What is/was your inspiration to become atheist?
I have been an atheist for quite some time now. My inspiration to become atheist:
1. Reading and watching Richard Dawkins work (The God Delusion)/ Christopher Hitchens videos and that by theoretical physicists such as Sean Carroll.
2 Reading Nietzsche!
3. Watching Darkmatter2525 videos. Watch at least one! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1BzP1wr234
4. Too many inconsistencies and superstition in religion. It also retards progression.
5. The problem of evil.
6. No gods, no fear.
Can't honestly say I was inspired to become an atheist. It's simply that an all powerful loving creator makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.
The Catholic church.
I read the bible at a young age and realized how much it made no god damned sense. And probably my step family who was overtly religious and either cruel, or passive to each other's cruelty.
I was born an atheist and not even going to religious schools changed my worldview.
From actually reading books and having endured abuse from fundie types.
Reality. And one does not need to be inspired to 'be an atheist' it's the natural condition of humanity. One has to be mislead into becoming a theist.
I'm atheist by default. Being vocal about it, however... I suppose you can call my inspiration sources for that divine. Those include, but are not limited to, asshole gods, asshole prophets and their near-do-well followers.
Quote from: Apathy on December 09, 2016, 01:54:32 AM
I read the bible at a young age and realized how much it made no god damned sense. And probably my step family who was overtly religious and either cruel, or passive to each other's cruelty.
Pretty much this one for me too, plus the realization that nothing about the supernatural held water, which kept me from continuing to embarrass myself looking for a non-Xtian god.
I always was. Society being what it is I didn't realize it until someone pointed out to me that one could simply not believe in God/s. I grew up under the impression everyone had a religion, you just had to figure out which it was. Having someone say "or just don't believe in anything" was a moment of "oh! That! That's me; that's what I am."
A former friend of The Asmo's tried to preach his measely little god to The Asmo. Naturally, The Asmo was not best pleased with his friend's gullibility, especially since it was He who successfully helped that same friend disprove Santa a couple of years earlier by designing an experiment for him.
The ingratitude of some individuals is just... Mind-boggling! >:(
In any case, that was the first time The Asmo actually defined Himself as atheist.
What started me leaning towards my evil, heretical doubts about God, was reality also. What the Bible said, didn't match to what I saw in real life. I started to doubt, then I started to read, then earnestly research, then I found one little bit of info that sort of pushed me over the edge. I learned that way before Jesus, there were myths of gods being born of virgins and sons of gods dying and resurrecting, among other similarities. And I thought, you know, those people believed in their gods as strongly as we believe in this one, but they were obviously wrong.... as we are too....
It was a very impacting sentiment. I was astounded and sad and free and pissed.... all at the same time.
Quote from: Tank on December 09, 2016, 06:45:03 AM
Reality. And one does not need to be inspired to 'be an atheist' it's the natural condition of humanity. One has to be mislead into becoming a theist.
Haha, well said.
The Adamsian falling whale.
I don't know that I was "inspired" so to speak, but there were certainly sources that I turned to for education and information that I had never sought out before.
I was raised extremely conservative christian (pentecostal) and encouraged never to question the teachings.
When I did begin to question I certainly found answers from some of the rather famous atheist and scientists.
Dawkins was certainly a major one, as was Sam Harris, Lawrence Krauss, Hitch and Neil Degrasse Tyson.
My main questioning began after watching Bill Maher's movie "Religilous". After that I looked for material to answer my questions and found the above people, as well as others.
QuoteWhat is/was your inspiration to become atheist?
surprisingly for me it was national geographic
I always had an interest in science and I watched every documentary that was on TV on every subject, They would show national geographic documentaries every weekend and that;s how I started realising, as a kid, that everything has a scientific explanation. So I started reading etc