NationStates Jolt Archive

I beg those who do not agree with this opinion to ignore this thread. Don't turn this into a flame war(God exists! No he doesn't! Yes, he does! You're stupid! Go screw a horse!, etc.) I do not want to turn this into a debate, just answer the questions if you will.

I am an atheist, like many around here. Now I have a few questions for you:
1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

I shall now try to answer my own questions(not that anyone cares, but anyhow)
1. It was just a few months ago I'd say I became atheist, before that I was just skeptical. I am 17.

2. I have always been skeptical but the thing that really turned me into an atheist is the bible itself. I believe Asimov was right when he said it was the most potent weapon for atheism, when read correctly. To be specific the Revelations really made me laugh on the inside. I cannot believe in someone who seem to think the drying out of the Euphrates is a disaster for everyone, the authors of the bible(believed to be around 70 different people) probably thought the area around the Middle-East was the entrie world. What is more interesting is that God is supposed to be infallible, pure goodness. Yet he needs a cult of personality demanding constant worshipping. I keep on studying the bible to find more interesting stuff. But the bible was the thing that made me into 100% atheist.

3. I believe that once you are dead your body decomposes in your grave and you are no more. I don't think that there is a paradise or hell(except certain places on Earth ;) ).

4. Since I currently go to school in the conservative American Midwest I keep it to myself and online forums. When I get back to Sweden I believe I will reveal my secret identity!

5. I believe that some passages in the bible might be truth, though maybe written in a more poetic form disguising it as madness. I can't believe Revelations though.


Again, please just answer if you are atheist. DON'T FLAME! Please!

OhmygodI'mnotatheist.

1. About age six. Around the time I realised I was gay, and that it wasn't "bad" as the bible claimed, thus proving it was not infallible.
2. Realisation of the absurdities of most theology.
3. No.
4. Parents are both atheists, as are most friends. I know very little religious people.
5. I believe there is some relevance in the bible, but not nessecarily "truth."

Well, I don't fit the atheist category that well though some seem to think I'm one... regardless, I don't think i'm the sort of person you're aiming to keep out of this thread so I'll post anyway.

One of your statements confuses me. You say that you hide your atheism because you are going to school “in the conservative midwest,” as do I. In my experience, at least, campuses even in the midwest are traditionally a hotbed of atheism, perhaps even more so than progressive european countries like your own. Hell, my school functionally doesn't even have a chapel. The kinds of universities that, in my experience, would be likely to hold more religious types (more specifically, the religious types who would have a problem with you being atheist, an outspoken minority) are not the types of universities that would commonly draw foreign students, particularly european students. Are you an exception, just unlucky, or what?

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?


I can't remember exactly, but it was a while ago. My father is an agnostic, and my mother is a former Anglican who rejected her religion but remained a believer. I was raised to believe in God, until one day I started thinking about it for myself.


2. How did you become an atheist?


It probably helped that I wasn't raised in any particular religion. In any case, I gradually started thinking the whole thing through thoroughly, wondered whether the notion of a god made any logical sense to me, and finally arrived at the conclusion that it didn't.


3. Do you believe in an afterlife?


No. Mainly because the idea of a soul makes no sense whatsoever, to me at least.


4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?

My parents don't mind it at all. Nor do my friends. If they were constantly trying to convert me, they wouldn't be my friends anyway. ;)


5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?


If you mean literal truth, probably very little. I will admit, though, that if you consider it as mere parables, it can be the basis for some interesting thinking.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
0 years old. My familly didn't have any religious beliefs, so none were forced onto me.
2. How did you become an atheist?
See above.
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
That's a stupid question to ask an aethiest. Of course I don't. Modern science has proved that your mind and thoughts are created by the nueral pathways in the brain beyond reasonable doubt. For example, if your brain is damaged your mind is damaged, if you stimulate parts of the brain artificailly it causes a reaction in the mind and you can read different electrical signals depending on a person's thoughts. No brain, no neural pathways, no memories, no you.
Personally I think people should grow up and accept their own mortality. It gives you a whole new respect and appreciation for life.
4. What do people around you think about you (parents, friends, neighbours)?
They are all athiest as well, except one of my grandmothers and some other members of my father's side, and they never go to church. To be honest, I think they are only religious out of habit and because they think its 'a good thing to be' rather than actual solid belief.
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?
Well, I suppose anything that long most have some correct details in it. Of course, even aside from the supernatural tales, historical details in it are very inaccurate. For example, slaves in Egypt, ect.
If you are reffering to moral and sociological ideals, I think it does more harm than good. There are many Christians who don't seem to know what morality actually is. For example, those who say homosexuality is immoral when in fact it doesn't acually hurt anyone at all, ect.

1. I was 17 and I was taking classes on evolution during my freshman year at the university. I had fought with my parents for many years, though, from sending me to private Christian schools, upsetting them even at the age of eight by saying, "I don't wanna go somewhere where I have to learn about GOOOOD all day!" I always looked down on religious people, feeling as if I knew the secret that they were too stupid to find out about.

2. I started getting into conversations about evolution and finally proclaimed one night at a Starbucks, "How can you SAY that?! GOD DOESN'T EXIST!! It's all fucking SCIENCE!!" My realization.

3. I believe that when you die, you die. It all goes black, your body dies, and so does any part of you.

4. I don't proclaim to be an atheist unless someone asks me straight-out. My friends are okay with me being one and my mother thinks I'm just as wrong as the crazy bible-thumpers who preach downtown about the coming of Jesus.

5. The Bible says whateeeever you want it to say. You can take everything out of context and you can pick and choose what you believe. The Bible is a load of made up stories meant for people to learn how "the way things should be" and is just a pointless load of shit. I like to take the "New Testaments" handed out by the old men trying to convert the kids on campus and rip out the pages in front of them and throw it down on the ground. I've done this once, after months of wanting to do it, and felt proud of myself...and also like an ass, so I never did it again! *laughs*

And a question for the original poster...

Är du svensk eller? Jag var utbytesstudent typ, fyra år sen, i Stockholm! =D

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?

Always have been - my parents were non-religious. i have made a concious decision to stay athiest (well actually agnostic...) after i have felt vaguely drawn towards religion at a couple of points.


2. How did you become an atheist?

see above


3. Do you believe in an afterlife?

no.


4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?

i think i might have one friend who is religious... maybe. i think he used to be a methodist but i don't think he cares anymore. i think my mate's girlfriend might be orthadox christian, too. i used to know a Hindu at school.
remember that only around 10% of the UK population says they are religious, and i'm sure that's made up of a large amount of old people.


5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

i believe there are lessons to be learned from it, just as there are from any 'holy book'. of course, like with the others, there are things to be ignored, too. i believe Jesus, if he existed, had some very good ideas.
however, i don't think there is any truth in the Church.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?

A rather peculair question, as one is born atheist. One is born, in my view, with a healthy longing towards greater understanding, and God does not come into the picture unless society introduces it. I became self-conscious of the concept 'Death', and remaining free of the concept of God for some time, as I simply did not understand it for some time, I have always been atheist.

2. How did you become an atheist?

I was raised liberal, and formed my own concept of death, without religion, simply the well-known 'void'. From there I studied various theologies, and arrived at what I am now. No doubt I will continue to change

3. Do you believe in an afterlife?

No, I do not. I do believe that the brain can remain active for some time after the heart stops, and this is one of the reasons why I wish to be cremated. The thought of being able to think at some degree for weeks, and somehow knowing I'm dead seems horrifying.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?

From the feedback I have received, most view me as being an intelligent person, wise beyond his years. However, I do not at all find it interesting what others think of me. What I do find interesting, however, is what they think about my religion, and the things I regulary think about. This, I try to discuss as often as I can.

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

I believe there is a possibility that God exists, but I do not believe he exists. Thus, I do not believe that the Bible is in fact the Holy Scripture, containing Truth, although I am open to the possibility. Further, as history is an uncertainty, I'm not sure about the historic facts presented in it as such facts, but I do know that some of them are dubious.

--
On a personal note, I'm filosophically inspired by Nietzsche and by Principia Discordia. I believe in a 'no worries' attitude, and from that perspective seeking the moral values most likely to suit yourself. I believe that religion or filosophy should be a personal quest for life-enrichment, and I dedicate my own development to that goal.

Mr U
HomoUniversalis

1. about eighteen
2. I talked to god, but i got no answer.
3. no
4. I'm a nut/looser/asshole/wrong by nature
5. no

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
I never believed in a god or gods. i.e. I was always atheist.

2. How did you become an atheist?
See the above question.

3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
No, but if one existed I'd embrace it.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
As an atheist, they couldn't care less.

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?
There may be, but it's mostly exaggerations, parables, and law codes.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?


1 I don't really remember. Maybe 20.

2 I was studying different religions and religious beleifs in an effort to get closer to god. I stumbled upon atheist newsgroups, and started reading them because I wanted to see how any sane person could deny the existance of god. After reading what the atheists posted and what the theists posted I realized the atheists made more sense.

3 No afterlife. When we die our personality is lost.

4 People mostly accept that I'm an atheist, but I can't be really "out" about it because I'm a member of BPOE and they only allow theists as members. I'm tolerated as long as I don't go around waving a sign or something.

5 Some historical truth is found in the bible.

4 People mostly accept that I'm an atheist, but I can't be really "out" about it because I'm a member of BPOE and they only allow theists as members. I'm tolerated as long as I don't go around waving a sign or something.
whats the BPOE? unless its some kind of religious institution, why would they disallow athiests membership? :confused:
isn't that discriminatory?

whats the BPOE? unless its some kind of religious institution, why would they disallow athiests membership? :confused:
isn't that discriminatory?
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. It's a lodge. They stress good citizenship, service to handicapped people, helping kids stay off of drugs, and getting drunk on cheap drinks while watching football, NASCAR, and playing Golden Tee 2005. One of the prerequisites for membership is beleif in a supreme being, but it's not a religious organization.

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. It's a lodge. They stress good citizenship, service to handicapped people, helping kids stay off of drugs, and getting drunk on cheap drinks while watching football, NASCAR, and playing Golden Tee 2005. One of the prerequisites for membership is beleif in a supreme being, but it's not a religious organization.
sounds like a decent organisation, but a prerequisite of religious belief is just... odd. in one sense its clearly discrimination against non-religious types (i'm sure it wouldn't be allowed here in the UK)

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?

I think i was about 8 when i realised my sunday school teacher was full of crap because she couldnt answer my questions about god, and neither could any religious people i asked them to.

2. How did you become an atheist?

religion made no sence to me

3. Do you believe in an afterlife?

no strong feelings either way, its sort of hard to prove that there is/isnt one.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?

parents dont really care because not religious, same with friends, my city isnt exaclty the vatican or anything.

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

I tend to think of it as i would think of the illiad or the tale of jason and the argonauts, good story, probally based on a true story origionally, but has been "big fished" (this big, then this big, then this big etc etc).

It strikes me as funny that Atheists want us Theists to stay away from their thread but when a Theist writes a thread for Theists only the brownshirt Atheist SA storm in all guns blazing. Hypocrisy? Indeed.

I know. I'm an atheist, but if you post a thread, you can't tell certain people not to post in it. This is hypocracy.

I beg those who do not agree with this opinion to ignore this thread. Don't turn this into a flame war(God exists! No he doesn't! Yes, he does! You're stupid! Go screw a horse!, etc.) I do not want to turn this into a debate, just answer the questions if you will.

I am an atheist, like many around here. Now I have a few questions for you:
1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

1. 16, last year.
2. I saw the massive hypocracy in pretty much all major religions, and how none of them actually explained in any factual way the mysteries of life. I therefore concluded that all religion is a waste of my time to believe in.
3. Not at all. This life is it, live it up!
4. My family doesn't know, my friends seem ok with it, even though I go to a Catholic school.
5. No. It is all a good myth/story. I belive Jesus probably existed, but he was not the Son of God or anything like that: Just the first communist! ^.^

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

1. Four. I reportedly told my father in the car on the way to Devon about 2 months after my fourth birthday "God's a nice idea really, but I can't believe it." :p
2. Simply through realising there's no more reason to believe in god than there is to believe there are 15 invisible mongooses behind me as I'm typing this, and that there being a god doesn't quite work...
3. No. After we die, we cease to function, and end up as a motionless clump of solids and fluids. Why should there be an afterlife?
4. As I live in Britain, which I think is 2/3 atheist, I'm not frowned upon. My parents are atheist, as are most of my relatives, except for my sister (who I think wants there to be a god but doesn't really believe....) and my grandparents, of whom one is Christian, the other a Jew. My neighbours I'm not sure about (one's only just moved in and the others had been renting it out, so I haven't had much of a chance to find out), and all of my friends don't believe in [a] God.
5. Yes. We know that a man called Jesus existed, whether or not he was the son of god is unknown. Many Roman sources, trustworthy and untrustworthy, speak of a Jesus.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
Around the age of 5 and I am currently 17.

2. How did you become an atheist?
I went to church when I was 5 and I just couldn't believe what was being preeched. So I just told my parents I didn't believe in god and I didn't want to go to church anymore. A few years later I completed the bible just to see if it would change my mind. It didn't. It only strengthened my disbelief.

3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
No.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
My family isn't particularly religious but more spritual so they are accepting. I recently lost a friend over an argument about religion. I don't know any of my neighbors.

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?
I believe there may be some hints of truth in the bible about specific events, however the mystical and magical nonsense is what turns me off.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
I was about 22.

2. How did you become an atheist?
It was a purely intellectual process. I basically knew the churches were full of crap, but still thought there might be something to the whole god thing. Then I read "Holy Blood, Holy Grail." The second half of the book deals with some well-known problems with the Jesus story, but it was the first time I'd ever heard of any of it. I found myself double-checking every reference to see if they were right.. and they were. There really wasn't anything left for Christianity to stand on at that point.

3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
Life goes on after death, except your own.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
It's not an issue with my friends, who are anything from atheists to Wiccans anyway. I don't bring it up with my neighbors. My family is pretty upset.

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?
The Bible is pure legend, and only has use as a historical document for understanding the context upon which cultures based their decisions, and where they got their motivations. Occasionally one of those legends contains a nugget of historical fact, which can be useful from time to time, particularly from an archaeological perspective.

But it's damnably thin on truth.

sounds like a decent organisation, but a prerequisite of religious belief is just... odd. in one sense its clearly discrimination against non-religious types (i'm sure it wouldn't be allowed here in the UK)
It's a private organization, so they're free to choose their members.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?

8th grade, so...13?

2. How did you become an atheist?

There was no real jumping point. I was never highly religious, and I cant remember when I first started considering myself as such, though I remember writing the word atheist first in 8th grade, in reference to myself.

3. Do you believe in an afterlife?

No.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?

My friends are pretty cool with it, and my neighbors are mostly my friends. My mom thinks its just a phase, she's in denial. My dad... I dont think he even knows, not that I hide it or anything.

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

Probably some. None of the religious stuff, but certain people, places, etc are probably true. Its hard to write a book that long that is 100% fiction, especially without a computer.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?


1. I have been an atheist all my life.
2. I was brought up an atheist, and when I was able to make an informed decision for myself I decided that God didn't make much sense.
3. No, but it'd be nice if there was one. Unless the Bible's right and I'll be burned in eternal fire, etc, etc.
4. Parents are atheists; most of the (religious) members of my family seem fine with it. However, some of my friends appeared genuinely shocked when they found out that I didn't believe in God; some even made the instant assumption I must therefore worship the devil (serious lack of education there, in my opinion). People have tried to convert me since, although (I hope) they were only joking, and they haven't given me a good reason to convert yet. Most of my close friends now accept it, and I have a few atheist friends.
5. I expect so. A little. I believe Jesus existed, but he most certainly was not the Son of God. He was just a political and religious leader, who had some good ideas and was executed because of them.

1)I was a christian up untill about 13, agnostic till 19, now I'm definately an atheist.

2)I just started think about it every so often over the course of a few weeks. It was the first time i'd really thought about my religous beleifs up untill then. When i was a christian i'd just followed it all blindly. When i started to think about it i came to the conclusion that i was an athiest.

3)I'd like there to be one, but no, i dont beleive there is one.

4)Not many people tend to talk about religion in England in my experience. The people I've told after being asked couldnt really care less about my releigoud beleifs.

5) a bit, there's some good bits and some nice morals in the new testament. Old testaments a bit weid though.

I am an atheist, like many around here. Now I have a few questions for you:
1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?

Never. I've never believed God existed so I've always been an atheist.

Of course I didn't know the name for that state of affairs until... I think early high school. I don't really remember all that clearly.

Skip question 2, obvious reason.

3. Do you believe in an afterlife?

Haven't seen any evidence one exists... so no.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?

Lacking the ability to rea minds I'm relying on my impressions here, but I tend to be held in fairly high regard.

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

In a very generalized sense, sure. As far as being a reliable source of historical information on past supernatural occurances... really not.

I am an atheist, like many around here. Now I have a few questions for you:
1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?


1) I don't consider myself an atheist; I'm more a categorical skeptic, really, since I'm too dependent on evidence to even qualify as an agnostic, but I've certainly been a nontheist since I was about 11 - to put that into perspective, I'm 21 - and I was an atheist at one point during this time, for about... four years, I think?

2) Honestly, I'm not sure. I suspect something just clicked in the logic center of my brain, pretty much cascading into a collapse of any reason to believe in any Abrahamic faith whatsoever. As to 'why not anything else, like Buddhism, or Tao, or...', I suppose the experience has made me equally reticent with respect to any other religion. Atheism, I found, had the same problems, namely with coming to conclusions about the completely untestable.

3) Impossible to tell, and will probably remain so to anyone who hasn't died and either found out or not, as the case may be. As is, though, I find it safer to act as if there isn't one, and not gamble with my life.

4) Roughly a third of the people I know don't know, and the other two thirds don't care, with the exception of a couple of co-workers, but not even they care that much.

5) To an very limited extent. Remember, the thing is simply a manual for how to survive ridiculously harsh conditions, whether they be environmental, political or social. As such, it may have some merit in terms of a study of mythology, or maybe literature, but because any ethically valid points in the bible are covered in other, more recent philosophies, their applicability in the modern age is minimal, if any, and - as it is otherwise basically a tome of hearsay, inference and conjecture - doesn't really deserve to be considered a guide on the metaphysical at all.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

1) Ive always lacked a belief in god. Although I never knew of any others that shared my views until I left the small town I was raised in. I thought I was the only one until about the age of 17. So to answer your question, I have always been atheist, but didnt know it until 17. Im 26 now.
2) see above
3) No
4) I live in San Francisco, the number of faiths in this area is amazing, yet most people are supportive of others. I realize this would be different for most parts of America, even the world. This Leads to some really interesting discussions though. Most my friends are christian, and even they are as supportive of me as I am of them.
5) Literal truth, no. If it makes others happy to believe though Im all for it.

hope this helps

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
I think I always have been. I went through a phase of trying to be Christian but I've never been able to have that kind of faith.
2. How did you become an atheist?
I've just never been able to have faith. I cannot comprehend the idea of an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving spiritual being that is beyond science, is infinite etc etc
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
Nope. Once you're dead that's it.
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
Mum is agnostic. Dad is atheist. Friends don't have much belief. My best friends, one of them is strongly Christian but it's never caused any eal conflict. We;re both tolerant and understanding. Neighbours no idea. I've never had any negative response.
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?
I believe some teachings are good ones and I believe there was a man called Jesus but other than that I don't hold much belief in it's accuracy.

It strikes me as funny that Atheists want us Theists to stay away from their thread but when a Theist writes a thread for Theists only the brownshirt Atheist SA storm in all guns blazing. Hypocrisy? Indeed.
It's only hypocrisy if Kardova (the person who made the request) crashes theist threads when theists request that athiests stay away. A shared or similar belief is not a hive mind, not all are responsable for the actions of everyone under that umbrella. The 'hypocracy' claim is leveled to often and with out consideration. Large, loosely defined bodies are going to have people who disagree with each other within them. Those are not 'hypocracies' unless one person has both view points.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?

16, I can say for sure. Before that, I had my doubts, but I wasn't completely sure until that point.

2. How did you become an atheist?

Ever since I was first introduced to the idea of God, as a small child, I found that nobody could give me any better explanation for why I should believe in him, than pure faith. I was discouraged from questioning the existence of God, and that didn't make much sense to me even then. The idea of praying to something which never answered was also rather dubious. After another 10 years of searching around, I found no reason to believe in the supernatural at all. There wasn't much point examining other religions (I had been a catholic previously), because my disagreement wasn't so much with the specific teachings of catholicism, but with the idea of faith and the supernatural in general.

3. Do you believe in an afterlife?

Nope. It's just a fantasy entertained by people who are afraid of their own mortality, and the mortality of their loved ones. Cherish them while they still live, because once they die, you will never have the pleasure of their company again, except in your memories.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?

My friends are exclusively atheists, as I no longer have any patience for religious types. My mother is still nominally catholic, but I think at heart she is just a vague sort of deist, and doesn't really care about me being atheist.

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

Well, some parts of it are probably more or less right, such as various historical points. But a lot of it is embellishment and myth, and in places (i.e. St Paul's bits) downright lies.

I am an atheist, like many around here. Now I have a few questions for you:
1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?




1. around age 6 or 7 when i realised that some people actually believed nativity plays were true and not just something I looked cute in once a year.

2. the above being more general I can say that a more specific instance would have been when I went to the Christening of a family friends baby aged about 6 I think ... the children, myself included were carted of to a sunday school so we didnt have to stay and listen to the boring christening service. I remember being told all kinds of things that seemed utterly impossible, like "god is everywhere" and "god can see everything" I've been an atheist since then

3. No the idea of an after life is a tool of oppression dating back thousands of years ..... ie farm my field be a good serf, basically put up with a load of shit, and you'll go to heaven for a big fat reward ... honest.

4. My parents are fairly agnostic .... ok so my mother is supposedly a catholic ... she goes to midnight mass once a year with my sister but thats about it.

5. Its a historic document interesting, it reflects the identities of so many cultures from the last last thousand years, Its well worth reading, as is the Koran for that matter, its facinating how they both tell the same story.

I am an atheist, like many around here. Now I have a few questions for you:
1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?



1. Not certain, 12-15 i'd say.
2. No reason to believe in god.
3. No.
4. Parents initially somewhat against it, my mother still asks me if i'm an atheist. Neither of my parents are fundementalists.
5. Not about anything important.

1. About age six. Around the time I realised I was gay, and that it wasn't "bad" as the bible claimed, thus proving it was not infallible.


Does the Bible proclaim so?
(Interested because I only know two strictly Christian people personally.
One is agaist homosexuality, the other one is gay.

I beg those who do not agree with this opinion to ignore this thread. Don't turn this into a flame war(God exists! No he doesn't! Yes, he does! You're stupid! Go screw a horse!, etc.) I do not want to turn this into a debate, just answer the questions if you will.

I am an atheist, like many around here. Now I have a few questions for you:
1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?



1: I stopped believing in God around age 6 or 7, before then I sceptical.
2: The indoctrination process began around the time I was 4, but I was able to formulate logic before many of the kids around me. As a result, I began questioning the beliefs that the church thrust upon me before I ended up indoctrinated and unable to do so.
3: I call my self a realist. I believe in what can be proven, in a clear logical manner, and can stand up to all manner of tests. Hence I don't believe in the afterlife.
4: All of my close friends think along the same lines I do, more or less. Family members have a wide variety of beliefs, so no one really cares what anyone else thinks about religion, as long as it doesn't interfere with them.
5: Yes, in the same way there is truth in Greek myths and the like. In fact, there are an awful lot of parallels between the Christian & Greek Myths. But that’s not the point. The point is, people stopped believing in Greek Myths millennia ago, yet the bible is about as likely to be true, taken literally. If you remove large chunks, and read between the lines, it tell you two things: The history of the Hebrew people, and The story of a kind hearted man.

Well, I don't fit the atheist category that well though some seem to think I'm one... regardless, I don't think i'm the sort of person you're aiming to keep out of this thread so I'll post anyway.

One of your statements confuses me. You say that you hide your atheism because you are going to school “in the conservative midwest,” as do I. In my experience, at least, campuses even in the midwest are traditionally a hotbed of atheism, perhaps even more so than progressive european countries like your own. Hell, my school functionally doesn't even have a chapel. The kinds of universities that, in my experience, would be likely to hold more religious types (more specifically, the religious types who would have a problem with you being atheist, an outspoken minority) are not the types of universities that would commonly draw foreign students, particularly european students. Are you an exception, just unlucky, or what?

Any chance of getting an answer to my question Kardova?

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

1. Well I'm actually agnostic. I'd say I never fully bought into Catholic faith my parents tried to instill me with. Probably around 10 I realized that I didn't agree with what I was surrounded with.

2. I don't think there was any specific event that led to my understanding. I went to a Catholic school so I kind of made my decisions as I was presented with info.

3. I beleive that I don't and will never know what happens to me when I die. I think it is just as ignorant to assume there is nothing after death as it is to assume there is something. The truth is no one knows, so why do we feel we have to beleive one of the two options. Whatever scientific discoveries have proven that all of our thoughts are nothing but electrical impulses, we still do not understand conciousness. We can't measure conciousness and we don't know where it is and where it comes from. Given this anything is possible.

4. My grand parents would disagree with me greatly and actually be quite disapointed. My parents and friends would all either agree or not really care.

5. I beleive there is some truth in all religions. While a lot of the Bible is obviously fiction, I do beleive that some of it is true fact. As for thruth in the "universal" sense, I think there is lots of it. While most of the Bible's rules may seem cumbersome, they mostly serve to create a more fraternal society. "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you" or my two favorite lines from the bible "Blessed are the meek, for thay shall possess the earth." and "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice
for they shall be satisfied"

I am an atheist, like many around here. Now I have a few questions for you:
1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?


1) Raised without relgious beliefs, thus I did not become an atheist so much as I never became a theist.

2) ...See 1.

3) No. Though I do belive people can "experience" death in a number of different ways.

4) My parents think I'm a little odd for studying relgions as much as I do. I'm a scholar of religious belief, seeking knowledge about various faiths.

Many of my friends, indeed most of them are Christians of various denominations. I refuse to be pulled into debates, but I do not mind discussing their religion with them. I try my best to respect their faiths and not infringe upon or insult them. I ask that they do the same, for I think of my belief system as worthy of the same respect.

5) Truth? Sure. Truth in what context though? There's a million and a half ways of thinking of that quesiton.

I'll start this by confessing that I'm not an atheist, but I am fascinated by how different people find their path of personal philosophical belief.

What interests me specifically about this thread is finding out if atheists who may or may not have an afterlife belief (I don't think atheists should be excluded from having a spirituality just because that spirituality doesn't include a god-figurehead), and what their experiences with death have been like. Either the death of someone close to them, or brushes with confronting their own mortality?

I was an atheist for a while, and in hindsight, I think it was reactionary rather than a sincere belief, since in my adolescent confusion I equated god with structures of faith, like church and scripture. My best friend was an atheist his entire life because his parents, prior to his birth, had one of those moments of illumination where all god-belief for them became nonsensical and the path of atheism was revealed to them. I think belief is something delightfully transient, and so while I might believe one thing today, tomorrow I might be enlightened to something that challenges and outscores my current belief.

What a ripper thread. :D

I'll start this by confessing that I'm not an atheist, but I am fascinated by how different people find their path of personal philosophical belief.

What interests me specifically about this thread is finding out if atheists who may or may not have an afterlife belief (I don't think atheists should be excluded from having a spirituality just because that spirituality doesn't include a god-figurehead), and what their experiences with death have been like. Either the death of someone close to them, or brushes with confronting their own mortality?

I was an atheist for a while, and in hindsight, I think it was reactionary rather than a sincere belief, since in my adolescent confusion I equated god with structures of faith, like church and scripture. My best friend was an atheist his entire life because his parents, prior to his birth, had one of those moments of illumination where all god-belief for them became nonsensical and the path of atheism was revealed to them. I think belief is something delightfully transient, and so while I might believe one thing today, tomorrow I might be enlightened to something that challenges and outscores my current belief.

What a ripper thread. :D

My becoming an athiest wasnt in reaction to anything, like someone dying. Unless you count actually thinking about it for the first time in my life reactionary.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist? 14
2. How did you become an atheist? Religion didn't make sense. It was illogical, plus I was seeing more and more fundamentalists which soured my view of religion even more...
3. Do you believe in an afterlife? I want to(if only for comfort), but I really don't.
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)? They don't really know/care
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible? Literally, no. Value-wise? In some parts, yes, but it contradicts itself too much for my tastes...

I am an atheist, like many around here. Now I have a few questions for you:
1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

Again, please just answer if you are atheist. DON'T FLAME! Please!

1 Was aboot 13-14

2 I was raised catholic and clung to it as a child but slowly just got the nagging feeling that it was all bullshit fairytails so I prayed and prayed for faith like all the born agains do for jebus to come into my heart and clearly that didnt happen, but the fact that I tried keeps Christians off my back. Actually I once wrote an essay about it that made a devout christian girl cry in the middle of my composition class.

3 I was dead before I was born and I don't remember it being unpleasant. I believe in the Buddhist/Daoist idea of the pregnant void, that is that all things without physical manifestation are nothing but that nothing is where potential comes from.
Ch 11 of the Dao
"Thirty spokes join in one hub
In its emptiness, there is the function of a vehicle
Mix clay to create a container
In its emptiness, there is the function of a container
Cut open doors and windows to create a room
In its emptiness, there is the function of a room

Therefore, that which exists is used to create benefit
That which is empty is used to create functionality"

We arc up from and return to the void just like solar flares, but it is the same void that spawned the universe and everything that ever has or ever will exist. It is a natural and beutiful thing like jets from a fountai or as the discordians say

"And so it is that we, as men, do not exist until we do; and then it is that we play with our world of existent things, and order and disorder them, and so it shall be that Non-existence shall take us back from Existence, and that nameless Spirituality shall return to Void, like a tired child home from a very wild circus."

4 My mom thinks it is a phase, but I think she would feel beter if I told her about the Daoist philosophy. As a kidney recipient she clung to her faith for comfort and I felt bad because she was just lying to herself to feel better and my atheism made it harder for her, but she is in good health now and I think I should explain my full view to her. My dad doesnt mind bush, he is a diest, bud damn was he pissed when he found my satanic books.
I dropped all biblical assumptions and decided to hear everyones side of the story, especially whe I read Bakunins "god and the state" where he describes the god as a ruler and the devil as the rebel who would dare to tell the people thay can think for themselves. btw LaVey can be funny but is mainly just an ol nutball
Most of my friend are Athiest or agnostic so that helped a lot, but I was the firts to turn, so when my friend were impressed by crappy songs about the bible being crap I was already like "no shit! what color is the sky?".

5Some basic historical fact but in framework of both mythology and Israelite propaganda. Ive even read that the only evidence for the exhodus from eqypt is that the pharo booted most foreigners out at one point, but none of the red sea let my people go crap ever happened. I think archeologists who go looking for evidince of biblical stories and such need to watch less indiana jones and get jobs.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
I can't say for sure. I think I was probably always atheist as I've never had religion in my home life. But I can definitely say that I was atheist when I was about 5 or 6, around the time I started school.

2. How did you become an atheist?
To me religion is only there for control. I would see myself as a very logical person and the concept of religion and god(s) just don't seem plausable

3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
No.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
They're mainly atheist as well. I know very few religious people.

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?
If there was any truth to it, I would say that it is only for moral guidance and shouldn't be taken literally.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?


1 - Probably about 7 or so.
2 - I went to a normal school with prayer in assembly etc and I just remember sitting there one day and thinking that this is complete crap.
3 - Nope
4 - My sister and most of my friends are atheists but my mom does believe in god (don't think my dad does, I'll have to ask one day).
5 - I believe there may be some things based on truth in there (after all most stories are) but overall I'd say no.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?

I was 16 years old at the time.

2. How did you become an atheist?

I basically just started to realize that religion made no sense to me.

3. Do you believe in an afterlife?

Don't really have an opinion on this. I don't know what happens to a person when they die.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?

Oh, my parents grounded me for months when I told them.(They're christian republicans.)

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

I believe that the people really did go to places they claim to have gone to, and preached as they claim to have, but that they did not actually perform any miracles or do anything out of the ordinary.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?


hm...i guess somewhere around 14 when i acutally started to think about this kind of stuff.


2. How did you become an atheist?


Hard to say...I guess when I decided for myself that I don not want to put my faith and destiny into a book that has been written over 2000 years ago, which has been lost, found, rewritten and translated over and over again, always losing a bit of he original in the process because seombody interpreted somethign lsightly different then the person before him.


3. Do you believe in an afterlife?


I want to. Live seems kinda useless with the prospect of everything you ever do or achieve just being gone and lost when you die. Also it wouldn't fit into the whole concept of life. If i realize after my death that there is an afterlife i would be pleased but not surprised.


4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?


my parents are this sort of tiwce-a-year to church people, meaning christmas and easter. my sister doesn't give anything about it, she simply dosen't care. my grandparents are still believing in god, they are protestans. Well ,we have all been baptised and confirmed but htey are teh only ones really practising it.


5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?


There' a little bit of truth in every tale. I'm, sure there's still some left between a lot of exaggerating and propaganding. A lot has been lost throughout the millenias if there ever was any. And concerning the so called message, I would say that I don't need to be a christian to value, brohterhood, harmony, peace and that kinf of stuff.

1)

2) As to 'why not anything else, like Buddhism, or Tao, or...', I suppose the experience has made me equally reticent with respect to any other religion. Atheism, I found, had the same problems, namely with coming to conclusions about the completely untestable.



Buddhism and Taoism is their purest forms are not religions and both are averse making pointless conclusions.
The original Buddha was a philosopher not a god and when asked by a student if there was a god he just stayed silent and probably stared the guy down to demonstrate that that was a dumb question. Only after the Buddha died did people claim he came to them in visions and such and taoism picked up a bunch of folk mythology crap, but the original texts are non thiestic. Therevada Buddhists and I think Chan/Zen Buddhists are non-thiestic. They all have insigtful stuff. And the Discordians they just kick ass.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?


1. I was eight. I never openly said anything on the subject until I was fourteen, though; certain members of my family can be pretty annoying about religion.
2. A small part of it, I suppose, was me just being tired of going to church every Sunday with grandparents that didn't really care anyway. But most of it stemmed from the hypocrisy of almost every Christian in my family. And there's also the fact that I have a hard time believing in something that defies all logic.
3. Yes, I do, to an extent. I believe that we have a say in what happens to us after we die, but at the same time I accept that we don't truly know what happens to us, if anything, after we die.
4. Well, my parents don't mind. The rest of my family, well... I don't think they know. =/ My friends are my friends, they obviously don't mind. Actually, I think one of them is an atheist. As for my neighbors, well... I stay out of their business, they stay out of mine.
5. Some of the lessons in the bible are good rules to follow, I won't deny that. It's too bad so few Christians seem to follow any of those.

Does the Bible proclaim so?
(Interested because I only know two strictly Christian people personally.
One is agaist homosexuality, the other one is gay.

"if am man lies with another man as with a woman it is an abomination and he shall be put to death" its in the old testament some place

I am an atheist, like many around here. Now I have a few questions for you:
1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

1. 13
2. I made the decision because I don't agree with most things that people create.
3. Nope.
4. Most of them are Christians. Most have figured out by now not to try to "save me" although there were a lot of attempts, especially in 8th grade.
5. nope.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?


1. About ten years old
2. Our religion teacher told us how God had created the world and also the scientific explication for it. He then went on saying that the whole thing about God creating the world in seven days was just a picture (allegory? Metaphore?). It was then that I started thinking what else was just a picture, so I finally figured out that this was nothing I could possibly believe in.
3. No. I hope that death will be like an eternal sleep without dreams...
4. They're atheists, too
5.I don't know, I must confess, I never read the whole thing...but I guess, some things ought to be true (but they're just metaphores anyway ;) ), like the flood. (the flood can actually be found in nearly every mythology)

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

1. Practicing agnostic and skeptic at the age of 40. :cool:

2. I studied the bible for what it actually had written in it.Then I studied the origin of the old and new testaments. :rolleyes:

3. There is no evidence of an afterlife for me to believe in. :(

4. Most are praying for my eyes to be re-opened and for "Satan" to loose me. :eek:

5. There is some truth from a philosophical point.The history is iffy and the blessings,miracles and rules are laughable. :p

I beg those who do not agree with this opinion to ignore this thread. Don't turn this into a flame war(God exists! No he doesn't! Yes, he does! You're stupid! Go screw a horse!, etc.) I do not want to turn this into a debate, just answer the questions if you will.

I am an atheist, like many around here. Now I have a few questions for you:
1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

1. Hard to say. I never beleived in god of any sort. But
to knowledge that is a different issue. probably when I
was in school and religion was taught to us. So 6-7

2. As said always been.

3. nope.

4. My parents don't care. Neither do my friends or
neighbours. In Finland people don't pay much attention
to religion (thank god). Here are some really religious
people too but we don't let religion to get a way of our
lives so to speak.

5. Bible is intresting. But it isn't real imo. It's a puch of
"folk stories". I always say: "I'm an atheist but I have
the bible, It's rihgy there with Lord of The Rings"



I don't have a bible

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
12

2. How did you become an atheist?
I never felt God.

3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
No.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
Parents and friends have no problem with it; my religious granny doesn't know and it's probably best left that way.

5. Do you believe there is truth in the Bible?
Yes. Jesus was a great man who preached a message of peace and charity.

It seems from reading this thread that American Christians are much less tolerant of atheism than European Christians. And don't even get me started on those Middle East Muslims!

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?

Oh, my parents grounded me for months when I told them.(They're christian republicans.)
Hypocrites. Talk about "Christian love and tolerance". :rolleyes:

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?



I guess I've really been one my whole life, as long as I can remember.
I never really became one, it was almost as if I was born one, if you can understand what I mean.
I'd love to believe in an afterlife, what a wonderful crutch, but thats all it is, a crutch. There is no afterlife, you only get one life. Make the most of it.
My parents were both non religious as well so it was easy for me to be myself.
I believe the bible is a great book of metaphors and a good guide for basic ethics, nothing more.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?

16/17

2. How did you become an atheist?

Punk Rawk convinced me

3. Do you believe in an afterlife?

huh? How could an athiest believe in that?

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?

I am shunned from society and live in a cave, actually nobody really cares.

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

No it is useless insane bs.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist? -About 17 or 18, though I'd had doubts for a long time before that.

2. How did you become an atheist? - After I finished reading the bible and realised it wasn't much different to the book of Greek myths I had just finished reading before starting the bible. They both have global flood stories for example.

3. Do you believe in an afterlife? - No. When you die its lights out, game over screen. There is no heaven, hell, reincarnation or any other form of life after death.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)? - Most of them are atheists too, and those that are'nt keep it to themselves.

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible? - I believe some of the historical events may have happened (though without the divine aspects) and some of the people may have existed (but did'nt talk to God etc), but I don't believe in any of the miracles, prophocies etc. I also think the stories in the bible are mostly old folk tales that have been changed and enlarged to incorprate the religious aspects.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
Officially maybe 16 or 17.

2. How did you become an atheist?
I'd say it started around age 10. That was when after being raised a Lutheran for 10 years my mum said "okay now we're Jehovah's Witnesses and everything the Lutherans told you-which I said was true!-is now wrong and your baptism is voided"(she seriously said it was voided). Being age 10 I became very confused by this and became fairly skeptical of what any church told me after. On top of that I never felt like I had a connection with God. Lots of people say they feel his presence or love and I had nothing.

3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
nope. the idea is pretty silly.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
my mum treats it like something i'll get over one day. basically she uses the you're young and don't know anything about life yet argument. padre doesn't know and doesn't need to (he would be angry). my friends are mostly agnostic and don't care. school acquaintances usually think it's odd.

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?
i'd say it's myth mixed with some history.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
Probably about 10, although I was part of a Christian-based thing until I was 15
2. How did you become an atheist?
When the my primary school teacher tried to make us homophobes with bible stuff.
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
No.
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
Parents are fine with it (they are annoyed by faith). Most friends are OK (being friendly with a lot of agnostics/atheists) but a few get pissed with me and say I'm going to hell and stuff. Bah. What do they know - apart from that insects have 4 legs.
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?
I don't think it was meant as a literal thing a lot of the time - just moral guidelines.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist? 19

2. How did you become an atheist? I wanted to learn more and more about my faith. The more I learned, the more I realized it was wrong. I also came to understand that I am a better person as an atheist than otherwise.

3. Do you believe in an afterlife? No.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)? My girlfriend is an atheist. My parents and most of my friends believe in respecting others' beliefs, so they leave me alone. Besides, I can make a better argument for atheism (on the basis of values, rather than "facts") than they can make against it.

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible? Yes, but not in the places people look for it.

Hey All, I just stumbled in.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
I pretty much always have been, I just didn't realize it until I was about 13.

2. How did you become an atheist?
Like I said, I always have been an atheist, but when I was in junior high I read the book "Everything You Ever Wanted to Ask American Atheists With All the Answers," a book of transcripts from Madelyn Murray O'Hare's radio show. It was the first time I ever heard arguments as to why there is no god, and I realized it made a lot of sense and that I agreed with most of it. My dad is an atheist and my mom's agnostic, but we never really discussed religion too much although they told me I can believe whatever I want. I'd also been to Catholic services a few times with my extended family members, and I thought I believed in a god just because people always talked about God, but when I read that book, I realized that I'd never truly believed. It was more like talking about Santa: you talk about him like he exists, but it's more like wishful thinking.

3. Do you believe in an afterlife? It's a nice thought, but no.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)? My parents of course don't care since they're skeptics too. My family members that do know don't care, and my friends that know are fine with it too. My policy is don't ask don't tell.

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?
Well, I know that the flood story can be related to the Tigris or Euphrates
River (I forget which) flooding in Mesopotamia so I suppose that can sort of be considered truth, but apart from that I don't feel I know enough about the Bible to comment on this question.

-Georgia

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?

Tough question.
I suppose you might say that the idea of a God just never flew with me, but that may not be true. If not, I was still fairly young.

2. How did you become an atheist?
The only way anyone should.
Through years of introspection, and reading about many different cultures and beliefs.

3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
Not as a general rule, no.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
My mother was raised Lutheran, and even Catholic for a short time.
She attended parochial schools until she was in High school.
Yet, she too, became what I would classify as "agnostic".

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

The ONLY truth in the Bible are the basic lessons in social responsibility it presents.
"Be a good person, dont steal from your neighbor, etc"

THATS IT.

Thats what the bible was created for, for mere lessons and stories made to teach a lesson.
Its when you take a book, written by humans, and try to convince everyone that it is to be taken literally, becuase its the word of God, verbatim, even though humans are inheritantly flawed and any such text trancsribed by them from such a diety, would be natutrally flawed as well.

People try to twist these simple messages into banners for profit, and power.
In a sense, corrupt the very thing that the book warns against.

hey interesting thread...God exists *thumbs nose at creator of thread* whoa...I turning into a troll. well this is just a friendly passing by cuz I need a break from homework.

I am an atheist, like many around here. Now I have a few questions for you:
1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?
1. Hmm...I used to got to church, Christian Union...about 7 I gave up bothering...by 9 I was certain it was nonsense.
2. Realising there were far too many contradictions, realising (whatever anyone says but don't tell my friends that) that evolution, Natural Selection and God aren't 100% compatable, a zealous 'Born-again christian' who felt it was her mission to make people see the 'way' and make a lot of other girls cry because they were perhaps Catholic and therefore damned to Hell, the blinkers on believers, people's desire to be important and immortal etc.
3. No. That's agnosticism.
4. Dad's a die hard atheist. Mum...haven't a clue, not sure she does either, should be buddhist, she wears a cross, but I think that's just something to wear. They sent me to church for me to make my own mind up. Friends...actually mostly Christian, one Hindu. I guess I was a rebel, although one of my friends pretended to be atheist 'cos she thought I wouldn't be friends with her otherwise...don't know where she got that idea.
5. Well many of the OT stories are borrowed from other older religions, like Noah's flood, so probably are events that occurred and were explained using deities, maybe Soddom & Gommorah was a volcano, which encased it's victims as Vesuvius did to Pompeii (Lot's wife -> pillar of salt). We can't be sure, and over-enthusiastic 'look we found xyz! the whole Bible must be true!' just annoys me. There's enough True Crosses to build a Noah's Ark, and enough Arks to man a fleet.
In my personal opinion, I think Judaism is a branch of an Egyptian monotheistic cult. There's evidence in stone that Jews already had a city to the East by Ramases' father's reign, so any conection between him and Moses can be instantly dissolved. So Judaism, Christianity and Islam could all be the fruit's of Akhenaton's 'heresy.'

To tell the truth, if I could choose a religion to believe and it be true, I'd pick an Egyptian cult.

I am an atheist, like many around here. Now I have a few questions for you:
1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

1. 16 - agnostic/disinterested for most of my life before that.
2. Briefly, my interest in the origins of religion began when studying ancient Greece and Rome, and I found all modern religions to be lacking any credible basis, as well as having obvious roots and political motivations. My exploration continued from there.
3. Nope.
4. Mostly they are not bothered. My family are liberal christians, but don't bug me about it.
5. Limited historical truth in some parts, but jumbled with a load of myths and propaganda.

Interesting. I've seen at least three attempts to create a thread like this by various christians and the first eighteen posts are always by athiests telling them how they are tired of Christians polluting the world with stupidity and shoving God down their throats. Now an atheist creates a similar thread and it is respected and mostly only responded to by atheists. Sort of rejects the idea that all Christians are trying to shove God down your throats, doesn't it?

since always, my immediate family are all atheists but aunties ect are fairly strict catholics, i find the whole concept of religion completely pointless and i fail to see any form of benefit you can gain from it at all. if i was ruling the world then churches etc would be bulldozed and the resources used for useful things such as cancer research or other scientific developments.

guess i'm a kind of Strict Fundamentalist Atheist then...

Interesting. I've seen at least three attempts to create a thread like this by various christians and the first eighteen posts are always by athiests telling them how they are tired of Christians polluting the world with stupidity and shoving God down their throats. Now an atheist creates a similar thread and it is respected and mostly only responded to by atheists. Sort of rejects the idea that all Christians are trying to shove God down your throats, doesn't it?

Not really. Your personal and quite probably biased experiences on this forum do not conclusively disprove the notion that Christianity is a proselytizing religion. If we take your experiences as true, there is also the mere possibility that on this forum, Christians have learned to keep the God shoving to a minimum through simple learned conditional responses.

Plus, the fact that you're posting here, implying that Christians are morally superior because they haven't posted in this thread too much, kinda goes against that implication.

Interesting. I've seen at least three attempts to create a thread like this by various christians and the first eighteen posts are always by athiests telling them how they are tired of Christians polluting the world with stupidity and shoving God down their throats. Now an atheist creates a similar thread and it is respected and mostly only responded to by atheists. Sort of rejects the idea that all Christians are trying to shove God down your throats, doesn't it?
I can't answer for others, but I have never shoved my beliefs (or non-beliefs as it were) on anyone. I've had debates with people yes, but people believe what they want to believe, nothing more.

My dad (a chem teach) once offered a debate with a fundamentalist Christian maths teacher, each playing Devil's Advocate, my dad putting forward "Adam & Eve" and KevAsh (my class's nick for him) evolution. He wouldn't do it. Just an interesting fact. But I'm sure there's others out there who would have taken up my dad's offer.
You don't convert people, they either make up their own minds or are brainwashed.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
I was 14.
2. How did you become an atheist?
A process of reading, thinking, and talking to others.
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
No.
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
I surround myself with people who respect my ideas. I am also in an atheist group, www.kusoma.org/
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?
I believe there is mythology in the bible. I believe there is as much truth in the bible as there is in the iliad, but that the bible is more poorly written.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
I've always been an atheist. My parents were atheists. I've never been teached anything saying god existed.

2. How did you become an atheist? By education. I believe you are born atheist and then they teach you something about god.

3. Do you believe in an afterlife?No I don't.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?Nothing related to atheism. They are atheists for the most part.

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?No, but it doesn't mean the bible is worthless. Jesus never existed, that is obvious, but what he said was good anyway. The message of love and about not killing is a good one. I believe I should follow Jesus' teachings and path. I know the bible was written for that by some philosophers 2000 years ago. People can't reincarnate nor walk on water and some stories in the bible are outdated but you can't ignore the core message. The wise man follows wise teachings and ignores the fools.

Not really. Your personal and quite probably biased experiences on this forum do not conclusively disprove the notion that Christianity is a proselytizing religion. If we take your experiences as true, there is also the mere possibility that on this forum, Christians have learned to keep the God shoving to a minimum through simple learned conditional responses.

Plus, the fact that you're posting here, implying that Christians are morally superior because they haven't posted in this thread too much, kinda goes against that implication.

Not exactly trying to get anyone to believe in God and I'm hardly your typical Christian (I don't believe the bible is the word of God). Also, I didn't suggest that Christians are morally superior. I was suggesting that Christians on this forum appear to be more respectful.

Read my point again - not ALL Christians are trying to shove God down people's throats. I made the post in hopes that the next time some well-meaning (though usually deluded) Christian tries to create a thread to speak to other Christians that it doesn't receive a deluge of replies from Atheist telling him/her how stupid and illogical he/she is.

I can't answer for others, but I have never shoved my beliefs (or non-beliefs as it were) on anyone. I've had debates with people yes, but people believe what they want to believe, nothing more.

My dad (a chem teach) once offered a debate with a fundamentalist Christian maths teacher, each playing Devil's Advocate, my dad putting forward "Adam & Eve" and KevAsh (my class's nick for him) evolution. He wouldn't do it. Just an interesting fact. But I'm sure there's others out there who would have taken up my dad's offer.
You don't convert people, they either make up their own minds or are brainwashed.

Sorry, I wasn't actually suggesting that all Atheists do this and I wasn't really trying to spark a discussion. I posted in hopes that the Atheists who can't leave a Christian thread alone will learn from the example and do exactly that or at the very least post respectfully as I hope I've done here.

Not exactly trying to get anyone to believe in God and I'm hardly your typical Christian (I don't believe the bible is the word of God). Also, I didn't suggest that Christians are morally superior. I was suggesting that Christians on this forum appear to be more respectful.

Read my point again - not ALL Christians are trying to shove God down people's throats. I made the post in hopes that the next time some well-meaning (though usually deluded) Christian tries to create a thread to speak to other Christians that it doesn't receive a deluge of replies from Atheist telling him/her how stupid and illogical he/she is.
Christians are no different than atheists. You're trying to draw a statistical picture but I don't believe it has something to do with religion, but with other factors. Maybe christians in the US have a more wealthy/more educated background or maybe christians are olders...

I made the post in hopes that the next time some well-meaning (though usually deluded) Christian tries to create a thread to speak to other Christians that it doesn't receive a deluge of replies from Atheist telling him/her how stupid and illogical he/she is.

Heh, well you should know by now that General forum behavior won't conform to your liking. At least, it won't conform to my liking.... it really should though.

1. I was 10 when i became an athiest

2. I realized that the bible and the church contradict each other too much. I.E.: First commandment, Thou Shalt not kill :sniper: = :mad: , Church says: Go on crusades and kill people :sniper: = :) . Any questions?

3. I believe in karma and reincarnation, DO NOT ASK ME WHY, for some reason i just do. I have absoulty NO idea why i do.

4. My parents are both christian, my dad doesn't know. I fear telling him because if i simply drop a drop of water on a completely useless piece of paper, he goes into a rage, so i fear what he'll do if i tell him im an athiest. My mom knows, she doesn't care, but periodaclly she says something that is obviously attempting to convert me. Most of my friends are athiests.

5. I believe that somewhere back in the original copy of the bible, there are the words: "WARNING!!!!! For entertainment purposes only!!!!! Do not believe any of this B.S.!!!!!"

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
About 11 or 12 I'd say.

2. How did you become an atheist?
I was forced into a Catholic private school against my will after being in public schools for a long time. After hearing such empty rhetoric shoved down my throat daily for a while, it became meaningless to me. I came to a second understanding in high school where I realized religion wasn't so bad. Currently, I'm an agnostic existentialist taoist, but those are philosophies, not religion.

3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
No, but I can't say that with a solid conviction. There's always possibility.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
I'm in a religious private high school. Most people I interact with are religious, sometimes fiercely so. At times they'll presume I'm acting like so just to be elitist or to shape myself with the times, but that's only because their environment has never been anything but religious. Parents see me as ignorant, my friends are interested, my neighbors are naturally apathetic.

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?
It's an ancient book. There's about as much truth in it as the Hindu Vedas.

While I am not an atheist anymore, I was at one point, so I think I can fill this out.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?

13-14

2. How did you become an atheist?

The idea of a Christian God didn't make sense to me, and due to my indoctrination, I did not really consider the existance of any other gods, so I rejected greater powers altogether.

3. Do you believe in an afterlife?

No.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?

My mom was certainly disappointed when I told her I was an atheist, but she wasn't overly upset, and now we generally don't talk about religion. My cousin, who is very Christian, and I generally joke around about it. My friends don't care either way.

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

I believe that there is some historical value in the bible, as it recounts some of the history of Isreal and the Middle East. The teachings of Jesus can be taken quite seriously if you discount the notion that he was a messiah.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?

About 10?! Never really liked these arrogant Catholics around. And didn't see any god person around too. Later I became intelligent and just learned to formulate my opinions :)

2. How did you become an atheist?

At beginning it just happened. Then I read the whole Bible twice. And a lot of world history. Then I added 2 and 2 and became staunch atheist

3. Do you believe in an afterlife?

Nope.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?

Good guy :)
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

Believing not, but knowing I do. 2000 thousand years ago they did not write soap operas. They wrote what they saw. They wrote down what was assumed to be most valuable. Just historical truth. Just what they saw. (hint: read Erik von Denikham (spelling is kind of wrong :) )

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?

I was never religious. That is not to say that my parents aren't religious. I think my father might be, but the point is we never speak of it. They left me to figure it out on my own. As such, I naturally fell into the 'atheism' genre from a very early age.

2. How did you become an atheist?

See above.

3. Do you believe in an afterlife?

No. Not in that sense, anyway. Technically speaking, your nutrients might go into another living entity and give them life once again in that regard, but so far as I'm concerned when I'm dead, the being known as [The Eastern-Coalition] ceases to exist.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?

Nobody I know judges people based on their religion, and if they do they never mention it nor treat you oddly. The Internet is the first time I ever encountered such a disgusting practice.

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

I believe there is some degree of truth in relation to historical events and descriptions of the lifestyles and concerns of people in ancient times. Other than that, I don't believe a word of it. I believe that whoever wrote it initially believed it, though I have my own theories as to how all religions came into being.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
since i was capable of thought so prbably when i was born.

2. How did you become an atheist?
i was raised by two very rational parents(both public school teachers) who didn't spoon feed me belief in God and then once i was old enough to have rational critical thought processes of my own they gave be the choice, by allowing me to see both sides of the arguement and then let me make my own decision, athiest i chose quite obvioiusly.

3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
sometimes, but thats when i allow my imagine to consider irritional thoughts but realistically I can't sustain those beliefs.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
My friends are quite similar to me, so they feel basically i'm the same as them with subtle differneces, my parents are completly fine bout my decision, i do habve friends who are relgious as well and some are perfectally fine with me some belief me inferior.

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?
not really i think its more metaphors the fact. things to do with creation in my opinion are completly wrong.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist? Officially? About three weeks ago. But I'd been an agnostic since I was around 16. As an agnostic I was basically an atheist in all but name. I was raised Hindu.

2. How did you become an atheist? As a teenager I basically threw out organised religion as ridiculous. It all just seemed like superstition to me. When I went to uni I refined my thinking I suppose, becoming more logical and scientific in my thinking. The idea of a god seemed more and more illogical. The thing that did it was reading an article about why agnosticism is an unsupportable position, as well as being challenged by my boyfriend, who is an atheist. Unforunately the link to the article is down...

3. Do you believe in an afterlife? Nup.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)? Um... They like me? :p

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible? Some historical truth, but not much more...

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?

When I was born

2. How did you become an atheist?

See above.

3. Do you believe in an afterlife?

You can create your own afterlife for other people by leaving your legacy behind, don't really know wether I will be around to see it.

4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?

They generally don't care about your religion, and certainly they do not try to force their religion to me. Some of my close friends are religious, and I respect that, just as they respect me for not being religious. We are all human after all.

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

Some of the historical descriptions might be true, also some of the names of places etc. are true. For the rest, I think it makes for some fine reading, so do the koran and many of the hindu and bhuddist literature! Read it like a good book and it's just a very nice story (just like something written by Tolkien etc.)

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?

I'm not entirely sure, but I would have been about 7 - 9.

2. How did you become an atheist?

(a) People seemed incapable of answering some of my questions about God. (b) There seemed no logical proof for his existence. (c) In the years that I did believe, and behaved accordingly, there were never any 'answers' to prayers (either literally nor metaphorically).

3. Do you believe in an afterlife?

There is no sound evidence for it, so no.

4. What do people around you think about you (parents, friends, neighbours)?

My boyfriend is an atheist, so obviously he doesn't care. My two best friends, and my mother, are believers, but are not really practising or hard-line in their views. So they don't mind. There are a number of members of my family that are extreme believers; one of them got sick of my constant ability to respond to her points when trying to convert me, so gave up...another still tries occasionally, though with less vigour than she once did since she knows now it's fruitless. I don't think any of them especially dislike me for it.

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

Some historical truth, perhaps. But even that is quite vague. Overall, very little.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?


Like every other human being (apart, perhaps, from the Dalai Lama), I was born without any religious conviction... so - I was born an Atheist.

I was, however, raised by Anglican and Catholic parents, so acquired some 'religion' as a child... and didn't really become an 'Atheist' again, until I read the Bible all the way through - at age of about 11.


2. How did you become an atheist?


First - I spotted errors and contradictions... things I couldn't rationalise, behaviours I couldn't sanction. Then, as I encountered more information about other faiths, I began to wonder what was so unique about the faith I had been raised into. My faith told me that all other religions were lies, and their prophets were liars.... but those other religions said the same thing about MY religion.

Why should I choose one text over another? None had any incontrovertable proof. Thus - to accept any of them in entirety, without ned for correlation, is illogical.


3. Do you believe in an afterlife?


No. But I don't necessarily think one COULD NOT exist. It is just unlikely that any of the 'scriptural' versions are accurate.


4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?


Many people know me without ever knowing I am an Atheist. I am fairly educated vis-a-vis religion, and am not an outspoken proponent of any creed.


5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?


There is likely much 'truth' in the bible.

However, it is just as unlikely that there is any 'Truth' in the bible.

1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
I've never really believed in God, but loosly followed Christianity (forced to help my Grandfather to church) so I never really had an epiphany.

2. How did you become an atheist?
I guess I evolved into being an athiest as people would ask what my religion was and I'd just sit there thinking. Over time I'd just simplify it by saying I was athiest. (see above)

3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
If there is some sort of afterlife, which I hope for but doubt, it's gotta be some cool Hindu afterlife/reincarnation.

4. What do people around you think about you (parents, friends, neighbours)?
They don't really know and/or care. My friends are cool with it cuz they're all smart and/or athiest themselves. I remember reading an article that showed like 75% of the smartest people in the world were athiest. I think they're on to something.

5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?
There's probably some truth somewhere, but beneath all the propaganda and rules telling us how to live, you really have to pick at it.

I wouldn't consider myself a full athiest, mostly due to my extended interest in physics and quantum physics. You simply can't go from nothing into something, and religion is something man created to explain the unexplainable. This would be a good time for a "God". If someone can explain how to get a universe, or even a tiny strand of energy out of nothing without calling in a higher being, please tell me.

1. I wasn't raised religious. I wasn't skipping along one day in the fields of poppy flowers when suddenly I said, "Hey! I think I'll be atheist! My, that would be swell."

2. I just was. See above.

3. Naahh. Neurons magically frisking away to some lovely place up in the sky? Sounds more like a common human desire than truth. I don't think anyone likes the thought of dying black, cold, and forgotten. But to each his own. I mean, it'd be majorly cool if there was an afterlife. I could go around and do stuff with no fear of getting killed. Tell me that wouldn't be awesome.

4. There are many, many people around me. Some are religious. Some are very religious. Some are not.

5. Well, yeah. Jesus was a real person. Most of it is probably based on something or other. The moral codes, as a rule, are fairly good guidelines - you know, not killing, coveting, lying, and stuff.

I am an atheist, like many around here. Now I have a few questions for you:
1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?

1) 20 i only became an atheist about a year ago.
2) I have problems with god. i dont think he is loving at all. if god was real i think i would hate him.
3) i dont know. id like there to be an afterlife. i guess ill find out when i die.
4) i havnt told my family yet. I have hidden it from my friends and family. im actually scared of what they will think.
5) i used to believe in the bible, but now i dont. there are some good morals and teachings in the bible, but i dont believe in it anymore.

I am an atheist, like many around here. Now I have a few questions for you:
1. How old were you when you would say you became an atheist?
2. How did you become an atheist?
3. Do you believe in an afterlife?
4. What do people around you think about you(parents, friends, neighbours)?
5. Do you believe there is truth in the bible?



1. On a certain level I think I have always been an atheist, but if I had to put a year where I was truly aware of my atheism and it's meaning in society and in general I would say around 10.
2. Skepticism, and not attending a church combined to allow me to see through religion.
3. No, not really.
4. Parentals are fine with me, as long as I'm not too anri-religious around them. I occasionally shock their friends when they bring up a religious issue and I respond that I am an atheist. My friends are either also atheist or are nihilistic enough that they don't care anyway. But frankly, I don't give a shit what they think of me. If they like it, good for them, I probably will get along with them. If they have a problem with it they're closeminded enough that It doesn't really matter to me what they think anyway. I will admit to going out of my way to offend some uber-xtianazis (not saying all are, but the Pat Robertson types are.) or the ones who are out "converting" (translated as forcing their beleifs on others.). I like to give the "converters" copies of "On The Origion of the Species" or if I'm feeling cheap: Shelley's "Nessecity of Atheism.". That and listening to Atheist punk rock pisses off enough people that I guess I'm not exactly universally loved, but I don't really give a damn, cause I'm having fun. :p
5. No, but I'm told it makes good kindling.

1) As long as I can remember. My Dad's got some out-there, non-specific views on God and all that, but he didn't even mention it until it came up casually in conversation.

2) I just don't take things on faith.

3) No.

4) They're all down with it. I live in Britain though, so even the Christians are really easy going and lax about the whole thing.

5) There could of been some people who did things which are vaguely analogous to what's in there, but 2000 years worth of chinese whispers will take it's toll on the integrity of a document. The source material is from a very superstitous, simpler time as well.

[QUOTE=Kardova]
I shall now try to answer my own questions(not that anyone cares, but anyhow)

2. I have always been skeptical but the thing that really turned me into an atheist is the bible itself. I believe Asimov was right when he said it was the most potent weapon for atheism, when read correctly. To be specific the Revelations really made me laugh on the inside. I cannot believe in someone who seem to think the drying out of the Euphrates is a disaster for everyone, the authors of the bible(believed to be around 70 different people) probably thought the area around the Middle-East was the entrie world. What is more interesting is that God is supposed to be infallible, pure goodness. Yet he needs a cult of personality demanding constant worshipping. I keep on studying the bible to find more interesting stuff. But the bible was the thing that made me into 100% atheist.

I would like to reply to that. I don't want to start a flame war but I have to tell you as a jew that we don't beilive in any of the New Testement, because it was written by people not by God so it is fallible. But I could argue on the side of Christians. They would say that the new testement is writen through people, so they might have put things that were technecly correct but not everlasting in relevence. They would also say that God made it so it falible. I don't see why he would write through others when he was able to dictate it through Moses or other prophets but God doesn't have to make sence.

now i am anagnostic not athiest but we are very similar (i believe that there is some form of power that exists on a plane greater than our own that humans precieve as "god" but i don't believe in any one religion)

i'll try to answer the questions anyway

1. I was about 14 when I turned from the teachings of the bible
2. Die-hard Catholics who stated that Evolution is wrong
3. I think that on some level our nergy returns to the earth but as for our person and our minds no i do not
4. my parents are very devout catholics and we have had many spiritual and
moral aruements
5. I do believe that there is some truth in the bible but it has been warped beond recognition