Church Just Isn't For Me

     I do not attend church. This is because I am an atheist. This means that I do not believe in any deity or religion. This may seem simple, but it took me a long time to figure out that I feel this way. I am actually a confirmed Congregationalist, and I was confirmed in the Spring of 2009. I discovered that I was atheist after a discussion I had with another atheist friend of mine.  In this discussion I had with a friend of mine, we talked alot about pure philosophy for hours on end. 
     During this talk, we talked about the philosophies of various religions, and their spiritual leaders and deities. This topic brought to light many questions I had about certain aspects of Christianity. At the end, I decided to ask him why he was an atheist. He told me that his main reason for basically disowning faith was because he felt that heaven, reincarnation, and nirvana were all purely incentives or rewards for being good in this life. I then realized, why should I have to be rewarded for being a good person? My reward comes in feeling good about myself. Ever since, I have not been to church. 

Ten Things that are Bro (i.e. i am thankful for them)

I, Paul Hargrove, am thankful for the following ten things:
1. My family. These are the people that I love the most, and they mean the world to me.
2. My friends. My friends have been the kindest people in the world to me, and I would not be the person that I am today without them. 
3. My health. I am a healthy teenager, and I am glad that I can experience life to the fullest as a healthy human being.
4. The band. Through the good times and the bad, the band, and especially the drumline has always been there for me, and I love them all so very much. 
5. Nourishment. I am thankful that my father can provide me with food that nourishes my body to help me stay healthy.
6. Safety. Although we may live across the river from a very dangerous city, I am glad that I live in El Paso, in a safe neighborhood, that I can safely say comforts me to know that I can go to sleep at night knowing that I will be safe all night.
7. Education. I am glad and thankful for the ample choices of education that are provided for me, they will help me become a productive member of society.
8. Music. Ever since i was little, i have loved music. It has been such a big part of my life, and I am just glad that there are other musicians out there that feel the same way that I do.
9. Weather. I know this sounds strange, but one of my favorite things in the whole world is being caught in the middle of a huge thunderstorm, it just makes me so happy.
10. I am thankful for my bros, which indeed fit in a separate category then my friends, as they are such a huge part of my life, and I love them all!