I am an atheist,  lost faith many times over and over again. Other atheists, when did you choose?
353392
when i was 15, 2 very close friends were killed in a car accident, i was miserable and confused. i discovered that it wasn't that god had abandoned me, he never existed in the first place. i have spent a lot of time reading about it and discovered what a bag of shite religion is,\n\nsince loosing my faith, my life has improved ten fold, instead of wasting time on a false deity, i am living life for me.\n\nconsequencially my fiance wants to get married in a church, but i refuse.\n\ni kinda upset my parents as well!
1180001
I was going to go with Atheism too. To believe in nothing so strongly that you will not even entertain the possibility of another answer (If you did you would be an agnostic) is frightening. The fact that they actively attempt to convert people is even more disturbing. What is even the point?
853358
God has given to all of us a measure of faith. Atheist chooses to believe there is no God, yet deep inside they knows better. That is one reason they are so concerned about christianity. Again all Atheist will not stay that way and some will be converted. Someday they will  see that a Holy God is nothing to play with.
1038457
As an atheist, I can say no. We make decisions, and can explain things, with fact and common sense. I do not need the faith that defines religion.
1105655
Catholicism.\nAnd yes I have, which is why I'm an Atheist.
459678
No, I lack belief in all gods that I've come across so far. It's not possible for me to believe in something if I haven't seen/experienced/perceived anything that makes me think it exists.\n\nTo akpajuju, what if you believed in the wrong god and that god treated idolatry much worse than simply lacking belief? Or what if there is a god that respects honest lack of belief due to never having seen any evidence, but condemns insincere profiteering people who "believe just in case"? You're no "safer" than an atheist. Also it isn't a choice, I can no more choose to believe a god exists than I can choose to believe I'm sat on the back of a unicorn right now.
817574
I started out as a Methodist(christian) I was horrified the older I got how hypocritical people were and two faced!!! I stopped believing in God and became an Atheist But after several years I realized there had to be someone or something responsible for all the good things in the world we couldn't just be in this inconsequential universe could we?? I found Wicca later and it seemed cold and hollow to me... Now I believe in god but not organized religion I just worship in my own way and try to be a good person and that's all I can really be...
335245
I think being an Atheist takes more faith because if their wrong their in trouble.
866913
We are ALL born atheist, that is "without belief in gods".  That's called "implicit atheism".  Even if we're programmed to "search" for something to worship (which I highly doubt, by the way), we BEGIN without any actual knowledge of deities.  We are, by default, without belief and therefore atheistic.
402968
in the army i worked for a major who started out an agnostic. he later became an atheist. as an adult he was a christian chaplain. John Wayne was an agnostic until the week before he died, sometimes it takes longer for some people.
686618
Hang in there and trust your instincts. There is no God. It is a preposterous fairy tale and an absolutely ludicrous lie. Take a stand.  Nothing causes more pain, suffering, abuse and death then religion. The world needs more atheists.
700225
I have been on both sides of this issue. I was raised to believe, but rationally I could not except the idea that God was the judgmental insecure fruitcake my religion portrayed him as.\n\nSo I stopped believing.  Then this happened to me.\n\nSeveral years ago I had an unusual experience concerning an uncle, a distant relative who lived over a thousand miles away. \n\nWhile driving my car I suddenly felt the unmistakable presence of this relative that I hardly even knew. He was more like someone I had heard about than someone I knew. It was very strange; it felt as though I was momentarily lifted right out of my physical body. I seemed to be suspended somehow beyond space and time, bathed in a love so intense It felt like I could have just disappear into it at any moment if It would have let me. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it seemed to last forever at the same time. I realize how crazy this must sound. The experience was so strong that at first I was afraid I was loosing my grip on reality. I finally managed to chalk it up to an over active imagination.\n\nThree days later I got a call from my aunt telling me that this uncle we are talking about had gone into a coma and died the day I had the experience. It felt like ice water had been poured down my back when she told me this. I had lost any real ideas of God or faith and had become somewhat of an atheist. Needless to say this experience caused me to rethink some of the conclusions I had come to. \n\nI feel blessed to now understand that even in our darkest confusion something loves us so much that it went out of its way to assist me and bring me back to a state of absolute certainty about Gods love for us.\nDuring the experience it seemed like there was a vast amount of information that I was somehow allowed access to. One thing that I came away from this experience understanding beyond any shadow of a doubt was that any Idea that God is unhappy with us or would judge or allow us to be punished for any reason is simply impossible. \n\nI can’t explain the love I felt with words. They simply don’t make words big enough or complete enough to do this. The only way I can begin to convey this love to you is to say that there was simply nothing else there. Nothing but love. No hint of judgment, no displeasure of any sort. It is as though God sees us as being as perfect as we were the day we were created. It is only in our confused idea of ourselves that we seem to have changed.\n\n I hope this is of some help to you. Good luck. Love and blessings. \n\nYour brother don
551376
Dear Sen831,\n\nYou request personal experience or evidence... \n\nI used to be an atheist. Over a period of time however, I grew convinced of the existence of the Christian God, and ultimately committed my life to Christ. \n\nFor a draft-version of my journey from atheism to Christ, see http://www.godsci.org/gs/chri/testimony/seek.html\n\nCan we believe the Bible? See http://www.godsci.org/gs/chri/bible.htm\n\nFor scientific and intellectual evidence for the existence of God, see http://www.godsci.org/gs/godsci/evidence.htm\n\nFor evidence for the historicity and truth of Jesus Christ, see http://www.godsci.org/gs/chri/jesus.htm\n\nCordially,\nJohn
723854
... Hrm. Good question and. Yeah, I think you would be an atheist. Atheism is the unbelief of god or anything above. If you just don't believe in the christian, Catholic, islamic etc etc, with all the "founded" religions, but believe in a greater power you are an agnostic, I think. \n\nEvolution is not part of Atheist belief, it's just a label. Somehow believing in evolution means not believing in god. But there are those who believe in both so why not someone who doesn't believe in either? \n\nAlthough I would like to know if you have any belief about how we got here. or "came to exist" The only other possibility that popped into my head was "aliens dropped us here like my dad suspected" but I'm sure there's more than three explanations as to how humans came to be humans.
919797
i was born an atheist (without belief in god(s) as everyone is, taught Catholicism (Christianity with saints), and then born again atheist for 20 years.\n\nbelievers are born without belief also, but they are taught to believe in one form or another, usually starting at early childhood.\n\nit's hard to shake the effects of brainwashing when it starts so young. some, like myself, are lucky to break free of the superstition.
1092609
I'm with weemaryanne on this one.\nYour take on religion is pretty much the same as mine - and many others. And you are not alone in being the only agnostic in a religious family.\nI think it's healthy to question the world around you and not take everything at face value. If you find faith in your god again, you won't have lost anything by examining your faith.\nIf you decide god doesn't exist, you won't be a worse person. You'll be accepting the world as it realyy is. And that is really quite liberating.\nGood luck with your journey.
600798
I once was a religious person but something in my faith wasn't right so i decided to give up on God. I ve started rading phylosophy and got to the idea that God doesn't help us and religion is for the ones that are weak. But let me tell you something. It isn't all about believing. YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING. And you have to work hard to achieve the real faith.If you have a Bible open it and read something. You will find out that only weak persons give up faith not the strong ones.