Always. When I was very young, perhaps 6 y.o.
I remember conflict in my family and being very upset and wondering why, if god does exist, does this happen me. After that, throughout my teen years I wrestled with mystical thoughts trying decide what I believed in. Eventually, well... ?
4th grade. That year (all in one year) my folks separated, I was in a house fire that wiped us out, mom was diagnosed with cancer, and the year ended with a finalized divorce of my folks...all the while...Church groups offering assistance and talking of 'God's plan'...I recall trying prayer because I thought god had a shitty plan for me....then I ended up in the new Orleans projects......so, by 5th grade I was thinking god was one of three things.. an asshole, a diety that had it out for me, or imaginary. Thru education I learned that I'm not that important, God followers tend to be the assholes, and empirically a god(as written) is highly improbable
I'm 41, and while I really started questioning and doubting my faith in my early 20's, I've become comfortable in my beliefs (or lack thereof) in just the last 4-5 years. Still not out in public, or even to my wife, really, but I know she's on to me, lol.
Started questioning at 22, walked away from superstition entirely at 27. Been mostly good so far.
In terms of conscious, self-aware questioning, that didn't begin to happen until my mid twenties, and didn't reach any sort of critical, life-changing mass until my mid-thirties. In retrospect, I think I knew better much sooner than that, but various taboos and operant conditioning caused me to avoid bringing any awareness to it.
From as early as I was aware there was such a thing. TV pastors used to have a phrase "the good book says." Even as a little boy, I wondered "What is this book? Who wrote it? What does it say?" I saw that so-called good book or not, it was largely ignored. Perhaps I felt this way because my father was a monster, I had a horrific upbringing. I must have thought "If god is so good, where is he? Why did he abandon me and my mother?"
I'm going to have to start saving my answers for the questions that get asked over and over again...
I've answered this before...
Age 13 when I discovered the "religion" section of the high school library....I walked in a Presbyterian and walked out a Wiccan. Was Wiccan until about age 40, very involved in Pagan Pride festivals and local coven group.....but also dabbled in Buddhism.
Finally declared myself an Atheist about 10 years ago. The Wiccan gods/goddesses were always figurative for me, not literal, so probably far longer than 10 years. But, 10 years now declaring Atheism -- No gods/goddesses needed.
Can one be a Buddhist and an atheist? My understanding of B is it does not claim divinity?
@Mitch07102 Most sects to not. So yes you could be a Buddhist and an atheist at the same time. On the other hand that's a bit of a technicality. Buddhism still has an elaborate cosmology filled with supernatural entities, even if none of them are gods. So there are things in the religion that many atheists would be unlikely to give credence to, since considered atheism is nearly always a side effect of being a skeptic and critical thinker.
@mordant yes...but, one can be a philosophical Buddhist in how they view life and the actions of the individual whilst giving no thought to any cosmology.
@SkotlandSkye Oh, absolutely. Secular meditation being a prime example (although the widespread practice of meditation by the Buddhist laity is a quite recent development). That's the beauty of Buddhism -- its core is really an ancient version of self-help, and is based on observation of what works and what doesn't, to decrease one's level of suffering.
As a teen ... perhaps 15 years of age. But I suppressed my doubts, which did not fully re-emerge for another 35 years.
I started listening to punk rock in high-school so probably around the same time. I'm not sure I've ever been religious because my parents weren't either or at least they're not churchgoers. But I think i was afraid of God's wrath or something because of some movies I watched at the time. But listening to music helped me understand how human decency has nothing to do it reading rules to live from fictional books.
Like four or five? Every time i tried to picture 'God' I just saw Aurora's father from the old Disney movie crouched down on a cloud listening. But then I flew on a plane when I was in kindergarten, got above the clouds, realized he certainly wasn't there, and then once I was old enough (6 or 7) to start asking questions the answers were unacceptable. I tried Wednesday night youth services with some friends in fourth grade but that provided no better answers.
I was 16. None of the absurdities of the religion made any sense to me. I have this crazy thing I do, called thinking for myself (paraphrasing Carlin), and thought, it makes no sense, is full of weird ideas, and obviously is a method to seek to control my thoughts and actions. I choose free will (thanks Canadian band Rush).