Terrell Ott an 18 year old senior at Urban Prep high school. Born into a Baptist home and raised by his grandmother with the idea that “God had all the answers to their problems.”

Do you believe in God?
“I know the world wasn’t created by man, but I wouldn’t say I believe there is a God.”

What makes you not believe in God?
With everything wrong going on in the world how could there possibly be a God.

If you say you know man is not responsible for the creation of the world then who is?
“I think that’s an unanswered question that no one could answer because if God created the world and the first two people on Earth that would make everyone in the world related which is not true at all true. I’m not related to my girlfriend and if, by God’s views I am that’s nasty because that’s just like having sex with your cousin and having kids. I don’t think God would be ok with that either isn’t that like against some rule in the bible.”

Were you raised around people who had similar views to you?
“No, my grandmother quotes the bible with everything she says. I woke up to church music every morning. Had to pray before meals and before bed my household was very holy.”

When did your views of God start to change?
Growing up I went to Catholic School my views started to change somewhere around 5th grade.

Has anyone else ever asked you about your religious views?
“Naw, you were the first person. Well, one day my grandmother and sisters were getting ready for church and she walked into my room and asked why I wasn’t getting ready for church and I told her I didn’t believe in what they talked about at church, but you were the first person that ever asked me directly.”

Do you keep your religious views to yourself because of what you think other people will say?
No, I just don’t bring it up because it’s not important. What I believe in shouldn’t matter to others it doesn’t affect anything I do.

If you are not familiar with a person would you find it ok to share your religious views with them?
Yes, because I’m not ashamed of what I believe in I just don’t share it with people without them asking. I think a person’s religious views doesn’t define them as a person so it’s not necessary to go around sharing with the world what you believe about God without being asked. My grandmother is a person that walks around sharing her religious views for no reason and honestly it irritates me. I understand that she wants others to follow in God’s footsteps, but you don’t know what someone else’s religious views is when you just go out talking about what you believe that could possibly put someone in an uncomfortable situation.

So, when you grandmother talks to you about religion does that make you feel uncomfortable?
Sometimes it all depends on the situation we’re in when she asks because sometimes it’s really the wrong moment to bring God into a situation.

What is the wrong time to bring God into a situation?
Every time someone is angry she says “Well, God woke you up this morning and you should be grateful not walking around angry turn all your problems over to the Lord.” I personally don’t think God is going to solve any of my problems so when she says this it makes me madder about whatever it is that I was mad about.

Why does that make you so mad?
It makes me mad because it’s like she wants me to put everything into something that I’m not even sure exists. “I have moments where I listen to her when she says turn it over to God, but that has never helped me before so when she says it now to me it’s just like why are still talking”… I love my grandmother dearly, but God just has never been on my side.

When you have children of your own do you plan on having them believe in what you now believe in?
When I have children they will be able to decide to believe in whatever they feel is right in their hearts. Like I made a choice for my self with my beliefs they will be open to decide that for themselves also. I can’t live through them and I honestly don’t plan on it.

Throughout this interview I found out his views of religion. It actually made me feel closer to him because out of the 14 years I’ve known him religion has never once come up in one of our conversations. Knowing more information about a person helps you connect with that person on another level.