To my Children...

 I hope this will find you in good company and in good health. It would seem that I have found myself in a slight predicament.

 I, your father, am an Atheist. Most of those around me are not, don't care, or are too at peace to be conscious of us in the minority. I do have concerns for you two. I worry about your minds, so precious and malleable, Your mother, is too agnostic to see that you are not 18 yet, you shouldn't have fairytales put upon you. Your mother's family is steeped in tradition. I am not sure what the rest of the family thinks, though, I think there is a bit of "Well, Just talking about it won't hurt." I have no idea if rebuttals are apart of those conversations or not, allowing for thoughts of "It may be, and it may not be." I begrudgingly allow Santa to be apart your life, my son. Hopefully what I can teach you will rub off on your sister, to question everything, question what you read, what you hear, what you are expected to believe and learn to know how to believe the first time, when and when not to. We send you to a Xtian daycare, cuz that's where we can afford it. Im not worried that you will be whipped into a religious mind set. I am worried that religion will play a role at all, "Cuz that's the way it is." and "What harm will it do, he's just a boy." If I can get you taught well, then raising your sister will be easier. The way you look after her as really quite admirable. I am working on getting some books to read to you two, bed time stories and such. This world can be a really scary place and having the right armor is important. Arming yourself with the correct questions is essential to survival...mental and emotional survival. The tinge of fear I believe to be real, for you two, fear of you two being so young and impressionable, so easily mentally and emotionally pillaged with God, this God, that God, Which God today? Amongst the fear though, I do see the light at the end of the tunnel. There's the reason, logic, and critical thinking that I hope you learn better then I have. It would appear that missed that boat when I was a child. Somehow I learn the bad habits of believing whatever I heard. Its been a long hard road for me to unlearn those bad habits and learn better habits, learn the correct habits. My Journey hasn't been smooth, and looking back, do I wish it had been any other way. I took my lumps and now I am happy for them. You will be spare my lumps, and I will teach you to weather the verbal hurricanes of the religiously indignant.

 I tend to ramble I know, I have so much to say to you both that its hard for me to focus. I leave you with this thought:

What a wonderful world this is when the sour and bitter veil has been lifted.

I love you both, So very much
Your Father.

A name change

I think, Born again Atheist, is a little more suited. We are atheist to begin with, and some of us find Atheism again later in life. As well, the play on Christianity's, Born again Christian. A bit ironic, don't you think, that one can be born again, yet they never were anything related to begin with, to become again.

A Tattoo can save you?

 I may have written about this already, but the pic is the tattoo in question, that had someone trying to "save me." I chose a cross because it is universally recognised, not because its religious. I get it, some people see religion in a cross and take that path, and that's fine, that's part of why I got the tat. What you see is what it means to you, but understand, it has my meaning first.

 My meaning for the tat is that we are all bound by higher power. My higher is Science and the Universe. Through all this, I do not see where religion gets off, saying that what they/it sees is what it means, therefore, I need to be saved.