As is the case with most other Atheists and skeptics that I have had the pleasure to meet, I was rather isolated amongst others my age when I was younger. Apart from my immediate family, I was the only Atheist and skeptic in the whole of my hometown that I was aware of.
Unlike many Atheist families I have met, both my brother and myself were not originally raised to believe in a religion, or even as part of a church for social reasons. As such, neither of us have even been able to understand what it is like to believe. I have had many discussions with others regarding how it is possible for the religious to believe whatever it is they believe. To me, it simply does not make any sense. This may be one reason why I have found that Atheism and skepticism makes so much more sense to me.
Growing up where I did was in some ways very lonely. Of the approximately 150,000 people in my hometown, I knew only three Atheists, and that was myself and the rest of my immediate family. As far as I am aware, many of rest of the population were Catholics, and not very nice ones at that.
My elementary school had about 1000 students, aged six to twelve. Throughout my elementary school years I was an outspoken Atheist. While I was proud of this and perfectly secure in my beliefs, or lack thereof, many of the other students did not appreciate my beliefs. For about the whole of my six years I bore the brunt of the animosity of many of my fellow school mates. At least once a week I was subject to the hatred of non believes that is evident in most religions that I am aware of.
I was called many horrible things by the other students. In addition, I was the target of a few threats of violence, simply because I was a supposed “devil-worshiper”. Not only that, but I was, for the most part, isolated in the school. I had very few friends, largely due to my lack of belief in a god, and those friends did not remain my friends for very long.
Stirling, at least you had us. Many atheists I know of tell the same story I had, that we were totally alone in town. I had two people that I contacted that had written letters that were clearly anti-religion, I met up with them but we didn’t end up “clicking” we didn’t have the luxury of the Internet or meet-ups. But that was the real first time that I met a like minded thinker (one of them was culturally Jewish the first Jewish person that I knew, and I found it really odd that he was nonreligious, I learned later that that is more common than I thought).
You mention how teased you were in elementary school. You and your brother were very different to these children, not only were you not Catholic but you two were the only white kids there (add in the blue eyes and blond hair and you two were freaks, LOL).
I don’t think it is totally clear in your blog that you were the “in your face atheist” in school that you were. You were picked on because you were very different and didn’t care to be like everyone else. You truly weren’t the shy quiet picked on child.
I think you should tell the story about Jr High School and your protest over the Pope’s death, also your action against the fundie sub teacher at Salinas High. And how at the beginning of your senior year you told me that your goal was to get suspended at least once.