The reason so many preople today are athiests is because as a child, religion was forced down their throats either by school or parents or both. amirite?

I agree that childhood indoctrination shouldn't occur, but I've never heard any atheist claim that he or she became atheist simply because religion was forced upon them. Also, theists "shoving their beliefs down throats" is one of the most overused and untrue phrases.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Well, it's true for me. The Catholics that I grew up with were crazy religious, so I didn't want to be like them. Also, church is boring.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

So go to a different church.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Don't tell him what to do.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

It's a suggestion. Chill. If you don't like it when people tell others what to do, then don't tell me what to do.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

How about I suggest you go jump off a bridge

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Someone's defensive.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

It's a suggestion. Chill. If you don't like it when people tell others what to do, then don't tell me what to do.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I shall pray for you.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Don't waste your breath or your time

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Well, it's my time to waste, isn't it?

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I highly doubt you are actually going to waste your time talking to yourself beside your bed about someone that you had a disagreement with on the internet

by Anonymous 12 years ago

You're right. I'm not going to do that. I'm going to communicate with God and pray that you find him.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I'll start going to church as soon as they keep cake and balloons

by Anonymous 12 years ago

My church has donuts. But that's not what church is about.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

My dad isn't atheist but he's not religious because he had religion forced down his throat as a child.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

its why im athiest

by Anonymous 12 years ago

So you're atheist not because you follow the atheists beliefs, you just want to be different? Congratulations, you're an attention whore!

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Wow dillhole, maybe they were tired of constantly being fed one school of thought and wanted to find out what THEY believed, not what their parents had always told them.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I disagree, I think that has the opposite effect.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

It depends on many factors. Some children don't actually learn anything about the religion, and therefore think religion is a waste of time. Others do and gain interest in that religion.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I learned about religion, but still think it's just a fairy tale.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I have only personal experience and have not asked every single atheist why they are that way. I figured it may be the same situation with others as well.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Its actually usually because of the people in the religion who don't follow what it preaches. And then there's the people who want hard evidence and facts and stuff.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I actually used to enjoy Sunday School and going to church with my mom. I realize now though that I liked the arts and crafts of Sunday school and I just liked spending time with my mom. I just never believed anything that I was told at either. Even at a very young age when you're very impressionable I found everything I was told hard to believe.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

This is exactly what happened to my best friend and both of her sisters. Maybe it's not that way for everyone, but it definitely is for some.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Often a form of rebellion.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Agreed.. I suppose religion was "shoved down my throat" until I turned 16 but I didn't turn Atheist. Some people don't realize that their parents care about them and don't want them to go to hell (whether it's real or not is irrelevant).

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I was brought up as a Jehovah's Witness and when I got a little older I started to really think about it and thought some of the ideas were a little extreme. I just think there's only so much you can take of your parents' ideas until you really have to form your own.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

My parents told me that I can believe whatever the fuck I want and I'm still an athiest.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Not here. I actually enjoyed learning about religion. I just realized there was no way anyone could ever prove it was true.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Same here. I grew up with parents who didn't shove anything down my throat as long as I had basic morals and believed in God (but I guess that part didn't quite work out). But I've gone to a Catholic school my entire life, and some people there can be a little fanatical. I love learning about religions and philosophies of every kind, but after years of thinking it over and argueing with myself and listening to what others have to say, I'm sort of on the fence. I think God exists for those who believe in Him, but I can't say that I myself do. It just doesn't work for me. Sometimes religion annoys me to no end (despite how much I like to learn about different ones) , but then again if people didn't have an all-powerfull diety to look up to, all hell would break loose.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Then maybe you haven't been learning enough.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Stop trying to shove your beliefs down our throats.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I didn't think I was. I'm not telling you to be a Christian. I'm simply defending myself. I'm a defensive person. That's just me. If you are offended, then just tell me.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

But I did learn enough. That's why I'm an atheist.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

In my church I learned some ways to show God was true. Maybe you've learned enough, but you haven't learned the right things.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

It's not about being learned enough. I know plenty. Maybe you haven't been learning enough: according to the Pope, to believe you have to have both faith and reason. You can't learn faith.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Of course you can't learn faith. What exactly haven't I been learning enough of?

by Anonymous 12 years ago

If that's why you're an atheist, that's pretty immature...you need better reasons

by Anonymous 12 years ago

hah! I have plenty of reasons. the story that someone live in a whale for days. the story that people have hundreds of kids and live to be 900 years old. the belief that the earth is only five thousand years old. the people all this happened to were not holy by any means which makes it impossible. I've done my reading and believe that religion is an easy excuse as to where we come from. why can't living things just come from nothing as science clearly proves? religion is ridiculous and the pope only accepted that the universe was perhaps 14 billion years old in the 1990s. to me science which can and has been proven correct is more believable than a book 2000 years that was written by nearly a hundred people over three hundred years and no one knows who. not to mention that speakings of Jesus were lost for about 40 years after his death until someone decided to bring it up again. I'm not immature an I've done my fair share of reading your bible and it's pretty ridiculous. but I li...

by Anonymous 12 years ago

that's great. so you have better reasons. so i wasn't talking to you.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Religion is such a touchy subject. As a small child, my family wasn't very active in church, in fact we just went like on Christmas and such. But now my mom is always involved in church activites and wants me there too and all I does is make me want to distance myself from church. I'm not atheist but I feel like I'm being forced into something my heart isnt completely in. With this in mind, as an adult I probably won't be much of a church go-er.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I think a number of people became atheists because of how lenient their parents are about religion. If parents don't press their beliefs onto their children, it allows kids to explore and side with what they feel makes sense. I'm a Muslim like my parents, but they never forced me to adhere to Sharia law. I just did a bunch of learning on my own and decided I agreed with much of the ideas.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

That's how I was with going to church. My parents just took me there, but I was the one who decided I believe.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I actually grew up in an extremely lenient household. My parents are 'Catholic by birthright' (or whatever), but most certaintly not by practice. I've never gone to church or Sunday School, and eventually just did my own research and formed my own atheist beliefs.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I like how the word "religion" set off this massive flame war. If it was replaced with something like "spinach", people won't flip out.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I'm not an atheist, because I believe there's SOME one/thing there, but I'm not sure what to believe because of the fact that it was thrown at me for ten+ years.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

It's because their mother abused drugs during pregnancy.

by Anonymous 8 years ago