Is anyone else an atheist with BC besides me?

Everyone is born atheist. All religions have to indoctrinate.

AliceBastable, Religion started with storytelling and in every age most believed the stories to be absolutely true and a minority understood them to be stories.  Indoctrination may cloud the issue but I think at the core there is a mental difference between atheists approach to stories and a believer's approach.  I was thoroughly indoctrinated in my religion, but still stopped believing or realized I didn't believe in my early 20's.  Do atheists stop believing or do they realize that they never believed? Were bible stories always Santa Clause stories to us?

Just a thought or maybe a question. Story telling of experience, story telling by way of explanation, story telling as in lies, story telling for fireside entertainment. a clear definition helps

My mother died when I was 4. I was told that God wanted her in heaven. I never trusted him after that. I thought he sure had a funny way of showing his love. The grandparents who raised me took me to church regularly. Dad would loan me his watch with a second hand so I could practice holding my breath during church. I think they quit going after I left home, so perhaps the whole show was for me. We took the kids to Unitarian church in Texas because you really needed to have a church identity there and then. Moved up here when they started middle school and high school. Have not been to church since. If I need a spiritual boost, I find it walking in the woods or hiking in the wilderness.

Interesting. I'm thinking one's upbringing plays a role too. My parents were both atheists BUT hard core conservatives. So, I became an atheist conservative too. Until graduate school, when I left home for good, got smart, and became an atheist liberal.

ananda8 - "Do atheists stop believing or do they realized that they never believed? Were bible stories always just Santa Claus stories to us?" Good question(s). Speaking for myself, I was loosely raised Catholic... we didn't attend church regularly, but I was required to attended weekly catechism classes through elementary & middle school. I received my first communion and confirmation, but only because it was expected, not because I actually believed in it. Once I reached high school & was allowed to choose on my own whether to continue the classes, I opted out. Even as a child, bible stories were just that to me - stories. Along the same lines as Aesop's fables & Grimm's fairy tales in that they functioned to teach a moral, but were in the end just stories.

Ananda8, religion started as tales to explain what was unexplainable at the time. Then the people in power realized it was the easiest way to control the citizens, so those tales became mandatory beliefs.

I think it's possiblenthat before all these contradictory and anthromorphized religions, people were more reality based and if they felt worshipful toward anything, it was the sun, moon, and stars, which had a direct impact on their lives. Look how many expressions regarding just stars have come down to us: my stars, lucky star, wish upon a star, catch a falling star, etc. These might be the watered-down remnants of early beliefs.

I am so happy I stumbled across this thread, all you women here are smart and interesting. I am going to read the Sue Monk Kidd book. I was raised without religion, became "born again" at 13. Married a man from a very conservative evangelical church. We raised 2 kids in the church. About 10 years ago, after 4 years of soul searching we realized the psychological trauma we all had experienced. 3 of us are now happy atheists/agnostics and my husband still struggles ( he was deeply brainwashed his whole life). I am so happy to be out of it and so much healthier. That is not to say that there were not good times and good things, sometimes I miss the community part but I know I am much better now. Even going through BC I have not felt the need to turn to religion, I feel stronger without it.

Thanks guys, look forward to reading more of your posts.

Religion also supports those in power who support it.  It's a dictatorial feedback loop.  Notice how formerly atheistic Putin is now supporting the Russian Orthodox Church and how the formerly anti-government church is now supporting Putin. The same can be said about non-religious Trump now supporting certain religious groups (who regularly pray over him) and how certain religious groups are now deep into politics. 

As Barry Goldwater said, “Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the ... party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them.”

JoE777- I enjoy your thought provoking comments. In my opinion, you sound more like a person of religion than an atheist. Just a comment not a judgment. I believe a person can have a desire to have a connection with a deceased loved one that isn't based in religious belief but a desire to maintain that bond. I have friends who refer to their children as angels and others who refer to their children as Devils. I don't believe it has anything to do with their religious beliefs. I don't care to make sweeping statements about any religious group or non religious groups. My belief is simple. Each day we have a responsibility to be the best person we can be on that given day. I will rarely meet that goal but I will keep trying. I attended church until I was thirteen years of age. Even as a child I did not believe in God. I will always respect another person's right to believe and hopefully they'll respect my right as a non believer.

Minustwo- <thank you, you are right we need a safe place to talk. We have had enough of being shamed, we come here to a thread where we hope and trust we will not be shamed. I love the freedom and tolerance here, judgement and shame free. So please those who are wanting to evangelize dont do it here.

NO MORE SHAME!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Ananda...I find the quote from Barry Goldwater enlightening. I had not thought about the idea of compromise needed for politics and clearly not an option in religion. Maybe that is why I find religious leaders and their followers so frightening, there is no middle road. Everything done in the name of the religion has Gods imprimatur.

I agree.  Somehow over the years, I lost my copy.  The governor of my state post tracts from the bible on his government Facebook page every Sunday.  I don't object to him posting from his sacred text but I don't think he should use his official page to do so.  ( I am extremely fond of separation of church and state.) So, every Sunday I post a response to his quote from the sacred texts of other religions, Islam, Sufi, Shinto, Taoism, Buddhism and to cover the atheists, I quote from Bertrand Russell.  I get quite a few "likes" but none from the Governor.