For the Atheists under 21 here...Have a question..?

Question

Since you have not been out of the schoolyard that long..Where does all your life's wisdom come from?

And did your parents instill any religious teachings in your life?

Answer 1

im 22 can i answer?

im actually agnostic, and my parents never shared their religious beliefs with me until i was around 21 anyway. (i think this is because they are agnostic/atheist and they didnt want to influence my beliefs while i was growing up)

they put me in a christian school from k-11th. i started to read the bible around 9th grade, and found too many errors and inconsistancies in it. thats when i left christianity.

note: i read the bible during bible class. when i got bored of hearing the exact same stories over and over, i figured, u know this book is a lot bigger than the amount we are learning. i thought id go and do some reading on my own. there is a lot of stuff in the bible that is NEVER taught. and a lot of stuff that is taught wrong.

and to top it off i want u to know, wisdom comes with experience not age.

Answer 2

im not an athiest but i dont have a religion so...
1st off: i am 20, I quit school @ 16(ged though), I had a child @ 17, and 18, SO i havent been off the schoolyard long, But my wisdom comes from the fact that i have been on my own since i was like 15. I come from a christian family, and if my kids want to be christian, or heII even muslim I support it. I dont think im athiest which is a religion in itself...I just go on about my life not thinking about what really happened that put us here. I am probably much happier than a lot of ppl. But if there is an afterlife and a god then im probably screwed.. :) hope u have a wonderrrrrrfullllll day

Answer 3

I was an atheist by 21 (though now somewhat older).

Wisdom is the accumulation of applied knowledge. Most of my wisdom had to do with programming and computers, because that's what I had experience with. Otherwise, I simply processed my situation as best I could with the knowledge I had -- if I did well, I gained wisdom in what to do, if I did not do well, I gained wisdom in what not to do.

I was born and raised Roman Catholic, and had even begun studies for the Seminary. My parents never forced it on me, but encouraged me in every way, respectfully and with love. I rarely missed services and I prayed on a daily basis, often with one or the other of them.

I didn't know everything at the time, I still don't, nor do I pretend to know everything, now or then.

So, are you really curious or are you just trying to dismiss them and say, "Oh, you're too young to know what you're talking about, just wait and you'll see..."? Because as snide and arrogant as you've been lately, it seems much more likely that than genuine curiosity.

Answer 4

All my life wisdom comes from the Daily Show, Colbert Report and Modern Marvels (a show on the history channel about technology).

P.S.
My parents did try to instill with religious teachings, but they didn't stick

Answer 5

What makes you think its wise to believe in something that cannot be proven, and what "evidence" is put forth, can easily be refuted with common sense?

My wisdom comes from the experiences I've had, how I've grown up, how much intelligence I was naturally born to obatin, ect.

My mom is Christian, my step dad is Catholic. I was told countless times to "have faith" and not to question God as a child when I had questions. What kind of God gives its greatest creation a cognitive brain and then forbids them to use it? I also went to a Christian school for 2nd grade. I found it ridiculous, no offense to anyone. I read the bible as a child too. I loved Revelations. I thought it was interesting but I didn't ever think it was a tale of things to come. Just a good read.
Believing in religion isn't a choice, despite what people think. You either do or you don't. Can you ask a devout Christian if they could chose to believe in Shiva, even if evidence was put forth? Of course not, it'd be completely illogical to them. Everyone is an atheist in one fashion or another.

I'm 17. "Why?" is my favorite question.

Answer 6

This question is in no way addressed to me...

But why do you not just ask ALL people under 21 this question? Also, teens and other young adults are very insightful. They have a view of the world that is not the same as older people may see it. Their "life's wisdom" comes from participating in life (even if it's been for a shorter amount of time than you.)

Answer 7

It's mainly that you have to feel the urge to think. You ahve to know, within yourself, that you want to know the truth and that you yourself will try to read, learn, debate, listen, watch and anything else necessary to understand more about this world than what is in one book, without any other evidence.

To me, it isn't really about whether there's a god or not, but what explains the world we're living in better. Currently that is science and evolution as opposed to the bible or any other holy book.

I started questioning the possibility of a god at the age of 6, I think. There were certainly times, as a child, when I desperately hoped there was a god, to have some reassurance about thngs that frighten you. When I was 14 and we covered Christianity in school, and went to a church and talked to the reverend there, I was short of joining - but for the wrong reasons. I wanted some stability outside family and I hoped for guidance and help through troubled times. But even then, I certainly didn't believe.

I am not wise, certainly not (though I hope to be 60 years), but what drives me is my thirst for truth. I rather be alone at times and knowing that there is no god than believing for the sake of believing without a care of whether it's true or not. I detest it when people don't think. I know so many exceptionally smart believers and quite a few idiotic atheists to understand that religion or no religion doesn't make you a better person. People tend to do what they always did and to tihnk what they always thought even though there is so much more to explore and to change in your life, especially if you're young.

My parents didn't instill any religious teaching. They both don't believe, and my dad is an atheist (I asked him today) but I don't know about my mum. I have religious aunts and uncles as well as atheists and others, and the same goes for my close friends.

I simply try to be as honest as possible to myself, because I think it's the only way to lead a happy life - in every aspect. If you're not honest with yourself, how will you be honest with others? How will you make a relationship work like that? What about friends and family? No, honesty is the only way, and in being honest to myself I had to acknowledge that the chances of a god are pretty slim, the chances of no god much higher.

Answer 8

I am 21, but I had to start providing for myself when I was 14. Age means nothing. It is not a reflection of how much you know or have experienced.
Believe me, I am much older then most of my friends (not literally) and I enjoy the company of much older people. I always seem to make friends with people who are my mom's age or older.
My wisdom comes from mistakes and experience. More then some people can say. (Oh, and I read more then any person I know. You should try it. )

Answer 9

I guess you're right. I shouldn't be making personal decisions until you say I'm old enough. But wait a sec... is not believing in something really a decision? When did you decide not to believe in Zeus?

I went to a Christian school for a few years, and believed everything they told me for a couple years even after I left. My dad is an atheist, and my mom is sort of spiritual, though she doesn't belong to any religion. Understanding the reasons for believing in God (since I used to), and why so many do - as well as why so many don't - along with a fascination and large understanding of science, I came to my personal conclusion which I'll keep to myself.

Answer 10

For the Christians under 21 here...Have a question..?
Since you have not been out of the schoolyard that long..Where does all your life's wisdom come from?

Answer 11

Facts, my dear, facts. Fact one - the books of the "bible" were written by man (god has yet to write anything, quite strange for an all powerful god). Fact two - man selected which books were in the "bible" (man even decided it was book by book rather than verse by verse). Fact three - man named the "bible" holy. Fact four -man claimed that the "bible" was god-inspired ( I will leave out additional facts about the copying and editing of the books). In fact, the entire "faith" thing is nothing but the claims of man. If I am to have faith in a god, it cannot be dependent on the claims of man. To doubt the bible is only to doubt the claims of man. How much weaker can a document of faith be?

And yes I was raised in a religious environment. My life's wisdom comes from a) actually reading the "bible" and b) studying out how the "bible" was written and assembled. It's not a pretty sight.