An unusually large percentage of the Atheists I meet

I know a lot of others, too.

Is there some sort of atheist recognition sign of which I'm unaware?

A secret handshake perhaps?

Growing up out on the plains I hardly met any Catholics at all. Didn't meet a Catholic atheist 'til much later.

that Catholic schools are institutions dedicated to the production of atheists.

Most of the atheists I'm out to are survivors of Sister Mary Torquemada in all her incarnations.

EDIT: To be fair, and as far as the Three R's are concerned, it was the best damn school I ever went to.

I think I could have passed most if not all of the tests I took in public high school when I was in the sixth grade, which was my last year of Catholic school.

Almost all of the women are now recovering catholics.

I grew up Catholic and went to Catholic school for a few years. To be honest my mother only sent us there because the public schools went on strike a couple of years in a row and at least the Catholic schools started on time! (She wasn't a nurturing sort of mom).

Anyhow, my faith and my years at Catholic school were only ever a comfort to me. The nuns we had (we had lay teachers and nuns) were pretty liberal, kind and patient. I never got hit there, didn't have to be highly aware at all times in order to survive, like at home with mommy dearest.

My journey to atheism was more of an intellectual quest. I had to reach a certain level of emotional development to begin the process and that happened in my thirties, after my dad died. I had been pretty dependent on him for guidance in almost all things. I doubt I would/could have ever made the journey while he lived so it's like his death was one of the worst things ever to happen in my life while also, in a way, being one of the best.

I hope that makes sense.

Julie

It does make sense. Thank you for your thoughtful reply.

I only know a few other atheists, but don't think that they went to Catholic schools....but I don't know.

I came from a family where my father grew up Catholic but turned away from the church before I was ever born. I don't know why, but I do know that he refused a priest even at the end. All I know is that he went to "Polish school" since his parents had immigrated from Poland, and that may have been a Catholic school, but I don't know for sure. My mother was lukewarm to non-believing as I was growing up, she grew up Methodist. I went to United Presbyterian church as a child because my older sister took me there. Neither of my parents went to church but they didn't say anything bad about religion....at least not until I declared that I was an atheist. At that time, I found that they had no belief in god either.

So there were a lot of religions involved in my family, but we all got to the same point.

I was spared the Catholic school education, but my sister came at a time when the family had a bit more money, so she got the "benefit" of private schooling. But, she definitely had more of a trifecta of forces at work in her deconverson --

1) primary education at St. Fisting of the Bloody Terror (or whatever) Catholic school,
2) me (a dozen-years her senior + favorite brother + atheist = her mentor growing-up),
3) seriously deranged religious mother who was, and remains decades later, alienated from both of us

Your guess is as good as mine to which lead her to atheism today.

Welcome to DU!

I'm glad you're still here!

to endure because my parents couldn't afford it. It was the one and only time being broke actually worked in my favor. I got paroled after 9 years, my older siblings had to serve the full sentence.

I was brought up in a totally atheist household (both parents, my maternal grandparents, all my siblings, all our spouses and kids) - and I took up jnana yoga and Advaita. Go figure.

I grew up as a devil in the basement baptist myself. As early as age 5, I got the shit scared out of me for even thinking bad thoughts, because gawd would know. And, even better, if I said anything bad I was giving the devil ideas!

The Irish pastor of our parish and his Irish priests used to drink together and discuss theology. The discussions evolved into arguments, and the arguments fistfights in the street! The cops had to come to break them up more than once.

(Y'know......wherever you find four Catholics you'll find a fifth!)