Lithium atom as symbol of atheism?

I didn't know that! That's pretty cool. So, the USDVA admits, there ARE atheists in foxholes!

Maybe it was chosen to represent atheists because it is suggestive of clear, rational thought processes that would lead any thinking individual to conclude, among others, two things--a) material things are made of atoms, and b)god isn't real.

More recently they have settled a lawsuit with several Wiccan veterans' families, and they are going to make available the symbol of the Pentacle for Wiccan soldiers' graves.

The atheistic "atomic whirl" symbol was designed in 1963 as a way of "recognizing the new atomic era but emphasizing the truth of older scientific findings," according to Joe Zamecki, an employee of American Atheist, a national atheist organization.

The military probably adopted that symbol because, not knowing what to do, they probably asked American Atheist whether there is an "Atheist symbol."

I don't think it has anything to do with the common association of Lithium with treating bipolar disorder. That's just a coincidence. Judging by all the hundreds of millions of people killed in religiously motivated genocides, conquests, crusades, and religious wars throughout history, we all know who could really use a chill pill. It's not the atheists.

Science is the reason most people become or stay atheists. The lithium atom is the most common symbol for Science. Thus certain groups of atheists adopted it. As for the medication it is not a single atom of lithium like the symbol it is a compound I think lithium citrate and has other properties to factor in. I prefer the illuminated light bulb.

This is the first I'd heard of it, but the symbol appears to be the logo of American Atheists. It doesn't represent lithium specifically, rather the concepts of science and progress. One of the orbitals is broken, partly to make it look like an "A" (for atheism) and partly to represent open-mindedness - science doesn't have all the answers, and the answers it does have may turn out to be wrong.

(BTW, lithium has many uses besides treating bipolar disorders. If you have any device with a built-in rechargeable battery, that almost certainly contains a good amount of the stuff.)

the best symbol would probably be nothing. i guess they chose lithium b/c it has 3 electrons, which looks the best in that design (3 rings around the nucleus). kinda weird for any sort of atom to be the symbol of atheism, i think.

Perhaps because there is an atheist group that has an atom symbol as a logo...

It beats the Invisible Pink Unicorn as a symbol.

haha.. a follow up to my question:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ai2At...

.. I learned from one of the answers it is an emblem of the American Atheists:

http://www.atheists.org/

Maybe they would have an answer, but I thought it was a little strange that that organization's emblem would be used so universally. The VA accepts requests only from the family members of the deceased or the soldiers themselves.

American Atheists organization and possibly others use a very similar symbol. So that may be why.

I'm glad they use it tho, in my opinion it is the best emblem of the lot.

ateísmo does not need symbol. it is not no type of knowledge is religious, philosophical etc. tends to be plus a naturalist.