The OUT Campaign ~ What could be worse than saying you're gay?

[ThatCanadianGuy]

Hey everybody; if you're atheist you might know about Richard Dawkin's OUT Campaign. If not then check out http://outcampaign.org/

I was just wondering, for any fellow atheist members on VT, if you have religious parents (especially fundamentalist Christian... like MINE). Have you "come out" and admitted to them that you are an atheist? I'm pretty disappointed that I haven't been able to (mainly because I don't want to hurt my mother... she'll really think I'm going to hell and I don't want to cause her grief).

Please share your parents reactions to your "coming out". I'm trying to pick the right time to tell my parents myself, but I'd love to hear how it went (from good to REALLY BAD) for you guys.

Thanks alot, and May God Be Less!

[The Resurrected One]

I smell angry Christians.

[JoshDude]

Hehe, I like this thread.
Well, Im not athiest. For a while i thought I was athiest, but now I know for sure that Im Agnostic.
When I was growing up, my father made me go to church every sunday for 14 years. He was going to keep making me go, but I just started going out with friends and not coming home.
Both my parents are christian. My dad has very strong christian beliefs, and my mum doesnt really care about church - but still christian all the same.
I have not come out to my parents yet about being agnostic. I still say grace at the dinner table when my dad is around just to make him happy. Im thinking of coming out, but I don't know how my father would react.

[ThatCanadianGuy]

^^^ Technically, you ARE an atheist. Atheist means that you don't believe in gods or the supernatural. If you don't BELIEVE in it=Atheist. Agnostic means "you don't know" and that SHOULD be everybody. So; Agnostic Atheist, which means you don't believe in that stuff, BUT you admit that knowbody knows for sure. Which is the same for most atheists. It's not like ANYONE can "know for sure" about something that is impossible to know (unless THEY are god :D).

It's not like I wouldn't LIKE an afterlife or anything, its just that we don't see any reason (evidence) at all to believe that anything happens after we die; we're just dead and it sucks :D So you need to enjoy this one life that you KNOW you have!

[Curthose93]

Atheist is not believing in gods. I believe the term for those who don't believe in ANY form of the supernatural is 'Naturalist'. Believing in the natural, and not the supernatural. Gods are supernatural.

Perhaps JoshDude believes in some form of god or supreme being(supernatural), just not any codified god. He says that he just can't know for sure. Therefore, he is not an atheist, but an agnostic. The two terms aren't mutually exclusive, but they don't necessarily rely on eachother for their meaning.

Anyway, my father is a self-proclaimed "enlightened being" who claims to have read the holy books of every religion ever. My mother was raised a Christian, but she is now semiagnostic(perhaps a god, perhaps something else). I figured that they would be fine with my Naturalist world views, but a seemingly innocent conversation regarding the speed of light quickly devolved into an interrogation of my beliefs regarding the afterlife and the human 'soul'. I was called condesending for my honest opinion that there is absolutely ZERO possibility of gods or an afterlife(and I made it clear it was an opinion, and never said that I think less of them for their views), and derided as an arrogant bastard who has no right to deny the existence of such things. But, that's what I get for having rednecks as parents. Hypocrisy. Aggravating ignorance that I can't legally run away from. *sigh*

[Jean Poutine]

actually, it was pretty easy for me. my mom and I both turned atheist, but not at the same time.

no problems there!

[Camazotz]

I've been raised as a Catholic, but I'm somewhere in the middle between atheist and Christian (confusing, right?) Anyway, I doubt I will tell my parents because it may hurt their feelings, and I'm still unsure. So I guess I'm agnostic then.

[Silverfist64]

im fully athiest, but i have yet to come out about it to my parents. I really dont see the point of coming out. If i come out then i may hurt their feelings and ruin relationship between them. They cant control my beliefs and i cant theirs so ill keep it to myself cause im really the only one who needs to know

[The Batman]

Whats the use of coming out about your religion. It doesn't matter at all and there is no way you can tell someone's religion unless they say something about it. It's not like coming out as gay when if you come home with your arm around a guy you'll have to explain it.

[Zephyr]

I think I told them when I was 13 or 14.
My parents are both Chrsitian, though neither go to chruch, read the Bible or anything.

Mom and Step-Dad's reaction: Didn't care. They're more spiritual than practicing anyway. I wuv my madre and Tim = ]

Dad's reaction: "You're an idiot. You're going to end up one of those 40-year-old new-born Chrsitians getting Baptised on national television." Mind you, this was when my dad was still with the step-witch. He wouldn't dare say that anymore since his current girlfriend is Atheist.

[Curthose93]

Your dad sounds like a total dick.

[Bobby]

Curthose, you could have expressed that opinion in a nicer way.

[Curthose93]

Of course, Bobby.


Zephyr,

Sorry.

Sincerely,
Caleb

[Antares]

Of course.

Zephyr,

Sorry, dude. No negative rep, PLEASE!!?! I'M SORRY!!!! Forgive me!!! I'm just a young boy, I have no concept of morality or.... eh, f*** it. Sorry does just fine.

Sincerely,
Caleb

Please don't mock or do anything like this again.
Thank you

[Curthose93]

That wasn't mocking. It was just my own retarded impulse.

[Antares]

That wasn't mocking. It was just my own retarded impulse.

Okay, well whatever it was, just think before you post :P

Ask yourself, "Is that REALLY what I want to post?" :P

[eikookmi]

Oh so i actually told my mom through an email which is quite lame. But she's weird to talk to in person. I told her i was bi and i've been cutting myself recently and some other stuffs. After that she approached me and like said if i was trying to shock her or something. She didn't care, all she cared about was the cutting.
I was raised supposedly as a catholic and my parents dont go to church. My dad thinks yes to prop 8 and i havnt told him. My mom, i dont know her views, but shes not old school and knows whats up with the world. I dont believe in god anymore, i dont see how there can be one. Sometimes i do believe in miracles or unexplainable things, but otherwise yeah...

[Zephyr]

My dad is a dick... end of story XD
But thank you for the apology anyway.

[Dagenadriel]

I am Athiest, the only person I've told is my best friend who is also an Athiest. I was raised and baptized a roman catholic, although for the last couple years we have hardly gone to church anyway. My parents insist on me going to going to religious education and getting confirmed so that I can go to heaven supposedly. My parents don't know I'm Athiest, they just think I'm an apathetic teenager. I might tell them after I'm confirmed, but I'm worried about how my great-aunt (who is also a nun) might react. I'm not worried about my grandparents at all, they hardly ever go to church and are completely accepting of my gay brother (who I think is an Athiest.) Infact I think my older one-of-two straight brothers is an Athiest also, he often tells me of his many doubts with religion, I don't think he's seen a church pew in years.

Woah....ranted there didn't? I'm also appalled by my lack of paragraphs. Meh.. too lazy to fix it.

[Falk 'Ace' Flyer]

I know for sure there is no god. My parents know that I know that, and don't care. I'm seventeen, and I went to church for sixteen years, therefore I'm educated enough to make my own decisions about religion. I don't know why some parents have a problem with that.

[Cindex]

I was Christain when I was little. I was a pretty smart little kid, and I flew through school. When in Sunday school I really thought about it and decided it was crap. At...11? 12? I went to church actively till 13. I still go to church sometimes and I'm in our Youth Group at church and I'm sort of a... Leader/role model there. Kinda weird because the pastor things I'm weird.

I haven't told my parents. I've told very few people, actually. Close friends, and I say whatever on the internet because my friends aren't really forum type of people. Most of them aren't all that computer-oriented.

My parents would NOT be happy. My mom is already wondering if I'm bi-curious and possible juggling multiple girlfriends & boyfriends. My dad just thinks girlfriends, but my hair drives the "good" ones off. They would send me to therapy and possible to an institution. They seriously considered them both... :S

My hair is awesome............. :|

[Curthose93]

What's wrong with your hair? Is it a hot pink faux-hawk? I mean, if I saw someone with a hot pink faux-hawk, I would think they need to be institutionalized, too. And that would explain the bi-sexual suspicions, the wierd looks from the pastor, and so on.....