Atheist Experiences

[flaneur]

This thread is not about debating religion. This is where atheists can talk about their experiences and believers can offer their opinions on atheism.

I was an agnostic during my teenage years, and then I became an atheist around the age of 20. It took my a long time because my parents are very religious. I attribute my atheistic position to science and philosophy. Later, I founded an atheist club at my college due to my frustrations at the growing ignorance regarding fundamental principles of science (I have no issue with religion that aligns itself with science, but I do have a problem with creationism, pseudoscience and misinformation in general) and the failure of the U.S. to acknowledge the historical fact that its country was founded on secularism. Laws should not break the barrier between church and state.

I live in the very liberal state of New York, so I haven't encountered much prejudice. When getting signatures to start the atheist club, however, one student gave me a disgusted look and asked me if I was trying to get people to think like me. Some people just get very awkward, and I can tell they're forming judgments. What really irks me is the prevailing view that atheists have no reason to be moral. Only 1% of the prison population is atheistic.


How have your experiences as a non-believer been? What made you an atheist or agnostic? Do you tell people about it? Do your parents know? Have you encountered prejudice for your view? If you're a believer, how do you feel about the atheist population? How have your experiences with atheists been?

 

[DesertWolf]

I was always an atheist. My father is an atheist and my mother was a Catholic (recently became atheist). They never told me or even encouraged me to become an atheist or a religious person, leaving it completely up to me to decide. Religion never made much sense to me, and I've been fascinated with scientific inquiry from early age.

I have encountered a fair share of prejudice for my views.

Back in school somehow Jesus was brought up in a class discussion, and when someone asked me about him I said something where I implied in a friendly manner that I wasn't convinced he ever existed at all, or at least his alleged supernatural powers. Then a student asked me in a shocked manner if I really didn't "believe in him". I answered that I didn't, and the whole classroom went quiet, everyone staring at me like I was a ghost. For the next few months I've been verbally abused over this, shunned by many people as a "weirdo" and branded an immoral person because according to them I allegedly couldn't care about treating others ethically if I didn't believe in some god that would want me to behave myself. I never quite understood why these people would imply that they felt they had to treat each others nicely only because they feared punishment from their god. It's my conscience and love for others that drives me to try to treat other living beings (not just humans) with as much respect as I can, not fear of punishment for being bad. I also found it ironic that they would bully me merely for having a different opinion... I never tried shoving my beliefs down their throats.

Then at a place where I did some volunteer work, during a lunch break, the boss boasted about his god being on his side because he supposedly had all his recent wishes fulfilled. Then he asked me what my religion was, and I told him that I wasn't religious. He asked me if that meant I didn't believe in a god, and I nodded. He suddenly became angry and accused me of being a pessimist that is trying to depress everyone. He asked me in an aggressive manner how it was possible for all his wishes to be answered if there was no god... At that point I just walked off because I wasn't interested in having such a pointless feces slinging match.

It amazes me how many people get angry/disgusted merely over someone's lack of religious belief. I was shunned for a while at school almost like I had murdered someone.

 

[Felix]

Well, as a non belieiver, I found that other people were like this thanks to atheism. I really feel that I was born atheist, the truth is that nothing made me believe. Since childhood I've been surrounded with books about science and dinosaurs mostly, I was fascinated by that stuff so when this guys come to tell me abouit creatinism... I wasn't buying... Luckly enough even tough my parents are somewhat christian they didn't force anything into me. They don't seem to mind me being atheist.

Other atheists, at least the ones I've ran into, don't really discuss it that much. They just don't believe in dieties. Is a position I find quite often, people not believing, or mocking religion, but they're not calling themselves atheists.

 

[Bob Arctor]

As an atheist, this one time I experienced a really phenomenal ice cream cone. I think vegetables tasted better as a Buddhist though (hmm).