This is very common. Most atheists have bad religious experiences, or go through some sort of trauma that causes their disbelief.
The largest denominations are gravely misguided in their doctrine. This is why they fell under the spell of new world order, mostly the leftist contingent, which they now work for, either knowingly or unknowingly.
Not to pick on just one as they all are among the seven talked about in Revelation, but let's start with the oldest:
No matter what the upper management says, we have the Catholic church and Nancy Pelousy, predatory Priests and the acceptance and encouragement of homosexual lifestyle choices.
Where is God in those equations, other than being ignored or dissed?
If the only "God" part is forgiving sinners of their sins, why encourage the sin?
God has enough to save without encouraging more to join with the devil. We do that just fine all by ourselves. We don't need churches to help, though I'm sure the devil appreciates it.
Is the atheist foolish for judging the tree by its fruits? Perhaps, perhaps not.
For the atheists I know, it comes down to two issues:
1. churches do not live up to their own values. They are boring not because they don’t have a rock band on stage (some do, and they may nevertheless be boring), but because the message itself has lost its vitality and relevance.
2. there is an element of coercion in many churches. Approval and ostracism are meted out based on the degree to which one “fits” in the millieu of the church. Many people go through a phase of their lives when they question their faith. This aspect of the churchgoing experience simply intensifies the doubt that there is any substance to religious belief.
In my case it wasn’t that the message was vague but that it was absurd. I tried to believe when I was younger because I thought that if you didn’t believe you were some kind of horrible person. I never could though. When I would ask questions that I thought the people should be able to answer they instead evaded them and told me I needed to have faith.
During my 20’s I continued to try and be a good Christian because that is what I had been indoctrinated with by the people I had grown up around. I prayed and prayed and suffered. As I got older, I examined the fundamental principles of Christianity and realized that they were wrong and that there was no rational basis to believe any of it. I eventually came to understand that it was all made up by men and I had never had to suffer with the anxiety all those years. On the day when I finally realized the truth, such a feeling of peace came over me. It was the feeling that had been described to me but which I never felt when praying to Jesus. Now I am at peace and I enjoy knowing that the world makes sense and I do not have to go through life begging forgiveness for an unearned guilt. And no I don’t think my life has no purpose or I can do anything I want to. I hear that all the time from Christians. Nothing could be further from the truth. I think this world is wonderful and so much is open to me to achieve and learn. I don’t believe I am evil by nature and need a moral code to keep me in check. I know that being moral is in my own rational interest and morality is a guide to help me achieve the best possible life.
I can’t speak for other atheists but so many on these forums seem to do just that. I just thought I would add my own experience.
What is lacking here is the witness of the Holy Ghost and that will only be found when truth is taught.
There’s more, including the discovery that the high school years were decisive for these young atheists, in determining their religious (irreligious, I mean) path.
If our nation's children attend godless, compulsory, and government owned schools built on a socialist-entitlement model, they **WILL** learn to think and reason godlessly. They must just to cooperate in the godless classroom. How could it be otherwise?
And....These children risk learning to be comfortable with government compulsion. They also learn that any voting mob powerful enough to give them single-payer, tuition-free, and socialist-entitlement schooling is powerful enough to give them **lots** of "free" stuff!
85% of children from **highly active** evangelical homes are not active in their faith 2 years after graduating from high school. In complete contrast, homeschoolers were **95%** actives. BIG difference!
Finally...The author claims that the atheists were irreligious. Nonsense. All sentient humans have a religious worldview that is based upon belief because none of it can be proven. That religious worldview is either God-centered or godless. Neither of these religious belief systems or worldviews is neutral in content or consequences for the individual or for society as a whole.
Jesus says that few are on the narrow way to heaven, while the highway to hell is one big traffic jam (modern translation of Matthew 7;13). Real Christianity is not popular because it is exclusive and so difficult that without the help of the Holy Spirit every day, we would all be lost.
i canned religion for hot rods and drag racing 68 years ago and never looked back!