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When did you realise you were a non believer

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  • 16-10-2014 11:03pm
    #1
    jaffusmax
    Registered Users Posts: 1,602 ✭✭✭


    I was 7 or 8 and was with a group of lads whom I joined in with throwing rocks at a presbyterian church. I proudly ran home to tell mother about my great achievement. She said that she was protestant, I remember a sudden sense of WTF this stuff is complicated and ever since saw religion as something to be avoided, as for a God I was always fascinated that it was dog spelt backwards as a kid!


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    #2
    wretcheddomain
    Registered Users Posts: 3,094 ✭✭✭wretcheddomain


    17 July 2006


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    #3
    Dave!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,857 ✭✭✭✭Dave!


    I didn't... Thanks for telling me :(


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    #4
    Squeedily Spooch
    Closed Accounts Posts: 264 ✭✭Squeedily Spooch


    It never made any sense to me, but I still had scary thoughts about some tyrannical god watching what was going on inside my head as a kid, but that didn't last long. Once you drop the utterly insane belief in Christianity you're much better off. An eternal boogeyman watching over you isn't something that benefits you in any way unless you're instilled with self loathing from an early age. There's way better things to be concerning your thoughts with, like having a solid zombie escape plan.


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    #5
    jaffusmax
    Registered Users Posts: 1,602 ✭✭✭jaffusmax


    Squeedily Spooch wrote: »
    It never made any sense to me, but I still had scary thoughts about some tyrannical god watching what was going on inside my head as a kid, but that didn't last long. Once you drop the utterly insane belief in Christianity you're much better off. An eternal boogeyman watching over you isn't something that benefits you in any way unless you're instilled with self loathing from an early age. There's way better things to be concerning your thoughts with, like having a solid zombie escape plan.

    I had the same scary feeling about a God after reading 1984, being convicted of thought crime and sentenced to an eternal hell would mean we are all leaving in a totalitarian hamster cage for humans.

    As for zombies I am a skip and a hop away from my bug out bag!!!!!


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    #6
    Shrap
    Registered Users Posts: 3,163 ✭✭✭Shrap


    When I knew what a believer was.


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    #7
    Nino Brown
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,507 ✭✭✭Nino Brown


    When I was a kid I was crazy about dinosaurs, I had loads of books and toys, and knew all the names etc. Then in school when I was about 6 or 7 a priest was in telling us about Adam and Eve and how we all got here, and I basically called on BS on everything he said, and an argument/discussion ensued, because I knew Dinosaurs were around for hundreds of millions of years before people ever got here.
    I had loads of books by really smart people on fossils and the latest technology like carbon dating, and he had one ancient book which seemed pretty far fetched to say the least, so that day me and religion decided to agree to disagree.

    I will say one thing though, it wasn't very pleasant, I know my logic is a bit skewed here, but I was worried that because I didn't believe in God that I would go to hell. My parents and teachers etc were telling me this story was true, and I just didn't buy it, but these were all people I was supposed to trust and believe, and I really did try hard to believe,but just couldn't quite push all that logic and common sense down deep enough. It was hard back then but now I'm proud that even as a child I was smart enough to see through the lies and fear mongering.


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    #8
    mejulie805
    Registered Users Posts: 541 ✭✭✭mejulie805


    Jeez, it wasn't until I was in/finished college, when I realised not only did I not have to be catholic, I didn't have to be anything! One of the things that annoys me about my upbringing is that I didn't know it was a choice- didn't you have to be something!?


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    #9
    whatdoicare
    Registered Users Posts: 2,398 ✭✭✭whatdoicare


    I never believed - I remember in primary school reading the stories of "The Brown Bull of Connacht", "Tir na Nog" and "The salmon of knowledge" and pretty much assuming that these supposedly real life stories like "Noahs Ark" "The nativity story"and "The story of the loaves and fishes" etc etc were pretty much the same tall tales.
    I think when I was too young to know what I was supposed to be thinking about the Bible that I just assumed they were fairy tale stories and I remember much later on thinking my Nana was having a laugh with me telling me they were real stories! I'm pretty sure I had made my communion around that time - I made it not knowing what the hell it was all about, I just wanted the money! I thought making a confession was being locked in a cage (badly described confessional box by teacher)


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    #10
    GhostInTheRuins
    Registered Users Posts: 5,962 ✭✭✭GhostInTheRuins


    I'm not sure if I ever really believed in any of it.

    One thing that for some reason I always remember was when I was in baby infants or senior infants and our very religious teacher was telling us how God created the world and all that stuff. What I wanted to know was how this God came about and who made him. My teachers answer was that he was never created, he just always existed for ever and ever. Even my six-year old brain could smell that massive porkie a mile away.

    I even remember when I was making my first confession I couldn't think of anything to confess, so I just made up a load of lies. Does that count as confession or a sin? :pac:


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    #11
    eviltwin
    Registered Users Posts: 17,495 ✭✭✭✭eviltwin


    Don't think I ever believed, even as a child I remember thinking it was a load of rubbish. Only came out as a non believer when I turned 30 though.


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    #12
    waffleman
    Registered Users Posts: 580 ✭✭✭waffleman


    When I was old enough to realise that the reason a priest would call to my granny every week was to collect part of her pension. My granny who was on her own after granda passed on was denyin herself food and heat because a priest was takin it off her. Always from the same spot above the empty cold fireplace. Religion and "believing" wasnt for me after that.


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    #13
    RikuoAmero
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,135 ✭✭✭RikuoAmero


    GhostInTheRuins wrote: »
    I'm not sure if I ever really believed in any of it.

    One thing that for some reason I always remember was when I was in baby infants or senior infants and our very religious teacher was telling us how God created the world and all that stuff. What I wanted to know was how this God came about and who made him. My teachers answer was that he was never created, he just always existed for ever and ever. Even my six-year old brain could smell that massive porkie a mile away.

    I even remember when I was making my first confession I couldn't think of anything to confess, so I just made up a load of lies. Does that count as confession or a sin? :pac:

    Exact same thing with myself. I was the goody two shoes kid in the family, thus I never really did anything bad, so I always just made **** up in confession. Somehow, these priests, who had been blessed with knowledge and wisdom and the power to forgive from this great majestic god character, just didn't see through my lies. I guess being a preacher of a religion that teaches that every single human, without exception (except for the one exception where the one human was their god) is a horrible sinner from birth who can't redeem themselves kinda skews your view of humanity.


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    #14
    jaffusmax
    Registered Users Posts: 1,602 ✭✭✭jaffusmax


    waffleman wrote: »
    When I was old enough to realise that the reason a priest would call to my granny every week was to collect part of her pension. My granny who was on her own after granda passed on was denyin herself food and heat because a priest was takin it off her. Always from the same spot above the empty cold fireplace. Religion and "believing" wasnt for me after that.

    I assume that priest was warm and well fed!

    Sounds like a modern day loan shark taking people money at the post office, instead this priest was insuring against ever lasting Hell!
    RikuoAmero wrote: »
    Exact same thing with myself. I was the goody two shoes kid in the family, thus I never really did anything bad, so I always just made **** up in confession.

    ROFL

    Exactly I used to think something was wrong with me because I Was not A Magnificent SINNER! I thought I had to get some good sins under my belt to tell the priest but I was just naturally far too nice :)

    But I was not nice to my brother and sister once :(


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    #15
    DaisyD2
    Registered Users Posts: 108 ✭✭DaisyD2


    The day Mum tried to get me into Alexanders on Dorset st for my communion dress & I clamped my hands on door frame & announced "I am NOT marrying god!". I was coaxed with promise of money which turned out to be very lucrative.

    My 2nd "aha" moment was being sent on an errand to convent & waiting in this austere grey room with a dial up phone & mismatched uncomfortable chairs. Nun came & got me & brought me behind the magic door & voila the most magnificent stain glass windows, carpentry, curtains & soft furnishings - real plush! I thought "ya lying toe rags", meet family in cold grey room next door & they think your vow of poverty is noble! Living here with 3square meals doesn't seem bad deal to me.

    Always grateful I wasn't born earlier though because likely these "notions" would have had my family packing me off to convent or looney bin or worse (forced marriage & child bearing that came with it).

    I live my life under principle of "Do No Harm", pity some of the wonderfully pious clergy I've met in my life could not do same although I will always have fond memories of Geography teacher who I felt a kinship over our love of Travel. Always felt she was one of the unfortunates forced into nunnery because she wanted to see World (& did in mission work) beyond the family farm


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    #16
    Saipanne
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,882 ✭✭✭Saipanne


    Some time before my confirmation.


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    #17
    branie2
    Registered Users Posts: 10,292 ✭✭✭✭branie2


    Saipanne wrote: »
    Some time before my confirmation.

    I imagine you still made it, anyway.


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    #18
    Saipanne
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,882 ✭✭✭Saipanne


    branie2 wrote: »
    I imagine you still made it, anyway.

    Yes. I was a child and did what my parents told me.


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    #19
    PopePalpatine
    Registered Users Posts: 11,843 ✭✭✭✭PopePalpatine


    I think I've told this story before, but I might as well repeat it. I declared myself an agnostic shortly after being introduced to the term aged 14. There's this other forum I frequent, and in the Opinions & Current Events section there were two threads, one titled "Do you believe in God?" and the other "Creation vs Evolution". There was this one Admin, who liked to post in bold indigo text who was quite good at de-constructing theists' and creationists' arguments, and at 16 I realised I was an atheist.


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    #20
    RikuoAmero
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,135 ✭✭✭RikuoAmero


    Probably like most people here, I grew up Catholic and was educated in Catholic schools. Bible stories like Abraham sacrificing Isaac never sat well with me, but up until my teens I did believe that Jesus was the Son of God who sacrificed himself for us.
    Then sometime in my teens, a traumatic event occurred (I won't go into detail here for obvious reasons). Yes, if you're a theist and you read this, you will probably go "Aha! You hate God because of this bad event in your life!"
    No, that event was a catalyst that caused me to start questioning more or less everything, where beforehand, I had been pretty comfortable. I rejected the concept of a god needing an organised religion with a set dogma that followers are commanded to obey under penalty of hellfire, moving away from christianity. For a while, I believed there was some sort of spiritual entity (which I dubbed Gaia) that managed life because at that time I believed that life was intelligently designed. However, I didn't worship that Gaia entity or proclaim it to have any sort of doctrine.
    After a few years, I studied more and eventually abandoned the concept of divine entities entirely, once I got a job, got internet access and was exposed to the thoughts of Hitchens, Dawkins, et al. So like Thunderf00t has famously proclaimed "The Internet is where religion comes to die", that is true in at least my case.
    I can't pinpoint any specific date, only provide a broad spectrum of what happened with me.


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    #21
    jaffusmax
    Registered Users Posts: 1,602 ✭✭✭jaffusmax


    I totally agree, the internet gave me access to information that filled gaps once filled with superstitious nonsense!


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    #22
    nosietoes
    Registered Users Posts: 536 ✭✭✭nosietoes


    I always loved the stories of the bible funnily enough, used to read ,y kids bible like another novel.

    First started feeling uncomfortable sometime around 5/6th class whe I watched ppl say the creed with a blank look and felt they weren't feeling and believing the words, which seemed powerful in their intent, that they were mumbling.

    Instead of swearing off drink for my confirmation, I vowed to read the bible and I somewhat succeeded. And what I read didn't match with the lessons I had learnt in religion class...

    I also remember listening to a history programme on the way home,from mass one Sunday night where they mentioned that celibacy was only introduced in the 4th (I think, this is 20 years ago, could've been the 9th) century and thinking how ****ed up that was. Still think the Catholic clergy today would be a lot healthier n more affective if allowed normal healthy family lives.


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    #23
    fisgon
    Registered Users Posts: 1,747 ✭✭✭fisgon


    I began to smell a rat in Primary school, when the class was told by the teacher that "the fear of god" in the bible in fact meant "fear of losing god", trying to soften the harsh image of the Old Testament deity.

    Even to a seven or eight year old it was clear that the man was either lying to us, or completely deluded himself.

    It wasn't really until I left school, though, when I travelled a little, met lots of interesting, helpful, good people, none of whom were religious in any way, that I realized that a life without religion was not just possible but in fact preferable.


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    #24
    branie2
    Registered Users Posts: 10,292 ✭✭✭✭branie2


    I had, what you might call, an atheist moment years ago. It was holy Saturday at the vigil mass. One of the readings was God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. I remember thinking to myself what sort of God would do this?


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    #25
    Saipanne
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,882 ✭✭✭Saipanne


    branie2 wrote: »
    I had, what you might call, an atheist moment years ago. It was holy Saturday at the vigil mass. One of the readings was God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. I remember thinking to myself what sort of God would do this?

    I suppose you just sat there instead of storming out?


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    #26
    branie2
    Registered Users Posts: 10,292 ✭✭✭✭branie2


    Yes


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    #27
    Buona Fortuna
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,507 ✭✭✭Buona Fortuna


    Always been wishy washy christian. In my teens I learnt the word agnostic and kinda liked it. It was edgy - like me :o. I also thought it was like a half way house, like can't really make your mind up.

    So agnostic was grand for a few years until I joined the army. When they give you dog tags they ask religion.
    "Religion?"
    "Agnostic, Corporal."
    "What's that then?"
    Queue a wishy washy explanation from me.
    "Right. Shut up. Atheist then. And don't think this gets you out of church parade because it don't. DOUBLE AWAY."
    After that the Internet really chrystalised things.


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    #28
    Hotblack Desiato
    Registered Users Posts: 33,920 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=89972100&postcount=2

    Life ain't always empty.



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    #29
    laurinjames
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 44 ✭laurinjames


    Most of the stories here have a common theme, very badly taught religion combined with very badly practicing 'catholics'. Enough to put anyone off. Who can really blame you.


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    #30
    Squeedily Spooch
    Closed Accounts Posts: 264 ✭✭Squeedily Spooch


    laurinjames wrote: »
    Most of the stories here have a common theme, very badly taught religion combined with very badly practicing 'catholics'. Enough to put anyone off. Who can really blame you.

    Catholicism on it's own is enough to put anyone off.


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    #31
    LazyClouds
    Registered Users Posts: 524 ✭✭✭LazyClouds


    I was a teenager, 14 or 15. I was in bed having woken up in the middle of the night because of a nightmare. To stop being so afraid I used to pray because God would make everything ok again. I was about to pray when suddenly I thought of Bruce Willis for no reason. I imagined McClane laughing and mocking my demons and I felt so much better. Then, as I was falling back to sleep I realised Bruce did what God was supposed to do and he actually did it better.

    I the morning it became painfully clear I'd been imagining God vanquishing my demons my whole life. Now I just pray to Bruce. :)


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