Are people born Atheists? If not, why do people have to tell their children about God?

Question

If humans are not born Atheists, children should be able to just know that God exist without ever being told about it.

I noticed that children ask more Atheist type of questions when they first learn about God like "Who made God" or "where is God" or "Why can't we see him" .

The poor child's brain is not developed enough to see that his mother intimidates him with the hell crap just so he can stop thinking like an Atheist or introduces the better safe than sorry game. What do you think?

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Answer 1

Same reason we have to tell them right from wrong

Answer 2

The belief is Adam and Eve changed all of that. They ate the apple from the tree of knowledge and their punishment was separation from GOD. A child is born and is considered truly ignorant until the age of understanding which some people believe is 6 or7.Until that point they have a free pass to Heaven if they die before then. The fact a child asks a question like that shows the intellect is ready for an age appropriate answer. It is a Parents auto-response to "save" or "protect" their child. Once the child is old enough, they can quit believing if they choose. Beings the fact in this life we cannot prove HELL does not exist, doesn't mean that it's not there. Concentration camps existed and for those people it was a Hell, in a few years or even a 100 years these people and camps may all be gone but does it mean that the photos will all have been computer generated to scare people? Probably not, but generation after generation will do there best to inform others that is was real and if they don't learn from history they will be damned to repeat it.

Answer 3

I think that we are born with a blank slate. I remember asking the same questions when I was a child. As a child we look to out parents for guidance. They tell us what is wrong or right. When a child's parents are atheists or consider them self a religion but don't practice it the child is more likely to grow up as an atheist. It is very easy to believe there is no God. Scientists and Atheists continually try break down the Creationism theory that faith keeps alive. I consider myself a intelligent person and I can easily see why atheist choose to believe that way. They have loads of evidence on their side. However I am also a believer. Sure all this evidence in opposition to my beliefs brings me a lot of questions. But that's what faith is about. Choosing to believe when you don't have to believe. So without the value of faith installed very early in life I find it very likely a child will grow up atheist if left to their own devices. Not because they were born that way but because they had no education on the subject of God.

Answer 4

Usually the Hell part is not taught to younger Children. It is taught at the later stages when they are more mature in their reasoning.

How is "Where is God?" an atheist question ? It implies that God exists for him to be somewhere.

Ok enough working around the side parts. People are not born atheists, at worst they are born agnostic- they don't know about God. Children don't know a lot of stuff exists when they are born. Would you know about your liver if no one ever told you about it? Yet it exists from before your birth. Most people have a sense that there is something more to this world and themselves than they see around them. As one post quoted Helen Keller when she was "told" about God: "I knew he was there, I just didn't know what he was called"(I got the gist of the quote if not absolutely exact words.)

Answer 5

No we are not born atheist. Now, I am a christian so I support this with Bible scriptures, this is also proof even to some christians that no matter where in the world you are present and past even if you never heard about Jesus, you can have a relationship with God or know God, so if you are interested in this read on:
In Romans chapter one it explains this, you would have to read the whole chapter but I'll quote a portion:
Verse 20: " For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse"
Verse 25: "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator."

And in John 3 it says and I quote from "The Messege" Bible:
Verses 19-21:"This is the crisis we're in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won't come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is."

Now talking about learning VS knowing right from wrong I posted this answer to a similar question will paste:

Old thinkers called it the law of human nature or the law of rigth and wrong. The Idea was that, just as all bodies are governed by the law of gravitation, and organisms by biological laws, so man had his law-with this great difference, that the body could not choose whether it obeyed the law of gravitation or not, but a man could choose either to obey the law of human nature or disobey it.
Aristotle:
"This is the quality peculiar to man, wherein differs from other animals, that he alone is endowed with perception to distinguish right from wrong, justice from injustice."
C S Lewis
"Think of a country where people are admired from running away in battle, or where a man felt proud of double crossing all the people who had been kindest to him. You might just as well try to imagine a country where two and two made five"
Plato:
"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while badpeople will find a way around the laws"
Marcos Aurelius
"We ought to do good to others as simply and naturally as a horse runs, or a bee makes honey, or a vine bears grapes season after season without thinking of the grapes it has borne."
Voltaire:
"All sects are different, because they come from men; morality is everywhere the same because it comes from God"
Romans 3:20 NIV
"No one will be declared rightous in God's sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin"
Napoleon Bonaparte:
"I know men; and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparisson".
Benjamin Franklin:
"He who shall introduce into public affairs the principles of primitive christianity will change the face of the world.."
1 Corinthians 4:5 NIV
"Judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts."

Answer 6

I think Children intuit God. They realize that there has to be something that started the whole thing roling. Who made God? Is a question that just about every child I know ask. Many of the questions are unanserable. The best definition I have ever heard about God is that he is a mystery. Cheap answer I know but that is how I experience God. Something that loves me and is a mystery.

Answer 7

I think that we are born christian. God said that he created each and every one in his image. This raises the question of are muslims born christian. To be honest with you I really don't know. I guess they are born islamic. For all I know god saw a need to have muslims because he thought we needed them. For all that I know its the same god. A lot of the core values and beliefs are the same, but this is a whole other subject.

I do think that as we grow up it is the responsibility of a kid's parents to teach them about god. So that as they grow older they can make an informed decision. After all god does give us the gift of free will. If he did not give this to us, we would essentially be slaves to him. I will say that as I was growing up I was always told god is good and god is great. I just thought oh this is the way it should be. I went to church and the whole bit, but it wasn't until I was older about 17 or 18 that I could truly say man I believe in god I want to make the choice to follow him. I know this does not support my arguement, but I just want you to understand that I didn't just pop out the womb and say, "I'm a christian."

Thanks for asking this question. It has really got me to thinking today. I don't think that its a bad thing to ask questions that challenge whether god exists or not because it usually helps me to understand things better because I see them from a different perspective. I hope this helps you out.

Answer 8

Christians believe in giving human the "free-will" to chose to believe in their god or to have eternal damnation. I would believe the free-will arguement will be their answer to your question. It is good that religions with good moral teachings and a source of hope still exist. However, they should not take what they are taught as the truth. The Jews, Muslim, Christians, Roman Catholics, Momoons, Jehovah Witnesses, all have their own set of truths. There can only one be right. Or maybe all of them are wrong. But if one feel that their religion is agreeable within themselves, has provided them with hope, happiness and meaning of life, it is not a bad thing afterall.
A child tt is not born with the knowledge of "God", does not mean tt the child is an atheist. Your proposition is flawed in many aspect. We should not brand anyone as atheist, christians, muslims, jews,buddhists; but to let them find their own calling later part in life. That is the true spirit free-will.

Answer 9

No, atheism is a man-made philosophy. Most people are born with an intellect. (God doesn't just make us biological beings.)

Some people are trained to use their intellect toward finding the Truth. Others are trained to use it only for looking for solutions found in this world. For most folks, it's a combination.

Yes, there's blind faith as well as arrogant atheism.

But faith and intellect go together. Some people of "faith" are far greater sinners than might be a kind atheist. The secret is not just to use one's conscience but to use a properly formed conscience. To become properly formed, the use of one's intellect is necessary. My father was a self-proclaimed atheist...and he was kinder and more close to the Truth than are many e.g. cross-burning or Hispanic-hating Christians I know. He simply was unable to admit he lived his life in a manner consistent with True Christian beliefs.

Only a human has free-will. Without free-will, we'd be a slave to God...or the universe...or nature...or whatever. Intellect allows us to use our free-will in a productive...or destructive manner. For example, why doesn't my cat hold a fund-raiser to help feed the feral cats in my city?

Neither God...nor the universe...nor nature...etc. made "Treblinka or the Spanish Inquisition or Gaza or oil wars." Those are all the product of mans' intellect and defective conscience.

Had man heeded God's will vis-a-vis their Faith and intellect...none of those would have occurred.

Answer 10

It's not like being born with a disfigurement. You just aren't born with it. You don't have to tell you children about anything, they will learn when they go to school and have friends. It's sad that sometimes religion or no religion is pounded into the childrens brains and they are forced to believe what parents think without knowing the reason behind it.

Answer 11

First I'd like to address Cesar's comments. God had nothing to do with any of that crap. The fault is man"s alone. Now the original question. Children do not have to be told about God at all. They know already whether there is,or is not a God. As we adults grow we shut off that connection,and basically have to re-learn.