What are Atheists going to do about their tarnished image?

The majority of theologians stopped trying to prove god’s existence based on evidence back in the Middle Ages, because they stopped thinking it was possible.  Shortly after, university departments of Natural Religion (studying god by studying nature) were removed from universities, because this too was shown to be irrational. Believing in god hasn’t been an intellectually defendable position since the enlightenment period. 

Nevertheless, today, Atheists are among the least trusted groups of people in American. 

This leads to two questions:

1. What are the actual reasons why Atheists viewed as untrustworthy? 

2.  What are Atheists going  do to salvage their tarnished image?