[size=13pt]Atheism is the lack of a god-belief, the absence of theism, to whatever degree and for whatever reason. The one thing that all atheists have in common, according to this definition, is that they are not theists. One either believes one or more of the various claims for the existence of a god or gods (is a[b] theist[/b]) or one does not believe any of those claims (is an atheist). [/size]

[size=13pt]Atheism is characterized by an absence of belief in the existence of gods. This absence of belief generally comes about either through deliberate choice, or from an inherent inability to believe religious teachings which seem literally incredible. It is not a lack of belief born out of simple ignorance of religious teachings.

Regarding people who have never been exposed to the concept of 'god': Whether they are 'atheists' or not is a matter of debate. Since you're unlikely to meet anyone who has never encountered religion, it's a very important debate. . . . [/size]

Ogaga4Luv:

[size=13pt]Atheism is characterized by an absence of belief in the existence of gods. This absence of belief generally comes about either through deliberate choice, or from an inherent inability to believe religious teachings which seem literally incredible. It is not a lack of belief born out of simple ignorance of religious teachings.

Regarding people who have never been exposed to the concept of 'god': Whether they are 'atheists' or not is a matter of debate. Since you're unlikely to meet anyone who has never encountered religion, it's a very important debate. . . . [/size]

I did not want to revive this thread but feel the need to in light of the thread The Failure Of Atheism To Account For Existence. Hopefully, being that its Sunday, it would fly under the radar of the Sabbath keepers Joke! Before anyone flays me

I was accused of not stating an opinion at the time, but those around then know this was a more hostile environment, access to the web in Nigeria was limited and I was heavily engaged elsewhere.

My view is that most explanations of Atheism and what it means to be one come from theists or those who are opposed to the idea and they define it from that position. I've been back a few months now and see how much more developed the thought is.

For the more curious and endeavouring, I strongly advise you follow the link to the source of the article. It has some very interesting links to further explanations that are humongously enlightening. If there is any difficulty accessing the site (BBC does not make all its stuff available to those who don't have a tv licence) let me know and I will post it here.


Atheism at a glance

Atheism is the absence of belief in any Gods or spiritual beings. The word Atheism comes from a, meaning without, and theism meaning belief in god or gods.

Atheists don't use God to explain the existence of the universe.

Atheists say that human beings can devise suitable moral codes to live by without the aid of Gods or scriptures.

Reasons for non-belief

People are atheist for many reasons, among them:

They find insufficient evidence to support any religion.
They think that religion is nonsensical.
They once had a religion and have lost faith in it.
They live in a non-religious culture.
Religion doesn't interest them.
Religion doesn't seem relevant to their lives.
Religions seem to have done a lot of harm in the world.
The world is such a bad place that there can't be a God.
Many atheists are also secularist, and are hostile to any special treatment given to organised religion.

It is possible to be both atheist and religious. Virtually all Buddhists manage it, as do some adherents of other religions, such as Judaism and Christianity.

Atheists and morality

Atheists are as moral (or immoral) as religious people.

In practical terms atheists often follow the same moral code as religious people, but they arrive at the decision of what is good or bad without any help from the idea of God.

What does it mean to be human?

Atheists find their own answers to the question of what it means to be human. This discussion looks at the question from both theological and ethical viewpoints.
BBC

Also consider the article
Reasons people choose atheism. It is one of the more informed ones I have come across.

This needs dragging up again for the newbies on here!