That doesn't match my experience at all. I see plenty of religious people who either had their religion chosen for them or hit a point where they couldn't face their own lives.

I don't know any atheists/agnostics "angry at God"; do you know religious people angry at leprechauns? Actually, scratch that. I bet there are religious people angry at leprechauns just as there are religious people angry at Harry Potter.

I have, however, met atheists who became atheists by trying to be better churchgoers, ironically enough. I have never seen such a book for producing atheists as the Bible.

Excellent point! Yea, I was forced to go to church which made believing it seem even harder. My would they to try to cram down my throat or into my brain such a silly plan. I'm quite comfortable in my own skin and believe, if I dare use the word, that when I die I'm nothing more than dead.

Being able to quote the babble is a valuable tool when self-righteous a-holes attempt to bludgeon me with their fabulousness....I guarantee I can quote a verse Exactly opposite from whatever BS they are pitching!

For years I felt a deep connection with “God.” It was something I valued more than anything. I read the bible, could quote the bible, and could argue the bible... but that was all of the bible. Even the troubling parts. And as a Christian I still saw those, and acknowledged them. When life around me went absolutely crazy, it was a deep loss. Losing God was like losing a dear friend.. But as I started to realize what was real as opposed to what I made up, then I started finding other ways to experience life.

I happen to be familiar with the bible, and can quite if I think it apropriately applies, but I don't believe in any god, and believe the bible was just written by men, for a particular culture in a particular time in a particular place in the world. However, that does not mean there are nto a few universal truths stated in the bible. They are very few, but without soem truths in it, it woudl nto have lasted as long as it has.

The universal truth I quote most often is "The love of money is the root of all evil." which i have alwasy interpreted tomean that to love the accumilation ofmoney mor ethan the well beign of your fellow man and community, leads to evil practices. I think whomeve rwrote that was havign an insight into a universal human truth.

I do have outrage, but I am nto mad at god, but angry at the church I was raised in, and organized religion in general. It is outrage at the con or deceit they use on people. I believe they deceive to ctrol us and gain power over us. It isnt' written in the bible, but I believe there is nothign so evil or dispacable that some people will not do it in order to gain money or power.

Same here. I was taught by my Jewish parents that god was there to punish me. Never felt that connection either. If their was a god he was one mean son-of-a-bitch.

I had my choice made for me. We come from a Irish Catholic family. My father came out as a gay man as soon as it was legal in England. The church immediately disowned him and wouldn't allow him or my brother and i to attend church. I remember beinpg pissed off at the time because I could no longer attend the youth club
I see it now as having had a lucky escape. For a while I think I was worried about not going to church, then not saying prayers. These days it all seems so crazy. 'He made the world but a bad lady ate an apple because a snake told her to. So that meant everyone was bad the second they were born but then a virgin lady who was married to someone else had his baby. So they nailed him to a cross and when he was dead stuck him in a cave but then he woke up and all that paid for all the bad stuff people had done and.... and....'
Must be true!!!! You couldn't make that shit up!

Similar story for me. I tried to believe, but it never really took. Then I quit trying.

I routinely attended , Sunday school , then church until I was 20 . The fact that I am now an Atheist and have been for decades , does not mean my memory was wiped . Frankly , when the door knockers show up at my door , it helps that I frequently have at hand easy information to contradict their idiotic arguments . I also read a LOT of other odd books , particularly fiction . Doesn't mean I believe all I read .

I agree. Despite having been brought up in a vaguely Christian (Quaker) community, I never really believed any supernatural stuff. A lot of scientists believe that we are genetically programmed to accept or believe what our parents or initial caregivers tell us, so maybe people who are brought up in more aggressively 'believing' backgrounds take longer to see the light?