People who choose to fight this battle are not people I spend time worrying about. There is no inevitable battle.
Unless you have a private definition of “inevitable” that you’re not sharing with us.
Certainly, I wouldn’t want you to lie about your beliefs. An empiricist uses scientific methods on a daily basis.
I haven’t read all twenty pages of this thread, but just wanted to suggest a subscription to user “qualiasoup” on you tube. He has quite a few nice (and easily digestible) videos on critical thinking, secularism and atheism.
You seem unable to listen to what people are telling you with regard to atheism, and now, empiricism.
My suggestion is that you do not engage in religious discussions. I think they might be too complex for you.
I am perfectly happy to lie about my lack of belief to avoid discussing them with the sort of people who don’t take such discussion well. It’s not a big deal to me; I mean, the god I don’t believe in isn’t going to strike me down for pretending I do. 
For want of a dictionary, a comprehensible discussion was lost.
pchaos, your definition of empiricist is inaccurate. However, even under your definition, I cannot understand how “empiricist” could substitute adequately for “atheist.”
Furthermore, non-atheists are not troubled by whether other people use scientific methods on a daily basis. They are troubled that other people do not believe in god. Your solution will fail to prevent any conflicts.
Or even more easily, “I don’t know how the universe was created, and I don’t give a rat’s ass.”
Whether or not it was the Big Bang, a cosmological accident or Big Daddy saying “Let there be noise”, it makes no difference to me or my work (to paraphrase Sherlock Holmes).
So, would you advise an atheist who is not an empiricist to describe themselves as one to avoid negative connotations?
YMMV, I suppose. I can’t imagine falsely claiming to be religious for the sake of convenience (as opposed to declining to discuss the matter), but I’m sure we’ve had different life experiences that inform our views on this.
Exactly so. pchaos, you yourself claimed to believe in a rational universe; it’s not the existence of principles like rationalism and empiricism that seems to bother you, it’s that their application leads some to conclude that there is no god.
In west Texas, that’s a survival skill for us atheists.
It would seem that being religious has some real-life negative connotations.
If there are negative connotations surrounding Blacks, should I lie about my skin color or ancestry in order to avoid battles, or should I declare myself in order to expose the misconceptions and educate the prejudiced?
Why should the Godless hide who they are and allow ignorance to continue?
(removed an unnecessarily hostile word)
I’m in Southern Baptist country here in Kentucky, and I’ve never felt threatened. Lucky me, I guess. I generally just refrain from religious conversations with strangers outside the Internet. Plus, I’m well-armed.
so say we all
Because each of us needs to determine for his or her self, just how much we’re willing to sacrifice for ‘the cause’. Believe me, I’ve pondered this issue at great length and in great depth.
Fair enough, that’s part of authenticity.
Do you view atheism as a cause?
Nah. I view full societal acceptance of atheists as a cause.
Ok, I can get on board with that.
Finn, I remember that thread. How do you feel about how you handled things now?
I haven’t actually claimed to be religious*. There have just been some times when I downplayed my lack of faith.
*I did once claim to be a Satanists to get rid of some Jehovah’s Witnesses.
If you look up “empiricist” in the dictionary, one of the usages is equivalent to “medical quack”, a person who rejects research in favor of personal empirical experience. In that respect, there is a sort of subtle slur being perpetrated by those who encourage equating empiricism with atheism.
The only negative connotation associated with atheism is placed there by religious asshole clerics who want their believers to believe that believing in what they believe is the only believable belief system and that everything else is just evil satan-thrall. So the only negative to atheism is entirely manufactured.
To be honest, I’m still highly ambivalent. I’m also working in central Texas currently, but I’ve already scheduled a personal day for Graduation Day at my old school, and I"ll be heading back to help with the ceremonies. I’m going to check in on that student. I guess the real acid test of my actions will be whether or not he thinks I gave him helpful or harmful advice.