There are surely fewer greater cultural contrasts in the English-speaking world than that between Melbourne, Australia and rural Kansas. Jason Ball ventured from his relaxed hometown to the American heartland at age 17. What he experienced there would change the direction of his life.
Kansas was full of surprises. The Midwestern hospitality was very real and incredibly endearing. The religious lessons were also noteworthy and seemingly omnipresent. At the local youth group, he was taught that the Earth is 6,000 years old, that evolution is a myth, and that gay marriage should be opposed with strident intensity. He observed a society dominated by religion for the first time in his life.
Jason then began an intellectual journey unmatched in his life after returning home from Kansas. Influenced by science books, Jason found his passion and his community, subsequently deciding to become an advocate for secularism.