How did you come to believeing or not believing in god?

Question

YES:
Were you raised to believe in God?
If not, how did you come to your religion?

No:
Were you raised to believe in god?
Did you used to believe in god?

**This question is not meant to provoke anyone, I'm just really interested in the answers*

Answer 1

"I talked to God, and he never talked back. I asked and he never answered. I prayed and he ignored. I begged and he did nothing. I walked away and he disappeared. That's when I realized that all those times, I was alone and that there is no god."

Answer 2

No. I was raised to believe in God-Catholic. When I told my parents I wasn't Catholic anymore, the only thing I can compare it to is a homosexual coming out of the closet. Actually, it wasn't that bad. My sister was also an atheist. (We knew beforehand). My dad just asked me if I was sure. He said "Okay, I know organized religion isn't that great, but you don't believe in God at all?". I said yes. My mother was the worst.
"Apologize or God will punish you!" She seriously said that. She still remembers today, but doesn't talk about it. Just a few months ago, she brought it up again. I would have been happy to debate her, except she's not that good a debater and would just bring up random Bible quotes. told her that I have my beliefs and she had hers. My father, who heard the conversation, mentioned that he thought saying that was a mature thing to do, and my mother didn't bring it up again.
I did believe in God until I was 10. I wasn't very into Catholicism though. It was there, and there was nothing else to believe. Then I started spending time on the internet. There was atheism, and it made so much sense. There was no proof of God, and atheism seemed the logical choice. I'm agnostic now, but even if I do wind up believing in some sort of higher power, I'll NEVER believe in organized religion again. It all seems made up to me, especiall since most religions advise you not to think, and there's so little chance of getting it right.Eventually I think people will look at Christianity the way we look at Egyptian beliefs now.

Answer 3

I was raised by atheists who were raised by atheists.
The whole Invisible Sky Critter (ISC) phenomena left both sides of my family many years ago.
At some point in their lives I'd like to think everyone would realise that the ISC thingy is no more than a bogeyman invented so the scammers could become rich and that they could rule the peasants more easily.

I first heard of the ISC when I was seven and I was amazed that fully grown adults would believe in such obvious Santa Claus/Easter Bunny BS.
I am still amazed.
How can people be so hopeless and stupid that they'd have to 'believe in' an ISC to help them get through their lives?
How come they're filled with so much FEAR at the thought of the finality of death?

As I said: I am still amazed.
.

Answer 4

I was raised to believe in a god and up until early high school i believed in a god...but then i got a little upset and then i started to think about things. Eventually, however, i got over (what i now understand to be only) my mild depression but the questions stuck. So now, I find it more practical (/rational) to say that "God" (in the religious sense at least) does not exist.*

*Although I still have a sense of spirituality...

Answer 5

I was raised in the Catholic church by 2 non-practicing and only borderline believing parents. My maternal grandmother was very devout and instilled a deep sense of faith, wonder and reverence in me at a very early age. I think, however, the desire and the longing for meaning in my life and the need to know that I was not alone would have led me to seek God even if my grandmother had not been there. I don't think I would have survived this life without my faith, so essentially it was a gift from God. An open heart and open mind were all I needed to get started.

Answer 6

I was raised to beleive in god, I still do.

I just started comparing what the bible said against what christians were doing. I found a lot of christians were NOT obeying the rules, not obeying the 10 commandments, and yet they still beleived they were good christians and were going to heaven.

I hated their hypocrisy so I left. I still beleive in god. I just do not believe in the bible, in jesus or in any revealed religion (a religion where one person has a revelation and everyone else gets the second-hand, made-up version).

Answer 7

I was raised as a Southern Baptist.
I can't say I ever believed, simply because of the contradictions in the Bible and what appeared as mental abuse.

And as an animal lover, I didn't go along with animals being sacrificed, let alone another human being, to be allowed into their heaven.

So my opinion of religion is that it is man made.
Surely a genius that created this planet and all living things could come up with a better and less controversial way of believing in "him/ her/ it."

Answer 8

I'm an atheist. My mother made an attempt to raise me Christian, but I stopped going to church around age 6. Church didn't have the answers I wanted.

I suppose I believed in god(s) at one point, but it's been so long I don't even remember it. It was more like a vague, "Well, I guess there has to be something, since everyone's so excited about it." But I grew out of it when I actually examined my beliefs.

Answer 9

I was raised to believe in god. I even got as far as thinking of giving myself to the church.

Then I took a close look at the supposed Christians and realized that the bigotry, hatred and ignorance was not at all what is called for in the bible and certainly not anything to do with the sort of people I wanted to be associated with!!!!!

Answer 10

I raised myself and decided a long time ago that i didnt believe in God, he never heard my prayers for help and he never made my life any easier , my life has just Got harder and more hurtful through the years. I had a baby that died through Prem birth when i was 19, (13 years ago) Thats when i completely lost all faith in any kind of God or Ultimate being.
I try never to judge anyone or anyones beliefs as long as they respect the fact that i Dont believe and they dont force their beliefs on me.
xxx

Answer 11

Why are we raised to believe in God? In whose interest is that but in the interest of those who make an easy living out of it from the top down - to wit, the Establishment whose interest is to promote the status quo with themselves remaining at the top of the pile.