Why are you an atheist?

Were you always an atheist? Were you at one point in time a Christian, Muslim, Jew, etc.? What made you stop believing?

I'm sure we could all give voluminous answers to why we don't believe in a personal god including, but not limited to: Personal, philosophical, scientific, historical, etc. reasons; which are all perfectly valid. But I want to know what spurred you to question your former beliefs and become an atheist.

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Permalink Reply by Ricky on September 28, 2008 at 9:47am
My little story 
I was raised as a fundamentalist, tongue talking Christian and was on the fast track to go to Bible College to become a minister. Until the fateful day I discovered physics. Physics, chemistry, and math all came very easily to me and seemed pretty much like “common sense.”

When I went to my pastor to inform him that I would be going to a regular university and studying physics instead of my previous plan, he told me in no uncertain terms that science and religion were opposed to each other and I would be setting foot on the road to Hell if I followed through with it. His words made me think hard about my beliefs and I realized he was correct. So I ditched the religion.

(I hate when Christians make the assumption that we are not one of them because we haven’t been exposed to a god’s love, etc. I know an insane amount of information about the Bible and their god.)

My first foray into atheism was a call to the East Baton Rouge Parish library. I asked the librarian if she had any books on atheism and you would think I’d just stabbed her mother. “Incredulous” does not begin to describe her attitude. (I would like to shout out to all of the recent authors who have put SO many new books on the market about religious deceit.)

When my mother realized I was drifting further away from religion, she informed me that I could stay in her house until high school graduation, but that was it. I drove to my graduation with my car packed. I tried to put myself through school but the government still considered my parent’s income as my income and the financial aid just wasn’t there. When I couldn’t stay in the dorm (holidays and summers) I lived in my Ford Granada and turned tricks to try to pay for the next semester, but after two and half years I gave up. Many years later I went back to school, but decided it was too late to try to break into the science field so majored in business instead.
Permalink Reply by Rikka on September 28, 2008 at 9:06pm
It just never made sense not to be.
Permalink Reply by Avarice on September 30, 2008 at 1:58am
I was once a methodist whilst in my teens. I was never really that religious. I tried to be a decent human being, but outside of church functions, I just didn't think about god very much. Toward my late teens, I gained an interest in the bible as a historical text. Noah's Ark, the Holy Grail, the Tower of Babel, the life of Jesus, Sodom and Gomorrah, etc. These things were being investigated by experts, REAL experts! I was enthralled with the idea that biblical stories and god's miracles could be explained through modern science, further validating my beliefs. As I learned more about science and christianity... and real life for that matter, I realized that these biblical stories were so ridiculous, that I was embarrassed that I had believed them for so long.

Somehow, I was still a christian even after I regained my common sense. I began wondering about prayer, the soul, and other metaphysical concepts. I realized that not a single one of my prayers had been answered in the last five or so years, unless of course I prayed and then actually worked towards my goal. Then my prayers came true... go figure. In a melancholy mind state, I read the entire bible hoping that I would understand how to live according to god's plan. Much to my dismay, I found god's actions in the old testament revolting. I concluded that god was an ass and all we as humans could do is worship him and feed his unfathomable ego, or suffer eternally for offending him. Life suddenly had no meaning. I hated god after this for creating such a cruel paradigm. I was a misotheist. Then, like magic one day I awoke and thought "why do I believe any of this crap?" Suddenly I was free! Afterwards, I began reading more about atheism and philosophy, and religion in a purely historical context. I learned so much and I haven't turned back sense.
Permalink Reply by funk Q on October 4, 2008 at 9:21pm
I'll put an excerpt from something I have previously written:

My earliest remembrances of doubt in god occurred when I was about seven. I was at Sunday school (god forbid!) and it was stated categorically by the teacher that god didn’t make any green flowers. When I mentioned this to an uncle (a practising xian) and he showed me a photo of a green flower I became wary of god and his underlings.

I don’t know how much this has shaped my later thought, but as I still recollect the event and have never been able to accept religion, even though I tried very hard in the 1970’s, I am sure it has been profound. I don’t know how young a person can be to become cynical or sceptical but think I must have been both by at least eight or nine.
Permalink Reply by Joshua1080109 on October 5, 2008 at 4:40am
me i dont even consider my religion or what ever to be aethiest, humanity has titles/ lables for everything and this lable fit the best.
i was raised christain and i still live by the morals and value's but i mix it in with the way of science and just common scence and intuition... with intelectual thought process, there is no lable for this so far so go figure....
Aethiest: A person who believes in not believing in a god or higher power
easiest way to put it everyone thinks something about where we came from just idiots such as people who believe in god did the same thing that i mentioned above, humanity has labels for everything, so
God: The creater of all
my definition
God: Another label to an unanswered question....
darwinism: a belief in evolution
my definition
Darwinism: another label to and unanswered question, but with logical thought

you get the jist...
Permalink Reply by Zeb on October 6, 2008 at 2:20am
I gave up believing ever since I realized the inconsistency of what I was expected to believe in. This happened at a fairly early age; I would say 6 or so. This happened to me so early, I suppose, because I was asking so many questions about god, but no one could give me good answers, if any at all. It wasn't long then til I connected the dots and see the fantasy involved, though complex it was. Ever since then I had been on a quest to un-sew the fabric of religion from our culture the best I could, and learned quite alot in the process.
I freely admit I would like to return to such a religious state, as I understand it's seductive appeal, but only if it were possible to do so without sacrificing reality. No such religion offers such, and the embarassing arguments in the form of apologetics suggests the fact it's a hopeless endeavor.
Permalink Reply by Zeglr Almighty on October 18, 2008 at 5:41pm
I just learned about the sciences and philosophy. Logic and mathematics are the only truths and i don't have to believe anything to accept that.
Permalink Reply by LUCiD on October 20, 2008 at 10:35pm
I was a christian in bible college. I have served for over 15 years in the church and slowly have learned the liberating truth of the reality that there is no god. and to claim such is a crime against humans and freedom.
god love you all
lucid
Permalink Reply by Goz on October 26, 2008 at 2:00pm
Well,I do recall thinking my twin sister was watching me from heaven..i was very young then...When I was,I guess about eight,my brother asked the kids across the street if they went to church.
The response was:"I feel closer to god on the river than in a church."
i remember feeling a jolt of fear at that moment...maybe it was fear god would kill all of us at that moment?
Nothing happened.
Well,for me,I found the whole church experience boring and I didn't give a shit what the bible said.as I got older I really found all this preaching and god discussion by my kin more and more boring and irritating. .My fundy kin helped push me towards atheism cause they believed the whole PLANET was doomed to hell if they did not convert to the COC...I just didn't buy it. They also would NEVER give it a bloody rest...Every time we'd visit,they would ask us if we wanted to go with them to church,after going once, NONE of us (even my methodist loving mother) decided to give it a miss...But they always asked,no matter what. They always managed to talk about religion sometime in the hopes it would sway us to their church..never happened...As I began to think about what the bible and religious people said, and what i saw in reality,it just did not mesh...prayer did nothing and this jeebus dude,at the so called second coming was going to take a giant wine press and make 'rivers of blood" with non believers...And I was supposed to LOVE such a person and worship him? I think not.
By 13,I felt there was a god,but once he created the universe,that was all he was going to do...By my 20's,god went out the window and I was an atheist.
Permalink Reply by Anette on October 27, 2008 at 7:15am
I was raised by christian parents, who believed in rules and regulations, and when I was young, regular church going. This is the surface story and my young life in general.

In truth, Mum was a skeptic, and eventually went to university to study theology. She walked away an athiest. Dad, wasn't that 'into" it all but sort of believed and was raised with it.

I was deliberately never baptised, since mum and dad decided I would make up my own mind. I went to sunday school till 7 yrs of age, and I told mum I didn't want to go anymore. She said no problem. At 14, I finally admited to her I didn't believe(I still didn't know she was an athiest) and my mother began discussing her views with me.

I'm so grateful to my mother especially. She alway's wanted me to think for myself, which ultimately means, that I may not think like her. As an athiest, she took the risk in not sharing her views and simply allowed me to think. She hoped I'd see things clearly.

Of course I did just that. We debate religion , myths and history and often don't agree... but I can honestly say, I became an athiest because with all that was presented to me I simply couldn't accept it. I made up my own mind.

Amazing what happens with a persons mind, when they are given the freedom of thought?
Permalink Reply by Katie on November 4, 2008 at 1:46pm
I was originally raised roman catholic and I jokingly call myself uber catholic since my father was a catholic priest (which you know means trouble) during the time of my conception with my mom was one of his parishioners. My ascent into atheism started when I was around 12 years old upon reentering/transferring into catholic school. At first I was more into paganism/wicca/semi-catholic and going through a period of upheaval and extreme change in my life.

My grandmother became extremely ill, the kids at school rejected me as a new classmate, and the eventual lost of my grandmother to sickness which left me looking for something for comfort outside of myself.

This religion hoping went on and off for several years as a teenager into my young adulthood until one day I just stood up and dropped everything religious in my life. Not everything at once but gradual and little by little I felt my anxiety and guilt get off of me and it was like a lightening bolt hit me and everything made sense esxept religion.
Permalink Reply by Naugh405 on November 5, 2008 at 12:09pm
My parent's had me baptized for my grandparent's sake but they were hippies (very spiritual). I became a skeptic the day I stopped believing in Santa (first grade). In third grade I gave the bible as much credence as Aesop's fables.

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