Chris Calton
RSA: When did you first realize you were an atheist/agnostic?
CC: I have a hard time pinning down exactly when I realized that I was agnostic. I unequivocally accepted Jesus as my “savior” when I was about four. I wish I could say that I didn’t realize what I was doing, but I think I understood the idea behind it. Of course, at four, we all have a hard time using our capacities to accurately analyze our decisions. So I, at the same time, deny the idea that we freely choose a religion at a young age.
My path towards agnosticism began at around eight, when I first heard the Noah’s Ark story. Having feverishly read Ranger Rick magazines, I knew that the Kangaroo did not live in the Middle East, but rather inhabited Australia. I brought this to my Sunday school teacher’s attention, whose response was “God can do anything.” In which case, I didn’t see much purpose for a flood to wipe out humanity.
From then on, I still considered myself a Christian, but I never read the Bible. It brought up too many questions, and besides, I knew it had to have been edited at some point by someone who had an interest in doing so. To make a long story short, I ended up removed from my Church around fifteen and had already begun exploring other religions at thirteen. Primarily religion from Ancient Greece, Far East and Gnosticism – yes, a broad selection of faiths.
I finally became a de-facto atheist after realizing the weight of scientific evidence against supernatural explanations. This was, as irony would have it, brought to me by a Christian friend of mine with whom I was having a spirited discussion about the historicity of Jesus. He had mentioned a video of a famous atheist, whom I now know is Dawkins, unable to answer a question about giving an example for the increased information in the genome. Naturally, this was a creationist ploy, and I quickly discovered as such. Dawkins’s eloquence was attractive, that was the start of defining myself as Agnostic.
RSA: What are your interests, academics-wise?
CC: Political Science and Psychology, interestingly enough. Both fields offer a strong case for the idea that God was created by man, to control particular individuals and society at large.
RSA: What do you envision as your eventual career?
CC: I will probably run for Senate sometime later in my life. On the way, I plan on working in some capacity that satisfies my strong international curiosity and adventurous spirit. To be more specific, I’m looking at the State Department.
RSA: What are your hobbies?
CC: I absolutely love traveling, white water rafting, camping, and hiking.
RSA: What are your favorite atheist/agnostic books?
CC: Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali,
The Mind’s I by Daniel Dennett,
The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins,
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, and
God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens
RSA: What do you see as the greatest threat to secularism?
CC: The greatest threat to secularism is the near monopoly that religious organizations have on altruism and humanitarian work. Interestingly enough, the atheist and agnostic demographic occupies the highest portion of society in income and education. Why Atheists and Agnostics cannot form equally powerful humanitarian organizations is beyond me.
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