Do you prefer to say you are "a secular person" instead of "an atheist"?

Question

The word "atheist" itself is still involved in "theism".

The word "secular" is not, isn't it? What do you prefer?

Damn labels lol. I am still addicted to labels lol.

Answer 1

The problem with that is that there are secular people who believe in god too. Secularism is the practice of keeping religion out of things. We have a secular government in the US, theoretically, because our constitution is supposed to keep the two apart. You can be a firm believer in such secularism while still beliving in God. Politically, when we call for a secular government we aren't calling for atheism or a belief there is not god. It would damage the move for a secular government if the term were legitimately tied to the lack of belief in any gods.

There are periodically attempts to come up with a new name for non-believers. Non-believers doesn't work for me because there are many things I believe in. I don't believe in any gods.
There was a stab at using the word "Brights" but that, like Rationalist or Free-thinker, strikes me as too elitest, too partisan. It's a name that says we are the good guys and everyone else is dumb. It's offputting. I also avoid freethinker because I keep hoping someone will pay me to think someday so my thinking will no longer be free.

I stick with Agnostic. It means without gnostic style knowledge. Gnostics claim to have special revelations. Agnostics rely, instead, on rational, objective, empirical knowledge.
Though I also use atheist because it makes it clear I don't believe in any gods. If people put other negative meanings on it I'm happy to show them that it doesn't mean evil.

Answer 2

The word atheist does not indicate it is "involved in theism"; actually, it is the opposite. The "a" in atheism means that it is "anti" theism. Look at the word "atypical" - it doesn't mean another form of typical, it means the opposite thereof.

A secular person may not be an atheist therefore the terms are not interchangeable.

Answer 3

I prefer the term 'Rationalist', or 'Free Thinker', as opposed to 'atheist', or 'unbeliever', since those terms capture more of the people who think that religious beliefs are stupid and irrelevant than the term 'atheist' does. Those terms capture the main reason that people BECOME Atheists... i.e., they have learned how to THINK properly. Once someone learns how to think properly, religious belief is one of the first casualties. Religious belief... particularly the Abrahamic death cults of desert monotheism (Judaism, Christianity, Islam)... simply cannot withstand the glaring light of reason and critical thought. It just evaporates. Poof. The fact that Christians assert and promote such ridiculous beliefs is a clear indication that they CAN'T (or WON'T) think properly.

Answer 4

first...it would be technically incorrect to call a person believing in NO-God theory, a 'secular' person ...since not all of them respect other faiths...many are abusive, which is def. not secular!... now, the 'theism' in atheist is well i dont think right... coz atheism does not follow any "...ism", they dont actually follow any belief, except that theres no belief. - dont u think its a death cycle ?
who cares...

easy 2

Answer 5

'Secularism' is one of the words that are being overused but misused. Most of the non-secularists claim that they are secular. So I prefer to say a 'rationalist' than a 'secular'.

Answer 6

Atheist. Irritates the family.

Answer 7

Intelligent!

Answer 8

I'm a god damned atheist! lol,
but yeah an atheist is someone with out god, and thats what i am. atheist comes for the greek words "A"- without and "theos"- god.

Answer 9

I call myself an atheist. I do not mind the phrase.

Answer 10

Atheist.

Only an asinine agenda would drive such nit-picking.