By the time I finished elementary school I had pretty well realized that it was all bullshit. Neither of my parents were particularly religious - they sent the 3 kids off to church on Sunday mornings until we finally fell away from it - sort of tapered off, with no strong feelings of a belief in a sky-daddy.
In high school I went through the usual 'seeking' phase and explored other religions, eventually coming to the realization that they were all pretty much different flavors of bullshit.
While in the Air Force basic training we weren't explicitly *required* to attend church, but the TI's made it clear that we should either pick a service to attend or we would stay in the dorm scrubbing floors and toilets. I discovered American Atheists while I was stationed in Germany and immediately joined. Went to several of their annual conventions when I got back to this side of the pond. Was a little strange at first - especially in the DC area where there were a lot of military and government employees, and some folks would almost duck under the table if they saw a camera. Didn't take too long before everyone realized that it was OK to be open about it.
Moved back to the NYC area after 12 years in the USAF, and was a very active member of the NYC Chapter…newsletter editor, staffing an 'info table' by a Central Park entrance, etc.
Got harassed while sitting at a sidewalk cafe having lunch with a few other attendees at the Denver convention. Dr. Madalyn Murray O'Hair spoke on the Capitol steps, but changed her wardrobe on the advice of the local police - they asked that she wear white instead of the red she had planned so they could more easily see if she got shot. (Yeah, fun times!)
Haven't set foot in a church in probably 50 years now, except for weddings and funerals, and will sit respectfully but not participate in any of the prayer, etc.
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