My simple steps to atheism
This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Omaha Steve (a host of the The DU Lounge forum).
- born into a Catholic family
- growing up saw all the evil in the world. So, at a young age I could reconcile the existence of human-perpetrated evil, believing that a loving and just god would ultimately punish the wicked, even when I didn't really consider why he would allow such acts in the first place.
- the step that REALLY started my turn away from a "loving god": all the cruelties in nature, where humans are not even involved. Why does it have to be that an alligator crushes the skull of a goose to eat? My young eyes could clearly see that the goose, the rabbit, the antelope... all the prey in the world... felt enormous pain, preceded by fear. I allowed myself the audacity to ask "if I created the world and every creature within it would I construct such a system? Is there an absolute need for it? ". And I then concluded that any rational person would answer NO to both.
- So, then, the next step at that point was to realize that there were only two possible states of god's existence: he either existed as a monster, or he didn't exist at all. And, inasmuch as I saw no benefit, whatsoever, to himself for an almighty entity to conduct a world full of cruelty and suffering my conclusion was that he didn't exist at all. (And, yes, I never ever considered that the almighty would be a "she". heh)
- Once I came to that belief (and, yes, I still admit that it's a belief rather than established fact), I am so certain of it that I can't imagine a more atheistic person in the entire world. And once here, the world's religions and all their rituals appeared silly, ridiculous, clownish, and their adherents uncritical and gullible. Call me arrogant, but I simply can not see how any objective person could conclude anything other than what I've concluded. Sir Isaac Newton? Undoubtedly a brilliant man... but objective on the matter? No.
= new reply since forum marked as read
He did not accept the orthodox teachings of either the Catholic or Anglican church, but he believed that it was necessary to study the gospels in their earliest and purest available forms. Using this method he came to the conclusion that 1 John 5
which is not found in any of the early manuscripts, and thus rejected the concept of the Trinity. He did however write a number of times that the diversity and intricacy of form present in the world seemed to make the existence of God inevitable, and he believed the Bible (as it had been originally inspired) was the best way to know God's intentions.
He also believed that there was a "general apostasy" which had corrupted the teachings of the churches, and that this would be corrected by God in the future as it had periodically been in the past. He opined that by the second century A.D. the Latin churches had begun to add articles to the original text supporting their position in opposition to those they considered heretics, and thus polluted the actual teaching of God with their own self-serving ideas, some of which were completely nonsensical.
Newton came to these conclusions which were dangerously counter to the orthodoxy not because he doubted the existence of God, but because he took it so very seriously. On his deathbed he rejected the last rites of the Anglican church because his studies had convinced him of its apostasy.
(Personal note: I was raised Southern Baptist but have been an atheist since I was about 15, largely due to observations like that of the OP.)
was absolutely discouraged in our Independent Baptist church. I guess the only thing they were independent from was paying dues to the SBC.
On a side note, we thought you southrons were backsliders. Y'all let your women wear pants for gosh sake! 
(But at least your weren't idol-worshipping catholics)
I was 12 or 13 when I had that moment when it seemed ridiculous and it hurt my feelings that my mother was so deep into it. I had known her all my life and up until she found religion she was warm and funny and kind and smart. When I left religion it broke us and we only just started repairing the damage when cancer got her and we never had a chance to finish. We did have a few good christmases in the end though.
