by Daniel Metivier
Like every person ever, I was born an atheist.
I was raised a Catholic and was attending Catholic School for a few years but I had issues starting in First Grade.
The Reverend Sisters would tell us stories out of the Bible and they would not make sense to me. I would ask questions. More than once I was sent down to the priest’s office for “disrupting” the class.
The priest would try to answer my questions but it almost always ended with the standard “God’s ways are a mystery” reply.
I was already reading books on Astronomy, History and the Human Body. If something didn’t make sense I would go down to the library ( about a mile bike ride) on Saturday morning and start looking for answers.
I took pride in pointing out historical difference that contradicted what I was being taught. By third grade I was not invited back ( my 2 sisters and 1 brother continued until the family moved when I was in 6th grade).
By 10 I had purchased an English version of the Torah with my paper route money. I still have the notebook where I listed all the difference between the old testament and Torah and between the Torah and historical evidence.
By 11 I had purchased an English version of the Qur’an. I remember having to explain to my mother what the Qur’an was. She was afraid I was trying to become a Muslim like Mohammed Ali.
I also remember when I was 13 a Jehovah Witness duo came knocking on the door. Usually my dad would tell them he was Catholic and they would quickly disappear for some reason.
This time I answered the door and started asking them questions — the first non-Catholic church I ever went to was a Jehovah Witness church.
When I was 15 I joined the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, not because I felt I was a Christian but because they would attend a different faith’s services 1 time each month.
By this time I was well versed in the various Christian sects. I had also purchased the Talmud to go along with the Torah and the Hadiths to go with the Qur’an. I had the book of Mormon as well.
I was already taking College Science and History classes at this point and I was starting a 2 year association with an archaeologist I had met while helping him catalog his vast collection.
He concentrated on religious sites and provided me with a few more books and a couple of still treasured items.
By my mid 20’s I decided to stop attending any church and to let my parents know I was an atheist.
I expected a big uproar from family and friends (all of whom were Catholic and French). I had this speech all prepared but as mothers are known to do, she cut me short and told me they already knew this and wondered what took me so long to tell them.
So I guess I was never a believer, the indoctrination never took hold on me, but I was very active in the church while attending (I was a Minister of Eucharist at one point) and worked with the teenagers at my last church (Independent Baptist).
It just took me 25 years to be comfortable enough to say it!
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My name is Daniel Metivier
I am an individualist who believe in the rights of each individual to practice their personal faith as long as they do not harm to others either physically, mentally or emotionally.
I am a single parent and raised my children to question all “truths”, even mine, until they reached their own decisions. To help those who need help, to show compassion, to be strong in their self, to never accept abuse from another and to be respectful to the elders.
I am an atheist. I do not believe that there is any evidence to support the existence of a god or gods or goddess. I do not preach my beliefs and will respect your beliefs as long as you don’t push them on me.
