Alex Freitag’s column Nonbelievers have their reasons, too (SN 2/12) stating that atheism requires just as much faith as religion demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding.
“Atheism” means “no theism,” in other words, no faith. Faith, of course, beyond its casual use to indicate confidence or belief, however acquired, actually means a belief held in the absence of evidence, or even in the face of contrary evidence.
As a person who does not resort to faith for any belief, I am an atheist. No faith, no religion, period.?It is no more an act of faith to disbelieve in the Christian god than to disbelieve in Zeus, Apollo, Darth Vader, or, for that matter, unicorns or leprechauns.
Myself and most of my fellow atheists are open to proof of any of those things, but do not allow faith to supply that lack, thus leaving us, for now, in disbelief.
Lacking religious faith, we are atheists, pure and simple. The tactic of characterizing a lack of faith as itself some kind of exercise of faith is a tired one I would encourage Freitag to give up.
Steve Manley
1981 MSU alumnus
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