As everyone else in this world i was born with no belief or even concept of gods.
Parents, school, friends lit the spark and like most other people i was converted from ignorance to belief in god and the local predominant religion, in my case the Abrahamic god and the CoE.
By age 13 i was questioning the teachings, by 14 left the church. Over those months and a few more i read several bibles looking for answers and came to the conclusion whole idea of gods was the glue for narrow minded and selfish cliques. This of course was my own view based on experience.
An experience that drove me to my choice.
First i was guided (or indoctrinated) to religion
Because of that religion i chose to become atheist.
For complicated family reasons my eldest sister decided the family should be baptised together in the Mormon church.
I was eight years old, she was ninteen. Her , another sister and myself constituted the family.
My mother, probably more agnostic than atheist, didn’t want to refuse her daughter, but gave my other sister and I free choice.
I said yes because it mattered to my sister, and I was curious about what went on.
So, I found myself dressed in white, being led to the baptismal pool in a very impressive church.
I didn’t have any god trip going on, so the experience was not religious.
I simply allowed it all to happen.
The environment was certainly intense in a way I hadn’t experienced before, but more like a movie I was immersed in.
Full body immersion in the hands of strangers muttering prayers was surreal and also very engaging.
In effect it was my introduction to ritual magic.
Having never officially recanted, I am still officially a Mormon in their eyes.
Who knows, that may come in handy. Like a fake passport, LOL
