Atheism is the absence of a belief in a god or deity. Period.
Mainstream people are commonly confused of having an idea of an "atheistic point of view." Well here is the thing. There is none. Inclination to abortion, premarital sex and prostitution or some of the ideas an uninformed person usually associate with someone who calls himself an atheist. This is totally wrong.
Like believers, atheists have different beliefs. Just as some believers have diverse world views, so as atheists. Some Christians think that images of their deities shouldn't be made, while others believe otherwise. Christians in general believe in the Trinity, while Muslims believe in absolute monotheism, and some indigenous tribes in polytheism. Hindus believe in Brahma, Ancient Romans in Jupiter, Ancient Greeks believe in Zeus, and Early Scandinavians in Thor. These are just some of the things believers are not reaching a consensus.
So what then is atheism? Atheism is mere absence of the belief in a god. You cannot conclude anything about what a person calling himself an atheist believes in other issues. An atheist may celebrate the end of religion, or he may believe that religion, notwithstanding his disbelief, plays an important role in supporting a society. He may support abortion, or he may not. She may entrust economics to the free market, or she may rely on government intervention for social welfare. The bottom line is, by knowing that someone is an atheist, no conclusion can be made about what that particular person believes in. All we know is that he has no belief in a god.
