In response to Alex Freitag’s column Nonbelievers have their reasons, too (SN 2/12), I’m sure I’m not the only one thinking of the obvious argument to the basis of his stance on atheism including faith. According to his logic, it requires faith to deny the idea that flying unicorns, invisible and completely undetectable by humans, make their home in our upper atmosphere. The best scientists in the world can’t prove that idea false. The only difference between my unicorn example and God, is that God is of popular belief. If you are really being picky, you can add to my idea that the unicorns also created the universe. The fact still remains that popular belief does not make the idea true.

As soon as something is defined as beyond reason and human understanding — and, therefore, impossible to disprove — it is considered faith-based. The denial of any idea that is faith-based is the opposite of faith. Atheism is faithless.