How She Realized She Was an Atheist, Every Step of the Way

Rebecca Thering, like many readers, grew up going to church and eventually realized she was an atheist. She just published a blow-by-blow of how that transition happened and it’s fascinating to see how those little cracks in her faith eventually shattered:

I’m in fifth grade. I find a pink receipt from Ward-Brodt — a receipt for a gift Santa had given us for Christmas. I put two and two together and then cry in my room. I feel ashamed, sad, upset that I’ve been lied to all this time, and upset at myself for having believed so strongly.

I’m in sixth grade. During Sunday School, my religious ed teacher says that part of the Bible is made up of stories intended to teach lessons. Not true stories. Wait a minute… I begin to question the existence of god.

There’s one point where Rebecca talks about how, as a freshman in high school, she wrote a letter to her mother explaining her thoughts about God. I remember writing a letter just like that as a freshman (maybe to convince myself I was onto something more than to convince anyone else). I wonder how many details in all of our “coming out” stories overlap like that.

Read the full piece here.