you raise an interesting point, but I really do not care one way or the other

Just because we are not believe the lies about religions I do not think that should be labelled any name However since people call us Atheists, I call my self also, I am an Athiest and I am proud.

I really haven't spent much time on it. I have my own self labels that I like. What others think of my using aethiest to identify myself doesn't concern me.

I don't believe in absolutes.

Any negative connotation the word has for other people should not influence how we as atheists/antitheists feel towards it. It's a benign word.

I prefer Antitheist. Makes people ask me what it means.

I agonized over the word atheist for years. After all, a-theist presupposes that one considers the question of the existence of God to be worth addressing, and while I believe there is a God in the sense of a social construct humans have invented and used to justify killing, abusing and controlling each other for many centuries, I don't believe there is such a thing as God to accept or deny. But, atheism is as much a social construct as God, and as such is a term that at least conveys to others my stance with respect to theistic institutions. I am also a-yeti, a-unicorn, and a-cylon, though I would sooner believe that we are the latest iteration of a non-ending war between humans and cylons, before I would believe in a God. Thankfully, right now I don't need to assert any of these other stances very often to find people I could get along with.

I don't like the word, as the root meaning infers non-belief in a god that does exist. Agnostic works better for me, as I can tell people who want to argue about the existence of any gods that I'm happy to believe in their god if they can prove that god's existence. So far, no one has provided proof.

I don't say that I am atheist or agnostic when describing my beliefs. I don't want to have to explain agnostic, either. I just say, "I am not religious, at all." This works for me. Somtimes I have to repeat the phrase, but it usually works.

I love it since it still provokes a perplexed and concerned look from most.

We do have a word for non-believers in Santa Clause, it’s “adults”. The only reason we need a different word for older non-believers is that some never grow out of the god delusion, even if they stop believing in SC.

I prefer describing myself in terms of what I am, rather than something I’m not. Humanist is preferred, secularist is fine. An ideal I’m moving towards not away from. I just don’t like anchoring my identity on a negation, relative to something I don’t think is real.

Extremely, I have no qualms with what I am.

I prefer "strong atheist". I believe there can't possibly be a God that created such a screwy world. Intelligent design, my ass. I'm a retired biology teacher. Would you create a world with over 30% of all life parasites?

We don't have a word for the non-belief in Santa Claus because the Santa believers never burnt us at the stake.

Atheos was coined by believers in Greece.

I am happy to carry the word, in the way Colonists became proud to be Yankees. I am without gods. I am without a belief in god. The word is perfectly what I am.

I'm very comfortable with the word, but tend to use the entire phrase "I'm not really religious" when meeting new people.

OK. The way I hear it "a" means without. I am aclausist. I am also afairyist. OK, let's go the whole step. I'm also aeasterbunnnyist.
I have no problem with the atheist word except for the eating children part. I like mine with mustard.

Good point. It's like calling tea - unsweet tea. A comic made the joke that you can't unsweeten something. Why don't we call it un-lemon tea, un-iced tea, un-arsenic tea?

It took me awhile. I spent a long time calling myself, "Spiritual but not Religious", then "Agnostic", finally the importance of evidence was able to make me comfortable saying "Atheist".

I would not choose the label for myself. But it reflects our cultural indoctrination. Like belief in a cosmic spectator magic sky daddy is the default. It is a scathing critique of absurd social mores.

A label of sort is needed as we are the exception, at least in the US where I am. I am disappointed that instead of sparking questions it usually gets contempt.

I prefer the term rationalist, though I feel like I am taking the easy way out if I use it.

Just tell them your an Asatanist, it is both true and will confuse many.

I think you're right, especially as religionists have consistently failed to grasp the meaning anyway.

I like your take - except its a good frightener word to use on persistent proseletysers.
And I am a pragmatist - whatever works!

I wonder how useful it is to have this label. It only serves to differentiate us from the bulk of people in the world. Since we were usually the ones being burned at the stake, I think it is best to just live an honest and honorable life without giving the proverbial breast a place to drink its claws. Let them fight each other while we live in truth, beauty, and growth.

It is fine. A word is all but better than the alternatives I guess.
I mean it seems like an unnecessary one to us but then we would allow the religious to come up with more creative words to describe us