Question with 4 notes
Anonymous asked: why do you capitalize atheist?
I feel that Atheism is distinct enough of an idea from theism or deism to deserve proper recognition as a group. Atheism as a word only exists out of necessity, we only have to set off not believing because we live in a world filled with believers. I think that as a result of this we should be able to stand up and identify as a group even if the only thing that unifies us is one non-belief. The ideas and views of Atheists have been discounted for so long simply because they come from Atheists. Someday once non-belief is so prevalent we will be able to do away with the word entirely.
I realize that grammatically it is not correct but some Atheist groups have also decided to take it upon themselves to capitalize it (outside of their proper name) as well. I also think that it is important that we show we are just as important as Christians, Muslims, Jews, or any other religious group and need to be taken seriously. It is a very small way to make Atheists seem like a cohesive group that is not scandalous. Personally as it is I discuss a lot about religion and something about Christianity vs. atheism just doesn’t seem as aesthetically pleasing to me as Christianity vs. Atheism.