"a: a disbelief in the existence of deity b: the doctrine that there is no deity"
I would argue that part b above is actually not correct. Atheism is really just a lack of theism, in the same way that something that is atypical is lacking typical. Being an atheist doesn't mean you have to assert that there are no gods or supernatural beings. It only means you choose not to believe in any supernatural deities, with the current state of evidence. Some atheists would posit that there is no god, and they feel that there is enough evidence to support this claim. I, however, am not one of these people. While I most certainly do not accept the existence of any of the proclaimed gods throughout history, it is not because I believe there is no god, but because I do not see anywhere near sufficient evidence to support these assertions. And just because I am an atheist, don't think that I am biased towards there being no god/s. If sufficient evidence, up to my standards of evidence, were ever to be presented to me either for or against the existence of a god or other supernatural being, I would almost certainly believe in it. Throughout history, however, no amount of evidence or support for any theistic claims have ever come close to convincing me of the existence for a god, and I see no good reason why human beings should ever operate on the premise of a divine being.
Atheism is not a religion. It is purely the absence of religion. It does not prescribe a set of political views, ethical systems, or lifestyle choices. You can be atheist and Republic, Democrat, gay, straight, a utilitarian or Kantian, college graduate or high school dropout, the list goes on and on. While most estimates put the percentage of atheists/agnostics in the U.S. at around 10%, they are a quickly growing population. It is important for atheists, just like any other demographic, to get their voice and opinions out there in the public eye, because unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of people in the U.S. are religious, mainly Christian. Whether they know it or not, their interactions with other human beings on this planet are all too often affected by their religious dogmas, and much of the time this can lead to bad things for society as a whole. My father once asked me, "why not let religious people hold their beliefs and you hold yours, and not worry about one another". It is a common question asked of atheists, and my response is always this:
Human beings are social beings, and we depend on one another every day. We cannot live a meaningful life if we each lived alone in this world. I believe that human beings have the capacity to be good, kind, caring, compassionate, understanding, and rational people, but so often these pursuits are impeded by religion. I would much rather live in a society where truth is sought after, and interactions are guided by reason and rational thought rather than religious hate or ignorance. I firmly posit that we each should try to believe as many true things as possible, and as few false things. This ideal is just not possible with the majority of society believing in superstition and supernatural dogmas. Religion has long been attempting to tell me how to live my life, and
