the doctrine or belief that there is no God
a lack of belief in the existence of God or gods
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
Atheism is the state either of being without theistic beliefs, or of actively
disbelieving in the existence of deities. In antiquity,
Epicureanism incorporated aspects of atheism, but it disappeared from the
philosophy of the Greek and Roman traditions as Christianity gained influence. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism
The belief that God does not exist.
library.thinkquest.org/25416/gloss.htm
One who denies or disbelieves the existence of a God.#
www.stsams.org/dictionary.html
A belief that there are no gods. Greek "a-theos": without-god.
www.reasoned.org/glossary.htm
belief that there is no god and that religion should be suppressed.
www.naiadonline.ca/book/01Glossary.htm
n a) a disbelief [or unbelief] in the existence of deity b) the doctrine that
there is no deity
tangents.home.att.net/data/rlgdef.htm
Atheists In modern times, those who do not accept the monotheistic
Christian God or any god. It formerly signified those who did not believe in
the accepted divinity or divinities of the State or populace.
www.theosociety.org/pasadena/etgloss/ass-atm.htm
An atheist is one who does not believe in the existence of God or gods.
Pretty simple, right?
studentorgs.georgetown.edu/guskeptics/definitions.htm
a (“without”) the (“deity”, or “god”). Atheism is a lack of belief in a god or
gods.
www.strongatheism.net/intro/lexicon/

None of the above definitions or statements indicate that atheists are beyond thinking there is a possibility of an afterlife. In other words, you can be an atheist and still have hope that there is a chance something exists beyond the collar of death.

Within the culture of atheism, however, there are considered strengths of belief (sects if you will) or non-belief. If you follow any usenet news groups that discuss atheism and agnosticism, you will find great, and often heated arguments, regarding the strength of one’s commitment to atheism. A strong atheist is an absolutist in his/her commitment to the theory that there are no gods or goddesses. A weak atheist is for-the-most-part an agnostic, leaving the door open for possibility of theism’s existence.

I admit to being an atheist, but I do not close the door on the paranormal things in life. In my mind nothing is impossible. I just don’t believe in the theistic approach. I do not buy the idea there is some vengeful, yet loving, all pure, all loving, all powerful god, who turns his “perfect” back on the wretchedness of mankind. A god that allows thousands upon thousands of innocent people to die just because...because...because why?

To me, atheism is a comfort. I know for certain when I finally draw my last breath. I will lay in eternal peace. I do not believe in a burning lake of hell, angels dancing on streets of gold, or St. Peter waiting at some mythical gate to judge my actions. In my thinking, those kinds of threats serve only as a means of control by a scam-ridden bureaucratic organization called “church.”

Is there a place to go after death? I don’t know. I just know with certainty that if there is a star trek kind of place after death, Jerry Falwell won’t be there in a white robe, nor will there be a moody, sulking god. I will be sure to meet such greats as Reverend Atheistar, Bill Clinton, John F. Kennedy, and my dog...Nina.

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