MANY ATHEISTS UNCONSCIOUSLY THROW OUT THE BABY WITH THE BATH WATER

Supernatural considerations aside for the moment, we all begin to formulate our beliefs and worldviews during early childhood. Family, peers, television, etc., are all contributors to the finished recipe. In the case of Christianity, many people's initial exposure is due to growing up in a churchgoing family, more so than conscious deliberation. These people may grow in their faith because of personal conviction, or they may just continue to hold a generic, surface-level belief in God throughout their lives, stemming more from tradition and habit than anything else. 

Many people became atheists in the exact same way. They were likely introduced to the concept by family or peers early on. 

Just as I described two types of Christians above, I want to make a distinction between two different types of atheists. In one category, we have intellectually gifted (at least, in the eyes of the world,) people like Christopher Hitchens. They spend their entire lives consciously and passionately formulating sophisticated arguments against the existence of God, and their life's purpose appears to be convincing people that God doesn't exist. People like this though, are definitely the exception.

The majority of people who refer to themselves as atheists haven't spent hundreds (or thousands,) of hours deliberating its finer points, and are not nearly as passionate or convicted as someone like Hitchens would be. They are more what I'd call 'surface-level-atheists' (again, it's same with many Christians.) They aren't all that interested in formulating arguments against the existence of God, nor do they passionately try to convert others to adopt their belief system. When asked, they will simply say: 'I don't believe God exists'.

I've already mentioned the family and peers as being primary influences. When it comes to atheism, there's another BIG influencer which must be mentioned, and that's the educational system - particularly in recent years. From the earliest ages, children are taught concepts like macroevolution, not because they are provable and scientifically factual, but instead because they are the perfect vehicle to pseudo-scientifically explain away the existence of a Creator, by instead citing the existence of all creation as one gigantic series of lucky coincidences.

But there's also one other reason which I believe may be the most common reason for someone generically identifying as an atheist: hatred of man-made religion and the inevitable hypocrisy and corruption which always accompany it. If you listen carefully, when most atheists cite reasons for their disbelief in God, they tend to reflect more of a contempt for organized religion, than for God Himself. 

This may be due to the multi-millionaire televangelist who lives the most lavish of lifestyles, all the while "preaching" on the virtues of giving over receiving. It may be due to pastors who heavily ridicule others for sexual sins, and are then found at at a local motel with a prostitute. Regretfully, there is much reason for people to both dislike and distrust organized religion. 

One of the primary ways churches were corrupted is when they were granted 501c3 status in the 1950's. Prior to this time, the majority of churches were more minimalistic and modestly adorned. The priorities were on accurately interpreting scripture; singing traditional hymns, and embracing humility and modesty. Once tax-exempt status was introduced, that started to rapidly change. 

Once charities and churches were granted this status, the emphasis started shifting to the vast potential for individual financial gain, which will always draw the unscrupulous faster than a truckload of chum draws sharks. Then there's an additional benefit: once these churches become profit-generating corporations, if the powers-that-be object to teachings in the Word of God, they can immediately threaten the church with loss of 501c3 $tatu$ (which isn't a very appealing notion to people who are primarily there for material gain.) At that point, the options are: A.) be true to the teaching of scripture and simultaneously lose the financial incentives, or B.) water down scriptural teachings to the point that all blacks and whites are replaced by varying shades of grey and subjectivism.

So when atheists cite the corruption inherent in organized religion and the hypocrisy demonstrated by those of us who profess to be Christians, I don't disagree with them in the least; those things are true. But (and this is a BIG but,) just because humans are wickedly corruptible and fail to live up to the stupendous example of Jesus Christ, doesn't mean that God doesn't exist, and that everything inside and outside out universe occurred by happenstance. 

My shortcomings as a Christian (which are MANY,) have nothing at all to do with whether or not God exists. What they do prove is what the bible says, over and over again: every single individual on this planet, without exception, is wicked an in need of a Savior:

Jer 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 

In our lives, we don't look at buildings, painting, watches, etc., and conclude that they just spontaneously morphed into existence. Not a single person would believe that the chaotic and unpredictable power of a tornado could plow through the center of an auto-parts warehouse, resulting in fully-assembled automobiles falling from the sky. And yet, when it comes to creation itself, many of us are willing to believe something incalculably more unlikely than any of those things: that all of creation evolved from an endless succession of fortunate coincidences. Whatever you do, PLEASE, do not use fallen humanity and the corruption of organized religion as justification to deny the existence of God, for you will be figuratively and literally throwing out the Baby with the bathwater. 

If you're an atheist, recognize that the same hypocrisy and wickedness found in corrupt and hypocritical Christians, is also found in you. The only solution is found in the sacrificial blood atonement of Jesus Christ. He paid the ultimate price for all who genuinely believe and trust in Him:

 Rom 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.