Why am I an atheist? Or rather, what turn of events led me from Christianity, and towards reason? The reasons are legion...

Let me give you a little background information on my religious past. At the age of five, I was introduced to Christianity by a friend, who told me about God. I thought about that, and shrugged it off. Christianity reared its ugly head at seven, when I decided to start attending church. I live in Central Florida, which is mostly a Baptist area, and about half the populace attended church, and more than ninety percent was Christian (my own ballpark figure). Religion really reahced a high point for me at eleven, when I prayed almost every night, absorbed tons of Christian literature, and basically believed everything a priest told me. I also was a master of 'doublethink', believing two mutually contradicting things at once. I at once believed religious dogma to the letter, but also believed in science. That couldn't go on for very long...

I started going off the straight and narrow (crooked and thorn-infested?) at about twelve, when I lightened up a bit. At that time, I had stopped my churchgoing, and had adopted the belief that God directed evolution and the Big Bang and so on. I then went to simple belief, non-affiliated with religion, but I still considered myself a Christian.

I finally declared myself an unbeliever at thirteen. I lay in bed one night, thinking deep thoughts, as I tend to do. That night, I happened to be on the topic of God, when I wondered if I really believed it all or not. I was shocked to the very core when the answer came, from the depths of my mind. I didn't deny it, however, but embraced it, because IT WAS MY TRUTH.

I finally came out about a few months later, in Art class. We were having a discussion on no particular topic, and I brought up the question, "What would happen if an atheist joined a Catholic school?" The art teacher answered the question, and asked me why I asked the question. I shrugged. She then asked me if I was an atheist. I paused for a few seconds, reaching for the correct response. I uttered a word that instantly liberated my soul:

"Yes."

That must have been the ballsiest thing I have ever done. And I don't regret it at all. I am now at the point where I have already told all of my friends (incidentally, a Hindu and another atheist are among them), and won't hesitate to tell my family. And I am telling you, a total stranger, a mere blip in the electronic network of HTML documents and Java applets.

And that, folks, is my tale. A tale of my liberation from religion. I have had far too much caffeine than is healthy...