Atheist before finding reddit. Wish I had known about this place before my struggle with fairy tales. [self]

author: JohnOTD (1 months) | author karma: 1/9 | original story's comments | [flag](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%23atheismbot&subject=flag&message=Please describe why you're flagging this submission - http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/comments/nunlx/atheist_before_finding_reddit_wish_i_had_known/)

I was raised in a spiritual home. My mother was really into new age spirituality, but we attended a unity church on sundays (not to be confused with UU, which is what my wife considers herself). I've always had a strong sense of justice and would fight "bullies" in middle school. Out of fear my mother put me in a christian school for high school. At this school, some cute girl invited me to church with her and, due to being inundated in christian culture I basically became brain washed. I even "felt the call" to ministry and attended seminary...for a year.

It was at seminary that I began to say "lol wtf am I reading" and started drifting back to reason. At this point I wasn't actively considering that there wasn't a god, just struggling with the christian idea of god.

Fast forward to 2 years after seminary and I was stricken with a guilty conscience for having "strayed from god" and ended up dating a christian woman thinking it would help me get back on the "right" path. Luckily she wasn't so much a christian, but a whore, which drove me instantly back to reason. It was at this point that I began considering evidences for the lack of god which I won't go into here because others have already stated many of the conclusions I came to much more eloquently.

The reason I share this is because I became an atheist without any guidance which I feel has disadvantaged me in some ways. I never got to read Hitchens or Dawkins during my transition to godless freedom because I didn't know about their writings (which was probably also influenced by the fact that I was living in the USVI at the time).

I recently ordered a copy of The God Delusion which should be here in a few days. I also got an audiobook copy of God is Not Great that I have been enjoying thoroughly.

I have enough to afford one more book now and was wondering if you guys could make suggestions.

TL;DR Atheist who made the transition to reason on his own looking for reading suggestions.

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