Atheism is rarely a sudden conclusion, it is often a result of personal, intellectual, or emotinal journey. While each individual story is unique, there are core threads in how peoplle come to adopt an atheistic view worldwide.
1. Critical thinking:- Some people begin to question religion in life. They might ask questions about The nature of God, the inconsistencies in Holy texts, the lack of empirical evidence for supernatural claims. The answers satisfy the curiosity and reasons and so many gradually distance themselves from the God concept.
2. Science and Naturalism:- The more people learn about the universe, through biology, cosmology, the less they feel for a God concept. The Universe came first is estimated to be 13.8 billion years old. By contrast the earliest written records of a God concept date back to about 5000 years, the monotheist concept of a single, all powerful God is even more recent around 4000 years ago in the ancient Middle East. The timelime raises quesitons, if the Universe existed for billions of years before any human beings or God, what does that say about the origin of the God concept.
3. Questioning the God concept:- Doubts arise about the God concept, sacred texts or the behaviour of the so called "God". Common triggers include exposure to science, suffering in the world or inconsistencies in the doctrines.
4. Deconversation or Dissafillition:- At some point belief in a deity becomes untenable. Some transition through agnosticism, deism or spiritual to but not religious identities before arriving at atheism. Emotional challenges may accompany this stage, guilt, isolation or fear of social consequences.
5. Existential Exploration: - Through introspection or life experiences like trauma or personal growth some Atheists arrived at atheism as part of their search for meaning without reliance of God concept.
Everyones path is unique, and not all atheists share the same views on politics, spirituality or ethics
Dan Barker
He was an evangelical Christian preacher for nearly 20 years. Over time he began to question his faith and God concept after studying theology, encoutering conntradictions in the bible, and rethinking what it meant to hear Gods voice. He eventually became an atheist and co founder of Freedom from religion Foundation to advocate for secularism and rights of non believers.
Having someone who have been through it can be life giving.
2. Science and Naturalism:- The more people learn about the universe, through biology, cosmology, the less they feel for a God concept. The Universe came first is estimated to be 13.8 billion years old. By contrast the earliest written records of a God concept date back to about 5000 years, the monotheist concept of a single, all powerful God is even more recent around 4000 years ago in the ancient Middle East. The timelime raises quesitons, if the Universe existed for billions of years before any human beings or God, what does that say about the origin of the God concept.
3. Questioning the God concept:- Doubts arise about the God concept, sacred texts or the behaviour of the so called "God". Common triggers include exposure to science, suffering in the world or inconsistencies in the doctrines.
4. Deconversation or Dissafillition:- At some point belief in a deity becomes untenable. Some transition through agnosticism, deism or spiritual to but not religious identities before arriving at atheism. Emotional challenges may accompany this stage, guilt, isolation or fear of social consequences.
5. Existential Exploration: - Through introspection or life experiences like trauma or personal growth some Atheists arrived at atheism as part of their search for meaning without reliance of God concept.
Everyones path is unique, and not all atheists share the same views on politics, spirituality or ethics
Dan Barker
He was an evangelical Christian preacher for nearly 20 years. Over time he began to question his faith and God concept after studying theology, encoutering conntradictions in the bible, and rethinking what it meant to hear Gods voice. He eventually became an atheist and co founder of Freedom from religion Foundation to advocate for secularism and rights of non believers.
Having someone who have been through it can be life giving.