No one is born believing in any religion. Religion is taught. Both of my parents aren't religious. Both of them grew up going to church, but both decided that they didn't believe in Christianity by the time they were around 9 or 10.
My parents decided that their children should grow up having the choice of what to believe in. They didn't push us either way. When we'd hear about "God" from other kids, we'd ask them about God and what it meant to sin, etc. My parents always told us that if we wanted to start going to church, we could, but we never did want to. I can't remember a time when I didn't equate religion with fairy tales. It was just something implausible in an old book.
I have an early memory of me talking with my grandmother about how I thought that religious people only believed in God cuz they didn't want to face nothingness after death. My grandmother was both offended, being religious, and impressed at my maturity in coming up with such a theory at such a young age.
Maybe this answers your question. I think people come to Atheism in mostly the same way. When you're mature and intelligent enough to start questioning things and forming opinions, the rational mind realizes we can only know what's knowable, and that everything else is up in the air. Some people, like me, believe anything's possible and choose an agnostic viewpoint, while others choose to believe in science and the provable phenomena and also choose to disbelieve in anything unprovable or implausible. Sorry if this offends, but I believe that only desperate, weak or irrational sheep choose staunch, orthodox religion.
I should also point out that I think one can be both rational and spiritual. Some people can take comfort in things that "might be" not only things that "are". Everyone should believe what makes them feel good and what seems "right" to them.
Why are you atheist? (atheists only please)
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No one is born believing in any religion. Religion is taught. Both of my parents aren't religious. Both of them grew up going to church, but both decided that they didn't believe in Christianity by the time they were around 9 or 10.
My parents decided that their children should grow up having the choice of what to believe in. They didn't push us either way. When we'd hear about "God" from other kids, we'd ask them about God and what it meant to sin, etc. My parents always told us that if we wanted to start going to church, we could, but we never did want to. I can't remember a time when I didn't equate religion with fairy tales. It was just something implausible in an old book.
I have an early memory of me talking with my grandmother about how I thought that religious people only believed in God cuz they didn't want to face nothingness after death. My grandmother was both offended, being religious, and impressed at my maturity in coming up with such a theory at such a young age.
Maybe this answers your question. I think people come to Atheism in mostly the same way. When you're mature and intelligent enough to start questioning things and forming opinions, the rational mind realizes we can only know what's knowable, and that everything else is up in the air. Some people, like me, believe anything's possible and choose an agnostic viewpoint, while others choose to believe in science and the provable phenomena and also choose to disbelieve in anything unprovable or implausible. Sorry if this offends, but I believe that only desperate, weak or irrational sheep choose staunch, orthodox religion.
I should also point out that I think one can be both rational and spiritual. Some people can take comfort in things that "might be" not only things that "are". Everyone should believe what makes them feel good and what seems "right" to them.