I have never had a faith never was brought up in one and given some of the stories on here, I am so glad that my parents and rellies were atheists

I started to seriously question things in my teens.

I remember at a young age of eight or nine hearing about other religions. Having been brought up with no religion it was easy for me to think, oh... all religions are pribably not true.

I don't know how people become religious in the first place. I was taken to church every Sunday as a young child and sat patiently listening to all that stuff being read out in the hope that it might mean something, but by the time I'd cracked the code of all the thous, thees and arts (by age 4), it was obvious to me that it was just as silly as the stuff about Santa and the Tooth Fairy, and I couldn't understand why all those serious adults were playing along with it all. We had a lot of arguments about it all over many years, and I eventually converted my father to atheism, but it takes a hell of a long time to deprogram people once a mind virus has taken them over.

My faith definitely changed. At one point in my youth I had the nickname of "The Preacher" because I carried a bible everywhere and prosyletized on the school bus. I'm not entirely certain when I started seriously asking questions, but I was raised Lutheran and remember smoking pot for my first time on the way to catechism classes with some of my friends. lol

In asking questions, what I was trying to accomplish was to better understand God and find resolution to the contradictions that existed. The answers, though, were long on dogma and short on substance. So I read multiple versions of The Bible -- and read most of them multiple times. After a while it dawned on me that I didn't believe any of the bullshit any longer.

I'm not entirely certain exactly when that happened. It wasn't like a light switch, it was more like a morning where it was dark outside when you arose, but then you suddenly realize it's not dark anymore. You didn't see the sunrise, but instead you realize that it happened when you were paying attention to something else.

I never expected nor intended for my quest to understand God to lead me to where I am. But I did come to understand, and as a result have been atheist for my entire adult life.

I read Bible when I was 20yrs old. I found it interesting as it is more of a story. Very good story with wise knowledge base. I would like to believe that some freethinkers have hidden messages for us in The Bible. But yes, you are right it is just a book and people tend to hide behind it with excuses. People are scared of simple through that there is nothing out there. Because it is much harder to be nice person (sorry for my English)

They assume we all left some place we have never been.

Good for you you have found true knowledge.

I come from a non-religious family, so it was never an issue in my life. I grew up in a culture where it just wasn't a thing. My first exposure came at the age of around 13 when my best friend at the time took me to a catholic midnight mass. I just remember thinking 'you've got to be fucking kidding me'. It 'ruined' me for ever wanting to venture any further into the world of religion. Phew, saved, by religion!!!!!

I knew immediately. I grew up in a home that didn’t believe in Jesus or Zeus or Osiris. It still puzzles me that people who require photographic evidence or voice recordings or fingerprints or other tangible proof for everyday purposes in their regular lives are satisfied with the evidence that they have that god exists. God is supposed to have made absolutely everything, right? God is also supposed to be around all the time and know everything, right? How come there is absolutely no place where you can actually see the dude or broad? (sorry for the old school terminology. I’m old school). I just don’t get it.

I started questioning at the age of 5 when my grandmother died and I was told that she was going to be an angel. So I waited for her to flutter out of the casket at the funeral home and then they put down the lid. And at the cemetary when they put her in the ground I knew someone was lying