Any other born atheists out there?

[Flyndaran]

I don't fit the mold for most atheists. I did not come to it after years of education and "soul" searching. I was born this way and can't be anything else.
I feel like a tiny minority inside a minority.

Anybody else like this or am I really a minority of one?

[BroomJockey]

Eh, I think had my upbringing been different, I'd have been like that. Instead, since my parents just took me to church since I was born, and I didn't talk about religion outside of Church, it was always just that thing that took up time on Sundays. While I was young, it was fun enough. We played games in Sunday School, sang songs, and did fun stuff. When we had to be in with the grown-ups, it was always boring, and didn't make much sense.

As I got older, and Sunday School wasn't an option anymore, the whole thing just seemed boring and a waste of time to me. It always gave me more questions than answers. I don't think I ever would have described myself as "Christian" unless specifically asked, and by the time I officially said "I am NOT Christian" in Grade 10, I hadn't been going to Church except on holidays for years.

So, basically, had I been raised where it had even been an option, I probably would have started as an atheist.

[Flyndaran]

Ah, but for me it wasn't an option. I was raised by christians and attended a nice sunday school. There was no religious intolerance, and both my parents were always kind, generous, and understanding.
I just never for even a moment believed all those stories could be true. I was six when I realized that adults actually believed them.
I had many talks with my father, and he never belittled my thoughts or came across as confrontational. He eventually accepted my nature and never forced me to attend church.
If I wasn't religious in that family, then I simply am incapable of religion.

[BroomJockey]

I was raised by christians and attended a nice sunday school. There was no religious intolerance, and both my parents were always kind, generous, and understanding.
I just never for even a moment believed all those stories could be true. I was six when I realized that adults actually believed them.
I had many talks with my father, and he never belittled my thoughts or came across as confrontational. He eventually accepted my nature and never forced me to attend church.

Hooboy. You had it way better than me. My father was fine, but my mother condemned other sects of Christianity, even. When I finally "manned up" and told my mother I didn't consider myself Christian, she nearly had a breakdown. Even to this day, she randomly invokes god in saying "See, God was looking out for you," if something good happens to me, or "I can't understand why you won't go to Church!" I *have* been forced to attend Church, since I was visiting them for Christmas break a few years ago, and I don't have a vehicle of my own, so if I didn't cooperate, I was kind of fucked for getting back home at the end of the break.

I don't know that I ever thought that the stories were real, though I'd accepted the idea that Jesus really did live that long ago. I'd sort of categorized it with the novels I read at home, though significantly less interesting.

[Flyndaran]

Yeah, my father even accepted scientific theories as simply the means through which god worked. So I never had to choose between education and religion.

[guywithashovel]

If my parents had never decided to start taking us to church, I probably would have been a "born atheist" as you describe. When we first started going (when I was about 9), I thought many of the ideas of the people at my church were pretty wacky. However, I eventually fell into believing some of the things they taught. Still yet, if they had never filled my mind with horror stories of burning hellfire, then I suspect that I may have never convinced myself to believe.

I became a fairly serious Christian when I was in my teens, and many times I would stop and think about the things I believed, and I actually saw that many of my beliefs were pretty crazy. I just kept believing in them out of fear of Hell, though.

I can definitely understand why so many religious people cling to their belief in Hell. It certainly is a good tactic to use in order to scare people into your religion, especially young, impressionable children---many of whom still believe in the boogeyman and monsters in their closets.

[Slytovhand]

I'm not sure if you'll accept me in this thread, Flyn.

I've never been even remotely monotheistic, and the whole concept of 'god' as it's used is really beyond me. Sure, I believe in things that science hasn't yet grasped or conceded to, but they still fall into a logical place.

I wasn't brought up in a religious household, but I was forced to attend various religious training classes at the schools I went to, but they meant nothing to me... it didn't make any sense to me - the universe that massive and ancient, but we're the most important thing around??

Sorry, I can't 'worship' anything. (though, I will show respect to other entities that I come across... that's just polite and sensible... you don't piss off the locals when you're travelling overseas, do you??)

[AdminAssistant]

Yeah, my father even accepted scientific theories as simply the means through which god worked. So I never had to choose between education and religion.

Exactly. I've never understood why science and religion are seen as mutually exclusive.

[AFPheonix]

Because some people feel that science infringes on God's divinity. They truly want to believe in the miraculous, and when some scientist comes along and proves that something we thought was in the realm of the supernatural really isn't, that challenges their understanding of who God is.

It's really kind of a result of weak and shaky faith.

I was not a born athiest, although I felt kind of odd in church, in that while everyone else seemed to be having genuine religious experiences, I was having to pantomime what they did. I never felt comfortable praying publicly, mostly because I felt what I was saying was more for the benefit of the people listening and praying alongside.
Maybe I was and just didn't realize it until I got out of the house and out of the religious bubble I'd been cocooned in for so long.
In any case, I am probably best described as an agnostic athiest. I personally don't see evidence for the divine or supernatural, but I'm not going to discount people who seem to see it in their lives. It's not provable definitively one way or another, so I'm not going to sweat it.

[Talon]

Flyn, I think in this context you are referring to an atheist as someone who rejects religion?

In that case, count me in among the "born" atheists. I was raised as a Hindu, went through the plethora of rituals and paid respect to the many faces of god. Thanks to the ass-backwards school system in the country I was living in at the time, I had to attend a Muslim primary school. I was exempt from going to the mosque on Fridays at least, but I still got an earful about how Allah separated truth from falsehood, blah blah. Parents dragged me off to temple every Sunday.

But it was all just a rote exercise to me, saying and doing what parents expected of me. I found it quite boring, really. My falling out with Hinduism had nothing to do with some kind of awakening, but a pundit's wife who was rude to me.

I don't believe in any sort of merciful god who directly intervenes in our lives. Given all the crap that goes on the world, such a god would have a lot of dereliction of duty charges to answer for. I am inclined to believe in reincarnation or rebirth. But I don't believe in the idea that seemingly innocent people suffer because they are atoning for evils they committed in a past life. How is that fair? How can you atone for actions you can't remember? Sounds like a convenient story to help keep unruly peasants in line.

My dad seems to think my attitude is a "phase" I'll grow out of. Given that I'm approaching my 30's, unlikely. My mom claims religion is something I have to accept blindly and unquestioningly, like a child. Sorry your royal highness, I was *never* that young.

If other people want to believe in religion, that's their call. Since by design it can't be proven or disproven, I have no comment.

[Flyndaran]

Thankyou oh so much Talon. I've felt a bit alone in my world view. I feel a little less of a freak now.

Though I must admit I'm more than just an atheist. I reject all magical phenomenon from ghosts to psychic abilities to luck to etc.
One person suggested that I could call myself a rationalist. But that sounds a little insulting to others, eh?

[Talon]

Less of a freak? You say that as if being a freak is a bad thing

Not atheist, not rationalist. How about PERList? As in you believe in Physical Evidence, Reason, Logic?

[Flyndaran]

Really cool.

[smileyeagle1021]

growing up in Nevada has given me an interesting worldview when it comes to the Almighty. I'm a somewhat born Deist. In Nevada there is one thing always drilled into you time and time again, unless you have something on your side the odds will be against you, chance favors the house. And it doesn't take long in a casino to see just how true that is. I find it hard to believe that life came to be by chance and odds alone, I find it harder to believe that some of the stuff that happens in our lives is by chance alone. The story behind this last weekend is a good example. There are 6 billion people on this planet, 300 million in this country, at least 50 million of which live closer to san francisco than me. Something told me though to reply to a post on another forum asking if there was any other bay area insomniacs that wanted to chat despite the fact that I'm not in the bay area, which ultimately led to me being the one person out of 6 billion that got invited to go to san fran by an amazing guy. I know ultimately it is likely nothing will come out of it beyond an amazing weekend, but still, what a weekend it was. Now, for those of you who know me, you all know just how out of character it is for me to randomly chat with someone at all, much less someone who specifically said they were interested in someone in the bay area when I'm not. Now, I have two choices, I can believe that there was some higher power be it fate, or God, or Allah, or the spirits, whatever, were nudging me along to go out of character just that once... or I can believe that I honestly pulled off a one in 6 billion chance... and growing up in Nevada, I know a 49 in a 100 chance is still not going to end up with you winning that often, so I'm much more inclined to believe in the higher power.

I still also do practice Methodism, because it is a faith that is mostly honest and admits that we don't know all there is to know and because I enjoy the ceremony... I like the sermons and the songs and the fellowship... and if I'm never going to truly understand God anyway, might as well be with a group of friends while not understanding

[Lace Neil Singer]

Ah, but for me it wasn't an option. I was raised by christians and attended a nice sunday school. There was no religious intolerance, and both my parents were always kind, generous, and understanding.
I just never for even a moment believed all those stories could be true. I was six when I realized that adults actually believed them.
I had many talks with my father, and he never belittled my thoughts or came across as confrontational. He eventually accepted my nature and never forced me to attend church.
If I wasn't religious in that family, then I simply am incapable of religion.

I was raised a christian, but I stopped believing in God about the same time as I stopped believing in Father Christmas and the Easter Bunny. My parents never pressured me or tried to convert me; and still don't.