Irreligious organizations promote the view that moral standards should be based solely on naturalistic considerations, without reference to

supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

concepts (such as

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

or an

afterlife The afterlife or life after death is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's Stream of consciousness (psychology), stream of consciousness or Personal identity, identity continues to exist after the death of their ...

), any desire to do good for a reward after death, or any fear of punishment for not believing in life after death.

Background

Individuals and organizations sharing these views, identify themselves by a variety of terms, including,

bright Bright may refer to: Common meanings *Bright, an adjective meaning giving off or reflecting illumination; see Brightness *Bright, an adjective meaning someone with intelligence People * Bright (surname) * Bright (given name) *Bright, the stage na ...

freethinker Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an unorthodox attitude or belief. A freethinker holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority, tradition, revelation, or dogma, and should instead be reached by other meth ...

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

, rationalist, or

skeptic Skepticism ( US) or scepticism ( UK) is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the p ...

. 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 Irreligion is the absence or rejection of religious beliefs or practices. It encompasses a wide range of viewpoints drawn from various philosophical and intellectual perspectives, including atheism, agnosticism, religious skepticism, rationa ...

, there are certain exceptions (

Ethical Culture The Ethical movement (also the Ethical Culture movement, Ethical Humanism, and Ethical Culture) is an ethical, educational, and Religious humanism, religious movement established in 1877 by the academic Felix Adler (professor), Felix Adler (185 ...

, for example). In some jurisdictions, a provincial or national humanist society may confer upon

Humanist officiant A humanist celebrant or humanist officiant is a person who performs humanist celebrancy services, such as non-religious weddings, funerals, child namings, coming of age ceremonies and other rituals. Some humanist celebrants are accredited by huma ...

s the ability to conduct memorial services, child naming ceremonies or officiate marriages – tasks which would be carried out by clergy in most

organized religion Organized religion, also known as institutional religion, is religion in which belief systems and rituals are systematically arranged and formally established, typically by an official doctrine (or dogma), a hierarchical or bureaucratic leadership ...

List

Atheist Republic Armin Navabi (; born 25 December 1983) is an Iranian-Canadian ex-Muslim atheist, author and podcaster, currently living in Vancouver, Canada. In 2012, he founded the online freethought community Atheist Republic, a Canada-based non-profit org ...

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 ngthe marginalized situation of persons who have a naturalistic worldview." *

The Clergy Project The Clergy Project (TCP) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that provides peer support to current and former religious leaders who no longer believe in a God or other supernatural elements. The group's focus is to provide priv ...

provides support, community, and hope to religious professionals who no longer hold supernatural beliefs. *

European Humanist Federation The European Humanist Federation (EHF, ), officially abbreviated as EHF-FHE, was an umbrella of more than 60 humanist and secularist organisations from 25 European countries. Founded in Prague in July 1991, the EHF was based in Brussels, where ...

is a union of "numerous humanist organisations from most European countries" whose purpose is to promote humanism and secularism in Europe. *

Humanists International Humanists International (known as the International Humanist and Ethical Union, or IHEU, from 1952–2019) is an international non-governmental organisation championing secularism and human rights, motivated by secular humanist values. Fou ...

is "the sole world umbrella organisation embracing Humanist, atheist, rationalist, secularist, skeptic, laique, 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 A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

) with special consultative status with the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

. **

Young Humanists International Young Humanists International, known as the International Humanist and Ethical Youth Organisation or IHEYO from 2002 to 2019, is the youth wing of Humanists International (known as the International Humanist and Ethical Union from 1952 to 2019) ...

, Humanists International's youth wing *

International League of Humanists International League of Humanists (ILH) is a non-profit international association of eminent humanists. Its headquarters are in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and its primary objective is promotion of worldwide peace and human rights. Its curre ...

Rationalist International Rationalist International is an organization with the stated aim to represent a rational view of the world. External linksRationalist International Homepage Rationalist groups based in India Organizations established in 1995 Atheist organizat ...

Sunday Assembly Sunday Assembly is a non-religious gathering co-founded by Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans in January 2013 in London, England. The gathering is mostly for non-religious people who want a similar communal experience to a religious church, thou ...

Australia

Council of Australian Humanist Societies The Council of Australian Humanist Societies (CAHS) is an umbrella organisation for Australian humanist societies. It was founded in 1965. It is affiliated with Humanists International. The official symbol of CAHS (and all member organisations ...

Fusion Party Fusion Party is a name for multiple political parties in United States history and more recently a Federal political party established in Australia. The different parties that used the name don't share any particular political positions; instead ...

National Secular Lobby The National Secular Lobby is an Australian pro-secular organisation, founded in July 2017 and officially launched in January 2018. It aims to promote secular principles and the separation of church and state in Australia. The National Secul ...

* Rationalist Society of Australia *

The Secular Party of Australia The Secular Party of Australia is a minor Australian political party, founded in January 2006 and registered as a federal political party in 2010.

Belgium

Willemsfonds The Willemsfonds, named after Jan Frans Willems, is a non-profit cultural organisation founded in the 19th century to promote Flemish culture and language in Belgium. In order to achieve this goal, the organisation encouraged Flemish folk song, org ...

Brazil

Brazilian Association of Atheists and Agnostics The Brazilian Association of Atheists and Agnostics (), or ATEA, is a Brazilian atheist activist nonprofit organization founded in August 2008. The organization advocates the separation of church and state and promotes atheism and agnosticism. Al ...

(ATEA) * Secular Humanist League of Brazil

Canada

Centre for Inquiry Canada The Centre for Inquiry Canada (CFIC) is a not-for-profit educational organization with headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The Canadian organization was founded as a member and volunteer driven organization in 2007. It is the Canadian affili ...

Freethought Association of Canada Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an unorthodox attitude or belief. A freethinker holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority, tradition, revelation, or dogma, and should instead be reached by other met ...

* Humanist Canada, formerly

Humanist Association of Canada Humanist Canada (also known as the Humanist Association of Canada, or HAC or HC) is a national not-for-profit charitable organization promoting the separation of religion from public policy and fostering the development of reason, compassion an ...

* Mouvement laïque québécois *

Toronto Secular Alliance The Atheist Bus Campaign was an advertising campaign in 2008 and 2009 that aimed to place "peaceful and upbeat" messages about atheism on Bus advertising, transport media in Britain, in response to Evangelicalism, evangelical Christian advertisi ...

Finland

Union of Freethinkers of Finland The Union of Freethinkers of Finland (, ) is the largest secularist and freethought organisation in Finland. The organisation supports the rights of those Finns who hold no religious affiliation, and promotes a science-based, rational and critical ...

, founded the Eroakirkosta.fi web service

France

* Fédération nationale de la libre pensée * Union rationaliste

Germany

* Atheist Refugee Relief *

Central Council of Ex-Muslims Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

* German Freethinkers League *

Giordano Bruno Foundation The Giordano Bruno Foundation (, abbreviated: gbs) is a Germany-based non-profit foundation under public law that promotes evolutionary humanism and the enlightenment. It was founded by entrepreneur Herbert Steffen in 2004 and was named after G ...

(''Giordano-Bruno-Stiftung, gbs'') * International League of Non-Religious and Atheists (IBKA) * Humanistischer Verband Deutschlands (HVD) *

Party of Humanists The Party of Humanists () is a minor political party in Germany that first participated in the 2017 federal election. It is considered left-of-centre and supports socially liberal and secular policies, such as a federal European state, open ...

(''Partei der Humanisten'')

Greece

Atheist Union of Greece The Atheist Union of Greece is a non-profit organization (union) dedicated to the defense of the rights of Greek atheists, the separation of church and state and the secularization of the state. It is based in Athens, having thousands of members f ...

Iceland

* Sidmennt – Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association

India

esSENSE Global
*

Indian Rationalist Association The Indian Rationalist Association is a voluntary organisation in India whose 100,000 members Bedi, Rahul." ''The Irish Times.'' 2009-07-13. Retrieved 15 August 2009 promote scientific skepticism and critique supernatural claims. It publishes b ...

* Atheist Center * Dakshina Kannada Rationalist Association * Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations *

Indian Humanist Union The Indian Humanist Union (IHU) is an Indian Humanist organisation established in 1960 by Narsingh Narain. The genesis of the Indian Humanist Union lay in an earlier society called the Society for Promotion of Freedom of Thought (SPFT) established ...

* Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham *

Dravidar Kazhagam Dravidar Kazhagam is a social movement founded by E. V. Ramasamy, 'Periyar' E. V. Ramasamy. Its original goals were to eradicate the ills of the existing caste and class system including untouchability and on a grander scale to obtain a "Dra ...

* We The Sapiens * Yukthivada Padanakendram Kerala

Indonesia

Indonesian Atheists Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesia ...

Ireland

* Atheist Ireland * Humanist Association of Ireland * Humani

Italy

* Italian Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics (UAAR)

Kenya

Atheists In Kenya Society The Atheists In Kenya Society is an atheist organization, registered under the ''Societies Act'' in Kenya. It is the first non-religious society to be registered in the country. The national goal of the Atheists In Kenya Society is twofold � ...

(AIK)

Luxembourg

* Allianz vun Humanisten, Atheisten an Agnostiker (AHA!)

Netherlands

De Vrije Gedachte Vrijdenkersvereniging De Vrije Gedachte (DVG) (English: ''Freethinkers association The Free Thought''), is a Dutch atheist–humanist association of freethinkers. It was founded in 1856 and known by the name De Dageraad ("The Dawn") before assumi ...

(DVG, "The Free Thought") * Humanistisch Verbond (HV, "Humanist Association")

New Zealand

Humanist Society of New Zealand The Humanist Society of New Zealand (Inc.) is a New Zealand organisation that promotes secular humanist philosophy and ideals. The Society meets in Wellington with members throughout New Zealand. It is affiliated internationally to the Intern ...

New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists (NZARH) was established in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1927. The Association promotes rationalist movement, rationalism and secular humanism principles. The principal aims are stated as the fol ...

NZ Skeptics NZ Skeptics is a New Zealand incorporated society created in 1986, with the aim of promoting critical thinking. The main areas of interest to the NZ Skeptics are claims of psychic abilities, alternative medicine, creationism Creationism i ...

Northern Ireland

* Humani

Norway

Human-Etisk Forbund The Norwegian Humanist Association (; HEF) is one of the largest secular humanist associations in the world, with over 130,000 members. Those members constitute 2.3% of the national population of 5.47 million, making HEF by far the largest such a ...

HEF has over 78,000 members, making it "the largest group

n Norway N, or n, is the fourteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

outside the State Church" *

Norwegian Heathen Society Ateistene () is a non-partisan irreligious society that was established in 1974 and whose main focus is counteracting the Church of Norway and Christian influence in Norway. The organization was established as Norwegian Heathen Society ( (''DnH'' ...

Philippines

* Filipino Freethinkers * Philippine Atheism, Agnosticism, and Secularism Inc.

Romania

Romanian Secular-Humanist Association The Romanian Secular-Humanist Association ( Romanian: Asociația Secular-Umanistă din România, abbreviated as ASUR) is a non-governmental organization established in March 2010 to promote secular humanist values in Romania. The organization's ...

Singapore

Humanist Society of Singapore Humanist Society (Singapore) is registered on 6 October, 2010 as a society in Singapore for humanists, freethinkers, atheists, agnostics and other like-minded people. The non-religious make up 20% of the Singapore population as of last availabl ...

Sweden

* Humanists Sweden

Switzerland

Freethinkers Association of Switzerland The Freethinkers Association of Switzerland (FAS) is a Swiss nonprofit organisation for freethought. It is the result of the merger of several late 19th century and early 20th century local freethinkers associations throughout Switzerland into a ...

Turkey

* Association of Atheism

United Kingdom

National organisations

Humanists UK Humanists UK, known from 1967 until May 2017 as the British Humanist Association (BHA), is a charitable organisation which promotes secular humanism and aims to represent Irreligion in the United Kingdom, non-religious people in the UK throug ...

, founded 1896, is the largest such group. **

LGBT Humanists UK LGBT Humanists UK, founded in 1979, is a special interest section of Humanists UK which campaigns for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality and human rights in the United Kingdom. It also organises social events for LGBT humanist ...

** Humanist Students *

Conway Hall Ethical Society The Conway Hall Ethical Society, formerly the South Place Ethical Society, based in London at Conway Hall, is thought to be the oldest surviving freethought organisation in the world and is the only remaining ethical society in the United King ...

, founded in 1793, identifies itself as "the oldest freethought community in the world" *

Humanist Society Scotland Humanist Society Scotland is a Scottish registered charity that promotes humanist views and offers humanist wedding, funeral, and baby-naming ceremonies. It is a member of the European Humanist Federation and Humanists International. In t ...

* Scottish Secular Society, founded in 2012, identifies itself as Scotland's largest secular group. *

National Secular Society The National Secular Society (NSS) is a British campaigning organisation that promotes secularism and the separation of church and state. It holds that no one should gain advantage or disadvantage because of their religion or lack of it. The Soc ...

Rationalist Association The Rationalist Association was a charity in the United Kingdom which published '' New Humanist'' magazine between 1885 and 2025. Since 2025, the Rationalist Press has been the publishing imprint of Humanists UK. The original Rationalist Press ...

, which publishes ''

New Humanist ''New Humanist'' is a quarterly magazine, published by Humanists UK and based in London, that focuses on culture, news, philosophy, and science from a sceptical perspective. History ''New Humanist'' has been in print for years, starting out ...

'' * 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 Leicester Secular Society is the world's oldest Secularism, Secular Society. It meets at its headquarters, the Leicester Secular Hall in the centre of Leicester, England, at 75 Humberstone Gate. Founding Founded in 1851, the society is the oldest ...

has particular claim to fame in being the world's oldest secular society, founded in 1851.Leicester Secular Society website
(Accessed 5 April 2008) Others include North East Humanists.

United States

American Atheists American Atheists is a non-profit organization in the United States dedicated to defending the civil liberties of atheists and advocating complete separation of church and state. It provides speakers for colleges, universities, clubs, and th ...

– dedicated to

separation of church and state The separation of church and state is a philosophical and Jurisprudence, jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the State (polity), state. Conceptually, the term refers to ...

issues *

American Ethical Union The Ethical movement (also the Ethical Culture movement, Ethical Humanism, and Ethical Culture) is an ethical, educational, and religious movement established in 1877 by the academic Felix Adler (1851–1933).Ethical Culture The Ethical movement (also the Ethical Culture movement, Ethical Humanism, and Ethical Culture) is an ethical, educational, and Religious humanism, religious movement established in 1877 by the academic Felix Adler (professor), Felix Adler (185 ...

movement founded in 1876 by Felix Adler *

American Humanist Association The American Humanist Association (AHA) is a 501(c) organization, non-profit organization in the United States that advances secular humanism. The American Humanist Association was founded in 1941 and currently provides legal assistance to defe ...

– organization promoting

secular humanism Secular humanism is a philosophy, belief system, or life stance that embraces human reason, logic, secular ethics, and philosophical naturalism, while specifically rejecting religious dogma, supernaturalism, and superstition as the basi ...

in the US * American Secular Union *

Americans United for Separation of Church and State Americans United for Separation of Church and State (Americans United or AU for short) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that advocates for the disassociation of religion and religious organizations from government. The separation of chur ...

is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to preserving church-state separation to ensure religious freedom for all Americans * The Atheist Agenda *

Atheist Alliance International Atheist Alliance International (AAI) is a non-profit advocacy organization committed to raising awareness and educating the public about atheism. The group supports atheist and freethought organizations around the world through promoting local ...

Atheist Community of Austin The Atheist Experience is an American live, weekly television, televised webcast based in Austin, Texas, United States. Listeners are encouraged to phone-in, call in to discuss the existence of God and related topics. Calls from theists are usual ...

* Atheists of Florida – founded in 1992 to ensure the separation of state and church *

Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty (BJC) is a US faith-based organization which focuses on upholding the historic Baptist principle of religious liberty. With a staff of attorneys, public intellectuals, ministers and mobilizers, ...

, 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 The Center for Inquiry (CFI) is a U.S. nonprofit organization that works to mitigate belief in pseudoscience and the paranormal and to fight the influence of religion in government. History The Center for Inquiry was established in 1991 by ...

Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science (RDFRS or RDF) is a division of Center for Inquiry (CFI) founded by British biologist Richard Dawkins in 2006 to promote scientific literacy and secularism. Originally a non-profit based i ...

– former independent project created by

Richard Dawkins Richard Dawkins (born 26 March 1941) is a British evolutionary biology, evolutionary biologist, zoologist, science communicator and author. He is an Oxford fellow, emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford, and was Simonyi Professor for the Publ ...

, now a subdivision of CFI *

City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism The City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism (shortened to The City Congregation or TCC) is a Humanistic Jewish congregation and synagogue meeting on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. It is the first H ...

Committee for Skeptical Inquiry The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), is a program within the U.S. non-profit organization Center for Inquiry (CFI), which seeks to " ...

Ex-Muslims of North America Ex-Muslims of North America (EXMNA) is a non-profit organization which describes itself as advocating for acceptance of religious dissent, promoting secular values, and aiming to reduce Religious discrimination, discrimination faced by Ex-Muslims ...

– 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 In 1929 Charles Francis Potter founded the First Humanist Society of New York whose advisory board included Julian Huxley, John Dewey, Albert Einstein, and Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German n ...

Foundation Beyond Belief GO Humanity (Giving and Organizing for Humanity) was a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2009 in Georgia by Dale McGowan, originally under the name Foundation Beyond Belief. The organization's mission was to "end poverty and hunger, ...

Freedom From Religion Foundation The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) is an American nonprofit organization that advocates for atheism, atheists, agnosticism, agnostics, and nontheism, nontheists. Formed in 1976, FFRF promotes the separation of church and state, and ch ...

– according to its website, the "largest group of atheists and agnostics in North America" *

The Humanist Institute The Humanist Institute is a training program for leaders within the humanist, and secular humanist movement. Purpose and organization The Humanist Institute offers several kinds of educational programs to the humanist community. These program ...

Institute for Humanist Studies The Institute for Humanist Studies (IHS) is a think tank based in Washington, DC, USA, that says it is "committed to information and practices meant to address the sociopolitical, economic and cultural challenges facing communities within the Uni ...

Internet Infidels Internet Infidels, Inc. is an American nonprofit educational organization founded in 1995 by Jeffery Jay Lowder and Brett Lemoine. Its mission is to use the Internet to promote a view that supernatural forces or entities do not exist (metaphysical ...

– "a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to defending and promoting a naturalistic worldview on the Internet" * Military Association of Atheists & Freethinkers *

Military Religious Freedom Foundation The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2005 by Mikey Weinstein, a former Air Force officer and attorney. The organization's mission is to ensure that members of the United States Armed Fo ...

* 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 The Rational Response Squad (RRS) is an atheist activist group that confronts what it considers to be irrationality, irrational claims made by theists, particularly Christians. The most visible member of RRS is co-founder Brian Sapient. The Ratio ...

Secular Coalition for America The Secular Coalition for America is an advocacy group located in Washington D.C. It describes itself as "protecting the equal rights of nonreligious Americans." The Secular Coalition has chapters in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, composed of lo ...

Secular Student Alliance The Secular Student Alliance (SSA) is an American educational nonprofit organization whose purpose is to educate high school and college students about the value of scientific reason and the intellectual basis of secularism in its atheistic and ...

* Secular Therapy Project *

Society for Humanistic Judaism The Society for Humanistic Judaism (SHJ), founded by Rabbi Sherwin Wine in 1969, is an American 501(c)(3) organization and the central body of Humanistic Judaism, a philosophy that combines a Nontheism, non-theistic and Humanism, humanistic outloo ...

– offers cultural and secular Jews a non-theistic alternative in contemporary Jewish life *

United Coalition of Reason United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

Notes and references

External links

Atheists Helping the Homeless, DCOrganizations
lists at the Secular Web. {{DEFAULTSORT:Irreligious organizations

Secularist Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion. It is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened ...

Secularist organizations Irreligious organizations promote the view that morality, moral standards should be based solely on secular humanism, naturalistic considerations, without reference to supernatural concepts (such as God or an afterlife), any desire to do good fo ...