Clayton Perkins, Overland Park junior, realized early on in life that God wasn't for him.
He recalls being in middle school when his sister's classmates would gather everyone up for Easter Sunday. Wanting to fit in with his peers, Perkins would tag along.
"Up until that point I had just kind of had this causal acceptance like 'I guess I'm Christian. That's what everyone else is. That's how I am,'" he said.
He had always been into finding the answers to science, dinosaurs and evolution. But, there was one lingering question that he could never wrap his 14-year-old brain around - he didn't believe in the concept of a God.
Perkins went up to his mother one day.
"I don't think I believe in a God," he said.
She stared at him, but didn't hesitate in her response.
"Oh OK," she said.
His family had never been avid church-goers either, which made his transition into atheism easy.
The 21-year-old, who is president of the Society of Open-Minded Atheists and Agnostics (SOMA), isn't alone in his beliefs. Americans are slowly becoming less Christian.
Last March, The American Religious Identification Survey released a study. It stated an increase in Americans claiming themselves as non-believers or having "no-religion." This was only demographic group to increase in all fifty states.
The "nones," those who either claim no stated religious preference, atheist, or agnostic in the survey, increased from 14 million in 1990 to over 34 million in 2008. That's an increase from 8 percent to 15 percent of non-believers in the American population.
The national statistics also reflect what's happening locally. In Kansas, the "nones" nearly doubled from 6 percent in 1990 to 11 percent in 2008.
Source: American Religious Identification Survey, Trinity College / New York Times
From the nationally recognized Secular Coalition for America to the University of Kansas' SOMA, non-believer organizations have been popping up all over the America.
Timothy Miller, KU professor of religious studies, has been studying American religious history and new religious movements for forty years.
Those who claim no religion are not all atheists or agnostics, but they are potential followers.
"I think most people who are non-believers don't join organizations like that," Miller said. "They just don't do anything; don't participate."
But, forming an organization allows non-believers the chance to meet like-minded individuals.
There are many reasons why people switch faiths or decide to leave religion altogether. For some, religion doesn't have all of the answers.
Atheists are those who do not believe in the existence of a higher being. While agnostics are unsure and don't feel there is enough evidence to prove or disprove the existence of a higher being.
"I think we live in a society that asks a lot of questions," Miller said. "For someone to say 'well it's true because I say it's true' that's not enough anymore."
The "Faith in Flux: Changes in Religious Affiliation in the U.S." reports that half of American adults switch faiths at least once in their lifetime. The 2007 Pew Survey states that most people leave their childhood faith before age 24.
One key finding was that the unaffiliated population has increased the most in recent years. Two-thirds of former Catholics and half of former Protestants, who are now unaffiliated, say they left their childhood faith because they stopped believing in its teachings.
According to the survey, those who become unaffiliated had many other reasons for the change.
About half of those who responded to yes-or-no questions say they see religious people as "hypocritical, judgmental, or insincere." Or they think religious organizations focus more on rules, money, and power and less on spirituality and truth. Some also believe that no single religion is completely true. Also, a small minority say modern science proves that religion is a superstition.
Another key finding was that not all of those who are unaffiliated "lack spirituality or religious behaviors."
Having these assumptions can often lead to stereotypes.
When Perkins became president of SOMA he was shocked when another student organization asked him to take a pro-abortion stance for a debate.
"Why do you assume that all atheists are pro-choice?" he said.
Perkins scratched his head and doubted whether any religious group had all the same opinions. This is just one of the many atheist stereotypes that Perkins is trying to overcome.
"Atheism and agnosticism have often been associated with immoral behavior," Miller said. "There's been a long standing presumption among many people that religion is the source of morality."
Miller said that, in general, Kansas is somewhat more conservative and religious compared to the nation as a whole.
Joey Ralph, Hutchinson sophomore, is the vice president of SOMA. The self proclaimed atheist is friends with Perkins. They both understand what it's like to be part of a minority group and live in Kansas. It can be frightening for some to come out publicly as non-believers.
"Hating a religion is the ultimate taboo," Ralph said.
Perkins said this is the most common myth.
"I think a lot of people think atheists really hate religion," Perkins said. "People think we can't hold moral lives because we don't have a religious book."
But, both he and Perkins have found sanctuary in Lawrence.
From their annual "Ask an Atheist" event to their "Soul Auction," becoming part of SOMA has helped them dispel myths about atheism and agnosticism. In fact, SOMA devotes their time to charity work, such as raising money for the Douglas County AIDS Project every year.
"Atheists are people too," Ralph said.
In recent years, best-selling authors, such as The God Delusion's Richard Dawkins and God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything's Christopher Hitchens, have helped represent non-believers in a more mainstream fashion.
"America's becoming more tolerable," Ralph said. "I don't see it as a battle for atheism or agnosticism; I see this as a battle for everyone who has ever been oppressed."
Despite the changing attitudes in America, non-believers still remain the minority group as they make up only 15 percent of the population.
"I think we have a long way to go," Miller said. "I would like to see us tolerate all kinds of differences easily."
Organizations like SOMA have helped strengthen the non-believer movement.
But, you won't see SOMA protesting with banners and shouting against religion on the streets of Lawrence. Their goal isn't to convert people. They only want to see a change in the public's stereotype of atheists and agnostics.
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