Atheists, do you think you would be atheist, whatever background you came from?

Question

I'm sure I would. Growing up surrounded by people who just happily accepted the catholic dogma, I found myself questioning it from a young age, while those around me, in my family and at school, just went along with it.

By the time I was ten, I had to question it big time, discarding catholism and starting on my long road to atheism.

No one encouraged me in this process. Once I'd started to question faith, the genie was out of the bottle.

I don't think I would have been able to avoid this in any cultural setting. My mind just can't accept illogical dogma or theism.

Is it the same for other atheists?

Answer 1

The timing may have changed somewhat, maybe I would have done it sooner, but I believe 100% that I would still wind up reverting to atheism no matter what my background.

Interesting question, btw. Definitely not one I have seen before so kudos for your originality :o)

Answer 2

I'm not totally atheist, I'm agnostic veerinf toward Atheism but consider myself culturally Jewish (as it's a race as well as a religion). I've only just started considering my belief/no-belief system.

However, in repsonse to your question, if I'd had a similar life except for my background I think I'd still be where I am now, if I'd been brought up in a very strict background without the same schooling I'd had, I think it's hard to tell.

Answer 3

Interesting question that I've never really thought about.

Growing up in an atheist household, its hard for me to imagine that it is for you, seeing as you were raised religious and later cast it off.

My main reason for being atheist is that I have a lack of trust in provable things, so trusting an idea that has no evidence is pretty much impossible.

I think that, had I been raised religious, I would have still doubted it and not really immersed myself, but I think I would have been more inclined to be agnostic, as opposed to atheist.

Had I been surrounded by many religious people, I don't think I would have ever been inclined towards religion - my level of disregard for other peoples' mind is worrying.

Answer 4

I'm sure of it. I was born into a Christian family. Both Parents are Christian. I have 3 other siblings and we are all atheist. I think newer generations are becoming smarter. I have never been religious. My parents tried to force it on me when I was young but it failed. No one could answer my questions with any rationality. Only thing any Christian ever does is use the bible as evidence for itself.

Which is the same as me saying I believe in Jack and the Bean Stalk. I know it's true because it's in the book Jack and the Bean Stalk. Common sense is all it takes.

God is just Santa Claus for grown ups.

Answer 5

I can't say as my education and the information around me has led me to my conclusion.

Without knowledge of other religious mythologies I probably couldn't come to the conclusion that deities are fictional. Without knowledge of evolution (or the basics of biology even) I doubt I could question the information I would have been given.

All I can say is thank God (not literally) for publicised information and standard education. Also, thank the Internets for Wikipedia, if I had that when I was younger I'd be so much more knowledgable than I am now :)

Answer 6

I have a very inquisitive mind, I contribute that to my father. Even so, I am not sure if I would be an Atheist had I been raised in another enviroment. Regardless of the way my mind works, I do not believe there is a force or destiny to my behavior. I am a result of my genetics and environment. This is similar to asking if I would speak English if I were raised in France..

Answer 7

Hard to say -- as a child, no religion was ever pushed on me; so when I did become curious about it, I was able to approach it from a much more mature, historical perspective. And it was because of that that I found religion wanting.

I'd like to think that I'd still have had my inquisitive and creative spirit no matter what my circumstances; but it might very well have been smothered if I had grown up in a dogmatic, devoutly religious household...

Answer 8

It is very difficult to say that you would be immune to being brainwashed in a different situation.

I personally attended church with my family until around sixth grade.

At that point, my parents let me and my sister decide for ourselves. My sister became deeply christian and I became aetheist.


Despite what I consider promising results in this situation, I don't believe anyone can truly claim to be immune.

It's tough to accept, but look at history. Pre-World War II German citizens believed jews, blacks, gays, etc were fundamentally inferior people. Sure there were those who disagreed, but the overwhelming population agreed because they were brainwashed. Our society today accepts that aetheism is a viable alternative. But what if you lived in a culture that didn't accept aetheism as a possibility?

One of the reasons I believe I became aetheist is because in school there were several classmates I had that never attended church that had aetheist views. I agreed with them. In a situation in a more religious country where such openness is not accepted, I don't think I would have disagreed with religion. For example, how many aetheists do you know that were former muslims?

It is very easy for someone to believe they would have disagreed no matter the situation, however I don't believe anyone is truly immune to the environmental factors of society and culture.

Answer 9

Yes, i do believe i'd be atheist if my life took a different route because I too came to this path on my own. I also grew up with the catholic dogma. It was catholic from my mother's side and lutheran from my father's side. Either way i was beat to death with religion. I tried believing but like you i had many questions, and there were almost no answers. Strike that, there were no answers whatsoever. I don't consider "god works in mysterious ways" an answer..... to me that is the equivolent to "I don't know."

Answer 10

I would find the truth, regardless of my environment. I was a seeker of truth even when I was a child. At age 7, I questioned the Bible, since I found errors in it. Mom's father was a Baptist pastor, and I was sent to his church since I was born and told all those tales from the Bible constantly every day. My siblings do not dare to question the Bible, but I was made of "sterner stuff", as the cliche says. I do not allow feelings to control me. I do not want to believe anything. Instead, I want to know truth. Beliefs are accepted without evidence to support them. To gain knowledge, one questions everything he is told and objectively compares alternatives to it. I see no other true way but to be an atheist.