Assertive, non-assertive . . .

[Celia]

I know three atheists (possibly more?).  Two of them I consider to be assertive atheists - and they will elaborate on this extensively if they see an opportunity.  They very forcefully assert that no god exists.  Both of these are people I know from my circle of transgendered friends and acquaintances.

The remaining atheist is what I consider to be a non-assertive atheist.  He simply has little or no confidence in the assertion that a god exists.  He doesn't go into it to any great extent, beyond "I just don't buy it".  The non-assertive atheist is just a coworker of mine - in an environment that is trans-oblivious at best.

I could see the first two belonging to some relevant organization, going to meetings, etc. - they do make assertions about primitive superstition, the evils of religion, and so forth.  The third - from all I can tell - doesn't seem to feel it's worth such trouble: he seems to have other things that interest him far more.

Which sort of atheist might you consider yourself to be?  You don't have to relate this to being trans (but feel free if you wish to do so).

[supremecatoverlord]

I'm an atheist.
One of the many reasons I have a problem with organized religion though is that it has a reputation for imposing its belief systems on other people.
  I do not believe there is a true typology here, though if someone wants to sort themselves into some "extremist" category, then they are more than welcome to.
  As for you "friends" or "whoever they are", the need they have to impose their beliefs on you likely doesn't derive from the fact they are atheist, because anyone can be assertive - regardless of religion. It's likely more to do with their personalities - they are likely naturally egotistical people who likes to belittle people for fallacies that they see in their thinking - they like feeling superior and therefore they took advantage of it.
  You have to bear mind to the fact everyone is different. Just because you have only met three people that openly identify as atheist doesn't mean that there is a certain type of person who identifies as atheist.

I don't know what else to say to this.
<_<

[Celia]

Why, where are my manners . . .

(I refer here to option number three, which I neglected to add at first.)

[Felix]

I have great or complete confidence that there is no god, but I'm not actually what I would consider assertive about it. It's an opinion that rarely edifies or makes anyone feel good, so I keep it to myself. It also tends not to be the slightest bit relevant to most contexts.

Just coincidentally, I almost went to an atheist meetup today, because I've never really known a lot of uncloseted atheists. But lol it was so much nicer to sit at home and drink coffee and veg out.

[Gewaltraud]

"I have little or no confidence that there is a god."

In my opinion, atheism is also (technically) a belief and I do not believe there is or are gods. In fact, I strongly believe this because it makes a lot more sense for there not to be. So I'm pretty confident that there's nothing out there, but I wouldn't swear on my wife's life that there isn't because no one can prove there is and no one can prove there isn't. Soooo, yes. Boilz, ghoulz and foolz, this is my opinion.

[Kaylee]

Religion is all poppy cock, no 2 ways about it.  It's a factor of human existence that's propagated purely on the survival instinct of the human child. 

When younger you are programmed to believe whatever your parents tell you (if you parents told you not to go into the woods by yourself and you didn't instantly believe them, you went into the woods and got eaten by a tiger!  Kids that did blindly believe their parents survived to adulthood to pass lessons onto their kids). 

Religion piggybacked on this trait...pre the modern era people were less aware of how the world functioned and explained that natural world in context of magic, demons and gods.  This was passed to the next generation as gospel/fact.  It was only when the age of reason came about and people were able to provide logical, self consistent theories on how the universe worked that religion went into decline in general that people started to question the point of it...after all, if the aspects of the world previously attributed to gods could be explained by other means, what is the point of the gods?

Also, the human race is pre-programmed to recognise face's from random data (it gives you forewarning of the aforementioned Tiger in the woods, even if your run its better to run and be safe at the slightest inkling of danger), hence seeing Jesus everywhere, the Face of Cydonia etc etc

[suzifrommd]

I believe that the existence of god is unknowable. If an omniscient being does exist, it could easily mask its presence.

However, my personal believe is that the existence of a god is highly unlikely.

And, given the suffering in the world, a god that sees that and does nothing is not someone I'd want to know. I'm definitely not planning to vote for "him" in the next election.

[Kylo]

Militant atheists are almost as annoying as proselytizing religious fundamentalists. Despite being basically non-religious myself these days, if I come across one of them I'll happily take them down a peg or two for being obnoxious. After all, it takes one to know one, eh?