Welcome from the UK. Thanks for sharing your story. I'm often amazed by the levels of religiosity in the US and my heart is warmed when the negative repercussions of that are overcome.
BTW, don't worry about 'accepting atheism'. That's a strawman. If you're not a theist, you are, by default, an atheist. There are no doctrinal positions you have to accept.
BTW, don't worry about 'accepting atheism'. That's a strawman. If you're not a theist, you are, by default, an atheist. There are no doctrinal positions you have to accept.
Sum ergo sum
