Is it a good idea to be an atheist?

[robvalue]

An atheist need not take even that stance, the default is to reject the claim that "God does exist". There's no obligation to also accept the seperate claim that "God doesn't exist."

It's a bit subtle, but rejecting a claim doesn't require accepting the opposite claim. More on my website

It's two seperate claims, "God exists" and "God doesn't exist". I can reject both claims if I like, in other words I don't feel I have enough grounds to rule gods in or out. Of course, many atheists would go further and say they would believe they can rule God out. But it's not a requirement.