"What happened to you?!"

[i_like_neurons]

Yesterday when I was walking to my car, a girl approached me and told me she was from a local Christian church; she asked me if I had a moment to talk about my religious beliefs. When I told her that I'm atheist, she gave a mortified look and said, "Oh no! What happened to you?" ...as if atheism can only arise from some great atrocity. I responded "I educated myself," and walked away.

On that note, out of curiosity, what influenced you guys to become atheist? Did you come from religious backgrounds and later convert? If so, why?

[GrinningYMIR]

My folks are somewhat religious, but my dad hated church and my mom didn't feel like going ever. they got more religious when I came out as an atheist to them. I went through a crisis of faith when I was younger but had virtually come to terms with being an atheist by 17, been a few years since then..I guess I never truly believed, I just needed to admit it to myself

[dtq123]

I studied with the bible myself. Every. Single. Verse.

[Hydra009]

On that note, out of curiosity, what influenced you guys to become atheist?

Deist arguments against Christianity in particular and a personal god in general that made a little too much sense.  Later on, exposure to atheist arguments against theism.  Found the standard Christian apologetics risable.

[Atheon]

1. Growing up in a non-religious household, hanging around with non-religious friends, and attending non-religious schools.

2. When we visited my grandparents, they would pray before meals, have "devotions" and take us to church, and I concluded pretty quickly that it was all totally pointless (not to mention boring and a waste of time).

3. Getting connected to the Internet: reading atheist websites and finding the alt.atheism newsgroup. This touched off my decision to call myself an "atheist" rather than an "agnostic".

[Munch]

The girl your talking about must have been taught that atheism is a disease of some kind, I'd love to get that reaction from the old farts who sell the watchtower magazines at my door.

As for me, it was a general and natural progression, my family was never religious, even my drunk father. I learned even my grandfather was someone who applied reason and logic instead of believing in the bible. Though I was taught about religion in school, and in the past sometimes prayed to God when things got rough, I learned there was never an answer given to any prayers.

The big turning from questioning and haphazardly believing to now straight up atheist came over years of reading and watching Christian oppression against gay people, how whenever there were anti gay laws or actions taken, Christianity was always at the front of it, it all the Bullshit of God and Jesus loving you but hating gay people, that's when I delved into all the inconsistencies in the bible, and realized how fucked up not just Christianity, but all religions were.

Now when I read stories of gay people becoming Christian or Muslim, it often overwhelms me with regret. I've even questioned people I know, how can they follow such a belief system that uses whatever means it can to persecute what you naturally are.

Anyway, yeah, this is also why I've managed to see what an absolute moron my aunt is, who is a religious ass  kisser and evolution denier

[Sal1981]

I was a believer but unbound myself and became an atheist after 4 grueling years of self-doubt and fear of Hell-fire from 13 to 17 years old. It started with a re-reading of the two sets of The Ten Commandments, but not until my 5th read-through of the Bible. It wasn't that there are two versions of The Ten Commandments in itself that made me atheist, but it was what got the ball rolling.

[Hijiri Byakuren]

On that note, out of curiosity, what influenced you guys to become atheist?

I've basically always been one. For as long as I've been old enough to figure out what I really believe, those beliefs have not included a god. The reason is because of critical thinking skills taught to me by my dad throughout my childhood. The most my mother ever did to try and make me Christian was to take me to church and teach me to pray. Church just bored me to tears, and the praying lessons never stuck.

I think the biggest factor was when I was 8. My dad would still read to me before bed, and for shits and giggles I asked him to read the Bible. Even at the age of 8 it sounded stupid.

[Solitary]

Ever since I was 6 years old I have been an atheist because everything about a God or gods is so silly. Come on, talking burning bushes, talking serpents and donkeys, along with a woman made from a man's rib, by a God that has the power to create the universe  and talks to other gods. Anyone that believes these stories past 12 years old is an idiot, or brain washed at an early age. In fact, we are all atheist before we are taught about gods, goddesses, and God----isn't this obvious that they are man made fairy tales to scare children to behave like all fairy tales are? Solitary

[Brian37]

Yesterday when I was walking to my car, a girl approached me and told me she was from a local Christian church; she asked me if I had a moment to talk about my religious beliefs. When I told her that I'm atheist, she gave a mortified look and said, "Oh no! What happened to you?" ...as if atheism can only arise from some great atrocity. I responded "I educated myself," and walked away.

On that note, out of curiosity, what influenced you guys to become atheist? Did you come from religious backgrounds and later convert? If so, why?

That is typical evolutionary tribalism. Humans are pattern seekers, and can center their group think around a completely false idea. Much like the ancient Egyptians falsely believed in their polytheism for 3,000 years. You don't fit into the majority social norms in her eyes so you are a threat to what she believes. Her reaction, while merely words, is still the same reaction that will cause nuts in the east to arrest and or murder apostates.

It is still her baggage and not yours. Many of us here have gone through similar things. I have had a guy try to have me fired from a job because his son saw the word "atheist" on my vehicle. Had another guy yell at me "WHY DON'T YOU BELIEVE, WHY DON'T YOU BELIEVE" upon seeing the same bumper sticker at a laundromat.

Others in the world have it worse. Muslims in the east will kill other Muslims for being the wrong sect, as well as wanting to go after Jews, Christians, atheists and gays.

The only difference between the west and the east is 200 years of a secular leash on religion in the west.

It basically amounts to humans in general don't like having their social norms challenged. If our species never questioned social norms our species never would have left the caves.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

Yesterday when I was walking to my car, a girl approached me and told me she was from a local Christian church; she asked me if I had a moment to talk about my religious beliefs. When I told her that I'm atheist, she gave a mortified look and said, "Oh no! What happened to you?" ...as if atheism can only arise from some great atrocity. I responded "I educated myself," and walked away.

On that note, out of curiosity, what influenced you guys to become atheist? Did you come from religious backgrounds and later convert? If so, why?

You should have told her you prayed that you could become a heathen and your prayers were answered and by golly with god all things are possible. Now I'm praying for you to become an atheist too!

[SNP1]

On that note, out of curiosity, what influenced you guys to become atheist? Did you come from religious backgrounds and later convert? If so, why?

I was really curious, asked questions about Christianity while I was a devout Christian that I never got a decent answer for. My brother became an atheist and a follower of Ancient Aliens, which got me to think more about Christianity and eventually reject it. I still believed in god, but didn't know which god to believe in. I kept getting more educated in science, history, philosophy, etc. and ended up watching some debates (Hitchens, Dawkins, Krauss, etc.). I eventually became an atheist when theistic arguments kept getting more and more ridiculous.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Yesterday when I was walking to my car, a girl approached me and told me she was from a local Christian church; she asked me if I had a moment to talk about my religious beliefs. When I told her that I'm atheist, she gave a mortified look and said, "Oh no! What happened to you?" ...as if atheism can only arise from some great atrocity. I responded "I educated myself," and walked away.

I told a young lady I was an atheist and she said, after a moment's pause, "Well, it happens. People get abused..."

She didn't ask if I was ever religious, she didn't ask if I was ever abused. She made assumptions based on her own bias. The sad thing is this lady works for a science education entity.

[Mr.Obvious]

I realized at some point that my beliefs were equally unproven as those that I ridiculed and writ off for being unproven, such as telepathy or the ability to see the future and whatever. Being a stubborn guy, however, I wouldn't just admit I'd been wrong for so long. So I started reading more about the subject, trying to prove I was right. But any discussion i heard or followed just made me doubt christianity more. Eventualy I started reading the bible, trying to get to the foundation and also to be able to call myself a self-respecting christian. After all, I was 18 or so, had called myself a christian for most of my life and hadn't even read the bible... what was up with that? I didn't get past the third or fourth book before I got rid of it out of disgust.

[aitm]

Mine was more of the typical response most xians would have in a retort. "Oh, so you hate God". That is pretty much how it started. A friend of mine whose family was very religious, and a very nice family as well sister had a child that was mongloid. The girl was crying in the hall and I asked her what was wrong and she said, "my niece was born retarded....why us? We didn't do anything wrong"? That really stuck with me because if any family should have gotten gods grace it would be these folks. So that set me back a touch. And then two years later I asked a junior to the prom, ( I was a sophomore) and she was damn cute, one day before the prom, she got sick, went to the hospital and died 12 hours later of spinal meningitis. That pissed me off because she was also a good little church girl as well as her family being active and a great family as well. So I took stock of it, what the fuck good is this god if all that prayer is useless?

After that I got serious about religion and started to study it more and after reading the babble a couple times and taking notes decided that, "this is the biggest fucking fraud ever perpetuated on the human race".