When, Where, How and Why did you become Atheist?

[Wyrd of Gawd]

Though reading the Bible twice cover-to-cover cured me of being a Christian, it was exposure to apologetics and logic that tipped me over to atheist about 15 years later. Understanding burden of proof was a big part of that, along with the realization that there is no such thing as good apologetics. I don't know exactly when it happened, one day I realized I had stopped believing in God entirely.

So what was the most outrageous story you read?

[Edwardo Piet]

For me, after parts of scripture it would be... Little Red Riding hood. Or Hansel and Gretel.

[houseofcantor]

Speaking of which, what are the reasons why someone who is programmed want someone want to program someone? Everyone has some form of being programmed in something. I guess the human race, (especially us religious kind) are a virus of ideas.

Political Tip:
In my opinion, If atheists truly want to succeed in changing the world away from religion, you guys should start media and educational campaigns to deprogram people through manipulate tactics that religious people use. (E.g. Make a "Critical Thinking Bible" and a kind of a "Church of Rationality" though itself sounds religious but eventually would be successful) Then You would essentially be an anti-virus against us theists.

Gwynnite might grow up into something along those lines, but that's not atheism.

[Mister Agenda]

I'm going to be a contrarian (and pedant) and disagree with the general consensus that rocks and babies are atheists. They are non-theists, certainly, but also non-atheists. The term atheist was coined before the word 'theist'. We often assume it comes from 'a-theist', or 'not a theist'. However it was originally constructed as 'athe-ist'. 'Without God' plus the suffix 'ist', which indicates a person concerned with or interested in whatever precedes it.

An atheist is a person capable of considering the proposition that deities exist, who does not accept that proposition.

[Edwardo Piet]

I'd say an atheist is a person that doesn't believe. I'm not sure at what age the person has to grow to before they are considered mature enough to be a 'person' able to believe. What age is the age of reason?

So I definitely don't consider rocks atheists. I would stretch the definition to be 'an atheist is a person who does not believe that has also reached the age of reason' so babies wouldn't count either. But I am not sure at what point someone reaches the 'age of reason' so that complicates things.

As far as the 'rocks and babies are non-theists' but not atheists.... I get the point you are trying to make so I do agree with you in a sense.... but - as far as I am concerned the meaning of an atheist and a non-theist is exactly the same... so I'd say rocks and babies aren't non-theists either. If only because neither are capable of being judged on belief or non-belief, since one isn't even a person and the other hasn't reached the age of reason.

For me "rocks and babies are not atheists but they are certainly non-theists" just technically reads exactly the same to me as saying "rocks and babies are not atheists but they are certainly atheists" which of course is contradictory and nonsensical technically.

But the main thing is I DO GET the point you are trying to make Mister

[robvalue]

Sure, that's why I'm trying to sell my horse shit terms "default" and "cognitive" atheist

I agree rocks are not atheists, because "ist" implies a person. But they do present better arguments than some theists Rock solid ones!

[Edwardo Piet]

Yeah, rocks present better arguments... by default but not cognitively

And the theists present their arguments cognitively but fallaciously

[robvalue]

Rock solid man. I can talk to a rock all day and not get a single logical fallacy out of it. It's frustrating, and when I resort to violence it's me that comes home crying.

[Edwardo Piet]

Yeah rocks........They're so.......... CONSISTENT.

[Faith No More]

Political Tip:
In my opinion, If atheists truly want to succeed in changing the world away from religion, you guys should start media and educational campaigns to deprogram people through manipulate tactics that religious people use. (E.g. Make a "Critical Thinking Bible" and a kind of a "Church of Rationality" though itself sounds religious but eventually would be successful) Then You would essentially be an anti-virus against us theists.

That's the thing. You don't have to use manipulative tactics to make an atheist. You just have to teach them critical thinking skills. That's the benefit of having reality on your side.