Atheism Is a Belief

Atheism is a belief. It is strange that this is so intensely rejected by atheists, however. The overall argument that I encounter, again and again, is that atheism is nothing more than a lack of belief in the existence of an all-powerful god or gods. Atheists will then dig up a dictionary and show me the definition to demonstrate how atheism means to be “without theism”, and that their stance is in no way a form of a belief.

I find this very dishonest because if it just stopped there, then there wouldn’t be a conclusion made. No conclusion on the matter is something more akin to agnosticism, however, which isn’t declaring an opinion one way or another but is simply saying “I don’t know whether a god exists or not”, or “I don’t think it can be known one way or another whether a god exists or not.”

Atheists on the other hand have overall made up their mind on the matter, by and large. Every atheist that I have ever encountered rejects the idea of a god existing. They see no reason to agree with any notion of a deity or deities being real, which means that they disagree with any notion of a deity or deities being real. They don’t think there is the existence of a god, which means that they think that there isn’t the existence of a god. Since they have this opinion, and yet lack direct knowledge of it one way or another, this constitutes as a belief.