My family went to church once a week at times, sometimes less. I never thought deeply about religion until I was sent to Catechism. I completed Confirmation and soon thereafter came across Bertrand Russell's "Why I am not a Christian", which lent support to many of the doubts I already had.

One does not discover atheism. He or she either never believed, or stopped believing.

The question is back to front for me. I have always been an atheist and have never believed in a god. When I asked questions about this god character they told me about, all I ever got back were answers that didn't make sense.

I initially thought I was agnostic as I didn't believe god/s existed, but couldn't prove that they didn't. Until I realised that that is an atheist.

So here I am.

I was around 14 when I read the bible and realized just how ridiculous it was and realizing how silly predestination was (I was a presbyterian) Then I straggled along ignoring the bible and still believing, being the good cherry picking christian. I finally ditched that and tried Wicca, Roscrucianism, etc. Finally in my mid 20s I came to the conclusion the supernatural was nonsense. I'm in my 50s now.

37 when I left fundamentalism. Probably more like 47 when I self-identified as atheist, although that was more admitting it to myself than making any further change. I had just been heavily conditioned to find that label revolting and admitting that to myself was very difficult, like becoming what I had once hated. It was like the last religious taboo I had to conquer.

Raised Pentacostal, I worked through the questions for myself over a period of time, from age 18 to 20. By my junior year in college, I realized I was done with religion and its fear-based control tactics.

I was agnostic at about 9 years old, when the preist at my local church didnt made any sense. Then atheism 16, when one of the nicest people I know who is full blown Christian died in a car accident. Many questions started to spill and I started to find many other people like me.

I was about 12 when I found out that there were others like me that didn’t believe in a god. That’s when identified as atheist.

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Forever. I'm lucky enough to have grown up in a household where religion was never thought about or mentioned (although I did try it out as a teenager and rejected it), so I have been free of religion from birth. Which is what every child should be. And it certainly allows me to see clearly, and use reasoning and logic when any situation is presented to me. "Blind faith" is the curse of religion, and I admire anyone who has had to shake it off. Much nmore difficult to be an atheist for you, than for me.

My father, first generation melting pot greek/german would declare himself an agnostic and anarchist at every opportunity. He and my mom totally immersed themselves in the Civil Rights Movement. His 'BOLSHIT!' still rings in my ears. My mom was culturally Jewish which means anything from religious to agnostic to atheist, with a lot of room for anything in between (except with the ultra religious...true in any circle, isn't it?) So, born and raised without the dogma of religion. Surprisingly, or not, it's only now, at 53, that I'm really beginning to flesh out what being non-religious means to me and where I fit in this camp. My parents gave me the gift of being free of religion so it's never been a central struggle in my life. I see myself as Agnostic because there're other things I prefer to focus on besides the existence of God. So, born and raised non-religious, emerging Agnostic in my teens, declaring myself Agnostic at 53. Thanks for thoughtful post, carlos

I was 60 when I began the journey.

I spent my entire youth in organized religion. Was raised a Lutheran. Spent time in a Baptist Church with my first gf. My mother became a Roman Catholic and really ground all those points into all our heads. I have studied Judaism and others looking for a truth. In all of that time I have found no one religion that makes sense. At the end of the day you simply must have blind faith about the things that don't make sense. I simply cannot believe in something that cannot prove itself. So to answer the question, I have always questioned God and in a way, always known.

I honestly can't remember. Maybe my late teens.

Sixteen when a teacher in High School said "You might be an Agnostic". I went home and looked it up further and he was right.

Much older when I came out as Atheist.

Same questions every week... I reckon nobody search previous questions anymore.

I think I was an Atheist before I knew what it was. If that makes sense.