When I was 10, my 4th grade teacher (a catholic nun) told our catechism class that a man could be a good son, a good father, a good brother and could go through his entire life never lying, cheating or stealing, but, if he was never baptized or he never acknowledged Jesus Christ as his saviour, the creator would burn him in hell forever. When she said that, I knew she was wrong. I wasn't able to verbalize the reasons at that age, but I knew, just as sure as I knew that it was cold in Nebraska in December, that she was wrong. She was very old and had spent her entire adult life studying and teaching the bible, yet, at 10 years of age, I knew she was wrong. I couldn't help but think that, if she was wrong about this one thing, what else in her teachings was wrong?

I did not become an atheist that day. It took about 11 more years of questioning and doubting and thinking, but I eventually came to the conclusion that god was only make-believe. I came to that realization about 30 years ago and not one day has gone by since that I have not heard or seen or read something that strengthened my non-belief.

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