My Testimonial

[jamesatracy]

I became an atheist when I was 17. In fact, that is when I first learned of the term and what it meant. For the first 17 years of my life I was, what I would now call, a theist by presumption. I presumed that some sort of god existed, however, I rarely gave much thought to it.

I was fortunate, perhaps, to grow up in a non-religious household. Both of my parents are believers with Christian backgrounds (Catholic and Methodist, respectively), but religion was not something that was ever discussed at home nor was I ever taken to church. Holidays such as Christmas and Easter were celebrated in an almost completely secular manner. Jesus barely seemed to be the reason for the season.

In fact, the only time that I ever remember going to church was when I was really young and my grandmother took me to her Catholic mass. To sit in one of those pews, to thumb through one of the Bibles that sat in the slot in front of me, and to stare at the statue of Jesus on the cross on the far back wall left an odd impression on me. I can’t possibly describe it in words, but to a small child, it was all a bit confusing, to say the least. I remember spending a long time staring at a series of artwork depicting the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus that ran along the walls on either side of the church in a combination of awe and puzzlement.

I first heard the “good news” when I was in fourth grade. It was during recess, and one of my friends gathered a few of us around and indicated that he was excited to share something with us. He explained how we are all sinners under God. He told us, because of this, the only way we could get into heaven after we died was by asking God for forgiveness. It was that simple, he said. All that I had to do was ask for God’s forgiveness every once in awhile and I’d be in good shape. When should I do this, I ask? It doesn’t matter, he replied. All that essentially matters, then, is that you do it. So, I did exactly what he had told me to do. I bowed my head, closed my eyes, and asked for God’s forgiveness.

Funny thing was, I felt no different than I had before. I may have been a child, but I felt silly. I felt like I was talking to myself. Needless to say, I stopped trying to talk to God.

I did not think much about religion or god again until I was 17. I was on a class trip to Washington D.C. and we were touring a cathedral. That must have got me thinking again. Once we were outside, I made some comment to a friend of mine that prompted him to ask me whether or not I was an atheist. I had honestly never heard the word before and asked him what it meant. When he told me, my immediate gut reaction was to quickly deny that I was an atheist - and so I did. However, in my mind I knew that I was, and in some way I was grateful to my friend for finally identifying, with a word, what had been lingering within me for all that time.

That was all that I needed. Sometimes that is just what many of us need. In the ensuing years I read whatever I could find on atheism or that was critical of religion. Yes, the logic and the arguments were all compelling to me, but the greatest revelation, for me, was discovering that there are so many other people out there who share my disbelief. That is what makes places like this on the internet so important. That is also why I have created a new website that makes it easy for atheists, agnostics, and unbelievers to share their own testimonials and stories with the rest of us. If you would like to participate, please learn how to contribute here: http://www.anatheist.net/share/

[Will]

You were very fortunate not to have been heavily indoctrinated as a young person, especially by parents. Having some kid in 4th grade by my first actual experience with religion would have made my transition a lot more comfortable.

Funny thing was, I felt no different than I had before. I may have been a child, but I felt silly. I felt like I was talking to myself. Needless to say, I stopped trying to talk to God.

I used to call Jesus "Superman" when I was very young. I now think back and wonder if it was because Jesus was portrayed like a superhero to me as a child in order to make the ideas more palatable.

[jamesatracy]

That's very interesting. That also makes me very curious as to how Jesus is presented and explained to young children in Sunday schools. I am sure it is nothing like Mel Gibson Passion of the Christ! I always wonder where I would be now had I been raised thoroughly immersed in Christianity. I would like to think that I would have still come to atheism naturally as the most reasonable position, but who knows! Have you seen the documentary "Jesus Camp"?

[Will]

It's much like cartoons, in fact I was given a bible that was made to look like a comic strip or graphic novel when I was younger. Looking back, it's simply good marketing. Intellectuals will be attracted to abstract interpretation (what does the triune god mean?), political people are given church government, empathetic or giving people are given numerous charities and volunteer work, hens are given women's christian organizations (in which they can gossip), teenagers are given shitty pop music, and children are given cartoons and toys.

Yes, I've seen Jesus Camp, and it's the best and strongest argument against the Second Amendment.

[MommaSquid]

Welcome to the forum, jamesatracy.   Keep us posted on the success of your forum.


Willravel, I'm not sure what you meant by this:

Yes, I've seen Jesus Camp, and it's the best and strongest argument against the Second Amendment.

As you can see by my sig, I'm a big fan of the right to bear arms.  Is there a better way to keep the Mormons off my property?    

[Will]

While I appreciate the liberties guaranteed to us by the Bill of Rights, there are reasonable limits to said freedoms. One yelling "fire" in a crowded room ought not be protected by the First Amendment. Likewise, those who find that killing is admissible in order to appease antique fables and fairy tales clearly do not possess the intellectual nor moral fiber to wield a weapon of such precision. In other words? Don't give crazies guns.

[Kona]

Yeah, they really like to get'em young.  It is the same with most religions because they realize that you are very impressionable at a young age and it is much harder to overcome those impressions down the road.  What the hell does a 4th grader know about the world??  When I think back to my 20's I think the same thing.....no offense to anyone in their 20's.  

[SteveS]

Hello jamesatracy - thanks for the terrific intro and welcome to the board!  I also count myself lucky to have been raised in a household devoid of religion.  My parents where very definitely not self-proclaimed atheists, but they also were not religious.

Cheers!