Reply #56: Incorrect. It is the absence of a belief.

[mondo joe]

Atheism is the default. We are born without belief in gods, just as we are born without shoes.

Some put shoes on. Some assume beliefs about gods.

I am most certainly an atheist. And atheism simply means an absence of belief in gods. Why you think that's "empty" or "missing" is a mystery to me. You're attaching a value to this absence, whereas I place none. I am similarly absent a belief in fairies. I am similarly absent a ring through my nose. These are statements of fact, not value judgments.

You can believe in what you like -- but those are your beliefs. They may complement your atheism, but they are not atheism.

I understand the concept you are describing - but I don't agree. You posit more meaning in the term "atheism" than I believe is inherent, in the same way that some Christians posit onto "Christian" certain beliefs about abortion, homosexuality, etc.