Hi all....I'm BAAAAACK!  My name's Melissa.  I joined T/A some time ago, participated, and enjoyed it a lot before deleting my account a few months ago.  Why did I leave, you ask?  Well, allow me to explain.  When I originally joined I used my full name, just like it asked when I registered.  Silly me - it didn't occur to me that it would be my username.  So I had no idea that it would be used it publicly!   Well, recently I started job hunting and realized that my T/A page was coming up under a Google search for me.  Yup, you guessed it, I wussed out.  I didn't want any prospective employers to find me on an atheist social networking site, so I deleted my account. 

I know, I know, I'm a chickenshit, but I just didn't want to take any chances.  We atheists are the most hated minority in the country after all, and I do need a job, so I felt it was the best thing to do.  But there's still a part of me that feels like I should have stood tall and come out of the closet fully. 

See, I'm one of those people who believe that the more of us who come out of the close then the more we'll be accepted (eventually).  Main stream society just doesn't know enough of us - we're like this dark mystery to people and they don't trust us.  The more of us they get to know, the more they'll see us as regular people.  Eventually - over time - some of the trust and fear will start to lessen. At least I believe that's something that would help.  So the question is why the hell didn't I stand up and walk proudly out of the closet? Easier said than done. Still, I feel like such a wuss. 

Anyway, I'm back and looking forward to taking part in discussions again.