
I don't like the atheist label because it was given by the very theists.
Being a negative it gives the self evident status to theism.
This is a good point, John.
I find believers get very weird when the atheist term is used as well. If I tell them I'm atheist, it's almost like I told them I'm Satan the Devil himself. I've also had believers recoil at the term humanist. One person said "Don't use that. That's what Madonna uses." Um, ok.
Perhaps the more apt term is unbeliever or non-believer. I think a lot of public non-believers use the term 'agnostic' because they are pretty sure god doesn't exist. Any scientist is willing to leave the door slightly ajar on this because it is the nature of science to do so. So far, any 'evidence' (read religious or Biblical claims) that has/have been presented has not held up to scrutiny. The application of integrity, morals, logic, and reason must be abandoned when dealing with belief and faith.
In my many discussions with various people on the subject of god over the course of my life so far, I can tell you this. Everyone has a different idea of what god is. And many have very little knowledge of the Bible, its origins, and the belief systems that existed prior to the Bible.
This alone says to me that god is just a figment of the human imagination. If god really did exist, especially as this omnipotent being most believers claim 'him' (?) to be, then everyone would have the exact same knowledge and understanding of god.