If your contention was that you dont believe in something that no one has mentioned, per say a hypothetical thing that is beyound the horizon as yet to even be formented as a posibility...then a statement of dis-belief is in and of itself simply that, and not and idea that something specifically does not exist.

In the case of a God, or Gods in the manner in which they are commonly held to exist by many different countless people before the advent of athiesm...that suposition is not possible in so far as a simple statement of dis-belief would be conserned, (at least not for anyone having knowledge of the possibility) for the idea it'self is in opposition too an allready known factor...however hypothetical it may be in your opinion.

I am glad your finally coming to the understanding that its not any given belief system itself thats at fualt so much as the evil acts of individuals who distorte such systems for their own gain over others or misinterpet their meaing to poorly consieved ends or to fuffil a less than inclusive agenda.

Like Goreans or Headonists or Communists, or Capitalists or Enviromentalists or Scientists or Buddists or adherents of the "actual tenents" any of the majior faiths or philosophies that promote good virtures over bad ones for instance.

I would postulate then conserning "respect" that the atheists if they wish to earn any then must not fall into becoming exactly like that which they claim to oppose...for if as has been shown in the past with state sponsered atheism turns out to become a situation thats overall no different than state sponsered theism...we again have no reason to abandon the one for the other.