Scott - I SO did not mean to ignore your message, but it never showed up in my email, and I still wouldn't have seen it, but I came here in response to another message that did.

I can't say that there was anything in particular that "turned me." I was clearly raised to believe the Christian credo - I recall as a small child, playing that I was "the devil," throwing bad people into hell.

I guess National Geographic had a lot to do with it - I remember reading stories about people in other parts of the world, with dramatically different religions, and I recall asking my mother, why, with all of the other religions in the world, do we know that ours is the correct one. Her answer was always, "Because it just is." I loved my mother, but that answer never really satisfied me.

So at the end of my Junior year of High School, I stole about 20 books from the library on various religions, Greek and Roman mythology, and such, and returned them in the Fall, having read them all over the summer. (Interesting story - I knew they would never let me check them out for the summer, as that just wasn't done, so I knew I'd have to steal them. Then I pondered how to do it. Hide a book in my pants? That meant at least 20 chances to get caught. So I hit upon a radical idea - I stacked all 20 on a table, picked them up, and carried them out right in front of the Librarian, who doubtless assumed I must have had a good reason, as no one in their right mind would steal 20 books from right under a Librarian's nose. Sadly she was right - oh, I got away with the books, but I can't honestly say I've EVER been in my right mind - really not sure what that is --)

Anyway, sorry I missed your message!