Atheist left
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The atheist left is an intersection between atheist beliefs about religion and left-wing political views.
The term itself is not used much, except by some American conservatives who define the "atheist left" as the category of people who are entirely opposed to the "religious right", on both political and religious issues. However, there is no united "atheist left" as such; rather, there are several groups that can be described as atheistic and leftist, without having any significant relationship with each other.
Members of the atheist left are often those leftists who see organized religion as a tool of the establishment, created for the purpose of "keeping people in check". This view contrasts the atheist left with the religious left, which holds that religion (and Christianity in particular) is inherently egalitarian and opposed to the capitalist establishment.
The most famous and influential members of the atheist left were probably Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, followed by other significant Marxists (Vladimir Lenin, Rosa Luxemburg, etc). However, contrary to common belief, the connection between Marxism and atheism rests almost entirely in the field of philosophy, not politics or economics. Thus, it is perfectly possible for someone to hold Marxist views on politics and economics (and therefore be a communist), while at the same time following a certain religion. An example of fusion between Christian and communist ideas is liberation theology.
The atheist left is sometimes contrasted with the atheist right, which provides a lot of the ideological foundations of modern right-wing politics - even the kind of politics supported by the religious right.
Finally, it should be noted that the term "atheist left" does not carry any radical connotations. Thus, a lot of the members of the atheist left are in fact moderate atheists and moderate leftists.
Notable present-day members of the atheist left
- Tariq Ali
- Charles Bradlaugh
- Noam Chomsky
- Christopher Hitchens
- Michael Moore
- Michael Newdow
- Ron Reagan