I'm a bit bored after finishing school (weird) and wanted to talk about something.

I am not sure how Gary Wells can state something so obvious ("It's up to you," Letters/Jan. 22) and receive so much flak. He is, if anything, too lenient on the Bible bashers, seeing them as only being too into themselves and being lax in seeing the harm they do. Dino Wenino's Jan. 27 letter nit picks Gary's "Lord" to pretty well say the same thing as Gary.

Being more interested in how atheists in general think, I waded through Steve Ford's Jan. 26 letter, "All Christians think they're true." Steve Ford actually has two or three things correct: (1) no man is perfect, (2) mainstream religion is about a form of control and (3) Jesus dying for man's sins is symbolic. So far, he gets it but slides badly as he blames religion for only being a business. Sure, it's a business of sorts, in a business world, and it's disgusting how usurpers gain from the religiously unresolved.

Steve Ford's list of culprits, starting with Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, are suspiciously on my list which also includes the illicit Rev. Jesse Jackson and Jimmy Swaggart who both have been caught with their pants down (literally). Ford totally skips the core point of believing or not believing in a power greater than himself. We do not owe lazy critics anything. We owe ourselves. We are responsible to ourselves and the power that created us. Some like Billy Graham help us to a mental commitment but truly, many don't. Man, including members of the clergy, are not perfect.

As Steve Ford regularly tries, it is difficult to understand why atheists fight so hard "not to believe" and to belong to a empty-purposed club. What an interesting concept, to believe in nothingness, to have no purpose, and no accountability. Is there nothing to be morally, ethically or spiritually accountable for?

The point I conclude so far is that atheists' lives are too convenient, too easy, too responsibility-free and the possibility of a power greater than themselves scares the hell (pardon the expression) out of them. It is spiritual cowardness at its best, but like Gary Wells says, "It's up to you!"

Nonbelievers gamble there is no God, but think about it. If they are right, they lose to nothingness. If they are wrong, they still lose. Bad bet, wouldn't you say?

Call God, your creator, by any name you chose but don't blame weakness in man to support your wimpy, lazy conclusions.

CURT WARTICK, Casper