Ditto George on the arrogance. Compared to the trolls that come by here you have a long way to go.

There are times when using another name is a good way to get around stereotypes, however temporarily.  By the time the other person realizes that “non-theist” means “atheist” they’ve already gotten over pre-judging the ungoddy person.

Reckon I’ll stick with “atheist” though.  Cost me a lot to finally say the word to a mirror.

Thanks so much for the original post and all the comments. I suggest another term rather than “atheist”

I have no personal intentions of changing the word I use to describe myself. If people have developed their own stereotypes of “those people” than that is on their conscious and not mine. Now I do realize the power of using such a word so obviously I am careful about who I mention it to. But I shouldn’t have to change who I am just because someone else doesn’t understand. That doesn’t fix the underlying problem. I would prefer to educate that person than say, “You know what, call me butt-buddy”(an obscure South Park reference by no means a sly remark).

I suggest the term “non-theist” which I use to describe myself. It raises questions rather than instant judgement. What I mean by that is that I do not believe in the ego in the sky who is the Director of the Universe. We lack evidence that there is a being that is our judging or caring Parent. Even the Puritan divine Cotton Mather in the 17th century declared, “God is not a being. God is Being itself.” Such a god defies definition, but Cotton Mather, like most of us, was inconsistent enough to encourage the witch hunt in Salem, MA (from which he had the grace to later repent – though it was too late for the condemned). A non-theist refuses to identify the projected superego with the mystery that is the Universe or human soul.
I recommend to former Christians, the work of a young Thomas J.J. Altizer, “The Gospel of Christian Atheism”  I have just retired as a minister in the United Church of Christ and have had the freedom to share the thoughts expressed on this blog with my congregations. I have invited congregants to celebrate communion as a “taking back” of any and all their projections from their own psyche. To own the goodness, power, love, wishful thinking as their own and within them.
I now attend a Unity congregation with my wife. As with any tradition their is often too much assertion that takes the place of question. But I do appreciate Unity’s focus on experience rather than dogma.
The arguments against traditional religion including Christianity are well expressed on this blog. I agree that those of us who will not just go along with arrogant assertions to get along with the many who are self-deluded need to speak up to save our pluralistic experiment in democracy. I also agree that a non-theistic spirituality is possible. I turn the title of my fundamentalist father’s favorite hymn from the assertion, “It Is Well with My Soul” to a guiding question for my life, “Is It Well with My Soul’
The Spiritual life of a non-theist is founded in questions, not assertions. We can try experiments on attitudes, actions, habits etc and see if they “work.” Or, as they say in the recovery movement, “If your god is not helping you, get a new one.” Which is of course what most people do on some level even if it only to go to another church to hear another preacher. As one of the responders to this blog suggested, few really read the Bible. More read what they are told to read with the prescribed interpretation. The stories of the Bible give us so many possible metaphorical descriptions of God as to defy any attempt at consistent prescription.
A better course is to seek deeper questions than one has struggled with so far. An excellent source of such questions is the book, “Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings” by Rob Brezsny

Believe me I really appreciate the kind words, and the time to write such insightful comments and personal stories, which make the post so much better.  Truly “community” is a human property.

Thank you again.