Edited on March 9, 2025...
Technically, I fit with the negative or weak atheist label of not having a belief towards God's existence. But I still refuse to go along with the atheist label.
The main reason I decline the atheist label is because I wouldn't make a good atheist. To be an atheists seemingly requires to have an overall negative outlook on religion and the supernatural, in general. It tends to involve not accepting any Christian apologists arguments or anything valid about the Bible. I know firsthand because there has been plenty of times when I have been positive or even accepted some view from the Bible, something about the supernatural, and then to have atheists get upset and start labelling me as a closet theist.
Btw, the same thing some times happens on the Christian side. The Christian side esp. the real religious/fundamentalist types) also tend to not have a good outlook towards non-believers. So when I show openness to the non-believer side or even question Christianity too much, then that gets me called an atheist by some in the Christian camp.
All of this leaves me asking, what's the point in calling myself an atheist, when many atheists would label me as a theist based on the positions that I tend to take? And what's the point of calling myself a theist, when I would get accused of being an atheist based on my approach and some views (although I already lack belief in God's existence)?
I obviously can't be on both the Christian and atheist side, so that's why I choose to stick to just the agnostic label so that way people can expect that I won't fully commit to any side and that I'd be open enough to explore and accept views from either side.
Technically, I fit with the negative or weak atheist label of not having a belief towards God's existence. But I still refuse to go along with the atheist label.
The main reason I decline the atheist label is because I wouldn't make a good atheist. To be an atheists seemingly requires to have an overall negative outlook on religion and the supernatural, in general. It tends to involve not accepting any Christian apologists arguments or anything valid about the Bible. I know firsthand because there has been plenty of times when I have been positive or even accepted some view from the Bible, something about the supernatural, and then to have atheists get upset and start labelling me as a closet theist.
Btw, the same thing some times happens on the Christian side. The Christian side esp. the real religious/fundamentalist types) also tend to not have a good outlook towards non-believers. So when I show openness to the non-believer side or even question Christianity too much, then that gets me called an atheist by some in the Christian camp.
All of this leaves me asking, what's the point in calling myself an atheist, when many atheists would label me as a theist based on the positions that I tend to take? And what's the point of calling myself a theist, when I would get accused of being an atheist based on my approach and some views (although I already lack belief in God's existence)?
I obviously can't be on both the Christian and atheist side, so that's why I choose to stick to just the agnostic label so that way people can expect that I won't fully commit to any side and that I'd be open enough to explore and accept views from either side.
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