Drumroll, please…
I graduated from Wheaton College this month. Yes that’s right, I’m “free”. I’ve known for awhile that I was going to graduate early. That’s why I stayed at Wheaton after becoming an atheist.
You’re probably expecting me to divulge some personal details about myself now that I have my Wheaton degree. But I’m not going to give a big reveal, and I feel bad about that. I probably owe my readers at least a portion of my life story, for staying with me and enduring my annoyingly vague and anonymous blog. But I’m not actually a blogger or an internet person, so that’s not going to happen. And now that I’m out of Wheaton, I can go back to what’s actually important in my life instead of keeping a disproportionate focus on my lack of religion.
The truth is, I’m really sick of this blog. I’m sick of talking about being an atheist. Frankly, I don’t really care anymore that I’m an atheist. While I was at Wheaton it seemed like a big deal, and it probably was there. But now that I’m slightly closer to the real world, I just don’t think it’s that important whether you’re an atheist or a Christian. It’s definitely not important enough for me to keep up a blog about it.
Thanks for staying with me, and thanks for your comments and discussions. I’m going to keep this site up here for now in the hope that it might help some other Christian-college-student-turned-atheist who goes online for hope that they aren’t alone. I won’t be approving any new comments, but I will be checking the blog email address every once in awhile.
Well, that’s it. Peace.
farewell and…
enjoy life.
so long, and thanks for all the fish
Good luck with everything.
Congrats!
Thank you for your posts. Regardless of how you feel right now, your previous postings have been thoughtful and interesting to read. I really was quite riveted by the… uh…. I guess the only word would be conflict of private vs. public selves.
Many atheists face that exact conflict in much smaller ways – “will my coworkers hate me if they find out I’m an atheist?” “how can I avoid going to church next week without pissing mom off?” etc – whereas you have had an intense and long conflict between private and public, which has been very interesting to read about.
I salute your strength and ability to put up with what you were surrounded by.
Congratulations, and good luck in the future!!
Congratulations and farewell. I understand not wanting to focus so strongly on the atheistic identity. In contrast to Christians, focusing on one’s atheism definitely is not always the most important thing for an atheist.
I became an agnostic while at Cedarville College (now C.University)… big with the baptist stuff. It’s hard turning away, but I did… it’s good to see other people see the light of day in places like that.
Oh, to add… I eventually became an atheist, too. A Christian college is a GREAT way to turn someone away from the fold. 🙂
Hello. I was wondering if Wheaton could “rescind” your degree, for your “bad faith” at the time you acquired it. Is that possible and is it something you worry about?
Congratulations on your graduation, and thank you for being open enough to talk about what you have been through.
It is not bad that you feel that the blog has run its course. You even said that your atheism no longer seems as pivotal as it once did, and that is a good thing.
You have escaped into a (slightly) more tolerant world, and your musings may well encourage other young people to think about why they belive what they belive.
Speaking out is its own reward.
Autumn
Best in all you do. Thanks for keeping a blog concerning your experiences.
Sincerely,
Ed Babinski (editor of Leaving the Fold: Testimonies of Former Fundamentalists)
By the way at the university where I work some students recently founded a group called SoFI (Society of Free Inquirers), and I’m going to share with them your blog.