Atheism is a good case depicting the need to define terms clearly. Many atheists use the term "atheist" in a fashion often unknown to most people. This is because there are two main uses of this term with distinct meanings: positive atheism and negative atheism.

Positive atheism
Under this view, atheism "is the position that affirms the nonexistence of God. It proposes positive disbelief rather than mere suspension of belief."^[1] In other words,  the atheist actually believes something, namely, that God does not exist. This is the most commonly understood definition of atheism.

Negative atheism or a-theism
Under this view, atheism is, "simply non-belief in the existence of God, rather than positive belief in the nonexistence of God."^[2] In other words, the atheist has no belief in/about God. Belief pertaining to God is absent, though the atheist has not consciously rejected belief in God.^[3]

Analysis of positive atheism
Positive atheism, the belief that God does not exist, is the normal view. As the Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy notes, “a stricter sense [of atheism] denotes a belief that there is no God; this use has become the standard one."^[4] [Italics mine] However, as will be seen, atheists have had a very difficult time providing support for the belief that God does not exist. Due to the difficulty of bearing this burden of proof, some atheists switch to negative atheism (also known as a-theism), which is a lack of belief in God. Since the negative atheist lacks belief in God, she has no burden of proof. Therefore, the atheist need only show that theism [the belief that God does exist] is wrong. Once this task is done, atheism triumphs…so we are led to believe.^[5]

Analysis of negative atheism (a-theism)
There are a number of problems with negative atheism.

First, negative atheism is not atheism but basically agnosticism. This, “widely used sense [of atheism] denotes merely not believing in God and is consistent with agnosticism."^[6] Agnosticism is simply suspending belief about God while atheism is the direct denial of God’s existence.

While it does not seem warranted, some atheists attempt to draw a distinction between negative atheism and agnosticism. However, even if such a distinction ought to be made, it does not follow that the one who has studied and rejected arguments for God’s existence can claim to have no belief at all about God and His existence. Such a person does have a belief. Either she believes that God does not exist (positive atheism) or she believes that the arguments are not strong enough to prove or disprove the existence of God (agnosticism). Only those who have never thought about God’s existence (infants, dogs, cats, gnats, etc.) could be placed in the negative atheist category. Therefore, even if there is a negative atheist (as distinguished from an agnostic), this could only be one who knows nothing (or nearly nothing) about these issues.

Those who have studied atheism/theism and related issues and claim to be a negative atheist are simply avoiding their burden of proof. Rest assured, if this burden of proof could be met, the atheist would gladly provide it. However, since the atheist is unable to provide the burden of proof showing that God does not exist atheism would seem to lack strong positive support. The result is that atheism falls into the dreaded category of being blind faith. That is, the atheist believes that God does not exist yet is unable to show this belief to be true.

Finally, some atheists may reject the previous arguments on the ground that there is no distinction between negative atheism and agnosticism. But if this is the case, and I believe it is, then the issue is actually agnosticism, that is, suspending belief. This means the atheist ought to refrain from calling herself and atheist and use the term agnostic. If the negative atheist is simply suspending belief (claiming that the evidence for and against God is not enough to draw a conclusion one way or another), then theism cannot be said to be wrong but merely lacking support…just as positive atheism would lack support according to the negative agnostic. The result is very different since, according to agnosticism, God's existence/non-existence is outside of our knowledge. If the negative atheist claims more than this, then the issue is positive atheism and not agnosticism.

This is why it is very important to make sure the atheist defines her position and distinguishes it properly from other possible positions. Otherwise, what often happens is that the atheist will claim to be a negative atheist while, at the same time, talk like a positive atheist. This inconsistency is important to see and point out.

Summary
It is important to clearly distinguish between theism, atheism, a-theism, and agnosticism (note the two different forms of agnosticism). The following synopsis of each view will help clarify the different positions. Also, this chart distinguishes between two types of agnosticism. Hard agnosticism is the bold claim that no one can know if God does or does not exist while soft agnosticism is limited to the individual's knowledge (or lack thereof) about God's existence.

As noted, it is important for the atheist to be clear on which kind of atheism she is claiming to embrace. If your atheist friend claims to be a negative atheist watch to see if she reverts to a positive atheistic stance, namely, making claims that God does not exist, theism is wrong, etc. This waffling belies a significant inconsistency in the negative atheistic stance that needs to be accounted for by the atheist.

For the rest of this article, the term “atheism” will be used to designate those who believe that God does not exist (positive atheism). Also, it important to note that being agnostic on a given topic is very appropriate at times (e.g., regarding God's existence, the quality of one's health, etc.). However, it is essential to move from being agnostic to drawing a well informed conclusion rather than to drift in a sea of doubt. This is especially true when it comes to significant topics like God, Jesus Christ and salvation.



^[1] Rowe, William L. (1998). Atheism. In E. Craig (Ed.), Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. London: Routledge.  Retrieved September 24, 2004, from http://www.rep.routledge.com/article/K002.
^[2] Ibid.
^[3] George H. Smith. Atheism: The Case Against God (Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 1989), p 13.
^[4] Louis P. Pojman. “Atheism,” The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, 2^nd ed. 1999.
^[5] Smith, p 18.
^[6] Ibid, Pojman.