Nonbelievers who aren't Atheists?

[Robert_S]

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/our ... t-atheists

Nonbelievers Who Aren't Atheists?

Unfortunately, many religious skeptics shun atheist identity.

If you don’t believe in any gods, you are an atheist, right? This definition seems pretty basic, not the kind of material that requires an advanced degree in theology to understand.

But apparently it isn't accurate. In fact, as I circulate in the secular movement on a daily basis, I frequently meet nonbelievers who are unwilling to identify as atheists.

Of course, there are other words that might describe those who don't believe in deities — agnostic, humanist, skeptic, etc. — and quite a few nonbelievers prefer one of those terms as their primary means of religious identification, but many reject outright the atheist identity even as a secondary or incidental label. "Don't call me an atheist!" one such nonbeliever recently told me. "I refuse to identify according to what I reject. I don't believe in astrology or unicorns, but I don't label myself according to that – so why should I identify according to my rejection of god-belief?"

This is an interesting argument, perhaps even somewhat persuasive, but it deserves some scrutiny.

For starters, most of us would probably agree that each person should be free to identify as he or she sees fit, so those nonbelievers who are uncomfortable with the atheist label shouldn't feel obliged to use it. But when we scratch beneath the surface, we sometimes find that the stated reason for avoiding the atheist label – such as the claim of not wanting to identify according to what one doesn’t believe – is a bit disingenuous.

Continues

[Gawdzilla Sama]

"I'm not interested enough in religion to call myself an atheist." That's what I said for the first 57 years.

[Rum]

It does seem to be a rather loaded word these days. I am happy to simply be someone who doesn't believe there are gods. If that upsets people a bit less that's OK with me!

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I'm shading to toward saying I'm "atheistic" rather an "atheist." It conveys that I have an attitude toward religion, not that I have a life goal regarding religion.

[Hermit]

While I'm philosophically an agnostic, I am in practical terms an atheist. As such, I happily accept both labels and describe myself as such if asked, but then I don't live in a nation where atheists are the most distrusted minority in the country. Hopefully, I'd have enough courage to openly acknowledge that I am in effect an atheist because of this:

...we should also realize that shunning the term feeds the prejudice against it. Just as gays and lesbians only began gaining social acceptance by coming out of the closet, there is no reason to conclude that the experience of nonbelievers will be any different.

[mistermack]

It's tribal, that's the trouble.
It's not the meaning of the words, it's the tribe that it puts you in.
I think that people who reject the atheist label, are really saying, "I'm not a member of that tribe".

And many people who go along with religion, are merely not wanting to leave or upset the friends and family who still identify as members of their particular religious tribe.

Which is all fine, except when it comes to the education and indoctrination of children.
When you shove kids into a tribal mentality from an early age, the majority hang onto it for life.

Atheists don't practice that, generally. They usually leave it up to kids to make their own minds up.
So the kids of atheists don't generally have a loyalty to a group, the way that religious kids do.

[maiforpeace]

While I'm philosophically an agnostic, I am in practical terms an atheist. As such, I happily accept both labels and describe myself as such if asked, but then I don't live in a nation where atheists are the most distrusted minority in the country. Hopefully, I'd have enough courage to openly acknowledge that I am in effect an atheist because of this:

...we should also realize that shunning the term feeds the prejudice against it. Just as gays and lesbians only began gaining social acceptance by coming out of the closet, there is no reason to conclude that the experience of nonbelievers will be any different.

[MrJonno]

Defining yourself by what you believe in never mind what you don't is pretty strange if you ask me.

I'm British and European and human as its simply a fact anything else is subject to change

[Gawdzilla Sama]

While I'm philosophically an agnostic, I am in practical terms an atheist. As such, I happily accept both labels and describe myself as such if asked, but then I don't live in a nation where atheists are the most distrusted minority in the country. Hopefully, I'd have enough courage to openly acknowledge that I am in effect an atheist because of this:

...we should also realize that shunning the term feeds the prejudice against it. Just as gays and lesbians only began gaining social acceptance by coming out of the closet, there is no reason to conclude that the experience of nonbelievers will be any different.

[Blind groper]

I have always called myself agnostic.

But what the shit.
Labels means diddly squat.

[JimC]

Athiests are cranky and intolerant...

Non-believers are cool and accepting...

[Robert_S]

I have always called myself agnostic.

But what the shit.
Labels means diddly squat.

That's why I randomly swap the labels on the canned goods at the supermarket!

They're a quick way to convey some general information to people who don't have time to spend in a deep conversation getting to know "the real me".

[Tyrannical]

Sounds like Agnostic to me.