[Aiwendil]

I hesitated for quite a while over whether to vote "atheist" or "other". I'm probably what most people would call an "atheist", or perhaps a "secular humanist". If I had to pick a term to describe myself, it would either be "rationalist" or simply "non-religious". I favour the formation of opinions based only on reason and empirical evidence. Inasmuch as "atheist" really means "a-theist", "not a theist", it adequately describes me. In fact, one might go so far as to say that I'm an "antitheist" - I am not only not religious; I am opposed to religion as an institution (though of course I'm tolerant of those who practice religion, just as I'm (I hope) tolerant of all those who have different opinions). My hesitation in voting "atheist" arises because, just as I do not blindly believe that there is a God, I do not blindly believe that there is not.

In terms of culture, I'm half Protestant and half Jewish. I suspect that something of the ethos of each of those religions has worked its way into my subconscious. When I was very young I believed in a God, though I never really believed in any of the more particular details of Judeo-Christian theology. Even now, I retain some hope (childish as it sometimes seems to me) that there is a God.