Why are you an atheist?

[Meatball]

Growing up, my parents weren't religious. In hindsight, I suspect my mother was, but in a more abstract, personal way. Believe in some sort of afterlife, some sort of higher power, that kind of thing. We never talked religion when I was young. This is something I am very grateful for. My parents were wonderful.

I can remember being given a Bible by the Gideons at school(probably grade 1) and going home a bit confused. It claimed if I read a passage a day I could go to heaven. I actually started reading it, but stopped because it was boring as shit.

I eventually settled into a agnostic mindset, leaning towards atheism. I really didn't concern myself with my position until after High School. I work in a call center, and spend a lot of time browsing Wikipedia. It sounds lame, but I actually learned a lot doing this. I would read about all topics, from popular music, movies, to Norse mythology and Christianity. The influx in information lead me to think a lot more critically, and eventually take the position of atheism.

A few years later I stumbled upon The God Delusion, and it really changed the way I think about religion and atheism. I was 100% atheist, and it became a big part of my life. I sorta understand wht people mean when they say they "found Jesus", because the day I "found atheism", everything changed. It's truly lifechanging.

I'm sorry that was so long...

[Eilonnwy]

I was raised Catholic and when it was time to get Confirmed a priest gave a lecture about it being a choice and not an obligation. This put me on the path for questioning Catholicism and in the end I decided that it did not make sense and I abandoned it.

[StewartP]

Good for you. I've always thought of catholicism as being the "voodoo" wing of Christianity with all the saints and the Sacred Heart and all.

[Tiberius]

I was raised Catholic and when it was time to get Confirmed a priest gave a lecture about it being a choice and not an obligation. This put me on the path for questioning Catholicism and in the end I decided that it did not make sense and I abandoned it.

Awesome, a semi-open-minded priest. At least he didn't force it one you.

[Eilonnwy]

Awesome, a semi-open-minded priest. At least he didn't force it one you.

Yep. I talk about him in my blog in basically my 2 part post about how and why I became atheist. He was actually a crucial part in my realizing that Catholicism was a choice and opening my eyes to what I truly thought. When I did go to church, I always enjoyed his homilies. When my mother fougth me on Confirmation, it was his homily that changed her mind.

Unfortunately he and his partner were removed from the parish by Cardinal Law because a small group of people complained loudly about his unorthodox ideas. He became a preist without a Parish of his own for while. Even though I was agnostic at the time, I still attended his last mass at the Parish because I respected him and later when I was hospitalized he came and visited me, which I liked.

[FireFreak]

I never went to church maybe that's why I don't believe. People kept asking why I don't go to church, and my parents just never went. My parents believe in God as far as I know. I on the other hand have learned about different religions, to see if any would work for me. Science explains everything, Religion doesn't... I'm suppose to believe a book from a long time ago holds the answers. I've read some of the Bible, none of it made sense it didn't explain anything. I guess that's why I'm atheist.

[Kyuuketsuki]

In short science I suppose, one you embrace the philosophy of science and reason there is, IMO, no longer room for seriously entertaining fairy tale purporting to be truth.

Kyu

[chatpilot]

After having been an evangelist in the fundamental and charismatic Pentecostal faith for 4 years and being on the inside looking out there is no other option but atheism.Once I left the religion I began an exhaustive search to explain away some of the experiences I personally had in my ministry and was satisfied with all the ones I found.I read books on psychology,psychiatry,hypnosis,comparative religion,ancient myths you name it.In the end I came to the conclusion that God did not exist and that I had been following a lie all that time.

The bible had failed me,god had failed me and I decided it was time let god go and deal with myself.Stop living to please a mythological figure and live for me.That is why I am an atheist.

[Edwardo Piet]

I 'sorta'-half believed in God and Jesus till I was about 8 or nine when I saw a program about Charles Darwin...but I didn't really understand it...so the belief wasn't really reinforced...I didn't believe in God anymore for 3 reasons: 1: I had a very very VERY basic understanding of Darwinism. 2: I now thought the idea of God was absurd. And 3: I thought "If God does exist he could do better...sometimes I think if he DOES exist he can be very very evil".

Then when I was about 18 I went through quite a lot of stress and suddenly 'found The Secret' which I'd watched a few months earlier when I was 17. I used the secret to try and 'create God' then I believed I'd found God....

I recovered as soon as I stopped believing in God...then I recovered some more when I realised 'The Secret' was bullshit....

And now I've MORE than fully recovered and went beyond how I've ever been after reading TGD.

That's my story... I am now a de facto atheist 6.9 on the spectrum.

[bozo]

The university of life has made me what I am, an atheist, republican and an international socialist. Atheist because on the balance of probabilities, it seems to me " God " does not exist and in rejecting that idea, the rest of it creation, Christ, afterlife etc. fall also.In any event, I am not at all attracted to the idea of spending one life preparing for the next...day of judgement and all that bollocks. I don't like organised religion, I think it enslaves. I dislike the ways of the church. I dislike most church people...hypocrites most of them. I dislike the idea of priests blessing bombs before they get droped on hapless people. And in the minute possibility that " God" exists, then I would curse rather than worship such a being.
As regards the rest, and for completeness, I dislike royalty and would prefer an elected president to a hereditary monarch.
And to quote Tony Benn, " what follows capitalism will be either barbarism or socialism".