This question is for people who used to believe in god, and some day changed their minds. Most atheists i know became that at some age
2007-08-15 06:26:08 · 25 answers · asked by larissa 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
It was God's will.
2007-08-15 06:29:03 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 4⤋
I think a deeper understanding of both the facts and continued experiences. Most children are (or at least were) brought up to believe the writings of the bible. As you get older and can appreciate some of the discoveries made such as natural selection and big bang theories - some of the information in the bible begins to become very questionable - as does some of the values and double standards. Another quite significant realisation is that an awful ot of wars, anger, and suffering has been cause by religion and the seemingly imperative need to declare their own religion as the superior over others - this relentless and violent human behaviour only serves to negate much of religion's relevance today. Sadly though - some refuse to accept what is irrefutable and stick with the idea that a man made illusion can somehow dictate our world.
2007-08-15 13:34:22 · answer #2 · answered by Sherlock 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I too, had to go to church as a kid, so I kinda believed. When I prayed to God to make my brothers stop molesting me and he didn't, that's when I stopped believing. Also, when my mom found out what was happening, a Christian tried to comfort her by trying to tell her that God made that happen for a reason. She lost all faith in that one moment. We can not figure out why anyone would want to purposefully put anyone through any kind of pain. I mean, would any of you do something horrible to someone because you "love" them and want them to become a better person in the long run? Since that happened when I was little, I've had a really hard time coping and growing up as normal kids do. I'm married now and I can't even be open with my husband. WHY WOULD A GOD WANT ME TO SUFFER?
2007-08-16 09:19:20 · answer #3 · answered by Skyy 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
For me, it probably came about when I was around 15 or 16, though I never was REALLY religious come to think of it. I was raised catholic and went to church. However, it (religion and God) was something that I had to do, like a chore. It was never really part of my family life. My family is one of those who swear they believe in god, and follow all the rules, but are not really that spiritual. I have always been a skeptic by nature and when I became a teenager, I really started to doubt everything I was taught. I did go through with my confirmation (acceptance of the catholic churches doctrines as an adult) just for my parents, and haven't been to church since, except for wedding and funerals.
So, I never really changed my mind. For as long as I was a free thinking individual, I never really believed any of it. It just seems made up to me.
2007-08-15 13:33:33 · answer #4 · answered by aml0017 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I just realized that there is nothing "watching" over us. I see complete civilizations that exist with different beliefs than that which I grew up under, and I do not believe that a good God would not treat the ignorant with the same compassion that he does the followers. I do believe as in physics that for an action to be put in place it has to have something equal starting it, but I am not sure what that is. And I certinally do not believe it is ever present and watching and judging us all.
2007-08-15 13:31:27 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
Walking back home after morning service, I was, like Saul struck by a stunning thought. This is absolute fact. From then on I became both an atheist and immeasurably happier than I was as a Christian. The reverse of Bunyan's pilgrim. I shed all of the burdens of belief. That was 50 years ago and I can thoroughly recommend it.
2007-08-15 13:44:11 · answer #6 · answered by eclomaxkiwi 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I realized that there was no evidence for God and that the "Christian Science" I had bought into as a kid was thinly veiled lies. I started to look for evidence of any of the events in the bible such as the exodus, the sun stopping or moving back, the temple curtain being ripped; there was no collaborating proof for any of these of others.
There is more on the list of things I evaluated and deterred that there was no way that a god could exist or that if he did he certainly had a perverted way of trying to win people over.
2007-08-15 13:33:35 · answer #7 · answered by Pirate AM™ 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I gradually began to realize how people could use religion to justify almost anything. This made me suspicious...
One thing that is universally true is that if something is a fact, that it should able to be independantly verified. At this point, I made a decision to disregard anything that anyone ever told me about religion and to seek the truth for myself. If these stories were true, then there shold be some evidence that would reveal itself to me. It never happened.
at this point, I went through a stage of nihilism... where nothing seemed to matter, but I snapped out of it in a few months. I started my journey in a quest for the truth in a belief that the truth is a good thing. So that is how I formed my moral/ethical compass.
2007-08-15 13:32:36 · answer #8 · answered by hyperhealer3 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
One day, it all just started to seem absurd and the more I thought about it and the more I read and the more I reasoned, it simply became completely ridiculous to me. I alway was a bit of a doubter, but one who tried very hard to make it real, but I guess you would say I failed. And I do mean YOU, because I feel that I succeeded. I had gotten weary of philosophical complacency and when I needed something absolutely real, I realized that Christianity just wasn't it. I miss it. I really do. It was very comforting. But wishes don't create reality except in one's head. I realized that it had nothing to do with any outside reality. Now I trust my senses and my common sense in what I actually see and know is real.
2007-08-15 13:41:41 · answer #9 · answered by Boris Bumpley 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
i read the bible carefully from start to finish and concluded Christianity was a bunch of crap. Then i started analyzing the state of the world and easily concluded there is no god. Commonsense took over big time and every day I'm very sure there is no proof of any god ever. Also, studying the origins of human superstition basically says it all.
2007-08-15 13:30:39 · answer #10 · answered by Jack 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Did a lot of reading combined with just opening my eyes and seeing that the state of the world is either the product of a god who doesn't care or a god that isn't there...
Study and personal reflection were the key for me.
Plus I just can't be satisfied with the whole "God did that," or God works in mysterious ways" BS
Or maybe I'm just not as well rehearsed in the fine art of self-righteousness...
Ah well
2007-08-15 13:30:33 · answer #11 · answered by All I Hear Is Blah Blah Blah... 5 · 5⤊ 0⤋