"But, you couldn't really be an atheist"

What follows is an entry that I originally posted on my blog Meanwhile, Someplace Else... as the introduction to a series of entries through which I would explore and explain the road to my atheism. I never finished the series, but I've been wanting to, and after Cary invited me to be a part of this blog, I decided this would be the perfect avenue through which to do just that. So here's part one. I hope to follow with part two next week.

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One of the reasons I decided to be open about my atheism was further supported recently when, in a mostly pleasant conversation, I was told that I couldn’t possibly really be an atheist because I’m too nice. What seems to be a relatively common perception of what sorts of people are atheists is distorted and false. I don’t take my atheism as carte blanche to do and say whatever I like all others be damned--neither do any of my atheistic friends. I consider myself a moral and ethical person who tries to live my life with care and concern for other people, which has nothing to do with my religious beliefs or lack thereof.

It is because of these misconceptions, that I felt I needed to ‘come out’ as an atheist just as I came out as gay. I have no grand intention or scheme to convert my Christian friends, nor do I hate all Christians. In fact, I have deep respect for a great deal of Christian friends, though it's not because of their Christianity, it's because of who they are as people. It’s just not something I can subscribe too. This has been a long process; one that started when I was ten and a Jehovah’s Witness, and I was told by an ‘elder’ that my best friend Andrea wouldn’t be in Paradise because she wasn’t a Jehovah’s Witness. The ‘elder’ went on to tell me that she would be one of the bodies we climb as we ascend up to heaven to watch as God destroys the Earth if I don't 'save' her. I realize that the Jehovah’s Witnesses are an extra-kooky branch of Christianity--this is only where the thought process began. But this is another story for another time.