A true love story to kick off the year. I have talked to the couple and they gave me permission to tell their story. She was raised in a non-religious home, but had relatives who were Christians. She recalls her aunt once yelling at her mother over Christmas dinner because Kate had not been baptized. Kate began calling herself an atheist when she was old enough to explore the issues on her own. Still, Kate was very outspoken about her non-belief in God. She had a on the back of her car. She admits she sometimes sought out Christians for the sole purpose of starting an argument — and she would make jokes about Christianity. Not often, but it happened. When Kate moved into her dorm room her freshman year, she was greeted with cut-outs of Christian sayings that were placed on the wall. A separate group put up a banner in the central part of campus on April 1. Kate managed to endure the Christian environment through the social support network she had back home, but that support was several hundred miles away. Her experience with Christians finally changed during her junior year of college. She met a guy named Erik in one of her Spanish classes and they became friends. Though, as with many college acquaintances, once the class ended they lost touch. Facebook profiles give people a chance to write a short description about themselves — they can also list their religion affiliation. Kate and Erik quickly shifted their eyes to see what the other had written in the biography field. It was a shock for both of them. They decided to go out, but neither brought up what they had seen on Facebook. However, a couple outings later, they realized just how different their views were. Erik was a devout Christian who led a Bible study group. Yet, as Kate and Erik got to know each other, they found that they shared interests and beliefs on just about everything outside the realm of religion. They were becoming good friends and a tight bond was forming. Not long after, they began dating, which was as surprising to them as it was for everyone who knew them. And their relationship helped them realize how badly they were treating people who held different viewpoints. Kate says she learned how to speak appropriately around Christians. As she began to know more about Erik, however, she discovered there were educated Christians in the world. Erik changed as well. Before meeting Kate, he had held the view that all atheists were the product of a bad childhood experience with religion or the result of abuse in the church. Essentially, he believed atheists were atheists because they hated God or Christianity. Through Kate, he learned that it was possible to be an atheist based on reasoned, logical arguments. It was a well-thought-out system of non- belief. It was a tough transition for the couple, but they began to get used to their differences. When they found out he was serious about this relationship, they attempted to stop him, telling him that if he married an atheist he would be disobeying God. They just wanted what they thought was best for him. They were also scared. Their dream of having Christian grandchildren was slipping away. Even worse, they were afraid they would lose their son and not see him in Heaven. At one point, Erik stopped speaking to his parents. He understood where his parents were coming from: he, too, had once believed that deep inside everyone wanted to be a Christian — it was just a matter of having the opportunity to hear the gospel. It never crossed his mind that other viewpoints could have merit. In church, they were taught that these types of theological conversations stopped with the proper Christian answer. But during the meeting, the mother brought out the Bible and began reading a verse about how God was in control of the situation. Kate nodded politely, but inside she was irritated. When Kate heard the reasons, she knew exactly the proper explanations to respond with, but this time she kept her mouth shut. His parents kept their cool. She was a sinner just like eve
