The lack of belief in a deity or deities. Just that. Nothing else.

Atheism doesn't hold any answers to life's big questions. It won't tell you the meaning of life and it won't tell you how it all started. It's not a religion, not a philosophy, not a way of life. Atheism is quite simply *non-belief*.
#1: "I heard you're an atheist and don't believe in God, #2. If that's true then how did the universe begin?"
#2: "I don't know for sure. The leading scientific theory right now is the Big Bang theory, but that has a few problems and might not be correct."
#1: "If there's no God then where do we know right from wrong from?"
#2: "Again, I don't know for sure, but the general theory is that we evolved this feature because social creatures do better if unit cohesion isn't hindered by constant murdering."

Atheism isn't about answers. It's not really about anything, actually.
by mrbogart December 27, 2011
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Absence of belief in god(s).
Atheism is absence of belief in god(s). It is not necessarily belief that no god(s) exist. Just as asexual is absence of sex in reproduction, not opposition to sex or asymmetrical is absence of symmetry, not opposition to symmetry. Atheism is simple absence of theism.

Frequently people confuse the theism vs atheism question with the gnostic vs agnostic question. The word gnostic means pertaining to knowledge. It is a question about whether a person is certain or "knows".

Everybody is either theist or atheist and everybody is either gnostic or agnostic. There are agnostic theists. They believe god(s) exist, but don't claim to know for sure personally. There are gnostic theists. They believe and claim to know for sure that god(s) exist. There are agnostic atheists. They do not believe in god(s), but do not claim to know with certainty that no god exists. There are also gnostic atheists who claim to know that no god exists. It possible and quite common among atheists to not have been convinced of the hypothesis that god(s) exist without taking the position that no god exists.
by AllmanBros July 29, 2015
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A non-prophet organisation
I can't believe Atheism doesn't make any prophets off of us.
by Archolas April 27, 2011
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Atheism, in fact, has NOTHING to do with Satanism. We do not all hate Christians. We're not all evil.

Besides, just by being intolerant and judgemental of Atheists, you are sinning. :)
" 'To be godless is probably the first step towards innocence,' he said, 'to lose the sense of sin and subordination, the false grief for things supposed to be lost.'
'So by innocence you mean not an absense of experience, but an absense of illusions.'
'An absense of need for illusions,' he said. 'A love of and respect for what is right before your eyes.' "
-Anne Rice, The Vampire Lestat.
by KP15 August 23, 2005
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The idea that there is no god. That's it.
Distance yourself from r/Atheism and the stereotype all atheists are whiny intolerant assholes who poke fun at innocent theists. Yes, there are some atheists that act like that, but the average atheist (think next door neighbour) is not like that.
Atheism is often associated with Nihilism. In some ways they are very similar, such as the rejection of religion. But there are other philosophical paths that do not involve religion, just as good as each other.
Atheism rejects the idea that there is an afterlife after we die.
by \_(0_0)_/ December 3, 2016
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Atheism is simply the opposite of theism. The prefix A means "without" or "not", so Atheism is simply a lack of belief in god(s). It is not a religion, just like theism is not a religion. Atheists are usually quite fond of life, since it is the only one we have.Theists if you think about it, need a god to make their existance make sense and to make them respect life.
That dog is an atheist. A new-born baby is an atheist. Most of the smartest people in the world are atheists. Coincidence?
by Nycto Achluo March 21, 2004
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A lack of beleif in God.
"I am an atheist because I do not beleive any gods exist. That's all that makes me an atheist."
by chrono khan June 13, 2003
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