The World's Largest Coalition of Nontheists and Nontheist Communities!

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 frau-t on July 10, 2011 at 9:20am

F and G -- multiple behaviors of individuals who claimed to be good Christians convinced me it was a bunch of bull&*#%

Permalink Reply by Peggy Wilson on July 10, 2011 at 10:03am

B: The World Book Encyclopedia AND G : A PUBLIC school teacher in Stuttgart, AR.

Permalink Reply by Heather on July 10, 2011 at 11:11am

B) A book - the bible, yup sat down and actually read it... ta da!

Permalink Reply by SideburnsGalore on July 11, 2011 at 12:47am

Permalink Reply by Shinta Quist on July 26, 2011 at 7:59am

B. The Koran and G. My Dad. Because growing up, my Dad(a devout muslim, to my point of view, someone in the extreme stage of delusion)always talked us into the idea of an almighty, most powerful, most loving God. And then my dad contradicted himself by always woke us up rudely at 3 in the morning/every morning to pray to God. I always wondered: if God was almighty, most powerful, most loving and all, why would he need us mere mortals to pray for him at such wee hours? To feel more powerful? To thank Him? But he's the almighty, most powerful. Why would he need that? Only a megalomaniacal someone could come up with such vicious idea, make your creations wake up at 3 to pray to you..

There were more of those nonsense I suffered when I was growing up, that's why I decided to make my mind my own mosque:-)

Permalink Reply by Grinning Cat on August 2, 2011 at 2:36am

Yes, "Kissing Hank's Ass", a wonderful "parable" by Jim Huber -- more of his stuff is at www.jhuger.com .

He provides a great excuse to mention "J) My god is an atheist, therefore I am an atheist": he describes himself as a "mystic atheist"; God spoke with him in a vision and told him (among other things) that God didn't exist. (Maybe visions aren't reliably connected with reality....)

Permalink Reply by Jordan Phillips on August 1, 2011 at 8:44pm

F and I.

Permalink Reply by MrPeach on August 2, 2011 at 8:36pm

I - I was born an atheist, and my folks made the mistake of providing me with a fair sized library of reading material that included decent coverage of the worlds major religions. As soon as I could read I inoculated myself against the religion virus.

Permalink Reply by Kenneth Harold Fouche' Jr. on August 3, 2011 at 12:14am

I'd have to say O, I lost it listening to Xtians rant about God. Poof! instant Atheist.

Permalink Reply by Jackie Burgett on August 3, 2011 at 1:04am

N of course!
More like B, F, G, and then, well, I. A perfect storm of skepticism, intelligent people and Carl Sagan books led me realize that I was always an atheist in denial.