Why are we here? What were we put here to do? A question asked by the youngest of kids, yet not even the wisest can answer. I remember when I was a Christian. I remember like it was yesterday. I remember when I went to the climbing gym with my friend who was also a Christian at the time. There used to be a pamphlet hanging on the billboard about atheism. We used to laugh at the ideas, pointing to the picture of the happy family and we would say “How is that possible? How can they even be happy?”. I used to feel a feeling of hostility towards atheists and their beliefs. I was indoctrinated to believe that atheists were bad people and they had bad ideas.

Now both me and my friend are atheists. When I remember this, I wonder how ignorant I was to feel a deep hate towards something I didn’t understand. Why was I taught to think like this? It’s so bias and prejudice. I remember being told as a child to “save and convert everyone I can”. Now that I think about it, what was I being told to save them from? Independence? Uniqueness? It’s all so confusing. I can’t comprehend all of this…It’s taken path in such short notice. One year I’m laughing at atheists, and the next year I am one. I also remember being told when I was young to stand up for my beliefs. I don’t remember any atheists ever come up to me and say “Oooh, you believe in God! You’re stupid!”. I don’t think it works that way. If anything, it’d be the reverse. “Oooh, you don’t believe in God! You’re stupid!”. Many Christians don’t even live up to their “rules” (10 Commandments, the Golden Rule, etc.).

The world is so complex for a teenager.