How did you become an atheist?

My entire family is still fundamentalist Christian. Bible bashing, young earth creationist types.

I just happen to have the best education out of my entire family and had the balls to actually ask if what I believed was true or not. As soon as you start looking into it, the answer becomes obvious.

I have always been an atheist. My mother was a little religious, and later realized science had more to offer in reality. My father was always neutral and would not support something that was not based on fact and could not be proven.

The majority of religious people are psychologically indoctrinated with religion at an early age. A young mind, along with demons and hellfire is the actual key to religious indoctrination or if you will brainwashing.

I am not sure I simply BECAME an atheist as a choice or decision. I simply do not engage in religion or related ideals, it doesn't mean suddenly that I would ignore friends or others for their involvement in religion. I have a friend whose path lies in the pursuit of a Catholic Priest, it isn't my cup of tea but who asked anyways.

Paradoxes are just that they provide an alternate view, one can choose for themselves if they wanna believe in written words, words from an Elephantine Institution or an organised religion. I decided sometime ago to follow my own path and see the world through my own eyes.

I wouldn't necessarily say that I am an Atheist, I'd say I am a spiritual soul... someone connected to the spirit of this planet.

I was already having trouble with what they were saying in church and what my parents said about God when my sister was born. Things violated logic, made little sense, were immoral but okay for God, stuff like that. My mom was very ill for a long time before she got pregnant with my sister. My other sister and I were prepared by older relatives for her death, for the baby's death. It was explained to us time and again that they were sick and could die. They didn't and I was ready to believe in a miracle. I was so relieved and adored my baby sister, though I was barely able to hold her since I was so little.

Then came her baptism. My mom spent days making us pretty dresses (which was a treat because she usually just bought them) and I was sooo excited. I innocently asked the pastor why she was being baptised and I expected the response, "To thank God she is alive." That's what I thought the big party was for. He said, "So that she can be cleansed of sin and made ready for God."

The shock, I can still remember what it felt like. It felt like cold water in a glass tub had been shattered over me. I was at once disillusioned, offended, and an atheist. My 5-yr-old brain thought of my beloved baby sister and called God out, "That's stupid, she's perfect and a god would know that."

Want to make an atheist? Share your faith with them.

My neighbor, a very brilliant student, recommended I read the essays of David Hume. (She knew I was extremely religious.) So I did. Then I bought a years' membership at the university library where she attended, and read as much as possible about evolution, biology, and science in general. By the end of the year, my faith was gone. Good riddance.

My mom was religious, my dad never talked about his beliefs.

I guess it was when I grew up a bit, at 12. Christianity just didn't sound like the words of an enlightened, all-knowing being. But the words of a primitive culture with a primitive mindset. It was all up hill from there.

For me, it was a natural progression. I also served time in Catholic school. Starting in third grade, I started questioning the validity of the concept of a Judeo-Christian deity having created the earth and mankind. As a high school student, I came to the conclusion that the concept of believing in a deity was simply not for me.

I was raised catholic, but it never made much sense to me. In high school i stopped going to church.

For about 10 years i thought of myself as agnostic. Then at this job i had there was a born-again christian. He was a little nutty. He always had paper work with him, some told him who to vote for, he'd listen to some religious radio....

i then began to realize i was an atheist.

I started using the brain I was born with at about 11 years old after a very unpleasant experience at Sunday school.

Parents were atheists so I was never really indoctrinated into anything. Starting with a clean slate is the way to go.