Question for Atheist?

Question

(Disclosure, I'm a Christian) Thanks for any responses. I would like to ask if you were ever involved in any type of faith, religion etc., before making the decision to become an atheist. The other question I have is what led you to that decision, was it a purley intellectual choice based on historical research, science, Christians & attitudes, other?
I would also be interested in hearing about any pressures you may have experienced from family, friends, co-workers etc about your decision to become an atheist. Do you ever feel the need to explain your personal choice to others when confronted by someone who has a strong view on religious matters?

Thanks, I am just curious. Ever since I was 3 years old I can't stop asking "WHY" about everything...I can't stop the need to want to know. Thanks for sharing your heart & feeling with me, and helping people understand people!!

Answer 1

I am an agnostic but a lot of what you ask fits me also.

My path to agnosticism took many years. I was raised christian but never believed what was being told to me. I questioned, which to the Pastor and Elders in my church was not acceptable. I was to take everything as it was being told to me. When the Pastor told me I had no freewill and my pattern of sin was set for my lifetime I walked out never to return. I then searched other beliefs to find one that fit more of what I believed at the time which lead me to paganism. Over a 20 year period I went from being a pagan to being an agnostic because I see no proof of anything..either for or against so I decided to concentrate on my fellow human being first and foremost.

I never feel the need to explain myself as I have gone my own way for so many years now. However, that does not stop people from trying to convert me to other beliefs. I politely tell them I respect their right to believe as they will and I would like the same courtesy extended to me.

Thank you for asking.

Answer 2

Better I divide your questions:

1- Were you ever involved in any type of faith, religion etc., before making the decision to become an atheist?

No I never had a religion, my parents were free thinkers, but they also didn't force me to be one. They gave me the option of choosing if I wanted. Although I like the philosophy of many religions especially Buddhism, I was never really interested.

2- What led you to that decision, was it a purley intellectual choice based on historical research, science, Christians & attitudes, other?

It is for me a too simple answer to everything, from the creation of the Universe to the death of loved ones. It resolves the question about why and how we are here with no further research and it escapes the reality of death by creating a fictitious heaven. Although I will tell you, I am sure it is a very comforting feeling thinking that a dead loved one is in heaven, instead of becoming nothing. For me, we just stop to exist.

3- Any pressures you may have experienced from family, friends, co-workers etc about your decision to become an atheist?

Some people have pressured me to become a Christian, it annoys me a lot. I don't try to convince them to think like me, I respect them,. But some times it doesn't work the other way round

4-Do you ever feel the need to explain your personal choice to others when confronted by someone who has a strong view on religious matters?

Oh yes, actually the man I love(d) left me, because I didn't share his religious views. I tried to explain to him my point of view, but he had just ears to his own believes. When I tried to understand him better and asked questions, he just answered "you can't understand"...whatever.....it was much better this way, now I see it. I still some times have a hard time understanding, how I could respect his believes, but the other way round was just his way........yes I don't understand LOL

Answer 3

Well, there has been tons of responses to you already. I hope mine is also useful.

I am a born hindu, travelled around the world, been around multiple religions, and back home, a lot of hindus (I don't know a single non religious person in life here).

I had believed quite a bit of hinduism until I was around 18. What led me to lose my faith was there was no basis for faith to begin with. The only basis for faith I saw was the faith itself. All those little explanations (you get a lot of it in India) of God's miracles, as I learnt more and more science, I started realizing were fake.

I have done a bit of research to make sure religions are false but then again, not much. I had come to a point where I don't want to research why earth could still be flat. All the existing facts in the world don't support religion.

And I was agnostic for sometime to be more specific - it was more like, God is probably out there somewhere but he hardly cares what I do. You can understand that right? Especially in Hindu world, what is going to happen is what is going to happen. Then why the hell am I doing anything religious? Kinda like that.

Finally, i have become aethist. Because the religious, the way I see are just a whole of guys who had a lot of time thier hands and wrote stuff. And if you put basic human psychology what one would write, how they would write, it doesn't take a whole to figure out they were all written by humans.

The pressures. That's a good question. People don't bother too much about me being an aethist anymore. My dad, typical indian dad of an indian son who isn't religious would say I'll see god later, when I am older. My sister condemns me from enforcing my views on my nephew. That's pretty much it.

I would say, you might want to ask more "why"s. Personally, not to influence you however, I think, you need to know the difference between a story and sentiments that everyone can believe in and refuse to let go versus truths. Yes, my dad wouldn't want to even argue about existence of god because he just wants to believe in it. Versus, yes, it was difficult for me to believe that a tiny cell with 22 chromosomes can contain so much information to make a full human being.

Basic human nature (we used to fear dragons, right? we used to think there is hell below right?) as to how as we become more scientific, we do lose many of our faiths. And all these books were written at times which were way stupid for our current human standards.

Like, how would you say we were so wrong about earth being flat but were absolutely right about Jesus Christ?

Answer 4

Well first off i am agnostic. I went to catechism when i was a kid. I have thought about god and religion alot and have come to the decision that all religion is made up. Just like Zeus, Jupiter, ammon, Dionysus rah the son god and all others. Why would one religion be right and the other wrong? And on what basis? I just think that religion is a coping mechanism for people because we know we are going to die. The fact is there is no reason to believe that god wrote a book and is a single parent. And notice how he is always so human...I can give you a thousand reasons why i dont think the gods we believe in exist. I am not sure if there is are is not a supreme- being. And if there is we can never understand it in our human state or until he or it wishes us to understand.

Answer 5

I am an atheist but my entire family is christian. My parents always gave me freedom over chosing my religion. I was very open towards religion until I was about 14. My best friend's dad tried to force christianity upon me at the dinner table. Naturally I freaked out and thought it was very inappropriate of him. Ever since then I have had a strong dislike towards missionaries. (That guy was a missionary) I automatically turn on defence mode everytime somebody with a bible walks into the room. Would I ever consider it again.... Maybe, hard to say. Depends. I have never felt the need to justify my choice just like no christian has ever felt the need to do so.

Answer 6

You put 3 different questions, so, here you go;)

1) My family is Catholic, and my background is Catholic too; at the age of 10 I begin to question things (just like you do), and, since the ABC of Christianity (namely the assumption that Jesus was God's Son) never convinced me, I began to take my distance from the Church. I never really believed in any omnipotent and omnipresent being, and I still don't. As I was growing up, I began to investigate, reading lots of ancient texts, studying them all as well as the Bible; there's no ancient text on the argument I haven't read, and by virtue of what I learned through my studies, I came to the conclusion that there is no such being as God and that Jesus (one of the greatest man ever existed), was a King and a Nazarite, yet just a man. So, my conclusions are based on historical and etimological researches (I'm a philologist and I achieved a Master in Sumero-Akkadic Epigraphy) and not on prejudice.

2) One of the main principle I was raised by, is Respect; I must admit that sometimes believers didn't show much respect for my point of view, yet, I have many good friends among believers of different Faiths.

3) Why not? Exchanging views is always a good thing, as long as there's respect from both sides.

You're welcome, thank you for asking:)

Answer 7

"The other question I have is what led you to that decision, was it a purley intellectual choice based on historical research, science, Christians & attitudes, other?"

I think the answer for most would be a combination of all.

My mother was Jewish, and I tried Christianity after a friend "found Jesus" and became all happy. But then I realized it was all in her head, and after I read the Bible, I found God was not the being He was rumored to be.

Answer 8

I was raised in the Salvation Army. I could not reconcile the difference between science and religion, even though they were both supposed to speak the Truth. I used logic and lost my faith. The more I learn about Christianity the more I'm glad I'm not Christian. It is actually fair;y rare that I talk about what I believe with people. Faith is regraded as your personal choice.

And I'm not actually atheist. I'm a pagan animist/spiritual agnostic. My beliefs do not interfere with science.

And bravo for your questioning nature. Asking why is the best way to stay in a state of epistemic awareness, rather than epistemic naivete.

Answer 9

Everyone was born an atheist. Do you think that you would honestly be a christian if you were born in Iraq. . or North Korea?

You are also an atheist to every other religion that exists or that has existed in the past.
You don't lose any sleep at night wondering if you will stand before Zeus on judgment day do you?

I was raised christian pretty much from birth. I grew up. Looked at the evidence without the beer goggles of faith to cloud my judgment.
Try and wipe your belief system and start from scratch. I think you might see what 2/3rds of the world sees. That christianity is false.

Answer 10

I was raised Byzantine Catholic and questioned the answers all the time too, right from kindergarten-level CCD. I've studied several religions and their holy books in significant detail, as well as Wicca, Native American spirituality, some paganism, and the history of religions, while studying philosophy and the other core curriculae offered by the universe and universities. I guess you could say I arrived at atheism intellectually.

If I'm asked why atheism/Buddhism, I explain otherwise I generally keep my speech to a mild minimum (for ME). If things get into "hostile" confrontation, as long as it's not in support of someone with me, or around me, who's suffering as a result of such a "confrontation" I leave them alone and walk away. If it does cause suffering for someone else then I haul in the ethics legalities of the moment, be they medical ethics, or somesuch, to try to compassionately shut the confrontation down (with as much compassion as I can muster at my level of Buddhist understanding). I'm personally not upset by "confrontations" because I understand a lot of where such things arise from.

_()_

Answer 11

I have to agree with everyone else I like how you asked this question.

When I was young I went to church with my family and my whole family (uncles, aunts...etc) are all Christian also. Every family gathering they pray and such..and still do to this day. Untill recently (I am 18) I have went along with it but I dont think I can go with it any longer as I find it pointless. I have never read the bible and dont think I would of counted myself as a Christian when I was young as I had no control of what I did really. I plan on reading the bible as I think its something that should be done before someone really can call them selves an atheist. Because to me it would be like trail and error. You cant not be something or claim to if you have not tried everything out. That is like me saying I hate pizza (I love pizza) without every trying it. I really doubt reading the bible will change my views but as I said its something that needs to be done...and I need to if I want to hold my point when talking about religion with christians.