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Atheist is a Bad Word

Why is atheist a bad word? How do we flip this word because I don't think I can (honestly) call myself anything else!

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Permalink Reply by Madison on October 15, 2011 at 2:34am

I can't imagine calling myself anything but Atheist either.
A=no/without theist=god.
It's not really so much the word, but the stigma attached to it. "Oh, he's an Atheist. He eats kittens for breakfast and babies for dinner."

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Permalink Reply by Peter Cordel on November 12, 2012 at 11:16pm

I keep toying with "non-theist," but it has the ring of "you are trying to fake me out, when you are really an atheist."

I really want to be called the Anti-Christ, but that doesn't work very well either.

I am old enough now that I may try "Reprobate," that has a certain ring to it.

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Permalink Reply by Tara Benson on October 15, 2011 at 3:06am

Atheist isn't a bad word in and of itself. Some people like to denigrate atheists because they think only religious people can be moral, ethical, good, trustworthy, kind, law-abiding, etc. Accordingly there's a stigma attached to the word atheist. We just need to own it and turn things around, much like gay people have been working to do for so long. Don't let the bigotry of others define us, but instead insist we define ourselves. Show people that we're no different than anybody else other than we believe in one less god than most of them.

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Permalink Reply by booklover on October 15, 2011 at 9:23am

That's funny, when someone says they are a christian I automatically lower them in my estimation. Maybe I shouldn't, but there it is.

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Permalink Reply by Tonya Wynn on October 25, 2012 at 3:01pm

Booklover, I usualyy agree...I think less of thise who call themselves by a religious name. It makes me think that they are unthinking followers who probably think they are better than others because thier religion says so. I also think they probably justify their 'sins' by thinking, ahead of time, that they are forgiven anyway, so WTF?!

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Permalink Reply by booklover on November 5, 2012 at 7:57pm

Right VikingDon! If someone is doing something nice with an ulterior-motive, they obviously aren't being selfless. If I do something nice, it's because I WANT to, plain and simple!

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Permalink Reply by Peter Cordel on November 12, 2012 at 11:11pm

I am with you, but only when they use it to show how wonderful they are, which is probably any time that person feels the need to reveal moral superiority over the soulless. Hmmm, sounds like I totally agree with you. Ha.

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Permalink Reply by Amanda Schneider on October 15, 2011 at 10:18am

I would go so far as to encourage other people who are using labels such as "agnostic" to call themselves atheists if they really are. Of course, only the person can decide how they want to label themselves. I just think it's responsible to call it like it is, be yourself, and allow other people to be more and more "exposed" to atheists. People who are afraid of atheists may find their best friend, family member, neighbor who they already love is "one of them".

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Permalink Reply by Ruth Anthony-Gardner on October 15, 2011 at 12:47pm

I identify as a Secular Humanist. I also don't identify as a not-elephant or as a not-brain surgeon. Dude, who needs an other-defined rejection as a core identity?

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Permalink Reply by Amanda Schneider on October 15, 2011 at 3:22pm

Good point, Ruth. Identifying as a not-something does seem a little ridiculous. But I do think it is a movement 'against' something. It is a response to a popular delusion. If there were never any belief in gods from the beginning of humanity, there would be no reason to have any such label at all!