As a young atheist, what sort of challenges have you faced?

Question

My name is Kyle. I am a 21 y/o male. I have recently decided that I do not believe in the Catholic God that I was brought up to know, and I was wondering the following for any college students out there who may be going through the same thing or who have gone through something similar in the past.

As a young atheist, what sort of challenges have you faced? Do you feel that your university is supportive of who you are, who you have chosen to be? Why do you feel that way? Can you cite an example?

Could you describe your transition from being a theist to an atheist using five words? Try. Then, how do those words define your transition?

Answer 1

Faked stories. Opened eyes. Evolution.

Atheism is the truth, be content that you found it. Religion served a purpose when it was invented (and yes we did create God in our image), but most people have progressed beyond it. Religion is mostly a social need nowadays; you'll find a lot of atheists when you hang out in the right bars.

Seriously though, one thing that a lot of atheists face is the loss of spirituality. Humans have a real need to understand life (and/or afterlife) and how to deal with it. It is also easy to become a very hedonistic person if you don't think God is up there judging you. If you have the right attitude you can deal with these issues, but it can be tricky for young people.

Try to become (or remain) as compassionate as possible and involved in society as much as is practical for you. This is tough for atheists who live in very religious countries like the US and Mexico. Look for rational solutions to problems that assail us and try to help people along their way.

I like to ask myself "what will I wish I did more of when I'm about to die". I expect the answer will have a lot to do with helping the rest of humanity, and very little to do with sunbathing.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Hi Kyle,
Not a college student but new to being an Atheist.
(Do I count)?

Believer to Non-believer, that simple.

I face exclusion from the popular human race due to the fact that I believe in fact and not fiction and am ridiculed and condemned by most of those in my surrounding society today who do not believe in self-expression and freedom of my own choice!

I have read the bible and found it full of contradictions that I was taught to take as the truth when I was a child. I was so young and naive and believed what my parents were telling me was the truth. Then I found out there was no Santa Claus or an Easter Bunny as my parents told me that they were real to and I started to question and think for myself.

Here is a good example of the contradictions of the book that they taught me to believe as truth.

In Genesis it tells you that "God" created Light on the first day, then on the fourth day he creates two lights, one to dominate the day (the Sun) and one to dominate the night (the Moon).
Now if "God created light on the first day why was it necessary to re-create it on the fourth?

This was just one of the many errors that I have found to date.
The beginning of the "Bible" informs you right off that is is wrong. So why should I hold a belief in something written and taught wrong?

PS - I read this in someone's profile:
"There is no such thing as "Try" - There is either do or don't do, it is your choice."

Answer 3

I was born into an atheist family and so I never really felt alone. I do evry now and then have people try t start an argument with m about if god exists. Also people talking abut god is everywhere and I just choose to ignore them. I don't find it offensive or whatever because they are saying what they bellieve. I have many catholic and jewish and all religions friends though so its all good. I remember one day my really religious friend and I got into an argument one day becuase he said I was goig to go to hell. I said that I'm not going anywhere when I die, I'm just going to not be there and he hated me for a couple of months. It's been a little hard but we live in a very tolerant world, for the most part, .


o yeah and nobosy cares about under god in the pledge of allegiance to atheists its just another set of words. but for some reasn when it's on money it isses me off

im 16

Answer 4

In 5 words???

I NO LONGER BELIEVE IT

I'm not a "young" atheist, having just turned 50, but I became an atheist around your age. I was never completely immersed in the church (evangelical fundamentalist) and I didn't really have a problem leaving....basically I just never saw those people again. Every once in a while someone would call to let me know I was on the prayer list. I would always ask them to remove my name or at least stop calling to tell me about it. They stopped calling, for all I know they are still praying.

My family and I went through some rough times, and I was estranged for a few years, but I think that was more because they didn't approve of my girlfriend who was a woman of colour and a Hindu. (my English born mother will deny to her dying breath that she is bigoted, but she still always refers to a lady named Audrey as "her Jewish friend, Audrey")

It's just another part of maturing and becoming an adult with your own ideas. Developing the confidence to explain your reasons for being an atheist as passionately as believers do for their belief in God. I didn't really talk about religion with people...once you stop believing in God, it's really like not believing in Leprachauns...it's not something you feel the need to KEEP justifying non-belief. It is embarassing you ever did believe. I actually didn't enjoy my 20's much, there was a lot of unnecessary angst and wasted time as I grappled with doubt and guilt. That is what religion does though, it gets it's claws in deep, right from childhood...and it fights rejection.

Be strong. I am close to most of my family now, and they are all still part of the church. Every few years my sister asks if I am still an atheist, I say yes, and we let it drop. LOL.

EDIT
JED (15 below me) That quote is from Yoda in "The Empire Strikes Back" lol

Answer 5

Luckily, I don't have a transition. I was born an atheist and simply stayed one.

Challenges I face are typically educating the ignorant and being ignored or having my facts twisted for their benefit and having to put up with lies and misconceptions spread about atheism, evolution, the Big Bang, science in general...

Also having some people (in real life, yes) stare at me like I was crazy or run away because I told them I was atheist. Haven't seen them since. Their loss. Also having to carry money around that says, "In God we Trust". I just cross out "God" and replace it with "logic" or "reason".

Also my mother thinks it's a phase and that I really do believe in the Christian god. Funny how this phase has lasted about 20 years now.

Answer 6

I live in the middle of the Bible Belt, unfortunately. My town has 5 thousand people and over 25 churches. So when I told my mother and grandmother I was an atheist, they sort of just ignored me and pretended I didn't say anything. I'm sure you're going to face a lot of people telling you that you're going to hell, or that you're a horrible person, but don't listen to them. The fact is that atheists are wonderful people, and we're wonderful people because we know that this life is the only one we've got, and we live it as good as we possibly can.

My five word transition: The best choice I made.

Answer 7

Five words: Fail to reject the null.

I came to the point where I decided that God either does not exist or is not worthy of worship.

Regarding universities, I find that a state university is one of the most tolerant places of atheists. It's really strange as an American who grew up in a particularly religious part of the country to regularly spend time in a place where atheism is tolerated and possibly in the majority. Conversely, as long as the university respects my rights, I don't really care what they think about my religious convictions, or lack thereof.

Answer 8

the first thing you will find is someone who tells you youre to young to decide, you dont know what are you talking about, stop thinking bs and when you grow up you will turn back to religion, which is not necesarily true. here I recommend you in the first place to read a lot, because you will face a lot of persons who think that way, and take on account youre a facing a thinking system that has worked for more than a thousand years the same way, so you really want to be smart, open and cultured to do it, you are choosing the hard way, but it will reflect in a better and more reasonable person if you work really hard.

Help us expanding the idea of culture and science in this world of darkness.

Answer 9

That's a great question.

I work with 200+ people who are, for the majority, believers. These believers can smoke pot at work, drink with the boss, talk about sex, pretend to strip, and steal from the company. I don't do any of that. But, if I make a mention of there being no God, I am reprimanded for having no respect for my co-workers.

I understand that I am part of the minority when it comes to religion but I would appreciate some respect in the workplace. I am not the devil because I don't believe in a skydaddy.

Answer 10

Well, I'm 22 and became an atheist at around nine. I live in Florida, and basically everyone around me is Christian except a few of my friends and family. My neighbor is a hardcore fundamentalist Christian and we get along (although I think she thinks I'm Christian). I've never really been persecuted or insulted, I just get invited to a lot of youth groups and told that I should go to church because I might like it. I'm not really that public about my beliefs. As far as my university goes, I haven't seen any "atheist clubs" or anything like that, and I doubt I will. Most people are Christian here, and I've just learned to get along with them. So far it's worked.

As far as a transition goes: "I'm glad I did it"