Rational thinking.

It can be all sorts of things. I couldn't find rational answers to my questions in religion, or evidence for the answers I was given by them.

Everyone is born atheist (or at least agnostic). Most of the time, it is the parents who indoctrinate the children with a particular religion. So appart from the ones who just don't believe to begin with, why do people abandon a particular religion? There are many reasons, here the most common ones: - They realize that it's only a matter of luck that they were born into a particular faith instead of in another one, therefore start to question that faith. - They conclude that the world is too cruel for a benevolent creator (often after tragic things have happened to them) - They realize that there is a problem: Where did God come from? - They learn about evolution and find God no longer necessary

1.) Intelligence 2.) Rationality 3.) Reasonableness 4.) Beatings from a minister.

Dill Weed.

common sense and critical thinking.

What causes a person to believe in a religion:delusion. What causes a person to become an atheist: common sense.

Seeing good things happen to bad people and seeing bad things happen to good people.

they have an abnormal ammount of knowledge and common sense. Also they don't rely on faith and they're not gullible

God uses magic to turn them into atheist to punish them for being overweight. Then, the Flying Spaghetti Monster tortures them with logic to seal the deal.

Reason

When I realized there is no meaning of life except the meaning you give yourself for your life.

Refusal to consider that there is more to the universe than is drempt of in their philosiphies.

You don't just become an atheist. People are born atheists. Then adults tell them crazy stories when they're young, impressionable, and very susceptible to magical thinking. As adults, those that can reason objectively and rationally come to realize that magic is make-believe and that there is no god - especially if they've actually read the bible!

We are all given free choice to believe or not to believe.Being an atheist does not make you a bad person and being religious does not make you a good person either.Its what you do in life that counts and thats all that matters.

Reason and logic.

I try hard to believe in G-d but the world has a way of making us doubt.

Observations made with their own senses combined with the reasoning within their own mind of the world around them. I am an atheist because after nearly 50 years on this planet that's the way I see reality existing. I see no god or gods and I even if these super beings did exist that would not be proof that they made the universe and everything in it. There is no evidence to prove there is a god or gods - so without proof it's just a whimsical flight of fancy to believe in these creatures. The real question is - what causes a person to become a theist - how can one reject reality and common seance so much as to believe in such fanciful objects as gods in the first place?

religion. some people wake up and see those who abuse religion and don't want to have anything to do with it. eventually the belief in god goes too.

It's also called: Maturity.

A logical and inquiring mind.

If the person sees no proof in God or decides he doesn't like the idea.

Common sense and need to think for themselves.

Disbelief and when religious leaders cannot satisfy those who question these beliefs.Lack of 'tangible' proof as required by those who question them.

If you were an altar boy and the priest was boning you, that might do it.

Christians.

When they go against their instinct... i'm sorry if i'm saying something that is really against your opinion... but its true.... Every human being... is born with an instinct of thinking there is a god, but they try to find some other "logical" reasoning to say rather than ... oh .... i have to obey a god and that god created me.. but inside them... from the start... their instincts does believe... of a god somewhere... and that is Jesus Christ... the one who loves us the most....

Being afraid to go beyond man's 'idea' of God and seeing God. They are stumped by religion and decide no and can't take it any further.

(I'm going to base my answer off Christianity) 1). Organized religion 2). The "crazies" (People who say dinosaurs are demons, the Earth is 2k years old, the "Come to my church or burn like the faggots" people)

What causes a person to believe in an all knowing, all seeing, all powerfull, all loving diety that will condeam you to a inferno in the middle of the earth if you don't follow at least the ten big ones that were written a couple of stone tablets? What causes a person to have faith? Answer that than you may know why some don't. +5

Reason. +5

The ridiculous lies and close-mindedness of the religions they evidently tried.

Valid Reasons for Atheism? Whether they have observed the hypocrisy of religion or not, many atheists simply cannot reconcile belief in God with the suffering in the world. Simone de Beauvoir once said: “It was easier for me to think of a world without a creator than of a creator loaded with all the contradictions of the world.” Do the world’s injustices—including those instigated by hypocritical religionists—prove that there is no God? Consider: If a knife is used to threaten, injure, or even murder an innocent person, does this prove that the knife had no designer? Does it not rather show that the object was put to a wrong use? Likewise, much of human grief gives evidence that humans are misusing their God-given abilities as well as the earth itself. Some, however, feel that it is illogical to believe in God, since we cannot see him. But what about air, sound waves, and odors? We cannot see any of these things, yet we know they exist. Our lungs, ears, and noses tell us so. Surely, we believe in what cannot be seen if we have evidence. After contemplating the physical evidence—including electrons, protons, atoms, amino acids, and the complex brain—natural scientist Irving William Knobloch was moved to say: “I believe in God because to me His Divine existence is the only logical explanation for things as they are.” (Compare Psalm 104:24.) Similarly, physiologist Marlin Books Kreider states: “Both as an ordinary human being, and also as a man devoting his life to scientific study and research, I have no doubt at all about the existence of God.” These men are not alone. According to physics professor Henry Margenau, “if you take the top-notch scientists, you find very few atheists among them.” Neither the advances of science nor the failure of religion need force us to abandon belief in a Creator.

A school of thought (religion) that specifically calls out rejecting contradictory evidence as a weakness is exactly what a con man does to gain the confidence of people to swindle them. That's not a coincidence, it's a power grab.

I don't think i had a choice, pretty sure i was born this way.

Here is a very common reason in my experience: Perversion 1 Timothy 1:19 and keep your faith and a clear conscience. Some people have not listened to their conscience and have made a ruin of their faith.

In my case it was a realization that religious claims were not evidence based.

Education. Logic. Rational/Critical Thought. Consider those to be the TRINITY of Atheism.

Each individual person might give a unique answer. I think that the common thread is applying reason to religious teaching. Everyone using any form of logic must accept certain facts as necessary assumptions or axioms. Religious people take certain religious axioms and atheists reject them. My personal experience: I was raised Baptist and took studying the Bible very seriously. Around 13 or 14, I started questioning certain things that didn't make sense, not as a serious challenge to my faith, but as a need for better understanding. When my questions to teachers and preachers were met with hostility rather than explanation, I started looking at all of the teachings through a different lens. When the church shunned my mother for some of the volunteer work she was doing, that's when I really took a step back and re-evaluated my faith with some rigor, and determined that the Bible contained some great teachings, but also contained some flaws; religious leaders often were wise, but sometimes based their entire career on feeding their own egos; and, finally, that a great deal of religious teaching is actually contrary to the positions of holy religious leaders (i.e. Jesus), and that religious sectarianism was generally the cause of violence and intolerance, for no valid reason other than the fact that personal beliefs were welcome to be integrated into any religious faith without compatibility with the faith's core tenants.

contributing factors: Christendom: evolution theory: false religion: Reformation: science exposes church doctrine

Very often rebellion the desire to get back at your parents for making you go to church and behave yourself. These people that call themselves atheists claim to have had a scientific Awakening. But they're totally unable to produce any evidence of their claims. Then they will tell you you have the burden of proof! Friend the majority rules that's how we work in society the majority sets the rules and if you want to change those rules you bear the burden to do that.

Awareness

Lack of belief in all god(s)

Pride and Foolishness Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who [d]suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is [e]manifest [f]in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and [g]Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,

The complete lack of any gods.

As a general rule, a close look at religious claims results in atheism. No, it's not a love of sin, or adolescent rebellion, or a bad relationship with a father, or a traumatic past, or whatever other stories you've been told.

most Atheists are more familiar with religions than the followers of those religions are, a reasonable person being well versed in a religion will be lead to atheism as they will realize it makes no sense

A person is atheist when they have come to terms with reality due to logical thinking and dismissing religious delusions

Most often a good education. I came to the conclusion that there was no god after many years of thinking about it and after having enjoyed an excellent education. My undergraduate work and PhD required me to spend years studying the history, liturgies, and doctrines of Judeo-Christianity. By the time I was working on my dissertation at the age of 28, I had come to the conclusion that there wasn't a shred of evidence for the existence of a god, that the evidence was clear religion was an entirely man-made construct -- an understandable invention, to be sure, but man-made nonetheless.

Looking for answers in the wrong place.

Personally, it was becoming completely disillusioned with faith in light of the sufferings in the world around me. Secondly, I started reading some books by atheist writers including Dawkins. However, after numerous years I am now a theist. Fact is, and science says, atheists are no more rational than theists, please google this for yourself there are a lot of articles on this. What I've found is that atheists have to lie to themselves and do that which they accuse the theist of doing, in order to believe that life has meaning. What I mean is that the atheist only believes in the material, this means that the person he is today, is as a result of his upbringing, his chemicals and neurons, there is no ghost in the machine, so no reason to boast that he is somehow more intelligent that the theist because he doesn't believe in God. Secondly, he believes in a random universe, that started for no reason, and will end for no reason, and so that everything man does in between, whether murderer, saint, charity worker, nurse, rapist, doesn't matter, it means nothing. They can say that it means something to them, but there is no objective or ultimate meaning, hence they must have a gene that convinces us that life has a meaning in order to survive. This is all a very odd notion in a world where every man appears to believe he has meaning and his life is meaningful. Also, without objective morality, good or evil, then all you are left with is indifference, so again dangerously this leaves an argument to be made, such as, if the planet would be better off, then why not kill a few people after all is doesn't matter there are no moral consequences, and it will be for the greater good. Atheism is a dangerous road, because it is often seen in communist countries in order to eradicate individualism, and of course these type of countries have seen the most bloodshed in the modern eras. Another thing atheists do is swallow science as truth, or swallow what they are told by scientists or by atheist writers, without ever questioning it, or looking into the very people they are reading about, hence again they are guilty of what they accuse the theist of. Hence, I looked into all of it, and found oddly that even though atheism is promoted, many of these people were not atheist, and many were eugenicists.

Any number of reasons. It's not reasonable to assume that there are one or two simple, straightforward causes.

Some times a loss of someone has them asking why God did this to this person.

For me the abuse and neglect I experienced as a child. Being ignored by women and hurt by them too many times. There are no gods no heaven no hell no punishment and no reward.

Logical thinking and being sensible without being affected by peer pressure and religious delusions. Because of religious weirdos initiating their “god” claims, this makes a logical and sensible person become atheist due to being unconvinced of religious bull$hit. Atheism is the dismissal of an imaginary friend created by religious weirdos.

I know some psychiatrists who study the Atheist mind. They have said the most common reasons why people become Atheists is from child neglect, mental problems, unhappiness from within and immoral living. All those answers of people becoming Atheists because of rational thinking is false. They wouldn't even want to believe in God if He appeared to them. Being trapped in their own little world of hate, misery and the desires of the flesh is what keeps them going. That's how twisted their minds are. Matthew 11:28 "Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

realist? Show me real evidence of a god? All the churches I've been to are full of liars and paedophiles. When the church wants a person on welfare to donate money what does that say?

They think God is a fairy tale.

People become disillusioned because of the lies of Gnosticism taught in the church making them feel guilty about things that are not sin in the Bible. Gnosticism and Manicheism have ruined the church and what is and what is not sin in the Bible. Gnosticism has been taught so long in the church it is now believed to be the word of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. It isn't!