How did u become an atheist?

[brewer]

OP: I had a fantasy lobotomy. I'm much better now!

[Gearbreak]

Not a true atheist but I fell out of religion due to apathy. Decided I'd find out when I die if there was a god or not.

[trev22]

When they said I'm stupid

Not a true atheist but I fell out of religion due to apathy. Decided I'd find out when I die if there was a god or not.

proselytize brother 

[NewKingJames]

I was adopted from birth into a southern baptist family.
I went to a christian school until high school
Joined the military, us army, as an infantryman at 17.
Disabled vet now, Slowly but surely became an agnostic atheist over time.
A lot of that had to do with looking back and seeing how people had mislead me.

What lead me to atheism was doubt and reasoning. What keeps me here is looking back at my past self, and people that resemble him, and being ashamed of it.

Other contributing things to consider:

The missionary paradox:
All man is born with sin and will go to hell unless saved.
But not babies because they don’t know about any of this.
Until you insist on telling them and forcing them to make a choice between your belief system or potentially going to hell.
That sounds a lot like spiritual terrorism to me.

The morality issue:
Look the fact of the matter is even if god was 100% real, he’s also 80% an asshole and even if it got me instakilled I would refuse to follow that. Don’t resent me because you would be too scared to.

The Versions of the Truth:
If it was really the word of god, why does it come in so many flavours with different details? Oh that’s right because man fucks up everything he touches. Even if it was divine man would abuse it for stupid mortal shit. Therefore, why would i be a total dumbass and take these dead kings words on what happens to my soul? They didn’t even understand how the fuckin sun worked.

The disconnect between actions and words:
I hear, love thy neighbor. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Forgive debtors.
I see, Debt based economies, racism, bigotry, and not a whole lot of admonishment from the peers supposedly keeping their bad elements in check.

The willful ignorance:
Anytime a group tells me not to think critically about something, I know they are trying to play me right off the bat. You should too. The truth has never had a reason to fear critical thinking and debate. Only deceptions are threatened by observation.

The probability problem:
How many religions and interpretations of god are there? Okay, so… what are the chances that yours is correct? Have you ever played the game Telephone? Did that ever end with a more accurate version of what was said in the beginning? Statistically, you should be playing the lottery. At least then all you are risking is your money and not pledging your soul to an evil overlord. Which reminds me

You want me to pledge my what?
So okay... I have to submit my soul to your god so he can keep it safe? Isn’t that kinda shady? Is your god a Nigerian prince?

Tithing/donation plates:
Oh, apparently so.

[Nanny]

Raised RC through confirmation. Confirmation religious retreat was a brainwashing program. Take a bunch of 17 year olds, keep them up too late, feed them emotional drivel, partner attractive pre-indoctrinated people with the noobs, sleep deprivation... I smelled a rat.

Went to college, then grad school. Fascinated by Evolution by Natural Selection, read some classics, minored in philosophy. Realized obvious parallels between religion and mythology. Took a theology elective, could not deal with the constrictions of Biblical Hermeneutics. Knew then, in my freshmen year of undergrad that religion is backward. Out as an atheist officially after my first child was born and we decided to end the cycle. Now have two happy, curious, and free kids, 8yo boy and 9yo girl. Been married to the Warden, my wife, for 16 years. She still puts up with me.

This thread got me to join the forum. Had been lurking for a while.

[vorlon13]

how did I become atheist?

I was kidnapped as a child by a roving band of derelict and abusive atheists. I eventually wound up in an atheists only brothel only accessible from Lower Wacker Drive in Chicago where I grew up supporting myself by cleaning the unspeakably filthy dildoes.

In what little spare time I had I was drilled mercilessly in atheist dogma by a sexually abusive communist interrogator from East Germany. Despite my several failed escape attempts, I was nevertheless beaten daily and denied medical care. I also was forced to proselytize for other potential atheists at several downtown Chicago Radio Shacks and at a Zayre store in Kenosha. And the sexual abuse, atheist indoctrination, and beatings continued.

To insure my compliance I was forced to watch theists they had captured be forced to eat their own hands if they did not sound sincere when they renounced Jesus. They also made Mormons eat my snot when I was sick.

I now have PTSD, an allergy to pistachios . . .


the horror, the horror . . . .

[Nanny]

how did I become atheist?

I was kidnapped as a child by a roving band of derelict and abusive atheists.  I eventually wound up in an atheists only brothel only accessible from Lower Wacker Drive in Chicago where I grew up supporting myself by cleaning the unspeakably filthy dildoes.

In what little spare time I had I was drilled mercilessly in atheist dogma by a sexually abusive communist interrogator from East Germany.  Despite my several failed escape attempts, I was nevertheless beaten daily and denied medical care.  I also was forced to proselytize for other potential atheists at several downtown Chicago Radio Shacks and at a Zayre store in Kenosha.  And the sexual abuse, atheist indoctrination, and beatings continued.  

To insure my compliance I was forced to watch theists they had captured be forced to eat their own hands if they did not sound sincere when they renounced Jesus.  They also made Mormons eat my snot when I was sick.

I now have PTSD, an allergy to pistachios . . .


the horror, the horror . . .  .

Zayre was the department store of the beast, obv.

[Bosnian_Atheist]

I've never been religious. I believed in god but I was not interested into religion. A three years ago our professor asked us how Eskimos imagine heaven.
I knew that heaven in the Koran looks like place with many lakes, rivers, greenery. Like other Abrahamic religons, Islam has emerged where there's no many greenery. I started to seek more about Islam on the internet. I found many strange and bad stuff about Islam, like Mohammad's wife Aisha (who had 6 years when she get married, even I didn't know that he has wife Aish. Also I found out that Islam allows man to beat own wife, man as a witness is worth two women, Islam also allows a marriage with first cousin (almost no one doesn't know that in my country). I also found out that the penaly for apostasy is death. There is still controversial things but I can't remember. Then I decided to become Agnostic Atheist. I expalined to my brother these stuff and he became non-believer too. My sister believes in god but she says that she doesn't believe in religous stuff. I have friends who are religous and they have accepted me normal. I also have friends who are non-believers.

[Little lunch]

I've probably attempted to answer this question before but I'm not sure how accurate I was.
I think religion is brainwashing and it works well on kids. Especially if they trust their parents.
Which is not to say that their parents are untrustworthy, just also brainwashed.
I think there must be, in the case of people who grow up theist, hundreds if not thousands of little thought processes that eventually lead to atheism.
You could call it a journey but I feel it is more of insane struggle against yourself.
The moment you announce yourself an atheist is well after the pieces of the puzzle have been put in place.
And there must be a moment or two when you're a little of both.

I hope that makes sense. I just had a joint half an hour ago and it's something I rarely do.
It's taking everything not to delete this post and try later in case I said something stupid.
Fuck it, haha. :-)

[Angrboda]

I hope that makes sense. I just had a joint half an hour ago and it's something I rarely do.
It's taking everything not to delete this post and try later in case I said something stupid.
Fuck it, haha. :-)

Stoned posting.