Athée Canadien
Atheism and Identity
By Brent
When you are introducing yourself to others, what is the first thing that you mention? What is the most important element of your identity?
Do you say that you are a student, or, if not a student, do you state your profession? Do you identify based on your ethnicity? Your nationality? Your sexual orientation? Do you mention if you are married or single? Do you mention that you are a parent, if you are?
Alternatively, is the first thing that comes to mind your religious or philosophical positions? How often have you mentioned that you are an atheist, agnostic (or whatever) to a complete stranger?
As a side digression, I get the feeling that people who identify as christian are frequently more comfortable identifying themselves as such than atheists would be. Canada is relatively secular, but nevertheless primarily judeo-christian, and most certainly atheists are a minority.
The point of me writing this is to explain that I have noticed more and more people expressing their primary identity as atheists. Not students, not Canadians, not this or that sexual orientation, but rather, as atheists. I think this demonstrates an important shift in the culture of atheism. The atheist identity has even taken on political facets: nascent “secular” political parties and movements are forming, and atheists are becoming evermore politically active. A great example is the Secular Coalition for America, a lobby group specifically for atheists and freethinkers. Also, one of the authors on this site, Ian Bushfield, has hinted at forming a secular party in the next local elections.
The atheist identity is changing, and I believe we have good reason to be tremendously optimistic about the future of atheism.
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about 1 year ago
I tend to give my name, or nickname like you see here. Other stuff comes out if asked about occupation (library) or interests (reading, writing, photography). Atheism might not get mentioned at all, depending on who I’m talking to.
Depends on the venue, too. I think I’m more forward online than I am face to face, but it also depends on the person.
As an aside, I used to say “in real life” but really, the internet has jumped from being a fringe interest for a minority of nerds (those were the days…) into a colossal networking boon. What’s important will get mentioned when necessary. Declaring I’m an atheist isn’t always what’s most important. Getting my point across is. My philosophy may have no bearing on the subject at hand.
about 1 year ago
Brent – you’re right. I think people are getting more and more comfortable with “coming out” as atheists. I think we can give a big round of applause to the people that I personally pick on so much – Dawkins, et al. While they are pretty offensive, they’ve really set the “new atheist” movement in motion and its made it easier for people to identify knowing there are others out there. In addition all these bus campaigns and blogs have probably really helped, as well.
I think the next major step is “humanizing” atheism. Not having people associate the word “atheist” with cold hearted assholes. We need to devote a lot of resources into making atheists akin to kittens and bunnies so everyone will <3 them more. Unfortunately, I find that many atheists that are in the movement are "science types" and they often have a hard time recognizing the need for social development of the movement, but it'll get there.
about 1 year ago
YES. I know exactly what you’re talking about, maybe even a little too well. I’m really tired of “rationalism” (and consequently, atheism) being equated to acting as an emotionless Vulcan.
about 1 year ago
I am likely to introduce myself as “Ian Andreas Miller of the Ojibwe Nation” or something like that. But when religious beliefs are brought up, I do not hesitate to call myself an atheist.
about 1 year ago
I tend to introduce myself by nickname only, even in real life. Hell my facebook isn’t even under my real name. If I feel I can trust the person, I -may- divulge my real name, but it’ll take awhile to get to that point.
Information like “I’m an Atheist” however is pretty far down my list, though I’ll admit to -wanting- nothing more than to self-identify in large part as an Atheist some days because it definitely defines my outlook on so many things in one little word.
Many things make me fearful though… my landlord is a great example. I fear if she even knew I was an atheist at all she may not have even rented to us … she’s the kind of person I fear might even try to evict us. I used to have a little signature in my email that stated “Gods don’t kill people, people with Gods kill people.” It went out on -all- my outgoing mail, and one day she demanded I remove it because “God saved us”. I felt ill but I also didn’t want to lose our apartment (we were in negotiations at the time).
Things like that make me nervous about being known as an atheist even though I crave having it tattoo’d on my forehead most days (figuratively speaking). Basically the discrimination remains fairly heavy. I think most people aren’t even aware of a deep-seated bias against someone who would self-identify as an Atheist until they mention it out loud.
about 1 year ago
I just say my name, where I am from – because I am an international student – and that is all I think. The authour is right by saying that atheists are coming out, personally I enjoy telling others – when asked- that I am an atheist, because I like the look of surprise on their faces. Furthermore, in my university in southern ontario one of professors is an anti-theist who wears T-Shirts attacking religions all around campus, and that is so cool.
about 1 year ago
Don’t know how u can prove it, but I believe Bill Maher and his film, “Religulous” has had a lot to do with Atheism coming out of the closet … as it were.
Rebekah
I agree … a lot of Atheists I meet are Nerdy. There are the few artistic types … the movement needs more.
about 1 year ago
Slowly, atheists are not being labeled as angry, or immoral. It is taking time but things are looking up.
I try to educate people in my articles at the Ottawa Citizen about humanist values and atheism. I try to be a more friendly, humorous atheist.
about 1 year ago
I’m too anti-essentialist to say my identity is this, or my identity is that. My identity is a complicated thing, which depends on who I’m talking to, what I’m talking about, and what I contrast myself with. For example, in a discussion of pop science, I’ll probably mention that I’m in math, and I’d mention that I had a girlfriend in bioengineering until said girlfriend and I broke up. (I have a rant somewhere about how despite the pro-science pretense of movement atheism, it has little to do with science as practiced by academics.) In a discussion of anything on which I judge the US to be objectively inferior to the rest of the first world, I’ll place more emphasis on my not being an American. And so on…
I think the only time where my atheism (and only my atheism) becomes salient is when someone talks about praying for someone to succeed or recover from an illness. (I once got into a gigantic flamewar when a Christian on a forum said something about it and I said I don’t pray). I play the atheist card in discussions of Islam, but rarely; usually my name already brings out the Jewish card, and at any case I believe the main distinction isn’t about atheists, but about Christians or Westerners.