What made you become an atheist?

[Abaddon_ire]

You completely missed what I was asking.

I specifically asked about a belief or disbelief, not about what you claim to know or don't know. Do you understand the difference between knowledge and belief?

I also do not claim to know that there is no god, as I also am not all knowing. Atheism is not a position about knowledge, it is a position concerning belief.

In fact, the vast majority of atheists do not claim to know there is no god. This even applies to guys like: Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, Matt Dillahunty, and all the most famous atheists. None of them claim to know that a god does not exist.

I am asking what you believe or disbelieve.

Are you convinced that a god exists?

Oh I see what you are saying. I did miss it. So I do apologize. And no, I am not convinced a God exists.

Not really a big error. The believers like to claim that atheism is a claim that no gods exist. It simply is not. As an atheist, I believe in no gods. Nobody has ever shown one to exist. Could I be convinced that a god exists? Sure, just as soon as somebody rocks up with actual evidence. Until that happens, why should I believe in any god? That would be stupid.

[zebo-the-fat]

There are thousands of gods that I don't believe in, does that make me a super-atheist?

[Atomic Lava]

There are thousands of gods that I don't believe in, does that make me a super-atheist?

[Abaddon_ire]

There are thousands of gods that I don't believe in, does that make me a super-atheist?

Dunno. Is there a big flashy "SA" on your chest? That probably makes you a Nazi in the 1930's which is rather unlikely.

[Ranjr]

I don't remember ever truly believing.  When I was 6, I pulled a tooth and didn't tell my parents.  I put the tooth under my pillow at bedtime only to find it still there the next morning.  The next evening, I told my mom I pulled a tooth.  The following morning, I found a quarter.  It was very freeing, no more magical beings to worry about.  Who really wants a magic, tooth collecting freak sneaking into their room at night anyway?

[Abaddon_ire]

I don't remember ever truly believing.  When I was 6, I pulled a tooth and didn't tell my parents.  I put the tooth under my pillow at bedtime only to find it still there the next morning.  The next evening, I told my mom I pulled a tooth.  The following morning, I found a quarter.  It was very freeing, no more magical beings to worry about.  Who really wants a magic, tooth collecting freak sneaking into their room at night anyway?

And what on earth do they DO with the teeth? Why do they want them? To what end and purpose?

Pratchett's version was amusing.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I don't remember ever truly believing.  When I was 6, I pulled a tooth and didn't tell my parents.  I put the tooth under my pillow at bedtime only to find it still there the next morning.  The next evening, I told my mom I pulled a tooth.  The following morning, I found a quarter.  It was very freeing, no more magical beings to worry about.  Who really wants a magic, tooth collecting freak sneaking into their room at night anyway?

If people DON'T want that, I'm going to have re-plan my weekends.

Boru

[Ranjr]

Whenever I tested a notion that seemed unlikely, such as the idea someone besides a family member would know when and how to wait until I was asleep to come swap a tooth for a quarter, I had more faith in the outcome.  Plucking that tooth and laying it by in secret, I thought, I got y'all here.  No more bullshit.  That guess came true through a likely outcome.  I'm that good.

It wasn't the same when I tested a scientific notion, like gravity.  For my 5th birthday, an uncle gave me a Batman costume.  He thought I'd be lit by it.  I was. And he thought it would make a great picture.  It did.  But he didn't know I'd climb the antenna pole onto the roof, looking for a good spot to jump.  You wear a cape, you fly.  Right?  But I'd fallen before and knew falling could mess me up.  So I found the corner of the roof closest to the ground and jumped there.  I leapt out, gripping the cape wide, and thought oh shit.  Get ready to hit.  The ground knocked my breath out.  I crawled under the eave and hunkered until I could stand and go in the house.  I'm that good.

Maybe if I really believed, if gravity be damned, I'm taking flight, was the only thought in my head, I would have done the seemingly impossible.  I would have beaten the odds and performed true magic.  From there, who knows what I would've done.  Cured cancer, ended starvation, told people to be nicer, made love to Raquel Welch.  Surely something noble.  I was such an idiot back then.

[BrokenQuill92]

Religion simply never took with me

[Rahn127]

I think the moment I heard about theism, my mind went, "Hey, that sounds pretty unbelievable."

And from that point on, the label of atheist would have described my position on the matter.

And then as time went on, I never gave it much of any thought.
There was no need to. My family didn't go to church unless there was a funeral. Our Sundays were fairly happy and care free.