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Question 62

Why are you an atheist?

• I'm an atheist because of the scientific method, and the way in which my mother's church (Assemblies of God - Swaggart's old outfit) dealt with scientific topics like evolution. Also, because of the lousy example set by some of the church members, by the time I was 15 or so, I could not reconcile these "godly" people with the alleged teachings that they were "born again" into.

  It's all my mother's fault too. She taught me to read before I ever got to kindergarten, then turned me loose in the library. I found out that I could get two adult-level books on my kid's card, and I went berserk. I had read biology texts by the time I was 8 or 9.

  The main feeling that I had when I was 15 was "don't tell me what to think, I'll think for myself." This did lead to some false steps, I mean I fell for the Von Daniken/Velikovsky trash before I developed a critical sense. (Fred Stone #1369)

• Once I was a theist and I was always scared, took everything personal, saw everything we did as a threat and was extremely unhappy with the silence... I spend years hoping that somebody or something would speak to me and tell me that I'm kind of special. Really, no kidding.... :)

  Then one day I decided it was enough. The silence became evidence for the real lack of gods and once that was clear, I suddenly didn't take everything personal anymore, wasn't so scared anymore and was actually able to accept that things sometimes went wrong. It also became much easier to carry my own responsibility, since I figured I was only responsible for my direct surroundings and not for the whole 'creation'. Made life a whole lot easier to cope with. :)

  I guess there are two reasons for me being an atheist: the lack of gods and the fact that I feel a damn lot better this way. (Don Antropos #1001)

• I was raised an Xtian, but one too many sermons about the flood drove me from the church.

  Later, reading the fundie drivel in alt.atheism hardened my conviction, and made me resolutely determined against the posibility of any such religious weakening in the future. Now, to me, all religion is not only delusional nonsense, it is absolutely an absurdity that should never have been imagined in the first place.

  I am indebted to all of the alt.atheism regulars for their intellectual support. (Clothaire #1392)

• Well, I was having doubts about religion...then I started reading books and magazines about space, stars, etc, and I realized how insignificant people were to the universe. I kind of put that in the back of my head, until I came across an atheist web site, http://www.california.com/~rpcman/FREEDOM.HTM to be exact. I read articles there for a few hours, and finally decided that atheism makes much more sense than religion. Basically, once I admitted to myself that it is possible that my religion was wrong, I became more open minded, and accepted things much easier, then I realized exactly how badly I had been, well, brainwashed into believing that religious crap, and I decided that I was atheist, no doubt about it....

  and that is how I became atheist. (Randomseed #1366)

• It can all be summed up like this: Fortunately, at an early age, I learned the difference between reality and fantasy/wishful thinking. (Keith Brannen #713)

• Agnostic actually. Because, on the evidence, it is the most rational position, and most moral position. (Therion Ware #422)

• I'm an atheist because I don't believe in god(s). I have found no convincing evidence that a god does exist and no compelling reason why it should. In my view the god hypothesis is the product of fear and ignorance. The god idea answers nothing. It is simply a pietistic way of begging any question. (George Ricker #146)

• Because it pissed off my father??

  Seriously.. At the age of 5, I was pressured and pressured to be this christian little boy, and I wanted to make my father happy.. So I did whatever a good little christian boy was supposed to do. I even went to Christian School for my 3rd and 4th grade. My mother kicked out my father when I was 9, and I prayed and prayed to God, asking him all kinds of questions. I was told that I would feel God moving in my life. I never received any answers. I never felt God. Try as I might, I never felt God. After that I pretty much decided that there wasn't a god. He just didn't make sense, which I started feeling after reading the bible for the umpthteen time. As I grew older, I started researching more, hoping that I might have missed something. 9 years later, I've learned that I didn't miss anything. God now is as much bunk as god was then... (Dread #1299)

• I never had a really strong belief in either God or Santa Claus; when I got proof that one didn't exist, I stopped believing in the other as well. It made perfect sense and has led to my quote: "God is Santa Claus for grownups." It still makes perfect sense: Both of them are all-knowing. Both of them reward good behavior and punish bad behavior. Both of them do the impossible. Neither of them are ever seen. (David Bauer #1326)

• Was baptized early on, but developed a habit that seems fatal to the various myths. Started paying attention to what was written, said, & done. Noticed early on it was easy to justify what was done with the writs of the myth, especially xianity. Drew the conclusion I was being lied to & haven't looked back since. Course seeing all the children & people suffering from incurable disease didn't help a loving deity image worth a damn. Being told it was for the best for a god knew best was rather like the icing on a cake. Ther is more of course, but I doubt me I will ever accept xianity for anything but what it is. (walksalone)