I am an atheist.
All this means is that I am not a theist. Simply put, theists believe in gods, deities or divinities. I do not. That’s it.
The question of theism or atheism is one of belief, not knowledge. “Do you believe in gods, deities or divinities?” If the answer is “yes,” you’re a theist; if “no,” an atheist. That said, atheism is not a belief or a religion. Not collecting stamps is not a hobby.
That I am an atheist does not say anything about what I do believe in.
Atheism does not imply a set of values. I share some of the ideals of humanism, for example, but I am not a humanist. My value system can probably best be described as animism though that term is rather broad.
To say I am an atheist is not a claim of knowledge about anything. I do not know for a fact there are no gods. Don’t take that admission as a sign of weakness, I do not know for a fact there are no dragons, hobbits or Romulans either. I do not claim any knowledge of the nonexistence of any of those things because I am an agnostic. I do, however, have plenty of good reasons not to believe in any of them.
You see, I recognize the importance of a firm distinction between belief and knowledge. Beliefs, knowledge and values all have their useful purposes but they are not interchangeable. I like to call myself an epistemological fundamentalist. Mean what you say and say what you mean.
Later, I will post a description of my journey from altar boy to atheist.