One evening at church-- when my youngest brother and I were in high
school --the minister asked everyone to stand and promise God they would
make an effort to live a pious life. My brother stood, but didn't promise.
Later at home I asked him why. He said there were some things he wanted
to do. In other words, my brother had decided to live life on his own terms
and not religion get in his way.
My brother and I had been BFF growing up as boys, but that all stopped.
From that point on, he became secular to the bone and a difficult person. I
seriously doubt my brother made it to safety when he passed away in 2015.
_