I use atheist because it still shocks those who are intrusive enough to ask.

Personally, I do question the need for a term at all. After all, there is no term for the non-belief of fairies, hobgoblins, Thor, Poseiden, Karli, Bigfoot, etc. That said, if a term has to be used then atheist fits better than most. If you did believe in a god but refused to acknowledge it then you would be imtheist as in immoral instead of amoral.

The word Atheist means non-belief in any deities. We use language to communicate with each other so, words have meaning. We each have our own perspective on those meanings based on our individual history.

If I declare that my god is real and that it's scriptures are infallible. I MUST be able to PROVE that my god is a real living entity, and prove that it's doctrine is infallible. Every word based upon a fantasy, however emphasized as true, is irrelevant if not proven. Proof is substantial, belief is divergent and fickle. You cannot argue that a god, or Bigfoot, or a leprechaun, disapproves of, or hates, or even loves anything until you first prove that this being exists. It becomes an exercise in futility, you would simply be repeating unsubstantiated claims that you believe to be true. Theists must first prove there is a god, then everyone on this planet can join the conversation.

A child may believe they "love" Santa, but in actuality, they "love" the concept, the idea, of Santa. Because, Santa does not exist. You cannot love an unsubstantiated belief. You may love the concept or idea of that belief which you have conceptualized over your lifetime from many different sources. But the substance, the proof, the most important thing needed to make people believe, that they can't produce.

Atheism is not a religion. An atheist does not believe in the existence of god or gods, however, an atheist does believe that the man-made concept of god exists. Just as an atheist believes that the man-made concept of Bigfoot exists. It necessitates the acknowledgement of, not the FAITH in, the concept of a god or Bigfoot. I interchange the words belief and faith because of those who interchange these words with reference to atheists, asserting they "believe" or have FAITH that a god does not exist. Theists are wrongly trying to establish that god exists, atheists have to have faith not to believe it. When someone asserts that something exists, I do make a conscious choice to believe it or not based upon proof. When I say, "I believe that Bigfoot does not exist", I am not saying that Bigfoot exists and I have to have FAITH not to believe it. However, I do make a conscious choice not to believe it because there is no proof. Most theists make subconscious choices to believe religious myths and doctrines without proof. They wrongly believe it is an established fact, that is what faith is, as is noted in its definition, "Faith: strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than PROOF.”

Atheism is not a religion, nor does it have FAITH there is no god. Does not believe = non-belief, it is the absence of belief/faith, not the belief/faith in the absence of something.

This is a very good posting once you believe that it is all about the perception that other believers have of us. Of course we can justify our own beliefs but once they hear the word atheist, christians do not think further into the other possibilities. It is those possiblities we should be getting other religions to concentrate on and become experts . I would suggest that we quietly drop the word and promote agnosticism firmly but kindly without calling any religion stupid. That does not suggest that I am on the fence. I know exactly why I am in this group. Know your beliefs - you do have them!

I find using labels for people to be problematic because people don't fit neatly into any box and using labels tends to try to do just that. And inevitably there will be others who have a different understanding of the meaning behind the label and assume the contents of the box fit their interpretation of the label.

I like to think of myself as a “realist”. But no one would understand what I mean, so Atheist is just easier.

I too resist calling myself an atheist, but for different reasons.

1. It is impossible to prove the non-existence of anything in a universe so vast and unexplored.

2. It's not fair to other mythological beings (e.g. Bigfoot, Santa Claus, the Loch Ness monster, the Tooth Fairy, etc.). After all, we don't have special names for people who don't believe in them!

That there might be one or more gods seems to trouble both of you.

I live as if there are no gods and am not troubled.

I just tell people I’m a “heathen”…..

I am an anti-theist precisely because of the damage that religion does to both people and society.