Atheism is, in the broadest sense, the absence of belief in
the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is the rejection of belief that
any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the
position that there are no deities. Atheism is contrasted with theism, which,
in its most general form, is the belief that at least one deity exists.
The term atheism originated from the Greek ἄθεος (atheos),
meaning "without god(s)", used as a pejorative term applied to those
thought to reject the gods worshiped by the larger society.
