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You'll find a lot more talk of religion in general in this area than you would up north. Only you know if that kind of talk will bug you (this includes "what church do you go to" in the "getting to know you" phase). It can be a little disconcerting if you're not used to it (note I'm not an atheist). But otherwise you should not have any issues if you can let that not bother you. I've never been proselytized or anything.
You'll find a lot more talk of religion in general in this area than you would up north. Only you know if that kind of talk will bug you (this includes "what church do you go to" in the "getting to know you" phase). It can be a little disconcerting if you're not used to it (note I'm not an atheist). But otherwise you should not have any issues if you can let that not bother you. I've never been proselytized or anything.
Can 100% confirm this. It never was a real issue or caused conflict, but we always feel as if all other families go to church, and that's where they meet and build their social circles. We've had a number of acquaintances through our kids, which kind of subsided since they're very active in their church and we're, well, not.
That has been a bigger deal for us than expected after moving to this area.
Before you move hete, be sure to register as a southern redneck, align yourself with a church AND sign-up for bible study on Tuesday and Thursdays, get out your MAGA cap, and restock your supply of wife beater shirts.
Seriously - we're not at all religious. In the 6 years we've lived here, we've been invited to somebody's church a handful of times. They meant it generously, and asked only once. I admit we do hear "have a blessed day" more than we did in Phoenix - about once a week, at most. And we do have more friends and neighbors who regularly attend church than We ever had in phoenix. (We also KNOW our neighbors here - exact opposite of phoenix.)
We totally and completely refuse to discuss politics at any social function. If it starts in my home, I quickly stop it by *joking* that this is a zero tolerance no politics event.
Ya wanna know who ALWAYS starts these conversations? The folks who declare themselves liberals.
You'll have plenty of company in the Triangle and most (all?) immediate surrounding areas.
Plenty of non-conservatives and liberals. No problem there. North Carolina overall is a fairly conservative state, but most of the heavier populated areas (Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, the Triangle) are fairly blue.
There are atheists, but the church-going crowd is definitely the majority. You'll likely be invited to church on occasion. Just remember it comes from a good place. As long as you politely respond "I appreciate the invitation, but I don't have any interest in going to church." Don't leave any wiggle room like "maybe another time" or make excuses "oh, I'm going to be traveling a lot the next few weekends." I wouldn't even mention being atheist, as some might see it as a challenge (they'll probably come back with something like "Have you read [name of book]? It's really interesting. He was a lifelong atheist and then this amazing thing happened that changed his mind and now he's accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior! You should read it!")
I've lived here about 14 years now as a Christian who has zero interest in organized religion or attending church of any denomination. My friends have invited me to church on occasion, but now they know that I won't attend. They've all backed off.
(ETA: I don't think you necessarily need to hide that you're an atheist, I just wouldn't bring it up while someone is inviting you to church.)
Last edited by hertfordshire; 04-06-2019 at 08:33 AM..
Before you move hete, be sure to register as a southern redneck, align yourself with a church AND sign-up for bible study on Tuesday and Thursdays, get out your MAGA cap, and restock your supply of wife beater shirts.
Hey, I'm offended by you jokingly generalizing southern Trump supporters.
Just kidding! I'm able to recognize the humor in your statement and not have a complete meltdown just because your comment was not PC. Too bad we have so many liberals here who would lose their minds if a conservative made such a generalization about their type.
To answer the OPs question - yes we have plenty of non-believers and progressive types around here. Way too many if you ask me.
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