Atheist Among Us

According to CNN’s Belief Blog, there are six types of atheists:

1) Intellectual atheist/agnostic: This type of nonbeliever seeks information and intellectual stimulation about atheism [and] like debating and arguing, particularly on popular Internet sites. They’re also well-versed in books and articles about religion and atheism, and prone to citing those works frequently.

2) Activist: These kinds of atheists and agnostics are not content with just disbelieving in God; they want to tell others why they reject religion and why society would be better off if we all did likewise. (Basically, the antithesis of evangelicals.

3) Seeker-agnostic: This group is made up of people who are unsure about the existence of a God but keep an open mind and recognize the limits of human knowledge and experience.

4) Anti-theist: This group regularly speaks out against religion and religious beliefs, usually by positioning themselves as diametrically opposed to religious ideology.

5) Non-theist: The smallest group among the six are the non-theists, people who do not involve themselves with either religion or anti-religion.

6) Ritual atheist: They don’t believe in God, they don’t associate with religion, and they tend to believe there is no afterlife, but the sixth type of nonbeliever still finds useful the teachings of some religious traditions.

I identify myself as an atheist just because it’s easier, but it seems that I am a particular “type” of atheist more accurately categorized as a non-theist. It’s comforting to be put into the tiniest box possible; it makes it so much easier for people to quickly assess whether or not I’m best avoided.

As a non-theist, I thoroughly enjoyed this video from The Atheist Voice.

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About Frank Moraes

Frank Moraes is a freelance writer and editor online and in print. He is educated as a scientist with a PhD in Atmospheric Physics. He has worked in climate science, remote sensing, throughout the computer industry, and as a college physics instructor. Find out more at About Frank Moraes.

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