Being Transgender early in life and disrespected by religious family.
Also later in life when my family thought "prayer" was as good as being there for me during my cancer diagnosis and chemotherapy when there's no evidence that prayer changes anything. Cancer development and remission rates are the same for all religions including those who are atheist or agnostic, but they won't acknowledge that fact. Blind idiots.

What sealed it for me was a talk I heard by an elder that specifically dissuaded "free thought" (in my interpretation, I can't remember exact wording anymore.), and to leave decisions of principal to the "governing body". I'd always been a weirdo, and learned to take great pride in it. It felt like an attack on my identity. That, and hormones. I also read a lot from an early age and had a particular fascination with mythology and fables... I couldn't help but notice the correlations between "myths" and present day "religions". It became harder over time to justify seeing them any different... particularly since each sect was essentially claiming the other versions of deity to be "myths".

I kept my decision to myself. My participation was reluctant and compulsory. When I was old enough to move out, I took the first available opportunity. My father tried to hand me a bible and a few religious books, and I said "I don't think I'll need them"... and left it at that. A few years later, my parents also left the faith. I'm happy to say that they have re-bounded well... but my father is still bitter about the many years he wasted and decisions he could have made, if he hadn't been "fooled".

Was never really religious...

When I was young, like maybe between 8-13, I entertained the idea of a supernatural. I was interested in books about the supernatural that were probably total BS. But I found "spooky" and mysterious things fun and intriguing. But even young, I couldn't quite grasp how the supernatural really worked

As a teen, I wanted some kind of religion. Mostly for the peace of mind that I thought it could bring. I though this was a maturing of my earlier fascination with the supernatural, and was something that good grown-ups do. So I half-heartedly played along in church and youth group but couldn't really buy into the Jesus story. I may have had a vague deist outlook.

As I got older, I realized that I wanted these things to be true for emotional reasons and not because of convincing evidence.

I remember distincty one day in my early 20s: I was in the office mail room picking up my mail. I was in the Air Force and living overseas, and all our personal mail came to the office. A co-worker got a magazine for atheists, and I saw it. I remember thinking it was a little scandalous, but also pretty exciting. The word "atheist" had negative connotations to me at the time. Later I asked the co-worker about it and he was kinda "no-big-deal" about it. I think it was then that I learned that "atheist" just meant that you didn't believe in god, and that it's not that big a deal. And it was a HUGE deal to realize that I was not alone, and that someone I liked and trusted identified as atheist.

Sorry, this wasn't really what you were asking...

I was bored by any thinking and participating in religion at school, I did go to Sunday School at an International Bible Training Institute because I enjoyed the singing and activities. I could never understand how people could listen to all the brainwash but as an individual knew it wasn't part of my life and did not have parental pressure either..

Being told by my pastor "don't worry about it" after asking for help in understanding a passage in scripture. It gave me to look again at everything I'd held as true and unquestionable, and it turned to swiss cheese.

I opened my eyes and saw no evidence of an all powerful god. I developed my own theories of creation, etc. I don't need god . We all would like to believe that when we die we go somewhere else, but is it likely,

I remember there being this pic of Jesus at the back of our church and of course bored with whatever the preacher was preaching I'd look at Jesus and wonder if Santa looked similarly when he was the same age. I always saw such a connection between Santa and Jesus, both knew if you were "naughty or nice", and both had good and bad things to give you; coal or sticks from Santa, hell from Jesus!

In winter of 1979/80, about 12 months after I had come to the realization that I could no longer blindly follow the Catholic teachings and doctrines with which I had been indoctrinated, I was lying in bed in the basement of the duplex I shared with two fellow wrestlers and students at the University of Nebraska - Omaha contemplating my religious journey. I had gone to several different churches with friends, read the Bible twice, taken a religion course in college and I did not know what to believe. For the very first time in my life, a thought sprang into my head that, "what if there is no god?" It was a thought that scared me in ways I cannot explain. It was a thought I did not want to entertain or believe. I prayed myself to sleep that night in tears asking for a sign that I was wrong.
I woke the next morning and looked around the basement bedroom that I occupied, thought about the night before, tried to think about anything that could have been a sign. No, I had no sign, I was alone, truly alone, more alone than I had ever been in my life before because I did not have the invisible supernatural almighty god seeing my every move, knowing my every thought. I got up, went to school, and began to for the first time to realize that I could not rely on anything or anyone to help me, I was truly the only one responsible for what I make of my life and how I get there. I could no longer pray for anyone to help me through the hard times, the difficult tests, the tough wrestling opponents, the tough decisions. I did not talk to anyone about it for months, I bore the burden of my enlightenment myself. In my worst times I would curse at the churches I walked by on my way to school and back. I could not believe that I had not seen the truth earlier, it all made sense now, but it also made me a little bit scared about whether I would be accepted, by friends and family. Within a few months, I was home for the summer and I was introduce to Michele, who would become my wife. After things began to get serious, I had to tell her what I believed, or rather did not believe. I was not sure how she would take it, but she said that she was OK with that, which was a huge relief for me, I could be accepted, even loved as heretic.
To this day I look at that period of my life as my born again experience. I came out of it, a stronger, better person. I took responsibility for everything in my life and worked much harder for everything I wanted because I knew I walked alone in the world except for the people I surround myself with.

It was a combination of many things. The end result though was learning how to be a skeptical thinker. Basing my beliefs on reliable evidence and logic made all the difference. When I realized that I could hold any belief (gods, aliens, ghosts, karma, psychic readings) if I based it on faith...that was a serious problem. I discovered that faith is an unreliable method to finding truth (we can easily demonstrate this). Also, holding belief in something that is unfalsifiable doesn't seem very useful or reasonable.

Good question. I was religious all my life. Didn't go to church every Sunday, but I believed.
What changed??
One day, I saw a picture of a black child, starving, and covered with flies. One of many. I said to myself, this is it. I'm done pretending their is some invisible guy floating around in the sky.
And if there is......f#$k him/her.

Discovering that the basic underpinnings were man made. Understanding a universe that does not need a mischievous all knowing, all seeing and all powerful being manipulating human lives for its own devious purposes was entirely possible and more likely than not. No god necessary, just universally applicable physics.

religion

I go into detail in my profile.

My lack in belief in magic, and the total lack of evidence.

Not since 16 and that was because my parents forced me to go to Jewish Sunday School till I denounced god at my confirmation.

A broken heart. Very religious girlfriend in high school made me realize I wasn't fully Catholic. Chased her halfway across the country, attended her church weekly. She broke up with me and I blamed God at first. Then realized that 'he' didn't care and probably wasn't there. Slowly became comfortable with the thought that there is no higher power than human intellect.

My parents were atheist. As a young adult I became interested in different faiths. I started going to church even because often that was the only soiritual group available. I eventually got turned off to the emphasis on appearances and propriety(in Christian faith). I was looking for a spiritual path that was wiser and provided the tools for the inner growth needed to face lifes chalenges in a graceful manner

Education. The more I've learned the less sense religion makes. We have dendrochronology (tree ring) evedience older than the supposed age of the Earth. The more I learn the less religion makes sense. I would be still willing to listen to any evedience that was given, but unfortunately religion is based on faith. I'm not willing to make life decisions based on a hope that I picked the right religion.

Realizing how fundamental the religious paradigm really is here in America, anyway. I'm sure there's a little more to the story/ritual in other parts of the world.

Mankind pure human manipulation of control

My parents were Methodists, then got into JW, some C of E, then a brief flirtation with Mormonism. I became an Atheist at around age 10 as I was utterly fed up with the nonsense of it all.

Thank you guys for all your responses. I've read every single word of all of your comments. It's very inspiring to get to know all of your life's choices and stories in response to my post. Peace!