I was in Target today and the cashier said that she liked the tats on my hands; I have a blue crescent moon just under the web on each hand.

I thanked her and said that I used to be a practicing pagan and asked her if she knew about paganism and the symbolism of the moon. Before she could answer, a woman behind me asked, "You said you used to be pagan; what are you now?"

I turned to her, smiling, and said, "I am a pagan atheist now. I still like the ideology of paganism, but I do not believe in any gods."

Her eyes widened a bit and I KNOW that she expected me to say, "I am a Christian because I found Jesus." I explained to her, "I also attended a fairly fundamentalist Christian church for over ten years and was raised Baptist. I was pagan for about 13 years and have been an atheist for well over ten."

She nodded and said, "Ah, raised Baptist," as if that explained some part of my story.

I took my bag, wished everyone a good day, they responded in kind, and I left the store.

I live in Missouri and never hide my atheism. Sometimes, people ask why I am an atheist and want to discuss the issue, but I have never had anyone dump on me for my non-belief (not to say I have not had hostile reactions in other areas, i.e. when I tell militants Christians that their interpretation of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures are wrong). I never hid being a pagan either, and no one ever confronted me angrily or tried to convert me.

I am not sure if it is my attitude or luck.