How Did We Get Here?

No, this post is not directly about the origins of human life, though it does touch on it. I wanted to touch on atheism, a much quibbled over topic. I have modified this from here.

I think that most, if not all, atheists in Western society have passed through a series of conceptual stages:
1) blank slate aconceptual at birth (to coin a neologism);
2) magic-thinking acceptance of the most widely publicized pseudo-explanation (God-did-it theistic stage);
followed by (doubters only):
3)
a) unconvinced of the existence of the supernatural (atheistic non-acceptance of theistic claims or belief that the supernatural definitely does not exist);
or,
b) fence sitting (agnostic "we can't know either way").

"Obviously, many people in Western society get stuck in an increasingly elaborate, circular, theistic stage.

I'd categorize "theistic beliefs" as including deistic (pre-cosmology and pre-evolution supernatural agency) or theistic (varying degrees of God did it) beliefs coupled with the emotionally essential afterlife beliefs."