Hungarian Atheist Society

The Hungarian Atheist Society (Hungarian: Magyar Ateista Társaság, abbreviated MATT) is a nonprofit civil association based in Hungary that represents and defends the interests of atheists and non-believers. According to its own stated mission, the organization aims to organize the atheist community, to familiarize the public with atheist philosophy and secular values, to popularize rational, critical, and scientifically grounded thinking, and to protect universal human values, secular ethics, and the interests of those who hold them. It operates as a non-public-benefit association (nem közhasznú egyesület) and is not a commercial enterprise; it functions as an advocacy and community organization. The group emerged informally on 11 July 2014 out of members of a Hungarian atheism Facebook group, initially as an atheist advocacy group. It was officially registered by the Fővárosi Törvényszék (Budapest Metropolitan Court) on 15 January 2019. Since then it has engaged in public advocacy, demonstrations, media commentary, and online publishing. Its members have appeared at events such as the 2016 Budapest Pride, where a banner reading "A szerelem valóság, isten csak mese" ("Love is reality, god is just a fairy tale") attracted significant attention and controversy. The society has also used its YouTube channel and blog to highlight statements by public figures it considers to be anti-scientific or fundamentalist, including remarks by Miklós Kásler and László Kövér. It filed a complaint against Kövér over statements at the inauguration of the "National Martyrs' Memorial" that it viewed as inciting hatred against the atheist community. In 2021 the society was involved in a high-profile employment case: Békés Gáspár, a member and an environmental expert at the Mayor's Office of Budapest, was dismissed on 2 February 2021 after a blog post discussing childhood baptism and children's religious freedom, following an ultimatum by Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén. The society, together with the legal advocacy group Szabadságjogkért, supported Békés in a labor lawsuit. Both MATT and Humanists International expressed concern that the Budapest municipal government led by Gergely Karácsony did not protect its employee from attacks by the Christian fundamentalist portal vasarnap.hu, but instead dismissed him. The society has also faced criticism. After the 2016 Budapest Pride, Dúró Dóra, then an MP of the far-right Jobbik party, said her party planned to file a complaint for blasphemy over the banner. Farkas Attila Márton, a mystical thinker writing on the Kálvinista apologetika site, also criticized the society. The organization maintains a blog (originally on blog.hu, later moved) and a Facebook group, and it continues to publish commentary on religion, secularism, and politics in Hungary.

The Hungarian Atheist Society (Magyar Ateista Társaság, MATT) began informally on 11 July 2014, formed by members of a Hungarian atheism Facebook group as an atheist advocacy group. It operated without formal legal status for several years while building an online presence through a blog and social media. On 15 January 2019, the Fővárosi Törvényszék (Budapest Metropolitan Court) officially registered it as a non-public-benefit association (nem közhasznú egyesület). From its early years the society engaged in public advocacy and visibility actions. At the 2016 Budapest Pride, a photo taken by index.hu showed its banner reading "A szerelem valóság, isten csak mese" ("Love is reality, god is just a fairy tale"), which became particularly popular on one side and caused an uproar on the other. The society's associated Unbeliever Coub channel was the first to draw Hungarian public attention to what it described as the anti-scientific, Christian fundamentalist views of Miklós Kásler. A clip from the Reformátusok Szárszói Konferenciája (Reformed Church's Szárszó Conference), in which László Kövér said that priests and pastors have a duty to ensure their congregants do not vote for opposition parties, first appeared on the Hungarian Atheist Society's YouTube channel and was picked up by numerous portals. The society filed a complaint against Kövér, the Speaker of the National Assembly, over statements at the inauguration of the "National Martyrs' Memorial" that it considered capable of inciting hatred against the atheist community. In 2021 the society became involved in a notable employment and free-speech case. Békés Gáspár, a member of the society and an environmental expert at the Mayor's Office of Budapest, was dismissed on 2 February 2021 after writing a blog post discussing childhood baptism and children's religious freedom. The dismissal followed an ultimatum by Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén. Békés initiated a labor lawsuit against the decision, which he and the society characterized as disregarding freedom of speech and worldview. The society, together with the legal advocacy organization Szabadságjogkért, undertook his representation. Both the Hungarian Atheist Society and the international atheist and humanist organization Humanists International expressed concern that the Budapest municipal government led by Gergely Karácsony did not protect its employee from attacks by the Christian fundamentalist portal vasarnap.hu, but instead dismissed him. The society has also attracted criticism. After the 2016 Budapest Pride, Dúró Dóra, then an MP of the far-right Jobbik party, stated that her party planned to file a complaint for blasphemy in connection with the banner carried by the Hungarian Atheist Society, among others. Farkas Attila Márton, a mystical thinker, published criticism of the society on the Kálvinista apologetika site. In July 2020, the society announced it was leaving the blog.hu platform, citing the government party's actions against Népszabadság, Magyar Nemzet, Hír Televízió, Heti Válasz, Figyelő and others, which it said made it impossible to remain. The blog "Ateista forradalom" (Atheist Revolution) continued to publish posts by authors such as Waldi!, Atheina, Fényes Tamás, and Tarnay Kristóf Ábel, covering topics including religion, politics, secularism, and critiques of Christian apologetics. The society maintains a Facebook group and a YouTube channel as part of its ongoing public activity.

• The society forms informally on 11 July 2014 out of members of a Hungarian atheism Facebook group, as an atheist advocacy group.

• At the 2016 Budapest Pride, the society's banner "A szerelem valóság, isten csak mese" is photographed by index.hu and attracts wide attention and controversy.

• On 15 January 2019, the Fővárosi Törvényszék (Budapest Metropolitan Court) officially registers the Hungarian Atheist Society as a non-public-benefit association.

• In July 2020, the society announces it is leaving the blog.hu platform, citing government-party actions against media outlets including Népszabadság, Magyar Nemzet, Hír Televízió, Heti Válasz, and Figyelő.

• On 2 February 2021, member Békés Gáspár is dismissed from the Mayor's Office of Budapest after a blog post on childhood baptism and children's religious freedom, following an ultimatum by Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén; the society supports his labor lawsuit.

Nonprofit civil association advocating for atheists and non-believers, promoting secular values, rational and science-based thinking, and defending freedom of speech and worldview in Hungary.

1. 1Ateista forradalom (official blog)ateistaforradalom.blog.hu
2. 2Hungarian Atheist Society on Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Magyar Ateista Társaság – Hungarian Wikipediahu.wikipedia.org
4. 4Ateista forradalomateistaforradalom.blog.hu