I too drifted in and out as i got older. While younger, I was use to being told what to do, follow order, and was told when I got older I can decide what to do with my life. Unfortunately, when I told my dad and his wife I don't follow Catholicism / god-belief anymore, they were shocked and saddened. I comforted them with, "Don't worry, I'll still visit during Xmas and easter and all the months between." At least we compromised.

Same, the more I was told not to do something, the more i sought out the answers elsewhere. I recall meeting other (older than me) Atheists growing up, having these exact discussions with them (me as a believer, and them trying to convince me) and to be honest, I didn't have the mental maturity to grasp the logical concepts despite struggling with the morale aspect. As I got older, moved out (age 25), life was viewed through a different lens, ownership and accountability couldn't be deflected onto the devil or temptation, it was essentially all me, all along.

Wow! Age 7!
I have a slightly older sister, who Im extremely close with. She was driven scholastically gifted (first honour roll, graduating most of her years with 100% perfect in high school, Harvard Scholarship) and was the one who introduced me to Richard Dawkins (early 30s). My parents, mostly my dad was the one who considered me the odd one out, called me "the odd ball" because I was not like my sister. Her and I are both Agnostic with me leaning more towards 7/9 scale where as she is more a 5/9.

I've always been the black sheep of the family and at social gatherings with other relatives, I was know to be typically incongruent to the 'flock', which I'm totally OK with.

@MacStriker One of my grandmothers was secretly atheist, even though she kept a bible prominently on the end table by her couch. (She confided to me that she only kept it there to help her with crossword puzzles.) I think I was likely the only one of my siblings with whom she confided and confessed to as not believing in religion, which seemed to make it okay for me to be who I was/am. She said she had a hard time believing that the successful politicians actually believed what they professed to believe religiously, but they had to pretend, since atheists were thought of so poorly. She and I had some interesting conversations, that I understood to be confidential, since my family were all church goers.

Since my grandparents were the proprietors of the only tavern midway between 2 towns (Chehalis and Centralia Washington) and lived above the bar, not the best environment for their young daughter, they sent my mom (an only child) to Catholic boarding school and then on to Seattle University where she met my dad. So, we were raised Catholic. Not sure either of my parents really believed what the church was teaching, but they went along with it, since respectable families went to church.

Me dropping out of catechism dubbed by the nuns as a "doubting Thomas" wasn't a big deal to my parents. My siblings, well my sisters at least, romanticized religion and likely felt their appearance of belief elevated their status in the eyes of others. My brothers were likely closet atheists, but didn't want to rock the boat. I'm the rebel of the family. Now, with our parents both gone and one brother gone as well, I don't really communicate with my remaining siblings. That's fine with me.

I am an outspoken atheist/agnostic humanist living a good life, authentic to myself and my true inner beliefs. They are living their lives in the best way they know how with what they intellectually allow themselves to believe. They may consider me "unenlightened" but to be honest, I think they are secretly jealous of me. They are not brave enough to live their authentic lives, or even to speak up in my defense against those who paint all atheists as immoral -- because they might secretly be atheist and don't want to admit it. I don't know and I don't care anymore.

I'd say in my early 30's is when I too solidified my non-god-belief. My cousin (similar in age to me) as he got older, who was essentially raised by a father who is Atheist, ended up developing a god-belief.

Seth from Thinking Atheist i think covered the stages of what one goes through when they lose their faith. it's not easy, different for most, but one stage that i feel is common for most is that feeling of being duped for so long and trying to fix things for the future.

I will definitely have to check out that book! Thank you!