Have you always been an atheist?

I haven't been raised with a religion, but not really raised as an atheist either. I simply made the decision for it myself as science appealed me more than religion.

I don't think someone "becomes" an atheist so much as realizes they already are one!

I was in 4th grade, in Catholic school during science class when I raised my hand and asked Sister Mary the following question. .
"If God created the world in 7 days and man on the last day, but dinosaurs have existed for millions of years, but dinosaurs never lived when people lived, then which one is true? The dinosaur story or the Bible?"

One week later I was expelled from Catholic school and enrolled in public school.

I grew up to be a science major. I have a BS in physics and minored in biology and am currently working on a Masters in nuclear engineering. I don't think I've even looked back once.

We had an anglican church at the corner of our street. I was sent to Sunday school for a year or so. One day I decided I thought it was really stupid. I was five at the time and just walked out of the church and never returned. My parents allowed me that option. I was agnostic for years and years as I wanted to keep my options open. My hubby has been an atheist his whole life much to his parents dismay. When I told him I was agnostic he asked me how I could believe at all and I said I was keeping my options open in case I was wrong. He asked me a few questions and made me realize that I was being silly because how can there possibly be a god, it doesn't make any sense what so ever. All I really had to do was think about it and it was like a light went on above my head and I realized I really was an athiest.

I wasn't raised with any kind of religion and was pretty much left by my parents to come to my own conclusions in what I believe (something I am also trying to do with my own kids). It was from reading about both sides of the story that I came to be an atheist. Everything just made more sense to me logically than believing in some kind of supreme being....a little to far-fetched for my way of thinking.

i have always thought that religion was BS and was a deist for a very long time, until i was 15.. from that, i researched and found out that not even an omnipotent god makes sense...
now im trying to disprove the idea of "everyone is god"
i dont believe in it, but i must disprove it before i consider myself a true atheist.

hi marky
im with you on this one
ive always been an atheist but i see being religous(spell?) as a gift-i mean it must be v comforting!
i would never try to convert someone to atheism.if you are an atheist you are.
maybe there is a faith gene,if there is i dont have it-the idea of a god or gods seems preposterous to me-there you go

ps hi friend!

I became an atheist because i acme to the realization "what god would create a race with exceptional potential and then say if you do not follow my ways I will denyyou understanding" I'm with Douglas Adams on this one "seeking god is like shouting at rain"

become atheist is one reason, no one can prove God

I grew up Christian, the conservative flavor. My family gradually got into the Hebraic roots of the faith, and by the time I was 18 I was in the sacred names movement. Then, a discussion with a friend (Christian friend) led me to doubt the authenticity of the Bible, and I became a Deist. After a while, though, I realized my rationalizations of god belief were pretty weak, and I did some soul searching. The greatest irony of all was that I became an atheist on the National Day of prayer last year. weird, huh?