Then don’t. I don’t believe in any god. I just don’t call myself an atheist. I’m just not anything. If there was a survey of which religion I belonged to, I just wouldn’t check any box. Then I don’t have to associate myself with any group, I just am.
“It’s odd that the word atheist even exists. I don’t play golf. Is there a word for non-golf players? Do non-golf players gather and strategize? Do non-skiers have a word and come together and talk about the fact that they don’t ski?”
This is a pretty sad take from NdT, and it comes across as though he were attempting to dodge a question. Perhaps even to avoid being labeled, which is probably why you like it.
If 99% of the population were golfers, and 1% weren’t, there would almost certainly be a word for the people who didn’t golf. Same applies to theists. Up until very recently it would have been considered quite unusual to not be a theist.
Then don’t. I don’t believe in any god. I just don’t call myself an atheist. I’m just not anything. If there was a survey of which religion I belonged to, I just wouldn’t check any box. Then I don’t have to associate myself with any group, I just am.
That’s the definition of an atheist bro. A theist believes in a higher power and an atheist does not.
“It’s odd that the word atheist even exists. I don’t play golf. Is there a word for non-golf players? Do non-golf players gather and strategize? Do non-skiers have a word and come together and talk about the fact that they don’t ski?”
This is a pretty sad take from NdT, and it comes across as though he were attempting to dodge a question. Perhaps even to avoid being labeled, which is probably why you like it.
If 99% of the population were golfers, and 1% weren’t, there would almost certainly be a word for the people who didn’t golf. Same applies to theists. Up until very recently it would have been considered quite unusual to not be a theist.
Atheists did not decide on that label. The word is believed to have initially been pejorative.