Okay...let's see...where was I...

I have plenty of guts, Frank.

I do not, though, have a smidge of belief in god or gods.

Being arrogant and dogmatic does not prove your points.

As with many definitions, the meaning of the words "atheist" and "agnostic" are difficult to pin down, and they mean different things to different people in different contexts. Let's start with some basic dictionary definitions.
The American Heritage Dictionary defines an "atheist" as "one who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods." An "agnostic" is "one who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is a God" or "one who is skeptical about the existence of God but does not profess true atheism." This dictionary also notes that 19th-century British scientist Thomas H. Huxley invented the word "agnostic."

Huxley was an ardent Darwinist who used "agnostic" to describe his attitude toward religion. He wrote: "Agnosticism, in fact, is not a creed, but a method." This method of thought advocates that people "do not pretend that conclusions are certain which are not demonstrated or demonstrable." An agnostic doesn't necessarily believe or disbelieve in a god -- he or she doesn't profess to know if there's a god at all. Huxley's writings may also suggest that it's impossible to ever know if a god exists or not.

Atheism is a little simpler to understand and is basically defined as a disbelief in any god. However, atheists themselves hold varied beliefs that generally fall into two main camps. "Weak atheism" is a lack of belief in a god. "Strong atheism" is a belief that no god exists and cannot exist. To compare the two, a weak atheist might say, "Gods might exist, but I don't worship them." Whereas a strong atheist might say, "It is impossible for any gods to exist, so there's no reason to believe in the idea." Neither believes in a god, but only the strong atheist denies the existence of gods.

Atheist and agnostic aren't interchangeable terms, but they can overlap. Occasionally, people use "agnostic" as a more socially acceptable word for "atheist." This usage irritates some atheists. They think that agnosticism is just a subset of atheism because agnostics generally do not believe in gods. Some feel that using "agnostic" in this way reinforces the incorrect idea that all atheism is strong atheism.

one who is not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistence of God or a god

I gather from years of reading your posts (god help me) that you consider atheism, agnosticism, and theism to all be belief systems. I insist that describing myself as an atheist is to say that I am void of belief in god or gods, and that in so doing I am not harboring a belief system.

I went looking for whether there was something between "agnostic" and "atheist", as at least "atheist" seems to have two distinct sub-categories -- came up with this, kind of interesting:

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As with many definitions, the meaning of the words "atheist" and "agnostic" are difficult to pin down, and they mean different things to different people in different contexts. Let's start with some basic dictionary definitions.

I agree with this so far.

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The American Heritage Dictionary defines an "atheist" as "one who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods." An "agnostic" is "one who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is a God" or "one who is skeptical about the existence of God but does not profess true atheism."

I disagree with that definition of agnostic.

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This dictionary also notes that 19th-century British scientist Thomas H. Huxley invented the word "agnostic."

Huxley was an ardent Darwinist who used "agnostic" to describe his attitude toward religion. He wrote: "Agnosticism, in fact, is not a creed, but a method." This method of thought advocates that people "do not pretend that conclusions are certain which are not demonstrated or demonstrable." An agnostic doesn't necessarily believe or disbelieve in a god -- he or she doesn't profess to know if there's a god at all. Huxley's writings may also suggest that it's impossible to ever know if a god exists or not.

No problem with this.

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Atheism is a little simpler to understand and is basically defined as a disbelief in any god. However, atheists themselves hold varied beliefs that generally fall into two main camps. "Weak atheism" is a lack of belief in a god. "Strong atheism" is a belief that no god exists and cannot exist. To compare the two, a weak atheist might say, "Gods might exist, but I don't worship them." Whereas a strong atheist might say, "It is impossible for any gods to exist, so there's no reason to believe in the idea." Neither believes in a god, but only the strong atheist denies the existence of gods.

Yeah...the "weak atheists" are actually agnostics who want to use the word atheist to describe themselves apparently because they have no self-confidence.

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Atheist and agnostic aren't interchangeable terms, but they can overlap.

Absolutely.

I do not believe in God.

That does not make me an atheist.

"Not believing in god"...is one of the areas where we overlap.

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Occasionally, people use "agnostic" as a more socially acceptable word for "atheist." This usage irritates some atheists. They think that agnosticism is just a subset of atheism because agnostics generally do not believe in gods. Some feel that using "agnostic" in this way reinforces the incorrect idea that all atheism is strong atheism.

Whatever. If you are going to describe yourself as an atheist....you really should be the kind of atheist Edgar is....one who actively asserts a belief that there are no gods.

If you are going to be an agnostic....use that word to describe yourself...or accept the laughter that comes your way.

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, it is a belief system, Frank -- a belief that it is impossible to know whether there is a god.

Perhaps you're actually a weak athiest after all... ;-)

Perhaps you are not an atheist.

You said you do not care what the dictionary says.

So...using that reasoning....you can call yourself a giraffe if you choose.

I disagree with that [dictionary] definition of agnostic.

Weak atheism or negative atheism is the lack of belief in any God or gods, without a positive denial of the existence of any god or gods. Weak atheism contrasts with strong atheism, which asserts that gods do not exist, and theism, which asserts that there is at least one god. The weak atheist generally gives a broad definition of atheism as "lack or absence of belief in god or gods", which defines atheism as a range of positions that entail non-belief, disbelief, doubt, or denial of theism. A narrower definition of atheism as "denial of the existence of gods" is also in common use. Those who favor this definition prefer to use other terms, such as agnosticism, for skepticism of or non-belief in theism.

Some weak atheists may simply hold no opinion on the existence or non-existence of God or gods. Others may find arguments on both sides of the question equally compelling. Yet others may doubt or disbelieve the existence of God or gods, being unconvinced by the evidence or proofs put forward by theists, but hold that it is not currently known whether or not gods exist.

The position that it is not known whether God or gods exists is called weak agnosticism. A stronger position is strong agnosticism, the view that it is not possible ever to know whether God or gods exist or not. Agnosticism, in both strong and weak forms, is not necessarily an atheist position; it is a position regarding what is known, and can be known, about the existence of God or gods. A theist can also take the position that he does not know (and if a strong agnostic, cannot know) whether God or gods exist, although he believes it, through faith.

Weak atheists often argue that their position is the default one; that it is not known whether or not gods exist (and if the strong agnostics are right, can never be known); that neither theists nor strong atheists fulfill their burden of proof; and that theists and strong atheists therefore rely on faith. For these weak atheists, beliefs which cannot be fully justified and which rest on faith are untenable, making both theism and atheism untenable.

For more on the debate between strong and weak atheism, consult the article on strong atheism. See also the articles on agnosticism, weak agnosticism, strong agnosticism.

Weak Atheism

The weak atheist position does not need a justification - it is the default position. One should not accept a position unless there is some rational reason for supposing it true. For a weak atheist it is sufficient to say: "I don't know what a god is", or "I have never heard of a god". Unless theism can be proved in some way, the weak atheist position is the preferred position. This is often confused with agnosticism.

All popular definitions of agnosticism are unhistorical, and ignore the definition laid out by TH Huxley. Huxley was the person who coined the term in the 19th century, and he defined it thus:

"Agnosticism, in fact, is not a creed, but a method, the essence of which lies in the rigorous application of a single principle. That principle is of great antiquity; it is as old as Socrates; as old as the writer who said, "Try all things, hold fast by that which is good" it is the foundation of the Reformation, which simply illustrated the axiom that every man should be able to give a reason for the faith that is in him; it is the great principle of Descartes; it is the fundamental axiom of modern science. Positively the principle may be expressed In matters of the intellect, follow your reason as far as it will take you, without regard to any other consideration. And negatively In matters of the intellect do not pretend that conclusions are certain which are not demonstrated or demonstrable. [b]That I take to be the agnostic faith[/b], which if a man keep whole and undefiled, he shall not be ashamed to look the universe in the face, whatever the future may have in store for him." (TH Huxley, Agnosticism, 1889)

It (the assertion that there are no gods) would only be a guess if there were no criteria to base it on....and since there is a lot of that then I can't call it a guess.