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Read other letters about this article
I'd just like the thank Cary for his response, and everyone else who took the time to write letters. I'm really kind of blown away at everyone's thoughtfulness and good wishes.
Although I doubt that I will ever become a theist, or even a believer in any non-material reality, I think that Cary was right to suggest that I need to "freak out" a bit. I've been a pretty buttoned-up guy my whole life, and maybe that's why I've been so successful at pushing troubling thoughts to the back of my mind for so long. As many have noted, I'm nearing forty, and I have had more than my share of deaths in the family. I suppose that confronting unpleasant possibilities and confounding questions is natural at this point in my life.
I think it's important to add that I am a real atheist, and my letter was not a ruse by some clever fundamentalist Christian. When I spoke of the "consequences" of my atheism, I wasn't referring to any potential punitive response from God; I merely meant that one consequence of abandoning religious faith is losing the comfort that comes with the idea of everlasting life.
Thanks again to everyone who has taken the time to respond. You've given me a lot to think about, and a fascinating reading list to tackle.
