Where you born atheist or did you choose to be that way?

Everyone is born an atheist, and religion, or religious views are taught.

For many religious people, they are taught their religion at a very young age so they accept it as 'truth'. They are too young to ask any questions of doubt. Unfortunately, many religions threaten severe pain and punishment for those who do not believe. This restricts a person from questioning what they believe in.

That is a form of mind control and some will agree, child abuse.

Well, surely *everyone* is born without any idea in any faith beyond the fact that their Mum sticks milk in them if they make a loud noise, aren't they?

I was brought up a Catholic until I was old enough to argue back, and then I became an atheist - and that was my own choice - at around 7 years old.

We're all born Atheist.

Can't really answer the question, since I can't remember what I thought when I was a baby. I'd imagine that I didn't yet have the capacity to believe or disbelieve in God, I only knew what my instincts told me (and I doubt we have a "God" instinct, with the possible exception of seeing our parents as some kind of powerful deity -- in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if belief in God is, in part, psychologically influenced by the way we as a society approach child-raising, but that's neither here nor there).

I was raised Christian, but I didn't 'choose' to become an atheist. It just kind of happened. I can't force myself to believe in something.

Well, I don't know if I was born this way, but I was already an atheist at the age of 1. I slept through the whole ceremony of baptism even when the priest was ducking me into water. =))) I already though that religion was not worth of any attention.

When I was born, I had no idea there were a "supposed" God. I was raised as a Catholic but I consider myself an atheist or agnostic now. I refuse to be that gullible and believe in something I've never seen.

Does anyone really choose their beliefs? I'm not really sure how to answer that question, I don't really know what is meant by choice when you're talking about beliefs of that nature. I may choose to eat chocolate ice cream rather than vanilla, but do I choose to like it more? In the same way that you can choose to go to church or not, but are you really choosing whether you believe? Can you just make another choice on the spur of the moment? I'm not sure whether the subjective impression of choice is really relevant in making those sorts of decisions...

i think i was born as an atheist, then around the age of 3 i became catholic, around the age of 12 i became atheist again.

I was born human!

Atheist by birth, atheist by nature, atheist by right!

We're all born atheists, religion, or lack of, is learned.