I am saying teenager as that is when I was open about not believing but I was younger when I started to question the whole thing.

We're all born atheists.

Indoctrination didn't take with me.

Some people never lose their "need" to believe.
Then again, some people make all sorts of realizations at different points
in their lives. If they're open to them.
Just don't hold your breath.

Age is a part of the human construct of time. I think that with the proper interventions religious indoctrination can be staved off. More and more people are flocking away from organized religion as a whole so I summarize that if humans can survive long enough we may yet enjoy an enlightened society geared towards progress and peace rather than barbarity and greed.

1-12
I never felt comfortable in church even though I grew up in a deeply evangelical family. I just couldn't get into the belief.
Dragons and unicorns were easier to believe in for me.

The frontal cortex completes development at age 25, it's pretty well given that a person's beliefs don't really change much after that with out radical events (near death, brainwash, deprogramming). Interestingly enough it is orders of magnitude easier to learn a foreign language before 25 as well.... Biologically we just switch from learn to survive at that age.

I think anyone can rethink their preconceptions of their beliefs. Though the older people might be harder to get to, because they've had a LIFETIME of self-indoctrination.

No Santa Claus. No god.

My de-conversion process began in my late twenties, when I left organized religion, and ended in my early forties, when I realized that I no longer believed in any kind of god.

You're probably not going to change anyone's mind. I was raised in a staunch evangelical home. My worldview basically bled out from a thousand paper cuts, a thousand interactions with thoughtful people who disagreed with me. (This was before the internet.) And each of them planted a seed until I finally, gradually, could no longer adhere to that belief system. We can plant seeds, but we're probably not going to be "the one" who changes anyone's mind.

It's not just a function of age. It's also a function of culture. Look around and see which countries are in the grip of theocracy or other cult based leadership. Those countries control free thought.

My dad is 70+. I'm not changing his mind. But nor do I want to. The thought of an afterlife gives him comfort. I'm just glad he's not in a position of power and influence. Those are the people we need to peacefully die off to grow our collective intellect.

As long as blood is flowing through you brain you can change your mind.

You forgot one - never had to see through the smoke & mirrors ‍

Wow, interesting poll, good idea.

My religious upbringing (Catholic) was mild and benign. Never had any problems and was a lax to middle-of the road believer. It took one event to push me over the edge to sanity.

Good question. I think the poster left out the 30-40 age group... perhaps unintentionally. But yeah, it's a remarkable time when you have enough life experiences from the past to evaluate the truth about religion as well as the capability to look fwd and plan ahead

well in theory your as old as you feel
some of us age faster due to drama in our lives
and some of us never grow mentally...
I mean, Look at President Donald Trump; his how old but he act like a 4 year old with the tantrums that he gets
America in itself dosen't even know how old is 15 years of age really is in the view of the Law between criminal and victim..

• now if you play video games or watch anime? ugh... after you reach 24 your pretty much useless... lol

I didn't actually have any smoke and mirrors going on. My realization at age 15 that there were no gods had nothing to do with religion per se. As for how old, i don't see what age has to do with anything. If you are not dead, you're not too old.

g

14

I think age has less to do with your question than things like willingness to learn and open to consideration.

I attended church 1st with a nanny type caretaker for 3 years until age 7. Then as a social pastime in my teens where I was actually sprinkled by the methodists.

My disbelief grew right after that ill fated day and by the time I was 18, I had lost any religious faith I had ever had.

I was born this way, never had any exposure to church or religion or theism as a child. I do know a handful of people who converted to somw sort of fundie religion as adults. It seems like maybe 30-40 is the oldest.

For who?

RIP

I changed my mind in my mid 40's after I went back to university and learnt to think in a critical fashion. It was then I realised it was all brain washing and I think now that the best way of waking people up is to teach them to think better so they can reanalyse the lies they were told as children and struggled to understand even then. People are not awakened through criticism or derision and we do them a disservice and cause them to dig in when we try.