The word "atheism" can mean either (1) nonbelief, i.e., absence of belief that God exists, or (2) disbelief, i.e., belief that God does not exist. (Michael Martin calls these "negative atheism" and "positive atheism," respectively.) Most of the people who go around broadcasting their atheism are of the second type. What I don't understand is the compulsion to broadcast one's belief that an object of a certain sort doesn't exist. There are many objects that I believe do not exist, such as Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and Dodo birds. Do I go around telling everyone that I have these beliefs? The very idea is absurd. Life is too short to go around informing others (especially strangers) that one believes that objects of a certain sort do not exist.
So why do so many atheists do this? The only explanation I can come up with is that they're insecure. Deep down, they're worried that the being in whose existence they disbelieve actually exists. By broadcasting their belief in God's nonexistence, and inviting others to do the same, they feel more secure. (Solidarity? Strength in numbers?) This article about Christopher Hitchens is funny to me, because it shows how insecure many atheists are. They cannot tolerate the slightest deviation from atheistic dogma. God forbid that these people ever get political power. We know that theists can live peaceably together. We do not know whether atheists, empowered, can live and let live.
For the record, I'm an atheist in the first sense. I lack a belief in God. I also lack a belief in nonGod (so to speak). The world as we experience it is compatible both with and without God. Anyone who presumes to know that God does or doesn't exist is a fool.
