The word you're looking for is "adults." There's this great line in "The Big Bounce" (2004): "God is an imaginary friend for grownups." I don't have a problem calling myself an atheist.

Due to the large population of theists I'm fine with it. If they were the minority in the world atheist would just go out of common usage. Although having a word for yourself does make what you're saying easier to dismiss on an emotional basis.

I simply say (when prompted) that I don't believe in gods, or that I am not superstitious. Both work. I don't really care for the fact that I get a label for not believing in the unbelievable. I was an atheist long before I knew there was a word for it. I don't think I heard the word used in any meaningful way until I was 10 or 11.

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A word is a word.

I'm very comfortable with the word atheist... don't think twice about it...

I fine with it, although I prefer Antitheist.

Prefer it to christian.

I prefer non-theist. You have stated how I feel also.

Personally, I’m not uncomfortable with it anymore, but other people are, so I usually say I’m agnostic. Hopefully, the religious folk won’t think I’m a devil worshipper ????

i prefer to think of my self as non religous, but its not something i have to preach. iam far more concerned with the more important parts of my life

I have been an Atheist for 58 years. Actually, back then, I called myself an Anti-Theist. On face book I have put my self out there as the American Anti-Theist. I remember the first time I actually used the term Anti-Theist, It was back in the mid 70's . I was working at a FDA research center and someone ask me what my religion was. When I told them I was an Anti-Theist they gave me a strange look. A couple of minutes later they looked at me and said " for a minute there I thought you were telling me you were an atheist!" When I explained what an Anti-Theist was they looked at me and said that's worse than being an atheist! To this day I still don't quite know how or what they meant.

Exceptionally comfortable. I post nonstop, it seems, anything atheistic on Facebook; if my family hasn't figured it out yet, oh well.

Agender, asexual, atheist, a- just means 'lacking' or 'without'. Atheists just don't have a religious view on the world. Just because it can be considered the basic state of thinking, doesn't mean it should not have a label. Otherwise you are talking about 'theists' and 'people who are not theists', which doesn't sound as good.

Besides, there are a lot of people who 'believe' in something even without religion. So I'm not sure we can say not-believing is the most common state.

Also we do have words for people who believe in Santa and the Tooth Fairy, and those who don't: Kids and Adults

It don't bother me none. I personallydon't think or take in a derogatory way

My opinion is pretty close to what's written in the post. I have no real problems with the word atheist itself but the connotation it often has.

What can anybody actually do to me for being an atheist? Fire me? The answer unfortunately is yes. They can and do. In this internet driven environment be careful where you post. This site and other revealing sites are pits of information the religious fundies mine for 'miscreants'. That said, I'm retired and now safe from them. So, take your god and shove it fundies. You ain't welcome here at all.

I am pretty fine with it, even though I agree that it should be the natural state of thinking compared to being actively religious. Living in a pretty conservative place, I usually keep it to myself unless asked directly.

I look at the word "atheist" the same way I look at the words "Christian," "Muslim," "Jewish," etc. The two sides claim certainty in an area where it is impossible to produce empirical evidence to prove one way or the other given our current understanding of nature, and our current level of technology. You can accept, or reject, the existence of some deity, but it is impossible to say with any degree of certainty whether there are deities, or no.

Well given that theism is belief in a god, and I don't believe in a god, and atheist, is belief in no gods, I guess I am an atheist. I do love the "non delusionist" comment though, most apt.

Very comfortable. It is accurate.

I am "sweatpants"-comfortable with the word "atheist".

Not very. It feels negative. I am a humanist.

I'm comfortable with the word while wishing there were a term that was not anti-something. It would make more sense for the religious to be called anti-reason.

I like nontheist.