Are you an atheist by default, or does one make a decision to be an atheist?

Question

Being born into a christian family, or being trained in christian doctrine doesn't make one a christian - a conversion is required.

So I was wondering, does an atheist have, pardon the word, a conversion to atheism and has an active faith that there is no deity, or are you an atheist by default by simply not accepting the existance of a deity?

Or is there another option?

Clarification - I may be wrong, but by definition an atheist says theism is wrong - An antheist would be one who does not believe in deity... Jehovah, Zeus, He who cannot be named...etc... were/are gods...

Answer 1

You can't convert to atheism anymore than shaving off all your hair gives you a different hair colour.

I don't think people who've never thought about religion can properly be called atheists, they're more like intellectually lazy agnostics.

An atheist is someone who has looked in to the god hypothesis and found it to be worthless.

By your definition a Buddhist is an athest... Maybe you need to rethink your terminology.

Answer 2

I was raised in the Catholic church, and attended Catholic schools. The blatant and consistent hypocrisies of religion made me question my faith. I spent five years on a journey through all of religion: Protestant, Catholic, Jewish and (scary) Islam. I read through the entire bible, twice. I interviewed a large number of pastors, rabbis and various other religious types. I spent a lot of time in self-reflection and self-doubt. I came out the other side convinced that there can't be any gods. It's all about power and control.
I didn't wake up one morning and say "There is no God," then go get coffee. It was a process, not a conversion. It was a decision based on intellectual pursuit and emotional detachment. And I've felt better ever since, and this was over 30 years ago.

Answer 3

Atheism is defined as one of two states, either, not believing in any deities, or, beliving that there are no deities (the difference is one of non-belief vs. active disbelief).

Since babies do not believe in anything (impossible with the state of our brains at birth), we are born as atheists in the non-belief state. Atheism is our natural default.

However, if indoctrinated into a religion, there is usually a significant period of transition to returning to that atheistic state because it takes quite some time and effort to move out of the comfort zone of our indoctrination. Most previously-religious atheists were fighting tooth-and-nail to save or preserve their faith when they made the transition. It often takes years, and is a terrifying and agonizing period of time.

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Your clarification is wrong.

a - without
theo - deity

atheos - without deity
atheism - philosophy without deity
atheist - one who holds the philosophy there is no deity

Answer 4

I am an atheist from birth on and I think everyone is. The ideas of religion and god and all are planted into children's heads by parents, and maybe teachers and preachers. Of course, children are receptive for that since children instinctively accept that there are strong, reliable instances they can lean to.
But if such an indoctrination does not happen, a human being will normally not believe in a god.

Answer 5

There is a gift of Faith that a person can be bornwith. there is the absence of the gift of faith that can be chosen.
but athiesm can be taught, and so can Faith.
Faith can can also be given and chosen.
If a person chooses to be athiest, it must be either for a greater gift or a gift that is desired more! or it might be a PreExistent Judgment from God.
in the case of my mother, I believe she once believed in God, but was excommunicated, SHE chose to become an Athiest. because of the terrible way she was treated in the catholic church. There are many things in this world that will all but destroy a persons faith. Including the bible itself, it depends on who teaches you and what paths you follow.

Answer 6

No conversion, it is just a lack of belief in Gods. Faith is a very ambiguous word. Asking an Atheist if they have faith that no Gods exist is similar to asking a person if they had faith that Unicorns do not exist.

Answer 7

Well, as a child religion/god was pretty much a non issue, my parents weren't particularly religious and I went to a public school. When I grew up and starting thinking about mortality and such things I discovered there were loads of religions out there. I spent a lot of time thinking about it and concluded that for me god(s) is/are neither necessary nor likely.

That is where you could say I became a 'convinced' atheist.

Answer 8

Atheism is not a religion or belief system. It only means no belief in God.

It is just like not believing in Santa and the Tooth Fairy. It comes with intellectual growth and emotional maturity. The question is - what happens to people of faith that retards their intellectual and emotional growth?

Answer 9

I was born and raised asa christian but i never listened to the masses or payed attention to it at all really and one time when i did listen i just realised how stupid and pointless the religion act is and thats what helped me become an atheist and ive been very happy since.

Answer 10

Well...I was indoctrinated, but it never really "took". I guess I never was really converted, and deep down I didn't really believe what I was saying. Becoming an atheist was a matter of admitting, to myself and others, that I just didn't buy it, there were better explanations for everything around me than I'd been offered previously.