over and over and over again while | was working. That afternoon, | told God | couldn’ t believe in him any more because--even though he was supposed to be a loving and all-powerful being--he had allowed such devastation to happen. And then | heard the voice of God: “ALLOWED? WHY DO YOU THINK | GAVE HUMANS FREE WILL?” “Okay, well, I’ m exercising my free will to believe that you don’ t exist.” “ALL RIGHT, PAL, IT’ S YOUR LOSS!” At least we would remain on speaking terms. But | knew it was a game. | enjoyed the paradox of developing a dialogue with a being whose reality now ranked with that of Santa Claus. Our previous relationship had instilled in me a touchstone of objectivity that could still serve to help keep me honest. | realized, though, that whenever | prayed, | was only talking to myself. The only thing | can remember from my entire college education is a definition of philosophy as “the rationalization of life.” For my term paper, | decided to write a dialogue between Plato and an atheist. On a whim, | looked up Atheism in the Manhattan phone book, and there it was: “Atheism, American Association for the Advancement of.” | went to their office for background material. HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015072