Did you choose to be an atheist because you wanted to escape morality?

[Sandra Craft]

Well, despite growing up in a very religious family and trying hard to be properly religious myself for the first 17 yrs of life, I ended up atheist.  The thing of it is, I can't say I pursued atheism, it's more accurate to say that atheism pursued me.  After shrugging off Xtianity, I still tried to find some way to believe in a god but the improbabilities just would not go away.  Atheism was inevitable. 

As for morality, it always astonishes me that some Xtians think it doesn't exist without a god imposing it.  It's like they can't see, or don't acknowledge, the billions of people all around us who are more than capable of bringing consequences to bear for anything they consider mistreatment.  And that's just the start of what amounts to morality.

[yepimonfire]

i didn't chose to be an atheist honestly, i just got tired of feeling like i was living a lie. i won't resign myself to saying there is absolutely no god, but if there is, i need proof, real solid unrefutable proof. in fact, i'd actually rather there was a god, someone to cast problems off onto and someone who cared unconditionally, and to know that this life is not the be all end all of me.

but then again, i'm somewhat of a realist. there is no positive side or negative side to anything. things are what they are and if there were a heaven or eternal punishment, pretending it does not exist really wouldn't do me any good now would it?

[The Magic Pudding]

I have never believed in god, so to say I pursued atheism is totally beside the point. I simply am an atheist.

As for morality, I have to laugh. The atheists I know, in general, are much more ethical/moral than most people I know who are christians. We base our morals on empathy for our fellow human beings, on evidence that behaving with compassion makes for a better world, and on the good examples set by people we admire. We don't have to obey a god to be good. We don't have to fear hell to be good. We're good because its good to be good, to put it simplistically.

One of the most terrible phrases I hear from christians, especially conservatives, is that they're god fearing christians. Like that's a good thing. I shudder to think what will happen if they ever lose their fear and/or their faith, if that's all that keeps them in line.

That sounds good to me.

Just on sex the church is so ridiculous, unnatural and manipulative about it.  It's like some Orwellian society where basic human relationships threaten the controller's total control so they are deemed wrong.  Twisted F...s

[Crocoduck]

This accusation always perplexed me because I have known (and still know) many self-styled ardent Christians who behave in a manner that is definitely not in keeping what would be considered a good moral character.

More then once I've ended up in a strip club after church. It was always nice to hear the girls say things like "Wow you look nice in a suit, most times I see you your just in jeans and a tee". When I would say "I just came from church" many would tell me they were Christians.

[xSilverPhinx]

That argument has just as much meaning to me as "you chose to believe in unicorns because you want to escape morality." Deserves a WTF?!

It's more of a belief system warning to theists than anything even remotely based on fact. A defense mechanism: pastor says, 'you don't want to be an atheist because atheists are the negation of everything you believe is Good. Fear atheism.'  

And thus spoke the pastor/Church/fellow ignorant and bigoted believer Lord and the sheep acknowedged.

[Thunder Road]

Sorry the word "pursue" caused so much distress.  I actually spent a solid few minutes trying to word my poll choices accurately.  Oh well.   


I'm surprised so many people say that for them atheism wasn't a choice though.  For me, it was definitely a conscious choice.  I remember for about 2 years considering myself agnostic, and in my head that being atheist was like jumping off a cliff in that it was irreversible, and that even though I had a lot of doubts, I didn't want to jump off the cliff, because it was a step that was both very small and very huge.

Now that I've explored more, that fear has subsided quite a bit, but still I think of it as a choice I made.  This should probably be a new topic, but I don't feel like starting one, so whatever.

[fester30]

This accusation always perplexed me because I have known (and still know) many self-styled ardent Christians who behave in a manner that is definitely not in keeping what would be considered a good moral character.

More then once I've ended up in a strip club after church. It was always nice to hear the girls say things like "Wow you look nice in a suit, most times I see you your just in jeans and a tee". When I would say "I just came from church" many would tell me they were Christians.

I've also had strippers tell me they loved me lol.  Anything to keep the money coming.

[fester30]

I became atheist so that I could work on my plot to take over the world.

GET IN LINE, dammit! 

Hey now I have nothing but love for fellow hairless wonders.  If my plot succeeds before yours, you can have Canada.  I have no use for it.

[Traveler]

Sorry the word "pursue" caused so much distress.  I actually spent a solid few minutes trying to word my poll choices accurately.  Oh well.   

No worries, and I don't think anyone's distressed by it. We're just trying to be accurate in our responses.

I'm surprised so many people say that for them atheism wasn't a choice though.  For me, it was definitely a conscious choice.  I remember for about 2 years considering myself agnostic, and in my head that being atheist was like jumping off a cliff in that it was irreversible, and that even though I had a lot of doubts, I didn't want to jump off the cliff, because it was a step that was both very small and very huge.

Now that I've explored more, that fear has subsided quite a bit, but still I think of it as a choice I made.  This should probably be a new topic, but I don't feel like starting one, so whatever.

Interesting point, and I suspect that its more common in people who start out religious. The idea that atheism is somehow more radical than agnosticism, and therefore more scary. For what it's worth, technically atheism is about belief and agnosticism is about knowledge. I don't believe in gods, but acknowledge that I can't know for certain. So I'm both. Once can, of course, get into a philosophical discussion on what people call knowledge. Most religious people will claim that they know god exists, but since there are tons of different gods in different religious systems, clearly at least some of them are claiming "knowledge" that isn't true.

[Melmoth]

I didn't choose to be an atheist, I simply am one, in the most literal sense of the word. I don't usually describe myself as an 'atheist' though, especially recently, since Richard Dawkins and New Atheism became such a big deal. A group mentality has developed around the concept, making more positive claims about the nature of reason, religion, their own monopoly on 'logic' and so on that I don't want to be a part of.

[Asmodean]

I became atheist so that I could work on my plot to take over the world.

GET IN LINE, dammit! 

Hey now I have nothing but love for fellow hairless wonders.  If my plot succeeds before yours, you can have Canada.  I have no use for it.

Oh..! Well, in that case, we should go for a drink. And if The Asmo gets the world first, he's gonna give you South America. That continent just wouldn't look right in Asmo Gray 

[Guardian85]

I didn't pursue atheism, it kinda just snuck up on me while I was busy learning about science and accumulating experience in life.

[Thunder Road]

Sorry the word "pursue" caused so much distress.  I actually spent a solid few minutes trying to word my poll choices accurately.  Oh well.   

No worries, and I don't think anyone's distressed by it. We're just trying to be accurate in our responses.


Interesting point, and I suspect that its more common in people who start out religious. The idea that atheism is somehow more radical than agnosticism, and therefore more scary. For what it's worth, technically atheism is about belief and agnosticism is about knowledge. I don't believe in gods, but acknowledge that I can't know for certain. So I'm both. Once can, of course, get into a philosophical discussion on what people call knowledge. Most religious people will claim that they know god exists, but since there are tons of different gods in different religious systems, clearly at least some of them are claiming "knowledge" that isn't true.

Yes to the bolded.  The best way I can think to describe it is that I had to choose to embrace the truth.  Now I recognize that it's coorect, but I still had to choose to stop being ignorant.

[Stevil]

As for morality, it always astonishes me that some Xtians think it doesn't exist without a god imposing it.  It's like they can't see, or don't acknowledge, the billions of people all around us who are more than capable of bringing consequences to bear for anything they consider mistreatment.  And that's just the start of what amounts to morality.

As Atheists, I don't think we should be tempted to use theistic words. The moment we try to use "morality", "ethics", "rights (as in moral or ethical rights)", "Good/Bad", "Evil" we will eventually find that our stance in not logically consistent. Theists have spent thousands of years analysing their worldview, trying to make everything logically consistent, we haven't.
The main problem is that language has been so influenced over the thousands of years that it is difficult to express an atheistic worldview in words. There are some words we must reclaim, must redefine in order to have our worldview logically consistent.

[Happy_Is_Good]

"Did you choose to be an atheist because you wanted to escape morality?"

A lot of Christians I've known have asked me the same question assuming that being immoral would be fulfilling (i.e., Fun!).  Isn't that strange?  I can't imagine being immoral as being fun.