Raised in religion?

[WWLD]

Just wondering how many of the atheists here were raised into a religion and became an atheist later and life, and how many of you were not raised into a religion, and have always been an atheist.

Also who USED to be an atheist and now believe in a religion?

[Dotard]

Raised in a HIGHLY religious family. Church like 3 times a week, vacation bible school in the summer, prayer meetings/bible study a couple few times a week.

Say "GodDammit" or "JesusChrist!" and you were in for a beating. Say fuk or bitch and you got grounded or no dessert or some other such little trouble. Jesus pictures everywhere, yadda yadda yadda.... you get the picture.

[Madscientist]

Raised in a HIGHLY religious family. Church like 3 times a week, vacation bible school in the summer, prayer meetings/bible study a couple few times a week.

Say "GodDammit" or "JesusChrist!" and you were in for a beating. Say fuk or bitch and you got grounded or no dessert or some other such little trouble. Jesus pictures everywhere, yadda yadda yadda.... you get the picture.

Must have been hard...
But did you believed back then, when you were young?

As for myself, i'm not really in the option.
I have been raised in a moderatly theist familly. My mother forced my to church every now and then, but my father was an agnostic.
My atheist views i hold for as long as i can remember. They were never openly opressed, but i my mother forced me into the sacrements and everything. Even now, i still feel forced to go into church now and then, not to displease my mother at funerals or thing like that.
But as i grow older, i feel the need to cut it off completly with any religious things, for the sake of my children. It is causing some friction with my mother, but if a compare to what it could have been, i'm lucky.

In the end, God for my have never been more than the concept that was giving my character his powers in the Dungeon And Dragon game... LOL!!!

[lrh9]

I was taken to church by my mother when I was very young. This year I asked her why I stopped going, and she said that they fired the pastor she liked. Good for me. So there was a time of about 10 years that I wasn't practicing. I still professed belief, but I wasn't practicing. Then one day I decided that I wanted to go to church. I was a practicing Christian for about two years from 14 to 16. I mean practicing. I was in the choir, taking piano lessons, even leading prayer. I might have even went in the ministry. Somehow though, I stopped going back. It was a combination of academic pressures and the fortunate (for me) event of my guardian taking ill and being unable to transport me to church. Two years later, I just stopped being religious. Primarily because I couldn't side with a religion that would torture non-believers.

[Edwardo Piet]

Always been an atheist was the closest option I've got. Because that's true other than 2 years ago when I believed in God for a period of 8 weeks. I was also mentally ill then lol! No wonder I found "God" not that I had any idea what it was I actually meant by that LOL - just SOME supernatural bullshit whatever the fuck it was.

And perhaps also when I was a little kid I believed in God very vaguely off and on, but I hardly remember and I never really knew what it was I was believing. And it was just shit at school - I was certainly never RAISED religious.

EvF

[g-mark]

Was not forced or taught any religion at all. Even though my parents are sort of religious. I think. As I said I have only just recently started to understand their beliefs. Baptised as a catholic.

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

Raised- bog-Irish-working-class-Catholic. Arguably the most belligerent, pig ignorant,superstitious and bigoted form Catholicism ever invented. Imo surpassed in utter awefulness only by some of the evangelical literalists and insular sects.

I began questioning at 16,and finally left the Church at 20. It took another 20 years to lose my faith in god,to become an agnostic atheist. I REALLY wanted to believe in something,so searched for a long time.I found nothing and finally reached the point where I simply could not and can not believe in god(s). My atheism is not a matter of choice,rather it's an inescapable conclusion..

[Kyuuketsuki]

Raised as a Catholic, my late father hated the Jews (my brothers don't like me saying that about him), Catholic primary, Catholic secondary started to read science fiction and that is what "broke" me and led to my ultimate fall from grace. Not really knowing what I was in belief terms I tried to get back in with more moderate (Anglican religion) for a while but couldn't get over the fact that they were so fucking funny (especially at sing-along time), started debating Fundies on the net and finally found the spiritual place I was comfortable with i.e. none.

Kyu

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

@Kyu

Science Fiction! FACE PALM! I hadn't thought of that as an influence,but of course it was:I discovered Edgar Rice Burroughs' "John Carter Of Mars" series at 18 and went on from there.---- "Doc" Smith, Asimov,Clarke,Dick. Wyndam, Heinlin,Herbert, Moorcock and Farmer to name a few. Even read some "If you you wan to get rich invent a religion" Hubbard; (a second rate hack)

I was too young for the golden years of the pulp Sci Fi magazines. But,in the 70's,I knew a guy with vast collection of "Argosy", "Amazing""and "Astounding" mags. I read most of them over several years.


Of course some of those brilliant and original thinkers influenced my developing mind,perhaps helping develop the WAY I think. I'm eternally grateful

[Kyuuketsuki]

Science Fiction! FACE PALM! I hadn't thought of that as an influence,but of course it was:I discovered Edgar Rice Burroughs' "John Carter Of Mars" series at 18 and went on from there.---- "Doc" Smith, Asimov,Clarke,Dick. Wyndam, Heinlin,Herbert, Moorcock and Farmer to name a few. Even read some "If you you wan to get rich invent a religion" Hubbard; (a second rate hack)

Well it not only expanded my mind to consider all kinds of other possibilities (pretty much crapping on the idea many try to advance when being critical that some of us aren't open-minded) but it also taught me a lot of basic science concepts particularly space ones.

You seem to have read many of the same authors as me ... I loved the Edgar Rice Burrows "Barsoom" series (even liked the Venus ones and read some of the Tarzan ones too, but Mars was by far the best; I heard a while back that there was some idea to make the Barsoom books the next big Hollywood blockbuster series. That would be cool but I haven't heard anything since). I absolutely loved the E. E. "Doc" Smith books, my favourites (obviously I suppose) being the "Lensman" and "Skylark" ones but I ate up most of the rest too (despite the really alternative tech ... I mean Vu-meters, recording on wire and the rest of that) ... space opera at its finest. Asimov, early Heinlein & Clark (the latter in particular went seriously flaky later in life) indeed my first science fiction book was Heinlein's "Tunnel In The Sky" but I tended to prefer the more adventure oriented tales such as E. C. Tubb's "Dumarest" series (seriously crap but hugely entertaining), some mad stuff about a character called "Hook" and Edmund Cooper (especially his aliased "Expendables" series). Some Ben Bova stuff was good too as well as A. E. Van Vogt, Brian Aldiss, Frederic Pohl, Silverberg and so on. Did you ever read any of those pulp counter-Earth books by John Norman? I loved them until the main character became all screwed up ... I gave up then.

But yes, SF really did have mind-opening effect on me.

I was too young for the golden years of the pulp Sci Fi magazines. But,in the 70's,I knew a guy with vast collection of "Argosy", "Amazing""and "Astounding" mags. I read most of them over several years.

I guess that makes you a similar age to me because I started reading SF about 12 or 13 so, born in 57, that's early 70's ... I used to read a lot of the older stuff because I frequented libraries & second-hand book stores.

Of course some of those brilliant and original thinkers influenced my developing mind,perhaps helping develop the WAY I think. I'm eternally grateful

Yeah me too.

Kyu