I don't think I ever became an atheist. I aways was but didn't know that my view on life, the universe and everything had a name. But I always knew that I was a humanist.

I was born.

I became an Athiest by reading the bible. It led me out of Christianity with it's absurd stories and in Hebrews chapter 6 it told me to mature, so I did! I've been trying to throw off the last vestiges of religion for about 25 years and I'm a much happier person without it. The Baptist church held me back from exploring who I really am as a gay man and I lost about 30 years of my life trying to live as someone that I'm not. As a church organist I saw the hypocrisy of people thought to be 'pillars' of the church and their stupid attempts of controlling other people. These fundamentalists are the most unpleasant people I've ever met, they lie and do not exhibit the love they talk so much about.

I was thrown out of the Baptist church because I wanted to follow a gay lifestyle. I had been an experienced organist with that organisation and was told that I would not be allowed to play the organ for church services again as I might affect the little children! It was the best thing that could have happened to me because it allowed me to stand one side and evaluate what I had been a part of. I have had other appointments as a church organist but I've made it quite clear as to my sexual preferences and I've not had a problem. At 73 I'm making up for lost time in following what is True to me.

I have been a nontheist as long as I can remember. Hypocrisy, prejudice, and obscure ideas were apparent to me always, within the church. One of first questions was where are the Dino’s in the Bible. Then where did the wives come from.

I know the exact moment I knew I’d never become a believer—when my mother explained why we weren’t Catholic anymore. She was kicked out of the church for divorcing my father. That’s the moment it clicked—this god didn’t care about my mother. If her god didn’t care about her, I sure the fuck wasn’t going to give him the time of day.

I learned at around 11 or 12. It happened fast like when I figured out the Santa Claus conspiracy. My mother dragged me to church and made me go to Sunday school class as usual where on that particular day our teacher for whatever reason really showed his ass. Before the class was over he had taken his shirt off screaming at us to look the hair on his chest and how real men pray to god. Scared the shit out me. When I got home I told my dad about what happened. As far back as I could remember my dad had never set foot in a church and after that day I never did either.

I was upset with the last church for disrespecting me and my questions. I had been a closeted atheist since I was 10-years-old. I just had to follow my families religion until I grew up and told them, "No more god shit!" My aunt still makes me pray when I go eat with her for a meal. My friend helped me understand what an atheist was. I knew I didn't believe in god. I didn't know more people like me were out there, until a year ago. All around me I'm surrounded by Christians. Work, home, and the general public. My city is the most religious city in the state. I stand alone at work as an atheist. There is one agnostic there though. The rest are all pious. Also, life tragedies that have happened, made me come to realize there is no god.

Being forced to go to Catholic church.

Basically, I just began thinking for myself. One day I dared imagine what the world would be like if there wasn't a god, and a lot of things began to make sense. Things that were once so contradictory suddenly no longer contradicted at all, and were merely the inventions of people I didn't really know trying to make sense of their small corner of the world. A myriad of dogmas all tied up in knots suddenly disappeared. It began sometime during high school and I believe (though I'm not quite sure) was all sorted out in my mind by the time I went to college.

It took me a few years after I got serious about seeking God's will. The more I sought answers in the Bible and elsewhere, the less I believed. Finally there was nothing left.