I've always been an atheist, Pat. I'm still an atheist. All I was trying to say is that it was easier for me to reject the Christian god as a kid, because he didn't seem "cool" to me. But as a fantasy-loving, D&D playing youngster, I found the idea of other supernatural entities (e.g., demons, ghosts, spirits) to be a much "cooler" concept. I don't know if I ever really believed in them either, but I was more willing to entertain the idea. Later, after I had developed some critical thinking skills, I realized that I couldn't even try to believe in anything for which there wasn't convincing evidence.
I actually believed in Santa Claus for longer than I probably should have. The reason? I had been given a certain body of evidence. First of all, he left presents on X-mas morning. But mostly it was because of a stunt my Dad and his brother played on me when I was about five years old. I still remember the event very clearly. My father called me over to the window and told me to look up in the sky. There was Rudolph's red nose blinking in the sky as Santa's sleigh passed over. I could even hear the sleigh bells. Of course, it was just a jetliner, and my uncle was outside under the window shaking some ornamental bells. But I didn't know that. I was convinced! But within a couple of years, I became adept enough at handwriting analysis to identify my Mom's handwriting on the packages from Santa. I'd also become more aware of what a jet passing over at night looked like. Then there was the "stakeout" where I saw my parents laying everything out Xmas eve. Very disappointing.
:grin01:
