Was brought up in a catholic household but was not forced to believe it was up to me I am atheist with good reason.

Yep. Jehovah's Witnesses. Ugh.... I was even what they call a "Ministerial Servant", which is basically like a church deacon.

Yes.
Got out of it once I read the Bible and Quran.

My family was a "Christmas/Easter" sort of group but, for some reason, they decided to force me to go to Sunday school at the local Southern Baptist church. It took about two years before I could stand up and refuse! Even as a young teen, I knew this was BULL!

Yes, I was an altar boy! I grew up in a heavily ethnic Eastern European, Italian, Irish community, almost 100% Catholic, there was little choice. Ironically, the absurdity of the Catholic confession ritual and a course in biblical exogesis at my Jesuit university pushed me to a better intellectual place. Deep down, I never believed any of the fairly tales, but the local social structure was only available to me if I pretended I did. My kids had a choice, and they turned their backs on formal religion on their own. My son attended, with his friends, services at a Buddhist temple, a Mormon temple, megachurches, Baptist Church, and even some Catholic services. I asked him what he found out. He told me the Buddhists had the best food. B-)

I was born into fundamentalist Christianity and preached it full time for 40 years. Slow, agonizing study during those years finally brought the light that religion is a crock of lies. My wife and I left the church and religion, and embraced atheism 18 years ago. Happiest years of our life. She died in 2014, but I am so thankful to know she died a free woman.

I grew up Presbyterian and then read the bible because my father bet me I couldn't. Well, that took care of that. Then I tried Wicca, Rosicrucianism, etc. Still no magic happening so I'm an atheist

Yes, I was raised by catholic parents. Both sides of the family were pretty devout when I was growing up.

I did. It sucked. I knew, even from a young age, that it was ALL bullshit. The nuns
were mean AF. Thank goodness I went to public school, it could have been SO
much worse.

My family called themselves Xians. We didn't talk of god much. I stopped believing when I was around 10-years-old.

My family was non-practicing protestant until I was about 3 years old, and, long story short, was sucked into evangelical Christianity at that point. I made a "profession of faith" when I was a bit short of my sixth birthday, as did my three older brothers and parents before me. So I suppose that counts as "growing up with religion".

I think what happens to people like myself is that it takes so much to deconvert and pry religion out of your head with a crowbar that it dominates your mental landscape even after you've done that. Or if you don't really try to expunge religious influence from your thinking then it still influences you that way. One way or the other, it's the 500 pound gorilla in the room.

That is not to say I lay awake nights thinking about it. It's just a big part of my formative experience and I have an interest in helping others out of the harmful influence of theism, so I spend time hanging around places like this sharing my experience.

A long, painful process was required for me to make a break with religion. Though, I will say I have not been into Christianity since I was 12, courtesy of southern fried hypocrisy.

I was taught that there was a god at an early age and this teaching set me up for a life of vulnerability to religious ideas. It wasn't until my 54th year that I realized that the Biblical account of the flood could not have happened and I subsequently realized none of it was true. Well I can't live my life over but I can enjoy a life based on truth and science now!

Yes and no. Parents never went to church but the family kept bibles in the house, said god can see what you do and you will be judged blah blah blah. Had a friend who invited me to church a few times as a young kid, I went to play with the other kids more than anything. Sunday school sucked but never really thought much of it back then. Then I realized it was all bullshit once I took a religion course in college, full blown non believer now for sure.

Yes but it wasn't super evangelical as I went to tons of churches. But I'm as athiest as the rest.

Yes, both in my family life and outside influence by government and organizations using religious beliefs. Glad to break away from the pressure to conform.

It was not really a thing in our house until my father died. I had reached the age of reason by then, so it never really stuck with me, no matter how hard my mother

No,religion stunts growth. I grew up after religion.

I grew up in a reformed Jewish household. Meaning that the religious aspects were minimal. It was more of a cultural or ethnic thing. From the time I was two or three I questioned everything in life. (Whatever my parents told me not to do whether was cross the street or anything else I had to try even at that young age).

I was sent off to Sunday school and Hebrew school and questioned it all until I finally pissed off the rabbi by the age of 9.

In first grade I refuse to say the Pledge of Allegiance because the words under God were in it. Obviously my non- belief was firmly in place by then.

The one good thing about Judaism, is that as a religion we are taught to discuss debates and question. That is why there are so many secular Jews because we are taught to think about it, not to just accept it.

No, I had very limited indoctrination with religion. I handle my disbelief in God the same way I handle my disbelief in the tooth fairy.

i was forced until i was old enough to say no more, it just did not make sense.

I would have to say I grew up when I realized religion was a hoax.

No - I am quite happy with "absence of" all things religious I was never brought up in any faith - I don't feel any lack of anything and I'm quite happy with my life, I think finding out about the religiosity out there in the wide world is interesting - I feel as moral as the next person and don't judge anyone negatively who has a god its just a non subject really that only comes up when soemoen else brings it up but I do like this site and the people on it.

I did but never really attended church or was made read the bible

Yes I did, in Christianity and unfortunate events at 16 years saw me lose, 'God'. I went on to do my own study of Theology, which was hampered by my mother stealing my books! (Good Christian that she is, she denied it!). I still admire Christ for questioning and challenging the status quo, but find most so called Christians do not really follow him and as for his prediction of the future being a time of the holy spirit...no one seems to really work on that.

Sometimes I have thoughts that can only be from my upbringing and I need to question them. Like when someone's an utter git to me and I stand up for myself or even avoid them.

Is life simpler never having been indoctrinated? I guess it would be.