Leon Claymore
From Fundamentalist to Atheist
Our family was not religiously involved until I was 11 years old. My father was an alcoholic, and we moved around the USA a lot due to his work. We were introduced to the Church of Christ in Ponca City, Oklahoma when I was 11 and we became very active members of that denomination. My understanding of Christianity was Fundamentalism. The Church of Christ congregations believe they are the only true Christians. We didn’t allow musical instruments in the worship services. We observed Communion every Sunday and youth were encouraged to attend our own Christian colleges after High School.
I attended our colleges and decided to study to become a minister/missionary within the Church of Christ. I began preaching in small congregations with a regular minister while in college. At college I met a missionary family who had worked for years in Northern Rhodesia (later Zambia), so I decided to go to Zambia to work as a missionary after college. I married a young lady from California who was also in the same college in Arkansas. So, in 1958 we left for Zambia. We lived on a missionary station out in the countryside. I taught school and went out preaching on the weekends. Later we moved to the capital of Zambia, Lusaka and I focused on village preaching and in-town evangelizing. Later we moved to Malawi, and I continued my evangelistic work. We lived and worked 8 years in Africa as Christian missionaries. Our 3 children were born in Zambia.
As I began to read Bible commentaries and Christian biographies outside of the Church of Christ, I began to question the idea that we were the only Christians in the world. The more I read about the nature of the Bible and Church History, the more I questioned our interpretation of the Bible and of Christianity. I also began to question God’s actions and failure to act in the world. Why this? Why that? God doesn’t act like he is on the side of justice in our world. Slowly I became an agnostic. Then later an atheist.
I left Fundamentalist Christianity and joined a Unitarian congregation but as an agnostic/atheist. I am 89 years old and regret that it took me so many years to work my way to atheism. I am active in the Unitarian Congregation. My wife joined a progressive Baptist congregation. I have spoken several times in my congregation and I serve on several committees.