I was 18 year old and someone recommended that I read "Marriage & Morals" by Bertrand Russell after a discussion about God. Not only did I read that book, but I began reading all kinds of philosophy, anthropology etc. These books opened my mind and it is still open.

It was slowly, but after watching many scientific and atheist documentaries, reading religious texts, and talking to many different people, it felt like a light was turned on. But I was 25 And angry, I felt I had been maliciously lied to my whole life.

Every morning from junior high to when I eventually moved out after high school, my mother listened to that shyster snake oil salesmen “Dr.” James Dobson, which meant that I had to listen to his conniving bullshit. We didn’t have a lot of money for things such as food, clothing and what not so things were tight sometimes. I happened to see how much money my mother donated to that hunk of craps so called ministry and that was basically the start of my disbelief in this god. How can a person think that giving money to some stupid organization be better than feeding or clothing your own children? I asked her how she could give away that much money - over $1000 - to someone and she essentially told me it was none of my business. This was around ‘85 so I had to be around 16 but I credit this event as the start of my disbelief in christianity. I don’t necessarily feel that I can label myself an atheist but more of a believer that that if one god can exist then any god can exist. I can neither prove nor disprove any one of them, it’s kind of a Schroedingers cat kind of thing.

As a child, people kept trying to get me to believe, but they had no evidence so I had no belief. When I had proof that Santa Claus wasn't real when I was 5 I realized that adults lie a lot and stopped considering things that had no evidence.

Damn, you guys are all very lucky. I was indoctrinated from birth. Took quite a bit to get out of it.

The habits formed when you're a child are so hard to break. I know first hand just how bad shoving religion at a kid can be.

I've never not been...

At conception !!!!

I was raised as an atheist. My mother had nothing good to say about organized religion.

The God thing just wasn't something of any interest to me as a kid. Everyone talking about God this God that, but have no real proof of its existence. Why devolt yourself to something without documentation. The theory of God to me is more like, once again being a kid waiting for Santa claus on st. Patrick's day ( that was a joke, or was it ) its not gonna happen. I'm not here to bring people to something they don't understand, but some of us are born this way, sorry. No disrespect to the people that do believe in the Easter bunny, tooth fairy and a building with a big T upon a roof top. Do you, I'm be me in my life without pretending. Just saying

I was just a child in school. We were learning about science. Planets, dinosaurs etc. I knew then something wasn’t right.

I was opening up the custard section at Culvers a little over ten years ago. In my mind I decided to go over everything I did NOT believe about God instead of hammering through the things I may/may not believe. I exhausted everything. I'll never forget that moment, when I realized the truth...it was like an actual weight lifted off my shoulders! I felt lighter, I felt like I was buzzing. I can't explain it right. It was wonderful, incredible, and I'll never forget it.

I'm not aware of ever having believed. Certainly I've been told that when I was around 6 years old I told my parents I didn't want to go to Sunday School anymore and,when they asked why,I apparently replied: "Because I don't believe in god,it's a bit silly,". I was told that I wouldn't have to go again. I know I was very lucky in that respect and that some people don't get let-off so easily...

I was 13. I was working on a science report about the origins of the universe. I decided to add a section with the biblical explanation. Side by side, which one makes sense?

It was more of a process than a moment. i recall sitting around my Sunday school table asking the teacher question after question about the unbelievable stories he was telling. The teacher would become flustered and annoyed by my questions. Needless to say none of his answers were satisfying.

10 or 11

When I looked at the religious.

My parents were non-religious, though I spent some time in a non-christian commune, and a lot of the rest of my upbringing with my father. The only Christian influence I got was from my grandparents, who were quite devout.

For a long time i hovered between agnostic and atheist, and its only recently that I've admitted to myself that as far as god is concerned I've been atheist for a while.

I was lucky, I never was a believer. My parents were not religious in any way so I never Had to break away from anything.

When I was 10, I had a visitation from God, and he told me I was an Athiest!

I was simply never made for religion. Churches creeped me out as a young child because of the rituals and stifling silence, and it unsettled me seeing grown-ups acting with reverence to some invisible friend... I think I've said this before actually... But what really affected me was the strange looks in the eyes of the church-goers — a sort of frightened, ashamed worry. They switched off; they went somewhere else... Cree-ee-py.

The realisation that I didn't believe anything in the Bible came very early on, but I've just remembered the point at which I had the epiphany that 'God' absolutely wasn't there. I was about 11 and walking alone in the hills near my home. Everything suddenly came together and I realised that if nothing in the Bible comported with all I understood to be correct about the Universe, then surely the main character was a complete fabrication too.

What's ridiculous, now I look back on it, was that I walked along the clifftops yelling 'I DONT BELIEVE IN YOU!' at the top of my lungs to someone who I knew wasn't there, just in the hopes I would piss them off. ?

I'm not but that is me. I understand the choice for atheism but also understand the choice for deism. For me it's very personal and even if I'm right with my beliefs, I can only apply as it's my relationship with that deity.

Most people who have religion don't know what they believe and listen to someone who tells them what to think and believe because they are too lazy to think about this for themselves. My dad and I had this conversation about others and they fail to do the thing that is most important to their personal and maybe spiritual growth. Think things through for themselves.

As soon as somebody started talking about this god bloke.....as if!!!!!!!!

As a child, I didn't even believe Santa Claus, big daddy-o in the sky was even more ridiculous.

"It's a Wonderful Life" Frank Capra.( "Teacher says, every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings" ).... I remember when I was about 8 or 9 my very religious aunt pointed out a man in the neighborhood and told me, sotto voche , that he was an atheist. I'm not sure if I even knew what it meant but, from then on I regarded at him as if he had a long pointy tail and horns!

I'm not actually I'm Wiccan