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Life-Long Atheists

Walter Ego

Illuminator
Walter Ego
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Jan 23, 2008
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I haven't seen any numbers on this but the assumption, in the U.S. at least, is that the majority people who identify as atheist or agnostic were formerly believers in some kind of deity or universal spirit or intelligence, no matter how ill-defined. In the more secular northern European countries, this might not be the case.

By life-long atheists, I mean people like myself who never really believed in a god or gods or a universal spirit or intelligence. Though these atheists may have entertained theistic or spiritual ideas, they were never committed to them.

How many self-identified atheists or agnostics do you think fall into this category?
 
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I was sort of surprised when I started meeting with fellow atheists how many were lifelong atheists. I dunno about putting a number to it, but it seems like almost 1 out of 5 that I've met say they are lifelong atheists.
 
At least one if this counts:
I was about 7 or 8 years old when I figured out that religion is just another mythology. Not too long after I found out about the lack of realism associated with the Easter Bunny and Santa.
 
In the US at least, it is rare to find a life-long atheist. We are so inundated with religion, that even children of atheist parents are likely to be swayed by the social aspects of religion and at least give it a go.
 
I wasn't raised in a religion and for the few years I believed in a god it was a pretty vague god concept, but I can't truthfully say I was a life-long atheist. Pretty close though.
 
My son is a lifelong atheist. I was only a believer until I was about 12 and I didn't spend a lot of time thinking about it.
 
From my earliest memory of being in a church, I was thinking it was boring and I was reading the hymn books and paying no attention. I obviously have no idea how I felt before that, and I'm not even sure if that's right itself.

But I can't remember any time I felt religious or believed in a god..
 
Anecdotal, but, by a small margin, most of the atheists I know (including myself) are lifelong non-believers.
 
Walter Ego said:
I haven't seen any numbers on this but the assumption, in the U.S. at least, is that the majority people who identify as atheist or agnostic were formerly believers in some kind of deity or universal spirit or intelligence, no matter how ill-defined. In the more secular northern European countries, this might not be the case.

By life-long atheists, I mean people like myself who never really believed in a god or gods or a universal spirit or intelligence. Though these atheists may have entertained theistic or spiritual ideas, they were never committed to them.

How many self-identified atheists or agnostics do you think fall into this category?
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I hesistate to count myself as that category but i think I do, my family claim that when I was young (before 10) I was praying from time to time but I can't recall that. I certainly recalll my first cathecheism and thinking "this is BS". But from the few atheist I know .... The other became atheist in their 20ies. But then again I don't know enough to check your 1 out of 5 :p.
 
I remember very strongly wanting to believe, because if I didn't believe then I'd go to hell. I dunno if I was an atheist from a young age, but I did have trouble with the faith thing.
 
I once believed, hard not to in a hard core christian family, however my Son who is 33 is a life long Atheist.
 
I'd count myself as a "life long atheist" as my parents were an atheist and an agosticy-don't-care. I went through a period of time (maybe 5 to 10 years old?) where I was exposed to lots of Christianity and religion at school and in the media, and I'm sure that I just took some of it at face value, I wasn't actively not-believing in a god until around 10 or 11.

At a Skeptics in the Pub meeting some years ago where this subject was discussed I was surprised to be the only person in the room who claimed to have been a non-believer from birth. Several dozen other atheists were all converts, although some claimed to have worked out the non-existence of god for themselves at a very young age.
 
I am a life long atheist; my parents were atheist although their parents (my grandparents) were believers. Mind you, here in the UK non-belief is the default assumption.
 
I've been an atheist all my life; my parents, as well as both sets of grandparents, were also atheists. It didn't occur to me until I started school that some people thought there were gods that might actually exist; I was brought up on bedtime stories of Greek and Norse mythology, and merely felt that the Christian god was no different, only far less entertaining.

I don't think this was usual, not even in Sweden, when I grew up. Nowadays, atheism, or perhaps apatheism, seems to be the default position. I don't know anyone, regardless of cultural background or age, who believes in any gods.
 
Agatha said:
I am a life long atheist; my parents were atheist although their parents (my grandparents) were believers. Mind you, here in the UK non-belief is the default assumption.
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+1. My mother was brought up religious but it didn't stick, and my father's parents were Northern working class atheists and socialists. I don't think that's particularly uncommon over here.

Dave
 
I'm not quite sure. We had Bible study at school and was raised with the idea of 'God' but not sure if it was much different to the idea of Santa and not sure I ever really thought of it as something that was 'real'

Never went to church. Think I've been maybe less than half a dozen times in my life - weddings and funerals.
 
Skeptic Ginger said:
My son is a lifelong atheist. I was only a believer until I was about 12 and I didn't spend a lot of time thinking about it.
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Yeah this was pretty much my situation; default catholic upbringing until I actually started looking at religion. Hence not confirmed.
My nephews and nieces are lifelong atheists/agnostics.
 
Stopped believing in god at the same time as I stopped believing in Father Xmas, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy etc (7 - 8). According to my Mum I kept asking awkward questions even before that. Suspect my Dad was an atheist but he'd never say and Mum was typical CofE - more tradition than belief, with a vague feeling of 'It'd be nice if there was something'.

Prior to that, got sent to Church and Sunday school but the stories never seemed as good as the Arabian Nights etc and both parents were happy for me to stop as soon as I said it was boring and I didn't believe.

A popular sport for schoolkids in Britain is 'How quickly can we make the RE / RI teacher cry' (my wife's class actually succeeded in getting their's to resign!)* so yes, as other posters have said, it's dieing a death in Britain with confirmed believers (as opposed to the wishy washy vagueisms of CofE) being considered 'odd' at best and 'nutters' at worst. We are generally bemused by American Christianity, finding it hard to reconcile that level of 'magical thinking' with an otherwise civilised society.

*Sad to say my kids can't indulge in this as their RE teacher is an atheist and immune / agrees with their taunts. On the plus side, they get a wonderfully neutral comparative view across all religions.
 
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My husband stopped going to church when he was 4. He had a bad experience (got spanked by the Sunday school teacher for something ridiculous). The next Sunday his dad asked him, "do you want to go to church with Mom or stay home with me?" He's never gone back or had any temptation to do so.
 
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