Coming out as a(n) __________.

[Vayne Mechanics]

my parents are like "man w/e we don't have a god so ehhhhh"

and i'm all like "cool" /me iflexes his raging pectorals

 

[Chakolat Strawberry]

I turned atheist about a year ago.
To be honest, I never had the guts to tell my parents I did turn atheist. Both of them are very religious, and if I
told them...

Well my dad was about to scrub me down with holy water, and my mom wouldn't beleive it.
They took me to the church and made me sit through a lecture, after I told them it fueled my disbaleif even more, they took me to more lectures, and tried to make their own reasons why god is real to try to change my mind.
And to this day they are still in disbaleif.

That's pretty much what they would do, or send me to one of those religious retreats, or whatever they are.
I think they're starting to find out I'm not Christian, though, I don't pay attention in church as much anymore(I can't help it with the stupid 20 minute preaches) and whenever we pray daily for thirty minutes, I always have an excuse to get out of that.

How I became atheist, that I'm not entirely sure. I think I became atheist by myself. And I started becoming more interested in science when I was 12, which is when my Christian beliefs were slipping away.

 

[Forever Atlas]

This is quite humorous, to be honest. Why should anyone care so much about their beliefs to think that their children need to copy them?

For the most part it's out of loving concern for their children. Their religious beliefs they hold to be true generally include some sort of belief where a person's welfare is at stake in the long run. Parents generally want the best for their children and thus want their children to follow what they believe to be true.

Admittedly though, many parents go about it in the wrong way.

 

[Donna da Ragione]

For the most part it's out of loving concern for their children. Their religious beliefs they hold to be true generally include some sort of belief where a person's welfare is at stake in the long run. Parents generally want the best for their children and thus want their children to follow what they believe to be true.

Admittedly though, many parents go about it in the wrong way.

There's also obligation out of tradition.

 

[Thelonepickle]

Well.

Mother: ...Doesn't remember what she's supposed to be, because she got converted a lot through marriages and divorces and nonsense. Agnostic or Atheist.

Father: All the sudden Presbyterian. Like, he never ever seemed to practice before, but now he identifies as one. But he never goes to church or anything. But I guess he believes?

Step-mother: Super Catholic, but she's not crazy. But she's super Catholic.

Step-father: Apparently once Mormon, but not at all active. At all.

So...

I was an atheist for a long time, but I converted to Mormonism in January of this year. No one in my family was too happy about it, and they're all at different points of acceptance right now... It's kind of a strain, but sometimes they're nice to me anyway...

But, like, when I told my dad, he said, "Why can't you just tell me you're pregnant like all the other teenage girls?"

...And that was like... The nicest thing anyone said. XD

I love my religion, though. I've never been happier! It only gets hard because I'm a pretty liberal Mormon, and those are... few and far between here in Utah, it would seem. :/ So yeah!

 

[Et Cetera]

As the son of two Hispanics, I grew up under the Catholic church.
At a certain point, I started to doubt what I was being taught.

The way I told my parents that I'm a Jedi/Agnostic was to try my hardest to skip church. Every week, my mother would tell me to get ready, and I'd do my best to argue that I don't believe and I don't want to go.

She wouldn't have it, denying my lack of faith, so I'm forced to go regardless.
Now I decided to be respectful of their beliefs and hope that they do the same for mine. I still go to church with them, but only to listen, not to participate, and I certainly don't "Stand up and profess our faith"

 

[Apollo]

I honestly haven't had the guts to tell my family I'm atheist. But this is how I would imagin they would react:

Mom: Would denie the fact for a while, and the ground me from everything but approved books. She would make sure I'm getting the most out of church every week.

Dad: Beat me! jk He would support my mom in the grounding, and question me about random shit.

Brothers/Sisters: Wouldn't really care. They all kind of know already.

Immediate family: Some would kick me from the family tree, others wouldn't care.

 

[Dexel]

Hey. I tried. But who'd believe a boy barely even a teenager can decide what faith he is, much less one who didn't have a full 8 years of religious schooling? That's how she would react: Use age as an excuse.

Yeah...we stopped going to chruch a long time ago, but I think she just did that because of problems paying for that gas every Sunday. Either that, or she just gave up. Not like we'd pay attention, anyway. I'd just do no kneeling, no singing, and no praying. I'd catch a few minutes of sleep during sermons. Heck, if I wanted to lay it on thick, I wouldn't do so much as shake hands and say good morning with anyone around us. Yes, I still fell for the bread and wine, but if you're hungry in the middle of Mass, there's not anything else.

So, yeah, for the most part, nothing like what most of those others in that church would do. >_>

Siblings: Couldn't care. They're not churchgoers themselves, anyway.

Father: I don't think he'd care.

 

[Trag]

I honestly haven't had the guts to tell my family I'm atheist. But this is how I would imagin they would react:

Mom: Would denie the fact for a while, and the ground me from everything but approved books. She would make sure I'm getting the most out of church every week.

Dad: Beat me! jk He would support my mom in the grounding, and question me about random shit.

Brothers/Sisters: Wouldn't really care. They all kind of know already.

Immediate family: Some would kick me from the family tree, others wouldn't care.

Tell them, and try not to stand for punishment. Force it upon them that you have your beliefs and they have theirs, its' a pretty important part of peoples lives, beliefs, so it's better to nip it in the bud now.

 

[Shizazzle]

Parents who allow you freedom of religion rock.

 

[Rich]

The past year has brought a lot of changes to my beliefs, and while I don't exactly call myself Atheist, I don't believe in any particular religion or faith. I don't know if God exits or not, and when dealing with life, it really doesn't matter. However, I don't believe any of the religions of the world are correct. Most likely, I don't think there is a God, at least not in the sense that humans try to make him/her/it/them out to be.

As for coming out to my parents about it, I think my dad would handle it pretty well, but it would devastate my mom. She's deathly afraid of me going to hell, which I guess I can understand since she genuinely believes it. She'd most likely have a heart attack or something if I ever told her I don't believe in Christianity anymore.

As for convincing her otherwise, my mom is a very stubborn woman and refuses to listen to logic and reason because she's "55 years old and has seen a lot in life." The argument of experience over evidence really does bug me.

 

[Lord_Zexion]

I told my parents that I didn't believe in a god 2-3 years ago. They took it well, I learned then that my mother didn't believe in anything, like, at all. And my father still is Christian, but he doesn't go to church, pray or anything. My brother say he still is but I doubt that. He had this sort of shamanism period.

I don't have a coming out story to tell. I'll probably never tell my elder family members how I'm non-religious.

Looking at my grandmother, I know that this fact would break her heart. At her age, I don't want her thinking about how I don't believe in a state of being once you pass on. She's a pious, accepting woman, and it's people like her that let me see how having a belief can be an inherently good thing. It sounds arrogant, but, I feel as though I'm protecting her from what I think. Sometimes people deserve better than the truth. And even if what she believes is a lie, I can still tell that the feeling it gives her is very genuine.

And I also don't plan on breaking the hopes of old people, like my grandmother and co. I don't care in what they believe, at least it gives them hope. I won't force anyone to stop believing in what they believe. And if I have children, one day, I'll give them the choice. They'll do whatever they want with religion.

Oh, and something funny. Where I live, no one really cares in what you believe... except maybe some very religious people (like, they go to church every sunday). Most of them don't believe in anything.

 

[Angel]

My mom alluded to knowing i was an atheist:

we passed by a Chick-Fil-A, and we were talking about how they were Christian, how they were closed on sunday, etc.

my dad, also being an atheist, said that sunday was the Lord's day. my mom said, "except for you", paused, then said, "and for brian. i hope the holy spirit grasps your soul."

that takes a load off my back.

 

[Rich]

lol your mom sounds like my mom

 

[Forever Atlas]

Moms tend to know shtuff <.<

 

[Angel]

Moms tend to know shtuff <.<

well, i

A. Told her my faith was fading a few months ago to ease her in

and

B. I'm fidgety to leave church.

 

[Forever Atlas]

B. I'm fidgety to leave church.

I don't know how some people do it. I'd be fidgety too. For reasons other than yours I'm sure though.

 

[Angel]

I don't know how some people do it. I'd be fidgety too. For reasons other than yours I'm sure though.

haha yeah.

i'm also quite reluctant to go there in the first place, getting up maybe 15 minutes before we have to leave.

 

[Chakolat Strawberry]

haha yeah.

i'm also quite reluctant to go there in the first place, getting up maybe 15 minutes before we have to leave.

I know how you feel.
My family (except my dad, he's at work and doesn't have time to pray with us) prays together daily, and I either skip, and or come at the last minute. Noone knows I'm atheist except my sister(she's 9 and doesn't know what the hell an atheist is) and my mom's starting to hint I'm atheist. My dad thinks I have strong religious beliefs.

And for church, there's a few times I get up really late and my mom bitches at me for arriving at church when it's halfway through mass. I'm really reluctant when it comes to this kind of stuff. We arrive there just on time for the most part, though.

 

[Angel]

I know how you feel.
My family (except my dad, he's at work and doesn't have time to pray with us) prays together daily, and I either skip, and or come at the last minute. Noone knows I'm atheist except my sister(she's 9 and doesn't know what the hell an atheist is) and my mom's starting to hint I'm atheist. My dad thinks I have strong religious beliefs.

And for church, there's a few times I get up really late and my mom bitches at me for arriving at church when it's halfway through mass. I'm really reluctant when it comes to this kind of stuff. We arrive there just on time for the most part, though.

haha, my dad was the first to know I was atheist since i knew he wouldn't get mad at me for it. I think the only hope my mom had for me being religious was the fact that I was the top of my class in Religious Ed.