I am very sorry that I have not written in a long time and that this must be a short letter. I will tell you why I am writing these letters then I am afraid I will have to close and write another. The only time I have to write you is on some Fridays. I am very sorry. If I am to try and convince you from the way I learned it, there might be some problems. For every question I have asked you and other people, there has been an answer. I am still young in years and have quite a lot to learn, but so far even though you say you have found holes in my questions, I can fill them in my mind though its hard to explain them to others. Plus, I have felt God in my very being and even now, when I really have nothing to say, I am given words to say that make sense and some of it I have never learned. I have been exposed to many other religions and athiesm and Islam both really interest me for several reasons, which is why I am writing to you. I am in a Bible study about atheism and science and I had some questions that only an atheist could answer. Yes, I have not been asking you questions, but I have learned many things. I could not believe that anyone could point blank deny God. I still don't think you do but you are waiting for some proof that you cannot deny. Finally, we are commanded to go into all the world and teach others about God. Since I cannot travel I am writing to you, telling you everything I know in ways that I believe you can understand. I hope that clears it up for you. There is a saying that you will believe what you want to believe. If you really believe you are going to die today then you will. The mind is a powerful thing. If you continually convince yourself that there is no God, then no matter what you will continue to believe that.

Great to hear from you again!

You mention that you feel God in your very being, and of all your reasons for believing in a deity, I'd say this is the best. That's something to keep in mind.

I'd be very interested to hear more about your Bible study, particularly about what it says regarding atheism and science. If you could tell me what kind of group it is (casual, formal, if through a church then what denomination), that would help me understand where you are coming from as well. I certainly welcome any questions you -- or, for that matter, anyone in your group -- might have about atheism.

You say that you could not believe that anyone could point-blank deny God. You're right that I don't do this, in part because "deny" is a bit of a loaded term. For example, I don't "deny" that I'm from Japan, but I'd sure be surprised if it was the case since I was born in California. More to the point, I wouldn't come right out and say that there is no deity, because I can't prove any such thing. But, again, I feel that the evidence is very, very much in line with that conclusion. I wouldn't say that I'm waiting for proof that I can't deny since that would imply that I'm searching for proof of God's existence, but it is certainly true that it would take significant evidence to make me change my mind.

Your beliefs include a command to teach others about God. I'm happy to provide you a forum where thousands of people will read what you have to say. I don't have any divine command compelling me, but I, too, believe that the world will be a better place if we all understand each other's beliefs a little better.

You're right that people often believe what they want to believe. I'm sure we all do some of that (and some do a lot of that ). However, I wouldn't put myself in the camp of someone who continually self-convinces that there is no God. My beliefs are the result of many, many years of searching for a belief system that made sense to me, and I spent a lot of time being very religious before I realized that it wasn't something I needed. I have no rancor against religion, and I am always willing to learn. And one thing I've learned is that belief due to need comes in many forms, and we all need to watch for it in ourselves.