Jimmy Higgins

The large majority of us were raised as theists. Yet through good fortune, we were able to see the light. Perhaps it was a friend. Perhaps it was an enemy. But in the end, we went from being sheep to being self-thinking sheep. I was wondering about the variety that we may have here, for stories of becoming Born-Again Atheists.


Of course, my story is a normal one. I was 12 years old and visting my grandmother and we went to church. And I went up to the alter to silently pray, as one should do, and while I was praying for my deceased grandfather, I was wondering, Why do I need to be praying for my deceased grandfather if God is all loving and stuff?
That was the first of many questions I began to ask myself, in my journey towards freedom. I think it was about 2 years later when I was a full-fledged atheist. Haven't looked back. Granted, it wasn't until I was 17 that was able to find a philosophical structure of life and its existence, which I found ironically enough in World Literature class in high school.

I think what helped me the most in my journey was my parents. I was raised a catholic, as everyone is in Massachusetts, but I wasn't raised the strict Catholic say some of friends were. I was allowed to think and ask questions. My parents never scorned me for it. I think we are taught that God is the only option and that questions aren't welcomed. Its once you begin asking questions, the myth disappear. Take christian biblical scholars, the best ones are the "liberal" scholars that don't allow doctrine to interfere with reality. Such a liberal concept. Most conservative scholars don't allow the questions to be asked, which is what hurts so many from joining our freedom.

Its all about asking questions, and I'm glad I did.

Jamie_L

I was saved by being born to parents that didn't like church or organized religion. They were believers, of a sort, but we rarely talked about god or religion, and we never went to church. My youth was as devoid of God as it could be living in the U.S. and not being raised by actual atheists.

From there, the rest was easy.

Jamie

HelenM

If you're interested, there's a long thread about this on SL&S:

<a href="http://iidb.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=55&t=000020" target="_blank">Atheists' Testimonies</a>

take care
Helen