I was raised to be Roman Catholic from birth. I attended Catholic schools in New Orleans until Hurricane Katrina forced us to relocate to Mississippi, where there are no Catholic schools around, as far as we know. I've attended public school since then, and as the years have gone on, I've had lots of awful things happen to me, including (but not limited to) a woman that would have been my fiance, given the time's death. I was bullied all throughout middle school, and it hardened me and I saw the ways of this world. I've always said since then, "If there is a loving, caring, compassionate 'god' out there...where are they?" (I was taught that 'god' was sexless.) My father squirted holy water on me when he found out I was atheist, which, of course, did nothing, but I guess it made him feel a little better? I don't know, but I digress. My mother has since become Wiccan, as she feels like the Earth is a palpable thing that should be taken care of, and can most definitely be believed in without doubt. I say now that "People shouldn't need an imaginary man in the sky watching them in order for them to be good people." And I live very well being atheist, contrary to what most theists are led to believe. Ricky Gervais put it perfectly: "It's a common misconception that atheists have nothing to live for. Wrong. They have nothing to die for. They have everything to live for."
