Atheism and postmodernism wider reading
The term atheism derives from two Greek words: 'a' meaning 'without' and 'theos' meaning God. Atheism therefore describes a person being without belief in God. Agnostisim, also has a lack of belief, however, does not actively deny Gods existence, so could be interpreted differently.
Positive atheism: Like negative atheism there is an absence of God however, positive atheism goes one step further. It is the firm denial of religion, the person has thought about the possibility of religion and has consciously denied it. For example, Prof Brian Cox has suggested that religion is a 'fairy story' which shows positive atheism as he has consciously made the decision to reject religion. We can assume God does not exist.
Gavin Nyman 'Definitive metaphysical claim about the non-existence of God'
Negative atheism: Absence of God: does not actively deny God. An example of this would by a baby who has not had time to make a conscious decision about the existence of God. We cannot assume anything, so we must assume he does not exist.
Agnosticism: From the Latin 'without knowledge.' Like Negative atheism there is an absence of belief, however, unlike Negative atheism it does not deny the existence.

Postmodernism
One of the key ideas of a postmodernist view of religion, unlike traditional views, is that there is no objective knowledge or absolute representation of reality. It is culture or society that dictates our concepts and the way we categorise and see the world. Hence religion is seen as a cultural construct. Religious claims have no claim to absolute truth. They are merely relative and subjective. This reliance on a person’s perspective therefore means that there is no grand or meta‐ narrative. Truth can no longer be discovered through reason and experience. In contrast, amodernist grand narrative would be the idea of an all‐powerful and all‐loving God who created and sustained the universe. This rejection of absolute truth leads to a rejection of the idea that a religion can be right or wrong. If religions are cultural constructs, then they merely reflect the culture. Being truly religious is about truly loving God and not about following specific dogmas or certainties. Postmodern religion centres on religion as a way of life rather than an intellectual faith based on a system of beliefs. The emphasis is on personal spiritual search and allows the individual to select their own narrative. The narrative can be from a combination of several different religions, known as a ‘pick and mix’ approach.
Many would argue that postmodernism is a denial rather than an affirmation of religion. They might point out that postmodernism allows any belief and therefore has no content. The denial of absolute truth rejects the traditional religions claim of revelation and ultimate truths. Indeed, the pick and mix approach is contrary to religion, since religion is not something that can be bought or rejected on the basis of what one likes or prefers. Postmodernism, some would say, is really atheism by any other name. However, some aspects of postmodernism make others regard it as affirming religion. It puts the importance on practical actions as the outworking of religious faith. It is concerned with spiritual living which is at the heart of religion; not intellectual knowledge of God. It allows a religious interpretation of life that would otherwise have been rejected because it was not intellectually justifiable. On balance, it seems that postmodernism affirms religion as it focuses on the practical out workings of a faith rather than cold intellectual dogmas. The heart of religion is an active living faith not a set of beliefs. It is about a way of life and that is what postmodernism offers.