We're all born atheists. Unfortunately, we are also born in societies that tell us what to believe as we grow up so it's a demographical crap shoot. We are born healthy and given a disease... it's up to us to find the cure.

Well, you have to be taught a religion. Once you are, becoming an atheist is a painful process, usually driven by a search for truth, is what I have observed.

No one chooses. We are born without religion and are forced into it by our parents/environment. I was lucky enough to realize this when I was a child

We are all born atheists. Not believing in anything is the natural state. Only societal influence brings about the possibility of becoming religious.

I think a case can be made that way. If you discover existentialist, highly self-aware introspection and objectivity at a young enough age, you will more easily find that you are philosophically aligned to be a freethinker, dispelling the myths as you hear them. Others have to go along long before they divorce themselves from ideology, and I wonder at what age they really learn to think for themselves. My theory is that the age at which you first practice honest, non-egotistical consciousness determines the amount of resistance you require before you truly think for yourself.

I feel like obviously atheism is the “default “ we are born with. Nobody becomes religious until they are taught their particular god’s dogma. But once you have been indoctrinated it is incredibly difficult to escape

When you're born you're an athiest. It's only when beliefs are impressioned that one believes. Usually most religious people don't believe in the hundreds of religions that there are in the world. So for those hundreds of beliefs...they are an athiest to

Hilariously enough, by the definition of Christian, I'm a far better Christian now than I ever was before. Christian means "little Christ" and now that I study Buddhist and stoic philosophy, I'm more Christ-like. I forgive people because they know not what they do. I pardon humanity of my imagined sins, the slings and arrows. I also see myself as part of a greater universe. I also learned to suspend judgement, which Jesus also teaches, but not well. If Christian's never asked me about religion, and also followed their own, we'd get along swimmingly!

I've always labored under the idea that I was born Atheist and became Humanist by default.

I think we are born just human. from infancy we have a need to be connected this inbuilt desire to trust and this is an area where faith comes from. the baby trusts that its needs will be met the and child knows and works out that when it cries its mother comes and feeds it. So Religion becomes the need fullfiller the quencher the mother the father you may not of had and this is why it is so popular but does it make it true?. I don't think we were born anything and certianly not athiest or religous, I like Human with a need to connect.

Beliefs don't have to be true for them to exist. I used to believe in Santa and now I don't. I hadn't always not believed in Santa just because he doesn't exist.

There are thousands if not millions of "gods". Anything that can be conceptualized is +real+. Thought=matter=reality. Religion and god are not the same thing. Religion is commerce, "God" is personal.

I think it's possible to be a believer and to lose that belief based upon evidence or experience. While we may choose to ignore facts, arguments, or evidence, I don't think we choose what we believe or don't. The things that ultimately convince us or inform or opinions often come unbidden, and can cause unwelcome changes to our lives. It would be much easier, for instance, for me to be a devoted Christian believer where I live. If I frequented any church in this little town, I'd probably be dating some nice, financially stable man within a few short months, and be embraced by a congregation of welcoming "friends." As desirable as that outcome would seem, I cannot make myself believe something I consider dishonest and absurd, nor could I respect a man who does.

Your Premise is not accurate.

To not correctly define atheist as one that accept the premise "there is no god" shifts the burden of proof from the theist (there is a god) to the not theist.

Atheist (not a theist) is simply not accepting the theists positive (there is a god) assertion.

If you believe there is a god/s, you are a theist/polytheist
If you lack that belief you are an atheist. (not a theist)

Everyone who has ever lived was an atheist until they were indoctrinated into whatever religion dominated their region or family.

I think there may be some truth behind that. Before I became an atheist. I didnt pray to god very often and when I did. I felt like I was talking to myself. I was always reading national geographic books. That often talked about evolution and I'm a huge George Carlin fan so yea, I was just didnt know it yet.lol

Religion & atheism are choices. You either choose to believe in a God or you choose not to. I've been reading a lot of comments saying that babies are born atheist and I don't believe that to be true. I believe that you have to be aware of the concept of religion before you can either be for or against it. There is no default option in my opinion.

Pretty simple.i believed my first few years because I was told to. Not in those words, I was just presented with no other options. There was not an internet or anything like it and I just thought everyone felt the same. As a young teen I started having serious doubts of any being capable of divine intervention when I was able to think for myself and see the world around me. Considered myself more of a deists for awhile, then agnostic. Then after the age of technology with a wealth of info and research at my fingertips went the rest of the way to atheist. So not so much a choice as just when I was able to see all the facts or lack of, it just made sense. No proof of divine existence, no reason to be a believer

I don't know if we are born atheist, but we are born innocent. And from then on a whole lot of effort goes into molding us to fit our family or society. Language, gender identity, social class and morality. Education and religion are two institutions that get results in molding minds. Other animals are born instinctively knowing how to use their social structure in ways that are beneficial to the , but humans seem a bit deficient in that respect. Education could function as a way to improve society, but we evidently need a bit more covincing from the fear of eternal damnation in order to cooperate. Religion can also be used to calm fears, assure us we are loved, and convince us to be kind. If someone remains in their beliefs out of need for comfort it is understandable, if not necessary.

Not necessarily!.
If we look at the 10 Commandments, as an example of religion, and discard the first four-since we are atheists, the remaining are guidelines towards a peaceful, non-hateful coexistence. This is not false but rather valid.
So, not ALL religion is false. Some of it might makes sense!

People do not come out of the womb complete with all kinds of beliefs. political, religious, and so on. Such beliefs are formed as one matures, and for the "vast majority," they are virtually inherited, because the individuals are the subject of indoctrination from a quite early age. They grow up believing that what they believe is just natural and is something they inherited along with the remainder of the Life package. That's why it is so difficult and painful when an individual begins to question those attitudes and beliefs; I suspect there's a good bit of guilt feeling that goes along with it. I personally began questioning such things at a quite early age, perhaps, 7 or 8, and by the time I was around 13 or 14, I had pretty much written most of it off, but kept my mouth shut about it. At 16, I was offered financial support to go to college, by the minister and Deacons of the church I attended, if I would agree to study the ministry. Of course, they had unwittingly forced my hand, and I had to confess that I could not accept such an offer, even though I was deeply appreciative of their trust in me. I left church that day I told them, and I have never been back. Ordinarily I say nothing about it unless someone else brings it up, but I do not shy away from it either. I feel obligated to speak the truth as I understand it, but I am not a proselyte. I learned long ago that you cannot change any else's mind; they must do it for themselves, so it is useless and generally unwanted for one to try. I do not pretend to have "the answer" nor do I believe anyone else does, so who am I to tell someone else what to believe?

Like most things, I don’t think we have much choice in what we do and do not believe. We just do or do not.

Everyone is born atheist. Religion is pushed on them. People then choose to be open minded and question or they do not.

The way I see it, Religion and God are two different things that have nothing to do with one another. "Religion" is a socio/cultural financial concept. Humankind chose to anthropomorphize the Creative Energy and called it "God". Religious institutions Monetized it. In an Infinite Universe all things exist. Creation is ongoing and we don't know fuck about it. We don't even know the planet we live on, how arrogant to presume that that we know anything at all.