I live in a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains. As small towns go, it's pretty cool. But being an atheist here is a lonely thing. To illustrate how pervasive Christianity is here, let me say I live on Church Street. This is no misnomer. There are five major churches within shouting distance of my apt and on Sunday morning I get to hear competing bells. I am outspoken about my atheism. This has garnered me efforts from well-meaning acquaintances who informed me that they were praying for me. I've had tracts left in my mailbox and on my doorstep. I've been asked if I've read the bible. (That particular inquirer was shocked to be informed that I indeed had. I told him that I had studied the Torah and other books in Hebrew and read his "New Testament" in Greek AND Latin. He gulped and left. Hehehe. Hebrew school and a Classics degree are good for something!) I've had people accost me while shopping in the grocery to ask if I knew Jesus. (Answer: No, never met him, not interested, now go AWAY! And I reported them to the store manager!) I've even had a person stop me to remark on a pair of pants that I was wearing, saying they indicated that I "must pray a lot," pointing at the knee patches. When I didn't get it, he said, "You are on your knees to God!" I replied, "No, actually I'm an atheist." and walked off, thereby totally f*cking with his worldview. In the library where I work, we wage a war keeping the few books about atheism available and readable, as patrons hide them, steal them, or deface them. (And let me add that I do not think that this is the work of the few nonbelievers in town.)