Why I Don't Believe in God 😇

Hint: it's not because I just want to sin

What’s up nonbelievers, doubters, and skeptics?

Welcome to The Ex-Christian Observer: a weekly newsletter from a former Christian unpacking the madness that is evangelical Christian America.

My name is Kevin, and I'm an atheist living in the Bible Belt. When people come across my YouTube channel or my social media profiles, they often ask me why I don't believe in God. Today, I’m addressing that question—more specifically, why I don't believe in the Christian God. Many of these reasons apply to other gods too, but I’ll focus on the Christian one.

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Reason 1: There’s Not Enough Evidence

If God were real and wanted me to believe in him, he would know exactly what evidence I need. Instead, we’re left with unreliable, inconsistent, mistranslated religious texts.

I’m supposed to derive my morality from a book that some people claim is "inspired by God." That’s not good enough for me.

When I ask believers for evidence, I get vague answers. They cite Old Testament prophecies, claim “everything can’t come from nothing,” or insist there must be an uncaused cause (which they label as God). Some even say, “Look at the trees!”

But something appearing to be designed doesn’t prove it was designed. Comparing the cosmos, life, or our planet to buildings or paintings is a flawed analogy. We know paintings have painters and buildings have builders. That doesn’t mean we were created.

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Reason 2: Indoctrination

The concept of indoctrination was pivotal in my journey to atheism. Studies estimate that 75–90% of people adopt the religion of their parents. According to Pew Research, 84% of people raised by two Protestant Christian parents remain Christian.

This isn’t surprising—our upbringing and environment shape our beliefs. If no one could be taught religion until they were at least 18 years old, I think we’d see far fewer religious people on Earth. Don’t you?

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Reason 3: I Can’t Force Myself to Believe

Beliefs aren’t a choice. I can’t force myself to believe something just because I want it to be true. This reminds me of the movie The Invention of Lying with Ricky Gervais. In it, the main character lies about life after death to comfort his dying mother.

Once you stop believing in God, it’s nearly impossible to go back, even if you wanted to.

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Reason 4: The Problem of Evil

Sex trafficking. Murder. Disease. Hunger. These are just a few examples of the terrible things in the world.

It’s hard for me to believe in a God who allows such suffering. The common excuse—“Sin is the reason, and we brought it upon ourselves”—just doesn’t hold up.

A non-interventionist God who set things in motion and then stepped back? Maybe. But I have no reason to believe that. An interventionist God who allows such horrors? That God would seem cruel.

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Reason 5: Intelligent Design Isn’t So Intelligent

People often say the universe was created specifically for us. But that’s like a puddle thinking the hole it’s in was made for it.

If design were truly intelligent:

• Most of Earth’s water wouldn’t be undrinkable.

• Humans wouldn’t have useless organs.

• Over 99% of all species wouldn’t be extinct.

These facts suggest randomness, not intentional design.

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Reason 6: The Bible

If the Bible were truly the word of God, wouldn’t it have endured better over time?

• We don’t have the original manuscripts of the New Testament.

• The Gospels weren’t written during Jesus’s lifetime but decades later.

• Most of the New Testament is written by Paul, who never even met Jesus.

Why are there contradictions in scripture? Why were early translations riddled with errors? These issues make the Bible seem more like a human creation than divine inspiration.

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Reason 7: Science

Science isn’t a religion, despite what some may say. Unlike religion, science adapts when presented with new evidence.

Take evolution and the Big Bang, for example. These aren’t mere guesses; they’re scientific theories supported by extensive evidence. A scientific theory is a coherent explanation repeatedly confirmed through observation and experimentation.

The willingness to adapt and evolve in the face of new evidence is what sets science apart from religion.

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Well, there you have it. These are the reasons I don’t believe in God. What about you? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Virtual Hang!

One common thing I hear is that when we leave church, we lose community. I think that’s true in a lot of cases. We go from hanging out with people every Sunday and/or Wednesday to sometimes never talking to those people again.

As humans, we crave community. That’s why I created Skeptic Circle!

Social media is great, but we’re all subject to algorithms; we don’t see half the stuff that we want to see, plus, it’s not easy to have conversations in DMs and comments sections.

Skeptic Circle is a private community, and the first virtual event has been scheduled!

On Tuesday February 4th at 9pm EST, we’ll do the first Skeptic Hang! With a new president and Christian nationalism worse than ever, we’ll have a lot to talk about!

Anyone who joins Skeptic Circle now will get in for $6.66/month! Hope to see you inside!

Comments From Christians

They can’t WAIT for me to burn for eternity!

Imagine looking like you’re from a failed boy band and making fun of someone else.

Church leaders out here getting mad and calling people names because they don’t like the posts.

Acting like atheists have a literacy problem. Comical.

Yeah… I don’t have to believe that my great, great, great, great grandfather existed. It’s literally impossible for that not to be the case.

As for your god, his existence has not been proven. It’s a belief.

Dude wants to hit me because I criticize Christianity. Lol.

I love when people tell me what I believe.

Well, it started out okay.

Has to be an 11 year old, right?

“I was an atheist that blasphemed god” is code for “I was a Christian who had doubts for a few minutes.”

How does he know what I’m desiring?

A little pinch of condescension at the end is *chef’s kiss*

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: my least favorite thing that Christian commenters do is assume. I can deal with the name-calling. It’s the assumptions about me and why I’m doing this that drive me crazy.

Thanks for reading, and remember: You don’t need a god to be good!

Kevin

Join Skeptic Circle: a community for nonbelievers.

All of my links: www.jesusunfollower.com

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