I've never ever believed in a 'god'. There is no divine spirit, deity, being, designer, creator. I don't believe in an afterlife.

As I see it - even if there were, he/she/it/they are guilty of such monumental stupidity, cruelty, hatred, pain inflicting, war allowing, death loving, monumental incompetence, that he/she/it/they don't deserve any worship or adulation.

Where religious types like to put 'god' (such as why the universe exists, how it started) I would much rather state an honest "Don't know" than invoke some fake answer created by community leaders thousands of years ago and shamelessly manipulated ever since to leverage control and fear over the population.

During my most formative years, I went to a school that had a short service twice a week, plus a Sunday service, in the local Church. The local Vicar was also the RE teacher at school. Aged 13, it was usual for everyone to start confirmation classes. I attended the first one simply because I thought it was what I had to do. After the first lesson, I spoke to the Vicar ( who I had not known long ) and laid it all out. I didn't believe what he was teaching, not one word of it. I explained that I was lying to myself, and to him, if I pretended this was something I wanted to be doing. He thanked me for my honesty, and I never went again. The Vicar and I struck up a great friendship thereafter, a rock-like-figure during my parents divorce just a few months later. I was even in the school choir, singing in the church ( love Choral music, give me Faure over Fifty-Pence any day ). And, the greatest honour, I sang at his funeral 5 short years later.

I've never had any inkling toward a faith of any sort. My parent played it well - they didn't push religion on me ( they are not religious themselves ) but they sent me to schools where religion was available if I wanted it. We even had a brilliantly exciting holiday when I was about 10 or so, to Israel. I've been to the Church of the Nativity, the Wailing Wall, the Dead Sea, The Sea of Galilee. We went and enjoyed it like someone might enjoy a tour of Lord-of-the-Rings sites in NZ. I still remember tanks on the West Bank - the soldiers sat on top of them, waving at the tourists in their rental car, driving along the River Jordan, and the hellish security at Tel Aviv because my mother had an old, large blood-sugar level machine that would have made the perfect bomb housing.

So - I've been exposed to probably a greater-than-average amount of religion outside the home - but not once, ever, have I felt the need to take an active roll to it. It's just not 'there'. People say they 'feel' a god, or that god 'came' to them. Who knows - maybe he/she/it tried with me, I must have been out.

Should have left a message, I'd have called back.