The plot is further complicated by the split of atheism into two subcategories; Strong and Weak. Weak atheism is simply a non-belief in a deity of any type, while Strong atheism takes this disbelief a step further and proclaims that god does not exist. In my opinion, atheism is passive. A person simply does not believe in the existence of god or gods. Not only that, I believe that Strong Atheism is misunderstood in the sense that people in this group are not railing against an actual entity (which would be ridiculous seeing as atheists hold no belief that one exists) but the concept of such an entity. They are not saying, “There is no god” but rather, “The ideology of god is bogus”.
Furthermore, because of the demonization of atheists in the United States and other countries, non-believers have felt the need to launch an active defense of their non-beliefs which also account for the aggressive nature of Strong Atheism.
What Atheism is Not
In my research, I’ve come across some interesting ideas people have about atheists and atheism. It is not anti-religion. Anti-theism is the active opposition towards religion. While some atheists do hold anti-religious views, it is not a club exclusively patronized by atheists. Agnostics, Ignostics, and even some theists participate in this party. Anti-theists fall into two camps, those that believe god-worship to be harmful to society and those that merely have little tolerance for theistic beliefs.
Atheism is not anti-god, atheists are not god haters nor do we hate theists. We are not rabid protestors against those who choose to practice religion. Though these types of people exist and some of them are atheists, we generally do not care what a person believes so long as they do not use it to infringe on our personal rights and freedoms. Going from door to door to preach the goodness of your god will incite only minor irritation whereas seeking to get a law passed mandating that everyone go to church will cause an uproar and not just from atheists.
