I was wondering how did you become an atheist?

Question

What was it that proved to you there is no God?

I have read the bible and infact am very knowledgable about the bible and God since I have a personal relationship with Him. Romans Chp. 8 says that all creation testifies and there is no excuse for no one to know the true God. I guess I wanted to know the proof that there isn't a God and so far there doesn't seem to be much. Science? I am a Molecular Biologist by profession and science has God's handiwork all over it. Thinking for yourself? Well I have thought long and hard "for myself" and it has gotten me into trouble and bad situations more than once. God never lets me down.

http://www.needgod.com/001.shtml

Zen Pirate, That is funny! You can actually type my name and Molecular Biology and Rogers State University in Oklahoma and the newspaper article will come up from the town I am in. I actually asked about Scientific notation because I am teaching an Apologia Chemistry course and was looking for a good way to explain it to my students. I asked some of the questions they asked me.

I do not lie and my theology is unflawed because it goes by the perfect law of God.

I guess I should be careful on my question asking if it will make me look contradictory.

Thanks for pointing it out. So, cynical though, I will pray for you.

Ok so that you can tell I am credible, here is the link that shows my senior research project in biology. Guess the newspaper is too old, couldn't find it in the archives. However, I do not want people thinking God isn't credible because some one is trying to make me out to be a liar. My name is under Claremore, I test the effects of guafenisin (cough syrup or Mucinex) on mice.

http://www.rsu.edu/news/Archive/2005/05-03_RSUBiologySeniorsCompleteResearchProjects.htm

Answer 1

Through apathy. It was easier to "not believe" then to deal with the questions about God or the demands that his existence might put on my life. If you want to find some "evidence" against God, it is not hard.

After several years of "non-belief", circumstances brought me to where I had someone really challenge my "non-faith". The more I examined history, scripture, logics, etc., the harder it became for me to deny the existence of God. What finally tipped the scales and brough me to faith in God, though, was not the logicals, but the love of the person talking with me. (Faith usually begins with the heart and not the head).

The writing of CS Lewis, who was an atheist himself until his mid 50s, were a large influence on my becoming a Christian and remaining in that faith.

Answer 2

I was born into a Pentecostal family. In my early years I did not question what my parents and church told me about God, but that changed in my later teen-age years.

When I asked questions, whether it was of my parents or the minister, there were three standard "answers" I would receive:

1) "Well, the Bible says .....!", etc. This was not a valid answer for me, because I had been told all my life what the Bible said, and if I could have accepted that I wouldn't be asking questions!

2) "You've just got to have Faith ....!, etc. This also was not a valid answer for me; for whatever reason, I've never been able to just accept something entirely by Faith.

3) "I can't answer your question, but someday you'll be able to ask God, and He will answer all your questions!" Really? What about the fact my questions were about God's existence? Why should I have to wait until after I die to have answers to questions concerning where I will be AFTER that event? Isn't it pretty important to have those questions answered BEFORE I die, while I can do something about it?

In short, what proved to me there was no God was the FACT that so-called servants/followers of God could give me nothing more than Faith as a reason for believing in God and, as mentioned above, I'm not a person that is big on Faith!

Answer 3

I always was an atheist. However in society religion is a pervasive influence and most religions claim that it is very important that you believe in them.

So I looked at the main ones as I would look at anything else that I need to make a judgment on.

When you look at the evidence for the existence of the god of the main religions there is none. They all use dogma, incredulity and ignorance to support their positions.

There is probably more 'evidence' to support the existence of dragons, mermaids and unicorns than there is a god. But people have consigned those things to the scrapheap of mythology.

Just as I can not prove the non-existence of dragons I can not prove the non existence of god. But why should I have to? Is it not up to those who claim something exists to provide a good reason?

Also if you look at the holy texts of the main religions you will find them full of holes an contradictions. If part of them are hard truth and part of them allegorical, then who says which part is which? They all used to be 'hard truth' 500 years ago, people were tortured and killed for questioning this. Now science has shown much to be allegorical. What other 'hard truths' will science debunk tomorrow?

Answer 4

A molecular biologist who doesn't know scientific notation and needs it explained in simple layman terms? I don't think so. Yes, I checked your question history. I just got my bachelors in biology and had to learn scientific notation. There is no way a molecular biologist doesn't know scientific notation. You people who lie to advance your theism just make yourselves look really bad and dishonest. Is this what religion brings out in you? I guess it starts with being able to delude yourself about nonsensical things and for some expands to thinking its acceptable to try to pull the wool over other's eyes to promote your faith based beliefs that are utterly lacking in evidence, facts, or proof.

My cynicism is based on experience of people with such a religious agenda they feel the need to push their beliefs. I see this unfortunately to an extreme degree in the Intelligent Design/creationist community. The fact that you might lie is certainly not proof against a God. As for proof there is no God, I usually require some evidence to believe in something. Hence I am also a nonbeliever in faeries, ghosts, and unicorns. Does a person need to disprove the existence of ghosts and faeries in order to be considered rational in their disbelief. Nothing in this world proves a supernatural being. We don't know how much embellishment or untruths went into holy texts although we do have contradictory historical and archeological evidence for things in the Bible as well as the fact a lot of it flies in the face of reality as we experience it. While science doesn't give us all the answers it certainly doesn't prove God. Things in molecular biology that were previously labeled "irreducibly complex" have been unraveled giving further support to the idea that our origins and evolution could be a completely natural event. What we don't understand yet and appears so complex as to imply a supernatural force is likely just what our limitations in understanding and knowledge have yet to unravel. Jumping to the conclusion lack of understanding equals God is just that, jumping to a conclusion. Its also not science.

Answer 5

There is no evidence for the supernatural. Thus it makes sense not to have belief in any part of the supernatural.

Edit: Mike: People who do horrible things often say that god condones it. We're talking movements: The Inquisition (which tortured and burned people for witchcraft as young as six years old), the Crusades (war over the holy lands). That justification will not fly with most Atheists. This is the one life we get. What would be the point in fouling it up?

The bible is not evidence for anything except the bible. A Muslim can say that the Koran is evidence for the Koran, but that does not mean it is correct. To do otherwise is circular logic -- and components of geology, biology, and astronomy show that literal claims about Genesis are false.

Answer 6

No one is born with any knowledge of god(s) or religion. We cannot speak or walk either.. These things are learned as we grow. Some people are just not strong enough to avoid the societal brainwashing that occurs in some cultures.

God is imaginary and man made, obviously.

Answer 7

I've always have kind of been one. I listened to the stories in sunday school but to me they were just stories.
I got confirmed at 13 at the Archer United Methodist Church but I never really did anything for the sessions in church. I listened to the Paster b/c he was nice guy and I didn't wanted to reuin his day. I was still a athiest then at 13 I wasn't able to stand up to my parents.
Anyway long story short I don't go to church except for Lord's Acre day b/c the old ladies church group sells yummy goodies for the church. Then the food is free. It's the town celebration acturaly. I like to help.
My atheism is a secret pretty much I can't tell my parents b/c Mom would freak out. Dad weren't care. As for Grandparents don't know there reaction.
I went to a high school were most of the students claimed to be christain going to youth group but since most of them were stuck up jerks technically they weren't christain in my book.

Answer 8

After forty years in a fundamentalist sect, started by reading David Hume, then expanded from there. Stuart Kauffman of the Santa Fe Institute offers one plausible explanation for the existence of all that is with "emergent complexity." Have you read any of his books?

Answer 9

I didn't believe when I was a kid. Told my mom so when i was nine. Still didn't believe, but searched for SOMETHING to believe the rest of my life. Two years ago, I forced myself to go to church, thinking that maybe I was wrong, all these people seemed so happy. I went to every bible study I could go to, was even baptized, thinking maybe that was the trick. Guess what? God never showed up. When I stopped trying to believe, I became much happier.

Answer 10

I wouldn't say it's about proof so much as evidence. Positing the existence of the Christian God or something similar is at odds with the universe we seem to live in.