I didn't ever believe to my knowledge but watching animal programs and my own pets definitely helped.

I did. It is very simple where I grew up. Tons of beliefs around.

My father is an atheist. My mom is christian. They agreed to let us grow up and make our own choices. Only thing we did that was remotely religious was celebrate Christmas. Thought of it more as a time to connect with family.

I had a religious mom and an agnostic dad who thought religion could be used as a tool to define moral standards. I also had a grandfather who strongly believed in critical thinking. He supplied me with probing questions that usually got me into trouble with the Catholic sisters. From there, it was a slippery slope to atheism.

Apathy towards the emotional pleas to believe in nonsense untied my boat from that dock.