“Hesitant to identify because of the social stigma?”

This is proof they fear what they don’t understand. I exist without faith in a higher power. I don’t share “not believing in a god” because it’s like saying “my eyes are not brown”. It doesn’t tell you what color they are.

Me saying I’m “atheist” tells you absolutely fuck all about what I do believe. I do believe that humanity has the potential to solve all the problems we have right now, and it would be likely easier without religion interfering.

Murder, theft, intentionally harming relationships (etc.) and other crimes are things I simply don’t want to happen to me. So I won’t do them to others. Seems easy enough.

If we assume everyone we meet is suffering, and on their own path away from it, we tend to be better people toward them, and our own struggles help too.

I came to the conclusion a while back that all these religious nuts end up doing what an authoritarian tells them to do, because they understand the authoritarian, and fear everything else.