Atheist vs Theist: Do We Really Choose What We Believe?
Nidhi | Jun 20, 2025, 15:40 IST
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Are our religious or non-religious beliefs truly a choice — or are they shaped by upbringing, psychology, and life experiences? This article explores whether we consciously choose to believe in God or not, examining both atheist and theist perspectives through philosophy, psychology, and personal transformation.
Most debates between atheists and theists assume one thing: that belief is a choice. That we arrive at a fork in the road and say, “I’ll go with God,” or, “I’ll go without.” But is that really true?
Can someone choose to believe in God—or not believe—like they choose what to eat or where to live? Or is belief something deeper? Something shaped by childhood, culture, trauma, and temperament—long before we even learn the vocabulary of faith?
In a world divided sharply between believers and non-believers, this article asks the deeper question: Do we really choose what we believe—or are we simply living out what was chosen for us? 
For most people, belief isn’t a decision—it’s an inheritance. Over 80% of the world’s population follows the religion they were raised in. A child born in Riyadh is far more likely to become a Muslim than a Buddhist. A child raised in rural Tennessee is far more likely to be Christian than atheist. This isn't the result of rational choice—it's the result of immersion.
Our parents, our schools, our temples, our holidays—all gently (or forcefully) guide us into a framework of belief or disbelief. We don’t question it until much later, if at all.
So when we say “I believe in God,” or “I don’t believe in God,” we’re often not declaring a choice—we’re reporting a starting point. One that was handed to us, not selected. 
Modern psychology suggests that belief may also be influenced by personality traits. Studies show that people high in openness and emotional sensitivity are more likely to entertain spiritual or religious ideas. Those who are analytical and skeptical tend toward atheism or agnosticism.
Evolutionary psychologists like Pascal Boyer and Justin Barrett argue that belief in supernatural agents may be a cognitive default—a byproduct of our brain’s tendency to detect patterns and agency (e.g., “Something caused that noise in the dark”). In this view, religious belief isn’t chosen—it’s preloaded.
On the flip side, philosopher Thomas Nagel famously admitted that he didn’t want God to exist—not because of evidence, but because of a personal discomfort with the idea. In this sense, disbelief can also be emotional, not purely logical.
Whether we accept God or reject God may have less to do with free will and more to do with how we’re psychologically tilted. 
While belief may be inherited or conditioned, it can also be shattered or awakened by life’s turning points. The death of a loved one. A near-death experience. Abuse at the hands of a religious figure. Or an unexpected moment of awe.
Former believers often say they lost their faith—not that they rejected it. Similarly, atheists who convert often describe it as something that happened to them, not something they planned.
Trauma and transformation both bypass the intellect. They speak to the soul—or wound it. In that sense, belief changes not by logic alone but through lived experience. We don’t choose those experiences. They choose us. 
Many people say they chose their belief system after “thinking it through.” But studies in cognitive science suggest otherwise. We are emotional creatures who often feel first and reason later.
Jonathan Haidt, in The Righteous Mind, argues that moral and spiritual reasoning is post-hoc—we form our beliefs emotionally and then use logic to defend them. That means both atheists and theists often “decide” what they believe based on intuition, identity, or social belonging—and only then explain it in philosophical terms.
In this light, both sides are less free than they think. We don't just believe what makes sense—we believe what feels right, what matches our experience, or what gives us meaning. And those feelings are shaped by things far outside our control.
If belief isn’t a clean choice, then what is?
We may not choose what we believe at first—but we can choose how honestly we examine it. We can choose whether we stay within the bubble we were born into, or whether we question, explore, and evolve. We can choose humility over dogma, curiosity over comfort, and inquiry over certainty.
Belief may not begin with choice—but responsibility does. Whether you are a theist, atheist, or somewhere in between, the real freedom lies in how deeply you ask why—and whether you’re willing to change your answer if truth leads you somewhere unexpected.So, do we choose what we believe?
Not really—not at first. Belief is more like a language we’re born into. A lens we inherit. A story we absorb before we know there are other stories. But we do have a choice in what we do with it.
We can cling to it blindly. Or we can test it, stretch it, and let it evolve. The goal isn’t to believe or disbelieve the “right” thing—but to live with awareness, honesty, and responsibility.
Because in the end, whether God exists or not, whether we believe by fate or by freedom—how we live with that belief is entirely up to us.
Explore the latest trends and tips in Health & Fitness, Travel, Life Hacks, Fashion & Beauty, and Relationships at Times Life!
Can someone choose to believe in God—or not believe—like they choose what to eat or where to live? Or is belief something deeper? Something shaped by childhood, culture, trauma, and temperament—long before we even learn the vocabulary of faith?
In a world divided sharply between believers and non-believers, this article asks the deeper question: Do we really choose what we believe—or are we simply living out what was chosen for us?
1. Belief as Inheritance: The Faith We’re Born Into
Faith.
( Image credit : Pexels )
Our parents, our schools, our temples, our holidays—all gently (or forcefully) guide us into a framework of belief or disbelief. We don’t question it until much later, if at all.
So when we say “I believe in God,” or “I don’t believe in God,” we’re often not declaring a choice—we’re reporting a starting point. One that was handed to us, not selected.
2. Personality and Psychology: Are Some People Wired to Believe?
Theist or Atheist
( Image credit : Pexels )
Evolutionary psychologists like Pascal Boyer and Justin Barrett argue that belief in supernatural agents may be a cognitive default—a byproduct of our brain’s tendency to detect patterns and agency (e.g., “Something caused that noise in the dark”). In this view, religious belief isn’t chosen—it’s preloaded.
On the flip side, philosopher Thomas Nagel famously admitted that he didn’t want God to exist—not because of evidence, but because of a personal discomfort with the idea. In this sense, disbelief can also be emotional, not purely logical.
Whether we accept God or reject God may have less to do with free will and more to do with how we’re psychologically tilted.
3. Trauma, Loss, and Transformation: When Belief Breaks or Awakens
Broken
( Image credit : Pexels )
Former believers often say they lost their faith—not that they rejected it. Similarly, atheists who convert often describe it as something that happened to them, not something they planned.
Trauma and transformation both bypass the intellect. They speak to the soul—or wound it. In that sense, belief changes not by logic alone but through lived experience. We don’t choose those experiences. They choose us.
4. The Myth of Rational Belief: We Feel First, Then Justify
Ganesh Ji
( Image credit : Pexels )
Jonathan Haidt, in The Righteous Mind, argues that moral and spiritual reasoning is post-hoc—we form our beliefs emotionally and then use logic to defend them. That means both atheists and theists often “decide” what they believe based on intuition, identity, or social belonging—and only then explain it in philosophical terms.
In this light, both sides are less free than they think. We don't just believe what makes sense—we believe what feels right, what matches our experience, or what gives us meaning. And those feelings are shaped by things far outside our control.
5. Choice Exists—But Not Where We Think
Choose the path
( Image credit : Pexels )
We may not choose what we believe at first—but we can choose how honestly we examine it. We can choose whether we stay within the bubble we were born into, or whether we question, explore, and evolve. We can choose humility over dogma, curiosity over comfort, and inquiry over certainty.
Belief may not begin with choice—but responsibility does. Whether you are a theist, atheist, or somewhere in between, the real freedom lies in how deeply you ask why—and whether you’re willing to change your answer if truth leads you somewhere unexpected.
We Don't Choose Belief Like a Hat — But We Can Outgrow It
Not really—not at first. Belief is more like a language we’re born into. A lens we inherit. A story we absorb before we know there are other stories. But we do have a choice in what we do with it.
We can cling to it blindly. Or we can test it, stretch it, and let it evolve. The goal isn’t to believe or disbelieve the “right” thing—but to live with awareness, honesty, and responsibility.
Because in the end, whether God exists or not, whether we believe by fate or by freedom—how we live with that belief is entirely up to us.
Explore the latest trends and tips in Health & Fitness, Travel, Life Hacks, Fashion & Beauty, and Relationships at Times Life!