Why are you the way you are?

[tymygy]

I'm interested in how you've come to believe in what you believe.

For me, I was a christian my entire life, or at least as long as I can remember. But a few years ago My aunt (who I am very close to) was expecting her 2nd baby girl. For 9 months she was extremely healthy. A few days before she was born she was completely fine. 100% normal, healthy, breathing, etc. My aunt went to sleep one night, and the next day went into labor, when she was giving birth to her the doctors discovered the baby was not breathing, she was dead. They believe she pinned her umbilical chord with her elbow, suffocating her. Sydney Mitchell was born dead, she was perfect for 9 months and 1 night took that all away.

I remembered that god said he "knitted you together in the womb" and controlled every birth. From that point I thought, how could god kill this baby? what kind of sick joke is this? was it a test for my aunt? if it was then, god is really fucked up to do that.

Anyways, back to when I was a christian; for years and years I was trapped in this bubble, this bubble was called "ignorance", I did everything to refute evolution claims and I believed with all my heart that the earth was only 6000 years old. After my thirst for knowledge grew, I began studying the other side of this debate. (atheist vs theists) As I did, I saw that I had no proof for anything I was saying, evolutionists DID. I also began to think of all the pain, killing, "sin" in the world, that I thought "what kind of god could have done this? I know I could have done a better job than he did."

Before I was on an empty path looking to prove god, but now I'm on a path that is full of constant findings to disprove god.

Please I'd love to hear your beliefs and the origin of them.

 

[Will]

It was my freshman year in high school, biology AP (advanced placement, not to brag) specifically. Up until a particular Friday, I had been a Christian, at least since I was old enough to understand language. My father is a pastor and I never missed a service. It hadn't even crossed my mind to question the existence of the Abrahamic God.

This particular week was evolution week. Without any reason, I suddenly became a creationist. To this day, I don't know what possessed me. Maybe I felt subconsciously threatened. The point is I spent 5th period of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday debating my overqualified biology teacher over the merits of evolution. She politely and patiently indulged my ignorance, wasting valuable class time. Finally, on Friday, I had the especially hair-brained idea to bring my Bible to cite as evidence. This was the straw that broke the camel's back. She unloaded on me (politely, respectfully, but sternly and unyieldingly) with one of the most beautiful, perfectly formed, brilliant lectures I've ever had the fortune of hearing. She obliterated me, the way every once in a while someone on HAF will with a troll or newbie. By the time she took a sip of her coffee and went to teaching the class, my entire world had been shattered. She wasn't preaching atheism or anything, just the value of evidence and the perfect way everything fit together without any magic or mythology. The place I had put God in my understanding of the universe was suddenly occupied by something new, something natural.

It took a little while after the amazing tirade for me to finally process everything, but it happened. To this day, I credit Ms. Rose with my ability to question my preconceptions. Had it not been for her, who knows what I would have become? VenomFangX? I shudder at the thought.

[Sophus]

I was raised Christian and phased out of it in my teen years. Mine was a more gradual process: theism to deism to a brief period of pure agnosticism to atheism. All that really happened is I started to notice the hypocrisy in the church, and really began to notice the lies they were telling. Not that they knew they were lies. They just don't look into anything outside the "bubble" of what they teach each other. So my story is rather cerebral and boring. I thought and read the Bible (and also began to put into perspective what a Hell, should it exist, would really mean). The end.

[tymygy]

Had it not been for her, who knows what I would have become? VenomFangX? I shudder at the thought.

HAHAHA For sureee    

Was it hard merging into what seems like a different life style? from a christian into atheist? It might be one of the hardest things I've done in a long time.

Its kind of like losing a good friend, you know?

[i_am_i]

I'm interested in how you've come to believe in what you believe.

Believe?

[Will]

Was it hard merging into what seems like a different life style? from a christian into atheist? It might be one of the hardest things I've done in a long time.

Its kind of like losing a good friend, you know?

It's not something I know how to compare to anything else. The closest thing I can compare it to is being born into a prison, a prison in which you're told you're free, and then suddenly having someone point out the bars.

As far as lifestyle, for a few years I thought I was the only atheist on the face of the planet. This was before I understood much about the internet, and I was in a town with more churches than houses. I'd never been exposed to atheism as an existing world view, so I was silent about it until I was a junior in college. Needless to say, it was not a fun time. Though the premarital sex was certainly a welcome benefit. My life didn't change until I was made aware of internet forums and discovered there are not only out atheists, but happy, proud atheists. It was places like HAF, in fact, that helped facilitate my shift to a happier, more healthy way of being. Part of why I wanted to and have moderated HAF is I feel I owe places like this an enormous debt. I'm not here to change minds, but I hope in presenting my point of view, maybe I can help someone who may be having a difficult time.

[The Magic Pudding]

HAHAHA For sureee    

Was it hard merging into what seems like a different life style? from a christian into atheist? It might be one of the hardest things I've done in a long time.

Its kind of like losing a good friend, you know?

I've never really believed so I don't miss anything.

What a friend we have in Jesus,
    all our sins and griefs to bear!
    What a privilege to carry
    everything to God in prayer!
    O what peace we often forfeit,
    O what needless pain we bear,
    all because we do not carry
    everything to God in prayer.

That does sound like someone living in a bubble, deprived of oxygen, suffering brain degradation.
What can replace bubble friend, how about real friends, family, art, science, literature, good works, nature, free thought, truth, and The Happy Atheist Forum?

[tymygy]

I'm interested in how you've come to believe in what you believe.

Believe?

I believe in science, I believe there is no god.

Don't you?

[Martin TK]

It was my freshman year in high school, biology AP (advanced placement, not to brag) specifically. Up until a particular Friday, I had been a Christian, at least since I was old enough to understand language. My father is a pastor and I never missed a service. It hadn't even crossed my mind to question the existence of the Abrahamic God.

This particular week was evolution week. Without any reason, I suddenly became a creationist. To this day, I don't know what possessed me. Maybe I felt subconsciously threatened. The point is I spent 5th period of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday debating my overqualified biology teacher over the merits of evolution. She politely and patiently indulged my ignorance, wasting valuable class time. Finally, on Friday, I had the especially hair-brained idea to bring my Bible to cite as evidence. This was the straw that broke the camel's back. She unloaded on me (politely, respectfully, but sternly and unyieldingly) with one of the most beautiful, perfectly formed, brilliant lectures I've ever had the fortune of hearing. She obliterated me, the way every once in a while someone on HAF will with a troll or newbie. By the time she took a sip of her coffee and went to teaching the class, my entire world had been shattered. She wasn't preaching atheism or anything, just the value of evidence and the perfect way everything fit together without any magic or mythology. The place I had put God in my understanding of the universe was suddenly occupied by something new, something natural.

It took a little while after the amazing tirade for me to finally process everything, but it happened. To this day, I credit Ms. Rose with my ability to question my preconceptions. Had it not been for her, who knows what I would have become? VenomFangX? I shudder at the thought.

Awesome story, thanks for sharing... very interesting.  My first wife's father was a Baptist Minister, Southern Baptist, and it was about the fourth sermon I heard him preach that I became convinced of the BS, but it wasn't until my freshman year in college that I completely gave up the notion of a god and religion.  It was funny, but it was the two religion classes that were required for my AA Degree that actually convinced me that there was no god.  I had never even thought about creation and evolution being at odds, I had always accepted that we had evolved, even my rather devout parents spoke of evolution.  Nope, it was a Methodist Minister in my freshman year who told us to challenge religion and to "grow beyond the Kindergarten beliefs that most Christians held" that opened my eyes.  I'm pretty sure he was a closet atheist, and his class was one of the best I ever took because he taught me to challenge everything.

[The Magic Pudding]

I'm interested in how you've come to believe in what you believe.

Believe?

I believe in science, I believe there is no god.

Don't you?

I think some people have a problem with the word "believe"
Definition 4 of 5 in Wordweb is "Follow a credo; have a faith; be a believer"
I think people respect, even love science, but try to remain critical.
Belief can have an uncritical connotation.

[tymygy]

[/quote]
I think some people have a problem with the word "believe"
Definition 4 of 5 in Wordweb is "Follow a credo; have a faith; be a believer"
I think people respect, even love science, but try to remain critical.
Belief can have an uncritical connotation.[/quote]

I think alot of people see believing and having faith as being equal.

I believe that I will die someday.

I don't believe I will be born again someday.


both are beliefs, just in different contexts.

[Asmodean]

I rarely use the word belief in conjunction with my life philosophy.

I trust and respect science because understanding the world around us and perhaps expanding it is a fascinating thing. Science has given us computers and air planes and nuclear bombs. What has religion given us that can semi-objectively amount to even that drop in the ocean?

I am an atheist because, simply put, I was born an astheist. It never changed

[Tommo]

I'm an atheist because I refuse to believe that the very things that make me human (desires, emotions, drives, instincts) make me a pitiful evil creature in need of "salvation".  Religion is dehumanizing and wrong, simply put.

[freethinkermommy]

We're all born atheist.

But I know what you are trying to ask.

I was raised atheist. My parents were both catholic. For a long time. I don't know what happened, but something happened when I was a  toddler and my brother was 7. After that point, no more religion, period. They raised us to believe that God was like santa and that religion was a crutch for the weak minded. I didn't know the word for it, but the other kids at school had me picked out before I even know we were a different family... especially back then, Atheists weren't exactly loved, lol. It's not that it was Islam in particular, it was just an organized religion. Then in 2004 my mom passed away and my dad found God, . HE regrets raising us the way he did and now my relationship with him sucks. He's not drop dead born again or anything, but it's enough of a change to cause problems.

So I was raised this way.
Anyway, I hope my kids don't have it as rough. I would sit here and say I'll give them a choice, but we know thats balogna. There is no choice. Once you teach your kids logic and reason, God sounds like a fairy tale, which it is.

[DropLogic]

I was lucky enough to have religious parents that allowed me to make my own decision on the matter.  They enrolled me in Sunday school at the local Protestant church, and once I got home they would ask me what I thought and how it made me feel.  When it became clear that I wasn't buying one word of it, they stopped taking me.  I was 7.  Both of my parents have since become non-religious.  I don't know if they are atheists, never talked about it.
Very few of my friends and co-workers know that I don't believe in god.  In my experience, at least in this area, all that knowledge does is draw a line in the sand between you and success.