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Has embracing your Atheism affected your relationships?

Becoming more vocal about my atheism has had an affect on many of my relationships.

What I'm beginning to see is how the devoutly religious people categorize the non believers. The box they seem to try to put us in is "evil" or that we are now the "devil."

This is such an ignorant approach but it requires "us" to be even more patient with the religious. To me, patience, love, and understanding is the only way we can begin to show them how we can live good and loving lives without religion.

A person doesn't need to believe in a god or gods to have love in their lives.

Have you gained or lost friends and/or relationships because of your atheism?

I would say, in raw numbers of relationships, that I've lost more than I've gained. But the quality of my relationships has improved.

What about you?

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Susan Stanko on April 11, 2010 at 9:35am

I was always an atheist and never hid that fact so, no my relationships haven't changed.

Permalink Reply by Aiden on April 11, 2010 at 10:10am

It's definitely caused strain between my Catholic mother and I, as I continually point out her tithing directly finances the legal defense and cover-up-relocating of pedophiles and rapists. My anti-religious stance has also cost me a few girlfriends over the years.

Permalink Reply by Sabrina on April 11, 2010 at 3:40pm

It definitely put a strain on my relationships. Dad is a pentecostal preacher....very religious family. All of my friends were christian...when I broke away from christianity...I lost almost all of my friends. Well, all but two. And even with those two...religion isn't something we discuss.

Permalink Reply by Steve Branch on April 11, 2010 at 6:28pm

That's kind of amazing isn't it? How do christians reconcile that? When they are always preaching love... seems like it's mostly "love" if you are just like me... otherwise go pound sand. I feel that kind of stuff here in Texas all the time. Here in Georgetown Texas there is a lot of racism. And, that is among the christian religious types. How do they reconcile their racism with their christianism? To me, it is pure hypocrisy.

Permalink Reply by Susan Stanko on April 12, 2010 at 7:53am

Have you read the Bible? It allows for racism.

Permalink Reply by Brent Messer on June 6, 2010 at 8:35pm

And don't forget sexism, insest, killing of your own children, etc. Great bed time reading! (sarcasm). Don't lift your hand to strike that man, but instead take my daughter and do what you will with her.... yeah that kind of garbage!

Permalink Reply by Sabrina on April 12, 2010 at 1:46pm

I know! Exactly. Also, the bible means whatever the hell the reader wants it to mean according to the thousands of branches of christianity out there. lol

Permalink Reply by Maxx L. Costtner on April 11, 2010 at 6:24pm

I have had no problems with my family since I determined that I was an Atheist. A conclusion I came to after I quit drinking, but that is a different story. In fact my family did not believe me at first probably because we were raised as protestants.

I have noticed that some people where I work act strangely towards me mainly by the way that they look at me. I have not said that I was an Atheist but I have the American Atheist license plate on my car,and a sticker on a water jug I bring to work. Or it may just be because I listen to heavy metal music loudly in the parking lot. I wear t-shirts that people may not like which are heavy metal and my Freedom is the distance between church and state shirt.

I see it as their loss.

Permalink Reply by Adam Sweet on April 12, 2010 at 8:13am

Nope. I was always an atheist. My grandmothers were both atheists, as were my great grandmothers (My Great Grandfather was the Fire Chief for the town of Duxbury, MA, and the town butcher. He was famous for his atheism). My parents are atheists are are my 2 brothers and sister and their families. My sister-in-law was born Italian Catholic, but is agnostic now. My wife is Presbyterian.

Permalink Reply by Sabrina on April 12, 2010 at 1:46pm

Wow! You were fortunate to be born into a family full of freethinkers!

Permalink Reply by Sabrina on April 15, 2010 at 12:09am

Wow...just wow!

Permalink Reply by heretic on April 15, 2010 at 10:07am

well, yes, but has had an EFFECT, not so much an 'affect'.
...definitely. no, have not lost friends. because IF they knew me before they could label me as atheist, then they knew i was a person w/ firmly, staunchly entrenched, well-defined morality; integrity no matter what; and too willing to admit my own abundance of faults in a heartbeat.
if the person did NOT know me, then it became a labeling "liability"--IOW not justified, only a witchhunt label. if ppl don't know you they attack on superficialities, like...being atheist...as if that was innately "bad".
that's it in a nutshell. HAY! i'm in a NUTSHELL! ack! =)