Not All Nonbelievers Call Themselves Atheists

[Stevil]

Here's an interesting survey result.
5% of Americans say they don't believe in god.
Of that 5% only 25% call themselves Atheists.
http://www.pewforum.org/Not-All-Nonbelievers-Call-Themselves-Atheists.aspx



I'm not surprised by the self affiliation to "Nothing in Particular" or "Agnostic". To me this shows a lack of general understanding with regards to what the label Atheist means.
What does surprise me is that 14% are people who affiliate with being Christian and 4% who are Jewish. Is it possible to have this world view but not believe in god? Or would this indicate an issue with the survey?

[Whitney]

What question did they ask...if asked what RELIGION I am...I would say none.

[Will]

You can call yourself Thursday for all I care, but if you don't believe in god/gods, regardless of the reason, you're an atheist.

[xSilverPhinx]

Maybe it also has to do with the stigma involved? Some people call themselves 'agnostics' because it has less negative impact than the word 'atheist'.

[TeresaBenedicta]

(Hey, I have fifty posts now!  Yay!)

Perhaps 'atheist' comes off as too strong or too loaded?  When I identified as an atheist, I did so 'with authority' as one might say.  I mean, that to me, to say I was an atheist was to say that I firmly did not believe in God and that I allowed that viewpoint to dominate how I lived my life.  It was a firm and strong belief that I voiced loudly. 

Some people might not want to make a strong statement about it... rather that it's not even an important question to them.  Maybe sort of like the distinction I've seen you all here make between a 'strong' or 'soft' atheist.

A person might believe strongly one way or another about the existence of God and be an atheist or a theist... or someone might think that the question isn't worth even asking and therefore simply identify with "nothing in particular."  There was a movement in modern philosophy that was just that- I think it was Comte.  He said to hell with metaphysical questions in general.

[Stevil]

(Hey, I have fifty posts now!  Yay!)

Perhaps 'atheist' comes off as too strong or too loaded?

50 yay, now we can get our baseball bats out clobber each other   

Atheism needs a PR job, I don't agree with billboards campaigns that have been run, they aren't addressing these two issues.
1. Atheism means "lack of belief in god"
2. Atheism is a passive stance and is not anti-theism

[The Black Jester]

(Hey, I have fifty posts now!  Yay!)

Perhaps 'atheist' comes off as too strong or too loaded?  When I identified as an atheist, I did so 'with authority' as one might say.  I mean, that to me, to say I was an atheist was to say that I firmly did not believe in God and that I allowed that viewpoint to dominate how I lived my life.  It was a firm and strong belief that I voiced loudly. 

Some people might not want to make a strong statement about it... rather that it's not even an important question to them.  Maybe sort of like the distinction I've seen you all here make between a 'strong' or 'soft' atheist.

A person might believe strongly one way or another about the existence of God and be an atheist or a theist... or someone might think that the question isn't worth even asking and therefore simply identify with "nothing in particular."  There was a movement in modern philosophy that was just that- I think it was Comte.  He said to hell with metaphysical questions in general.

I celebrate your "50"!


My wife self-identifies as an "eh-theist"  meaning, should couldn't really care less about belief systems.  I find myself unsurprised if a large portion of the population feels similarly.

[Asmodean]

My wife self-identifies as an "eh-theist"  meaning, should couldn't really care less about belief systems.  I find myself unsurprised if a large portion of the population feels similarly.

Different from apatheist..?

[The Black Jester]

My wife self-identifies as an "eh-theist"  meaning, should couldn't really care less about belief systems.  I find myself unsurprised if a large portion of the population feels similarly.

Different from apatheist..?

Only in that the former term is unequivocally my wife's.  Which has a certain charm. 

[TeresaBenedicta]

What does surprise me is that 14% are people who affiliate with being Christian and 4% who are Jewish. Is it possible to have this world view but not believe in god? Or would this indicate an issue with the survey?

This is what really interests me.

I can see how someone might still identify with being Jewish since it's more than simply a belief-system.

But as Catholic or Christian?  Seems strange that they'd still identify as such...

[fester30]

I'm a little confused, personally.  Some places I see that 95% of Americans believe in god (Fox News likes to point this out around Christmas time).  Other places, I see that about 15% of Americans do not believe in god.  Does this depend on what kinds of questions were asked in the surveys, or on what sample of people were surveyed, or do 10% of Americans change their mind every other year?

[xSilverPhinx]

What does surprise me is that 14% are people who affiliate with being Christian and 4% who are Jewish. Is it possible to have this world view but not believe in god? Or would this indicate an issue with the survey?

This is what really interests me.

I can see how someone might still identify with being Jewish since it's more than simply a belief-system.

But as Catholic or Christian?  Seems strange that they'd still identify as such...

Maybe there is a sort of "cultural" christian, like one who self identifies as such for other reasons other than belief. For the community, religion of their parents, etc.

[Will37]

What does surprise me is that 14% are people who affiliate with being Christian and 4% who are Jewish. Is it possible to have this world view but not believe in god? Or would this indicate an issue with the survey?

This is what really interests me.

I can see how someone might still identify with being Jewish since it's more than simply a belief-system.

But as Catholic or Christian?  Seems strange that they'd still identify as such...

Maybe there is a sort of "cultural" christian, like one who self identifies as such for other reasons other than belief. For the community, religion of their parents, etc.

Yep.  That's pretty much what I am.  If you have any questions just ask.

[xSilverPhinx]

What does surprise me is that 14% are people who affiliate with being Christian and 4% who are Jewish. Is it possible to have this world view but not believe in god? Or would this indicate an issue with the survey?

This is what really interests me.

I can see how someone might still identify with being Jewish since it's more than simply a belief-system.

But as Catholic or Christian?  Seems strange that they'd still identify as such...

Maybe there is a sort of "cultural" christian, like one who self identifies as such for other reasons other than belief. For the community, religion of their parents, etc.

Yep.  That's pretty much what I am.  If you have any questions just ask.

Do you believe in a "living god"?

[Will37]

What does surprise me is that 14% are people who affiliate with being Christian and 4% who are Jewish. Is it possible to have this world view but not believe in god? Or would this indicate an issue with the survey?

This is what really interests me.

I can see how someone might still identify with being Jewish since it's more than simply a belief-system.

But as Catholic or Christian?  Seems strange that they'd still identify as such...

Maybe there is a sort of "cultural" christian, like one who self identifies as such for other reasons other than belief. For the community, religion of their parents, etc.

Yep.  That's pretty much what I am.  If you have any questions just ask.

Do you believe in a "living god"?

In 'a' living God or 'the' living God?  I'm not trying to be a prick but I don't know if you're using a general phrase for God that I've never heard before or if you're using a phrase commonly used to refer to the Christian God.  Anyway, not really.  I'm not militant about it and I sometimes entertain the idea that there could be a God but that's about it.  Intellectually I haven't bought an argument for since my junior year of high school and I gave up on faith in general about two or so years ago.