I am an ATHEIST.
I have been an Atheist for 60 years by now.
Very often I get approached by so called 'religious people' asking me:
'Why don't you believe in God?'
I don't, but it's the least of the problems here. This is entirely a WRONG question.
Atheist (like myself) — rejects belief as a valid epistemic tool; relies only on evidence, reasoning, and falsifiability.
Non-theist — doesn’t believe in gods but still uses “belief” as a mental category.
Agnostic — suspends judgment but still accepts belief as a concept.
Theist — uses belief and applies it to gods.
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If someone considers “belief” a legitimate way to hold positions, they’re not an atheist in the strict rationalist sense. They’re a non-theist who still uses theistic cognitive tools.
(Epistemic - relating to knowledge, understanding, or the conditions under which the process of knowing occurs)
Very often I consider myself more than an Atheist - Antitheist to be exact (but it's a subject of different discussion).