RR writes:
OK fine, by definition you are correct. But 19 times out of 20 (or whatever #)you ask an atheist why they don't believe, you know what answer you'll get.
Again I think you are making the mistake in assuming lack of belief in one thing equates to an inability to believe in anything else. I personally believe in the scientific method, I have a lot of faith in it and its ability to hone in on a solid explanation of that we see around us.
Also its wrong to assume that an Atheist has any rational reason for his lack of belief in the divine. For instance if an Atheist doesn’t believe in God because “the pixie under the potting shed said God doesn’t exist” then he is as much an Atheist as the one that discounts God because of the lack of empirical data. However, you are right in saying that vast majority of Atheists will cite the lack of empirical data as the overriding reason for their lack of belief, but that does not mean that this worldview is actually required to be an Atheist.
Therefore, to reiterate
the only thing that defines an Atheist as such is the lack of belief in the divine. He may hold this view for any rational or irrational reason he chooses, and lack of belief in the divine does not exclude the possibility that he may believe in many other things.
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