Is a lack of belief actually faith?

Some Christians argue that it takes more faith to be an atheist than to be a Christian. But, what is faith?

If faith is the evidence of things not seen currently (Heb. 11:1), it's not actually possible for a lack of belief to be the equivalent of faith.

That would mean that people not believing is evidence for a lack of a deity.

That said, the argument is certainly comes from a right heart, as it attempts to suggest that unbelief requires much more boldness and hope in one's own skepticism over the answers that are provided.

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One might argue that their unbelief doesn't mean they hold to another belief, but there is a point at which even this person must recognize that valuing skepticism with high regard points clearly to the lower case "t" truth that when you say "No" to one thing, you most definitely say "Yes" to something else and vice versa.

If I claim that the rejecting of belief isn't belief, I clearly hold a certain belief. The question here is not if I have a belief. The question here is why do I believe it.

While there must necessarily be a prerogative placed on Christians to prove the existence of God, and while I don't believe asking the skeptic to disprove God makes sense (unless they outright claim God doesn't exist), the skeptic is not without a responsibility.

A new question is asked? What purpose does skepticism maintain? There is value in asking questions when they lead to answers, but too often, the answer is that pure skepticism is the ultimate ideal when it really is a road to nowhere, where the questions are the road itself.

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That said, questions can point us to life, as we learn that questions have answers. Good answers. Life-giving answers. Hope is ever present and ready to be offered.

A "bad faith" question is rooted in seeds of doubt, rejecting all answers in favor of none.

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A "good faith" question is a leap of faith, found in the question itself, as it is evidence of something soon to be seen and doesn't require jumping to conclusions. 

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Reference Points:

1.1 Peter 3:15b speaks to the Christian response here well, "Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you. But respond with gentleness and respect."

2. In regard to the role of questions, our questions ought not stem from deep rooted doubt but from a place of desiring to learn the truth better. Otherwise, our doubt becomes a toxic place of misgiving. In speaking on the specific matter of eating meat, Paul makes the point in Romans 14:23 that "But the one who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that is not from faith is sin." This carries a broader weight to it suggests that he not only speaks of meat, but he is speaking of the very nature of the questions we ask. Doubt and faith don't work in harmony. A question from a place of faith leads one into deeper truth while a question from a place of doubt leads one into fear and anxiety.