Are we all born Atheists?

Question

I read this in another post (I will credit the author when I check again). Are we all born Atheists? Agnostic? What?

Answer 1

We are born atheist, asantaist, aracist. We are born without beliefs in god, santa and racism. We are taught those.

Answer 2

I don't think so and I think history more then proves that. From the dawn of time people believed in a God or gods one way or the other. If it were possible to interview the every first living man, I believe that he would say that there is something there, God or gods. The sun, the moon, stars. By the way there are no true atheists anyway, even though they claim to be, believe something is there, one way or the other, Mother Nature, etc. Funny to how almost all people seek God when they know that death is near, maybe for atheists, that is just in case they are wrong. Go figure. Funny to how whenever someone says, "Oh God" or "Oh my God", everyone knows who they are talking about. Of course, at birth, there is little or no actual thought process, so one could say we are all born atheists which doesn't mean anything anyway. God Bless and you know who I am talking about :)

Answer 3

Religion is taught, not inherent in people when they're born. If it were inherent, we'd be born with all the same beliefs like we're all born with ten fingers and toes. Then there would be no need for religious education or services of any kind, let alone the various discussions we have here on YA boards.

We're all born knowing nothing. We don't know who we are, anything about math, science, how to eat or drink or dress ourselves and yes, we don't know anything about religion, either. These are all things that we're taught by our parents, families, teachers and religious leaders. Those of us who claim to be born religious are only fooling themselves as they had to be baptized and otherwise initiated into the religion.

Born into, not born with knowledge of whatever religion we are. We had to be taught and instructed. If we weren't, we'd still know nothing, therefore, we were born atheists until instructed and indoctrinated into one religion or another.

Answer 4

The primitive limbic system of our brain, the last remnants of our reptilian past, holds our raw emotions and its where our religious beliefs spring forth. Early man evolved this part of the brain to cope with an unknown and hostile universe... The religious experience gave him succor in time of need.

The more recently developed cerebral cortex, the logical and rational functioning part of our brain, is where our ideas of atheism and objective reality spring forth.

Obsolete genes do not die overnite, therefore atheism won't take hold until we evolve a little further, until then, 80% of the earth's population will have a distorted worldview...sorry.

Answer 5

Yes since we are not aware of our surroundings, life, independant thought, awareness etc etc how can a newly born baby think that a God exists or doesnt? Religion is instilled at an age when we are old enough to communicate with others in the same language.

Answer 6

If a religion was inherent to nature, we'd all be born with a knowledge of god etc.

The fact is that religion has to be implanted.

So yes, we're all born atheists.

However, the better of us remain atheists.

Answer 7

I think that we are all born with a clean slate, and that we are then taught everything about the world. That includes theism; if we were born theists, then a child would automatically attribute things to a god without being told to. If you've been around a small child, you know that's not the case. Multiple "why?"'s surround nearly every event.

Answer 8

This can only be answered in the realms of philosophy.
John Locke, an English philosopher believed that we are all born tabula rosa, which would mean blank slate. We are all born without innate ideas. To answer your question in Locke's point of view we're born with nothing, our environment then shapes our beliefs.

Answer 9

Really good point!
..but because of our over-active primate minds, we start to want answers fairly early on in life, so that's when the need "to explain" the world around us kicks in... Sometimes we're right and other times..... well .....

As the old saying goes, " If God didn't exist already, Man would have to create Him."!

Answer 10

I think we are automatically born in emnity with God because we're born under the law of sin and death. I don't buy that "born clean" stuff because we come here with a sin nature. If you don't believe that, then look at a child, for example. No one has to ever teach a child to lie. He does it automatically because of the sin nature that dwells in us. If you put two children in a room with one toy, see what happens, they'll start to fight over it, Thar's the sinful nature that's automatically in us. But thanks be to God for sending His Son, in the flesh of man to redeem us for our sin and having victory over the sin nature!

Answer 11

The Christian Bible says we're all born with a nature that separates us from God. After that point, we choose what we become (believer, agnostic, etc).