What past experiences influenced you to become an Athiest or a Christian?

Question

Was it-
1) The seeming lack of provable information?
2) The different confusing doctrines?
3) The unanswerable questions?
4) The attitudes of Christian/Athiest people toward your veiw?

Add whatever other answers you have! I'd love to hear your responses!

By the way, I'm Christian. Saying that doesn't mean that I'm judging your choice to be what you are, and it doesn't mean that I won't respect your answer(unless it's reaaallly dumb. lol, j/k!) I only wish that both sides could agreeably disagree without using such illogical name-calling and disrespectful attitudes. Anyway, thanks for your answers!

Answer 1

Satan taking possession of my keyboard!! oH nO ITs hAPpENIng aGaiN!!!!!

Answer 2

I became a christian because that was the indoctrination I received as a child.
I became an atheist when I was studying logic/philosopy/theology in college.
"1) The seeming lack of provable information?"
In reference to religion in general, the lack isn't "seeming" it's real.
"2) The different confusing doctrines?"
The doctrines don't matter when the basis on which they're built isn't factual to start with. See 1).
"3) The unanswerable questions?"
Be more specific. This is too much like one. As far as some "unanswerable questions", they are answerable: e.g., where do we go when we die? Answer: the same place that every other dead and decaying life form does. Or what happens to our soul? Answer: there is no such thing as a "soul" that is something that can exist apart from the body. As I said, this question is too vague.
"4) The attitudes of Christian/Athiest people toward your veiw?"
Certainly, for my childhood indoctrination, that's the only reason it came about in the first place. I wasn't given any choice about it. Atheism was totally my choice, there wasn't anyone who forced me one way or the other into making that choice.

Answer 3

Agnostic. There is no way to prove or disprove the existence of a higher being/god/whatever. I became this way for this exact reason. How could anyone know? The standard answer from both sides is "I just do". In reality, which is where I live, you can't "just know" something. You can have a feeling or a premonition of something, but you can never accomplish "just knowing". My disgust for both sides of the debate grew in more recent years as one side flames the other, and then back again. Most discussions relate to random spouting of bible versus or name calling. I don't really see the point.

More recently, I had a discussion with a self proclaimed Atheist. In listening to her explain her beliefs, I found them to be flawed, in the same way I have found religious persons to be flawed. The point that struck a chord with me was she was insistent on there being nothing after this life, but then, was admittedly scared of this thought. To me, she completely blew her whole belief system with that single statement. If you claim Atheism, you are accepting the fact that there is nothing else. If you claim a religion, you are accepting the fact that there is something else, whatever that religion may dictate.

So, being that much has been discovered in many, many conversations with many different beliefs, I stay in the middle. There is no possible way anyone could know what to expect after this.

Answer 4

Hi SillySister,

It was a combination of many experiences - but no one big event or trauma. When I was a child, the attempted catholic indoctrination just never took. From as early as I can remember, I always doubted whether there was a god, and I soon began doubting almost everything the priests and nuns would say.

My parents were no help and tried to stay neutral. I had to do my own research to try to find answers to my many basic questions. I read lots of philosophy, theology, bible, koran, biology, etc.

When I learned what an agnostic was, I realized that I was one.

Over the years, as I have learned more and more, my skepticism about gos has gradually become more certain... until today, when I am almost certain that there are no gods and there never have been. So I am an atheist.

I hope that helps.

Answer 5

For 20 years I used to be an atheist and evolutionist; I used to go online and tell Christians how stupid they were for believing what they did, much like some of the people reading this. I used to have an ex-fiance who was a "cradle Catholic". I would "tolerate" his faith for a while, then I started going to church with his family, albeit reluctantly at first. Eventually, at the baptism of his niece, I guess you could say I had an "epiphany" of sorts. I was sitting in the pews before the service, looking at all the people around me who were kneeling and praying for various things. I wondered what these people had or knew that I didn't. I wondered, how come I can't feel that way? I decided to take a chance and I prayed, "God, if you're really there, tell me how come all these people have the Holy Spirit and I don't? Please tell me how to get the Holy Spirit." After that, I sat back in the pew, feeling relieved. Then, when the priest began his homily, it was about "How to get the Holy Spirit"! I was totally floored, and tears started welling up in my eyes. Even as an atheist, I didn't believe in those kinds of "coincidences". I believed God was trying to speak to me. I was overcome with relief, and I got on my knees, repented of my sins and asked Christ to come into my life and make a new person out of me - and He did! That was about 6 years ago, and He has been working on me ever since. Soon after I became a Christian, Christ started working on another little problem of mine - I was still an evolutionist. At the time, I believed there was just too much evidence for it to ignore, so I tried to fuse Christianity with evolution. (I found out later, it doesn't work.) I later got out of the Catholic Church and became a Seventh-Day Adventist. I one day asked my pastor how evolution couldn't be true, when I showed him a picture of a Bonobo Chimpanzee that looked remarkably human. He handed me a CD-rom that was a 17-hour seminar on Creation science. I took it and played it on my computer. I was totally blown away! There was a wealth of scientific information in it that I never learned in school. By the time I finished watching the whole seminar, I dropped evolution like a hot potato, and I became a young-earth creationist. I watched the videos over and over again to store the information in my mind, and now I want very much to teach a class in Creation Science at a local community college. I believe everyone needs to see and hear this information. It will change their lives - or at least give them food for thought and open their minds.
Today, I am a dedicated Christian and I try to do my best to obey Christ, although sometimes I fail. That's OK, He knows that I am just dust, and He has paid the price for my failures. I love Him and am eternally grateful to Him.

Answer 6

Well, I'm not really either at this point, though I'm definitely leaning more towards atheism than anything.

This is because I'm a very logical person, and having taken many religion courses, I just cannot bring myself to quite justify the existence of a God. There are too many contradictions, and too much based on faith. I know that faith is an integral part of any religion, and I just don't have that faith.

Answer 7

The trouble is it is not symmetrical, most atheists I know just arrive at atheism after a certain amount of life experience, rather like most people vis a vis Santa Claus.Although there may be some people who saw Mummy kissing Santa and realised it was Daddy most just grow out of it.

There are very few 'conversion moments' in becoming an atheist.

Answer 8

1) 2) and 3) plus similarities with other religions.

That and the lack of faith meant that I didn't 'become' an atheist. I've just always been one and never felt the 'call'.
.

Answer 9

the attitudes of christians and the more retarded tenants of christianity turned me off to it. then i read "why i'm not a christian" by bertrand russel when i was in like 8th grade and realized that it made perfect sense and there was no way to argue with it. that sealed it for me.

now i just look at it with common sense. i don't believe in zeus, so why would i believe in god? niether makes any more sense than the other...

Answer 10

The influence that made me an atheist is studying textural criticism, which is the scholarly study of the Bible. The discipline involves the study of its origins, its translation and its meaning.

Answer 11

When I was a brain dead sheep and needed comfort for my insignificance, I was a Christian; since I gained an education, intelligence and wisdom, and since I now have self respect and self confidence, I have no need for fairy tales and mythological beings.