Born into a nominal culturally Christian family -- my mother was Lutheran, my father Catholic, and somehow (probably convenient proximity) that translated into occasional attendance at a Presbyterian church. When I was about 3, my oldest brother was a budding alcoholic carouser type (Navy drinking buddies) who got religion at a local Bible Church. My family, which had been quite concerned and out of its depth, was grateful, and misinterpreted my brother finding a more socially acceptable way to "belong" as god turning his life around. My entire family converted forthwith, including myself a couple months shy of my 6th birthday.

So I grew up for all practical purposes in a non-charismatic, centrist sort of fundamentalist evangelicalism. I was quite faithful to this, to the point of spending a year at Bible Institute after I graduated high school.

Predictably, however, this upbringing ill-prepared me and my expectations for the Real World[tm]. All I knew about mate selection was to "marry a good Christian girl" so I did. Unfortunately, she succumbed to severe mental illness (paranonid schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder, along with some narcissistic tendencies) and that marriage ended after 15 years of me fighting the divorce taboo and trying to keep my personal dream of being a "one-woman man" alive. The union produced two children, which I ended up with sole physical custody of.

I remarried to a rural Methodist who ended up dying of a rare illness 13 years later. Somewhere in there my mother was killed in a car accident, and my oldest brother (former carouser and now church elder) died of a freak cancer. These events along with general unanswered prayer and a growing realization of high bullshit levels, led me gradually out of the faith due to a desire to escape the cognitive dissonance and most importantly, the failure of my beliefs to adequately predict and explain experienced reality.

Later I understood the massive and fundamental philosophical and epistemological problems that religious faith suffers from. But the proximal cause was just being constantly surprised by things that weren't "supposed" to happen and needing to be more clued in about how reality actually works.

I was born to an Atheist family (generations), but since I was born in a country where religion is not a heavy issue we never had to face any problems.

I was raised Unitarian. There are many atheists in the UU community. My beliefs, or lack of, did not mesh until my college years after taking philosophy classes. A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing indeed.

Raised Roman Catholic. Have a very scientific mind. The two don't really mesh.

At age 6, I realized the sermon I was hearing-Noah’s Ark-was utter bunk, just like Santa. We were taken to an evangelical Baptist Church, til I was old enough to refuse. I can recall sitting there, looking at all the people lapping this fairy tale up, and thinking: THESE are the grown-ups?!

Grew up Christian. But illogic and injustice in Biblical stories just didn't make sense!

I have always been a non-believer. I was the child who kept asking why and the most times I got unsatisfactory answers and in the end told to be quiet was when I asked about the man talked about in the sky I never could see and I still cant. on the flip side also animals never ever looked and did what the fuck they wanted. it never made sense especially when I was sent to Sunday fucking school. I didn't like a normal school but taking up my free day with this bullshit was the last straw.

Large, Irish-Catholic family, Attended Catholic grammar school. So little of what was taught made any sense to me, that by the time I was in high school, I knew that once I was out on my own that I would not be a member of any organized religion.

I was raised non-denominational with Baptist/Penticostal flavors, then in highschool and beyond was more in Charismatic churches. Also I had a fair bit of exposure to Catholicism.

I was working on a science degree when I realized that my Young Earth Creationist beliefs didn't hold water, and my concurrent and following re-examination of the numerous threads which held my late Christian beliefs has yeilded just as discouraging results. As such, I'm nearer the tail end of still transitioning out, but for numerous social reasons am not done yet.

I was raised Methodist Christian. I went to a military academy during my high school (secondary school) years where I met other teens of varying beliefs. Hearing all these variations actually make sense as told by three believers made me question where all these beliefs/religions/etc originated.

I've considered myself an Agnostic Atheist since I was about 25 (11 years ago)