I am hoping that I can get some outside perspective and feedback on an issue I am on the fence about.
I still have trouble properly defining my position on matters of faith. Maybe it is a lot easier than I think and I very much qualify as atheist since if anyone were to ask me if I believe god exists, I would say no, I do not.
But, if that were it, this thread would be too boring.
Here's where I'm at. Part of me is reticent to self-identify as atheist due to the general stigma that oftentimes seems to come with it.
I see myself as falling in different categories depending on the conversation or person I'm talking to.
Skeptic - it's not necessarily that I don't believe god exists as much as the bigger issue being that I don't believe YOU
Weak/negative atheist - I can't know whether or not no gods exist aside from YOUR god (continued below)
Strong/positive atheist - I can say YOUR god can't and doesn't exist because he/she/it doesn't make sense
Sometimes I find myself adapting my stance depending on the flow of the conversation. I am more interested in making the other person think for themselves rather than defending my position. For this reason alone I'm definitely going to read Boghossian's book one of these days.
What do you guys think?
Self identifying as atheist doesn't mean you have to walk a round with a sign around your neck. My opinion is that you are over thinking it. Unless you are one of these people who walks around needing to declare yourself to the world, just relax and let the decision develop over time.
agree, if a lot of people hate red balloons and you call yourself a red balloon, the result is somewhat predictable. Atheism may have its own cute symbol,,maybe a flag, hell it has lapel pins but while you think the banner of "atheist" may offer you some protection, it has no fucking army. Pick your battles wisely, use your knowledge with caution. Teach but don't preach. People hate arrogance, always suggest you are skeptical, never tell them they are wrong. You don't need to lead, you simply want them to follow. Really, its not that hard. I can get people to agree with me during any argument simply by being passive aggressive. Oh don't be cocky, you didn't really change anything yet, but you simply planted the seed. Trees don't grow overnight, they need lots and lots of gentle help.
I kinda went through what are you going through now. reading books definitely help shape your opinion and support it with well structured evidences. It will all add up in the end and you will be solid, confident and perhaps advocate for it. just take it easy.
There is no need to define yourself to others. In fact, if you don't say anything about your lack of belief, nothing happens. I've found most people are totally uninterested in what you believe. They are only interested in what they believe, and your opinions are of no interest to them until you express them. After that most people still don't give a shit about what you think, anyway. They are not even curious about your reasoning. Think about that. Why would your reasoning be of interest to anyone who cannot reason about the issue in the first place. Occasionally, someone will get pissed off at you, but such people are almost always dickheads.
After I first realized I was an atheist, I quite freely announced it. I was in AA at the time, and surrounded by various degrees of believers. Most in my group were fundamentalists. I felt compelled to make it clear that I didn't accept the role God played in recovery. In eight years, only one person in AA asked me why I didn't believe in God. When I told her I couldn't see any evidence, that person seemed to think about it for a second, and quickly dropped any further query. There wasn't even a question about why I didn't see the trees and the birds as evidence.
What seemed odd, was that I was continually bombarded at every meeting by what others believed, but no one seemed to care at all about what I believed. They just wanted to talk about what they believed. Even my family, while being fully aware that I don't believe, has never asked me WHY I don't believe.
Self-Identification is more of a personal thing, as the word implies; SELF. So, who really cares what you self identify as? Unless, of course, your bothered that you can't tell yourself what you are, haha. I understand the stigma you say that surrounds the term "atheism", when some hear that word, they instead hear "Filthy lecherous baby killing moral lacking dog", or something of the sort. In other words, it has a lot of baggage. I prefer the term "Free-Thinker" or "Non-Theist".
Thanks to all that have responded thus far, quite insightful stuff.
Why does it matter how I self identify? Like it's already been said here, it's unimportant to others, except for when they reach out to me.
I participate in frequent discussions/debates of various levels of quality, ranging from sub-par to pretty engaging. So it is those situations when it becomes relevant and inevitably the pressure is to identify oneself in one word or simple term.
I think ultimately I am all of the above, which are an emergence from the basic, the default position, which unfortunately not everyone engages in: skepticism.
I think I am probably okay with simply saying I'm a skeptic or non-religious. I always avoid labels because the intent of the person asking is to throw baggage onto you.
Maybe you could identify yourself as a humanist. Here's their statement of what they believe:
http://americanhumanist.org/Humanism/Humanist_Manifesto_III
Unfortunately, no matter how you label yourself, the other person will make assumptions about you that aren't true. Just say you're non-religious and be resigned to some people assuming that you are in need of being "saved."
I self identify as an asshole. Keeps morons from bugging me.