Atheists/agnostics, why did you become atheist/agnostic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My crazy mom who is the church lady. Growing up with her and her demanding that I believe everything she did was enough to turn me off of it forever.

I suspect that it just wasn't your nature to believe.

and the demanding didn't help matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My crazy mom who is the church lady. Growing up with her and her demanding that I believe everything she did was enough to turn me off of it forever.

I suspect that it just wasn't your nature to believe.

and the demanding didn't help matters.

DP. My parents used to joke about the “god gene”, but I actually totally reject the notion that some people are born to believe in a god. This is not an inherited trait, it’s a learned one.

[Anonymous]

Eventually you realize that the difference between religion and mythology is exactly zero. They are identical.

The absurdity of ancient Egyptian mythology being real is as absurd as Christian/Jewish/Muslim/Hindu stories being real.

Sure they may have some nice parables and convey some valuable messages - same as in ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian, etc. But it's absurd to think of any of those gods, stories, origin stories, or afterlife ideas as actually real.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My crazy mom who is the church lady. Growing up with her and her demanding that I believe everything she did was enough to turn me off of it forever.

I suspect that it just wasn't your nature to believe.

and the demanding didn't help matters.

DP. My parents used to joke about the “god gene”, but I actually totally reject the notion that some people are born to believe in a god. This is not an inherited trait, it’s a learned one.

I think people are born with or without the proclivity to believe - just as people are born with or without musical talent, etc. Then, depending on your circumstances, you can develop your talent or not - or be forced, let's say, to take piano lessons, but never are very good at it.

I do know that some people just feel that there's "something" out there, even if they don't follow a particular religion. And others have no sense of heavenly beings even if they were raised in a religion and forced to engage in religious rituals.

[Anonymous]

Because when I asked what god was, my mom explained that it was an omni-present, all-seeing creator watching over us and I was so very deeply disturbed by that thought.
But I come from a much, much less religious country and don't know how I would've shaped up had I grown up here. I find it very difficult to adjust to the level of religiosity in the U.S.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My crazy mom who is the church lady. Growing up with her and her demanding that I believe everything she did was enough to turn me off of it forever.

I suspect that it just wasn't your nature to believe.

and the demanding didn't help matters.

DP. My parents used to joke about the “god gene”, but I actually totally reject the notion that some people are born to believe in a god. This is not an inherited trait, it’s a learned one.

I think people are born with or without the proclivity to believe - just as people are born with or without musical talent, etc. Then, depending on your circumstances, you can develop your talent or not - or be forced, let's say, to take piano lessons, but never are very good at it.

I do know that some people just feel that there's "something" out there, even if they don't follow a particular religion. And others have no sense of heavenly beings even if they were raised in a religion and forced to engage in religious rituals.

“All through my life I've had this strange unaccountable feeling that something was going on in the world, something big, even sinister, and no one would tell me what it was."
"No," said the old man, "that's just perfectly normal paranoia. Everyone in the Universe has that.”
- Douglas Adams, H2G2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My crazy mom who is the church lady. Growing up with her and her demanding that I believe everything she did was enough to turn me off of it forever.

I suspect that it just wasn't your nature to believe.

and the demanding didn't help matters.

DP. My parents used to joke about the “god gene”, but I actually totally reject the notion that some people are born to believe in a god. This is not an inherited trait, it’s a learned one.

I think people are born with or without the proclivity to believe - just as people are born with or without musical talent, etc. Then, depending on your circumstances, you can develop your talent or not - or be forced, let's say, to take piano lessons, but never are very good at it.

I do know that some people just feel that there's "something" out there, even if they don't follow a particular religion. And others have no sense of heavenly beings even if they were raised in a religion and forced to engage in religious rituals.

And there are those who go along with whatever they're taught as children, then change when they are older and can think for themselves and make changes on their own. Some may stay with their childhood religion, or switch to something else that more suits their own personality, or stop religious practice all together.

Such behavior doesn't' make much of a case for there being "one true religion" -- it's more like "whatever turns you on" or whatever society encourages.

[Anonymous]

If someone who believes in one god has to disavow another god, they essentially also deny their own belief in the same process.

I became an atheist when I realized that all of these “traditions” were made up. Like literally just made up.

So that the church could make money.

And that was just that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I realized that religion is completely manmade.

I mean really when you think about it, what on earth makes Islam, Christianity, Judaism (etc) more plausible than Greek gods and mythology, or ancient Egyptian? Or why is monotheism any more plausible than polytheism?

The stories, the concepts of an afterlife, and so on are not any more believable (and in many cases, obviously borrowed and built upon).

People create and tell stories to have a sense of order. To structure what they feel is chaotic in the universe. Which is fine... but it's just a story in the absence of (or before) scientific understanding. Or to give comfort. But it's all completely manmade.

+1 this

Honestly, the Greek stories are way better than the Christian stories

You mean Greek mythology, right? That's what we call what they considered their religion. Someday, children will study Christian mythology the way we studied Greek and Roman mythology.

I'm totally going to start calling it that when discussing with my kids.

Also include Jewish mythology, when teaching your kids about the Old testament stories. There is also Jewish history, which includes persecution through the centuries, based on the Christian mythology that the Jews killed Jesus.

Any book recommendations?

Didn't Elie Weisel write Tales of the Hasidim? I first heard some of those on the radio on a long road trip (it was pretty amazing, it was Easter Sunday, saw the sun coming up, it was in the West in a remote area, and it was followed by a program of Native American singing and drumming). Then I read them. I was pretty well on my way to agnosticism by then but what hit me was how the Hasidic tradition had tons of miracles just like Christianity did. I didn't dismiss the religiousness of the Hasids but it kind of clinched for me that there was not just one thing out there. The stories are awesome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If someone who believes in one god has to disavow another god, they essentially also deny their own belief in the same process.

I became an atheist when I realized that all of these “traditions” were made up. Like literally just made up.

So that the church could make money.

And that was just that.

Yup. Just some dudes sitting around making it up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If someone who believes in one god has to disavow another god, they essentially also deny their own belief in the same process.

I became an atheist when I realized that all of these “traditions” were made up. Like literally just made up.

So that the church could make money.

And that was just that.

Yup. Just some dudes sitting around making it up.

In fairness, some people really do think they've had a revelation. and want to spread the good news to others, to help in their salvation.

But still, it's all made up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Didn't Elie Weisel write Tales of the Hasidim? I first heard some of those on the radio on a long road trip (it was pretty amazing, it was Easter Sunday, saw the sun coming up, it was in the West in a remote area, and it was followed by a program of Native American singing and drumming). Then I read them. I was pretty well on my way to agnosticism by then but what hit me was how the Hasidic tradition had tons of miracles just like Christianity did. I didn't dismiss the religiousness of the Hasids but it kind of clinched for me that there was not just one thing out there. The stories are awesome.

No, that was Martin Buber.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My crazy mom who is the church lady. Growing up with her and her demanding that I believe everything she did was enough to turn me off of it forever.

I suspect that it just wasn't your nature to believe.

and the demanding didn't help matters.

DP. My parents used to joke about the “god gene”, but I actually totally reject the notion that some people are born to believe in a god. This is not an inherited trait, it’s a learned one.

I think people are born with or without the proclivity to believe - just as people are born with or without musical talent, etc. Then, depending on your circumstances, you can develop your talent or not - or be forced, let's say, to take piano lessons, but never are very good at it.

I do know that some people just feel that there's "something" out there, even if they don't follow a particular religion. And others have no sense of heavenly beings even if they were raised in a religion and forced to engage in religious rituals.

“All through my life I've had this strange unaccountable feeling that something was going on in the world, something big, even sinister, and no one would tell me what it was."
"No," said the old man, "that's just perfectly normal paranoia. Everyone in the Universe has that.”
- Douglas Adams, H2G2

In my experience, the "something out there" that people talk about is a calming, protective influence that makes people feel good when they really need it. They really do feel watched over. Whether they actually are or not doesn't seem to be the issue.

I have felt calm come over me in difficult situations, but it didn't occur to me (and still doesn't) that it's something supernatural. It's a psychological coping response.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If someone who believes in one god has to disavow another god, they essentially also deny their own belief in the same process.

I became an atheist when I realized that all of these “traditions” were made up. Like literally just made up.

So that the church could make money.

And that was just that.

Yup. Just some dudes sitting around making it up.

In fairness, some people really do think they've had a revelation. and want to spread the good news to others, to help in their salvation.

But still, it's all made up.

NP.

The people who "really thought they had a revelation" were what we'd call 'seriously mentally ill' today. They may have been well intentioned, but they had schizophrenia, hallucinating, or had some other brain breakdown.

I think some other people had motivations to "make things up" - things that benefited them, their subset of people, or the hierarchy.

When you realize how similar they are in how all religions were made up... there's no going back. The veil has been lifted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If someone who believes in one god has to disavow another god, they essentially also deny their own belief in the same process.

I became an atheist when I realized that all of these “traditions” were made up. Like literally just made up.

So that the church could make money.

And that was just that.

Yup. Just some dudes sitting around making it up.

In fairness, some people really do think they've had a revelation. and want to spread the good news to others, to help in their salvation.

But still, it's all made up.

NP.

The people who "really thought they had a revelation" were what we'd call 'seriously mentally ill' today. They may have been well intentioned, but they had schizophrenia, hallucinating, or had some other brain breakdown.

I think some other people had motivations to "make things up" - things that benefited them, their subset of people, or the hierarchy.

When you realize how similar they are in how all religions were made up... there's no going back. The veil has been lifted.

No going back for some people, but it's pretty hard to lift the veil when you really, really want to believe something, or when society is saying you must believe it or else be ostracized.