Why are you an atheist? Share your story!

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Littledudekj's picture
Why are you an atheist? Share your story!

What is your story like?

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Littledudekj's picture
I just joined and this is my

I just joined and this is my first discussion in the forum so hi

Anthropology7's picture
Hello, I just joined as well.

Hello, I just joined as well. I am kind of poking around and checking things out at this point. This looked like an interesting thread and I am curious to see see what some other people's stories are like. I thought it might be a good idea to try and find some other like minded individuals since I have no one here to discuss and share my atheist views with. How are you finding things to be here so far?

shawnivie's picture
I will try to make this short

I will try to make this short and sweet.

I was raised NOT going to church, but my parents were both raised in a Christian background (my mother was raised Catholic and my father Methodist). Even though we never attended church as a family, they still talked mildly of their belief in God and church. We celebrated Christmas and Easter, but never Ash Wednesday or any other minor holidays.

As a kid, I still believed there was a God and I would pray when I was scared or needed something. However, it never felt right. It always felt fake, no matter how much I wanted to believe.... it didn't feel “Real”.

When I had my first child, I decided to start going to church, because I felt the need to have something spiritual and loving in my life. It still didn’t feel right. My visits to church didn’t last long. The first time the pastor started preaching that we HAD to be baptized in order to go to Heaven and NOT go to Hell, was when it suddenly hit me. The ALL LOVING GOD I was looking for was not here. The BULLSH*T meter suddenly went off and I never set foot in church ever again.

However, I still felt a need to have something spiritual in my life, but not religion. The world we live it is amazing and beautiful and I will not “pretend” to know how the world, in all it’s complexities, became that way. I think science explains things better, even though there is so much we don’t know and are still learning about the world around us. However, I just find that I am content with the mind-set that I “Just don’t know, the unknown”..... and that’s ok. Does that make me a full out Atheist? I don’t know. What I do know and feel in my heart is that, religion is man-made. It was created to control the masses.

Is there life after death? Do we go on when we die? I hope so, but I don’t know. Nobody knows. So, I will keep asking questions, reading books and keep an open mind. Maybe, some day I will know.... or just cease to exist.

Anthropology7's picture
Hello Shawn, thank you for

Hello Shawn, thank you for sharing your story. I just joined and I was instantly drawn to this thread because I am quite curious to see how others ended up here as well. I immediately started reading others stories and have not even gotten around to posting mine as of yet. I can relate to a lot of what you said. I will spare the in depth details of my story for my post but the experience of feeling nothing when going to church is very familiar to me. I grew up in a very strict Christian household and we had to be in church every time the doors were open. I hid my lack of belief from the time I was old enough to understand it until I was 15 because I knew my family would go nuts when I finally told them. Very long and painful story later I have been disowned by most of my family. I occasionally see my father still but it usually ends abruptly because he still sees it as his fatherly duty to make sure I get brainwashed. I have given up and lost everything for my atheist views, but I cannot be someone that I am not, and it sounds like you have had an similar inward struggle. If belief is not there, it is not there, and no amount of praying will change that. For many many years I said exactly what you did above, that I do not know and that is alright with me. I can understand that viewpoint but it eventually changed for me. I have gradually come to the point, particularly since I started studying human evolution, where I realized that I do know, I am an atheist. I was hesitant to commit to the term for a long time because when I was younger I did not want to make a definite leap in any direction as long as I felt that it might be a knee-jerk reaction to my upbringing. I have now been away from that influence for a long time. Odd as it sounds, I actually, literally, breathed a sigh of relief when I recently finally said out loud, "I am an atheist". It probably sounds silly, but for me it has been a missing piece of the puzzle that I have been searching for my whole life to know that for sure. I wish you all the best in your studies, no matter where you end up with it, I know it feels so much better to know in the long run.

Thinker's picture
I read your comment and it

I read your comment and it sounded so similar to mine. Know that you are NOT alone.

Littledudekj's picture
When I was young I was always

When I was young I was always an atheist my parents weren't religious. Some kid at school started some conversation about a church and they asked me and I said I was a non believer. They looked at me like I had two heads. Seriously I kid you not I thought I had a second head growing out of my neck. There was a huge argument and I eventually won. Later in fifth grade, the subject came up again and some person came with a book to try to prove me wrong. Other kids chased and tackled me and told me to read the book. I read and found no reason to believe them and they said I was blind. I looked at them like they tore a winning lottery ticket for a million dollars in half. Now I don't go to church and find no reason to.

jbailey84's picture
That is so ignorant! Why do

That is so ignorant! Why do religious people care so damn much about converting non-believers?! "Oh, no, you're different, we must convert you!"

Travis Hedglin's picture
There pastors and preachers

There pastors and preachers tell them to based on interpreted passages in their ancient book.

Thinker's picture
That's right, I ask them why

That's right, I ask them why when they start their proselytizing, Why are you doing this? They say because it says to in the bible and I love you. Well if they are saying they love Jesus who they have never seen before then they probably do think they love me. I chuckle at this thought.

Pitar's picture
Double-edged sword. Atheists-

Double-edged sword. Atheists-> Thesists-> Atheists-> Theists-> repeat, ad nauseum.

Why do atheists, who've sworn off the whole theist thing, bother to be bothered at all with anything theistic? The whole academic purpose of dispensing with a god and the various spiritual trappings of it is a personal motion suing for peace. Instead, it's more lie conflict.

I don't quite understand declaring one thing and acting opposite of it, in effect. It's...theistic conduct.

Travis Hedglin's picture
"Why do atheists, who've

"Why do atheists, who've sworn off the whole theist thing, bother to be bothered at all with anything theistic?"

Why wouldn't we be bothered by something that makes great attempts to intrude into our lives? I get JW's, seven day Adventists, baptists, and even a few Mormons coming to MY door despite me constantly asking them not to come back. My kid tells me that his teacher often talks about her Christian faith in class, as if it has any place there. My son CAN'T join the boy scouts because he doesn't believe in a god. Yet I am the one overreacting? You really need to stop using this argument as if it means anything in a society that actively discriminates against atheists, it is retarded, and just serves to piss people off.

Littledudekj's picture
I really just randomly close

I really just randomly close my username. I have no idea why it is little or dude.

TheRedDawn45's picture
When I was young, round

When I was young, round Primary School age, my school at the time and still does now require you to be a christian, despite how I did not like it, it was a requirement, after reaching through the bible in the church next to school, I slowly started to realize the many flaws in all the passages, I started to doubt God's existence .. then over the course of months, years, I repeated the cycle of reading the bible, and learning the flaws of it, until one day, I realized that all things told, was nothing but lies, something to subjugate the masses, I denounced my belief in Christianity and became an Atheist, as I was firmly convinced, that no divine being that would care for his/her own creations would allow such misery to be inflicted upon the world.

Littledudekj's picture
Everyone's story of them is

Everyone's story of them is greatly appreciated.

Tristan Teh Higgins's picture
I grew up in a fundamentalist

I grew up in a fundamentalist baptist household, and the only advantage to that was the food that was served up every Sunday. I have always been skeptical and tried to be rational in our thinking, but sometimes we realize what is being told to us Wasn't scientifically possible or proven to be so.

I read the other stories here and I felt the same way when it came to praying. I prayed but it never felt like anyone was there. I prayed when I needed something severely important or if I was scared. Nothing ever happened even though I put all my faith in God or whatever I believed to be the case.

Like many others, we tend to be an aftermath if religious indoctrination. This is and should be considered child abuse. I was scared all the time of going to hell, I couldn't develop my own personality until the last few years because of having to give yourself and time to God, and above all my families unacceptable to questioning of any sort. You will see it in every religious institution. They don't take too kindly to logical questions and will condemn you to hell fit said questions.

I had extreme doubts in myself for a period of four years until I educated myself, the way I never did before because I never had access to the Internet or books, went back to the default position of humanity. Atheism.

I now operate a highschool Secular Humanist Alliance at my local highschool. Reason is available for everyone and no one should ever have to hide who they are or the questions they want to ask.

GodlessGal's picture
Great story. As a person who

Great story. As a person who is old enough to be your mother and just coming to these conclusions myself, I am glad to see someone as young as you already coming to that conclusion. I wonder how your family feels about your atheism, if you care to share.

jbailey84's picture
It is awesome that you

It is awesome that you organized and operate a Secular Humanist Alliance, kudos!! I am so glad that you pulled yourself away from all of the Baptist bullshit, because I was raised in such an environment and still have to hear about it from my mom (1,000 miles away). It's pretty frustrating being the black sheep in the family when expectations are for you to be a sweet little white lamb to sacrifice to god.

Doris Tucker's picture
I was raised Roman Catholic,

I was raised Roman Catholic, and unfortunately it's the dominant religion in the latin community. When I was a child I of course bought into it, even becoming an alter server. Growing up I realized they are just fairy tales, stories to pretty much scare you straight. The nonsense alone was enough to turn me away, I only trust in science and fact. I'm too old for fantasies and I raise my daughter proudly with no religion in my home. Being a minority in my community is hard but I am proud to be an Atheist and have the veil pulled from my eyes. I think religion will be the down fall of man if things don't change. It's a way for people to justify war, the objectification of women and other atrocities and I don't want to have any part of it.

ImFree's picture
I was raised in a Church of

I was raised in a Church of Christ environment. I attended a private Church of Christ school 1st through the 8th grade. I’m glad my parents let me leave that school for family budget reasons. I quit attending church about the same time. To be honest, I never liked attending church. At the age of five I remember thinking the story of the talking snake was bizarre. I never walked down the isle to be baptized. From eighth grade till college I was on the fence concerning religion. When I took geology in college, I can remember staring at a box of fossils millions of years old and fell off the fence. The earth’s estimated age is 4.5 billion years old. Subtract six to ten thousand years and that is a big difference religion can’t account for. I trust radiometric dating much more than a conglomeration of superstitious writings from bronze-age sheep herders. Every angle I investigated from other areas of knowledge such as secular history, evolution etc., the biblical fairy tales became more and more ridiculous. I'm happy to be free of the burden of mind-control religion tried to enslave me with.

Chipperfhu's picture
I have a similar experience

I have a similar experience except I was in the church of Christ for 40 or so years. I feel embarrassed it took me so long to see all the truths about the world around us. There are many good people there but I just could not ignore the evidence any longer.

Muashkis's picture
Better late than never, right

Better late than never, right? :)

And yes, it takes all ex-theists a while to completely come to terms with reality. It's not easy, facing one's misconceptions and taking them apart one by one, as reality shows us our errors. Even more so, if it includes leaving some friends behind...

Still, glad to see another person that has woken up! Enjoy the ride!
*grins*

arakish's picture
Welcome Dan. Come join the

Welcome Dan. Come join the fun. Feel free to peruse the boards.

And never be ashamed. The indoctrination program of the Absolutists is very insidious. Even I had to "fake it" just to survive until I got out on my own.

Glad you woke up from their Matrix.

Have fun. Enjoy the real life.

rmfr

Tin-Man's picture
Hey, Dan.

Hey, Dan.
Welcome to the AR. Try not to feel too embarrassed about taking so long to "wake up". You are not by any means alone in that respect. Took roughly forty-plus years for me, too. I was raised in a Baptist/Methodist household/family. Was taught one must obey God's word and follow the teachings of Jesus, or it was a one-way ticket to being a crispy-critter in hell with Satan. On top of that, it was often stressed that even to QUESTION the bible or its teachings as to whether or not it was true was to show blatant disrespect and a disturbing lack of faith. It meant The Devil was clouding your mind and leading you astray down the highway to hell. Therefore, any doubts/confusion I may have ever had about some of the things I was taught (Believe me, there were plenty.) automatically transform into an incredible feeling of guilt and anxiety and fear. "Oh, no! The Devil's got me!"

Having been taught these things by people you love and trust from the moment you are cognizant, and then having it reinforced by the community as a whole during the formative years and teenage period..... Well, let's just say that tends to make a rather strong impression on the ol' brain bucket. And that impression is incredibly difficult to erase.

Good to have you here. Make yourself at home.

Chipperfhu's picture
Thanks for all your kind

Thanks for all your kind words. It's good to freely discuss what's been on my mind for a while now. Not a lot of folks around here that can understand my perspective these days. I just get a blank stare or a grimace. It's ironic that they think I'm misled or misinformed! So many religious people don't even take the time to read their own bible. If I had a dollar for every time someone said "my preacher said ". We could all retire comfortably!

Tin-Man's picture
@Dan Re: "If I had a dollar

@Dan Re: "If I had a dollar for every time someone said "my preacher said ". We could all retire comfortably!"

LMAO.... That reminds me of an incident my wife had with one of her coworkers a few months ago. I've shared this on here before, but I don't remember where. It's worth repeating, though....

My wife was having a discussion about the bible with a male coworker one day. I don't remember the specifics she told me, but she was basically pointing out to him some of the major contradictions. And I think she was also talking about how the bible condones slavery and such. Well, a female coworker (We'll call her "Jane".) was in the office and overhearing the discussion. (By the way, Jane is in her forties and very religious.) Anyway, Jane piped in and started questioning my wife about where she got her information. My wife basically replied, "Well, from the bible, of course." At that point, Jane became bewildered and upset and told my wife, "I think you are just making up that stuff and trying to be mean. I've never heard of any of that." My wife then replied, "No, I'm not making it up. It's all there in black and white. You say you are a devout Christian. Haven't you read your bible?" At which Jane replied (and here comes the punchline...), "Well, my momma is the one who studies the bible, and she never taught me the stuff you are saying. If you want, I can call her and you can talk to her about it. But I'm not listening to you anymore."

When my wife came home that evening and told me about that, I about fell out of my chair laughing so hard. Of course, once I recovered from laughing, I then had to shake my head in sad disbelief. *chuckle*

AntigoneRisen's picture
I think; therefore, I am

I think; therefore, I am Atheist.

Littledudekj's picture
So true so true

So true so true

Michee's picture
I've been a christian for 4

I've been a christian for 4 years. It gave me so much stress on trying to please god. I always try to connect with god but I failed to do that. I started to think why should i be in so much pain and pressure just to raise god's arrogance.Why should I constantly apologize to someone who done way more crimes than me?Maybe I failed to connect with god because god doesn't exist.

RatScratcher's picture
There was no alternative. 13

There was no alternative. 13 billion years and I get a whole 3 score and ten, and I have to share that with politicians and theists.

Johnny Moronic's picture
Hello and welcome! I am an

Hello and welcome! I am an atheist mostly due to a lack of gods. My story... hmmm... I'm old, so that would take a while. Short version: Born atheist, still atheist despite the best efforts of my mother. Willing to consider non-atheism upon the presentation of believable, testable evidence. None has been forthcoming thus far. Anyway, life is awesome! Lots of interesting people visit here. (And more than a few nut jobs, who are often very entertaining.) Welcome to AR. Enjoy! - JR

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