Is it a protestant, or a catholic God you don't believe in?

"Is it a protestant, or a catholic God you don't believe in?", is the last line of a narrative joke, with several set-ups. It was often situated in occupied Ireland, where all questions were ancillary to this main one. The fellow queried, in the joke, has somehow referred to himself as an atheist, perhaps, even, lecturing upon it.

Religion, while it is several things, is cultural. A person of a particular faith tradition understands the milieu of that faith, and can contrast it with others. Some atheists often come from similar environments.

Although, the US is a protestant country, certain protestantisms are more bizarre to the atheist or sceptic than catholicism, even purposely misrepresented catholicism. The impromptu seizures that accompany pentecostalism has few admirers outside of co-religionists. Hellfire and brimstone baptistry is not warming to outsiders. Mormonism so easily deconstructed as an19th century american fraud is easily laughed off.

Atheism can be defined as godless, or as anti-God. Atheism has its militant versions. It can also be a sincere absence. God is missing in the understanding. His Presence does not register as existing. Ethics can still be there, so 'godless' is not, always, an accurate term of contempt. Rationality of a creatorless universe needs to be considered. So, the absence of God is a question. And it is, often, a psychologically troubled one. In a simple form it is a mistaking of the created as a God substitute. Similar to nature worshipping paganism where the created is worshipped as the Creator.

Some people come to unbelief by the scandals of hypocrisy of supposed believers. In this these unbelievers show a respect for God, that the hypocrites do not. This sincerity of unbelief is different from the angry, mean spirited atheist that revels in attack. Atheism is not of one strand.