Those who are atheist...

[Kryptonite]

What made you come to this decision?

[KaYlA_jOe]

im not a athiest so don get mad at me athiest just shootin off wat i think i think athiest loose all hope in god cause some things don happen that they want i once thought i was a athiest cause nothin seemed right at all but idk really

[St.Vincent]

I grew up Atheist because my parents are Atheist and no religion has ever struck me.

[KaYlA_jOe]

thats a very good point

[Jaymz404]

Science.

Science destroyed religon for me.

I use to be naive and a Christian. Then I discovered Science and have never looked back.

My main problem with religion are the major flaws in everything. Science can proove everything. Science has theory, tests, retests, theory adapts.

Religion is one set idea that never ever changes even when contradicting evidence is found.

Religion also is in my mind is,
The route to all evil - It causes so much upset in the world, so many wars. It's done more harm than it has good.

God made men and men made God.

Also if you know what TED is (google it) they did research into the IQ's of people and if it had a direct correlation with beleif. It showed that the higher your IQ the less likley you are to beleive in a higher power such as God. Fact.

You then have The Bible... this book was written by men. It was wrote a minimum of 100 years after the death of Jesus. Jesus was a real man and history backs this up however if you look into history look at other prophets that were arround at the time. There were more than one person that beleived he was the son of God. Jesus was the one that got to be well known. This is something Christians do not go into, But I would urge reasearch this for yourself. These prophets often also preformed miracles such as the water walking and curing lepers.

The Bible then has been edited by Men, translated. Bits added. Bit's removed, by order of kings etc. Also their is a phrase "Lost in translation" it's been translated so many times that things can lose their true meanings. I think to take The Bible litrally you would have to be a fool in my opinion. I think you should appreciate it for it's stories and if you beleive in God I applaud that. I honestly do because it is something that I cannot do because I see far too many flaws and holes, my faith is not strong.

I will leave you with this Diagram.

http://www.guldahl.com/pics/science_vs_religion.jpg

Funny yet accurate.

[Jack]

Because the likelyhood of their being a magic fairy in the sky who knows everything, can do everything (but choses not to do anything) and is everywhere at once but for some inexplicable reason wants humans to live in a certain way and follw certain rules for no very good reason seems very low to me. Science was also a rather major factor. This decision was thrust upon me after being raised as a Christian and then doing a lot of research, reading and independant thought. I've talked to many the priests of various religions and none of them can ever give very convincing answers.

I can see a possibility in there being a God, just not the God any of the organised religions think God is.

[Elf]

I don't think it's accurate to say that I decided to be an athiest. I didn't make up my mind to stop believing in God, it just happened. I've been at Catholic school my whole life, taken courses on the Bible and theology, and I can't convince myself that there is a god out there anymore. Nothing in particular changed things, it's just what happened, you know?

[Vessol]

I was a Christian, then I read the Bible.

[MetalManatee]

Whatever argument religion gives, there is a more convincing argument to my mind, provided by science... "The world can't have just come about by chance"... How do any of us know how many potential world "attempts" there were before our own? There could have been billions upon billions... So due to probabilities, our world really isn't that amazing at all. Maybe it only seems amazing to some people, due to the fact that humans are not as high a life form as we like to think of ourselves as... There could be a plethora of "better worlds" out there, for all we know. When you think of the colossal size of the universe; we really do seem so insignificant and small. God is very often a comfort blanket... If someone feels low, they are told to remember "Jesus loves you" or the equivalent for whatever religion they follow...

Anyway yeah, I could go on for hours, literally, but basically I just have no reason to believe in anything other than what I have experienced first hand... And I do not feel I have experienced a higher power, i.e. God.

[Dream]

I think most atheists are atheists because they want proof of god's existence before they will believe.

[SuthrnSftblGrl]

Originally Posted by Dream

I think most atheists are atheists because they want proof of god's existence before they will believe.

What you're suggesting is someone who is agnostic.

[Hyper Sonic]

Science and the idiotic explanations given by religion really.

People made up a God in the Middle Ages to scare people/make money off people generally to keep people in line or get money and to fill the gaps science couldn't. As science and society have advanced (hand in hand I may add) the need to keep people in line has gone and so religion has been exposed for what it is.

Put it this way: would you rather believe:

Bubonic Plague comes from fleas biting infected rats and then biting humans

OR

Black Death is a punishment from an unseen God

[InSovietRussiaORGASMGotU]

I'm an atheist as the other beliefs and religions I couldn't believe for a minute. Christianity got even less, about 30 seconds. Not only can science explain phenomena without using "because god did it", "god is testing you" or other bullshit but it actually makes sense, can be proven/disproven and applies to countless topics. Also, unlike christianity, it's not loaded with contradictions and absolute nonsense.

The idea of some big, invisible guy who is all-powerful, kind, forgiving seems to love to have people burn and suffer endlessly for not believing in him yet he still loves you is about the first part where I stopped believing. It's hard to believe any of it when it's so loaded full of silly fairytales, contradictions and the majority of the believers are complete idiots or annoying.

[Chelsea.]

many reasons. i could talk about it for hours =/

[Jaymz404]

Well I personally beleive God was made up to Govern people.

The world would of been a barbaric place 2000 years ago, so what I think happened is a bunch of tribal leaders got together and decided that they needed someway of governing people. They came up with God. God is everywhere, he see's everything you do. God is omniscient. If you do bad God is going to get you!

Then they made 10 commandments. Or the 10 laws I like to say.
And here is the best one, maybe forms of the bible have the commandment.
"You shall not kill" - this is wrong. The actual commandment was "You shall not murder"

To murder - to get something for your own personal gain.
To kill - self defense. Forced too etc.

Killing would of been accepted due to the times they lived in, however murder was different. It was an attack for little to no reason, but defending your village against barbarians who came to murder you would be killing.

Then the invention of the Devil would of been born.

If you don't follow the commandments of God and better yet IF you don't beleive in God. You are going to hell!

I could go on for ever but yeah. you get the gist.

[msbunnykins]

What you're suggesting is someone who is agnostic.

But athiests generally don't believe because there is no proof.

[Acheron]

Because there isn't even a scrap of evidence that a god exists.

[Adean]

I realized I didn't agree with the whole concept of people knowing what God wants them to do. Plus the Catholic School taught about how the Bible had different creation myths and acknowledged how the 7 day myth was created to rival the popular myth in Babylon. Seriously, a Catholic religious book taught us that.

[Lozzaa]

I'm atheist (tho i do think i'm part agnostic too) for the pure fact of science. I believe in Science and that is far more powerful (to me) than any religion or bible.

I've put agnostic too, since i dont rule God out. There may be.. but i would need proof. Hence why i think i'm a mix between the two

[Fictional]

I'm an atheist because I just don't believe that there is some all-seeing, all-knowing being in the sky that created us all. Also, if we are to believe the bible, then the human race died out with Adam and Eve's two sons. Tha or we're all actually inbreds.

[LimLight]

Though I am agnostic I sway closer to the side that God does not exist. I think that in order to truly know something we need an impression which is gained through experience. This allows us to create an idea. No person in this world has an impression of God, therefore all ideas we have of him cannot be true because an idea can't be accurate without an impression.

[Dream]

Originally Posted by SuthrnSftblGrl

What you're suggesting is someone who is agnostic.

No, an agnostic is someone who refuses to believe or disbelieve in the existence or non-existence of divinity. I was suggesting that atheists, in general, use knowledge as the requirement for their belief in the non-existence of god. I know that atheism is a belief that cannot be borne out empirically, but that does not stop atheists from basing their beliefs on their perception of empiricism.

[soul]

After Hurricane Katrina destroyed my neighborhood I was in a bad place. I ended up having to go to Catholic school ( I am not Catholic or even Christian( for a little over a month because it was my only option. Being at that school not only destroyed any positive thoughts I had about religion it also took away my belief in God.

[supernoodles]

I have to agree with one of the above posters, that science for me, made it impossible to believe in a higher power. When I was going through a tough patch I was taken to a church and just didn't have a connection with anything, they said to me, you will feel a connection and I didn't, however that may not be a reason to not believe in a higher power.

I believe that if said higher power existed there would be evidence that would prove it, however there is none. Additionally I have a real problem with evangelical churches but that's something I'm not going to go into on here.

[Whaaatever]

Eh, it's probably possible to write a book about why I'm an atheist. I've been studying most of the major religions since I discovered the internet. I found it interesting. Well, the main reason would probably be science for me too. :/.

[Boobies]

science, the state of the world, im lazy...

[Lost and Found]

My dad is an atheist, and he always taught me about things like science and math, and things that made him become an atheist. So now I'm an atheist too. I just don't see a point in dedicating myself to some kind of belief system. There's no reason for me to. I wouldn't get anything out of it.

And plus, I love science, it's an amazing wonderful thing, and the universe. And if it's all explained for you, where's the fun in finding out? The whole universe is like a puzzle that humans haven't come anywhere near to solving. It's fantastic beyond words.

[glamourkills_]

I am an atheist because I see no real proof that there is a God.

[Lorelei]

Originally Posted by Vessol

I was a Christian, then I read the Bible.

There's something so poetic about that. It was the same for me.

[Just Julie]

"there's grandeur in this view of life"- Darwin

All my reasons have been stated by Jaymz.

And in a random infinite universe, with random infinite time, ANYTHING can happen. So why not have us? Statistically it's inevitable that Earth exsists. It's a beautiful thing this world.

[WhySoSerious?]

I think for me, it's just because I'm not capable of believing in a "god" of any kind. My family raised me without a religion but always made it clear that I could do whatever I wanted, so if I wanted to be Catholic or even join Islam or something, they'd be cool with it. But I find that there's too many things wrong with the idea of a higher power. Like, If god loves all his children, why are there starving kids in Africa? And also, people think the notion of faeries is ridiculous so why is an all knowing benevolent being who has unlimited powers so much more believable? To me it feels like beleiving in Santa again. Especially with the whole factor of science and things like that...

[Broken_Smile]

I'm atheist for many reasons:
-science
-I found the bible to be too full of fairytales and jibberish
(no offense to anyone, this is just me!)
-everyone said god would help me with depression, but after being put in hospital for depression twice, there was no magical help whatsover, thus I realized god isn't real
-And I'm furious about the whole "homosexuality being a sin" thing. I refuse to be religious if that's in the bible.
I just got in a relationship with Tiffany (where I live, just to clear up any confusion) and I'm proud she's my girl-friend.

[CoffeeAddict]

I became an atheist because:

-of Science
-there's things in my life that proved to me that there was no God
-there's no proof
-the bible is wack
-it sounds like a whole bunch of fairytales

Jaymz pretty much explained what I feel about it

[Cerne]

I think its interesting that people immediately begin talking about Christianity, and how the Bible is inaccurate, but no one explores any other religions outside of the Abrahamic faiths. How are those religions false? Why is it the first thing that atheists bring up always happens to be Christianity? I think I'll get into that later.

I grew up raised in the Christian church, and then became an atheist during early childhood. It just didn't make sense to me. There was no proof, it seemed like a bunch of people believing in Santa Clause. I felt no real connection with God, and I was disgusted by the bible. The biggest reason though that really turned me off were people within the church. How could an establishment based off of blessing its people with a divine grace manage to create so many twisted, disgusting, and close-minded people? It was true that on rare occasions, there were good Christians (I have come into contact with more and more as time goes. My work with Habitat for Humanity has really surprised me.) but for the most part, they all seem to be misguided. I suspect most of them would be better off without Christ at all, because at least then they couldn't use him as justification to hate and twist his words and intentions.

The logical path for me was Atheism. As I grew older this changed to agnosticism as I realized it made just as little sense for there to be absolutely no creator as there was to be a creator. We're dealing after all, with a situation in which their is no evidence at all supporting or disproving the existance of a higher power. In a situation in which we have absolutely no knowledge, anything is a possibility.

Recently I discovered Wicca (and I'm sure for many atheists out there, this transition is probably very surprising). But I liked it because it was based off of personal experience and responsibility. There is no established religious hierarchy, no text which outlines what you should believe and what you shouldn't. Because it isn't frozen in the time period in which its books were written (like Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Christianity) it is free to change and evolve with the times. I enjoy the fact its a faith composed of scraps from past pagan religions (which to me feel so much more potent than current religions), and it results in a abstract conglomerate which composes my individual belief. No two Wiccan's have the same perspective, and they can be radically different in fact, but still supported in their difference. It also doesn't seek to dominate other faiths through conversion. So for me its been a natural journey. I came to paganism as a counter to the negative influence of Christianity. My faith is based off of more than just that, its based off of my relationship with the divine, but that is something that can't be proved scientifically. Its only something I can express emotionally and spritually, and so I can't really impose my ideas on anyone else. They're secure for me, though they may not seem that way to someone who hasn't had the experiences I have and may lead someone to blow me off and label me as another spiritual coo-coo. XP

From my perspective when I find that atheists talk about not having a connection with "God." I think they just haven't come in contact with the right one. That was the case with me anyway. I find myself so much more fulfilled with my faith then I did as an atheist (though I always rolled my eyes back then when people said that sort of thing), and I hope that they find something that makes them feel complete, whatever path that may be. Even if its remaining an Atheist.

Most people come to atheism as a counter to Christianity. Usually they've had negative experiences with the church, its people, its doctrine, its practices, or any number of things. Almost without exemption it is the Christian church which causes people to be led to this conclussion. Which is sad.

[Marshmello Kid]

Originally Posted by Vessol

I was a Christian, then I read the Bible.

Pretty much.

[_Christ lover-]

for you all what do you think of where the Earth is?

[Elf]

Originally Posted by Cerne

I think its interesting that people immediately begin talking about Christianity, and how the Bible is inaccurate, but no one explores any other religions outside of the Abrahamic faiths. How are those religions false? Why is it the first thing that atheists bring up always happens to be Christianity? ... Most people come to atheism as a counter to Christianity. Usually they've had negative experiences with the church, its people, its doctrine, its practices, or any number of things. Almost without exemption it is the Christian church which causes people to be led to this conclussion. Which is sad.

I actually don't think this assumption is true for most people. For me, at least? I'm not an atheist because the Church and the Christian God didn't work out for me, I'm an atheist because I can't imagine any god or form of spiritual other being out there. And I think the same would apply to people who stopped believing because of science. Wicca, Islam, Hinduism- these religions make as little sense to me as little as Christianity does.

Originally Posted by _Christ lover-

for you all what do you think of where the Earth is?

Emily, this thread isn't about debating whether or not there is a god, or debating reasons for why a god exists. It's asking atheists to explain how their lack of beliefs came about, so please stay on topic.

[Acheron]

Originally Posted by _Christ lover-

for you all what do you think of where the Earth is?

What do you mean?

[_Christ lover-]

Originally Posted by Acheron

What do you mean?

The fact that the Earth is far enough away from the sun so that we don't burn up but yet not so far that we get no light/warmth

[Cerne]

I actually don't think this assumption is true for most people. For me, at least? I'm not an atheist because the Church and the Christian God didn't work out for me, I'm an atheist because I can't imagine any god or form of spiritual other being out there.

And I think the same would apply to people who stopped believing because of science. Wicca, Islam, Hinduism- these religions make as little sense to me as little as Christianity does.

Oh I know this is how most people feel, I felt this way myself. Every religious following made just as little sense to me, especially Wicca (ironically). I'm just trying to say I think it starts with a reaction against the Christian church, and then you take that position against all faiths and everything appears ridiculous and naive, especially their claim of a God whose existance they can't prove. It takes something to alienate you from the mainstream, and its at that point you begin to notice all of the other flaws in their religion and the religions around the world. Or at least it seems that way to me, since so many people reference the bible when they talk about it, or something else that shows a weakness in Christianity (but this could just as much be their reply to Christians, who usually are the ones asking since they're the majority).

It was just an observation really. I feel my path towards Atheism was because of my negative experiences with Christianity, and then at one point everything clicked and I said "Wait, none of this makes sense at all." It seems like other people hint at a similar progression, but maybe I'm just trying to force my experiences on other people's statements.