Coming out as an atheist

[Sanguvixen]

iviary

Grand Moff Locket

Loving your children is gone and passed. The society we have fits people only to resent those who leech from them. We're lazy. Children are one of the most burdensome things, and parents can't look past that anymore. So one bad turn can destroy the already shakey relationships.

There have always been parents that don't know how to love their children. Children have always been a burden, and in many cases, wholly unwanted. It's nothing new, but in some ways less socially acceptable now, and noticed more. Before, it was entirely a person's business how they treated their own family, no matter how poorly. Now, it's everyone's business.

Yep.....why have children anyway if you don't want to take care of them?

I get tired of going out to anywhere, and having to hear screaming babies, tantrum throwing children, and watch 5 year olds run around unchecked.

Ever notice how if you try to ask a parent to quiet thier screaming child, that the parent gives you this look of pure evil? As if they are saying "How dare you tell me how to raise my child!"

The bottom line is choosing to not follow religion is a choice that doesn't change who you are. If one's child chooses to follow differently than it would imply that they are capable of thought...to think different than their parents.

Such intelligence should make the parent proud, not scowl and send the kid to reform school, or turn their back on thier son/daughter.

Everybody is telling everybody else how to raise children. For some wierd reason the people who know best about children are the ones that don't have any at all. Strange huh?

 

[MinaTheRomanticNeko]

It was pretty hard explaining to my parents that I was an Atheist. They thought it was a phase, and that I would grow out of it. But I haven't yet, and I dont plan on it. 3nodding I grew up as a Christian, but sometime around the age of 13, something just kind of snapped. I came to the realization that my religion was complete bullshit, and the bible was just someone's imagination...something used to bring order in a time of crisis and injustice. Anyway, my parents have accepted this, but not consoled it.

 

[Tiptoer]

I went agnostic when I was 10. The only reason I did is because my mom and stepdad never perached about God to me, so I was able to gwop up without any infuence on a religion. I was Christian, and prayed everynight though, until one night, when I was 10, I realized that he had never helped me before, so I went agnostic. I never told anyone because I feared they would hate me, then at like 11, I met my older brother,a nd he told me he was atheist, and why, and then I became atheist. I was a weak atheist though, till about October of last year. About then, I decided that I hate Christianity, and I constantly took my ideas of how to prove his inexistence, and came up with something, only to later find out most people call it, "Can God create a boulder so big that he himself cannot lift it?"

Anyways, I haven't told my parents, but all my friends know, and my I was in the car with my uncle and his wife, and my uncle was talking abuot how they just left church because they became a bit religious, and he asked me, " You believe in God, don't you , Tyler?" I just kinda didn't answer and he was like, "Oh my god!", but he chuckled a bit. They asked why, I told them for certain reasons, and choked up a bit, and begged them not to tell my mom and stepdad because I heard my mom argue with one of my aunts. Basically, my aunt said my mom should put God in my life, and my mom said that she didn't need to, but as long as I live in her house, I'm Catholic and nothing else. So, I'm afraid of what she would say. As for my dad, he's a liar, and exaggerates a LOT. Can't believe half the things he says. Anyways, he got married to my stepmom, and she was religious, so he started to go to church, and they made my brother and I go, but my brother was gutsier, and made it so he didn't have to go. I went every week, but I never changed. My dad and my stepmom seperated, and now my dad doesn't go to church anymore, cusses a lot, and started smoking again, then quit and started chewing. But, he still doesn't know about my brother and I being athiest.


Whoa, long post.  

[puresilver]

Tiptoer

I went agnostic when I was 10. The only reason I did is because my mom and stepdad never perached about God to me, so I was able to gwop up without any infuence on a religion. I was Christian, and prayed everynight though, until one night, when I was 10, I realized that he had never helped me before, so I went agnostic. I never told anyone because I feared they would hate me, then at like 11, I met my older brother,a nd he told me he was atheist, and why, and then I became atheist. I was a weak atheist though, till about October of last year. About then, I decided that I hate Christianity, and I constantly took my ideas of how to prove his inexistence, and came up with something, only to later find out most people call it, "Can God create a boulder so big that he himself cannot lift it?"

Anyways, I haven't told my parents, but all my friends know, and my I was in the car with my uncle and his wife, and my uncle was talking abuot how they just left church because they became a bit religious, and he asked me, " You believe in God, don't you , Tyler?" I just kinda didn't answer and he was like, "Oh my god!", but he chuckled a bit. They asked why, I told them for certain reasons, and choked up a bit, and begged them not to tell my mom and stepdad because I heard my mom argue with one of my aunts. Basically, my aunt said my mom should put God in my life, and my mom said that she didn't need to, but as long as I live in her house, I'm Catholic and nothing else. So, I'm afraid of what she would say. As for my dad, he's a liar, and exaggerates a LOT. Can't believe half the things he says. Anyways, he got married to my stepmom, and she was religious, so he started to go to church, and they made my brother and I go, but my brother was gutsier, and made it so he didn't have to go. I went every week, but I never changed. My dad and my stepmom seperated, and now my dad doesn't go to church anymore, cusses a lot, and started smoking again, then quit and started chewing. But, he still doesn't know about my brother and I being athiest.


Whoa, long post.

It might be a long post, but I think it illustrates the topic really well. What happened to you is what most atheists face, I think, though with slightly different family situations.  

[Pandori Ky]

Even though religion was not forced upon me as a child, my aunt made me go to mass and Catholic school, and pray at noon. My parents, however, are open minded and even though they beleive in God, they do nothing to influence my thoughts. (Mostly because they know that I will disown them. O.o)  

[Napoleon_Danneskjold]

Never needed to have the conversation.... wouldn't be a problem though, my mom is a candle wiccan or some such biggrin  

[S. Shark]

I've never felt the need to "come out". It'd be like walking out a closet with no doors. I'm obvious like that.

My parents don't seem to care. My dad might not know, and my mom is Christian but is at least as anti-organized religion as I am. She laughs at my idea of gluing a bottle of Buddweiser into the hand of the Catholic school's statue of Mary. So, I'm guessing it's not all that big an issue with her if I'm atheist. Just based on my observations, that is.  

[Amphex]

I'm very open with what I believe in so my parents know. They hate the idea of me being an atheist, and everytime they try and argue with me about it they lose big time. So far, they gave up, though I doubt they will ever accept it.  

[Kiaori Moon Warrior]

I have an atheist family....but my aunt its a mistic nut xp  

[aguave.]

When I told my mom she laughed. She said she had the exact same beliefs as me when she was my age. Now she believes in god.

My dad also said he shared the same beliefs as me when he was my age. He said his ideas had evolved from that point. He believes there is a bigger picture, a great design.  

[Southwest]

I'm fairly sure both my parents know I'm an atheist. I've never downright said it (no coming out of the closet statement saying, "Mom and dad, I'm an atheist,"), but my dad constantly refers to it in conversation with me, and he and my mom are pretty close, I'd be surprised if she didn't know.

I feel pretty priveleged to have such accepting parents. I'm fairly sure my dad's an atheist too. My mom was raised Catholic, but hasn't gone to church in at least 15 years-- I've never gone to church with my family before. I'm not sure what her beliefs are. I think she may be spiritual, and may believe in a god, but has expressed really anti-organized religion sentiments before, and I've also seen a page she printed out from Positive Atheism.org. I know that if I were gay, and I told them, they'd accept it just fine-- I just get that kind of vibe from them. They're extremely accepting.

At any rate, neither of them are too close to the organized religion end of the scale.  

[PickleBoy]

My parents are agnostic and I never really made it a secret that I didn't believe in a god. So... Yeah... lame story but there you go.  

[Dande_Lion]

My parents are both Mormons and are both fairly devout. Mormonism teaches that if you raise your kids right then they'll be Mormon and have a great life and go to Mormon heaven.

My Mom knows I don't believe in god, but we rarely ever talk about it. Once, though, she brought it up and said that she couldn't wait to get to heaven because her cats would be there. I was pretty insulted because the cats died of negligence. (I've always believed that cats live longer if they're kept indoors, but my mother believed that they needed to roam around free, and they kept being killed by dogs or hit by cars.)

My grandfather, my Mom's father, my Mom says that he was an agnostic. But my Mom also told me that he said that you could either be religious or you could be a scientist, and I know he considered himself a scientist, so I think that he was really an atheist and my Mom is deluding herself.

Anyway, I told my Mom that I had no interest in going to Mormon heaven because I can't stand any Mormons in real life, so why would I want to live surrounded by them. She answered that it was a shame, but she agreed that I didn't have a heavenly personality. It was kind of offensive.

I know that my Mom thinks I'll change my mind when I'm older-- probably at about the time she dies and I have to face my own mortality.

But even if I wanted to believe, I don't think that I could. I mean, I am who I am, and who I am is someone who doesn't believe nice stories without evidence.

And the truth is that I really haven't ever met a single Mormon I actually liked. I can't stand the vast majority of them that I have met.

As for my father, I haven't seen him in twelve years, and I haven't talked to him in two years. I know he'd be condescending, etc. And I don't really like talking to him period.

But it helps that I live across the country from either of them, so if they aren't nice to me, they don't hear from me.  

[iviary]

Dande_Lion

And the truth is that I really haven't ever met a single Mormon I actually liked. I can't stand the vast majority of them that I have met.

Really? There's a big Mormon stronghold in my town, and one of my best friends is Mormon, and she's fantastic. She never pushes her beliefs on me, she's cool with my lack of beliefs, and she's really sweet but with an excellent sarcastic sense of humor, like mine. I used to eat lunch with her and some of her mormon buddies, and I got along great with most of them. That's not to say I've liked every mormon I've met; a few really get on my nerves. However, as a whole, the Mormons I know are wholesome, nice people. It's a stereotype, sure, but one that has mostly rung true from my experience. I don't know if you've just had bad luck in your acquaintances, or what, but I get along much better with Mormons than plenty of other religious groups around here! I guess coming from a Mormon family might taint their treatment of you, as you've "shunned" their beliefs.  

[TheFiresOfStupid]

Mysterytrip

Did you ever come out to your parents as an atheist?

If so, how did they react to it?


P.S. I still haven't told my parents.

My parents flipped when I told them I was done with Christianity.

I still haven't told my grandparents, and I don't plan to anytime soon.