There are a few reasons why I became an atheist. From the time I was born until now (I'm sixteen years old), I was never forced to believe a certain way. Until about 8 years ago, though, I was never exposed to any other religions besides Christianity. However, when I moved to the city I currently live in, I saw quite a mix of cultures. At my school are Xtians, Hindus, Jews, Moslems, and many other religions. I am guessing that about 50% of the school is not Xtian. Over the years, I had asked myself the question, "All these people think that they know the truth, but probably none of them do."
Throughout this time, I still prayed to the Xtian god for certain things. I wanted health for my family, I wanted to go to "heaven", I'd ask for happiness and occasionally I would ask that I'd find love. Did any of this ever happen? No. Over five family members died, one of them was into drugs, I never felt a divine presence, and for a while I thought somehow I'd find a girlfriend just because god would be nice. I must say, that until I considered myself a true atheist (only a few months ago), I was very depressed. I think the single thing that made me feel happy was knowing that I was in total control of what happens in my life. If I want something, I just have to find a way to make it happen, not count on some god to help me.
My doubting started more than a few months ago, however. About six years ago, I basically learned (in basics) the Theory of Evolution. I immediately knew that this was much more plausible than the bible's version of creation. It was probably about this time that I considered the bible to be nothing but rubbish.
Another factor that contributed to my becoming atheist is one of my friends who is an Xtian fundie, I'll call him DJ. DJ is the kind of person who prays for forgiveness if he accidentally utters the word "fuck". He also feels that if someone else says this, he must stop this by any means. I have seen him attack people for using such language. He is a nice guy, most of the time, but by observing his actions and hearing his words, I saw how religion can totally fuck someone up. From seeing DJ, I knew that religion was definitely not something I'd want to partake in.
I also consider myself to be a logical thinker. I have looked at a lot of the facts, and as the saying goes, "The facts speak for themselves." I see nothing that would lead me to believe any god(s) exist. I now consider a god to be about as realistic as Santa Claus.
That basically sums it up. I feel much more optimistic about life than I ever did when religion was around. At least now I can deal with my problems instead of hoping for something else to make them disappear.
Thanks for taking the time to read my story.
-Mike Chernysh