What's your background?

[Minimalist]

Disillusioned with catholics at age 11 - stopped going to church at 13 - realized that the story was a lie at 20.

[darkwolf176]

Born an atheist and stayed that way, my mum let me make my own mind up about religion.

[Cego_Colher]

I was raised without a religion. I've been agnostic/ agnostic atheists my entire life.

[downbeatplumb]

I was exposed to CE faith but it never stuck, thought it was silly from day one.

[Zen Badger]

No religion in my life at all, apart from the usual religious indoctrination at primary school.

Even then I couldn't see it as anything other than fantasy.

[fr0d0]

Correlating the age (of deconversion) would be interesting too. My wife thinks kids can decide to believe from age 3 to 5. Interesting what intellectual assention is possible at that age, and what the young person is actually moving from.

[Tiberius]

The Dawkins documentary on Faith Schools presented the idea that children at that age are more likely to make arguments based on perceived purpose rather than the observed evidence. One of the examples used was asking children "Why is water still in lakes?" and giving them the option of either "So that small animals aren't washed away when they are drinking" or "Because there are no moving streams of water entering the lake". Most children choose the first answer, which makes me wonder if at that age they are able to distinguish between what is natural, and what is artificial (man-made). We teach our children about things by telling them what they are used for; what their purpose is. I'm sure children that age could make decisions about what they believe, but whether those decisions were made for the right reasons is unlikely in my opinion.

[fr0d0]

There are simplistic reasons to believe though that are valid - hence Mark 10:15 "anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." What are the
"right reasons"? I've seen children 'get' the motivation. They just get it. Maybe as adults our cynicism closes our minds somewhat (in any direction).

[Edwardo Piet]

I don't believe that belief is a matter of policy. We can't choose our beliefs. It's just a matter of being convinced or unconvinced by things.

I don't think there is ever one sudden point when we become more mature in how we base our beliefs. I do think there are of course valid stages of development. But it's ultimately a continuum. And some people never fully grow up mentally. Or rather, some people do more than others, people have different potentials.

I think that the younger the child, then generally the more vulnerable. Some highly intelligent younger children may be less vulnerable than older children that are very obtuse. So it's not straightforward, but like with a driver's licence, I guess it would be most practical to think of the age of reason as a certain age. I wonder what that age would be exactly though.

There are simplistic reasons to believe though that are valid - hence Mark 10:15 "anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." What are the
"right reasons"? I've seen children 'get' the motivation. They just get it. Maybe as adults our cynicism closes our minds somewhat (in any direction).

It makes perfect sense. I don't know how, I don't know why. It just does, and they as little innocent children just "get it".

...yeah...

Sounds way too much like truthiness to me.

[Entropist]

"There is no absurdity so palpable but that it may be firmly planted in the human head if you only begin to inculcate it before the age of five, by constantly repeating it with an air of great solemnity." ~ Arthur Schopenhauer