What is Atheism?

The Pocket Oxford Dictionary (Fowler & Fowler, 1942) defines atheism as "Disbelief in the existence of God." If we consider the etymological roots of the word "atheism", we find that it is composed of two parts:

1. the prefix "a" implying negation or absence, and
2. "theism" referring to belief in god.

Thus, the literal meaning of the word "atheism" is "without belief in god." (negative atheism)

Random House Dictionary (Stein & Su, 1978) gives a slightly different definition: "the belief that there is no God or gods." The distinction between this and the previous definition is subtle but significant. For our purposes the Oxford formulation is preferred: atheism is not so much a belief as it is an absence of belief, a rejection of credulity. As such, it is closely related to skepticism. A person who becomes an atheist does so, not in order to adopt a new belief system, but rather to free the mind from dubious preconceived notions. Atheism is not a conclusion; it is a starting point.

The atheist does not attempt to prove the non-existence of anything. He or she is under no obligation to provide a definitive proof of the non-existence of the Hebrew god Yahweh, or the non-existence of the Nordic god of thunder and lightning Thor, or the non-existence of the god Wotan of ancient Germanic tribes, or the non-existence of the great Egyptian sun god Ra, or the non-existence of Santa Claus or of the tooth fairy. The atheist simply refuses to be credulous.