Perry L. Gardner: Private Journal #21
Wednesday, October 19, 1988
In my early teens, I had been going to Sunday School more or less regularly, but not with enthusiasm. My last lesson was a discussion group where I argued that, just because one went to church and followed the forms of religion, it did not make them any better than a good person who did not belong to the church and who chose to worship by themselves in the great outdoors. It did not make any sense to me that a person who was a good Christian and went to church was going to Heaven, and one who was of another belief and not a professed Christian, and perhaps of even better moral character, was going to Hell.
I remember nothing more of the discussion other than feeling that my viewpoint was not generally accepted, and so I felt no further need to attend the school.
I guess I was of Universalist belief without knowing there was such a thing.