How do you let your family know?

Chillwithcian

Catholic religion is a major part of our education in Ireland (unfortunatly). If you are an atheist/agnostic do you tell your kids/family this or keep quiet?
I found my parents to be quite understanding, i just told them straight out i never liked the ideas and principles, and they were fine with it....

Zillah

I'm a radical outspoken atheist

I'm very comfortable with my position so I really don't see the problem with telling anyone but I can understand how it might be a problem for others. Especially if their friends/family are of the crazy variety.

5uspect

I think you'll be surprised to find that most people don't really care if you don't believe in god. If you declare yourself an atheist then that will bring shame to your entire family!

Dave!

I don't bring it up with my family, because it's something of a taboo subject (or maybe it's just my imagination). With friends, if the conversation is steering in the philosophical direction (rare), then I'll just ask them outright if they believe or not. But with family it's not discussed, and they're not ostensibly very religious (only really go to mass on Christmas, etc.), so I don't bring it up. I think they're catching on though, since they let me know when Richard Dawkins is on TV, etc., and they see his book lying around.

aidan24326

Chillwithcian wrote:

Catholic religion is a major part of our education in Ireland (unfortunatly). If you are an atheist/agnostic do you tell your kids/family this or keep quiet?
I found my parents to be quite understanding, i just told them straight out i never liked the ideas and principles, and they were fine with it....

No you shouldn't keep it quiet. You have a right to your opinion. That's not to say that you should go rubbing people's noses in it either, but family should respect your views and your right to have them, as you should respect their right to disagree. It's good that your parents are ok with it, though you don't say how religious they are themselves?

Personally I know my mother isn't entirely thrilled with the idea that I'm atheist, though strangely enough she is by no means the holiest christian worshipper in the land herself and seems to adhere to her catholic faith out of tradition as much as anything else.

coffee_cake

Well I don't generally like talking about being a buddhist or discussing personal beliefs with anyone, though I'm quite happy to talk about religions in general.
My mother isn't remotely catholic - she hates the church. I was brought up catholic at my grandparents' insistence. My grandmother is displeased about my pretty much being an atheist. It was actually my grandfather who told her, I didn't say a word. What was amusing was her reaction:
"What! God will strike you down!"
me: "er, it hasn't happened so far..."
her shocked look and gasp of "don't say that!!" was funny.
But anyway, after dropping many hints (or more than hints) about going to mass for a while she's finally dropped the issue and doesn't care anymore. I think. Grandfather's fine with it. Noone else really cares, I think. I certainly don't go around announcing it.

Stephen

When I was about 16 I just announced to my mother that I wasn't going to be forced to go to mass on Sundays any more because I don't believe in god. She's quite religious, goes to mass every week and all holy days and all that. I get the impression that my father just goes to keep her happy. She was upset by this and he didn't seem bothered. I haven't told my grandmother (on the mother's side) as she is very, very old and very, very religious :eek: I have no other living grandparents.
I still get a bit of prodding and attempts at guilting me into going to mass at Christmas, but I haven't given in. My mother still thinks its "just a phase". This "phase" has been going on for 8 years now with no sign of it ending.

My mother also seems to think that atheist is a synonym of pagan, no matter how much I try to clarify it :rolleyes:

Asiaprod

I had no problem telling the familiy I was an Atheist. For me it was probably easier as the familiy seemed to equate Buddhism as being a good religion whch it is not. I think this is a comfort position for them. Then again, christianity has never condemned Buddhism in the same way that it condems Atheisim. I often feel that there is a strange symbiosis going on here. It is at times almost as if christianity needs Atheisim to survive, and with some, possibly visa-versa.

Bradidup

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God"

Scofflaw

Bradidup wrote:

I wonder where this statement came from???????

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God"

I think you'll find that's in the Christian Bible. Worth a read - you should have a look some time. By the way, one question mark is often sufficient.

cordially,
Scofflaw

Dave!

I don't think a question mark was warranted at all there.....

Dades

Bradidup wrote:

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God"

I don't use my heart to speak. I use it to pump oxygenated blood to my brain.

Beruthiel

The Atheist
You hurt my hangover by making me laugh!

Bradidup wrote:

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God"

Think you're in the wrong forum buddy.

5uspect

But does your heart have free will?

monkeyfudge

5uspect wrote:

But does your heart have free will?

None at all... it just does what the Medulla Oblongata* tells it to do.



*I love those words....

Zombrex

Beruthiel wrote:

Think you're in the wrong forum buddy.

Ssshh ... we have to be nice to the Christians that wonder in here lest they kick me out of the Christianity forum and then I have nothing to do all day and I have to do some real work!!

Beruthiel

I was being nice Wicknight,
You should have seen what I wrote first

Dades

Beruthiel wrote:

The Atheist
You hurt my hangover by making me laugh!

Teehee - you'd know it's the weekend!

magicbastarder

one of my mother's neighbours refers to me as 'the heathen'. this started happening soon after i laughed at her when she claimed that she thought satan was punishing her for something; i thought she was joking.

5uspect

Maybe you should change your boards name accordingly?

magicbastarder

maybe i should change it to satan.

5uspect

Yeah but then you'd have to punish your neightbour...

magicbastarder

she's bat**** enough without me feeding her imagination.

Tar.Aldarion

'No mammy, I don't believe in any of that aul ****e, give up yer aul religion'.

Schuhart

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

'No mammy, I don't believe in any of that aul ****e, give up yer aul religion'.

'Thank God for that, son, I thought you were becoming a Protestant.'