Godless Childhood

My grandparents were Christian, but my parents never to my recollection professed faith or nonfaith and never took me to church. I had some church exposure during visits with my grandparents, but it was neither compelling nor repulsive.

In high school I attended some Young Life meetings mainly because of a girl I had a crush on, and again I was not compelled by the faith expressed and encouraged there. I also was lured to a Southern Baptist youth gathering of some festive name where Elvis' brother was going to make an appearance and some Dallas Cowboys players would say some words. Any of you who've had experience with Southern Baptists already realize how that ended. Elvis' brother is a hellfire and brimstone preacher, and the psychological pressure was intense to confess that you haven't fully accepted Jesus as your savior and report to a church counselor who will further pressure you to do so and join the church and tithe.

I'm fond of saying the Baptists scared me away from church.

And yet without God, church or God-fearing parents to serve as a moral guide I somehow managed to survive and thrive. I never was in legal trouble, don't drink much, have never taken illegal drugs, have never abused legal drugs (except that once, but it was one Vicodin and I did have a toothache, and that was just a couple of years ago), didn't have sex until well into adulthood, don't smoke, etc., etc.. Not that the preceding is ideal, but as it turns out I didn't need God or church to have a moral upbringing.