Are you an atheist out of rebellion?

Question

Some teens at my school are atheists out of rebellion towards their parents, because when I ask them what that is they know absolutely nothing about it.

Answer 1

I grew up in church but rebelled against it as a teen (I mean, reeeaaalllyyy rebelled) Came back to it as an adult. Sometimes teens just rebell against anything their parents feel strongly about because their parents didn't really teach them the fundamentals as children, they expect the Sunday School/church to do it. There are alot of "sunday" Christians out there who don't really walk the walk the rest of the week, and the kids see right that hypocritical attitude. It's important for parents to be vigilant and be more active in the spiritual lives of their kids, not just their academic, sports and social lives.

Answer 2

Way to patronise and categorise.

There may be an element of that once the decision is taken, but the primary rebellion is against the tyranny of a dangerous fantasy that has the world enslaved.

Before Darwin, there were plenty of atheists around - even though they had nothing concrete to put in place of a divine creator. Despite not knowing whence the universe, earth and people came, they still weren't prepared to accept a bronze-age feudal fantasy as the explanation.

If these kids don't yet understand the real answers to these questions, they've nevertheless taken the step of rejecting the superstitious explanation. They're not really atheists yet: they're in the larval stage, from which many fall back into the comforting nonsense. But if they can stick with it, they'll bolster their worldview with facts, and join the swelling crowd.

CD

Answer 3

There really isn't much to know about atheism.

If they do not believe in god/gods, then they're an atheist. What else is there to say?

I am not an atheist out of rebellion, I did not become an atheist in my teens. I was agnostic in my teens, (I was still going through an unknowing phase, at that point).

Answer 4

I'm a 46 year old atheist who has worked at the same job for 20 years.

I'm an atheist because I haven't seen any evidence for the existence of any gods. Why do believers always want it to be more complicated than that?

Answer 5

It often starts that way, I've noticed this as well. But as they mature, young atheists cling to their beliefs for more than just shock-factor.

Similiarily, people may convert to Christianity in a state of trauma and fear, in need of God. However, they learn to appreciate Christianity for other reasons as time goes by.

Answer 6

Perhaps. I like to think i am an atheist because i am also a realist. There's no proof or even reasonable evidence of any religion I've seen so far, so i prefer to not delude myself by believing some magical unknowable force governs everything in the universe.

Answer 7

Top Ten Signs You're a Fundamentalist Christian




10 - You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.

9 - You feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists say that people evolved from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt.

8 - You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Triune God.

7 - Your face turns purple when you hear of the "atrocities" attributed to Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" including women, children, and trees!

6 - You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.

5 - You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically established age of Earth (few billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that Earth is a few generations old.

4 - You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs -- though excluding those in all rival sects - will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering. And yet consider your religion the most "tolerant" and "loving."


3 - While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor speaking in "tongues" may be all the evidence you need to "prove" Christianity.

2 - You define 0.01% as a "high success rate" when it comes to answered prayers. You consider that to be evidence that prayer works. And you think that the remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of God.

1 - You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history - but still call yourself a Christian.

Answer 8

No, it's not any form of rebellion on my part. It's a result of a long line of thought, reason, and logic.

Answer 9

PLEASE people, stop trying to find excuses why people are atheists. "Rebellion", "Mad at god", "Turning their backl"......

So many chrisitians just can't wrap their heads around the fact that many people don't believe their god, or any god exists.

For most of us, we grew out of that the same way you grow out of belief in Santa. It stops making sense, until you get to the point that you understand it was all a fairytale. No traumatic event, no anger, no nothing "made" me disbelieve. It just seemed so ridiculous.

Answer 10

When I was a teen I was an atheist out of lack of belief in any gods.