Path.

[hackenslash]

Born atheist, dragged to church till 13 'ish remained atheist, still atheist, will die atheist (unless given a valid reason to do otherwise).

Ditto, apart from the last bit. There is no valid reason for me to become otherwise. I have no god, regardless of the actual existence of one. I have no want or need of such an entity. What do you do with one anyway? Does it stand in the corner gathering dust, like the guitar you got for your 13th birthday that you always promised yourself that you'd learn to play? Wheel it out as a conversation starter at parties?

No, the idea has no utility for me whatsoever.

[Martin TK]

I was born and reared in South Carolina, right in the middle of the Bible Belt, so my early life was heavily influenced by Christianity.  My Mother was a strong believer, my father not so much, in fact he went on quite a journey himself looking for god; eventually he married Mom and settled into the Methodist Church.  My Mom's family are VERY Methodist, we have a dozen or so ministers in the family, so you can only imagine what a family reunion was like.

Anyway, my deconversion happened BECAUSE I went to a Church Supported College and took several religion courses on my way to an Associate Degree.  I always had my doubts about god, it just happened for good around the age of 19.  For the next 30 years, I was an avowed atheist, but kept it to myself, although I rarely went to church, didn't participate in church activities, and did not rear my own children in the church.  In fact neither of my children were baptized as infants, I simply wouldn't allow it.

Needless to say it wasn't popular with my Mom, she spent a lot of time and energy worrying about my soul.  We had a GREAT relationship so we managed to get past this, but she never gave up.  After my Mother died, I openly told my family that I was and had been an atheist for many years, well that went over like a "fart in Church."  Most of my immediate family almost instantly turned away from me, calling me godless and without morals, even though I had always been the strong "moral" compass of the family as the oldest son.

My oldest son, even after being raised in a freethinking home, married a woman of "faith" and has taken on her beliefs.  She will have nothing to do with me, and has even cut off ties to my own grandson, because she is afraid I will influence him to "reject god."  My youngest son could care less about my belief, probably because they mirror his own, and my step-daughter is an avowed atheist at 17...I'm so proud of her.

Anyway, that's my Reader's Digest version of my religious story.  Of course there are many, many other steps along the way, and stories to tell, but this kind of wraps it all up for me.  Hope that is what you were looking for.  Martin

[omfgzmariah]

That was definitely what I was looking for, Martin.
I wanted to read a story and get to know some of you a little better.

When you're older you really underestimate how intelligent teenagers are. So good for your step-daughter!
And I'm sorry to hear about your son, it's really sad when people can't see past something.

[Tank]

Born atheist, dragged to church till 13 'ish remained atheist, still atheist, will die atheist (unless given a valid reason to do otherwise).

Ditto, apart from the last bit. There is no valid reason for me to become otherwise. I have no god, regardless of the actual existence of one. I have no want or need of such an entity. What do you do with one anyway? Does it stand in the corner gathering dust, like the guitar you got for your 13th birthday that you always promised yourself that you'd learn to play? Wheel it out as a conversation starter at parties?

No, the idea has no utility for me whatsoever.

What is God does exist and there was sufficient evidence to convince you? You would no longer be an atheist. What you did about the knowledge that God existed would be another issue entirely, but you could no longer call yourself an atheist. To say I will die an atheist is impossible to say as I can't see into the future. I don't expect there to be evidence for the existance of God so I will probably die an atheist.

[Asmodean]

My path, it was a long one...

Born an atheist, introduced to the concept of religion eventually, called bullshit, called bullshit on Santa the same year, remained atheist.  

[KDbeads]

I was raised in an Assemblies of God church

I knew there was something familiar about you... was it the fundie version?  That's what I grew up with, skirts only, no makeup, no jewelry, speak only when spoken to, etc...
Since I'm not really wanting to type it all out again... See here:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4887&p=66139#p66139

[Thumpalumpacus]

Born atheist, dragged to church till 13 'ish remained atheist, still atheist, will die atheist (unless given a valid reason to do otherwise).

Ditto, apart from the last bit. There is no valid reason for me to become otherwise. I have no god, regardless of the actual existence of one. I have no want or need of such an entity. What do you do with one anyway? Does it stand in the corner gathering dust, like the guitar you got for your 13th birthday that you always promised yourself that you'd learn to play? Wheel it out as a conversation starter at parties?

No, the idea has no utility for me whatsoever.

The utility of an idea has no bearing on its truth-value.  I don't see the point of rejecting god, if reality shows him to be actual.  

Me, I prefer to make my outlook comport to the world as it is.

Plus, you can send me your dusty guitar, I'll play the hell out of it.

[humblesmurph]

I was born and reared in South Carolina, right in the middle of the Bible Belt, so my early life was heavily influenced by Christianity.  My Mother was a strong believer, my father not so much, in fact he went on quite a journey himself looking for god; eventually he married Mom and settled into the Methodist Church.  My Mom's family are VERY Methodist, we have a dozen or so ministers in the family, so you can only imagine what a family reunion was like.

Anyway, my deconversion happened BECAUSE I went to a Church Supported College and took several religion courses on my way to an Associate Degree.  I always had my doubts about god, it just happened for good around the age of 19.  For the next 30 years, I was an avowed atheist, but kept it to myself, although I rarely went to church, didn't participate in church activities, and did not rear my own children in the church.  In fact neither of my children were baptized as infants, I simply wouldn't allow it.

Needless to say it wasn't popular with my Mom, she spent a lot of time and energy worrying about my soul.  We had a GREAT relationship so we managed to get past this, but she never gave up.  After my Mother died, I openly told my family that I was and had been an atheist for many years, well that went over like a "fart in Church."  Most of my immediate family almost instantly turned away from me, calling me godless and without morals, even though I had always been the strong "moral" compass of the family as the oldest son.

My oldest son, even after being raised in a freethinking home, married a woman of "faith" and has taken on her beliefs.  She will have nothing to do with me, and has even cut off ties to my own grandson, because she is afraid I will influence him to "reject god."  My youngest son could care less about my belief, probably because they mirror his own, and my step-daughter is an avowed atheist at 17...I'm so proud of her.

Anyway, that's my Reader's Digest version of my religious story.  Of course there are many, many other steps along the way, and stories to tell, but this kind of wraps it all up for me.  Hope that is what you were looking for.  Martin

 Why can't people just accept you for who you have always been and let that other shit sort itself out when we die?  I'm glad you have a good relationship with your younger children.  I really hope your eldest son comes around.

[PoopShoot]

I knew there was something familiar about you... was it the fundie version?  That's what I grew up with, skirts only, no makeup, no jewelry, speak only when spoken to, etc...

We were fundies, just of a different kind.  The girls wore skirts to church and were severely ostracized otherwise, but were allowed to wear pants at the school because they would play on the playground and the church didn't want us little boys behaving the way little boys behave around girls in skirts sliding down slides.  Speak when spoken to wasn't strictly an issue, but interrupting an adult was an immediate ass-whipping.  At school this was administered by the principal and parents had to sign over the right to do that if they wanted their kids in that school.  At church we sang songs until over half of the congregation were suffering from seizures and inability to speak in tongues was considered a sign of spiritual immaturity.  At about 9 or so, children were expected to be able to speak in tongues and prophecy.  That all said, these things were not written in stone, because the church wanted to keep a good public image, as it was a mega-church and a local landmark in Sacramento.  Gotta keep the PR up.  Either way, if you didn't follow the unwritten rules, then you were ostracized, pushed to the fringe and socially dead at church functions.  For me, church functions included my entire elementary school life and part of junior high, as I went to school at my church and had NO life at home.  Since I wasn't rich, like the other school kids, who also attended my church, I was the outcast for 6 days out of the week.

[Asmodean]

Since I wasn't rich, like the other school kids, who also attended my church, I was the outcast for 6 days out of the week.

Six..? So you did have some form of life on the seventh?  

[PoopShoot]

Six..? So you did have some form of life on the seventh?  

If I didn't have anything church related on Saturday, I cried a lot into my pillow.

[Asmodean]

If I didn't have anything church related on Saturday, I cried a lot into my pillow.

Oh. I see...

If you don't mind me asking, do you hold your grudges against the church, your parents, environment you grew up in or the like..?

[PoopShoot]

If you don't mind me asking, do you hold your grudges against the church, your parents, environment you grew up in or the like..?

I try not to hold grudges.  The few that pop up unrequested are against a certain group of children, but the only one of them I can bring to mind is easily dismissed by the look on his face at his father's funeral, a father who shot himself in the head because he was as poor as I, but pretending to be as rich as the rest.  He was the ringleader of the group who picked on me and it turned out that he was as poor as the kids he picked on for being poor.

[Asmodean]

I try not to hold grudges.  The few that pop up unrequested are against a certain group of children, but the only one of them I can bring to mind is easily dismissed by the look on his face at his father's funeral, a father who shot himself in the head because he was as poor as I, but pretending to be as rich as the rest.  He was the ringleader of the group who picked on me and it turned out that he was as poor as the kids he picked on for being poor.

I see... That environment sounds abusive, to say the least.

The reason I'm asking is that if faced with similar circumstances, I would probably become a serial killer. I forget, but never forgive, you see... And the fact that people can just keep on going without getting back at the world fascinates me.

[KDbeads]

I knew there was something familiar about you... was it the fundie version?  That's what I grew up with, skirts only, no makeup, no jewelry, speak only when spoken to, etc...

We were fundies, just of a different kind.  The girls wore skirts to church and were severely ostracized otherwise, but were allowed to wear pants at the school because they would play on the playground and the church didn't want us little boys behaving the way little boys behave around girls in skirts sliding down slides.  Speak when spoken to wasn't strictly an issue, but interrupting an adult was an immediate ass-whipping.  At school this was administered by the principal and parents had to sign over the right to do that if they wanted their kids in that school.  At church we sang songs until over half of the congregation were suffering from seizures and inability to speak in tongues was considered a sign of spiritual immaturity.  At about 9 or so, children were expected to be able to speak in tongues and prophecy.  That all said, these things were not written in stone, because the church wanted to keep a good public image, as it was a mega-church and a local landmark in Sacramento.  Gotta keep the PR up.  Either way, if you didn't follow the unwritten rules, then you were ostracized, pushed to the fringe and socially dead at church functions.  For me, church functions included my entire elementary school life and part of junior high, as I went to school at my church and had NO life at home.  Since I wasn't rich, like the other school kids, who also attended my church, I was the outcast for 6 days out of the week.

Damn, sounds like a liberal version of the place I grew up in!  If you can imagine it any less liberal

I try not to hold grudges.  The few that pop up unrequested are against a certain group of children, but the only one of them I can bring to mind is easily dismissed by the look on his face at his father's funeral, a father who shot himself in the head because he was as poor as I, but pretending to be as rich as the rest.  He was the ringleader of the group who picked on me and it turned out that he was as poor as the kids he picked on for being poor.

I see... That environment sounds abusive, to say the least.

Very.  More so if you are female in that environment.  Especially if you are an intelligent female.....