Atheism is a rational, intellectual standpoint that merely states there’s no rational, scientific proof for the existence of a god or gods. People who rely on faith rather than reason reckon an atheist can not be a decent, caring individual. That means ‘believers’ are only well behaved because their god tells them to be. How shameful! Moral decency should come from a personal desire to be wholesome and honest, not from fear of punishment! There are more atheists/non-believers [about two thousand million] than members of any one religion - definitely not a fringe group! Confusion arises because religionists lump all religions together in opposition to atheism, whereas different religions and sects hate each other more than they hate non-believers.
No one has ever started a war or persecution in the name of atheism, yet sectarian [religious] strife is causing hundreds of deaths every day. There is no hope for peace or even good government until religious activity is confined to consenting adults in private, with children not indoctrinated, but left to make up their own minds after learning about all major philosophies and moral codes as well as the supernatural cults that have so devastated humanity. I'll leave the last word to Jean Rostand...

"Kill a man, and you are an assassin. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill everyone, and you are a god."
~ Jean Rostand