atheism is a theism, belief to the contrary

The word "atheist" has several definitions depending on dictionary. http://dictionary.cambridge.org... http://www.oxforddictionaries.com... http://www.macmillandictionary.com... http://www.merriam-webster.com... Some define it as a lack of belief in any god, others in a belief in the lack of any god. However. it is a label, meant to convey a concept. As such, those who are using it to describe themselves can use their own standard. Most self-identified atheists assert it only describes a lack of belief in any god,[1] as being in direct and exclusive opposition to theism. That is, there is no middle ground between atheism and theism - everyone is one or the other. Those with no opinion at all, are atheists. Those who are uncertain are either theists or atheists, depending on what they accept as true (tentatively or otherwise). For those using the word to describe others, to define it narrowly is to create a strawman argument. For the opposite side of the coin, theism is not the lack of belief in any god, it is a belief in a god. To claim it means anything else, simply does not match accepted definitions. http://dictionary.cambridge.org... http://www.oxforddictionaries.com... http://www.macmillandictionary.com... http://www.merriam-webster.com... (Note: Only Cambridge provides a definition for "theist".) To be a theist does not require belief in all hypothetical gods. No one uses it that way, because it would be absurd. It is equally absurd for anyone to have a positive belief that all hypothetical gods are nonexistent. Although some people believe anything that matches certain definitions of a "god" are fundamentally impossible, atheists typically hold no specific opinion regarding the existence of (for instance) Nashe, the Mesopotamiam god of fishing. Indeed, very very few have any clue what the supposed traits of Nashe is, let alone develop positive beliefs regarding which of those traits are not correct. Further, this is a misrepresentation of "faith". Faith can mean many things, from belief based on formal evidence (e.g. "I have faith the economy will recover"), belief based on informal evidence (e.g. "I have faith my SO loves me"), belief disproportionate to evidence (e.g. "I have faith God exists, because the bible is evidence"), belief with a lack of evidence (e.g. "I have faith in God, despite there being no evidence") or belief where evidence does not apply (e.g. "I have faith that the universe exists"). In general, "faith" is synomous with "[any] belief". Everyone has beliefs (and therefore "faith"), regardless of belief in a god. Indeed, it is so obviously true, it's equally obvious that is not what is meant when applying "faith" to atheists. Religion is not merely a belief in a god, it is specifically an *expression* of belief in a god. It is, basically, faith in god. Mere belief or acceptance of the existence of a god does not establish a religion. (The belief in a god with no expression is either non-religious theism or specifically "deism".) To make a claim that "atheism/science is a faith" is not merely intentionally creating a false equivalency, it is done so specifically meant imply that atheism is a religion. There is no accepted definition of "atheism" that includes a worship of a god. There are atheists who reject the concept of any god. That is typically called either "strong atheism" or "gnostic atheism". [1] https://www.reddit.com...