How exactly do people become atheists?

Question

Was it caused by curiousness or what? I've been wondering for a while now...

Answer 1

Two things for me:

1) Religion, church, praying, etc, has always seemed like an utter waste of time that could be better spent doing productive things. I find the very concept of "worshiping" something invisible in hopes of some reward to be ridiculous. I was a good kid, and I'm a good adult. I never needed to be taught "the golden rule." It was always common sense to me. I never needed a system of spiritual rules to compel me to behave, or to know how to treat others. If I can live like this, so can anyone else. I also don't fear death or the unknown, and I believe there are reasonable, comprehensible, HUMAN, explanations for everything that happens in life, and in the universe, even though we haven't discovered them all yet.

2) As soon as I was old enough to understand that "truth" is different from "fact", I made it a point to start investigating the sources of the things I was told and taught. I came to realize that a great many things that people (such as parents) are absolutely certain of, are wrong, and these people feel no shame in instilling their aberrant belief systems in innocent, naive or unsuspecting people. Worse, most people feel no obligation to investigate whether what they "know" and what they've been taught, is actually factual. This is how nonsense gets perpetrated generation after generation, and religion is one of the worst offenders because it's main tenant is unwavering, unquestioning faith. One only need study a tiny fraction of history to see that religion has been a constant source of conflict, and religions themselves are constantly being revised and replaced by newer "correct versions" of themselves.

Atheists are curious about the "big questions", same as anyone, but barring reasonable evidence, most of us are willing to leave the answers blank, as opposed to writing it all off to god. As for the rest of it, I've yet to see a deist who can prove to me there is any advantage to having "god" in ones life, or show me how they are capable of doing or living in ways that I am not. Since I don't believe in an afterlife, the idea of faith in going to heaven is also pointless.

Hope this answers your question.

Answer 2

I read a lot of books, including the Bible, watched a lot of TV, including horror movies, "In Search Of," and Fundamentalist preachers, and just reached the conclusion myself that something wasn't quite right with what people were saying.

Also, my early interest in mythology stemming from the popularity of Dungeons & Dragons during the early 80's, especially at my school, and being told my uncle was a scientist, which turned out to not be true, but inspired me none-the-less to an interest in science, then later studying physics, philosophy and psychology in college and continuing to today. My parents took me to church but never encouraged me to do anything but get straight A's in school, so that's what I did.

I really wanted to be religious about age 12-13, then tapered off and by age 17 when I went with my girlfriend to her youth group meeting I was shaken and disturbed by the attitudes expressed.

In college I read Freud, Nietzsche, Te Tao Ching, Sun Tzu, Dhammapada, took history of religions eastern and western. And by then I was a real Atheist with an interest in Eastern philosophy.

Later I read Athiest Debater's Handbook, Bertrand Russel, Origin Of Species, Sade, and more. Now I'm moving toward the West, still not sure about the east. Still think Zen is something special, but don't know how to get "into" it.

Recently I finished Atlas Shrugged, and I read a lot online, but not as much as some people. Now I've dismissed all religions, east and west and pretty much found a really decent way to live from Ayn Rand, away from all mysticism, and concentrating on reason, and fair trade instead of violence. No religion advocates fair trade over violence. Even Christian "peace" is more like "everyone is like a domesticated animal or dead" than "everyone treats each other as individuals with inviolate minds and property."

Answer 3

I´d say it´s caused by a lack of curiosity if anything, plus a good dose of complacency.
It´s a personal decison. Usually taken by people who expect too much and think that god is another consumer product. Expect an atheist to say things like: "Reeboks, no way. It´s Nike or nothin´."
Expect a theist to say: "I´m so fortunate to be blessed with footwear"

Answer 4

They simply choose not to believe in "God" or some "higher power". What causes that choice can be so varied as to not be truly answerable in this format.

But, do not confuse the absence of belief in a "supreme being" as a lack of spirituality. An atheist can still be very spiritual in their philosophy and beliefs.

Answer 5

All it requires is a pair of ruby slippers. Click the heels together and repeat, "There's no god at all. There's no god at all. There's no god at all." Soon you'll be back with your loved ones, enjoying their company and realizing that this is the only life you get. Make the most of it. And if you ever want to go looking for your heart's desire, you don't have to look any farther than your own back yard.

Answer 6

There comes a time in everyone's life where you question the existence of God or a Higher Power. This journey can lead to a stronger conviction that God is real or it could lead to doubt, a lack of faith, then they reject the concept of God. Ulitmately we will all find out one day if our beliefs are true or false.

Answer 7

Usually it is a matter of being bright enough to ask questions and not need an immediate, canned, made-up answer. For me, I realized that, in as much as I was not around to see how everything came into being (and neither were you),I say, "I don't know ..... YET!" To assume that some god, my less than intellectual ancestors made up, instantaneously farted the universe into being, is absurd

Answer 8

I just was never able to get answers to my questions from my religious instructors. Instead, I got a lot of blame for not having faith.

I would have been happy to believe, but I couldn't find a strong foundation for faith.

Answer 9

Yep! For me it was caused by studying the bible.

When the little holes in the bible didn't make sense, I studied the original languages (ooops! The holes got even bigger then!)

Then I started thinking about other things. The harder I dug, the less I found.

Curiosity killed the christian.

Answer 10

Some in the same way people become religious. They get raised in a family that preaches it and they believe it.

The Sophistic... - Correction....people aren't born to believe there is no God any more than they are born to believe there is a God. People are born with no premeditated thoughts.