My abandonment of faith really began when I was probably 8 years old. I remember them talking about scapular (the devotional type) and how a blessed one was kind of like a get out of hell free card (not sure if it is still viewed as such, but this was late 80's). Me, being of curious mind, asked if this applied to people who were thieves, murders, etc. I was told no, because they would not wear one because those people don't believe in God (which was obviously a veiled attack on atheism as well, by the teacher). I kept pushing and ended up having to go see the priest, whom at the time was a really good human being who would have made a good therapist had he chose to pursue that as a career. In the end, I could not buy into this black and white, good and evil mentality or the idea that this is how it is because this is how it is. I don't like the idea of being told not to question something, as I have always felt the only way to learn is to question it. So I just kind of went through the motions of it all but between those types of events and, as I got older, learning about some of the things the catholic church has done and still does as an organization, I just stepped away.

  I just kind of realized that this was not where I would find the answers I was looking for, or any form of happiness or satisfaction. I was just a kid who did not buy into the sacredness of religion, or the idea that objects and symbols were anything more than that.

  As an adult, I find myself disgusted by a lot of the actions of this organization, and feel at times the bad far outweighs the good. I find this to be a shame considering there are some individuals out there who are good people and do good things, and get overshadowed simply by their religious affiliation.