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Where I'm from a lot of people are hardcore Christians. I grew up going to church etc. But now, at 16 I've decided I'm no longer Christian. I've thought about it for a long time, and I'm now an atheist.
However, my parents are still trying to force me to go to church and pray etc. I don't know why they can't just go and let me stay home or go to a friend's house or something. They can't force me to believe, so why force me to go? How do I convince them to just leave me alone?
Where I'm from a lot of people are hardcore Christians. I grew up going to church etc. But now, at 16 I've decided I'm no longer Christian. I've thought about it for a long time, and I'm now an atheist.
However, my parents are still trying to force me to go to church and pray etc. I don't know why they can't just go and let me stay home or go to a friend's house or something. They can't force me to believe, so why force me to go? How do I convince them to just leave me alone?
As long as you are living in their house you have to abide by their rules. Since you are 16 your only option is to be declared an emancipated minor and move out. Then you can do whatever you wish. Until then you're stuck.
As long as you are living in their house you have to abide by their rules. Since you are 16 your only option is to be declared an emancipated minor and move out. Then you can do whatever you wish. Until then you're stuck.
20yrsinBranson
"your honor i must be emancipated because my parents make me go to church!"
Where I'm from a lot of people are hardcore Christians. I grew up going to church etc. But now, at 16 I've decided I'm no longer Christian. I've thought about it for a long time, and I'm now an atheist.
However, my parents are still trying to force me to go to church and pray etc. I don't know why they can't just go and let me stay home or go to a friend's house or something. They can't force me to believe, so why force me to go? How do I convince them to just leave me alone?
If I may ask what made you decide you are no longer a Christian and are now an atheist?
Where I'm from a lot of people are hardcore Christians. I grew up going to church etc. But now, at 16 I've decided I'm no longer Christian. I've thought about it for a long time, and I'm now an atheist.
However, my parents are still trying to force me to go to church and pray etc. I don't know why they can't just go and let me stay home or go to a friend's house or something. They can't force me to believe, so why force me to go? How do I convince them to just leave me alone?
I guess the whole "honor thy father and thy mother" part got totally lost on you. I suggest you continue going to church. Rather than pretend to embrace the dogma, how about listening to the lessons, and see if you can't learn something from them.
You don't have to be a believer, to recognize and glean useful information from obsolete religious diatribe. Even fairy tales have morals to the story. See if you can puzzle your way through and around the pastor's sermons, and find some little golden nuggets of wisdom.
How do they make you pray? If you don't believe there IS a God, then how is it possible to pray? Do you mean they make you repeat a bunch of words that you do not believe?
Okay, sarcasm over.
It's amazing to me that kids will come on here and demand that their parents respect their right to do whatever they want, but not respect their parent's wishes.
My aunt used to have a sign hung up in her kitchen that said something like, "Teenagers - are you tired of being asked to help out around the house, being told to clean up after yourself and not be given money whenever you want it? It's time to make a stand against unfair parenting! Move out and support yourself, quickly, while you still know everything!"
I guess the whole "honor thy father and thy mother" part got totally lost on you. I suggest you continue going to church. Rather than pretend to embrace the dogma, how about listening to the lessons, and see if you can't learn something from them.
You don't have to be a believer, to recognize and glean useful information from obsolete religious diatribe. Even fairy tales have morals to the story. See if you can puzzle your way through and around the pastor's sermons, and find some little golden nuggets of wisdom.
This is really good advice. There's nothing wrong with questioning religion and your part in it all, but you can always learn something.
I'd like to add that by rejecting your family's faith you're probably breaking their hearts in the process. So while I agree that you have every right to follow your own path, try not to be too blatant about it and humor the old folks a little. You'll save them some pain and will be able to believe what you think is right regardless.
If I may ask what made you decide you are no longer a Christian and are now an atheist?
I grew out of just blindly accepting what the bible, my parents, the pastor and others had to say about Christianity and started researching everything on my own.
Handel, I do feel sorry for you. It's tough when you grow up and come to discover maybe you don't believe the same things as your parents. I had a similar experience at your age.
The trouble is, that while you live in their house, you are obligated to follow their rules. As others have said, you could become emancipated, but that seems like a huge step for such a minor thing. In a year or two, you'll probably be leaving home anyway, right? Either to go to college or else to start working? I would simply go along with them to church and sit there politely. They can't control what's in your head, but you can behave respectfully. We're only talking about 2 years until you're 18.
They have 18 years with you to establish the values they hope to impart, so I think it's their decision not allow you to go to a friend's house or stay home. When you were 6 and asked to have cake for dinner, they said "no" to that too... it's part of parenting and setting boundaries for what is appropriate in the house while you are a minor. At 18, you will get to decide which things you wish to take forward into your life and which things you will leave behind.
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