My confession.

OK, I admit it. I have a habit. Ebay. I'm into it. I buy. I sell. I buy and re-sell.

There. Now that I have that off my chest, I can share the most unique auction I have ever seen. An atheist auctioned his church attendance. Offered to go to church for $10 a visit. Any Chicago-area church the buyer chooses. It sold for over $500.

I've written to the winning bidder asking if he would share the rest of the story as it develops over, presumably, the next year. I'll keep you informed. I also see that the atheist will be blogging about his experience here.

Here is a link to the auction for as long as it stays up (usually 30 days after the auction ends).

Here is the basic text of the auction:

I'm a 22-year-old Atheist from Chicago. I stopped believing in God when I was 14. Currently, I am an active volunteer for a couple different national, secular organizations. For one of them, I am the editor of a newsletter that reaches over 1,000 Atheist/Agnostic college students. I have written several Letters to the Editor to newspapers in and around Chicago, espousing my Atheistic beliefs when Church/State issues arose. My point being that I don't take my non-belief lightly. However, while I don't believe in God, I firmly believe I would immediately change those views if presented with evidence to the contrary. And at 22, this is possibly the best chance anyone has of changing me.

So, here's my proposal. Everytime I come home, I pass this old Irish church. I promise to go into that church every day-- for a certain number of days-- for at least an hour each visit. For every $10 you bid, I will go to the Church for 1 day. For $50, you would have me going to mass every day for a week.

My promise: I will go willingly and with an open mind. I will not say/do anything inappropriate. I will respectfully participate in service, speak to priests, volunteer with the church if possible, do my best to learn about the religious beliefs of the church-goers, and make conversation with anyone who is willing to talk. (Though I do reserve the rights to ask the person questions about the faith.)

I will record my visits through a journal, pictures, or whatever other method of proof you'd like-- I will uphold my promise.

Will I become religious? Well, I don't know. I really do have an open mind, but no one has convinced me to change my mind so far. Then again, I have also never attended a real church service. Perhaps being around a group of people who will show me "the way" could do what no one else has done before.

If the Irish Church doesn't work for you, we'll just find some other place local to me. I'll go to any place of worship-- a Christian Church, a Catholic Church [revision: I realize a Catholic Church is a Christian Church... so let me rephrase. By Christian, I mean Protestant], a Mosque, a Synagogue, etc. They're all nearby. Makes no difference to me, but perhaps it's your faith that could change the mind of this Atheist.

I also assure you that if you bid on this, I will write an article about my experiences in the newsletter mentioned earlier. The article would reach over 1,000 college students who share my current views. Even if you don't end up changing my mind, perhaps you can change theirs.

If you have any questions about this auction, I'd be glad to answer them.