English version), 2011 (Accessed 5 February 2011)
[15]
Membership Archived 2007-10-30 at the Wayback Machine, Human-Etisk Forbund website (English version), 2004 (Accessed 9 April 2008)
[16]
South Place Ethical Society website Archived 2008-04-20 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed 5 April 2008)
[17]
Leicester Secular Society website Archived 2008-05-15 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed 5 April 2008)

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Atheists Helping the Homeless, DC
Organizations lists at the Secular Web.

[1] [1]
Who does the Secular Coalition for America represent? Archived 2008-04-16 at the Wayback Machine

[2] [2]
Some less common labels include: apatheist, godless (in the non-pejorative, literal sense), ignostic, infidel (or unbeliever), heathen, materialist, or realist.

[3] [3]
"Humanist Canada: Humanist Weddings". Archived from the original on 2012-12-28. Retrieved 2014-11-23.

[4] [4]
"Humanists Stand Ready to Perform Same-Sex Marriage Ceremonies". American Humanist Association. March 3, 2010. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.

[5] [5]
"The Humanist Society Listing of Humanist Celebrants". Archived from the original on 2013-11-01. Retrieved 2014-11-23.

[6] [6]
Archived 2021-05-07 at the Wayback Machine Atheist Republic

[7] [7]
The Movement Archived 2008-03-12 at the Wayback Machine, The Brights' Network, 2008 (Accessed 9 April 2008)

[8] [8]
Presentation, European Humanist Federation website, 2006 (Accessed 10 April 2008)

[9] [9]
Laïque (French): "secular"

[10] [10]
About IHEU Archived 2008-07-05 at the Wayback Machine, IHEU website Archived 2014-01-02 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed 5 April 2008)

[11] [11]
"Internet Deconstructing State Church in Finland". eroakirkosta.fi. Archived from the original on 2022-09-21. Retrieved 2022-09-21.

[12] [12]
Atheist Union of Greece Statute

[Luxembourg-13] [13]
"Les non-religieux veulent aussi être consultés". L'essentiel (in French). Edita SA. 18 January 2015. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 21 November 2015.

[14] [14]
The Norwegian Humanist Association Archived 2008-04-12 at the Wayback Machine, Human-Etisk Forbund website (English version), 2011 (Accessed 5 February 2011)

[15] [15]
Membership Archived 2007-10-30 at the Wayback Machine, Human-Etisk Forbund website (English version), 2004 (Accessed 9 April 2008)

[16] [16]
South Place Ethical Society website Archived 2008-04-20 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed 5 April 2008)

[17] [17]
Leicester Secular Society website Archived 2008-05-15 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed 5 April 2008)

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List of irreligious organizations

Australia

Belgium

Brazil

Canada

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Iceland

India

Indonesia

Ireland

Italy

Kenya

Luxembourg

Netherlands

New Zealand

Northern Ireland

Norway

Philippines

Romania

Singapore

Sweden

Switzerland

Turkey

United Kingdom

National organisations

Local groups

United States

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Notes and references

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