A friend of mine recently admitted that he didn’t use the term “atheist” to refer to himself. Not because it wasn’t accurate – he holds the same non-belief in gods and the supernatural as I do – but because of the negative traits people in general, and religious believers in particular, associate with the term. He said he didn’t like how people believe atheists are immoral, certainly less moral than god-fearing folk.
This is one way in which the religious have defined, to their advantage, the difference between those who subscribe to a faith tradition and those who do not. The definition is one that has become an accepted meme in our culture, and is a major reason why more non-believers are reluctant to publicly identify themselves as such. Or if they do, they often choose the less-threatening term agnostic because the word atheist carries so much negative social baggage.
I could not argue against my friend’s decision, because keeping his atheism hidden is still the best choice for those of us who live in a country where an African-American man can finally be elected President, but an atheist hasn’t got a chance in hell.
For myself, I am openly out of the non-believer’s closet. I am not shy about declaring my atheism. But I am very much aware of the isolation and mistrust that such a declaration can engender – and I am sad for my friend who has to hide his honest opinions for fear of making himself a pariah.
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