An article in the Washington Post is titled "I'm an atheist. So why can't I shake God?" and it suggests that it's "hard to believe in nothing when your psyche is wired for faith." The author Elizabeth King tells how she abandoned her childhood Christian faith for atheism. "Until my mid-teens, I was a 'born again' Christian who loved God with all her heart. These days, though, I'm an atheist with nothing to prove.

"The story of my departure from the church resembles those of many others who have abandoned the flock. When I was about 16, I started asking questions during services that my youth pastors couldn't or didn't want to answer: Why is it a sin to be gay? Why is it okay to spank children? Where does the Bible say we can't have premarital sex?"

Still, in spite of her atheism, King states, "somehow God has found a way to stick around in my mind." She thinks that "God's lingering presence" could be attributed to "the inner-workings of the human mind" against which the atheist battles hard. She claims, "If I could … banish this figure from my psyche, I would."

In the end, she has to admit, "I have no choice but to accept that I'm an atheist with a sense for God."