I thought I would send you my "story" of how I became an atheist, although there is very little story to tell. Unlike many of the people who have sent in their stories I was not brought up in a religious background, beyond the mandatory stuff thrown at me at school. I am a classic example of why atheism is nothing to do with hating God, rejecting authority, rebellion against parents or any of the other common misconceptions. I am of above average intelligence (I have a degree in Pure Maths from Imperial College, London, and a MENSA level IQ) and consider myself to be a benevolent, caring person. I was given enough freedom to make my own decisions. Under these circumstances their is very little choice other than to be atheist - it is the only rational position.

To be more specific my stance is that of an agnostic or "weak" atheist. I can summarise my feelings with 2 words - Who Knows? (Quick book recommendation: Scepticism Inc. by Bo Fowler, wherein this is the primary message). What arrogance to presume to know the will and nature of god, should one exist. The whole point is that metaphysical arguments cannot really be won. Any evidence in support of the existence of a god will always be metaphysical, and untestable, or physical and therefore of natural rather than supernatural origin, the case in point being the holy books of the various religions - written by men. Any influence on these men by a higher power is pure speculation.

Based on the available evidence I believe the chances of there being a god are low, and certainly the established religions should be rejected as the work of power hungry men, not higher powers. Religion is and always has been a tool for mass population control.

If it comes up in conversation I will always argue the position of the atheist, but for the most part atheism is not a large part of my life. However, I always feel very irritated when religious movements (primarily fundamentalist christian groups) try to force their beliefs into law, or onto me. While reading up on evolution I was astounded to discover the extent to which the creationist movement has been successful in plying such obvious lies.

Hopefully sites like yours will help people to be rational when it comes to religion, although I sometimes think that any attack on theists just strengthens their faith. Getting people to reprogramme their brains to accept reason can sometimes be as difficult as teaching someone to forget how to ride a bike.