An Encounter on the Street

On my way to Dollar General after work today, I noticed a black man taking down a sign and talking excitedly with a couple of black ladies. They shook their heads at him and walked away. Curious, I smiled at him as I walked toward the door. He called me over to his table so I went to speak with him.

The man's name was Huvell Edwards and he was selling his autobiography. He asked me to read the first page and I quickly realized his story was about his life on drugs and how God had helped him break his addiction. Even though I have little use for God stories, I was interested in his experiences as a black man and I also wanted to help a fellow struggling writer. So I agreed to buy the book.

Mr. Edwards signed the book for me and gave me his email address so I could let him know how I liked the book. I wished him well and he said, "Hey, I got the Lord on my side so it's going to be ok, you know?"

I replied without even thinking, "No, not really."

He was taken aback, "What?"

The standing on the street in broad daylight in Mississippi, I finally said it, "I'm an atheist."

The man jumped back as if I'd told him I was an alien but quickly regained his composure. "You're an atheist? Why are you an atheist?"

I replied, "Because I haven't seen any evidence of gods."

He seemed stunned. He asked how long I'd been an atheist and, upon discovering that I had actually been raised Southern Baptist, he expressed great amazement that I had never seen any evidence of God.

I suppose at this point I could have expected a lot of bad things to happen. He could have started shouting at me. He could have started preaching to me. But instead he smiled and stepped closer and said, "I'm not going to preach to you because I'm sure you get that a lot. All I ask is that you just read my book."

I smiled in return and told him I was really looking forward to reading the book (which I am). We wished each other well and that was the end.

I never expected to stand on the street today and tell a complete stranger that I'm an atheist. That's not looked on very well down here. It's also not considered proper or smart in some circles for a lone white female to approach a black male. But I did both and I'm glad. I'm think I'm going to enjoy his book and I know I enjoyed having a gentle conversation with a Christian who didn't judge me or abuse me for my open atheism.

I intend to post on the book after I've read it and had time to really let it sink in. But today I'm reminded that it doesn't always take a great deed to bring about positive change. Sometimes it's all in the way we handle the little things and how we treat one another.

Tags: Mississippi, atheist, Southern Baptist, Christian, atheism