Questionnaire (for atheists, but others are welcome too)

[Jadestone]

I'm doing a project in school on atheism at the moment, and it would be really helpful if some of you could answer these questions for me--answers won't be included in my report/presentation directly, but I'd like some stories/opinions of people other than those I know directly or just reports I find online. So if any of you would like to help, here are some questions on subjects I'm planning to talk about:

- How/when did you become an atheist?

- How/when did you "come out" to your family/friends as an atheist, if ever?

- Have you ever faced discrimination as a result of your atheism?

- Are there any misconceptions about atheism you would like to see corrected?

- Anything else you'd like to share?


If you have any links to helpful/reliable sites, those would be welcome too. I'm trying to use only information I can gather from trustworthy sources rather than the internet at large.



Thank you!



EDIT: An embarrassing spelling mistake

[Xamonas Chegwé]

How/when did you become an atheist?

I was brought up Church of England. In my early years it was merely nominal but my parents started attending church regularly when I was about 10. From then, I was encouraged to join church activities, including Sunday school, choir, church youth group, etc.

I started to have doubts about christianity in my mid-teens and this expressed itself in a desire both to learn more about christianity (in order to understand why I couldn't feel GOD the way that others obviously could) but also to try and distance myself from the church (because it wasn't relevant to me – although at that time, I thought I needed to find another, more vibrant church – twat that I was! It was during this period that I read the bible cover to cover twice and also read the Qu'ran, the Bhagavad Gita and several books on world religions.

Things really changed for me when I went to university at 18 and met up with real atheists – one in particular that put all of my doubts in perspective. I also began reading a lot more serious literature of a philosophical nature and took tons of psychedelic drugs. It still took quite a few years before I called myself an atheist (preferring agnostic for a long while.) I also spent most of my life considering my atheism to be a 'faith' – believing that there was no god – it was reading TGD that put me right on that score, as well as crystallising a lot of ideas that I found it hard to put into words.

How/when did you "come out" to your family/friends as an atheist, if ever?

Probably around age 20/21. I returned from university (having failed my 2nd year due to doing fuck-all work.) I just told them I didn't believe and wasn't going to go to church as it seemed hypocritical. They kept referring to me as a 'seeker', which I fucking hated, but they were pretty cool with it really. They never have been the type to exert pressure.

Have you ever faced discrimination as a result of your atheism?

Not really. The odd bit of pigeon-holing with the usual questions from theists but no discrimination.

Are there any misconceptions about atheism you would like to see corrected?

Corrected to whom? Many people have misconceptions about atheism – including most atheists! The types of misconception vary from person to person. To some theists, we are satanists, to others, we are really christians but can't see it, to others, we are actually agnostics because to truly be an atheist, you must believe that there is no god (see my earlier answer.) To many religious types, atheism is a 'faith', to others, our faith is science and we worship Darwin. All of this is bullshit.

Anthing else you'd like to share?

Yes. You spelled 'anything' wrong!

[Wumbologist]

- How/when did you become an atheist?

I was probably 13 or 14, and was a pretty inquisitive kid, but believed what my parents had told me about religion. I had just been familiarized with the Theory of Evolution, and since it couldn't POSSIBLY have been correct, I started researching arguments against it. Strangely enough, the creationist argument didn't seem to make sense, no matter how hard I tried to rectify it in my mind.

- How/when did you "come out" to your family/friends as an atheist, if ever?

It started as genuine, innocent questions as I was becoming suspicious, but when my mother took offense to my well-meant questions, it turned into full-blown dinner table warfare. Been an atheist and proud ever since.

- Have you ever faced discrimination as a result of your atheism?

I don't know if I would call anything I've experience "discrimination", it's never gotten in the way of anything I've wanted to do, though I have gotten the occasional disapproving finger wag.

- Are there any misconceptions about atheism you would like to see corrected?

LOL ATHEISTS IS IMMORAL CAUSE THEY DONT BELEIVE IN HELL!!! That one is probably the most annoying to me. Atheists do nice things because we're nice, theists do it to get into heaven.

- Anthing else you'd like to share?

I find your mockery of "Hang In There" cat to be in poor taste. But that's ok, he's not letting go on account of you.

[Ace]

How/when did you become an atheist?

Was always an atheist. Never believed in god. Not even a little.

How/when did you "come out" to your family/friends as an atheist, if ever?

Come out to my family? No real need to, they are all atheists.

Have you ever faced discrimination as a result of your atheism?

Nope. Never. Not likely in the UK.

Are there any misconceptions about atheism you would like to see corrected?

Don't think so. Can't be bothered.

Anthing else you'd like to share?

Nope.

[virphen]

- How/when did you become an atheist?
On conception.

- How/when did you "come out" to your family/friends as an atheist, if ever?
No need to, most people here really gives a toss about your religion as long as you mostly keep it to yourself.

- Have you ever faced discrimination as a result of your atheism?
Nothing of any note.

- Are there any misconceptions about atheism you would like to see corrected?
The idea that it's a religion, and that atheists all have a certain belief that there is no deity.

- Anthing else you'd like to share?
Not really.

[Reverend Blair]

How/when did you become an atheist?

Some time in high school. I started questioning things in about grade four or five, but I didn't even know that such a thing as an atheist existed back then. I just kind of came to a slow realization over the years. I think the final straw was when Sister Sabina whacked with a yardstick for reading in English class though.

How/when did you "come out" to your family/friends as an atheist, if ever?

I never really came out. Some of my friends have always known me as an atheist, others watched me head that way. My family kind of (I think) figured it out over the years.

Have you ever faced discrimination as a result of your atheism?

Hell yeah.

Are there any misconceptions about atheism you would like to see corrected?

Not really. I find the misconceptions pretty funny most of the time.

Anything else you'd like to share?

I find a lot of atheists seem to be taking their atheism much too seriously lately. I mean, Jesus, lighten up. No point in acting like some kind of Baptist or something.

[QuarkyGideon]

- How/when did you become an atheist?

As soon as I could think for myself I always was; I just didn't realise.

- How/when did you "come out" to your family/friends as an atheist, if ever?

Quite openly.

- Have you ever faced discrimination as a result of your atheism?

No; but I do not live in a higly religious/religously tolerant area.

- Are there any misconceptions about atheism you would like to see corrected?

Yes; atheism is not a religion and is actually the absence of belief. Also an atheist is not more intelligent than a theist due to lack of belief in superstition.

[Elessarina]

- How/when did you become an atheist?


I always have been, I can't ever recall a time where I really believed in God or took the Bible stories seriously. I was not taken to church as a child.. i sang hims and we learnt things from the Bible i think in assemblies but to me they were just like any other stories you hear as children. my parents were not religious either so it was never pushed on me. they taught me mostly about history and stuff when i was a kid.. about nature and i rememebr knowing about darwin from an early age..

- How/when did you "come out" to your family/friends as an atheist, if ever?


I never had to.. and I'm always honest about it.


- Have you ever faced discrimination as a result of your atheism?

Not that I am aware of

- Are there any misconceptions about atheism you would like to see corrected?

That atheists have no morals/that morals need to come from religion

- Anything else you'd like to share?



Not really..

[Dr. Kwaltz]

- How/when did you become an atheist?

The day I was born.

- How/when did you "come out" to your family/friends as an atheist, if ever?

The day I was born.

- Have you ever faced discrimination as a result of your atheism?

Yes, but only here in the US.

- Are there any misconceptions about atheism you would like to see corrected?

Yes, being atheist is the default for every human being. All forms of religion are learned behavior.

[Babel]

I'm doing a project in school on atheism at the moment, and it would be really helpful if some of you could answer these questions for me--answers won't be included in my report/presentation directly, but I'd like some stories/opinions of people other than those I know directly or just reports I find online. So if any of you would like to help, here are some questions on subjects I'm planning to talk about:

- How/when did you become an atheist?
Though I attended a school with a catholic inclination, there really wasn't that much of religious indoctrination going on. Evidently, I had heard of some of the parables, genesis and such but I never really considered them to be real recordings of history. More like a fairytale gone bad.

- How/when did you "come out" to your family/friends as an atheist, if ever?
I never sat my parents down to have 'the chat' with them. (well, about the birds and the cheese, I did) I remember when going to a funeral or something, my mother would mention the afterlife and I would either sigh or frown, but we never really talked about it. My father is, for as far as I can tell, an atheist in a way he couldn't care less. With the younger generations here, atheism is actually more the default mindset, so no outing required
- Have you ever faced discrimination as a result of your atheism?
No
- Are there any misconceptions about atheism you would like to see corrected?
You lead a sad miserable life without someone watching you from the upstairs.
- Anything else you'd like to share?
I happen to have here some bacon too

If you have any links to helpful/reliable sites, those would be welcome too. I'm trying to use only information I can gather from trustworthy sources rather than the internet at large.



Thank you!



EDIT: An embarrassing spelling mistake

edit for spelling too

[Jadestone]

Thanks for the responses, everyone!


Honestly I'm a little surprised at the differences between what you guys said and the people I know from school/town--here almost everyone is raised with some form of religion, and they (and I) have almost all been harassed about it in some point at school (one girl's parents tried to have her exorcized). You'd think people would be a bit more open-minded in Northern IL... how the hell did I end up here : /

At least I'm not living in texas with my cousins. If they ever find out I'm an atheist they will probably never speak to me again. Or let me see their children/my young cousins :/

[GenesForLife]

Thanks for the responses, everyone!


Honestly I'm a little surprised at the differences between what you guys said and the people I know from school/town--here almost everyone is raised with some form of religion, and they (and I) have almost all been harassed about it in some point at school (one girl's parents tried to have her exorcized). You'd think people would be a bit more open-minded in Northern IL... how the hell did I end up here : /

At least I'm not living in texas with my cousins. If they ever find out I'm an atheist they will probably never speak to me again. Or let me see their children/my young cousins :/

The USA makes a mockery of rationality, really

[Gawdzilla Sama]

- How/when did you become an atheist?

Never been anything else. My parents weren't particularly religious so when the preacher ask Mom to stop sending me to Sunday School when I was seven that was the end of the matter. Religions didn't become an issue again until I joined the USN in 1969. Then I was required to go to some kind of church service every week in boot camp. After that nine-week period was over, however, the only problems I had was with a couple of fundamentalist types, but there was no official action taken by any of them.

- How/when did you "come out" to your family/friends as an atheist, if ever?

As above, there was no need to "come out" for me, Sunday morning was for fishing in the summer and watching old movies in the winter.

- Have you ever faced discrimination as a result of your atheism?

I've pretty much avoided situations where it would become an issue. Unconsciously perhaps, but I just skated around those situations.

- Are there any misconceptions about atheism you would like to see corrected?

That it's a faith of some kind. That we're amoral because we're atheists.

- Anything else you'd like to share?

My copy of the God Gene was turned off at an early stage of my development, and it hasn't affected my life at all in any way that matters, except that as an atheist I have more free time, fewer onerous obligations, less guilt, and a lot more freedom than a religious person in my demographic zone. So I can say it's been a very positive experience being godless all my life.

[Animavore]

- How/when did you become an atheist?
I always was one. I tried to believe as a child but without any reinforcement from my parents one hour a week of religion class and a half hour of mass every Sunday that I hated I was basically a lost cause from the start.

- How/when did you "come out" to your family/friends as an atheist, if ever?
I just said I don't believe in that rubbish to my Ma and she said "Yeah. Its a load of bollox".

- Have you ever faced discrimination as a result of your atheism?
Nah. Although I did once get punched in the back of the head by an aul lad.

- Are there any misconceptions about atheism you would like to see corrected?
A lot of Irish people seem to think that if you're an atheist it means you believe in nothing.

- Anything else you'd like to share?
Pawiz is a twat.

[Rum]

I'm doing a project in school on atheism at the moment, and it would be really helpful if some of you could answer these questions for me--answers won't be included in my report/presentation directly, but I'd like some stories/opinions of people other than those I know directly or just reports I find online. So if any of you would like to help, here are some questions on subjects I'm planning to talk about:

- How/when did you become an atheist?

At the age of about 17 I 'lost my faith' after being 'born again' at the age of 14 or so. I didn't immediately become atheist, but twatted around with things like Hinduism, Buddhism and such until well into my 40s. I am 69 now and in terms of relatively 'strong' athism I would say about five years.

- How/when did you "come out" to your family/friends as an atheist, if ever?

It is no big thing in Britain. My mom expressed a bit of concern when I left the church in my teens as she thought they were 'nice people'. There are loads of atheists in Europe and nobody gives it a second thought..except perhaps the pope.

- Have you ever faced discrimination as a result of your atheism?

Nope

- Are there any misconceptions about atheism you would like to see corrected?

Yes. That is is an active belief rather than an absence of evidence.

- Anything else you'd like to share?

Atheism is far more freeing than believers can possibly imagine, especially if rationality is added to the mix. It is not morally neutral either.

If you have any links to helpful/reliable sites, those would be welcome too. I'm trying to use only information I can gather from trustworthy sources rather than the internet at large.



Thank you!



EDIT: An embarrassing spelling mistake