I've been an outspoken atheist for many decades and have never encountered the "Firebrand atheist" term.

My position is I care about truth (things that can be demonstrated) over faith (belief without evidence) As there is no evidence for a god, the positive burden of proof has not been met by theists and as I am not a theist, I am an a (not) theist.

Do I actively debate theists, occasionally causing them to cower like scared children and whimper like beaten dogs, Yes.

Have I de-converted a few - Yes.

Do I consider myself a "firebrand? After looking up the definition, I appear to fall within that parameter. [fuckthebible.wordpress.com]

You do not have to label yourself but I'm a firebrand atheist and I have no trouble with that or David Silverman. If you beat around the bush people do not hear you so well.

You do you ... my opinion of where you fit in does not count. That's something you can only feel out for yourself.

There are no obligations involved in being an atheist ... it is just a lack of belief in deities, it's entirely definitional.

Considered atheism is just one small side effect of being a skeptic and critical thinker. I try to focus on that. My personal malfunction with religion isn't so much beliefs that I disagree with or related issues I had as a theist, as that it promotes a failed epistemology that is a societal harm. In this way I try to keep things more objective and focused on concrete issues rather than differing beliefs.

I think it's important to remember that not everything is about god, or the lack of one. Keep it in context.

By all means, be outspoken and absolutely uncompromising - as species, we should really move past the whole "freedom of worship" thing, and arrive at the only acceptable concept of "freedom from worship". Refuse to accept any kind of religious belief, justification, motivation, preaching or any of that other crap they love to pull. This is imperative.

However, if you see someone - who happens to be religious - doing something that you deem to be just and righteous, don't attack their belief, or attempt to break their spirit. As long as they are doing the right thing without trying to tack on their belief onto it, don't interfere.

I prefer the term atheist activist, or anti-theist, but if someone wants to call me a firebrand atheist, then fine with me. I certainly distinguish myself from agnostics, passive atheists, so-called apatheists, and 'I don't believe in religion but...(I still hold a candle for religion because I can't let it go)" types. So, be outspoken and forthright. There are more and more of us.

I consider myself firebrand-ish. I don't walk around with a chip on my shoulder, but if engaged, I will speak my mind.

Never heard of a firebrand. Time to pull up my friend, Google.

I think it depends on what you feel inside. I’m not an atheist at all, but to break away from my Baptist upbringing required a measure of anger, so I was a firebrand rebel for a long time. I absolutely was not going to allow myself to be lulled back in, and anger was needed.

At this point I have no need for anger. There’s no threat at all. I know who I am and what my values are, so anger would just be an impediment to happiness. Some of my best friends are Baptists.
(Not that I’d want my daughter to marry one).