Though I don't utter it to just anyone, I'm fine w/the term. It's honest, straight-forward, and means what it says. Shout it from the mountain tops!

I feel fine identifying with that word - even though I don't discuss my views often with my family.

I also understand the baggage that unfortunately comes with it. So I can see several different sides of this whole discussion.

I do not feel that we need a label. Everyone is born an atheist and then some are taught to be believe in something making them a theist. I have no problem identifying myself as an atheist, but it is not something I think about or let dictate my actions. For example, I would never say something like, "I would never go to your church because I am an atheist." However I would say, "I have no interest in attending your church service. It does not appeal to me." If someone asks me if I am atheist, I also answer yes because by definition that is what I am.

I have no problem with the atheist label in general. I do expand on that by saying that I am atheist/evidentialist/rationalist because it describes my position in the scheme of things much better than the single word 'atheist'. I hold no beliefs other than the mundane that we all use to navigate our world. I require evidence in order to seriously consider anything, and any discussion must be rational or I won't engage.

Completely comfortable

I don't want to redefine who I am. People come up with many terms to make themselves seem more respectful because they fear rejection or negative consequences. I embrace the word atheist.

In a perfect world there would be no atheists, but it's not, and as long as people believe ancient theistic crap, they need to know that there are atheistic non crap believers in the world. But if there was a God, he could straighten this out, easily !

Its not the use of that word that is the problem, but how it is perceived by people that is.

Very. I think it is mostly the religious who aren't, and mostly because they don't understand what it means.

I am uncomfortable with the label Atheist and often search for a more neutral term, mainly in an effort not to offend my more insecure friends.

I wish the word was more accepted, but that's what I am.

I only use the word atheist around other atheist friends who know what it means and doesn't mean. To most of mainstream society however, that term has been poisoned almost to the level of "nazi". People have a knee jerk negative reaction and immediately assume terrible connotations. It's better to describe oneself as a "non-believer" or "not religious" - at least at first.

I have no problem with it. It is unfortunate that it carries a negative connotation for some, but I'm not to surprised there. If we didn't use a term, others would come up with a negative slur anyway.

I just don't believe but if other people do I don't knock them their choice

I agree with you. It is unfortunate that the word Atheist has such a negative connotation to so many. It really does mean...A theist or the opposite of being a theist, thus why I think it is negative to many. I like to call myself an humanist because as you say non belief in a mystical being in this age is denying reality imho and thus it is the natural order of things. There are so many people in the community I would like to meet and make friends and living where I do it is very hard and I think many give in to Religion for the comfort of having more friends. For me, due to my conviction of the facts, I have to stand by what I know to be factual even if it means just having cyber friends like on here. Still not optimal, maybe that will change one day Tyssina.

A history search would be interesting. Was this word first coined with intent of using it as an insult or to label a group in a negative way or did it come about just to have reference word. This is one reason why we do not like the N word because we know it was meant as a put down.

If you view the word Atheist as an inadequate description of your beliefs or perceive it as a hostile attack against believers you have many other ways of communicating your disbelief when the situation arises. I would use the term non-believer or secularist or just say I don't believe in God because of the lack of evidence. But remember this, I call myself a Democrat, but there are significant aspects of this party I loathe. In many ways, I'm a conservative. I'm not for higher taxes. I'm for fair taxation, but I don't think of other ways to describe my political party. What I do is voice my concerns. If what you see in any group that represents you as being in some way harmful be that voice that says, this should stop, just as you have in this post. Get descriptive with examples and post something about how you feel and ask others what they think.

I'm not always comfortable with it, in part because it doesn't adequately define me, but also because many "atheist" groups seem to use their forum to aggressively attack religious people, and I don't want to be associated with that mentality.

Very comfortable. My father was as well.

I'm perfectly fine with it.

50 years ago, if not longer, that word would have gotten anyone in a world of trouble. I live in a rather progressive part of the U.S. where being a non-believer is fine. As I see from many of the comments in certain threads, it's unfortunate that so many have to be closeted non-believers because they live in the Bible Belt.

Quite. <<<There it is, succinctly.

Very.

I am completely fine with the word atheist and I have no problem stating that it defines certain of my beliefs - or lack thereof. One can't prove a negative, so in that sense I guess I am an agnostic. But I don't expect to someday fine god in the CERN collider.

Totally comfortable. Gives me a chance to engage with people and educate them. I don't blare it out like proselytizers do with their idiocies, but I don't avoid it either.

I'm fine with the term/label atheist, as I see it as literally 'anti-theist', meaning I don't believe in religion, or any of their gods. I just don't use the word much, because here in the bible-belt, it seems to make other people uncomfortable.