I was raised by two atheists. We didn't discuss religion at all. In 3rd grade we moved and the new neighbor girl told me about how I had to say the Lord's prayer every night and wrote it down for me. My parents found it under my pillow or something and took it away without explaining why. I had another Jehovah's witness friend around that time but I had learned not mention what she told me to my parents. Another time I came home with stories of ghosts and my mother told me about Harry Houdini and that was enough of that. I have accidentally insulted religious people many times out of ignorance, but I have educated myself by now. It seems to have been a rather unique upbringing.

Me. Unless you count a lapse of about 3 days, when I encountered some JW door knockers, what they said seemed to make sense to my teenage self, and I become devout for a period not exceeding 72 hours.

My mother was Catholic, but pretty much lapsed and only really regained her faith once I was an adult and she started having to come to terms with her own mortality. My dad is officially Church of England, but we've never discussed religion, and I've always assumed him to be a non-believer.

Neither indoctrinated me with belief in God when I was a child, and neither made me go to church. So my only real exposure was hymns and prayers during school assembly, and occasional attendance of mass once I moved from CofE primary to Catholic secondary school. (Note: the Catholic version of The Lord's Prayer ends before "For thine is the kingdom." Kind of embarrassing when you're the only kid in the class that recites that bit.)

I was briefly a member of a youth organisation that expected me to attend Sunday School as part of the package. I objected, both because I considered Sunday to be my time (school already took up 5 days out of 7) and because, at 9 or 10 years old, and quite self-conscious, they were still expecting me to join in doing songs, with actions.

I've not tried to influence my son either way. He came to me saying God wasn't real at about age 8. I didn't contradict him.

Religion was never a part of our lives. Went to Sunday school until age 11 when my mom asked me if I believed in god. I said no. End of Sunday school. Learned many years later that my whole family are agnostic. Mom just wanted me to have a basic understanding of religion.

I don't remember if I ever believed, so there was no drama in deciding I didn't.

I have been an atheist all my life. My family follows Buddhism. But in India, Buddhism is similar to being an atheist.

The book was written by MEN! It is used to keep women in a place they wanted them to be. The book is full of myths, legends, superstitions and out right lies. It can not be found in the language it was originally written in. It has been translated and changed to fit witch branch of the religion they wanted it to fit. There is at least 8 contradiction in both accounts of what was found at the crypt Jesus was supposed to have been placed. Then another at least 8 accounts on how long he walked the earth after rising. Myths about Noah, Sodom and Gomora, garden of eden and the story of the kids and so forth too many holes in the story. The entire book has contradictions through out like no one ever proof read it.

My mom pushed believing dad never did. I just could never get into god is every were crap

Neither parent was religious or spiritual, but accepted without qualification that they were Christians. Asked my dad what religion we belonged to, once, and he simply said, "Protestant". For the longest time, I thought that was an actual religion. I stumbled around, looking at one church, then another, never seeing reason to settle on any particular brand, pretty sure I asked, in some fashion, how 1 church was right and all the others had things wrong, but (big surprise!) never got a satisfactory answer. Eventually, my curiosity led me to reading about how religion intersected with ethics, regional conflict, and anatomy and the only constants in the whole affair are human assertion and a need to dominate. Nothing cosmic, nothing divine. Just a need to satisfy baser instincts, maybe a need to claim tribal superiority over others. Today, I'm the only one in my family that sees it as such.

Raised Catholic, my mom, just got smarter though ex wife did have me believe in Satan lol

I attended church with my grandparents when I visited the but never really “believed” in any gods. I was maybe 7 or 8 when I remember thinking all that stuff was very weird and became actively skeptical. It was some years later when I identified that I disbelieved in god.

it depends on your definition of "believer." i knew we were jewish but we were SO secular, i never heard my folks mention god except in the usual profane way (oh my god, what the hell is she WEARING?" and that's not even an example, but an example of a kind of example lol) and we only went to shul for weddings and bar mitzvahs. i believed in a personal god as a matter of course but not in any kind of rules, like god wanted me to do this, or do that or go to hell, or do this and go to heaven. that's not part of judaism anyway, the fire and brimstone stuff. so when i realized, age 15, there was no god, that wasn't a wrench away from religion or a traumatic experience. it was just what it was, no more, no less.

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I was fortunately one of those whom were never brought up in a religious family, in essence, I've never been a believer.
I find it sometimes hard to relate to the "horror" it was to have been brainwashed into whatever religion.
Although over the years I have met those who have gone through that. IMHO what they have gone through with not only questioning their "faith", but also deal with family, and loved ones that have chastised them for not being in their, for lack of better word, norm. That is a very heard pill to swallow for a great deal of people.

My parents never attended church. Never talked about religion.

I never attended church until I could not get coral classes in jr high school. I went to a couple churches to see what they had in the way of vocal music. It may have been a year or so that I sung. I did not engage in any other endeavors. Practice 3 days a week, sing on Sunday. I really never gave much thought to anything other than training my voice.

My other musical endeavors took every day with practice, lessons, or performances. No going outside to play, home from school and 3 hours of practice or to evening lessons.

My "plan" was to be a music teacher and musician. I started playing music at a very young age.

My father was a musician and took me in that direction as soon as I was able to start.

Was never really introduced to religion except in a very token way as a child. But I did grow up in a village and was aware of it going on around me, and was aware of the differences over religion from the start, because I knew that my grandmother, who was the only true believer in the family, stayed away from the parish vicar since she was a different faith, she died young so I am not sure which.

My first real contact with faith came therefore at school age, and knowing nothing much of Christianity I had assumed that the stories about the goodness of Christians were basically true. The discovery therefore that some of the most evil people I met, were among the faithful, came as quite a shock which has never left me.

I came out of the womb an athiest my parents weren't religious they were insane but they were not religious and I grew up thinking everybody was nuts

My entire family is Christian/Methodist, but it never sank in. I think in order for a person to believe, there needs to be part of their brain capable of believing.. and I don't think I was born with that part. It has to do with emotions and I've always been detached from a lot of my emotions. So while it sucks at times, it at least allowed me to not fall into the trap of belief.

As a kid, I'd still be made to go to church. Nothing they said about God ever took hold. Luckily, my grandparents were asked to stop bringing me. They knew it didn't register with me and I asked too many questions.

Plus, I have a schizophrenic parent and I often heard "the things she says aren't real", but the things she said sounded pretty much the same as the things the bible says. So I get told to not believe a delusion of a single person, but told to believe in a mass delusion? Does not compute.

No religious indoctrination in my life. As far as I know the only truly religious person in my extended family was a great aunt I only met a couple times. They are mostly armchair believers at best. There’s a lot of stories and specifics but this one sums it up nicely.

Visiting grandparents when I was about 6. It was bed time and I was scared or worried or something and to console me my grandad said god was up there watching over me so I had nothing to worry about. Up there?... hmm god must be able to fly. I responded by asking if Ultraman was up there too. To his credit he said yes and I felt better. Ultraman was a lot more real to me then.

I never believed. I was subjected to bible school by a very devout uncle, and never really bought into it. Also, I am ashamed to admit that I attended church with a girl I wanted to screw once because I was under the impression that she was using the church thing as an excuse to get her father's car without supervision for a couple hours. I was not amused when she actually took me to her church.

I knew bible stories. I've read a lot of the bible. I only read it out of curiosity though and not as a devout xtian.

my family including grandparents never went to church that i can remember. i can remember sunday school up to about age 8 or 9 and that was it for me with religious indoctrination. obviously, in my case, it never took. i was definitely a disbeliever by my early teens.

I was brought up RC. It was pretty regimented up until my confirmation. Catechism and regular Sunday service along with the Lent thing and confession. Shortly after that things got muddled. I was just mouthing the Creed and Gloria... thought the flood was bullshite and all the other stuff never really had any impact. Mom started switching churches because of choir politics. Then we just stopped going.
So even though I spent 16 years going through the motions. During that time I never really believed any of it.

I was lucky because my mother got into Ekkankar (not sure of spelling). The definition is “the ancient science of soul travel”. She believed she could soul travel. I always thought it was crazy but what it did was made me question. My very Christian Great Aunt was my babysitter when I was young so I was exposed to two extremes. I’m thankful for my mother now and appreciate what that experience did for me! I’m glad I didn’t have to go the Christian route!

Raised catholic. Parents and I went to church every Sunday until I was a young teen. I was an alter boy but it was more of a fun time than anything serious, like giving my friends the finger in a subtle manner by scratching my face or taking that little plate during communion and tapping friends in the throat when priest turned to go to next person. Used to take the wine back to the priests house and take a sip. I cannot recall ever believing. Was just doing things expected of me and making my own fun at the same time.

To add to my story. My biggest influence about religion when I was younger was George Carlin. I may have joined a church, but I never really believed.

The first time I went to church, that I can remember, I was like5 or 6. My grandmother took me, but I don't remember anything about it. My dad was a non-believer. I was much older before I ever heard of Atheism. We never went to church as a family. My mother would send us to VBS in the summers. I thought I should be a Christian when I was young. Even joined a Baptist church and was baptized. After my first marriage ended, I was 25, I decided church wasn't for me. I've been mostly an Athiest since then. I'll be 60 this year.