Red pill blue pill, classic!
I was the same, sceptical from a very early age, astronomy and archaeological sciences were my passion, by the time I encountered religion outside my family I saw all religions ceremonies as a sham and disconnected from reality.

Unfortunately the rabbit hole goes much deeper than realizing a belief in God is inductivly idiotic. I always remember wanting to believe but feeling like it didn't make any sense

I remember asking at a young age some questions about how we knew the Bible wasn't just written by people who were just making stuff up, and a bunch of other questions about religion and Heaven and so on. I received some canned responses from my parents, my parochial school teachers, etc., and I accepted the "we are too limited to know" and "all will be revealed after we go to Heaven" responses. I'd say that some of our skepticism (or lack thereof) is innate, but I think there's a learned component as well.

For my Christian friends, they stay believers because faith has never let them down. It's a foundation for their whole lives and makes sense and comfort to them. Faith let me down big time, so I choose to doubt everything but the possibility of love in the world.

In "Cosmos," Carl Sagan brought up the idea that people need to experience feeling wonder and awe at things beyond our comprehension or experience. He used the term "numinous." I agree with him that people crave that feeling...whether they get it experiencing the wonders of nature, or by listening to music that "transports" them, or by believing in a magic sky friend. My mother felt her religion gave her a sense of belonging, and of comfort. Yes, I do think everyone's brain is wired uniquely, and what works for some people might not work for others.

I think it might be more of a generational thing. These days we have endless information available to us through the internet, whereas people not even 100 years ago had to rely on information coming from an authority figure. People that still cling to religion are becoming less numerous because they are actually looking for answers on their own instead of believing what they are told to believe.

I think it has a lot to do with circumstance, familial pressure, peer pressure and a lazy attitude towards thinking. It’s easy to go along. I think innately smart people will eventually relegate religion to the trash heap of ideas, but I know that’s not true.

Like many others, I was raised religious and dragged kicking and screaming to church as a child. I don't remember exactly when I started having doubts but I would guess around 11 or 12. My first 9 years of school (K through 8th) were at a small Lutheran school so I was very sheltered from other opinions.

As to why I don't believe, it simply doesn't make any sense to me. Too many contradictions and lack of any real proof.

Now in my 40s, my dad has confided in me that he hasn't really believed it for a long time but mostly went along with it to appease my mom. She still believes but knows my ex and I don't and have not exposed our children to any sort of religion. She was mad when we told her they wouldn't be baptized but she got over it with a little help from my dad reminding her that it is (was) our decision to make.

Like many others, I was raised religious and dragged kicking and screaming to church as a child. I don't remember exactly when I started having doubts but I would guess around 11 or 12. My first 9 years of school (K-8) were at a small Lutheran school so I was very sheltered from other opinions.

As to why I don't believe, it simply doesn't make any sense to me. Too many contradictions and lack of any real proof.

Now in my 40s, my dad has confided in me that he hasn't really believed it for a long time but mostly went along with it to appease my mom. She still believes but knows my ex and I don't and have not exposed our children to any sort of religion. She was mad when we told her they wouldn't be baptized but she got over it with a little help from my dad reminding her that it is (was) our decision to make.

I suspect raw intelligence plays a role in questioning, along with an inner security allowing you to nurture doubt. The fact religious accounts wouldn’t work within our shared realm of reality. A nuanced understanding or perception of spoken lies would no doubt cause suspicion. Hypocrisy in behavior, such as, ‘do as I say - not as I do’ threats… And most importantly to me, a personal integrity having no room for compromise ~

When I was young, think my favorite question was "why". And if didn't get a reasonable answer, didn't buy it. Age 6 or 7 might be a time when thinking and questions get started. Have three sisters, and they were always more accepting. Also don't think they really thought much, or questioned much. Now religion is just easy for them, having bought the koolaid for so long.

I always wonder this. I asked the same question a different way just a few days ago.

People have different personalities and childhood upbringing and experiences and will react accordingly.

My 'awakening' was of a different sort and might've been simply the night terrors of youth. I was 4, maybe 5 and had severe nightmares, all of them apocalyptic and all of them with a theological theme based on the idea that flood was the previous destruction, this one would be fire. In it, I was a hero, saving people... when my parents realized why I was losing sleep (this was going on for weeks) they stopped taking me to church.

Since then I have slept well and my nightmares are... well, dreams. I LOVE nightmares as they are personal horror movies for me to enjoy (I do, however, miss the popcorn). In fact, I often lucid dream through nightmares (I know that might sound bad but... bear with me). Basically, if I am 'killed' in my dreams, I usually look at the instrument of my destruction, then at the antagonist and, realizing it's my dream, I say "oh no, this is MY dream!" With a wicked smile. I take over at that point. Sometimes I defeat the bad guy, sometimes I think it would be better to have fun on a nude beach... unfortunately, the beach option invariably causes me to wake up!

I suspect there are genetic influences.

Hello Fluffy, since we are all made of the same atoms, which are mostly energy not actual solid matter, and so is everything else in our known universe there seems to be an innate sense of awareness and consciousness that all we humans share, finding a way to follow and embrace that feeling can be misled and misshaped by early indoctrination into religion and such, as you found that not to resonate within you, your path was different that those who stayed with it, the feeling of connection doesn’t need religion but it does need attention and thought and association in community with others who are seeking

Which makes me wonder if it's in our DNA. If so, could it be inheritable? If so, shouldn't we be making an effort to produce as many offspring as we can?