When did you become an atheist, why?

Question

was raised a roman catholic, but w/o learning the bible like the folks here in the south in which i live now. when my mother died, i searched all christian denominations..didn't like/agree w/any..so went to educate self with buddhism, muslim, judiasim..
I lean toward buddhism..but call self an atheist..but think my mathematician/scientist husband is more agnostic, but he doesn't want to be.

I get sick of how xians think atheists are devil worshipers or something, how ignorant.

or that we are non giving. sorry, but I donate and give quite often..i just do not seeing giving a tithe to a rapest priest, minister freak..so they can drive nice cars, kids go to private religious schools..etc...

Just to add, I'm 32 and not only lost my mom at her age of 47, mine 19, I lost my first child at age 26mos in 04. I know have 2 wonderful kids age 3 and 26 mos and two step girls, 16 and 18 that have known since 7 and 9yrs. they were raised SDA. the eldest attended private boarding schools and is now atheist. the younger is very religious. but tolerant of me/her dad for being atheist.
I was depressed until I found atheism..not religion. I now live my days to the fullest b/c I don't believe in heaven/hell and know that any moment, my life or my childrens can be taken from me and I'd never see again.
If i believed in nonsense, than I guess I'd be sad to be alive only wanting to go to a made up place to see the dead.
religion caused the dark ages, and all the wars today...I can only hope that atheism will cure religious terrorism.
christianity ruined so many artifacts..b/c were pagan or not what they believed. insane, damn xians.
atheism doesn't mean communism...
to me, it means peace.

Answer 1

I was about 14 when i realized that the prevailing ideas didn't make any sense.I began reading mythology when i was 12ish, and so much of the bible i had read fell into 2 categories: Superhero/comic book type stuff and basic,common knowledge "how to get along in a civilized society" type stuff.And the more religious texts i read,the more fit into that same pattern.As a consequence,i see the similarities in all of them in terms of how to get along, but wholly reject the ridiculous parts.

Answer 2

I was a great deal like you described yourself to be. But in my case, it was a close friend of mine who had died of cancer while I was still in high school. Right up to that point, I had been a beleiver... but I couldn't understand why any God of Love would allow such a thing to happen--especially to someone like my friend, who was a very good person and still a youth. I turned to Christianity for answers, and for the first time actually studied the faith I was raised on. Not only didn't I find answers... I couldn't find anything that didn't contradict itself or that stood up to reason.

So I searched. There were Christianity's offshoots: Mormon, Catholic, Jehovah's Witness... strike one, two, and three. (In fact, I only finished the Book of Mormon for the entertainment value.)

I turned to other nations. Buddhism, Judiasim, Muslim, like you listed. Nope, nope, and nope.

It occured to me early in my upbringing that the truth never contradicts itself--it is what it is, and doesn't appologize for how you feel about it. None of the faiths that I studied fit this.

But science did. Being the collection of provable human intellegence, it was--and is--always honest about not having all the answers. It was always honest about being a work-in-progress. And the best part? I didn't have to hate anyone to be a member! All I had to do was think. But since there's no real proof of God's existance--Christian or otherwise--I found that I no longer beleived. Nor was I "on the fence" about it. All of which, of course, makes me an Atheist.

Once I started, I couldn't turn back, and have yet to regret my decision. And yes, I donate to charities, am married to a wonderful woman (my vows were to her, not God), and am expecting our first child by the end of this year. I've volunteered at hospitals, and regularly give personal fitness training advice. I have a multitude of pets, and am proud to say that each animal in my care is at the peak of good health. I'm human in every way imaginable! Nothing evil about being Atheist.

Most of those who label us know nothing about us. Saddly, most Atheists know plenty about religious beleifs...

Answer 3

I'm not exactly an atheist as I still consider the possibility that something exists that we haven't discovered yet. I became agnostic when it finally dawned on me that everything I believed in at the time was based on what I wanted the world to be like and not on observable fact. I remember the night distinctly. I was lying in bed trying to logically sort out stuff like why evil existed and it just hit me. I felt so relieved afterwards that I could finally stop struggling to maintain the "house of cards" I had tried for years to keep from falling down.

Answer 4

I wouldn't say that I'm an atheist. Just undecided. If you give me tangible proof that Jesus was more then just a man I may have to weigh the facts. I think very logically and have never been able to beleive in that which I can not see or touch. I need proof and no that "bible" is not truth. The stories have all been altered from the original to suit the catholic church and many of them have been proven false.

Answer 5

I've been an atheist most of my life. I remember going to my grandparents and seeing little crosses with figures on them, as my knowledge of the stories surrounding this figure grew it just seemed more implausible. Then when I learned that Santa Claus was fake (seriously here, quit laughing in back) I learned that you really can't believe anything that is merely said.

My dad was always good at making me think. He'd play little mind tricks on me. Not hard stuff, just things like making up number games that might throw you off if you aren't paying attention. But, by always asking me questions or saying things that had little falsehoods hidden in them (not sadistically, he was challenging me to see them) I learned that you need to do that with everything.

For example, I don't believe most science or health studies the first time they are published for example. It doesn't matter that there was a study, I'll just say, "That's interesting." and wait for more evidence. When I feel it's sufficient enough or if it seems to conform with other opinions I'll follow it.

This seems to be a natural position for me now. I see no reason to believe in a god if that god deems it necessary to remain hidden until I open my heart to him. Have you ever tried that line with a child? Or a pet? No, you demonstrate the first love, you show them that you care, and you might not do it just once to earn their trust, you may have to do it over and over again. But for things that we care about, we will work hard to earn it. If there is a god that really cared about us on a personal level, he would work with each and every one of us to know that. Also, if god is infinite he'd display infinite patience for anyone to accept him. Not this lifetime time limit since while we accept a lifetime is a long time, it's definitely not so for those children that die of starvation, or disease, or war. There are too many flaws in this line of thinking to make it reasonable to anyone who is willing to challenge an idea.

Answer 6

I really think I was born atheist?? No lie, when I was 5 and my mom sent me to Sunday School. I thought the world was mad. I would have no part in it. I am OK with whatever a person wants to believe now. As for me, even if I wanted to be of a religion will all my heart I could not do it. I just simply don't believe any of. That is that.

Answer 7

The day I lost all fear, I didn't have a care in the world, If I lived or died, it was all the same to me, that was the day I really saw things for what they were.
Why are there so many religions? Simple we just do not know what is after this life, If there is anything. But fear drives us and a yearning to have something more then this life. People are to scared to accept that there might not be a god and believe in something without question. It is a horrible logic; religion itself has costed millions of lives. Western religions at the very least do not control people as much out of fear. I think you can learn things from western religions, but everyone is different and should not really devote oneself to a religion. Buddha as you probably know was an atheist and in a way is more of a role model type religion. Many of the western religions including buddhism focus on how one should live but still have a controlling affect as all religions do. If you study religions you'll notice that they can be put into groups and many are very similar to each other. This is basically because people disagree and over time new religions are born. In the end it is just peoples opinions carried on over time. When it comes to most eastern religions, most are a joke that you can actually prove wrong, or prove that god is evil, not from my opinions but from what is actually written in the different versions of the bible. I do not understand why people cant see it, but my guess is that their fear blinds them. Ask someone if they are scared of death; anyone that is not scared to die because "they believe in god" because "they have faith that god will protect them" are the ones who are filled with fear. The religion acts as a way out from that fear. They are not overcoming the fear in anyway just lying to themselves. You see this much more in our eastern religions. Another said thing is that people believe god is watching over them, they prey and when something good happens who gets credit??? GOD. Well while people in other counties are sick and starve to death and babies are born with diseases, we think we have it bad. If god lets so many others suffer and die, why would he care to help us. I dont know, I could go on and on but it gets pointless. I am only 21 but I have been through a lot for my age and I am not talking about the drama stuff that most ppl stress over in life, lol. But I do not think it is to hard to see that we really just dont know. It is just to hard for us to accept that fact and live with it. If we do not know the answer we just make one up so we can live with it. It is the difference between knowledge and wisdom (It's also one of the good lessons from taoism tho I disagree with a lot of it). We think so highly of knowledge in our culture, but knowledge by itself is blind, it is wisdom that lets us see the world. Anywayz, I think I am done before I write a book, lol, but ya I knlow where your coming from. It gets to be a someone pointless topic, because it is the ones that believe so strongly in a religion that are stuck in their own paradigm. Well Im off, peace.

Answer 8

I was never really into the religion thing. I basically always thought it was crap but I used to think it was harmless crap. Now I know better. After some people who called themselves "good Christians" let a good friend bleed to death in a ditch because he was gay. I started to see the truth about their religion. The more I look into other religions, the more I notice how they are all basically the same. They are all basically hate-groups with different targets.

Answer 9

For me it was just like figuring out that santa claus didn't exist. It just never made much sense to me once I started using my brain and not what my parents told me when I was 5 years old. I'd say I was about 12 or 13.

Nowadays when I hear people talk about "Him" and "His" greatness, I just this feeling that the person is absolutely crazy. I can't even comprehend someone believing that crap anymore. I want to ask them if they are joking.

Answer 10

I was born and raised with Buddhism as a way of life back the time I used to live in Vietnam. I believed in all the Buddhist Gods. But when I came to America, I became atheist. I found out that almost all religion is just a way to maintain faith and faith is really important to every aspect of life. and i believe that if i did not come to America, I'd still be a real solid Buddhist. Mostly because of new environment, totally new world, and new life perspective. friends tried to convert me to Christian before. but i believe i'll always be Atheist

what i believe are...

--what Gods to most religions were aliens who came to Earth and by their advanced technology that they amazed the ancient us and so we worshipped and exagerate them like the Gods we view today.

--i kinda believe in the after life. i dunno if if soul/spirit exists. and i dont believe in heaven or hell. my view of heaven is only if soul/spirit exists and heaven will be the place for soul/spirit go to. but i dunno how it will go there.

--like i said before, faith is important and religion is a main tool for that. but because im a atheist, my faith dont depend on any God; but it is about what i believe. but it is as strong as any other believer out there.

--and some ppl say atheist evil. but if u know me, i dont think you would say that anymore. i probably dont donate as much as you do. but im sure i "do" for the goods of others alot of times.

--my philosphy about life is mostly had the word Buddhism in it.