The "Prehistory of Atheism"
Historian of Christianity Alec Ryrie of Durham University, UK, presents a series of lectures on unbelief before the philosophers and scientists debunked theology. This lecture is titled "How to Be a Medieval Atheist." He begins noting that action often precedes theory, a principle that applies to many areas of life. In other words, people behave like atheists before they think like atheists. Ryrie quotes John Gray: "Someone with no use for the idea of God ... [is] in truth an atheist." For those who prefer text, see this . Ryrie is the author of Unbelievers: An Emotional History of Doubt .