Thoughts – I believe this proposal, however meritorious, is structurally flawed. It brings forth only two specific options and a catch-all third section for alternative views. I gave my support in the latter section, but since my alternative view is significantly long, I'd rather not clutter up the section above. (I chose to clutter this section instead.) Anyway, I'd like feedback on this if anyone's interested.
In my opinion, the religion infobox parameter should be used if and only if the religion of the individual is known. Unless there is a specific and valid reason for excluding the information, said information should always be included if the individual's religious affiliation (or lack thereof) is known and, preferably, verifiable. On the matter of irreligion, or when the individual holds no specific religious affiliation, I think it's important to specify their nonreligious spiritual beliefs (or lack thereof) when available. The problem I have with the above proposals, however, is that the first is liable to inadequately describe the individual's views, and the second doesn't seem to allow for specifications outside of "atheist" or "agnostic", or the omission of these specifications if not applicable (doing so would render it little better than the first proposal). I'll address my concerns with both proposals first (par. 3 and 4), then add a comment on the labels being used (par. 5), and finally proceed to specifying my proposal (par. 6).
The first proposal appears to be the usual convention, but it's not ideal. Although it's technically true that someone who is, say, a Christian atheist, has no religion, this fails to actually clarify the type of irreligion they follow. If the parameter simply states "None", and the article does not specify the particular form of irreligion of the individual, how am I to know whether that person is a hardcore gnostic atheist and not a pantheist, or an agnosticDeist and not a spiritual nontheist? Similarly, some people hold spiritual beliefs, but refuse to identify as any single religion. An individual who believes in a Christian God but rejects the Christian religion is technically an irreligious individual. Should this person be described as "None" by virtue of their irreligion, or "Christian" by virtue of their beliefs despite rejecting that label? Although "None" as a label may apply to some, it may not apply to all, or even most, of the individuals who would be classified as such under this proposal.
The second proposal is an improvement in that is specifies the type of irreligion of the individual, but it appears to be limited in its specificity—or perhaps even static, in which case it's worse than the ambiguity Proposal 1 provides. Under which circumstances should these labels apply? Is someone described as "None (agnostic)" because they have specified that they are agnostic, or because they haven't stated that they're an atheist? Would a person who is neither agnostic nor atheist be labeled as simply "None", or would they receive their own parenthetical specification, or would they be mislabeled as agnostic or atheist? This second proposal is unclear and ultimately too simplistic to adequately replace Proposal 1 as the new convention.
I have a problem with us treating agnostic and atheist as mutually exclusive terms. Time and time again, scientists, philosophers, and scholars have clarified that (a)gnosticism is the degree of confidence or certainty in one's belief in God (or anything, actually), whereas (a)theism is the state of one's belief in a divine creator or deity. Individuals can be agnostic atheists, gnostic atheists, agnostic theists, gnostic theists; gnostic or agnostic pantheists, deists, polytheists; and even agnostic or gnostic apatheists. Thus, the second proposal may be further flawed because it appears to be perpetuating the flawed and mistaken idea that agnosticism is a position conflicting with atheism. If it isn't, it's strange that it would make this distinction, since so-called "true agnosticism"—agnosticism wherein one suspends their belief entirely, in particular regarding theistic claims, and refuses to assert anything whatsoever—is so extraordinarily rare that few people actually and consistently possess it.
Ever the precisionist, I think a blanket ruling will only worsen the state of affairs. Things need to be more specific, inclusive, and comprehensive in order to ensure the greatest benefit. I personally think that "None" should be used if and only if no other irreligious affiliation is known. If it is, then it should be specified. If the individual is an agnostic atheist, it should read "None (agnostic atheist)"; if the person is is a pandeist, but their degree of confidence or certainty is not known, it should read "None (pandeist); if the person is irreligious but still otherwise adheres to Christianity, then it should read "None (irreligiousChristian). Only if the person is a so-called "true agnostic" should it be specified that they are "None" (agnostic). This may be a bit more complex, but it will ensure that the greatest amount of relevant, notable, and useful information is conveyed; and that we respect the fact that the individual is (or was) irreligious (hence the technical "None").
As an anecdote, I'm an agnosticapatheist. Although apatheism is a form of atheism, I would not want to be classified as an atheist. I disagree with many of the adjacent views many atheists hold, and I am critical of militant or otherwise aggressive atheists, so I would rather distance myself from them. Although I technically satisfy the criteria for agnostic atheism, and I am for all intents and purposes a type of atheist, I prefer to identify as an apatheist because it more accurately describes and specifies my views. If there was an article written about me, I would want my "religion" infobox parameter to state "None (agnosticapatheist)". I would strongly disagree with the label of "atheist" because it does not accurately describe my views, and I would disagree with the label of "agnostic" because it although I am very close to being a true agnostic, I am unable to suspend my beliefs like one would, so this does not accurately describe me either. Moreover, labeling my religion as simply "None" is problematic because although it is technically true, many readers would assume that to imply I'm an atheist, since atheism is one of the most widely known forms of irreligion. Thus, if a BLP article were written about me, I'd want my irreligion specified.
If I have mistaken you or your proposal in any place, Guy Macon please do correct me. I may even change my support if I deem my refusal to accept either of the proposals was due to a misunderstanding. Having said that, I thoroughly read all your statements in XX.0–XX.5, so I understand the rules here. And don't worry; I have no interest in hijacking this RfC. This is my criticism of the available proposals, and a clarification of my personal opinion. I understand that the RfC won't be changing, and if I wish to oppose yours, I'll start my own. I doubt it'll come to that, but if it does, I won't crash this one. You did a great job compiling the information and setting the RfC up. If I start one, I'll be mimicking you. Sorry for the length, by the way, everyone. I'm just trying to be thorough here. ―Nøkkenbuer (talk • contribs) 14:43, 22 April 2015 (UTC)
