Atheism is the default position.

My opponent's argument is simply stated but utterly shortsighted. Its simplicity should give us pause, for if it were indeed so simple, surely there would be no need for atheist proselytizers. I submit to you that there are no default positions. All positions are founded on biased presuppositions about reality as I will elaborate.Non-Belief is a ConclusionBelief is accepting something as true. [1] Non-belief, therefore, is the rejection of something as true. There are certainly gray areas between strict belief and non-belief: degrees to which we accept or reject a truth. We might exhibit a weak conviction, choosing merely to "lean" one way or the other, or we might be truly undecided. Regardless of where you fall within the spectrum of belief, you have in fact reached a state of conclusion.No one accepts or rejects, in part or in whole, a truth without justification for doing so. We know this because we can ask both the believer and the non-believer the same question: "Why?" Both will justify their answers. Both have reached their state of belief or non-belief through exercises in reason. The reasons may be considered strong or weak, rational or irrational, but they are reasons nonetheless. As a case in point, you may click on my opponent's profile and discover that he has engaged in vigorous debates defending his non-belief.Non-Belief is Different from UnawarenessIf non-belief is a conclusion, then it cannot be the default state of a person. Babies are born neither athiests nor theists. They cannot even comprehend such ideas. I would say, rather, that babies are born unaware. They are not "undecided" because they have no cognitive grasp of the decision, which in all practical senses doesn't even exist to them.No one is born, for example, with a non-belief in extraterrestrial aliens. The question requires an awareness of extraterrestrial-ism. Only then can non-belief or belief be ascertained, but by that point, we have already engaged in the process rational justification. We have already begun to draw conclusions on whether or not the truth of extraterrestrial aliens is to be accepted or rejected.The Problem of Infinite RegressionAll conclusions are justified by reasons, premises that give our convictions weight. However, our premises themselves need justifications, and those justifications need justifications, and so on. Thus, both belief and non-belief suffer from the epistemological dilemma of infinite regression.We are not infinite beings, so eventually, our justifications of our justifications will be justified by a premise we simply cannot (or will not) justify. We call these presuppositions. They are inevitable. I have presuppositions and so does my opponent. If we follow our lines of reasoning far enough, we will find they rely upon a foundation of assumptions about what is possible and what is not.All Conclusions are BiasedThis brings us to the sobering reality that none of our conclusions are neutral. None of our conclusions are "default." My opponent's non-belief is just as much influenced by his presuppositions about reality as is my belief. A baby born into a religious family will over time acquire presuppositions that will bias that person towards belief in God. Likewise, a baby born into an atheistic family will over time acquire presuppositions that will bias that person towards non-belief in God.ConclusionThere is no such thing a neutral position, and no rational person—theist or otherwise—should accept such an absurd notion. Do not be fooled into accepting any "default" position: for what you will really be doing is accepting someone else's bias. Atheism (as evidenced by the suffix "ism") is an ideology. It is a system of thought. It is not a default position. It is a conclusion about reality. It would be insane to attempt to prove one conclusion by starting at the opposite conclusion. Yet that is what my opponent would have us do.No, atheism is not the default position. It is just as biased as the theistic position. The resolution, therefore, is false.Sources http://www.thefreedictionary.com... http://www.thefreedictionary.com...