Richard,
Dawkins (and others… Dawkins gets on my nerves sometimes) speaks of memes as one might speak of a virus. When a virus is completely eradicated, the vaccine serves no further purpose. Now, I’m not sure the necessity of labeling ideas as memes, but if we’re working from that model, Atheism would be a vaccine to the religion meme. That atheism is the “birth” position is pointless if the religion meme infects you before you receive the vaccine.

Of course, agnosticism and science could be considered other religion vaccines… I dunno, it’s late and I’m just spitballing.

I’m not saying I agree with the idea (even if I had it!), it was just a thought, and I haven’t quite figured out where I stand on the topic.

So.. are we simply going by labels here or discussing our own positions? My position isn’t Atheism, it’s the use of reason and the scientific method tempered by human compassion in order to work out solutions across a population despite religious differences and attempts to trump reason with faith or dogma. Ie: Secular Humanism.

I just find it interesting that we have to define ourselves (those who call themselves atheist, anyway) as lacking something, rather than having something – shouldn’t atheism be the default position, anyway?

I don’t mind being called an atheist. I used to just call myself a skeptic, wince, and hope nobody would ask me to explain. Nowadays, I’m a little older than I used to be, hopefully more mature – and I no longer care if people give me looks ranging from horror to mild disgust when I tell them I am an atheist.

It is not a crime to be an atheist. (yet?) I’m not bothering anyone with my a-theism. With the political climate as it is in the US, I think it is important for non-believers to stand up and be counted; we’re made fun of by politicians for easy votes, and we’re even told that we shouldn’t be counted as citizens. Standing up and declaring myself an atheist goes hand-in-hand with fighting against the de-secularization that is happening in the US government. I’m not a big believer in epic “good guy, bad guy” type scenarios, but I am more than concerned about the workings of the ‘Moral Majority’ to impose their beliefs and way of life on the rest of the nation. So, I’m an atheist, and I say I am because it is a very clear term; it does not mince meanings. It’s about time that atheists stand up and show the rest of the country that we’re not the immoral, evil cardboard villains the Christian right makes us out to be.

I like the term Freethinker, and consider myself one, but some people find this term offensive, since they think that it suggests that people with spiritual tendancies have no free thought.

I am a Secular Humanist, but that is a philosophical category, and does not identify me as one of the members of the non-belief crowd as immediately. People don’t know what it means. In addition, there are people who don’t believe in god that aren’t Secular Humanist.

I use a lot of labels for myself, but atheist is the only one that people know right now, so I’ll use that as long as I have to.

Frankly, I don’t have a problem identifying as Atheist. I’m not looking for equal time or to be viewed in a comparable light to Christianity or any religion. I feel that I make a larger statement by identifying as Atheist, although I freely admit that the term will eventually fall out of favor when Theistic belief systems crumble.

I find it interesting to point out the same traits in both Atheistic and Theistic groups and organizations. Clearly, belief in god is not a prerequisite for some of these traits.

I also use the term to demonstrate the misconceptions people have with the term Atheism. In Church, (which 3 in 4 of the American population claim to attend regularly) Atheist is synonymous with Nihilist at best, Satanist at worst. Realizing that this is false is one of the hardest blows an Atheist can deal to a proselytizer.