Is atheism a choice or just something you fall into?

Question

Did you make a conscious decision to become an atheist or did you just become one as a result of not buying into theistic beliefs?

What I mean is, to me it isn't a choice, it's a matter of either choosing to believe something that I really don't or not. I simply cannot believe, knowing the history of such beliefs, that gods, even one, can truly exist outside of our imaginations.

yusef: Actually I would prefer if there was some sort of benevolent overseer to handed out punishment to people who commit hateful actions against others without needing to fill out necessary paperwork. Just because atheists don't believe in gods doesn't mean we don't wish they were real.

That said, I don't wish that the god described in the Bible would be a good decider of what is good or bad, he's exceptionally biased against those who don't acknowledge him.

Answer 1

I was an atheist from birth on (as every human being), but I was lucky: Parents and teachers did not try to push religion on me. And in the course of time, when I read about religion and heard people speaking, the whole concept of a god struck me as absurd. But I never "became" an atheist. I remained one.

Answer 2

Well, I think it’s very much like any form of theism or any religion – you can be born into it and raised as such, or you can grow up to make the decision. This doesn’t necessarily mean those raised in one belief system or another are just there because of what they’ve been taught, for you can (and should) consider things once you’re an adult.

For the beginning of my life, I was raised Christian. My mother went through a kind of revelation when I was around 3 or 4. It was a time period during which she questioned everything and concluded that religion made no sense.

So, in a manner of speaking, I was raised as an agnostic-atheist (no, it’s not a contradiction in terms. An agnostic-atheist is someone who does not believe in God, but holds that there is no proof. An agnostic-theists does believe in God, but also holds that there is no proof. Hooray language). This does not mean I never thought about it, and for the life of me I cannot seem to make religion make sense in my mind. No matter what angle I look at it from, I find it to be flawed.

Then there will be people who are atheists for no real reason, because they were raised as such and never thought anything of it or something along those lines. You get theists of that nature, too. They believe in God, but they never attend church or pray or anything – it’s basically the same problem, only reversed (not that atheists have rituals, but I think the idea is there).

On a final note – I think you can be a theist without buying into any religion. Then there’s spirituality, which might or might not include a god or gods, depending on the individual…it’s all very complex, really.

Answer 3

Depends on who you are. I made the choice to become agnostic...atheist isn't too far off.

I was a Christian for most of my life, raised that way. After seeing all of the people whom I thought were good and righteous suffer to what seemed like no end for no apparent reason while watching others who deserved the worst in my opinion flourish, I began to question things. After a lot of thought, a lot of reading, and a lot of research, I came to the conclusion that most religions just don't provide the answer to anything that is satisfactory to me. Not to mention how many contradictions and impossible expectations there are.

Many still just do it because they don't what to think, or just follow their friends. It really just depends if you're looking for something or not.

Answer 4

atheism and belief in GOD are both choices. you can look a the complexity of life and of the universe and come to the conclusion that there must be an intelligent designer behind it all. or, on the flip side, you can say that since you cannt really prove the existence of GOD then he must not exist. theres not enough hard evidence to prove either. so people ultimatly choose which to believe. think about it. how many atheists do you hear saying "i wish there were a GOD."? or vice versa. atheists dont want a GOD and believers dont want a world without GOD. thats why you see all the heated debate here on y.a.

Answer 5

There is no choice involved with atheism. There is only a choice to believe in the myriad religious doctrines available. Religion is like a massive prison with the different levels, wings and cells like the different beliefs, sects and churches. Atheists do not to go to prison at all but live free.

Answer 6

actual everyone seems to be born an atheist. Then they are taught and indoctrinated in believes and faiths or in spite of. they could or won't have selection in this as a baby finding on individual situation. because of the fact the guy gets older and greater autonomous they could obtain a level of selection. some have lots some enormously much none finding on their degree of indoctrination, cultural pressures and private intelligence and cognitive skills. they are in a position to opt for faith or atheism independently at this factor. no longer actual everyone reaches this point and that they settle with their youthful programming. this is the reason atheist tend to have a intense favourite intelligence. they ought to make it this far to opt for. this is to no longer say that actual everyone who makes it this far or has a intense intelligence chooses atheism. purely that they attain the factor of selection.

Answer 7

I became an Atheist not because of the religious beliefs or rituals. I grew up in a household where I had to go to Sunday school, and bible studies on Wednesdays for YEARS. And even when I was a child being told over and over how God loves us and all these things.. I could never really get myself to truly believe in it. My mother and father are both religious and we always said prayers before eating our dinner. So it wasn't like I was shielded from religion in any way.
But growing up and seeing the world for what it really is.. it became increasingly harder to believe in such things anymore.
I would like to think that if God wanted us to know about him and worship only him, that he would let us be born knowing of Heaven and Jesus, etc. We shouldn't have to be taught by other humans about the existance of a higher being. Now, if we were all born with these basic memories of Heaven or God, that there would be no doubt in anyones mind about religion.
But if youre talking mainly about the Christian God.. I was always quite confused growing up about that. I never understood why everyone would pray to Jesus, and not to God himself. Then I get confused on which is which, and is there a difference between God and Jesus? Christians usually pray to Jesus, right? Or do they pray to God? I always thought Jesus was just a SON OF GOD, and not the actual "God". And since we are all Sons and Daughters of God, then that makes Jesus out to be just a commoner with a few good deeds behind him. Plus, there isnt any actual proof of Jesus' existance to begin with. The bible was written over 300 years AFTER Jesus supposedly died, and many historical writings at the time of Jesus' life fail to mention him at all. The most recorded "history" of Jesus there is, is found in the Bible itself.

And the most recorded "history" of Tom Sawyer is in a book by Mark Twain. (Tom Sawyer is a fictional character also)

Plus, there are SOOOO SO SO many different religions and dieties on this Earth that I wouldn't know which one is the right one to choose -- if I were to choose a spiritual God to worship. Bhudda? Jesus? Allah? Jim Jones? The Virgin Mary? The Devil??
And if I were to dedicate my life to a God, personally, I would need some good proof to back up the existance of Him/Her. I can't just immerse myself into a religion just because everyone else is doing it. So I choose not to choose any religion.

I could go on and on for pages about this, and different reasons why Im an Atheist. But I'll spare you all the reading lol

Answer 8

Atheism is the default condition when you are born.

If you are then brainwashed into a cult like Christianity, Judaism or Islam, you can then come to your senses and make a choice to recover your sanity and reality.

It is sort of like making a choice not to be an alcoholic anymore.

You are not born a drunk or religious they are just bad life decisions.

Answer 9

It wasn't like I woke up one day and said, "Hmmm, I think I'll become an atheist."

I became an atheist after I became a deist. With the passing of time, the ideal of a god at all just seemed more and more ridiculous.

Answer 10

I was born an atheist. I am not wired, brain-wise, into belief. It's beyond my comprehension to live such a conflicted life.

Atheism is not a choice. Atheism is a conclusion.