Thoughts on Atheist Identity

I wear a Scarlet A on my collar identifying myself as an atheist. The reasons why at least some of us do this have been excellently summarized by VJACK in a post on Atheist Revolution.

What many Christians and more than a few atheists seem to have difficulty understanding is that atheism remains a pretty big deal in the U.S. It is widely perceived as a rejection of anything positive and as an embrace of pure evil. We are despised as arrogant, immoral, and treasonous by a vast segment of the populace. We are the ultimate scapegoats. One implication of this widespread anti-atheist bias is that publicly disclosing one's lack of god belief is far more significant than expressing one's lack of belief in monsters or fairies.

By declaring that I do not believe in unicorns, I am saying nothing of significance to anyone. However, by explaining that I think the existence of gods is no more likely than the existence of unicorns, I am making a statement with vast cultural implications. I am identifying myself as a member of a tiny and thoroughly hated minority.

Check out the whole post here: Thoughts on Atheist Identity