By Bill Tozier

Hi Martin,

thank you for your response! I am a 75 yro retired Electrical Engineer that moved from Iowa to Alabama 10 yrs ago. I remarried a Ukraine Doctor 8 yrs ago. At 12 while attending Bible School United Methodist I started doubting religion. At 40 I stopped going to church. At that time I called myself Agnostic (to myself). At 72 with the help of the Internet I called myself an Atheist.

At 74 I wrote this letter to my only living relatives, a sister and 3 of my children. I call myself a 'Bright' now to get away from the stigma of Atheism. Thank you for the joy I get from your website, please keep up the good work! And may the 100-150 year old beautiful oak tree in my back yard bless you!

Bill Tozier in Foley, Alabama where there is one Unitarian church (with 100 members) within 30 miles and 30 Baptist churches within 1 mile............

I am a 74 year old man that was raised Methodist, my parents were Methodist and my three children are Methodist. I tried for many years to believe in the Christian doctrine but my problem was I was a born skeptic.

I always wanted to know the whys of everything. At a very young age I asked my mother “where did God come from?” She said “I don’t know he was here from the beginning and created everything”. At Bible School I asked many questions and was always told its all in the Bible. I asked my minister did Jesus write the Bible and he said no it was written by many prophets that came after Jesus died ( and you know what happens to a story after it is told about three times it is hard to recognize it. One time my minister told me that if I didn’t stop asking so many questions that I wasn’t going to make a good Christian. For many years I got the same response it’s all in the Bible. I thought that maybe I was the only one that didn’t believe many of these stories.

I become ashamed to talk about this subject, most people would tell me read the Bible. I read many parts some I couldn’t understand others I couldn’t believe. I felt it was a strange fairy tale mostly lies and fantasies about invisible spirits, heaven, hell, Christians killing Christians, women were not mans equal, blacks were created to serve whites, parting of the seas, and snakes that talked. I have cone to the conclusion that Christianity is good for lazy minds a comfort to those who do not want to think just tell me what to think and if I sin it’s no big problem I just pray to Jesus and he will forgive me for anything?? It’s all too easy to be the truth. Thanks to the internet for reinforcing my feelings now I know I have lots of friends thinking people that feel the same as I do.

This year I admitted to my family, and my close friends that I am an Atheist and I thank mother earth and evolution for making life possible. I am not trying to convert anyone to my thinking I just wish that I had encouraged my children to study the religions of the world and evolution and then make their choice and I would respect their choice and hope that they would respect others for their choice and always to remember to treat others like they would like to be treated. I feel that I have had a wonderful life with no serious regrets. It feels good to finally to have my answers to life and I try to live every day like it’s my last because I know there in no life after death. Don’t pray for me pray for all the starving and dying children in the world that God doesn’t give a damn about! I love you all very much I respect your feelings and I hope you will respect mine. Please come to Alabama before I die and not after. I love you all and feel that we have had a wonderful life.

Dad

They were all shocked and they said they would pray for me. If I disclosed this to my neighbors or close friends I might get a burning cross in my front yard!

Bill Tozier