Answer 118

	Sign In Sign-Up

Question 118

What was the final straw that led you to the realization that (insert brand of theism here) was a con game?

The fact that the best argument my peers could come up with was Pascal's Wager. (John Hattan #1196)

The last straw for me was when my boss (a supposedly devout christian) announced that all homosexuals were sinners, when it is a well known fact that he cheats on his wife. Although, when he said this, I was already well on my way to being an atheist. If anything, it just cemented my reasons. (Moni)

I don't think that there was actually a final straw. It was more of a gradual realization that I didn't actually believe all the hoo-hah and occult garbage that kept springing forth from every religious person I spoke to. I just kept noticing more and more inconsistencies in the fundamental ideology and the practice of Catholocism (Christianity in general I guess), and realized that they really could not be rationalized with any degree of honesty, so I gave up trying. (Aidan Sims #1115)

I have an atheist uncle who fought in Vietnam. He had already rebelled against his strict Lutheran upbringing before he joined the Marines, but the horrors of war that he witnessed in Vietnam confirmed his suspicions that god soes not exist.

The saying "there are no atheists in foxholes" is both a lie and a logical contradiction. If a loving, omnipotent god existed, there would be no wars in the first place. (Chris Nelson #135)

I stopped believing in the (Roman Catholic version of) "God" at around the same time I stopped believing in Santa Claus, and for pretty much the same reasons. By the time I took Confirmation at age 13 I had long since abandoned any theistic belief, but went through the motions to please my parents. (Of course, I did manage to get my digs in by choosing "John" as my confirmation name, honoring not any Catholic saint, but John Lennon (before his death). (raven1 #1096)

Good question! It's actually something that happened to my younger brother, who was 13 at the time. Up until now, I and the church were at a cease-fire...I didn't go, but I didn't really hold anything against it and I *almost* believed in God... Anyway, my brother got invited to go to a play at the church with some of his friends, and even though he held about the same beliefs as me, he went to be sociable.The play was about 'heaven and hell', and emphasized the fact that even the best people are going to hell. After the play, the pastor said to the crowd, "And some of you have brought your non-christian friends today. Hopefully today's play has caused you to think differently..." and then invited everyone to come to the front and be saved. Everyone ran to the front to be converted, but my brother stayed in his seat until his friends pressured him into coming up. He was given a few 'So, you've been saved' pamphlets and came home feeling sick to his stomach. Luckily that ordeal only strengthened his will...anyway that pushed me over the edge. I was disgusted. It was a bit after that that I came across this NG, and all was well :) (Ted #1726)

The first thing that turned me away was something I saw on alt.bible.prophecy, or something like that. I was being a good, recently confirmed Lutheran looking for info on Revelation, etc. Some EVIL athiest out there pointed out that our loving, benevolent God sent 2 bears to maul 42 kids for calling a guy bald. I was pretty shocked so I followed some of the links on the post to errancy sites. Blew my mind! I had went through all the confirmation stuff and done the provided reading. I even read the NT and some of the OT on my own. It's no big surprise they don't read this stuff on Sunday morning. The worst thing is that I know so many people who are aware of these things and still believe. (Wily)

A thiest friend talked me into going to his church and bible classes about 10 yrs ago. The minister happened to be teaching the class. He kept changing details in history. He said things like the xian church used to be one church until the Cathlics split it up, which in fact the opposite was true. Each little village had thier own brand of xianity until the Cathlic church centralized it, and came up with one set of rules for all of them.

No one in the class even questioned him. I knew he was either lying or was misinformed because I had just finished reading a book on that very subject.

This was only one example of how he would change facts to fit his or his church's views of the world. What got me was that no one ever questioned his "facts", even the ones that contridicted what is taught in basic high school history, science, or biology classes. (Roger Andrews #1477)

Here is a true and funny account. A friend of mine who was a former catholic [I don't know which kind] told me that for him the first & last straw was his dog.

When he was a young boy his dog died. The nun at Sunday school was trying to reconcile him. The conversation went something like this.

Nun: Are you sad about your dog?

Atheist to be: Not at all.

Nun: Why?

Atheist to be: [with all sincerity] Because he's in heaven now and when I die I'll meet him in heaven.

Nun: I'm sorry, that's not true. Dogs don't go to heaven only people do!

Well the rest is history! My friend loved his dog very much at that time and he didn't want anything to do with a God who'd reject his best friend. This reminds me about something in the bible "From the mouth's of babes the truth shall be revealed unto ye." or something like that. This particular incident made him renounce the church and God. Then as he grew up he found many more logical reasons to stay an atheist. (Phoenix)

Unlike many of the atheists that post here, I was lucky enough to grow up in a country with little or no religious pressure. I never stopped believing because I never started. We did have some minor pressure put on us at times like christmas with things like nativity plays, but even back then it was always a chore - something you were expected to take part in but not necessarily believe. I would get one hour of religious education a week at high school which would contradict with every other lesson and it was already too late for my "poor damned soul" by then anyway.
Basically, from growing up in a fairly neutral environment I came to my own conclusions from a very early age and these have just been reenforced through the years. Everything I learned, everything I witnessed, everything I was preached just backed up my initial suspicions. The christian argument remained the same - lame superstitions and threats of damnation whereas I guess the big change for me was the change from agnostic to atheist. I "came out" if you like, at the age of about fourteen when it slowly occured to me that by claiming to be an agnostic all I was doing was being a coward and deluding myself. It occured to me that saying "I'll reserve my opinion on the existence in god until I get more evidence" was as ignorant as saying "I'll reserve my opinion on the existence of goblins until I get more evidence". I decided that I had bent over backwards to avoid hurting peoples feelings for too long and that *I* had to stand up for *my* beliefs for a change. I did not realise how much that simple shift would change my outlook on life. I felt a very different person - more confident, more open too sensible suggestion and theories, more enlightened. Ironically, the closest I can come to describing it is a "religious" experience ;)
I guess if I'm honest, I don't need a ridiculous story book to live my l ife by, because I find the truth wonderous and beautiful enough by itself :-
When I take out my 6" reflector telescope and look at the rings around Saturn or a nebula signifying the birth of another star. When I get on a 100 ton plane and fly across the face of the globe with hundreds of other people beside me. When I bash a few keys and send my rantings to thousands of uninterested people around the world at the speed of light.
When you don't rely on a deity you suddenly become aware of all those miracles you have been missing out on.
Best regards to all my new friends - especially those battling from within less enlightened societies. (Tim Hicks #1741)

Click here to return to master question page.