Things you said/thought before you became an Atheist.

[Super Perfundo]

I was raised southern Baptist. I once told a catholic girl in my 2nd grade class that she was going to Hell because she worshipped Mary.

I've always been a little off on my beliefs. I can't remember any specific incidences other than the one [only because the girl reminds me frequently] but I know I've always questioned the "Loving God" concept and the "fate v. free will" argument always bothered me. I guess that's why I'm an existentialist as well.

 

[caustic 0_0]

I don't remember anything exactly, but I did want to be a preacher once. Or a missionary. The preacher part is ironic because my church was southern baptist and I'm female. So that would probably never have happened.  

[Super Perfundo]

c a u s t i c

I don't remember anything exactly, but I did want to be a preacher once. Or a missionary. The preacher part is ironic because my church was southern baptist and I'm female. So that would probably never have happened.

I was southern baptist as well. I once told the preacher that I wanted to be a preacher, and he said "don't you mean a preacher's wife"? That was the end of my being a southern baptist.

 

[caustic 0_0]

Super Perfundo

c a u s t i c

I don't remember anything exactly, but I did want to be a preacher once. Or a missionary. The preacher part is ironic because my church was southern baptist and I'm female. So that would probably never have happened.

I was southern baptist as well. I once told the preacher that I wanted to be a preacher, and he said "don't you mean a preacher's wife"? That was the end of my being a southern baptist.

Yeah. x.x The funny thing I thought was the reason I got the idea was from one of those religious retreat camps that the church sponsored. xP I did some kind of test for finding out your gifts in the church, and my scores suggested a pastor. (Or atheist guild leader I guess is close enough? xD) Some people thought it was fine but at my church there was usually a hush-hush, we don't really talk about it vibe.  

[Albino Rain]

I belived being gay way wrong. I belived that god was right and everything in the bible was good. That the other religions were wrong but if they converted they could be saved.Then I realised I was gay. It caused me to think about what my father had told me, and what my preacher had told me and I realised they were in the wrong.  

[Theophrastus]

Not only are you gay, friend, your avatar is fabulous! biggrin

Seriously, I'm glad you trusted your heart.

As for me, I can sum up one of my brink-of-faith experiences like this.

Pastor: Why can't you accept that God loves you?
Me: Because He gave me free will.
Pastor: Yes, so you can choose to love Him.
Me: And my free will is a reflection of His, right?
Pastor: Of course. You are made in His image.
Me: And God knows everything, right?
Pastor: Yes.
Me: So he knows that my dad chooses to denounce Him? And He loves my dad so much that He'll send my dad to Hell?
Pastor: Well ...yes.
Me: That hurts me. That breaks my heart. What kind of love is it to force a child to live through the knowledge that his father will always be tortured, always suffer when I would get to go to Heaven? That no matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, unless God *allows* my dad to accept him, that my dad will go to Hell? Why does God make some people refuse him? Doesn't that violate their free will?
Pastor: ...God loves you, Jamie.
Me: God spites me.  

[Becka Minato]

My family is all christian, and for a while I went along to church, and prayed before going to bed and all of that good stuff. But I started to question my religion once I got older, and asked my mom, "If God is really up there, then why does he let all of this horrid stuff happen? Why watch people kill eachother senslessly, and watch the towers go crashing down?" (I asked this right after 9/11). She said god was watching, and was wishing we would stop or something like that. Soon after, I started really thinking about things, and refused to go to church and listen to bs that they tried to shove down my throat. I'm proud to be Atheist, and my mom doesn't look down on me because I choose a different path.  

[hachimitsugirl]

This is an excellent topic but I can't imagine what I'd say in response. My mother has always been ardently Baptist and I was brought to church many times throughout my childhood but I can't recall a time when I thought that religion made sense to me.

And your example of the "butterfly wings" made me laugh, as it reminded me of something that happened to me in Kindergarten:
My mom was always late picking me up and I hated it. I wanted to go home so I could watch cartoons and play with my plastic animals. So, one day, instead of my usual playing with the other girls, I sat stock straight in front of the door to our class. When asked what I was doing, I replied very matter-of-factly, "Little things have influence over everything that happens. Maybe, just maybe, if I sit here instead of doing what I normally do, my mom won't be late."
I was employing the scientific method, in a strange degree, even at that age.

I'm proud of me back then.  

[Ruminating Skeptic]

Albino Rain

I belived being gay way wrong. I belived that god was right and everything in the bible was good. That the other religions were wrong but if they converted they could be saved.Then I realised I was gay. It caused me to think about what my father had told me, and what my preacher had told me and I realised they were in the wrong.

That made me smile. Don't ask me why, but the "then i realized, I was gay" part had me chuckling.

Mine is really interesting. I never really paid attention to the whole religion part of church, I was just there for the cookies. When my I moved away from C to A, I was ******** pissed. I had all this emotion and I needed an outlet. I was at this Christain bible camp, and after listening to one of the camp director's speeches, I decided that "love blah blah blah" was crap. So (we can all see where this is going); "God", I hate you! Thinking back now, I never really blamed "him", I just hated "him".

So then a few years later, I was at this camp again. Hating "god" felt wrong, so I thought, Ok, I'll love "god".

A few weeks later I am furious and way confused. Hating feels wrong, loving feels wrong, so where do I go from there? Then it hit me. There was nothing specific to trigger it, just "wait a minute, this whole idea of a "god" is ridiculus". So I looked up Atheist in the dictionary and sure enough, it fit what I believed. So I've been an Atheist now for about... a year and a half now.

Whew, long post.  

[Dathu]

Good Charlotte Aficionado

Albino Rain

I belived being gay way wrong. I belived that god was right and everything in the bible was good. That the other religions were wrong but if they converted they could be saved.Then I realised I was gay. It caused me to think about what my father had told me, and what my preacher had told me and I realised they were in the wrong.

That made me smile. Don't ask me why, but the "then i realized, I was gay" part had me chuckling.

Made me giggle too. biggrin  

[Super Perfundo]

Theophrastus

Pastor: ...God loves you, Jamie.
Me: God spites me.

I laughed so hard at this...

 

[=X-Sparker + AquaKiller=]

sorry, most ppl haven't been atheist all their life, but some ppl did. i am one of them.  

[Arios V]

I'm can't exactly remember exactly what I thought or what I said before I became an atheist. All I remember is telling myself at one point that the world is going to be against you, you're going to be the black sheep of the world.  

[Sho-NUFF!]

Arios V

I'm can't exactly remember exactly what I thought or what I said before I became an atheist. All I remember is telling myself at one point that the world is going to be against you, you're going to be the black sheep of the world.

Well, Im just 'Black'....lol I basically said the same thing....