Religion did have a huge impact on my decision to be atheist...I saw too many back stabbing hypocrites in the church!

Congrats on your escape from the Mormon cult. I hope you're on your way to discovering a new network of friends and support. Luckily for me, I came from a non-religious family so I was spared the youth indoctrination. My focus now is on fighting to maintain the separation of church and state in our country.

As a child I hated Sunday School/Church, whatever! Was forced to go and had a belly full by the time I was a teenager. After I left home I never went again, and never missed it. But why some are successfully indoctrinated at an early age and others aren't is still a mystery to me.

My father was catholic, and my mother was southern baptist, so I was literally raised in an environment where I was told to drink the wine for communion, then ask forgiveness for drinking wine.
Needless to say, this kind of stress didn't last long, so my parents both agreed to leave their respective churches, and they compromised on 'Assembly of God'. So we traded wine and crackers for speaking in tongues, hair that reached the stratosphere, and people who vilified you if you were sick and missed a sunday, because 'God wanted us in church, no matter what'.

Even as a child, I saw this as hypocritical. When I was 20, after my father died, I expanded my religious studies and landed on a pagan-lite version of solitary Wicca, which I practiced off and on for probably fifteen years. And I found that, even in the modern interpretations of the old beliefs, you still find people who are bat-shite crazy with their 'religious beliefs', still find those who are judgemental unless you agree with their views 100 percent, and still do little to make the world we live in better for people.

So, about ten years ago, I started drifting into agnosticism. I find the 'possibilty' of a divine interesting, especially if we are all part of it. But all the dogma, and other associated crap that comes with 'religion', and 'faith' just sickens me. What was supposed to be a positive is used to divide and subjugate. So I don't think that the existence, or non-existence, of what many would call 'God' can be proven, and I've learned to live my life as best as I can, for myself, and those around me, by seeing what 'faith' was supposed to do, and actually doing it.

I came from a pretty agnostic background but got snatched up by bible groups when young. Believed loosely in God as the prime mover for most of my childhood. Suppose looking back now it was me just projecting another layer of authority on the world which I had to obey and respect. As I got older most forms of power showed themselves to be less benevolent than advertised. People, institutions and even my parents were fallible (as a kid that’s a huge realisation).

Eventually I saw transgressions take place which any just or interventionist God could not allow without being indifferent or complicitly approving of.

By the time I reached my early 20’s I began to resent both God and those that preach an absolute truth of His/Her/Its/Their work. Either God is a totalitarian thug or is a flippant kid with an ant farm. Neither deserves adoration.

I was raised in a very liberal church but have no tolerance for stupidity. There's nothing stupider than turning responsibility of your life to a nonexistent being.

Alot of you here on this thread came from some really hardcore Religious backgrounds. Like Mormon's. I came from a wasp family and my mother was a closet atheist and brother a pastor and Dad a Catholic, we had a hell of a Christmas.

Glad you all came through to your senses.

Used to be Mormon as well. Once that house of cards came down everything else did too. Was pretty rough for a while; but over time an incredible peace settled on me through the beauty of science and reason. Just my path, everyone has a different one and I’d never judge them for the one they decide on.

Raised Lutheran, never more than casually. I don't know if I ever really believed even when I told myself I did.

Nothing with religion ever impacted my atheism- rather it was my father who taught me young to always examine what I've been told and to have my own reasons for holding values and beliefs that I hold... Turns out I had no reason to hold to Christianity.

I was a momo too. For me once I saw through the BS of the Mormon church I couldn’t take any other religion seriously either.

My parents were both Unitarian. They both felt strongly that I should be introduced and educated on most everything out there and then make up my own mind. I used to identify as Agnostic. I read the Bible (different versions) 3 times.

My thoughts are that we "happened" and were not "planned" as a planet and species.

But if, in your world travels, you find the magical "Smite" button.... I'll buy it from you!

I was raised in Salt Lake City by a non Mormon. If I could’ve been religious, then that was forestalled by my contact with the crazy Mormons.

Raised catholic, but wasnt baptised until i was 18. Kind of pressured into it, kind of intrigued by it. Ive always questioned god. So it was more for me like research. Girlfriend at the time was religious as was her family, hence a bit more pressure. We would go to church every sunday for years, i liked singing the songs lol, thats about it. And even they were sometimes hilarious because some didnt make sense. Today when someone starts talking about god i automaticly assume they are just slow or choose the easy way to believe what everyone else believes so they feel included and important and they value what everyone thinks of them. Heres the thing though, i don't care what other people think of me, i don't really like people, and the easy way is never usually the smart way. Satan seems like a cool dude though ??

I was raised Reformed Jewish, but it wasn't so much about religion as it was about culture, which I do appreciate. But I was always questioning the existence of a god from a very young age.

I went to Catholic school. I recall the 4th grad nun asking a class mate, "How did Jesus open the gates of heaven?" He replied, "He just took the key and kxck." I laughed because everyone else did. I had no better answer. Poor guy. It is one way that we remembered the teaching of Jesus saving us by dying on the cross. But the age of reason is strong. It doesn't make sence to me any more. In fact, I think that Gary's answer makes a lot MORE sence.

My family wasn't all that religious and were content with the simple declaration of being Christian. At some point, our paths completely split with them choosing, what I believe to be, the more vitriolic path. While I was turning pages in Mark Twain & Nietzche, they were turning pages in their hymnals. I've never really had to come out as agnostic to them, as they've simply taken to regarding me as an apostate.

I was raised Christian and followed it for 37 years before I thought my way free. Lots of time spent in the delusion and lots of bad decisions happened due to it. But in some ways it helped shape my character and made me a good humanist so I guess it was not all bad.

Direct impact? Very little. Even factoring in the couple of years of church going in grade school, and a few more in high school (Different church/denomination), I'd say it had very little overall impact. Hell, I don't even have the friends I made at those times in my life anymore. Though that has nothing to do with religion and everything to do the way life works out sometimes.

Indirectly? Through how it affects me by its impact on the lives of those around me? Probably no more than the average person.

Direct impact? Very little. Even factoring in the couple of years of church going in grade school, and a few more in high school (Different church/denomination), I'd say it had very little overall impact. Hell, I don't even have the friends I made at those times in my life anymore. Though that has nothing to do with religion and everything to do the way life works out sometimes.

Indirectly? Through how it affects me by its impact on the lives of those around me? Probably no more than the average person.

I was born to hippy parents and raised among guru’s and communes, but my grandparents were strongly Christian, part of the Dutch Reformed Church. So my journey was interesting and many sided, but eventually I proved too much a scientist to not also be atheist (and Buddhist).

Raised Roman Catholic and now I’m openly Atheist. Not to say I bring it up, but I never deny it nor back down from a related discussion.

I have friends who are Mormon or formerly and it really makes me appreciate the circumstances in which I was raised. My religious family never shuns me for leaving the religion or even when I strongly criticize it.

Jw, babtist, pentecostal, evangelical....hmm... good question. I would say the dogmatic history learned from religion as compared to what the history or evolution of the relegious dogmas prove against themselves. I look at christianty as a movement or method of controlly population through an ideological consciousness. In basic and historically christianity is Sun worship.

Throughout time 5 main cults have existed. Cults of the Sun, Moon, Saturn, Dionysus, and Snake.

Sun cults = Christianity
Moon cults = Islam
Saturn cults = Judaism
Dionysus cults = Fine Arts acting, music, ... Hollywood ect...
Snake Cults = indigenious tribes, mayan, aztec, ect.. may have evolved.

Where I come from no longer informs my beliefs, what I have learned enlightens me.

Ethos, Pathos, Logos

Fiat Lux

I come from Catholic Christianity. I was raised that way and didn't change my ways until about 11 or 12 years old. I am now a proud Buddhist. Christianity has made me become more passionate because I hate Christianity. That sounds weird, but it's fine.

Not at all... except maybe she would had married me otherwise so as far religion goes... saved me from a marriage.