I know an atheist who once said that some of his ilk want any mention of god removed “from the public square.” This is the end goal. No public prayer, no worship services on TV, no bibles in hotel rooms or bible quotes on fast food cups, no mention of Merry Christmas.
Yes, those types are the ones who betray by their behavior that they actually do believe in God. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t care if He was mentioned in the public square, anymore than they care if people mention the Easter Bunny. They only care because they secretly know God is real, but they do not want to be reminded of it.
To this I will paraphrase H L Mencken, pretty much an atheist himself, and revise his description of a Puritan to fit modern atheists as described above. This is to illustrate that atheism, of this scope, is as militant a religion as any other espoused by unreasoning fanatics.
An Atheist is someone who is desperately afraid that, somewhere, someone might have a spiritual moment and thank God!