I was baptized at the age of three months, but never believed the Christian message.
I read a picture-version of the Bible at about age six, on my own initiative. Almost immediately I saw through the stories of Hell and considered that they would be extremely useful tools for the rulers of a nation who wanted to keep the citizenry in line. As for stories like the Garden of Eden and the Flood, I was absolutely amazed to learn that many people saw them as fact rather than fiction.
As I got older I learned enough about Christian doctrine to also reject the concepts of Original Sin and substitutionary atonement.
A good portion of my skepticism can be attributed to my parents, who did not attempt to indoctrinate me and who did not force me to attend church. |