I’m an atheist for the same reason that I don’t believe in alien abduction - the evidence isn’t convincing.
Clearly either Judaism or Christianity is wrong over the status of Jesus. 
Meanwhile my diary tells me when to expect the next eclipse. 
I’m agnostic and I’m not proud or ashamed of it. It’s just the way I am. I’m an agnostic because it’s what works for me - after a lot of thought, I decided I just didn’t know and probably never will.
So, I don’t know if there’s a god or not (though I haven’t seen too much evidence that there is), but I wouldn’t witness anybody about it. I’ll share my beliefs if asked, but since I can’t prove with 100% accuracy one way or the other and there isn’t any mechanism anyone could use to do so, I’m not going to tell someone else they’re stupid because for believing in a higher power.
Yes, I’m proud of it. No, I don’t try to deconvert people. The speaker at your church is imagining things or is bringing these discussions upon himself.
have you ever seen an atheist handing out pamphlets? have you ever had one knock on your door?
How can you be sure, though? Would the results of your thought and study have been the same if you had been raised believing in God? I’d like to think that I’d have come to the same conclusions about God if I had been raised by theists, but I’m not about to say so as a certainty. One of the biggest reasons that I don’t believe in God is that I’ve never felt a need to believe in God. If I had been raised to think that God was vitally important, I might very well feel different.
Anyway, as to the pride issue, no, I don’t feel any particular pride at being an atheist, as it took no great effort to be one on my behalf. Similarly, I don’t really feel pride at being an America, or white, or gay. I take pride in achievments. Not believing in God isn’t an achievment, it’s just this idea I had, and hardly an original one, at that.
I suppose someone who was raised in a particularly narrow-minded, intolerant religious sect might feel some legitimate pride at breaking free of that and finding their own philosophical path. But you could say the same thing about someone who left such a sect and joined a mellower, more open-minded sect, as well.
Why in the hell not?
i’m about as proud in my set of beliefs as anyone else is in theirs.
of course i think they’re wrong, that’s why my belief set is different from theirs.
it’s taken me a while to form who i am, why shouldn’t i be happy with it?
…well, i’m not axe murdering or selling slaves on ebay, so yeah, i’m good for now.
With this post, you’ve opened the door to a question that I’ve had for some time, but is kind of a delicate one even for here: How do you and Sol deal with the differences in religious view between you? I hope you realize that’s not asked in any trolling sense, but with sincere interest in how a couple in your particular circumstances deals with it.
Well this is IMHO. I can’t be totally sure but I am very certain. It’s not like I didn’t have any exposure to religion. I had a Jewish education from childhood through a Bar Mitzvah and then Confirmation. In addition, there are other beliefs that I have that don’t follow those of my parents.
No worries, Poly, I don’t find the question offensive or anything. But there’s really not much to say; it’s never come up. Honestly, I don’t see where it would ever be a problem for either of us. He believes in God, I don’t. Neither of us feels that belief (or a lack thereof) is an indicator of personal morality, so the difference is pretty much academic. I understand that it can be a problem for some inter-faith couples when it comes to children, but if we ever get to that point, I’d have no problem with the kid being raised as a Christian, if that was what he wanted. Deciding to have kids in the first place would probably be the bigger fight: I’m not too keen on the idea.
I should also clarify that, although I was raised without any religious instruction, only one of my parents was an atheist. My mom was a lapsed Catholic who has since rejoined the Church. Faith was never an issue between my parents, so growing up, I never had a role-model on how to fight about it with my SO. 
I’m another who’s neither ashamed nor proud – I yam what I yam, as Popeye would say. Skeptic is my default position. And, while I’m happy to discuss my lack-of-faith if it comes up, I certainly don’t proselytize.
What I want to know, though, is where that preacher is hanging out that most of the people he meets are non-believers. This is sharply at odds with what I’ve experienced. IRL I know only a few atheists/ agnostics. Most of the people I meet are believers to one degree or another. I have heard of one militant atheist in my circles who is prone to Proselytize For Atheism – and that was a FOAF situation, I never actually saw this guy doing it. On the other hand, I have often been witnessed to by friends and aquaintances who learn that I’m agnostic. It’s mostly low-key and friendly, but it’s very, very common.
So, I’ve gotta say that I view the OP’s preacher’s story with about as much skepticism as I do religion, frankly.
This might sound weird, but I’m not proud…I’m very grateful.
Sometimes when I learn that a close friend is very religious, I think to myself, “How…” etc.
And now…I don’t have close friends who are religious. Not my choice; my religious friends dumped me. And I didn’t say nothin’.
Not proud, not ashamed.
I think most believers have a hard time understanding how atheists think. They imagine that “not believing in God” looms as large in our lives as “believing in God” does in theirs.
But it’s not like that at all. Personally I hardly spend any time at all thinking about being an atheist, and when I do it’s usually because some theist has broached the topic. Not believing in God is just not a very important part of my life.
Think about it this way: Over in Australia there are a lot of folks who spend a huge amount of time and energy supporting Australian rules football. Many of them are very proud of “their” team. Being an Australian rules football fan is a major part of their lives. So, START, assuming you’re not Australian:
Are you proud of your non-support of Australian rules football?
That’s how I (and I think many atheists) feel about God.
Pohcacco has nailed the answer to the question. Not believing in god takes up none of my time. Before I came to this board, where it seems to be discussed regularly, I never thought about religion at all. Now I see it in these fora all the time, and sometimes I am moved to comment. But atheism is not our religion. A whole lot of us don’t devote any time or energy to it at all. We don’t wake up to another day refreshed by the freedom from god.
You know how some people don’t have any goldfish, while others do? I never think about goldfish. I don’t contemplate the benefits or drawbacks of owning some goldfish. I don’t consider goldfish owners to be a breed apart, and I don’t think they despair for those who have never owned any goldfish. Some people have 'em. Some don’t. End of story.
It certainly makes my life simpler. I don’t worry about dietary constraints, and there are a lot less things that I have to cram into logical nooks and crannies.
But my religious family and friends get a sense of peace out of their beliefs that I do not share. I am somewhat conversant with them and can “fake” the rituals, as I was raised that way, but I won’t claim my way is superior.
Therefore, no, I’m not particularly proud in that respect. But I am happy. And on some level, I think I am right.
I meant my post to clarify my position. Generally, when someone speaks of a belief in a supreme being, most people assume it to mean the Judeo-Christian idea of God. Therefore, I feel more comfortable if I clarify which god a person is asking about my beliefs in. Most modern day people do not believe in Norse gods for example, but their lack of faith is not questioned on that.
I guess what I am trying to get at is that almost everybody denies the existance of some god. I deny the existance of any god. Maybe athesim should come with an instruction manual. 
I was raised Methodist, but it never stuck. Becoming an atheist was a conscious, reasoned decision for me, and I believe it’s the right one. I think choosing a belief system - and just going with what your parents exposed you to is a choice - is important, but I can’t quite find a way to apply “proud” to it. I’m not remotely embarassed, either, but I can see how a degree of natural caution in answering the “what church do you attend” question might be misinterpreted as such.
Being an atheist shouldn’t occupy as much mental space as it does, but I live in a very heavily Christian area where many people don’t take into consideration that other belief systems exist. Few are trying to be offensive, so most of the time I just grit my teeth and bear it in silence. If I’m stuck working with someone who has actively demonstrated that they witness to co-workers, there are usually subtle ways to indicate that I’m not interested. “Happy New Year” on the winter solstice - which requires an explanation that usually conveys the message - often works well.
I freely answer questions asked of me about what I believe, and have engaged in many extended “into the wee hours” conversations with close friends who don’t agree with me. We’re all still friends, sometimes 15 years later. I would be wildly hypocritical if I proselytized. I find active efforts to convert people deeply offensive, and would never engage in the practice. I’ve never met another atheist who tried to convert people. In fact, I’d never heard of such a beast until I came to the SDMB. I now realize they do in fact exist, but in vanishly small numbers, and just like the Christian version, it’s usually the ones with the least thought out positions who do so. I’d seriously doubt that the speaker at START’s church has in fact met many, if any. At best, they sound like a rhetorical device to me.
Are we sharing parents? Same situation here. Dad has developed an accute case of Aging Catholic Syndrome in the last couple years. Better to downplay it all, even spend an hour in church from time to time, than to see him get all worked up.
I have to say that I’m proud to be an atheist . . . I admit that I feel like I’m smarter than people that subscribe to what I consider modern mythology and superstition. The reason I am proud is because I was raised in a dogmatic Catholic atmosphere, and I consider it an accomplishment to have broken free from the mind-f**k of the Christian outlook on life. It wasn’t easy and I’m a much happier person now that I’m out of that atmosphere. I look at others that “didn’t make it,” and feel sorry for them.
This sounds very arrogant, but I’m only writing this because a thread was devoted to this topic. I hate evangelical people of any creed, and therefore keep my mouth shut and let people believe what they want and spare them my two cents because frankly it’s not worth the effort to try and explain your logic to somebody who accepts religious dogma DESPITE logic. All that happens is that everyone gets pissed off. Also, most creeds believe that their religion is “the one true relgion” and that non-beleivers aren’t just stupid, but will suffer an eternity in hell for not agreeing with them, which is far worse than arrogance.
START, did he say why he doesn’t hang out much with believers outside of his ministry?
I have a speculation that I think makes sense even though the speaker in question never specifically addressed why he didn’t hang out with believers to often outside of his ministry.
I think that he works in the college/university system when not preaching so it’s possible that maybe his colleagues are less likely to be religous but that’s an assumption based on nothing.
HAH! Pochacco, you took the words right out of my mouth…and expressed them more succinctly than I would have, by the way. The only time my atheism becomes a conscious thought (other than on this board) is when the topic of religion is broached by a theist, otherwise I never think about it.
I’m not defined by my atheism. I’m as consumed by my non belief in the supernatural as I am with my non belief in beings living in the Earth’s core, which is to say not at all.