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Permalink Reply by Scott A. Hunt on December 19, 2011 at 3:21pm

My sister, when I still had communications with her, told me she wasn't worried about my atheism because I'd figure it out and believe in god again someday.  Funny but at the same time condescending.

 

My mother asked me if I knew what hell is.

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Permalink Reply by Nickole Johnson on December 24, 2011 at 11:32pm

My mother just keeps asking what's wrong with me. Nothing is wrong with me now though- I thought all kinds of things were wrong with me when I was in church but now that I've accepted the fact that I just can not believe, I don't feel like anything is wrong with me.

My mother-in-law thinks it's just a phase. My husband has been an Atheist just about his whole life. He told me that when he was little, he thought it was like Santa- he thought all the adults knew god wasn't real, they were just pretending to believe. My MIL still thinks it's just a phase.

I let her know that I, too, am an Atheist now. her response?

MIL: "Well, I know you say you don't believe in god, but I know you do."

ME: *blank stare*

MIL: "Well, I know you don't believe that all this *gestures towards a window, presumably referring to the outside world* just appeared, I know you don't believe this all came from NOTHING."

ME: *blink*

It seems that I'm just going through a phase too. Oh well, she's more accepting of this than my own family is.

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Permalink Reply by Shannon on December 25, 2011 at 12:19pm

I know discrimination is wrong.  A lot of people who fear muslims on principal find a person practicing islam to be better then an athiest.  Two great hates that just go together.

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Permalink Reply by Shannon on December 25, 2011 at 12:26pm

I told my children that I didn't believe in god.  I wanted them to have permission to believe or not so I told them in confidence.  Like anything- forbidden religious fruit maintains its appeal longer. My youngest said. "But all my friends are at church." It can be harder for people to keep in touch outside of church because it's built into the week.

Odd that I can't come out to my family, coworkers, or inlaws but I felt fine about coming out to the pastor and his wife.

It was really sad.  I loved the folks at my church and still do.  Church is the only time I got to see them.  The pastor and his wife called me and told me that I was invited to any and all functions even if I only went to the social ones.   He said that I was should come to the potlucks even if I didn't bring a dish.  I would never think of doing that!   They wanted to keep in touch.  The pastors wife told me that I shouldn't be anxious because a just god would not damn a good person who did not believe.  I know it sounds twisted but it was one of the kindest things Ive ever experienced.  They haven't proseletyzed (sp)  to any of us.  I think they are people who really try to live the positive christian life.  It kept me in church a few more years.  I would not trade knowing these folk for anything. 

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Permalink Reply by Ann N. on December 28, 2011 at 12:05am

That's a wonderful story. It went similarly for me. Thanks for sharing.

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Permalink Reply by Gary Trieste on March 15, 2012 at 8:24pm

It's going to be a loooonngg phase.

I know mine has been!

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Permalink Reply by JoshTheInsomniac on December 29, 2011 at 1:02am

My tabla (Indian percussion) teacher heard I was an atheist, so one day in class he semi-seriously said to me, "You know this is a cult, right?" to which I responded "Of course it is." and everyone else in the room made faces like a gun went off. 

Semi-seriously as in, he considers music to be spiritual. Though not so literally as, well, I've said enough 

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Permalink Reply by Eric A Flynn on January 20, 2012 at 1:53pm

This was not specifically related to coming out atheist to my mom, but a conversation we were having about her church's extremely restrictive prohibitions about divorce and remarriage.  It is a constant nagging fear of members of this denomination whether they are "Bibilically free to remarry" and couples often go on a hunt from from church to church in search of a pastor who will give them the green light.  Anyway, my mom shared a story about one two such couples who were friends, decided they no longer wished to be married and so got divorced and swapped partners.  They also agreed to call each other up on their wedding nights and set a time to have sex, so they neither couple would be "committing adultery" against the other.  My mom and I both thought this was absolutely freaking hilarious!  It also felt like a very teachable moment and after we stopped laughing uprprarisously, I said, "Mom, I can't believe in a god who would actually work like that." and she said she agreed with me.

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Permalink Reply by Shannon on February 6, 2012 at 11:01am

R  "My dad told me he believes because he "feel[s] better when believing than when not."  WTF much?"

It's a superstition of the mind.  He probably knows no one is out there but cannot break the habit because of consistent and early  brainwashing.  He just hasn't realized that he is an atheist.  One day he may run into somthing he cannot rationalize away. (Intelligent people can do this easily.)  Then he will be stuck and unable to fake it even to himself.  

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Permalink Reply by Tyler Holmstrom on February 20, 2012 at 9:16pm

Me: I don't believe in God.

Sister: You should believe in something..

Me: ...

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Permalink Reply by MICHAIL CLUTTER on March 16, 2012 at 8:37am

I think I was explaining the beginning of the Universe in Highschool.

Me) So there are theses Atoms....
They) Where did those come from?
Me) So there are these Quarks, and Leptons and....
They) Where did those come from
Me) They just are there, ok
They) They can't just be there, they have to be created by God
Me) Where did God come from?
They) He is just there.....
Me) He can't just be there, He has to be created by something....?
They) No...He's God.....

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Permalink Reply by Daniel PD on March 19, 2012 at 9:10pm

When i told my mom that i was an Atheist she automatically assumed i was other things aswell. To this day she thinks i am a communist, a terrorist, a book burner, a homosexual, and a rapist.

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