Former Christians, athiests, pagans raised in religious families...?

Question

Those of you raised in Christian or otherwise religious families who are now athiests, agnostics, or follow a different spirituality -
what made you convert, change your mind, or lose your faith?

Just wondering - for me it was realizing that the god who was supposed to keep me safe and answer my prayers for a supportive and kind family never did. When I was able to move out on my own and found my life was so much better (very hard financially but so much more peaceful!) it struck me that my own mind had more power to affect change than some unseen uncaring ineffectual god figure.

Answer 1

I was raised in a VERY christian family. My great Grandparents were founding members of the church I was raised in. My Grandfather was a minister and a freeMason. I have two uncles that are currently ministers. My parents were missionaries in South America. My brother is currently a minister. I have a cousin going to school to be a youth minister. I ha e another cousin who married a minister. So I think that qualifies me as having come from a VERY religious family.

I was raised with the Bible and Church. I learned Christian values early on and still keep most of those to this day. I guess what changed me was that as I grew up and learned more about the Bible and the history of the Church I came to a realization. Christians Dont have a monopoly on the truth. Just like any other religion all that Christians are doing is trying to take what they have learned and seen and try and make some sense out of all of it.

I began looking at other faiths. Early on I learned every faith has there own version of the Golden Rule. I came to the realization that the Bibles concept of an Angel didn't sound too different from the concepts proposed by the polytheistic religion predating christianity. There were some things in the Bible that just didn't seem right. I saw the commonalaties behind various creation mythologies. Every continent had at least one culture that told of a Great flood. I realized that there is much to be learned from all the religions that have come before. I realized that all anyone is doing is trying to come up with a Good idea of what is going on in the world. Most of the hate and anger in the world I realized came from fundamentalists of many different religions and cultures that choose to focus on certain rules instead of the spirit of Love.

I don't believe I have lost my faith, but my idea of how things are is very different from my families now. Now I consider myself a Deist. I believe God exists and created the world but that no one really know what or who he is. I believe he has revealed himself to many people in different ways through out time. I believe there are people who have lived amazing lives in every culture and Religion and that we need to look to all these people for guidance and inspiration, instead of thumping a single book. Props to Jesus for being an amazing man and the Messiah foretold changing the lives of countless people for the better, but I don't think he is God. Props to Budha, Confucious, Muhammad, Mother Teresa, and Ghandi for being people to step forward and teach us to accept and love one another.

P.S. Props to Karen Armstrong, an Ex Catholic NUN who wrote some amazing books that really helped me gain the courage to challenge the beliefs I was raised with.

P.S.S. Props to Kevin Smith for making Dogma, a wonderful exploration of what faith really is.

Answer 2

I was raised Christian and I am now Pagan. Here are some things that made me change.
1) I read the bible and did NOT agree the the Christians Gods teachings
2) I stopped being brain washed and learned to think for myself
3) I had a child and realized that no good "father" or parent (let alone a God) would do the things the Christian God does.
4) Final nail in the coffin so to speak is living around Christians that are hypocritical and closed minded as can be and realizing I never EVER want to be like that again.

Answer 3

I think it first started when I realized the Bible says an actual snake - not satan appearing as a snake - spoke tempted Eve. I realized then that not everything in the Bible was to be taken literally.

IT was a slow process after that.

I still have great respect for religion, but I take the Bible stories as metaphores. And I still believe in God, just in a more general, spiritual way. And I consider many verses as wise sayings.

"Rejoice in the Lord Always & again I say Rejoice"
= You are only as happy as you decide to be.
"The lord is near"
= you are never alone in this world
"Do not be anxious about anything"
= Worrying never solves anything.
"But in everything, by prayer & petition, present your requests to God"
= Don't hang onto your problems. Just let go.

Or, to quote a 12-step slogan
"Take what you like & leave the rest"

Answer 4

I didn't lose my faith, but a certain someone did not like me and my children, and told us point blank that we were disruptive in church. So I didn't go anymore. Others have asked me back several times, but I just don't have the heart to do so. It's like climbing Mt Everest and dying in a snowstorm or falling off a cliff or getting the wrong guide.

And there were these visions I kept having, and I didn't want to have them anymore, so...yeah, that's my story.

Answer 5

I think the main thing for me was realizing that God makes more sense as a myth that humans made up for their own comfort, than as actual truth.

Answer 6

Educating myself.....matching common sense against the words of the bible. Studying Culture, history.....science. I mean just an overall self education. looking at both point of views and seeing who had the most logical ideas. Atheism is just the logical way to live life.

Answer 7

Application of the mind.
Lack of confidence in ones own faith
lure of rewards
circumstantial compulsions

To name a few reasons many more can be added

Answer 8

I started reading the other myths and found that they were so similar, someone had to be lying. So, the Greek and Egyptian stories were older, the bible had to be a forgery.

Answer 9

I realised that supernatural beings were not necessary to explain the universe I live in. I always had a mathematical mind.

Answer 10

It never made sense to begin with, so I never believed, just quietly went along until I was 17.

My parents were nice folks and I didn't want to hurt their feelings.