Coming out as Atheist.

[NickHouston]

I've recently told my family that I've been agnostic/atheist for about 10 years now(half of my life). They responded with nothing but hatred. They're trying to turn my younger cousins against me by sayong things like "Nick doesn't believe in Christmas so Santa isn't coming to your house this year". No matter what I do, as soon as they walk into a room that I'm in, they mutter something about atheism and insult me somehow.

If you're planning on telling your Christian family that you're Atheist, I would strongly advise against it. Or, if you don't mind the people you love hating you to the point that you now want to move out, then go ahead and tell them.

 

[BluBirD78]

Well that sucks, they shouldn't treat you that way because you don't believe the same things they do. I am a Christian and believe in God, but because others don't doesn't stop me from being friends with them, they should respect what you believe and leave it at that.

 

[NickHouston]

It does suck. Today I expressed that I did not want to partake in a ceremony for a religion I don't believe, the indoctrination of a baby into Christianity(a Baptism), and have only gotten threats of bodily harm from most of my cousins and my own sister. I'm at the baptism party now, trying to avoid everyone by sittibg outside in the cold until I can finally go home. It's horrible having to hide from family, but some of the threats I actually believe.

 

[DamageINC]

That's religion for ya, and one huge reason why i absolutely abhor it. So much judgement, hate, intolerance, hypocrisy, on and on.

Obviously this doesn't apply to every Christian or religion person, and i know there are a lot of decent religious people out there (people like Drew), but it applies to a fair number of them.

I can't tell you how many comments i see on religious articles that are filled with nothing but vile hate, ignorance, judgement, repression , on and on. When i read many of them, it's almost like the people have been brainwashed and exhibit a cult like mentality.

I'm incredibly thankful i wasn't born into a religious family that beat it into my head before i could think for myself and make my OWN decisions.

And religion says OTHERS have the agenda..

 

[Titoezz]

This is exactly why i am an Atheist.

 

[Sabali_2]

I mean aren't they supposed to follow the word of Christ. Love thy neighbor. Do others what you'd wish to be done yourself. I mean christians are weird. I guess they wish to be ignored and left alone, when something like this happens to them.
[DOUBLEPOST=1419201832][/DOUBLEPOST]

This is exactly why i am an Atheist.

This is exactly why I am an Buddhist.

 

[The Moment]

I applaud you for your willingness to tell your family. Although I do not agree with you, that's not going to stop me from being a decent person towards you. I understand the position that you (Nick) and Damage are in. I have friends that have been kicked out of their homes for disaffirming religion. It's tough to see people go through, but it shows how flawed people are and how incorrectly people practice religion. At least for Christianity, the main focus is to love others as you have been loved by God. I'm not going to go into a diatribe in this thread, but I want to at least offer my opinion on Christianity today.

Your family hating you is the thing I despise most about modern day Christians. They can't take adversity. People in the Early Church died because Christianity was basically illegal. Now, people get mad at God when they don't get a promotion. It makes me sick. With your family Nick, just remember that they're just as wrong and sinful as they think you are.

Luke 6:31: "Do to others as you would have them do to you."

This command is not to be taken lightly. I'm definitely bad at keeping this, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try to follow it. When Christians, whether it's learning of a family member disaffirming Christianity, a child coming out as gay, or what have you, greet the news with anger and hatred, it only solidifies the divide.

When my best friend told me that she had renounced Christianity, I met it first with confusion. She had always put on the "Christian Face," and I honestly would've never thought she was being serious. But as I talked with her further, I noticed that she had faced the same kind of rejection and hatred when she told her family. That made me mad. I love her unconditionally and I trust her with my life. That kind of trust and love doesn't change when you find out someone disagrees with you. That gives you an opportunity for discourse and discussion.

@NickHouston I'm rambling, but just know that your family's rejection is wrong, no matter what they think. In the end, no matter who is right about the whole situation, being loving is what the whole thing is about.
[DOUBLEPOST=1419201974,1419201838][/DOUBLEPOST]Also, if for any reason you would like to talk, don't hesitate to PM, text, Snapchat or contact me otherwise.

 

[NickHouston]

It's more my extended family than anyone. They all still love and accept me but there was so much tension today at that party that I avoided most of them. My immediate family seems to be pretty accepting of it.

 

[DamageINC]

This is exactly why I am an Buddhist.

In my extended family, there is one lady who has been with the Church for almost 40 years. She recently told me she had been converting more and more to Buddhism and studying it's teachings. She is also considering leaving the Church. One big reason is, she views the Church as getting more and more vile and hateful.

She's one of the better people you'll ever meet.

 

[Sabali_2]

In my extended family, there is one lady who has been with the Church for almost 40 years. She recently told me she had been converting more and more to Buddhism and studying it's teachings. She is also considering leaving the Church. One big reason is, she views the Church as getting more and more vile and hateful.

She's one of the better people you'll ever meet.

My friend I've no doubt that she isn't. And I am afraid she is right, christianity is losing it's actual message and so are many other religions in the world. Do we really think that Jesus, Muhammad, Krishna or Siddharta Gautama wanted us to be hateful towards each others, the Golden rule is been taught in every religion in the world: "Do others what you wish to be done yourself". They created new teachings to motivate their fellow citizens, they never meant to cause any harm to themselves or others in the world. Motivation to all religious is same - love, sincerity and honesty. Teachings about love and compassion. But we people have twisted those teachings to our own goal. Sadly but true there are people who do anything possible so we would have to live as they do.

 

[DamageINC]

I would give that post 100 likes if i could.

 

[MikeK]

My grandfather and I are atheists, my mom is something between atheism and agnosticism, my girlfriend, father and grandmom are Christian and we have no problems whatsoever.

I hope your family understands that your own love is what is really matters.

 

[SteelHorse]

Who even gives a shit...fuck em if they do. As long as you're not trying to be a dick, who give a fuck what you believe. If you believe there is a god good for you, if you don't good for you i personally couldn't care less what others believe.

 

[Cryogenic Flare]

My first time back and I see this, well hello guys.
Nick....I'm an agnostic and I got to a Catholic school, I constantly remind those around me that I don't believe in their religion. However, that doesn't mean I don't respect it. They can believe what they wish and I can ignore what I want. If you take heat for your beliefs, or lack there of, then ask them if THEY, as conscious human being, believe in God, Jesus and the holy spirit or if they're just following what their parents before them did. If it's the latter then ask them how they can judge without thinking about it and merely adopting the "popular" ideal so they won't be under the microscope.

Believe what you wish, when you wish, and how ever you wish. Free exercise clause of the constitution: Anyone is able to believe what they wish and government cannot infringe upon that right.

My thinking is that: I won't push my beliefs upon you if you don't me, then we'll all get along fine without anything in the middle.

 

[HIBred]

I saw this and thought it was cool

Posted in: ReligionPosted: December 19, 2014
Atheists Rewrite Ten Commandments, MythBusters’ Adam Savage Judged New Commands

Atheists have written their own version of the ten commandments. These commandments were chosen from submissions to Atheist Mind Humanist Heart’s (AMHH) Re-Think Prize, a crowdsourcing project.


Previously reported by the Inquisitr, in November Adam Savage announced he would be a judge in the ReThink Project, the host of MythBusters (one of only two, these days), caused a new surge of interest and awareness for the contest — so much that the contest website crashed shortly after his tweet.

As part of the crowdsourcing project, submissions were submitted to Atheist Mind Humanist Heart’s website. The submissions for new commandments were reviewed by the contest judges — Adam Savage was one of 13 judges — and ten submissions were chosen that were deemed worthy of being called commandments. The ten writers of the chosen submissions split a prize of 10,000 dollars.

1. Be open-minded and be willing to alter your beliefs with new evidence.
2. Strive to understand what is most likely to be true, not to believe what you wish to be true.
3. The scientific method is the most reliable way of understanding the natural world.
4. Every person has the right to control over their body.
5. God is not necessary to be a good person or to live a full and meaningful life.
6. Be mindful of the consequences of all your actions and recognize that you must take responsibility for them.
7. Treat others as you would want them to treat you, and can reasonably expect them to want to be treated. Think about their perspective.
8. We have the responsibility to consider others, including future generations.
9. There is no one right way to live.
10. Leave the world a better place than you found it.

Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/1692212/at...vage-judged-new-commands/#UxiuzshEcYtf16bX.99

 

[NickHouston]

That first commandment is the most important to me. If I saw a diety from any religion come down here and perform miracles, cure diseases like cancer, or stop starvation I'd be more than happy to believe in them because I'd have evidence they existed.

I personally believe that a higher power is a huge possibility, but I have yet to be shown evidence of one. In that regard, I guess I'm more of an Agnostic than an Athiest.

 

[Storky]

I applaud you for your willingness to tell your family. Although I do not agree with you, that's not going to stop me from being a decent person towards you. I understand the position that you (Nick) and Damage are in. I have friends that have been kicked out of their homes for disaffirming religion. It's tough to see people go through, but it shows how flawed people are and how incorrectly people practice religion. At least for Christianity, the main focus is to love others as you have been loved by God. I'm not going to go into a diatribe in this thread, but I want to at least offer my opinion on Christianity today.

Your family hating you is the thing I despise most about modern day Christians. They can't take adversity. People in the Early Church died because Christianity was basically illegal. Now, people get mad at God when they don't get a promotion. It makes me sick. With your family Nick, just remember that they're just as wrong and sinful as they think you are.

Luke 6:31: "Do to others as you would have them do to you."

This command is not to be taken lightly. I'm definitely bad at keeping this, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try to follow it. When Christians, whether it's learning of a family member disaffirming Christianity, a child coming out as gay, or what have you, greet the news with anger and hatred, it only solidifies the divide.

When my best friend told me that she had renounced Christianity, I met it first with confusion. She had always put on the "Christian Face," and I honestly would've never thought she was being serious. But as I talked with her further, I noticed that she had faced the same kind of rejection and hatred when she told her family. That made me mad. I love her unconditionally and I trust her with my life. That kind of trust and love doesn't change when you find out someone disagrees with you. That gives you an opportunity for discourse and discussion.

@NickHouston I'm rambling, but just know that your family's rejection is wrong, no matter what they think. In the end, no matter who is right about the whole situation, being loving is what the whole thing is about.
[DOUBLEPOST=1419201974,1419201838][/DOUBLEPOST]Also, if for any reason you would like to talk, don't hesitate to PM, text, Snapchat or contact me otherwise.

We need more people like you moment in this world.

Quote that Ricky Gervais said:

"People say I hate religious people because I hate religion. That's 100% not true. That's the same as saying you hate people with cancer because you hate cancer."

Well done @NickHouston proud of ya for standing up for your own beliefs.

 

[King_JCD]

I completely agree with what just about everyone has said here. I, like some others here am a proud christian and lover of God. But I understand your reasoning in denying the concepts of Christianity (or any other religion, for that fact), based off the fact that youve witnessed no evidence. Honestly I would much rather one be a questioning atheist than a blind follower of a religion.

That said, I know plenty of atheists (and even more so Satanists) that refute Christianity and other religions for no reason whatsoever. They refuse to believe that there's a higher being simply because their family pushed them in a corner, or because all their friends are atheists or some other reason.

I implore that you never become one of those people; instead, take atheism as an opportunity to always question and learn more about life than you did before. And if and when the time comes that you feel like believing in something more, than claim that title with pride and don't worry about what others say.

After all, once everything is said and done and you're dead, you're gonna find out that somebody was wrong

 

[Take]

Welcome to the USA Nick.

The way I look and think about you changes now. Not because you changed "religion" but because the fact that you came out. I'm really proud of that. I think there's more kids like you who are stuck in the same situation, yet half of em don't have the balls to come out. One day, they'll notice what they did and how and come back to you asking apologies.

 

[jasmine]

I greet your courage to announce it to your family should not be easy (which is not normal too) because I think this is part of the fundamental human freedoms to believe or not believe
believe in nothing, several, in one or do not want to believe. no little digging coming your thoughts
the important thing is to believe in either even and advanced in this life that is offered to us and thanked her for this gift about doing good around you
good luck nick have a good courage