Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I was just wondering how many that consider themselves atheist or agnostic share it with their religious family and friends. I'm in my 20's and live in the Bible Belt. I consider myself Agnostic, and I don't tell my family or friends because it seems like EVERYONE here hates anyone who isn't Christian. I live in a town close to my family, and they are constantly trying to get me to go to church, but I end up just making excuses instead of telling them why I don't want to go because I know if I told them, it would be huge and extremely dramatic, and I just don't want to go through that. With my friends, it's not a big deal because we normally don't talk about religion. Do any of you have similar experiences with religious family or friends?
People in the USA should come out of the atheist closet. Atheists here in Europe did it. Atheism here is accepted, not even frowned upon and is increasing like wildfire. A stand was made, as it must be, and it was won. Stand up for what you are and what you believe. If your family and friends reject you for that then they are not family and friends worth having anyway. You are better off without them. If it means walking alone then do it. Show them your strength and when you walk down the street and people start pointing the finger....puff out your chest and sing loudly............"We shall overcome, we shall overcome, we shall overcome some day"
Back when I was a teen and lived with relatives, I was most certainly a closet atheist. All the non-stop obnoxious proselytizing would have been too much if they had known.
Nowadays I don't give a damn what anyone thinks or who's offend by it. I mainly blame getting older for that attitude. That and being independent. I don't advertise what I believe to anyone or try to change anybody elses minds on anything, but if a fundy were to ever try to preach to me, I'd let them know exactly where I stand.
Are all of your friends believers? Are you sure? You said it "seems like everyone" is a believer, but that may not be true. You might be surprised at what some people do and don't believe, even in the South.
I, too, live in the Bible belt and the only person who knows of my atheism is my brother, who is an atheist himself. In fact, he lost his religion before I did.
I was just wondering how many that consider themselves atheist or agnostic share it with their religious family and friends. I'm in my 20's and live in the Bible Belt. I consider myself Agnostic, and I don't tell my family or friends because it seems like EVERYONE here hates anyone who isn't Christian. I live in a town close to my family, and they are constantly trying to get me to go to church, but I end up just making excuses instead of telling them why I don't want to go because I know if I told them, it would be huge and extremely dramatic, and I just don't want to go through that. With my friends, it's not a big deal because we normally don't talk about religion. Do any of you have similar experiences with religious family or friends?
I don't 'share it' like many of the religions fanatics do, but if asked, I don't hide it. There is nothing phonier than the people you see wearing a huge bling cross around their neck, over business dress. But I do appreciate the warnings it sets off in my mind, as these people should not be trusted, as they are hiding something dark behind their over the top religion.
And if they are the real freaky ones, and ask, I just tell them I am a god fearing atheist, and walk off
I've always expressed my atheism. I'm 53, been an atheist since I was about 12, raised roman catholic, typical Italians-in-America household, my grandparents were born in Italy, immigrated here. My wife gives me crap sometimes, she says "how am I supposed to introduce you to people, as 'my athiest husband'" I told her she shouldn't catagorize me as anything other than her husband, she just worries about what folks would think as we also live in the bible belt south. But in my opinion, that's where most of the hypocrates are anyway, so they need as many atheists down there as possible to do as much as possible to insure the constitutional separation of church and state they we SHOULD have.
My grandmother is probably the most die hard Christian I know. I've gone as far as to argue with her about things she believes are wrong according to the Bible (like gay rights), and I've also told her (when I was still questioning my Christianity) that I didn't agree with the Bible in many aspects, and I saw her reaction from that and decided she would be the last person I'd tell about my agnosticism. My boyfriend and brother know about my views (because they share them), but that's it. Most of my family are very conservative Christians that would either stop communication with me or probably have some sort of intervention. In the future I might be okay with that, but I'm still in my early 20s and depend on them a lot for emotional support. I'm just wondering how my wedding will go (a few years from now) when they realize that it isn't going to be a religious ceremony.
Reading these posts make my blood boil. I really feel for you guys. I have been atheist all my life. Born and raised atheist by atheist parents. As I said in another similar thread, it's easy for me, living where atheism doesn't even raise an eyebrow, to shout at you guys to make a stand but I do so from experience. I grew up in Wales, which was then a very religious Baptist country. As a kid, 50 years ago, I was ostracised from the gang as being that weird kid from that weird family of heathens. Parents would tell their kids to keep away from me in case they became 'contaminated by the devil' so I grew up as a bit of a 'loner'.
I was regularly punished with the cane in school for refusing to attend religious assembly or religious instruction. Most days I was kept on at school for an hour as extra punishment. But they didn't break me. The more they punished me the more I proclaimed my atheism....and that is what you guys need to do. Make a stand, shout it from the rooftops, make the sacrifices that are necessary just as homosexuals did, just as the Civil Rights movements did.
It's in your hands. Don't allow religious bigotry to stifle you. Speak out....and if that means that family and friends turn away from you then so be it. Go find friends that accept you for what you are rather than friends who only accept you because you think the same way they do.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
