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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!

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Secular Forces 2013 on November 13, 2012 at 6:26am

politics.. or .. 'right wing'. sheesh in Greece and Russia really bad xenophobia.. etc..
bits show up in USA AZ too yikes!

“The husband told investigators that Solomon believed her family was going to face hardship from President Barack Obama’s re-election,” CBS News reported.

He is in critical condition at a Scottsdale, Ariz. medical center, while she “was booked on an aggravated assault and domestic violence,” the report said.

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Permalink Reply by Loren Miller on November 13, 2012 at 6:26am

The only reason why "atheist" is a supposedly bad word is because the hard-line theists want it that way. They want people to buy in on the whole eating-babies, hedonistic, amoral crap that they spew and they get upset (sometimes REALLY upset) when reality doesn't square with their hallucination. We're the pebble in their shoe and the hair in their soup. We remind them that what they're selling is bullshit, and all the apologetics in the world won't change that.

When I first recognized that I was, indeed, an atheist, I started out looking for euphemisms for "atheist," such as "rationalist" or "freethinker," but ultimately, I think I grew to like the in-your-face attitude represented by the "A"-word. When a quartet of Jehovah's Witnesses showed up in my driveway 2-1/2 years ago and I faced my first opportunity to do so, I identified myself to them as an atheist, and when they asked if I had always been one, or if something had caused me to become an atheist, I answered, "Yes - common sense." I was polite with them and wished them a good day when they left, but I made it clear that their mistaken belief had absolutely ZERO TRACTION with me.

I will personally not tolerate the word "atheist" being treated as a forbidden or wrong or improper word because it isn't. It is an element of who I am and as I embrace all of who I am, I embrace it as well. If someone doesn't like it, that's THEIR problem.

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Permalink Reply by booklover on November 13, 2012 at 6:49am

Loren, I LOVE your answer to the jehovah's witlesses! If I ever encounter them I am going to say the same thing.~ Melinda

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Permalink Reply by Diane Freeman on December 8, 2012 at 11:39am

I like the term Rationalist. As opposed to what, Irrationalist? Yep that says it.

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Permalink Reply by sk8eycat on December 8, 2012 at 3:20pm

"Realist" works, too, but as Loren said, I prefer being a capital-A, in-your-face, no-euphemisms Atheist. It's NOT a "bad" or impolite word as is the f-word. It's just a descriptive word.

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Permalink Reply by Chris Dodds on November 13, 2012 at 3:27pm

The sad truth is that Atheist is a word that has been marred by centuries of religious indoctrination and misconception. It doesn't help that it's still going on.

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Permalink Reply by Richard K. Emms on November 13, 2012 at 8:55pm

I like reprobate. I also like heathen.

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Permalink Reply by Future on November 28, 2012 at 1:44pm

The only reason I don't like the word "atheist", is because it's too close to "a theist". I certainly don't want anyone thinking I'm "a theist"! I prefer "godless" - it's more to the point.

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Permalink Reply by sk8eycat on November 28, 2012 at 3:41pm

Are you dealing with people who don't understand that using "a" as a prefix indicates a negative? I mean if you say, "I'm an atheist," you're not saying "I'm an a theist," are you?

That makes no sense. It's certainly atypical.

;.)

(English Curmudgeon)

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Permalink Reply by Future on November 28, 2012 at 4:58pm

Now it all makes sense! A moral jerk always seemed so contradictory. Those snarky theists must have meant amoral jerk. ;)

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Permalink Reply by sk8eycat on November 29, 2012 at 1:20am

Heh! They're probably rehearsing their seasonal phoney outrage acts. You know, "poor little persecuted us...war on xmas...blah...blah....blah." Hoping to get their 15 seconds of fame on FAUX GNUZ. They love feeling persecuted; makes 'em feel important instead of insignificant.