If anyone asks, I have no belief in any god, so I am agnostic. I do however actually believe (just I don’t know for sure) that there is no god, so by belief I am an atheist. On social issues I am definitely Jewish. Am I conflicted about any of this? Not all all.
Me too. I also don’t think that the existence of a deity matters so I’m ambivalent.
Excellent points! Especially number 2.
We have no religion to push so we don’t. (Atheism ain’t a religion. What hair color is bald?)
Our house is filled with religious icons from all over. Visitors think we’re believers because carved ethnic saints but they ignore the idolatrous stuff - we just like artsy craftwork. My doctrinal background was mildly mainstream Prod with detours but nothing to really drive me toward or away from any theology. A couple of ordinations and some study of belief systems slowly led me to disregard evidence-free speculations. So many deities! Best just to carve your own - they’re controllable.
Yes, we vote early and often. No, we don’t hide or proclaim our beliefs or lack thereof. Why bother?
Thank God I am an atheist! And I do mean that sincerely. 
When I deign to discuss the matter IRL, which I only do with someone who I determine is really receptive to listening non-judgementally, I use a sports analogy -
Someone: “Who’s your favorite team? You gotta be for the Red team, since you are from there.”
Me: “I’m not really into sports.”
Someone: “Yeah, OK, but you can’t be for the Blue team, yah?”
Me: “Really, I don’t follow either team.”
Someone: “C’mon, you HAVE TO have to have a preference.”
Me: …
Substitute “religion / denomination” for “sport / team” and it all makes sense, to me at least.
But, I will say that I feel that our predominant culture in the US is not welcoming to atheists and therefore we suppress our declarations of adherence, for social cohesion and survival reasons. We are in the closet, so to speak.
For that reason, I prefer the term nontheist. It just isn’t important.
Or, I use the term Humanist, to describe myself in terms of what I DO believe, rather than a single irrational belief I reject.
Me too. I have a theory (it may well be wrong, I’m not a neurscientist) that sports fandom, 'Murka patriotism, and religiosity live in the same part of the brain.
I don’t understand any of them.
And I’m no longer interested in the question of whether a deity exists. So I’m a shrugnostic.
It’s at least one point short, though:
- As yet, Christians have failed to provide the atheist with a sufficiently good reason to accept their God claims, possibly because no such explanation exists given what is known or understood about the world at this time.
In other words, it’s not just a flaw in the messenger, but the message (to include its providence) itself.
I think more and more of we “nones” are simply not interested in the whole damn topic.
I’m lucky to have lived almost all of my life in secular Maryland, where being a none has been no hardship at all.
I grew up in an indifferent household. I remember my mother was shocked when I expressed religious doubts in college. Well gee, mom, after ignoring it for the last 20 years, why are you now suddenly concerned?
I think I may be more of a leave-me-alone-ist. I don’t push my non-belief on you, so please return the courtesy; or don’t be surprised when you get serious push-back.
I vote. I’m actually a so-called supervoter: every municipal, county, state and federal election gets my attention.
Well, you’ve done it now! Although I, a practicing Lutheran, will be voting in Georgia’s rescheduled June 9 primary (the one good thing we’ve done in Georgia) the same exact way.
For what it’s worth: from earlier this year, still showing “Atheist” scoring lower than “Muslim” or “Gay/Lesbian” and so on.
My theory on that is that “by-definition atheists” do not use the term, and instead use “none” or other terms used in this thread, because they have internalized societal opprobrium for being identified as atheists. Much like some males recoil at being called “gay” but readily admit to having sex with other men.
Doesn’t Agnatheism mean a belief in jawless deities though? Their bark would be worse than their bite, I guess.
It is my onion, based on sample observation, that atheists think they are less inclined than Christians to accept beliefs based on dubious evidence. Most will tell you that, first thing, if asked why they don’t believe in God. In my experience, which is where I get many of my opinions – not “cites”…
An atheist by education and choice, I have regarded the issue of whether a deity objectively exists as irrelevant for a long time. I wish I had come up with the term.
You may vote or not as you like. But for most Americans, I believe it is self-deceptive that voting has a meaningful impact in the steerage of the ship of state. In my state, half the candidates on the ballot are running unoppossed, and I’m not even sure if ballot issues are allowed. Voting has about the same effect as praying to God to intercede, but people do both as an article of faith.
I’ve seen some of this. People like this are usually the type who haven’t thought much about religion or spirituality, and from what they know about various belief systems, haven’t found an organized one that they think works for them.
I swear there ain’t no heaven and pray there ain’t no hell…
If you’re going to be dogmatic about it…