My aversion of theistic or atheistic labels affixed to myself is based on a desire to go through life’s situations using logic/reason as opposed to faith-based leaps as much as possible (the ‘as-much-as-possible’ could be considered a cop-out because I don’t claim to possibly have enough data/information to make every real-life impromptu decision logically.)
Unlike atheists who proactively share their thoughts on public forums via formal and informal debates, I have the luxury of being removed from this onerousness of standing on an ‘atheist’ platform and for all intents and purposes – really not care!
Also, another manner in which I differ from some atheist proclamations or proclaimers is that while they believe faith and reason (religion and science) to be polar ends of a worldview spectrum (thereby giving religion a false legitimacy), I believe faith/religion/god to simply be subsets within a scientific socio-cultural study discipline, nothing more.
There is a logical explanation for every form of belief in the existence of god, religion, faith, fairies and monsters under the bed. At the same time, there are yet unexplained or subjective components of such sociological constructs (love, hope, poetry, romanticism, honor, stoicism, altruism, etc) as Darwinian responses evolved to the current state of the world around us. For example, a counter-logical unprovoked dislike of a person who has done you no wrong which could be scientifically explained if every memory of the ‘disliker’ can be studied such as to find a a causal correlation with the ‘dislikee’ (probably the latter is wearing a shirt with color that is similar to one worn by a previous threat to the former!) But organizing resources for such analyses is prohibitive and therefore remains nebulous enough to be exploited by lazy humans as a case for the supernatural.
But until the time science comes up with a method to analyze and predict the brain’s process of arriving at thresholds using prior experiences and memories and then enforce those through actionable decisions that impact the world around it, I will give the benefit of the doubt to science and its methods of arriving at the truth than any imposition.
At least, science and reason lead people to seeking via true humility. Only a true seeker or scientist can possess this humility – one that wonders in awe at being proved wrong by a peer – because they have together got closer to reality! Science is hard work and of course, has its limitations… unlike other faith-based systems that lazily jump to “asserted, untested truths” or enhanced awareness experiences that can be replicated by meditation or psychotropic drugs.
For now, science is the best method of seeking. Agreed, it carries with it the burden of being reductionist and pitilessly pragmatic, but my knowledge evolution has manufactured the instinct within my genetic code to care for my offspring does not in any way dilute the amazing love I experience for my child! I simply avoid imposing unknown, and quite unnecessary, factors like gods into the mix. Only then can I lay claim to these awesome experiences as something entirely human, entirely mine!
My 2 cents 