Much to your impending chagrin, I have decided to share the story of my path to enlightenment. My apologies are offered up front to anyone that reads the entire story in anticipation of a Hollywood ending. As a blue-collar American (currently laid-off, of course), I’m afraid that I could not afford the special effects.
My story begins in 1965. I was born to a U.S. Marine and his young bride. They were young, idealistic, and Catholic. I was baptized shortly thereafter. We went to Mass most every Sunday and on certain Holidays until I was nine years old. We said Grace before dinner on special occasions and said our prayers before bed each night, but that was as serious as it got. In my ninth year of being human, the priest at our church retired and my mother did not like the new one (for some reason), so we simply stopped going to church and active religion fell away from our lives. I never attended catechism, was never ‘confirmed’, and have never been sexually molested (against my will).
By the age of twelve, I could remember pretending to believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, because if I admitted that I did not believe, there would be no more presents from them. I applied this kind of thinking to the whole ‘God’ thing and began to wonder if it was the same thing. From there, I became very interested in religion in general and Christianity specifically. I read everything I could get my hands on, including the Bible. By the age of fourteen, I was quite agnostic.
Sixteen years into my humanity, I had gained an understanding of evolution through natural selection and various other scientific explanations for things. That knowledge, combined with what I already knew about the irrational and unverifiable explanations that religion offered… well… I felt like my eyes had been opened. For the first time, I was able to speak the words, “I do not believe in God”. Of course, some small part of me still wondered, so I knew that I was not an atheist. Not yet.
When I was eighteen, I graduated high school and joined the U.S. Air Force. I listed myself as ‘Catholic’.
Not long into my enlistment, I discovered, much to my surprise, that there were a large number of people who thought the same way I did. I began to learn more and more and finally realized that there is simply no reason whatsoever to believe in god(s) and numerous reasons not to. I was now an atheist. No… I was an Atheist. Capital ‘A’. For several years, I was what I call a ‘Militant Atheist’. More accurately, I can say that I was an Anti-theist. Religion is a blight upon the world and we would all be better off it if did not exist, etc.
After my tour of duty was over, I came out to my parents. My father could care less, but my mother was quite upset. We had some epic arguments and mean things were said. I have since dropped the subject with her and we get along just fine.
Since then, I have continued to learn, I have aged, and I have mellowed. I have come to realize that religion is not going anywhere and that I must learn to coexist with it. The most important thing to me now is personal freedom for all. As long as you don’t hurt someone else, do what you like. Worship a bowl of Green Jello for all I care. Just don’t expect me to do the same.
As it stands now, I do not believe in anything that can be called supernatural. If, someday, I am presented with compelling evidence, I could gain a belief in something, even god(s). So far, I have not seen one scrap of that evidence.
My story begins in 1965. I was born to a U.S. Marine and his young bride. They were young, idealistic, and Catholic. I was baptized shortly thereafter. We went to Mass most every Sunday and on certain Holidays until I was nine years old. We said Grace before dinner on special occasions and said our prayers before bed each night, but that was as serious as it got. In my ninth year of being human, the priest at our church retired and my mother did not like the new one (for some reason), so we simply stopped going to church and active religion fell away from our lives. I never attended catechism, was never ‘confirmed’, and have never been sexually molested (against my will).
By the age of twelve, I could remember pretending to believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, because if I admitted that I did not believe, there would be no more presents from them. I applied this kind of thinking to the whole ‘God’ thing and began to wonder if it was the same thing. From there, I became very interested in religion in general and Christianity specifically. I read everything I could get my hands on, including the Bible. By the age of fourteen, I was quite agnostic.
Sixteen years into my humanity, I had gained an understanding of evolution through natural selection and various other scientific explanations for things. That knowledge, combined with what I already knew about the irrational and unverifiable explanations that religion offered… well… I felt like my eyes had been opened. For the first time, I was able to speak the words, “I do not believe in God”. Of course, some small part of me still wondered, so I knew that I was not an atheist. Not yet.
When I was eighteen, I graduated high school and joined the U.S. Air Force. I listed myself as ‘Catholic’.
Not long into my enlistment, I discovered, much to my surprise, that there were a large number of people who thought the same way I did. I began to learn more and more and finally realized that there is simply no reason whatsoever to believe in god(s) and numerous reasons not to. I was now an atheist. No… I was an Atheist. Capital ‘A’. For several years, I was what I call a ‘Militant Atheist’. More accurately, I can say that I was an Anti-theist. Religion is a blight upon the world and we would all be better off it if did not exist, etc.
After my tour of duty was over, I came out to my parents. My father could care less, but my mother was quite upset. We had some epic arguments and mean things were said. I have since dropped the subject with her and we get along just fine.
Since then, I have continued to learn, I have aged, and I have mellowed. I have come to realize that religion is not going anywhere and that I must learn to coexist with it. The most important thing to me now is personal freedom for all. As long as you don’t hurt someone else, do what you like. Worship a bowl of Green Jello for all I care. Just don’t expect me to do the same.
As it stands now, I do not believe in anything that can be called supernatural. If, someday, I am presented with compelling evidence, I could gain a belief in something, even god(s). So far, I have not seen one scrap of that evidence.
