I ask myself if it was worth going through everything I did with religion. I hear that a lot of atheists want people to stop believing in religious ideas. They argue that all magical thinking is inherently dangerous. Some Christians argue that even if Christianity turned out to be false, even though they don’t believe it is, that just having faith is a comforting thing and for that reason it’s good. Maybe hope is a good thing, even false hope. I don’t know for sure. I do know I can’t force myself in believe something, that I truly don’t think is real.

I don’t think religions will ever go away. And I don’t think that I really care to argue vehemently that they should. Some people find comfort in believing in these things. I know that’s true. But, even if that wasn’t the case, there does seem to be a need to believe in something. Christians say that’s a desire for God. Atheists say that’s just human’s pattern seeking mindset. Either way, I don’t think we can change it.

I’m now at peace with my past. I don’t really mind, anymore, that I was raised to believe a lot of things without really having any good reason to believe them. Finding my way through these religious arguments helped me think critically about the world, and that’s a useful tool.

I have no interest in imposing my beliefs on anyone, although, I am more than willing to talk to anyone about these issues. But, my wife is free to have her own beliefs, and so are my kids. No one can really force another to believe in something. At best, they can present their arguments and let them decide for themselves.

I don’t know the kind of person I would have been had I not been raised in a Christian family. So, I can’t really say, that I’m a better person for having gone through belief in God to skepticism. But, I think, in retrospect, that it was a good thing.