Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by David Agaybi on July 6, 2009 at 4:28pm

Since my birth I knew I was an atheist because I didn't really care where I came from or what the purpose of life was. I was just happy with the feeling of living and getting to know my family. As I grew older I realized that humans are strange, that they are completely brainwashed by ancient stories of gods, prophets, status, and tribalism. Of course reality is much more complicated and in order to survive you have to adapt to your environment. So I adapted and made an image of god in my mind so I can visualize who I was praying to. I felt so naive and powerless because I allowed myself to be taken in and be at the mercy of a god whose punishment just destroyed any hope of getting to know myself spontaneously.

Coming out was a very difficult time for me, so the details of that would take more words than I should write here.

In conclusion, when I realized my atheism again I started my life a new and understood the dangers of religion.

I will write a full account of my coming out in the appropriate section.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jennifer Parsons on July 10, 2009 at 3:34pm

Pretty much...I remember going to some Sunday school as a child, maybe for a year or so, but after that we never went to church or anything...my father was (and is still) a believer, but thankfully he'd had his fill of trying to find the "one true" religion...that allowed me to go through school and absorb the beauty of science (though I was still an arts major in college). I questioned the "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance in elementary school (just to my mom, really), but I was always a rule-follower and introverted/quiet (that's changed, now!) and so never brought up to the teachers why we didn't follow the separation of church and state and just mouthed the words. I still considered myself "agnostic" I think through college...but as I grew and became more confident in myself and my opinions, I realized that I didn't think there was any evidence at all for a god of any sort, and I thought when we passed on the constant "synergy" taking place in our brain just stopped and the molecules or smaller particles in our bodies just became new molecules or smaller particles in something else...and THAT's how we're all connected...and finally, one day at work around 2000, two of my co-workers were having a conversation about their Catholicism and they asked me what I thought. And I told them. They were quite surprised, and, of course, one said they'd "pray for me". Arrgh....but that's what made me decide to find out what other atheists thought. I started with a book I'd gotten at the bookstore and discovered much of what I'd come to think about life and death and the universe and there not being any god was pretty much what a lot of other atheists believed...and after reading some of Richard Dawkins' books, I realized I prefer to call myself an atheist as opposed to other, less controversial terms, partly FOR the shock factor. And now pretty much anyone who knows me knows I'm an atheist, though with my religious friends we generally ignore each others' postings on Facebook when it comes to religion/non-religion...but if I'm confronted directly (like my uncle sending me a "cause" on Facebook to put Christ back in our schools), I'll be very upfront and vocal about it. I tend NOT to stir things up directly, myself, though, 'cause I weary of all the bible quotes and ridiculous questions I get from religious people...and I'm not always quick with a comeback, and don't have comebacks to much of what I get. I need to go look them up in a book or online, first, and then they lose their impact. Anyway, I guess I'm rambling a bit...Yes, I've been an atheist as long as I can remember! :-)

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ryan Berry on July 14, 2009 at 4:27pm

While my parents rarely took me to church, we did attend occasionally and even went to bible camp one year with my grandmother's church. So I was exposed to christianity but never really indoctrinated. I do remember being at bible camp when I was 10 or 11 and we were asked to go off and read the bible for an hour each day. The first day I sat down and read for awhile and I remember thinking "what a load of crap".

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kevin on July 15, 2009 at 10:25pm

I never had a rough childhood and did go to Sunday School but never believed any of the stories - never believed in god. So it has never been an issue with me except for the fact that religion is all around you. I find it odd that people believe this stuff - I cannot grasp this. I guess I was always a questioning and curious kid and I am happy that I was.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Janet Holmes on July 16, 2009 at 1:17am

I cannot remember a time in my life when I believed in gods. My father who I think believed in social conformity rather than in god, tried to make us (my brother and I) go to Sunday school and we routinely vanished early Sunday morning into the local wilderness and did not surface until it was too late. I went a couple of times though. I found it very boring and eventually I just refused to go. I did like the hat I had.
My mother was an atheist however so I never really had a problem. She was brought up going to church three times on Sunday because it was the only thing you were allowed to do! But spat the dummy when she was in her early twenties. One day she just realised it was all crap!

Anyway I'm Australian and it was never an issue for me growing up, no-one I knew well went to church. I did have one friend who was a Sunday school teacher but her sister had refused to be confirmed when her questions could not be answered satisfactorily, so even it that family there was a plurality of thought.
I have always wondered what was wrong with religious people when I chanced to meet one.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Lorne N. on July 28, 2009 at 8:09pm

No, I was fortunate enough to be raised non-religious.
I remember going to 'Sunday School' when I was very young, and saying some sort of lunchtime 'prayer' at my pre-school daycare, but that was pretty much it. There was no religious teachings or church activities in my home as I can remember past my very ealry childhood, and I was too young to understand what little went on then.
Religion and 'God' was simply a non-issue. It wasn't discussed one way or the other. As I got old enough to become aware of relgion and things like that, I began asking questions to my family. They simply responded as agnostics. I never even entertained the possibility of becoming religious, and determined myself to be a full-fledged atheist as an adult.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Eddie on August 13, 2009 at 11:56am

I have never been part of a religion, never considered it, never had any intention to join one, never been part of my livelihood, so yes I would have been an atheist for as long as I remember. I do come from a family where religion has never been part of the family life, so yeah I would say I do come from a secular family. I did go to a Catholic School in my Primary and Secondary schooling years because it was the nearest school from where I lived, I knew I wasn't Catholic and everyone in school knew I wasn't Catholic, and have never been discriminated against it, had no problems with other students and the teachers in school, as long I abide by the school rules and get good grades which I did. As a kid I have always just said I don't have a religion. Only declaring myself as 'atheist' when I first knew there was a word for it which I think if I can recall, I was 14 at the time. Coming out as an atheist would not be a problem with me. I'm very happy to tell everyone that I am an atheist when someone ask me what is my religion. I have no problems being an atheist. If I speak out to the world, I probably will, but I'm ready for the challenge. If they tell me to go to hell, then I'll go to hell, I'm sure hell is a lovely place to be, not that I believe there is such a place called hell.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Craig on August 13, 2009 at 12:09pm

Ever since I could remember ive been an atheist. Parents were not religious in any way but never said they were atheist, think they just didn't ever give a damn one way or the other. They tried the hole santa thing but it didn't work and led to a "Whatever" aspect on life.

No bibble school or church except weddings and funerals and have always rolled my eyes at the supernatural.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Sonny Mobley on August 27, 2009 at 2:08pm

I was not an atheist from an early age. As a matter of fact as long as I can remember I always believed in 'belief'. I was always on the lookout for what I should believe in. Of course I always knew there was a very high likelihood of me finding nothing. As you can imagine that turned out to be the case. Name a faith-system and I've tried it. These were all my pre-pure reason days, of course. By the time I was what anyone could consider an adult I was full enmeshed in existential philosophy (Nietzsche and Camus saved my life, I believe) and reading books of literature written by anti-theist's.

I had great times in church and such as a young kid. I got all of my first pieces of action in such places. >D Church girls were so easy.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by tom arcaro on August 28, 2009 at 8:10am

EccentricSM,

Here is a post I left in another similar discussion:

Welcome to A/N. I did a fairly involved survey of atheists a bit back. You are clearly not alone in seeing yourself as a life long atheist. Here are some data in which you might find some interest:

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by tom arcaro on August 28, 2009 at 8:18am

So I take it that means you're not volunteering to help me crunch the rest of the data.....?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Chris G on November 17, 2009 at 7:58am

I have always known.

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• …
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• …
• 12
• Next ›
• Page