Atheist Revolution: Gifts For Atheists

Cover of The God Who Wasn't ThereLooking for a Christmas gift for that atheist on your list? Yes, many atheists do in fact celebrate Christmas, and no, it does not make much sense to me either. Still, if you have such an atheist on your Christmas list, I have some suggestions for you. Best of all, since none of my gift ideas are in any way Christmas-specific, they would be appropriate for birthdays or other occasions too.

Before offering some atheist-oriented recommendations, a quick disclaimer is needed. We atheists are just like everyone else except that we do not believe in any gods. You probably don't believe in most of the gods that have been worshiped over human history either, so you can relate. The only difference is that we atheists place your god(s) in the same category as all the others which you do not believe either.

I make this point to show that most atheists are going to have the same wide range of interests that you do minus the religious aspect. Thus, the most important recommendation I can offer when it comes to buying gifts is to remember that we atheists generally like all the same things you do except the religious stuff.

But if you are determined to find something atheist-oriented for that pesky atheist activist type on your list, here are some suggestions:

Books. Many atheists value the pursuit of knowledge, and the gift of a book focused on atheism is a great way to give the person something they'd like while demonstrating your tolerance of their belief system. If the person on your list has not been an atheist for very long, any of these books would be good bets. For the more experienced atheist, it would be hard to go wrong with The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever. I'm almost finished reading this one myself, and it comes highly recommended.
DVDs. If the person on your list is not much of a reader, they might prefer a good atheist-oriented DVD. Have you ever heard them talk about wishing they could afford to attend some atheist-oriented conferences or presentations? If so, consider the Beyond Belief series. For fans of Richard Dawkins, there is also Voices of Reason. Finally, for the younger or newer atheist, you might consider The God Who Wasn't There.
Clothing, Magnets, Stickers, etc. While I would not advise a religious person to try to select atheist-oriented clothing for the atheist on their list (too personal), gift certificates are available from EvolveFish.com, and they carry a wide selection of t-shirts, hats, car emblems, magnets, stickers, etc.
Magazine Subscription or Gift Membership. Even for our "not a big reader" folks, magazines are an excellent way to stay informed about the atheist movement and support important secular organizations. For example, you could give a gift subscription of Church & State, which helps support Americans United for Separation of Church and State. There is also Freethought Today which helps support the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Of course, a gift membership in either organization would be even better.