How I Found Atheism

[Friday]

OK, don't ask me why this came to mind, but... in my first semester at university, I took Physical Anthropology 101, taught by Prof. Vincent Sarich.  Gotta love a university professor who gets protested.  He had us read The Selfish Gene, by Sir Richard Dawkins.  God damn that Dawkins... he destroyed my lifelong, hardcore faith in Gawd.

[JJ]

For me as a teenager it was more of hearing the BS the folks at alcohol anonymous were telling my mother.  All this crap about how you must put your faith into a higher power and only god can save you from yourself.  Don't get me wrong, I am glad my mom sobered up but I think it had more to do with her conscious decision not to put a bottle of alcohol in her hand and less to do with scripture. 

Not only that but I was sent to Sunday school as a child and as a became more aware (older) I realized that none of this garbage I was taught felt right.  The ol' gut feeling about right and wrong my parents instilled in me sure came back to bite their "dreams of another zealot child" in the ass.  Thankfully they respected my wishes and I dropped out of the cult at around age 12 or 13 or 14.  It's a not important enough to remember accurately . 

[Pat K]

Actually reading the bible, did it for me.

[JJ]

[TackleTheWorld]

Perhaps I'm too old to remember, perhaps I never swallowed that supernatural stuff.  But I clearly remember when I rejected religion. 

1967 - a new cartoon was premeiring , Shazzan.  I refused to go to catechism on saturday morning.  When my parents overruled me, and delivered me to hours of memorizing prayers I decided this god thing was not in my best interest.

[dalebert]

Actually reading the bible, did it for me.

Same here, although I had momentary lapses of faith before that where I would go into a panic because my sister had explained that the only unforgivable sin was to not believe. I realized at some point that it seemed like a scare tactic in place of actual evidence. Reading the Bible, actually reading it from front to back instead of excerpts to go along with a Sunday school class, is what nipped it for me. I never read Dawkins. Who needs Dawkins when you have the Bible?

[Lloyd Danforth]

Like Lauren, I was more or less forced to go to Catechism.  I never bought into any of it, but, I would memorize the stories and get a dime from my grandmother, for the little stars they stamped correct in the book they give you, . Masses were in Latin and the longest hours I have ever endured.  I quit after making First Holy Communion.  Fortunately my parents were of different religions, so I never got any pressure from them. I credit the ridiculous stories  and the cold unsociable environment of the Catholic church for my Atheism.  I went  with my friends to  a Protestant church and even to synagogue, and found them more social.
In 1980 while working in the Anti-Draft movement I was exposed to Quaker and Unitarian Meeting Houses and found them heavy in community and light (compared to catholics) on fire and brimstone.

[Kat Kanning]

A bunch of things never made sense....like why someone had to die for sins to be forgiven?  If god can do anything, why be so mysterious?  Why let such bad things happen?  Then in college I ran into the objectivists and read George H Smith's Atheism, The Case Against God which made sense to me.  Even if there were a god, I wouldn't want to worship him.

I don't hate Christianity like some atheists seem to.  I'm willing to take what wisdom I find from whatever source and incorporate it into my thinking.  I think Christ said a lot of interesting things.  I don't think he was divine....he was just some guy, ya know. 

[Lloyd Danforth]

The Vatican Rag

First you get down on your knees,
Fiddle with your rosaries,
Bow your head with great respect,
And genuflect, genuflect, genuflect!

Do whatever steps you want, if
You have cleared them with the pontiff.
Everybody say his own
Kyrie eleison,
Doin' the vatican rag.

Get in line in that processional,
Step into that small confessional,
There, the guy who's got religion'll
Tell you if your sin's original.
If it is, try playin' it safer,
Drink the wine and chew the wafer,
Two, four, six, eight,
Time to transubstantiate!

So get down upon your knees,
Fiddle with your rosaries,
Bow your head with great respect,
And genuflect, genuflect, genuflect!

Make a cross on your abdomen,
When in rome do like a roman,
Ave maria,
Gee it's good to see ya,
Gettin' ecstatic an'
Sorta dramatic an'
Doin' the vatican rag!

[Raineyrocks]

A bunch of things never made sense....like why someone had to die for sins to be forgiven?  If god can do anything, why be so mysterious?  Why let such bad things happen?  Then in college I ran into the objectivists and read George H Smith's Atheism, The Case Against God which made sense to me.  Even if there were a god, I wouldn't want to worship him.

I don't hate Christianity like some atheists seem to.  I'm willing to take what wisdom I find from whatever source and incorporate it into my thinking.  I think Christ said a lot of interesting things.  I don't think he was divine....he was just some guy, ya know. 

I have a lot of the same perspectives as you Kat especially about Jesus and his teachings.  How could do unto others as you would have them do unto you, harm anyone?  Unless your a sado-masichist, (sp?).
   
A couple of my biggest problems with the bible and the christian perspective is, why do we have to pray through Jesus' name if Jesus and God are one in the same?  I know, I've constantly been given the answer, because Jesus was the bridge to form communication with God through his sacrifice for our sins, we are too sinful to communicate with God without Jesus' forgiveness.  Never made sense to me because if Jesus and God are one in the same then God died on the cross too.  Eeerr, my head it's spinning already!

Also a lot of pastors have preached that the bible is our instruction book on how to live, ha!  First of all look at all the contradictions and violence and also if I left my kids with a book like that, they'd probably never understand it and then told them they were going burn in an eternal pit of hellfire if they didn't obey it, I'd expect them not to trust me very much either.

I've come to the belief for me anyway that there is a creator and I do choose to call him God but as far as the bible and religion, forget it.  I love looking at the beautiful things that are here and in the solar system and can't help but think something magnificent had to make all of this however I think religion was put here by man as a control through fear tool to keep people "in line".

I don't think God gets involved with what goes on here even though sometimes that one does confuse me so I'm not sure yet.  That's probably where I'm still really confused because for as much suffering maybe God allows, (if he does), there also is so much good that maybe he is a part of.   I don't know.

I could go on and on about the things I don't understand but I won't.

[John Edward Mercier]

The Bible is instruction on how to live? Or the Ten Commandments?

By the way... the Golden Rule is older than Jesus.

[Raineyrocks]

The Bible is instruction on how to live? Or the Ten Commandments?

By the way... the Golden Rule is older than Jesus.

What I've heard from any christian church I've attended is that the bible is the instruction book on how to live.  Let's just say even if the 10 commandments were supposed to be the instructions on how to live, look at the contradictions in the bible that go totally against the commandments.  Like "thou shall not kill", why then did god ever tell people to sacrifice lambs for forgiveness of their sins?  I mean it doesn't say, "thou shall not kill people", so then I'm sure killing an animal would violate this commandment, right?

Okay whatever point your trying to get at with the "golden rule" is I guess interesting to somebody that wants to debate on what came from where but I really don't like debating so really  the only comment I have to that response is so what?

[Lloyd Danforth]

The Bible is instruction on how to live? Or the Ten Commandments?

By the way... the Golden Rule is older than Jesus.

And...adequate

[KBCraig]

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle.  That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."
- Larry Norman

[Puke]

Around 15 I realized it was not prayer but medical science that saved my Grandfather's life.
Sort of an epiphany, if you will.