Name Change

Annette told me that you, Tom, were planning on changing the name of the group to "Freethinkers". I'm against any such change for the record. The general public doesn't understand what a freethinker is. It is important the public understands that Atheism is viable alternative to religion, therefore; the name should remain "Atheists". Naming the group is a step backwards. It is a numbers game. The less people who are exposed to atheistic viewpoints, the more we will see theistic thinking on political platforms. We don't have time to dick around. The world is getting smaller and smaller. WMDs, global warming and other impending disasterous threats require a move away from fantasy thinking. We can only do that if the public sees atheism as an alternative to religion.

Changing the name looks like an attempt to fit into theist society. Atheist is on the mark. That is what we are. We are also naturals, but this term, and others, could be misunderstood and, therefore, not be effective.
Everyone knows what an atheist is, no matter what the connotation is. The atheist is the confident contender, and theists know it. Norm is right: please stick with atheist.

Hope to make it tonight 8/19/08, but a cold may keep me away. However, do want to add a vote to keep the name as is.