Is atheism a belief?

[Angrboda]

The atheist doesn't have to defend anything if those criteria and the related beliefs are held in common with the theist.  You don't need to defend points of agreement, only points of disagreement, and those points of disagreement don't necessarily include the criteria, and quite often don't.

OK, if nobody challenges you I guess you're not going to defend it.

Still, if you have premises and have used them to reach a conclusion, those are things which may be challenged and defended.

Only if those things are not held in common. If they are, and he challenges it, then he is guilty of special pleading and can be summarily dismissed. You seem not to grok the point that if the standards and criteria aren't specific to atheism, then they aren't a part of atheism proper, contrary to what you seem to have been arguing this whole time. What the hell is your point?