Why atheism is a belief.

[TheDarkestOfAngels]

1: There is no evidence for a god or gods

This is irrelevant and does not prove or justify anything. This argument assumes its conclusion by saying you cannot disprove something which does not exist. Without providing a valid alternative (which you should have done in point 2), you're left stranded.

Actually, it removes everything that could possibly be explained by a god or gods. Given the lack of evidence, there is neither need to assert nor believe in such a being's existence.

2: Everything that is attributed to god or gods has other explanations that better describe the observable universe.

Everything? Try the creation of existence.

Is this where the atheist invokes a long string of gods from Norse, Greek, Jewish, Muslim faiths to discount any worldy event which can be accounted for scientifically. These elucidate nothing.

e.g As Thor has been proven to not create lightening, therefore no god exists.

What are these better explanations you speak of?

The difference is either saying "I dont' know why the universe is here" or "God did it."
Unfortunately for the latter explaination, that hypothosis is entirely made up and has no evidence-based backing (see #1).
However, there are other hypothosis that exist that are based on our current knowledge and theories in quantum mechanics that DO in fact, explain why our universe exists.
As such, there is more going for a non-religious explaination of the universe than ALL religious explainations.

3: The idea of god was obviously a primitive try at explaining the world by people ignorant of the facts. most of the first part of genesis is just a sort of 'just so' story,(google rudyard kipling if you dont know what these are).

Not at all. We just have different questions now. If you have answers please outline these. Just because some events which can be accounted for by not invoking a god, atheists seem to think this refutes a god.

The difference between atheists and theists is that atheists don't pretend to have answers that we don't. Theists fill in the blanks with made up explainations and go with it - often flogging scientific explainations along the way in order to keep their delusions viable - like the young-earth ideas from the religious communities versus the big bang theory. The former breaks all laws of physics and biology (among other sicences) while big bang fits in perfectly with everything we've observed to this point.
As such, atheists have not 'refuted' god so much as found no place for one nor found any reason for one to need to be. We don't believe in god because there is NO reason to believe in god - any god.

4: The idea of an after life is just wishfull thinking that has no scientific basis in fact.

So science and humanity can measure everything that is, and as it is? If you say yes you're deluded, if you say no, you have no basis for using "fact" as a basis for your position.

That sounds like an answer for someone who can't come up with anything qualitative to say about the matter.
There is no evidence for an afterlife. Period.
Therefore, there is no reason nor evidence to conclude that one exists at all. To believe otherwise is, as he said, wishful thinking.

5: There is no reason to think that anything 'supernatural' exists ouside of wishfull thinking or fear.

If you limit your entire life and views on what science can measure you will miss many things.

The thing about 'limiting' myself to science is that it's not a limit at all. It simply allows me to know where I stand and knowing where I stand is far, far superior to making up answers and believing in it really hard because those aren't really answers at all.
Religion has no answers or really anything that can be backed up by investigation of reality and there is no reason **AT ALL** to believe that god exists.
Therefore, one answer is entirely delusional (religion, god, faith) and one that is entirely based on what we can see and measure. (Science).
I'd rather limit my life on what we know rather than what we believe because the former is entirely delusional and made up.
The former is not. There is no comparison.

6: The ability of man to self delude is well documented.

Does this refute your position? or only everyone who disagrees with you?

You ARE amusing when you squirm to come up with an answer that you can't.

7: there are so many contradictory faiths. (my wife is a spiritualist whose beliefs are completely different to your beliefs but are just as real to her as yours are to you, so eiher you are wrong she is wrong or both of you are wrong, I vote for the latter).

You have your belief, which I think is wrong - we could debate that til the cows come home.

That there are many contradcitory faiths, doesn't lend itself to meaning yours is correct.

Atheists don't believe in god. That's the only thing that seporates us from everyone else - that we DON"T believe in something.
Stop trying to pigeonhole yourself into an arguement you cannot win in the precious time you have before getting banned once more.