Friends:
Hello, my name is Tom Walker, I am sixty years old and I am a Deist.
For many years I have felt that being close to nature was as close to God as one could ever hope to get. After years of looking and not finding, I stumbled across Deism and here I am.
I have never officially been a member of any church or religion but like most of you I have lived in a Christian oriented society my entire life. My parents were both brought up as Christians but never attended church as far as I can remember. I recall going to Sunday school in the basement of the local Presbyterian Church with my older sister when I was 5 or 6 years old, but my Sunday school days were short lived probably because I protested at some point.
I joined the Navy in 1967, and not wanting to be labeled an atheist I put Presbyterian down as my religion. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time and so my dog tags read “PRESB” along with my serial number and blood type.
There were times when I thought that by becoming a Christian and joining a church that I would somehow feel accepted, but I never did and I never have until now.
I have always been “put off” by religion in general, and over time I have become aware of what I call “religious arrogance” among those who practice it and especially those who preach it.
I am in awe of nature and the universe thanks to people like Darwin, Hubble, and many others and I wish that Thomas Paine could return to rewrite “Age of Reason”, knowing what we know today.
After reading all of your stories I feel a sense of relief and belonging, and Norma is right; we need to come out of the closet.
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