At what age did you become/declare yourself an atheist?

[John21]

At what age did you become/declare yourself an atheist?

[madnak]

21-25, actually. I didn't like to call myself "atheist" for some time after I was one (for all intents and purposes). In particular, I explored philosophies like Taoism and considered spiritual experiences. For a while there I was even into stuff like astral projection. But I got better.

[VarlosZ]

3rd Grade, I was either 10 or 11. It occurred to me in the tub that the universe didn't need a creator, rather it could simply just be. That was that.

[Silent A]

I chose 16-20, because that's when my thinking became clearly atheist based on my current definition of the word.

I didn't actually consider myself an atheist until I was about 30 (basically, I became came to the conclusion that I didn't have to be screaming "God does not exist!" to be an atheist), and I haven't been anykind of a believer since before I was 10.

[soon2bepro]

I was raised as an atheist but soon in my life I became a skeptic. About 14 or 15 years old.

[Borodog]

I was raised completely religion-neutral. Never went to church, nor did my parents ever bash religion. I honestly don't think it ever even got mentioned in my house. By the time I started investigating it seriously, I was probably . . . 27? And by that time all religions seemed equally silly.

I'm not an athiest because you cannot prove the nonexistence of invisible men, but I certainly see no reason to postulate their existence.

[bocablkr]

Have never ever believed in god - so I guess around 3 or 4. Don't remember much before that.

[surftheiop]

Flawed poll, no option for non atheists.

[kurto]

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Flawed poll, no option for non atheists.

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That's silly. The poll is addressing atheists. Non-atheists cannot answer what age they became an atheist.

[FortunaMaximus]

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Flawed poll, no option for non atheists.

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That's silly. The poll is addressing atheists. Non-atheists cannot answer what age they became an atheist.

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Wrong.

[AthenianStranger]

11-15, then became a Christian (or realized my Christianity; I was already baptized) at 22.

[kurto]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
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Flawed poll, no option for non atheists.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's silly. The poll is addressing atheists. Non-atheists cannot answer what age they became an atheist.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wrong.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why? Though there is some room for interpretation, it seems to me the intent of the original poster is not to poll theists vs atheists but merely to determine at what age atheists became/determined that they were, indeed, atheists.

How does a theist have any bearing on that question? (I'll admit I could be misrepresenting what he's asking in the first question but I think my 'take' on it seems the most obvious)

[FortunaMaximus]

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11-15, then became a Christian (or realized my Christianity; I was already baptized) at 22.

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Is a good example of why assuming a raised theist becomes an atheist and stays an atheist. Although it may not be common enough in the general population, 'round these parts, you know what? We have some standard deviations in more than one metric.

Edit: Yes, I'll concede the spirit of the question, so to speak, was directed towards atheists. I can't vote for either poll, unfortunately. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[CORed]

I answered the poll even though I would classify myself as an agnostic rather than an atheist. I put 16-20. I don't remember the exact age at which I identified myself as an agnostic, but I know it was some time before college. My parents weren't super religious, but I did do the whole sunday school/church thing growing up (Protestant). I'm not sure I ever completely bought it, but as I got older I quit feeling guilty about having doubts, and somewhere in my teens I admitted to myself that I really couldn't buy into a belief system which asks you to take the answers to all the difficult questions as a matter of faith, and provides no proof whatsoever for some pretty outrageous claims (virgin birth and resurrection to name two of the most outrageous).

[bunny]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Flawed poll, no option for non atheists.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's silly. The poll is addressing atheists. Non-atheists cannot answer what age they became an atheist.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wrong.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why? Though there is some room for interpretation, it seems to me the intent of the original poster is not to poll theists vs atheists but merely to determine at what age atheists became/determined that they were, indeed, atheists.

How does a theist have any bearing on that question? (I'll admit I could be misrepresenting what he's asking in the first question but I think my 'take' on it seems the most obvious)

[/ QUOTE ]
Maybe I misinterpreted, but I voted on this one, even though I'm a theist. I also voted on the other poll. I became an atheist between 0-10 and became a theist between 31-35.