[quote]you need to have as much faith in there not being a god, as you do in there being a god.[/quote]Not true, atheism by definition is the lack of a belief in a higher power/powers. The lack of a belief in itself is not a belief. No faith needed.

Faith is required were evidence is not given. There is no evidence in there actually being a God, so Christians have faith in his existence. There is no evidence that there isn't a God, so Athiests have to have faith that he doesn't. If your belief is unfounded, yet you believe it anyway, then your belief is based on faith. Atheism is a lack of belief in a God.

[quote]Faith is required were evidence is not given.[/quote]Correct[quote]There is no evidence in there actually being a God, so Christians have faith in his existence.[/quote]Correct[quote]There is no evidence that there isn't a God, so Athiests have to have faith that he doesn't.[/quote]Incorrect, I don't need to disprove something thats not proven. Burden of proof 101. Atheism is a lack of belief in a God/Gods correct which further proves there is not belief or faith. [u]A lack of a belief in itself is not a belief.[/u]

Atheist believe there is no God. By definition, that is a belief. It's a non-religious belief, but it is still a belief. You can not argue that. Faith is also not exclusive to religion, in partial terms. Faith can be used in many scenarios, I had faith I would succeed, having faith in myself, etc. They do need faith however, because their side is not proven, they believe something that is unproven, just like Christians, and in that regards they are very similar.

[quote]Atheist believe there is no God.[/quote]Thats not what the definition of an atheist is. The proper definition is the lack of a belief in a higher power/powers. [u][b]The lack of a belief in itself is not a belief.[/b][/u] [quote]By definition, that is a belief. It's a non-religious belief, but it is still a belief. You can not argue that. Faith is also not exclusive to religion, in partial terms. Faith can be used in many scenarios, I had faith I would succeed, having faith in myself, etc.[/quote]Your failure to understand the very definition of atheism doesn't legitimize your opinion. Of course you will believe what you believe regardless of the facts in front of you. (Talking strictly about the definition) [quote]They do need faith however, because their side is not proven, they believe something that is unproven, just like Christians, and in that regards they are very similar.[/quote]If you can't prove he exist then he doesn't exist. Your belief doesn't make him exist. Therefor there is nothing to disprove. [b]For example: I have a mini invisible pet monkey on my shoulder. He is always there and sometimes we talk to each other. 1) Do you [u]believe[/u] he doesn't exist? 2) Does he just not exist? (No belief on your part)[/b]

You lack the belief in a god. So someone says what do you [b]believe[/b]. You say I [b]Believe[/b] there is no god. Believe is a word used to describe your thoughts and ideas on a matter. Such as there being no God. You think there is no God, you believe there is no God, you lack the belief that there is a God, but everyone believes something. You're being pointlessly argumentative. If you can't grasp the concept, then just concede. I'm tired of trying to explain what believe means to you. And the monkey thing, yeah, there's a difference between believing in an omnipotent being, and believing you have an invisible monkey. Even if he was invisible, we could still feel him, and detect his presence. Another poorly constructed Straw man fallacy.

[quote]You lack the belief in a god. So someone says what do you [b]believe[/b]. You say I [b]Believe[/b] there is no god.[/quote]Yes you say that for sake of simplicity but the lack of a belief in a higher power/powers is not a belief. There is a big difference in these two definitions 1) Atheism - the lack a belief in a higher power. [b][u]Not a belief[/u][/b] 2) I don't believe in a higher power. [b][u] a belief[/u][/b] 3) Now in context to if someone asks do you believe in God. A typical response is "I don't believe in God" but its not a belief. It is much simpler to respond that way versus being very detailed and getting unto an argument. Therefor I can see where you get confused. If you can't get past the fact that atheism isn't a belief there is no point in continuing this discussion. Atheism is the [u]lack of a belief in a higher power[/u] and atheism itself is not a belief.[quote]Believe is a word used to describe your thoughts and ideas on a matter. Such as there being no God. You think there is no God, you believe there is no God, you lack the belief that there is a God, but everyone believes something. You're being pointlessly argumentative. If you can't grasp the concept, then just concede. I'm tired of trying to explain what believe means to you.[/quote]You thinking you're right doesn't make you right lol. If the subject is to complicated for you to grasp that would make more sense but the definition is there and isn't going to change just because you disagree with it.[quote]And the monkey thing, yeah, there's a difference between believing in an omnipotent being, and believing you have an invisible monkey. Even if he was invisible, we could still feel him, and detect his presence. Straw man fallacy.[/quote]No there is no difference between the monkey and God. They are the same. Don't avoid the questions simply answer them. [b]For example: I have a mini invisible pet monkey on my shoulder. He is always there and sometimes we talk to each other. 1) Do you [u]believe[/u] he doesn't exist? 2) Does he just not exist? (No belief on your part)[/b]

They don't have a belief? Alright, so I guess they're neutral on the subject then, as they don't believe anything. As they don't have any notion of anything, since hey, they don't have a belief that there is no God. And if they don't believe there is no God, I guess they're really just pretending to not believe in God.