Have you ever told someone not to bother arguing with the religious? That it's not worth it? That you'll never change their beliefs? Then please take a moment to read this.

I was raised Christian. I went to church and Sunday school, I had my very own bible, I knew the ten commandments... All that good stuff.

Then one foggy Christmas eve, my grandfather died. I actually saw him clutch his chest and stumble into the next room. My Mother rushed in and my Father dialed an ambulance. I don't remember seeing him get put into the ambulance, but I do remember that after that day I never saw him again. I was no more that seven years old. This triggered in me, concerns about my own death. I had been told that people went to heaven when they died, but I wanted to know how to know that was true. What if death was just the end? That was when I decided to embrace my religion properly. At that young age I just wanted to know that Grandad still existed somewhere, and that I would join him one day. Over the years that followed I started going to youth groups, started reading the bible, and even started telling my Christian family that they weren't Christian enough. I spent a lot of time, and a lot of effort, affirming my beliefs in this way. I felt as though I needed to believe.

I tell you this to show you that I was about as dead set in my Christianity as a person can be. I had my beliefs and any learning I did about them was just to find reasons to strengthen my faith. Despite this seemingly impenetrable wall of certainty, once I got a little older, and those sorts of things became something that other people my age were contending with, some of my non-religious friends argued with me about it. It was devastating. I found it was easy, even effortless for these other kids to instantly shoot down any justification for my belief in God, no matter how I tried to defend them. Even with all of the ammunition provided by religious authorities in my life the most meager of efforts flattened my beliefs with ease. It was through emotion that I came to Christianity, but it was through reason that I left it.

However, I still wanted to believe in the afterlife - that was the idea that pushed me into religion in the first place - so I became a Buddhist. No, not a real Buddhist. I should say I became a watered-down, westernised Buddhist. This worked for me in two ways: one, I could believe in the afterlife, without needing to pretend to believe in God, and two, I could seem really cool. I remember when I knew my friend was going to be bringing some of his friends over to my house, and I got into a meditation position in the middle of my room just so when my mother sent them down to see me they'd find me cross legged in a beam of sunlight. I looked spiritual as balls!

However even this came to an end. After wallowing in my suburban/eastern farce for about a year, further arguments with my friends eventually crushed this belief too.

I would like to give you a better, more emotional story about how I lost my faith, but in the end it's as simple as that. The non-religious were right, and I was wrong. That's why it was so easy for them to defeat any argument that was presented. All arguments are easy to win when you're right!

But think what a bullet I dodged there. If not for the people in my life who cared about me more than they worried about offending me, I may very well be still wasting my life in service of a God who just isn't there. In vague hope of an afterlife that just isn't coming. And worse - I may be trying to impose those beliefs on others. I'm grateful to all those who were bold and honest enough to call me on my bullshit.

So when someone tells me that arguing with a religious person just isn't worth it, I tell them I'm not willing to give up on someone that easily. After all, it was worth it for me.