If you care to answer..Atheists are you American or from Overseas?

Question

If your American what happened in your experience to turn you off to GOD and religion, and do you feel you have been persecuted in this country because of religion.

I ask this question because in reading many of your answers, it appears that many of you really have not had the great experience of being an american practicing your religion in the USA.

Answer 1

American, and nothing happened in my experience to "turn me off" to God. No negativity, no persecution. I just never believed in any of it. It's all simply too far-fetched.

Answer 2

I doubt that many atheists have had bad experiences with religion, as a participant. I was in the ministry before becoming atheist. I have never been persecuted, and nothing turned me off to God. I simply realized I was wrong. As a scientist I am also obligated to critically look at my beliefs and assumptions against the available data. It wasn't even a decision, more like suddenly realizing it is 5 pm and you have a 4 pm appointment. Kind of unsettling and disappointing, but not a decision. Overall, I believe my experience of the faith was positive, given the narrow way in which the world appeared to me. I do think I did waste a lot of time however that I could have used better, had I not been Christian and many people would have been better off had I had the higher ethical standards I do now than what Christianity provides.

Oh yes, and I am an American, born and raised here.

Answer 3

I'm Canadian actually. Its my husband, is family, and friends that are American. Considering that I'll be also moving to the US soon, I have a vested interest in what happens to the US and its people.

Nothing happened. I just grew up and realized its all crap.

The US is currently the most religious country in the world. They also have the most fundamentalists. Unfortunately, these people have FAR FAR too much power in the United States.

Christianity as a religion is fine (even though I think its all crap) so long as the person practicing keeps it to themselves. The problem is that Americans are almost completely incapable of keeping anything to themselves. They are passionate, strong, and influential. They're also arrogant, rude, and (in the Middle of the country, where most fundamentalists seem to come from) ill educated. Its a very frightening combination when mixed with religion and gvt.

Its the followers that are the problem.

Answer 4

I am from a different planet. Logic was the thing that turned me off of being Roman Catholic. And the more that you logically look at religion, the more you realize that religion is supremely flawed. In addition, you realize how childish the minds are of those people following religion. I have no problems with people wanting to practice their religion, but just remember that your religion needs to stay in your church or else it starts to impact me. What your beliefs are should be just that, your beliefs. What your morals and beliefs (from your religion) start getting into politics, then your religion starts to negatively impact me and it makes me unhappy.
Just something for you to ponder. It would be easier for a religious (regardless of religion) person to become President, than a atheist. That is pathetic, since if your religion wants to influence the government, then make sure your religion pays taxes, if not stay out. In addition, it is pathetic that people are more concerned about the religious beliefs of Presidential candidates, ensuring they go to church, etc. than if they can do a good job, hence why an atheist will never be President, even though he or she could do a better job. Pathetic!
Oh and by the way, if you want to classify beliefs as religion (makes it easier to classify that for this example), then you believe in a God and atheists do not and that is there religion. There is more religious persecution towards atheists than any other religion in the US. The USA was founded by puritans (people who thought that society should be much more religiously strict, etc) who left Europe because they felt that Europe was becoming too loose with their morals. Hence the founding people of this nation were extremely religious and you can not expect that things will change too quickly.

Answer 5

I'm American, born and bred. I realized early on that the bible was nonsensical and whenever I asked questions, I was told to "have faith," which seemed silly to me. When I was a teenager, I kept going to church because it made my mom happy, but I had long since given up on ever believing, no matter how much of the bible I read or how many church services I attended and sincerely TRIED to believe.

I believe in what I can see, feel, touch... and religion doesn't qualify. Organized religion is all that is wrong with our country. I have no problem with people believing in god... I honestly don't. It's everyone's right to do so if they choose. But organized religion preaches hatred and ostracization and preaching to those who don't want to hear it.

I don't know if "persecuted" is the right word, but I've had my car keyed, my son called names and ostracized by the good Christian kids, and I've been ignored time and again by people who were my friends but disappear when they find out I'm not a believer.

It would be so much easier if I could just believe... but I can't.

Answer 6

I'm American, an ethnic Jew. I never really attended services regularly, but I was in Sunday school up through senior year of high school including teaching or working in the temple library. I became a Bar Mitzvah and also read Torah at Yom Kippur a year later. I never really had any negative experiences with Judaism. But then again, I never really believed in God either. I've never personally been discriminated against. At least not in any significant way.

I think it's a faulty assumption to think that people must have turned from God. Plenty of us never believed in the first place.

Answer 7

I am a native born American Atheist that is proud to be an American and a citizen of a country with a constitution that guarantees that I can be free to believe or not to believe as I choose and that there will be no imposition of someone else's religion in my life. Now if you bible thumpers would get a clue that being a good citizen has nothing to do with being part of one particular brand of some 2000 year old mythological cult that has used its influence to murder more people than Hitler and Stalin combined I will be happy.

Answer 8

American. There has been a lot of things that ruined religion for me. Going to church was one of them, and being persecuted for how I used to look (purple/blue/pink/green hair) when they are supposed to accept you for who you are. Also, I just can't stand the thought of ruling over me. Religion has always been something that was forced on me, and it was completely empty.

I love how in this country, we have "freedom of religion", but if your not Christian, you are seen as a terrible person. You don't even have to be athiest. Pagans, Satanists, Muslims, etc. If your not Christian or whatever, you're treated very different then if you were. In my experience, I've had people pretty much shove it down my throat, which only made me hate religion even more.

Answer 9

American atheist. I even have my American Atheist T-shirt on I got at the 33rd annual AA Convention.

Nothing bad turned me off. It is like asking "What did you get for Christmas that made you stop believing in Santa Claus?"

Persecuted? No. Every time a christian gets a dirty look or even thinks they got one no matter what the reason they are being "Persecuted!" Oh my!

I don't have a religion.

Answer 10

I am an American. I became concrete in my belief that there was no God after 9/11 happened, and the only reason I questioned my beliefs before was because I was in grade school, and I felt like I had to be a part of Christianity to belong with the other children, it was weird being part of the minority. I remember in about 3rd grade (which was about...oh...11 years ago now) our teacher asked how many kids went to church. All kids raised their hands except for me and one other kid. That was the only time I ever wanted to be a part of Christianity, and that quickly faded.