Self analysis

I saw this article today and it made me think about what kind of atheist I am; as the title suggests and I already suspected atheists are pretty much like everyone else i.e. a complex assemblage of genetic, cultural and environmental stuff that is difficult to pin down and impossible to define in less than a million words (minus a belief in the supernatural of course). According to the article there are six different types of atheist, although when I look at the list I can empathise with different aspects in each of the categories. I suspect it's exactly the same for believers which for me makes it less rather than more likely that they are right about the nature of the Universe, i.e. Complex beings like Humans are all different and that's the only real truth of the matter.

Anyway, here is my summary of the six different kinds of atheist, see what you think...

1. Intellectual Atheist - intellectually stimulated by information about atheism and the "debate" - likes arguing and is usually well versed in books and articles about religion and atheism.

2. Activist - Not content with just disbelieving in Gods, they want to tell others why religion should be rejected and why society would be better off without it etc. Tend to be vocal about political issues like gay rights, feminism, environment etc.

3. Seeker-Agnostic - Unsure about the existence of God but keeps an open mind, recognises the limits of human knowledge, embrace uncertainty and hold no firm ideological positions.

4. Anti-theist - Regularly speaks out against religion, sees religion as ignorance or delusion. They believe that obvious fallacies in religion and belief should be pointed out openly and addressed in some way.

5. Non-theist - Apathetic or disinterested, simply do not concern themselves with religion or the questions surrounding it. Religion plays no role in their lives, a simple absence of anything religious from their mental space.

6. Ritual atheist - Don't believe in Gods but still finds some religious teachings useful, may participate in specific rituals, ceremonies, meditation etc. Attracted to symbolism inherent within religious traditions but without needing the associated supernatural parts.

For me, I'd say something like: