I was also a science and social studies teacher, and I both agree and disagree. Yes, I think that most high school students to not have the depth of thought and experience to really know if they do not believe and why. But, that is what is required -- depth of thought and experience, not great knowledge of history and culture.

I taught philosophy of religion in the Bible Belt for 3 decades and I hated it when I felt students were claiming atheism or agnosticism as an attention-getting device.

I’ve been an atheist since I was under 8 in Sunday school. It was a no brainer for me. No research needed. Just a gut feeling I had.
Atheists are always discounted. “You’re not really an atheist” is something I hear all the time.
Why do the same thing?

There are many ways to get to Rome. Who said that yours is the correct one?

It doesn't take research to not believe in something that you can't see, taste, hear, smell, touch or feel. That takes convincing. Once that's believed, that's when it would take research and experience to alter. Without being convinced of a god, you'd never need to be convinced there isn't one. That's the default position before someone tried to tell you otherwise.

It's as frivolous as the examples of one of them saying they're Christian without years of real research. But what about other beliefs. A belief that the best team is THEIR favorite football team, a favorite food, fav car. It's a bit unfair to expect a young person to have researched anything to the extent you have and only at that point draw a conclusion. Adults don't even adult that much.

Do you have to do research to know that Santa Claus is a fictional character? How do you research a negative anyway? You cannot prove that God does not exist any more than the religious can prove he does. That is true of anything. Prove to me that there is not a saucepan in orbit around Mars.

Maybe they are just smarter than you were at that age.

Sure. Look at all the kids who have had religion passed on by their parents, with no research or learning. Its the same thing. Parental indoctrination. Still I prefer my child to start from nothing and develop his/her own beliefs rather than have them shoved down their throats. If they end up like me, fine; if they end up Christian, Jewish, Muslem, Taoist or whatever I will loved them and accept them for themselves.

They are if they claim they are. They so claim because religious indoctrination failed. One does not need independent research to recognize a status.

I'm trying to raise my children to be critical thinkers, but they couldn't explain to you why there is no god, they are 5 and 8, But they can tell you about the basics of evolution and the way the earth was formed. They haven't had the experiences I've had with the fanatic evangelical movement. They are aware of other people's beliefs and have friends who are Baptist, Muslim, Hindu and Greek orthodox, but when discussing it with them the general thought is "I wasn't born bad and I don't need a book to tell me how to live"

I take only with a grain of salt what adolescents tell me they believe...a 40 year old, I listen carefully...(I can remember when I was young)...

Does it also bug you that they believe in science or logic? They might not understand it as well as you do, but they can still adopt it.

In short, NO.

First separate Atheist from Agnostic.
Just like some people grow up in a religion while others convert. I don't think either is more correct.

Second thought:

Do you also hate it when they say they're Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, etc?

What brings you to the conclusion that Agnostic/Atheist is the inappropriate answer and not any answer at all? You added the hashtag Christian, so, do you also get upset when they say Christian?

Don't forget indoctrination of children is the most common form of religious propaganda to get more devout believers by getting them as young as possible.

The only honest answer I'd accept from a 6 year old is "I don't know", unless they displayed superior reasoning skills. Otherwise, they're too impressionable to come to any honest conclusion yet.

I consider any attempt to make that decision for a child, as a parental decision to brainwash. I don't hate brainwashed kids... I feel sorry for them. I blame their parents.

Perhaps the student meant, he doesn't believe in a god, and that's what makes him an Atheist. My son was 14 when a teacher asked him what his religion was. He said he had none, she said you don't follow or worship etc, he said no again. He said I'm an Atheist. Afterall the difference between Theism and Atheism is those that believe in a god and those that do not. I raised both my son's without a religion, without a god following. He became disliked by her, and she influenced other students to stay away from him and gave him demerits because she felt like it and because she had the power to do so. How cruel?

I was raised Jewish. I prayed and started preparing for my Bar Mitzvah at 9. At about that time I had a psychotic break from sexual, physical, psychological, and emotional abuses. When my mind recovered almost a year later, I was in a place of total doubt. With one of my social workers, I attended various religious masses, and I researched different religions and philosophies. At 11 years old, I had become an Agnostic and a follower of Taoism. I lost my faith when I regained my sanity.

You can't decide that a child is too young to come to a decision. You don't know their history and motivation. There are some children who will just parrot their parents, but you can't assume that of all. If you assume to know the intelligence level and emotional capability of your students, you might be very wrong.

So instead of being upset by a child saying they're Agnostic/Atheist, why not become curious about it instead? Ask them how they made their decision. They may surprise you.

For the record, I declared myself a full Atheist a few years ago, when I stopped accepting that there was any difference between the two. I still read the Tao Te Ching.

I think they are just saying no shit. If people have been saying that they believed in God for thousands of years and even without knowing what they are saying, why not young atheists? Blind copying of good habits, good thinking, good clothing, good hairstyle, good speech should be ok according to me. The more good, the better for humanity.

I can’t relate. I’ve been an athiest from a young age. It is the default position. The students that claim belief without research are more deserving of your contempt.

Kids tend to be whatever religion their parents are, mostly because they not given a choice. It's just assumed that they will be whatever they are told to be. My mother was a non-practicing Christian and my father was an Atheist. But he never told us what we had to be. While he didn't exactly encourage us to be Christians, he knew it was important that we learn about Christianity, church and religion and didn't object when my mother sent us to church. It was important to learn these things first hand since so much of our culture wraps around these teachings, good or bad, as well as history and literature. But he DID challenge us to question the teachings and use reason before we excepted anything just because we were told to believe it. I learned by biblical history from a Catholic priest and it's still a subject I research and study. Years later, I had a family in my daycare who were Atheists but the oldest son was curious about religions off all kinds. His parents were livid and adamant that he stay away from any religion because "they were Atheists". I think they did a disservice to their son, and instead of should have let him learn about what he was curious about and let him decide for himself.

Does it upset you when religious kids in your class say they are religious? I have been an atheist since as far back as I can remember. I went to church because I was forced to go as a child. It doesn't take much research to figure out Noah's Ark story or Moses parting the Sea story isn't possible. So in absolutely no way do I relate to your side of the story. However, let me tell you what I do relate to. I was a student who was looked down upon and shunned by multiple teachers because I was an Athiest. I went to a public school with no regard for separation of church and state. The teachers would ask each kid in front of the class what church they went to. We had multiple prayer circles in class that the teachers made us join. When teachers found out you were Athiest they would debate religion with you in front of the class, even mocking your scientific answers. Every single day we sited the pledge of allegiance with the "Under God" eating at me.

So let me be exceptionally clear when I say this. TOUGH SHIT!!! if you don't like it. Your job as a teacher is to help kids learn. I'm sure you are great at it and I appreciate teachers in every which way imaginable. Your job is one of, if not the toughest most important jobs, in the world. However, if you are upset with kids saying they are Athiest, whether they believe/mean it or not, then maybe you should consider changing careers. If you want to help kids learn about religion then go right ahead. Take them to local churches, introduce them to the Illiad and the Odyssey, discuss the difference between Greek and Roman Mythology, but don't forget the Eastern and African religions. I mean you'd have to dive into Native American, Amazon, and ancient South American religious cultures as well. Play Civilization VI with them and show how governments use religion to spread there ideology to gain power over their people. I'm sure they would have to go to Italy, Greece, and Turkey to find all that out though right?

I am fully aware that this comment is going to come off very mean-spirited and to a certain extent it is. I am trying to give you the benefit of the doubt that your post is a genuine question with good intentions. Oh, but is it hard to do so. I hope I am just misconstrueding your post and just being triggered for no reason. So If only one thing comes from my comment I hope it is this; Please do not isolate these kids. Don't bring up their religious beliefs in class, don't make them join prayers or even worse isolate them from joining, if they so choose. Jr/Sr High social rankings are huge for these kids and any isolation will change that drastically.

Is it as bothersome when kids say they are xtian, or muslim, or hindu etc.? If not, why the double standard?

Common sense and intelligence are the only requirements for a person to realize that all religion is just the indoctrination of lies to perpetuate their existence since everyone matures at a different rate this can happenat any age.

Well I grew up with no religion so no I don't get your point other than you don't want people to say the believe something or don't believe something without having done some research. They are just kids. Time enough to be hassled about what they say they are. Support them. Others will try and hurt them over this

No I don't relate I figured out I was an atheist right about the time I figured out that Santa Claus was not real. do you realize how many kids are blindly indoctrinated believe in an invisible man that controls everything and you're saying these kids don't have the right to be atheist because they haven't done enough research alternatively you believe they should be Christians until they figure it out