Why are you an atheist?

[Ongietan]

Hi Everyone,

I am really interested to hear how you ended up as atheists at this point in your lives.  I didn't grow up going to church or in a religious home (though my mom claimed she spoke to spirits), but I had a belief in God from an early age nevertheless.  Of all the various beliefs and religious that one can hold to, why has atheism won?

[Silver]

Of all the various beliefs and religious that one can hold to, why has atheism won?

The better outlook worth noting is that with all the various religious beliefs to which one can adhere, it is highly unlikely that any of them have reliable, credible claims to truth.

As to your original question, why am I an atheist?

That is a simple answer. I simply prefer reality over fantasy. As to how I eventually arrived at atheism despite having been raised with religion, I thought critically in regards to reading the bible. Of course, also reading the various agnostic works of Robert Green Ingersoll helped a great deal in cementing what I already knew to be accurate.

[Chas]

Because I am rational.

[The Valkyrie]

Simple.

I'm an ex-Catholic from a family of Catholics on one side, and Jo-Hos on the other (my father is an atheist).

After going through the various processes for a number of years I actually read the whole bible. Not just the hippy-dippy-happy bits they usually read out in church, but the whole thing.

Most of it made no sense and was completely contrary to to kmowledge we have, whether historic or scientific. I questioned and got the whole "must have faith" line.

End result, I continued to question and eventually decided I no longer believed. The end result is that I gave up on religion entirely by 13.

I haven't seen anything in the 22 years since that has convinced me otherwise. Actually everything I've seen and heard from apologists has re-enforced my non-belief.

[zebo-the-fat]

I didn't "end up" as an atheist. I was born an atheist (like everyone else) and never found any convincing evidence for any gods.
If I did find some convincing evidence I would change my mind in an instant (that's what "convincing" means, hasn't happened in 65 years so I don't expect it ant time soon)

[Peebothuhlu]

At work.

Have never found anything in the religions I've looked into/read about that matched reality (Or history for that matter)

So... am still quite happy to identify simply ad a 'Non-theist'

Cheers.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Because I'm not qualified to be a chemical engineer and being a circus clown sounded bloody boring.  Atheism was all that was left.

Boru

[Mr.wizard]

Hi Everyone,

I am really interested to hear how you ended up as atheists at this point in your lives.  I didn't grow up going to church or in a religious home (though my mom claimed she spoke to spirits), but I had a belief in God from an early age nevertheless.  Of all the various beliefs and religious that one can hold to, why has atheism won?

Atheism isn't a religion, it is a rejection of the claim that a god exists. So atheism for me was a result of skepticism, when the burden of proof could not be met by the people claiming that god exists, I was left in the only rational position of not believing a god exists, which makes me an atheist.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I wasn't programmed at home to believe in any god or gods.

[OakTree500]

I was allowed the freedom, as a child, of not being forced into believing a god and as such I never did. For a long time I honestly thought the idea of "god" or any sort of religion was a bit of an inside joke, like Santa or something, only really realizing that it was serious to some by the time I was a young teen, when an ex girlfriends mother called me a satanist because I didn't believe in god [which in itself was a logical leap, as I don't believe Satan exists either of course.].

I looked into various religions at high school, as well as in my private time, and concluded that [despite some minor differences of opinion between them all] most religions are pretty much the same: There is a god(s) that created everything and you are but a lowly slave who must praise them for it, because those deities "need" you praise and worship for some reason, and that just seemed very much "not for me".

As such, I grew up without/not believing in theism, which be default makes me an Atheist - So not a case of "I became and Atheist at X age" but more "I've always been an atheist, because that is a person default setting before you push your views on them as a young child".