I'm not sure exactly which I would fall under. Perhaps somewhere between 2 and 3.
I believe that an immaterial god is impossible, so I would be gnostic about that. I do not rule out the possibility of some sort of material god, as some deists would say they believe in, though I find it very unlikely. In that respect, I would fit the description of number two. I don't consider myself primarily an atheist; primarily I am a Naturalist (by that I am encompassing methodological naturalism -- looking for natural explanations is the best route to knowledge --, and metaphysical naturalism -- only the natural world exists. By that, I am also implying materialism). Since that rules out immaterial gods I believe them to be impossible. As Thomas Jefferson said, "To talk of immaterial existences is to talk of nothings." However, unlike Thomas Jefferson and the other deists of that period who filled gaps in their knowledge with god, my modern day scientific knowledge has occupied most of the room for gods. I suppose the origin of the universe is still a gap, but I "have faith" that a natural explanation will be discovered, and even so, to quote Carl Sagan, "In many cultures it is customary to answer that God created the universe out of nothing. But this is mere temporizing. If we wish courageously to pursue the question, we must, of course ask next where God comes from? And if we decide this to be unanswerable, why not save a step and conclude that the universe has always existed?" [Carl Sagan, Cosmos, page 257]
I believe that an immaterial god is impossible, so I would be gnostic about that. I do not rule out the possibility of some sort of material god, as some deists would say they believe in, though I find it very unlikely. In that respect, I would fit the description of number two. I don't consider myself primarily an atheist; primarily I am a Naturalist (by that I am encompassing methodological naturalism -- looking for natural explanations is the best route to knowledge --, and metaphysical naturalism -- only the natural world exists. By that, I am also implying materialism). Since that rules out immaterial gods I believe them to be impossible. As Thomas Jefferson said, "To talk of immaterial existences is to talk of nothings." However, unlike Thomas Jefferson and the other deists of that period who filled gaps in their knowledge with god, my modern day scientific knowledge has occupied most of the room for gods. I suppose the origin of the universe is still a gap, but I "have faith" that a natural explanation will be discovered, and even so, to quote Carl Sagan, "In many cultures it is customary to answer that God created the universe out of nothing. But this is mere temporizing. If we wish courageously to pursue the question, we must, of course ask next where God comes from? And if we decide this to be unanswerable, why not save a step and conclude that the universe has always existed?" [Carl Sagan, Cosmos, page 257]
