Atheists....?

Question

I am just interesed in what and when you declared to be an Atheist.....Tell me your story.

Answer 1

I was raised Catholic but born gay. When puberty gave me a moral sense, I rebelled against the anti-gay doctrine of the church rather than internalize it. That's your choice as a homo - you either reject religion when it calls you an "abomination," or you accept it and hate yourself, and spend your life trying to change who you fundamentally are as a human being.

I'd like to think I would've figured out that it was all a load of nonsense and superstition anyway, but I'm actually grateful that being gay opened my eyes to the despicable sexual hypocrisy of most brands of Christianity.

Answer 2

I realized I was an atheist after several years of soul-searching and contemplation. I had been a Christian at one time, and WANTED to be a believer...but the more I learned, questioned, and thought, the less I could convince myself that I believed. I couldn't believe ANY religion after a while. I was a bit of a "reluctant atheist" at first...it was the last thing I wanted to be...but when I finally said "I'm an atheist", it was the most liberating, profound feeling I'd ever experienced (hence why I sometimes call myself a "born again" atheist). I have found a tremendous amount of peace since becoming one.

Answer 3

I was raised Catholic, knew more than most but less than some.

After college, I decided it was important I learn more about by faith, after I got seriously whipped in a small debate about religion with a protestant buddy. So I started learning all about the origins of the Church and the writings and the books of the bible.

I read catholic, protestant and secular analyses of all of it.

Once I saw the utter lack of evidence, contradictions, changes the texts, the problem with both literalism and and the "cut and paste" approach, and the conflicts with reason and science, my former faith melted away and I declared myself an agnostic at about 22, not really knowing what I might believe.

About a year later, I accepted I was really and atheist who did not believe in any deity. That was about 8 years ago, and I have never been happier, more moral, and more comfortable with my place in the world.

Answer 4

My faith had been shaky for quite a long time, but there was one particular incident which pushed me over the edge. Unfortunately the violence of that time and the memories of it are too much to be repeated here (I tried to write it down yesterday in response to a similar question, but I panicked as I found that I could not leave it in the public domain and changed my answer after 5 minutes). To give you an idea I recommend you look up Joseph Kony and the Lords Resistance Army

Answer 5

No particular point, but at age 14 I did ask a priest at my church this question: "If god is all powerful, can he create a rock that he cannot lift?" The priest stumbled around this so awkwardly that I felt he could not possibly be an authority. So I started searching. Lots of questioning, reading, discussing.

After some serious science, especially biology and physics, I could not escape the simple proposition that there is no meaning to the god concept. And the scales fell from my eyes...

Answer 6

After seeking God for many years in different denominations, the bible, and prayer. I couldn't get a grasp on what his will for my life was, so I decided to do as I had always been told and prayed that he reveal himself to me.

He didn't.

That turned me into an agnostic.

I turned into an atheist by reading questions and answers on this forum and by reasoning through the philosophy behind my agnosticism.

Its interesting to note, that most Christians who read the responses to this question will state that the experiences of the people writing them are invalid. But when asked how they know God exists will rely sole on their own experience.

Answer 7

I failed to be indoctrinated properly. By age six I didn't have to go to Church anymore. After that, education took over.

I guess I never believed, really. The people who were teaching in Sunday School must have thought I was stupid or simply too young to be given any more than the most trite of answers to my question. Later, I studied mythology. It became apparent that people make gods, not the other way around.

Answer 8

I was Christian until I was around 13, I started to become atheist after I started to read and examine the Bible without just blindly agreeing with it.

It was after realizing how contradictive and fallible the Bible was that It stuck me that there was absolutely no evidence that this "god" is real, and that even it's existence was an absurd idea.

Answer 9

Never did buy in. Went to Sunday school to please my Mom. At 11, I accepted it was all nonsense and decided that I wanted nothing further to do with it. I refused to go back to church or Sunday school.

Years later, I discovered that my dad was a closet atheist, denying it for my mother and for his career as an officer in the military.

Answer 10

I denounced religion at a young age due to things not adding up. I became agnostic. I still am agnostic, but don't believe in world religions. So, all those people call me atheist. It's easier to let them have another misconception than try and argue about it. :)