<p>I’m sorry, but its really hard to understand a mind that thinks any “positive/rewarding life” can cime from atheism… Please explain the “more to it” prsguitar.</p>
<p>Sorry, there is just a fine line between assurance and arrogance I suppose. There is no moral book associated with atheism so I really can learn from whatever any religion teaches. But for the essay, I never really thought of that line as arrogant, so I’ll definitely need help later on to not sound mean.</p>
<p>Feel free to pm.</p>
<p>^ the more competitive the college, the more risk in coming across as self-satisfied. It’s not even about how meaningful it is. (What you’re aiming for is a message that is somehow meaningful to them. And, remember “show, not tell.”) Don’t leave them with the impression you have closed doors, are finished, all set.</p>
<p>And, there are plenty of great books focused on ethics, that deal with atheism. Sorry, I’m going to pull adult on you- you are exploring your inclination toward atheism, still in the process. (Which would be an interesting angle and allow lots of room to show how you think through an issue of importance to you, how you measure, explore, react, reconsider, test your new ideas and flex. Which is what growth is about, a long continuum.)</p>
<p>I was going for a similar topic, but different from prsguitar. I was going to go into how I began to question my religion as a result of a need to know how everything works. And I was going to focus on how it got me interested in science. I was going to tie this into my want to learn more, and say how science promises to answer many of the little questions that will someday help humanity form a bigger picture. A different take, but I don’t think it’s offensive, but explains a lot about my personality.</p>
<p>Right now the essay is the perfect length, about 550 once I will have gone through the first round of editing. But it is hard to not talk about atheism philosophically, the concept allows a lot of individualism, but I always seem to drift off and forget about the essay being about ME. So it seems jumbled. There is a story though.</p>
<p>OP, is there another way you could present your spiritual growth? Like, I’ve had the same background as you, but I don’t want to end up walking a fine line between honest and offensive in my essay. Instead you could talk about how you learned to be a more open person, instead of just plainly a non religious one. Adcoms will get the sense that you’ve moved away from the faith anyways if you don’t mention it as something that helped you.</p>
<p>In general, I’d stay away from topics like religion, political beliefs, etc. If you write about why you don’t believe in God you may come off as offensive if, say, a highly religious admissions officer reads your essay. Although I am also an atheist I realize that there is still some negative stigma associated with it so there is really no point in throwing it around like it’s something to be proud of.</p>
<p>Atheism isn’t a sensitive topic. Religion in general is a sensitive topic, regardless of which beliefs you put forward.
I’m not sure why people are saying that there is a stigma towards atheism, especially at places as liberal as colleges 
Maybe if you’re applying to somewhere in the Bible Belt, but that applies to all beliefs that aren’t Christian, not just atheism.</p>
<p>Bottom line, you essay shouldn’t be about religion, and it shouldn’t mention any sort of conversion at all. Another risk you run with this type of essay is by listing reasons for your position, instead of focusing on you (who you are, your abilities, etc.).</p>