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Q) Who convinced you to become an Atheist?

I originally posted this question in the Atheists who love Science! Forum. The feedback has been great and sometimes a little comical, so I decided to also post it in the Athiest Humor forum to share the fun.

I am writing an opinion piece and would like participation in this informal survey.
Wanted to include most of the reasons people use to pick a religion, or think influence people to pick a religion (since many now claim atheism is just another religion). It does sound silly when they are reversed to be reasons of religion abandonment (for perspective).
I know the question is fundamentally wrong and the answers seem silly, but it is to help keep the selection narrow and to prove/disprove my hypothesis:

How were you convinced to become an Atheist?
(Select the most applicable single answer)
A) A billboard (or sign)
B) A book
C) A miracle
D) I’m not an atheist
E) I don’t know
F) I wasn’t convinced, it was a realization of who I was
G) A specific person (not an authored book)
H) I was mad at my god(s)
I) I have always been an atheist
J) My god is an atheist, therefore I am an atheist
K) By physical or verbal threats
L) I signed a contract and now I’m stuck being an atheist
M) I had to become atheist to marry my spouse
N) Atheists are cool, and I wanted to be like them
O) Other (please explain in one sentence)

2 members like this

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Christopher T Ray on January 18, 2011 at 3:39pm

B. I read the Bible.

Permalink Reply by Damon Spaun on January 18, 2011 at 3:52pm

O: Every Saturday morning, these two guys would swing by my house and hand me an Atheism tract...

Kidding, kidding!

But, really, O: It took A LOT of independent studying (science, religion, Bible, etc) for me to realize that God wasn't real and that Christianity wasn't true.

Permalink Reply by Jack Ryan on January 18, 2011 at 4:07pm

I) I'm NBA (Natural Born Atheist). My whole family is a-theistic for at least 12 generations (researched so far - Sámi, Geatish ancestry)

In my early twenties I became an anti-theist after studying religious scriptures and religious history. I realized that religion and religious faith caused way too much damage to mankind, slowed down scientific progress and retarded social health. Still does!!

Permalink Reply by Pirate Bard on January 18, 2011 at 4:10pm

O) The more I learned, thought and understood skepticism, science and the reality of how the universe, logic and reason work the less any sort of "god(s)" made any sense.

Permalink Reply by david perry on January 18, 2011 at 5:31pm

O) I hated going, I hated the book, I thought it was nonsense from when I was a small child.

Permalink Reply by Atheist Princess on January 18, 2011 at 7:08pm

Permalink Reply by Sicile on January 18, 2011 at 10:21pm

F which lead to L which is really OK because of N

Permalink Reply by Richard Francis on January 19, 2011 at 5:17am

A bit of F) and a lot of David Attenborough's 'Life on Earth' series. Then I read more of the Bible and that sealed it!

Permalink Reply by Meddlesome on January 19, 2011 at 7:41am

P) I Did.

Permalink Reply by Desanctified on January 19, 2011 at 9:39am

My religious beliefs were always skeptical and somewhat ill-defined. I suppose I started out believing most of what I was taught and slowly dropped or altered most of those beliefs until a particular friend (who is, as it happens a part of this group) convinced me to call myself an atheist. Whether or not that is what the friend intended is another question.

Permalink Reply by qıƃ ɟ ǝıɔɐɹʇ on January 19, 2011 at 1:29pm

I think choice "I" is the closest to my situation. For more on this, view my short essay on the topic, here:

Becoming an Atheist

http://www.lacarte.org/freedom/thought/atheism/index.html#becoming_...

Permalink Reply by Samantha Madison on January 19, 2011 at 1:45pm

My answer seems to be (I) I feel that I have always been an atheist. Even when I was a little kid, I grew up Catholic-and I always hated going to church it made me uncomfortable and I always thought that scary jesus was staring directly at me-Fuck off! But when I was about 10 I realized that "GOD" was the same as Santa or the Easter bunny- I realized praying was just as effective as wishing on a star-so I stopped. I passed up saying grace at dinner when it was my turn. Basically I had an awakening, I feel that religion is a form of weakness and fear of the unknown-well I stand alone and I fear nothing so Fuck Religion!