Were the majority of atheists once religious?

[Zetesis Apistia]

I raised this question in another thread. It is my contention that a bad religious experience and not a lack of evidence is the basic cause for atheism. I also believe that the majority of atheists came from either a catholic or a protestant background. What I would like to do is add a poll to the thread so we can get an accurate count. If you desire to add anything with your vote feel free to have at it.

[scourge99]

I suppose its easier and helpful to the ego to attack easy targets than it is to up your game and tackle more sophisticated and intelligent atheists and their arguments.

Tell me where to find such mythical creatures and I'm gone.

So you think all/most atheists are unintelligent and have unsophisticated arguments?

That's strange because pretty much every debate you get into with Jax Agnesson, he gives you a thorough beating.

[Nickman]

It is my contention that a bad religious experience and not a lack of evidence is the basic cause for atheism.

Would you call looking for a god and not finding one 'a bad religious experience' or 'a lack of evidence'?

Good point. If we do as the Bible says and we don't get back what it claims it will deliver, is that a bad Jesus experience or just an absence of proof?

[Philbert]

So you think all/most atheists are unintelligent and have unsophisticated arguments?

No, I think that most forum atheists, especially the adamant ones, are too busy being emotional to make good use of their brains. They usually have the necessary brains best I can tell, but they're just busy elsewhere, in their egos.

I don't have this problem myself, because I have less ego than anyone on the forum, which makes me the biggest, the best, winner and still champion, triumphing over everyone else, and the ultimate source of all wisdom in the universe.

[Nickman]

I raised this question in another thread. It is my contention that a bad religious experience and not a lack of evidence is the basic cause for atheism. I also believe that the majority of atheists came from either a catholic or a protestant background. What I would like to do is add a poll to the thread so we can get an accurate count. If you desire to add anything with your vote feel free to have at it.

This poll won't address the issue of whether a 'bad religious experience' is and what impact it has had.

My guess is that a 'bad experience' is not a frequent factor, but it may depend on how 'bad experience' is defined.

My gut tells me that among non theists who care enough about religion to participate in a forum like this, a strong majority had significant relationship with organized Christianity. They studied the Bible, went to church and gradually came to realize there was no evidence for the supernatural claims of scripture.

For me, I was raised in a devout evangelical Christian home, attended a Christian college, became a lay missionary, had a positive relationship with Jesus Christ. I still love and respect that image of Jesus I grew up with.
But as I studied the Bible more and studied the history of each book of the Bible, I found less and less foundation for seeing it as the inspired word of god. The more I read, the more the old questions and doubts seemed to be answered better by the idea that religion is wholly man made.
Other than some embarrassment now when I reflect on things I said 40 years ago as a 'true believer' I don't think of the experience as 'bad.' I think it was actually helpful in developing a liberal arts education and early on having experience in interpreting and understanding the written word.

A bad experience is anyone who doesn't believe. The OP is set on this idea. It is based on presupposition.

[Philbert]

But as I studied the Bible more and studied the history of each book of the Bible, I found less and less foundation for seeing it as the inspired word of god. The more I read, the more the old questions and doubts seemed to be answered better by the idea that religion is wholly man made.

What if Christianity were about love instead of ideology, and then the question of whether the Bible is a bunch of crap doesn't matter? Doesn't everyone have this choice?

Did Christianity let you down, or did you just never quite get around to actually doing it?

[Nickman]

And I would agree that aggressive atheism is a religion in and of itself. So is atheism the abandoning of religion or is it religion without God?

Atheism is not a religion, so, an aggressive atheist is just a pissed off non-religious person.

[scourge99]

So you think all/most atheists are unintelligent and have unsophisticated arguments?

No, I think that most forum atheists, especially the adamant ones, are too busy being emotional to make good use of their brains. They usually have the necessary brains best I can tell, but they're just busy elsewhere, in their egos.

Well no one can debate an opinion you have when you don't provide anything to back it up except your personal and private experiences. So i suppose you expect us to take your opinion as fact and your "fact" on faith?

[Danmark]

But as I studied the Bible more and studied the history of each book of the Bible, I found less and less foundation for seeing it as the inspired word of god. The more I read, the more the old questions and doubts seemed to be answered better by the idea that religion is wholly man made.

What if Christianity were about love instead of ideology, and then the question of whether the Bible is a bunch of crap doesn't matter? Doesn't everyone have this choice?

Did Christianity let you down, or did you just never quite get around to actually doing it?

I won't address your personal remark.
Christianity IS about love, or should be. It really is not about ideology, other than that one should love one's neighbor like oneself and love God. Too often Christianity has become an ideology and one so twisted that a large segment of its adherents seem to back political ideologies that are aimed at doing exactly the opposite of what Jesus preached.

Right now we are in a government shut down because the Tea Party Republicans, who claim to be Christian evangelicals for the most part, are so opposed to health care for the poor they are willing to jeopardize the entire economy to overturn an Act of Congress designed to do something my Bible tells me Jesus would have wanted.

But none of this has to do with probability that the Bible is a collection of books written by man and that there is insufficient evidence to support the supernatural claims therein.

[Nickman]

So you think all/most atheists are unintelligent and have unsophisticated arguments?

No, I think that most forum atheists, especially the adamant ones, are too busy being emotional to make good use of their brains.

Where else does emotion come from? Doesn't it come from the brain? Hence, brain usage!

They usually have the necessary brains best I can tell,

You have neurological credentials? I bet a paycheck you have none. (Credentials that is)

but they're just busy elsewhere, in their egos.

And Christians are not? Are Christians busy in their anti-egos? How does one divorce themselves from their ego? Do tell. To do so means, no self identity or expression. How can one even be Christian without ego? How do you know you are Christian without ego?

[Zetesis Apistia]

There is not even an option on this poll for coming from an non-religious background, so what are you going to compare it to? I came from a very religious family, and I did not stop believing because of a bad experience. I stopped believing because it no longer made any sense to me.

Option 2 is an atheist from a non religious background.