Anyone Here Closet Atheists?

I am and it sucks. Half of my family is full of bible thumping nutjobs.

All they want to do is talk about the baby jesus and its so goddamn annoying to sit there and pretend I care what they're talking about.

Any good way I can tell them I'm an atheist?

why do you have to label yourself anything? why not just be?

perhaps you arent open minded to your familes beliefe? what makes your beliefs any more valid than anyone elses?

The fact that he doesn't believe in any invisible magical people supposedly responsible for any random thing you can assign them too.

Open minded doesn't mean you have to accept any bit of nonsense without evidence or merit.

There is only one good way to tell them, the only reasonable way to break the ice, for good or bad; Simply tell them.
You can't beat around the bush, being direct with theists of there kind, forgive my assumption (I'm assuming they're the crazy type) is hard
enough as is. Just lay it out flat, tell them your beliefs but stress the point that you respect theres and would like the same in due kind.

If they're not cool with it, well then that's a matter all in and above your 'stances' on reality. Rather than that my friend, those are some fundamental character
flaws they have that you need to either get by with or lose touch with.

It's one thing to be an atheist around theists, this is not fuel for any qualm; Rather, it is an entirely separate thing to be an atheist around unchanging, unthinking
prejudicial and detrimentally irrational crazies.

MexicanWarlord420 said:

I am and it sucks. Half of my family is full of bible thumping nutjobs.

All they want to do is talk about the baby jesus and its so goddamn annoying to sit there and pretend I care what they're talking about.

Any good way I can tell them I'm an atheist?

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If you don't want to tell them DIRECTLY, just try to do it indirectly. Every now and then, throw in a comment about something and how science explains it.

I know it sucks, trust me. I'm Filipino and my relatives are the same.

Personally, I'm Buddhist but that's not really the same kind of religion where you worship a god because Buddha isn't a god, just a person. You don't worship him or anyone. It's more of a mindset.

If you know about your ethnicity's history or whatever, try to remind them what happened after they were Christianized or whatever. I know for sure that plenty of people got shafted more than rewarded when they switched to some slave mentality promoting religion.

Also, be respectful. I know that their ish is really hard to put up with, but that's probably not going to change anytime soon depending on how zealous they are. At the very least, have a middle ground. They don't bug you about their ish, you don't rag on them so much.

Wanna hear a joke? Abstinence isn't 100% effective...because that's how Jesus was born.

I find full blodded athiests to be a bit pretentious, but most people that consider themselves athiests are really of the agnostic variety. This is simply the belief that you don't believe there is a higher power based on evidence presented to you, but that you really dont know and are open to any proof either way.



This is where i put myself.

religion has caused nothing but wars, i believe in the sun god............

Warlord...grow a pair. Ten years ago in 6th or 7th grade I was in a Catholic school where every month we had a mass in the gym in front of the whole school. I decided not to stand and receive the Eucharist. As for my family, they're still in denial as I assume yours will be after you tell them.
--And HiddenAgenda...Agnostics are atheists without a pair

That's idiotic kaiseraxel, although I do agree he essensially needs to be straight with them on it if it's bothering him that much, to be fair if it was a matter of being a pussy, why the fuck not just suck it up and not cause your family any strife? I'm not going to assume up to this point that you'd have enough to try persuading them, so I won't bother mentioning it past this.

My beef is agnostics are not atheists without a pair. Atheism and Agnosticism are practically one and the same, merely focusing on one thing different than the next. Agnosticism focuses more on the fact that it's an improbability not worth mentioning. Atheism focuses more on the logistics and details on a morality basis when pertaining specifically to the counter axis; theism. Agnosticism is recognizing the futility of pondering, atheism is energetic disdain of the disillusioned/blind and crazed. Not all bad, but not a single one right. I wouldn't say it's a matter of balls, it's merely a matter of preference.

Why the fuck should I care if somebody has a skewed outlook on the reality we share, as long as they aren't flashing it in my face or punching it into mentally defenseless children's throats, fuck it.

Thanks for the advice people.

DJBoxhouse said:

There is only one good way to tell them, the only reasonable way to break the ice, for good or bad; Simply tell them.
You can't beat around the bush, being direct with theists of there kind, forgive my assumption (I'm assuming they're the crazy type) is hard
enough as is. Just lay it out flat, tell them your beliefs but stress the point that you respect theres and would like the same in due kind.

If they're not cool with it, well then that's a matter all in and above your 'stances' on reality. Rather than that my friend, those are some fundamental character
flaws they have that you need to either get by with or lose touch with.

It's one thing to be an atheist around theists, this is not fuel for any qualm; Rather, it is an entirely separate thing to be an atheist around unchanging, unthinking
prejudicial and detrimentally irrational crazies.

Click to expand...

To give you an example of how crazy they are, my cousin came out about a year ago(this was no surprise to me because of how feminine he was) and my family tried to hold an EXORCISM for him to get the gay demon out.

I'll try to be as straight forward to them as I can, but I know there's going to be some social repercussions.

MexicanWarlord420 said:

Thanks for the advice people.



To give you an example of how crazy they are, my cousin came out about a year ago(this was no surprise to me because of how feminine he was) and my family tried to hold an EXORCISM for him to get the gay demon out.

I'll try to be as straight forward to them as I can, but I know there's going to be some social repercussions.

Click to expand...

Damn son, that is messed up. I think Your fam is on a whole nother level than mines. Make them watch Zeitgeist or something.

DJ...there is a big difference between believers and nonbelievers...If you go up to a 'true' believer, and attempt them to convert them with ANYTHING, it won't work...period...because that is there belief and they are sticking to it (and yeah yeah Christians have many diverse subgroups but by conversion I mean a whole new god, or none at all). On the OTHER hand, if you bring provable evidence to an atheist, he/she will actually consider converting to that ideology. And the reason I say agnostics are atheists without balls is because both are waiting for just that: evidence. They won't believe in religion until it is proven, or something happens to them in their life that makes them believe; either way I decided the evidence wasn't going to show up in my lifetime and wth, just go full-blown atheist.

And Warlord, I've seen some pretty negative reactions towards family members, particularly offspring, when they come out about being atheists. If you are still their dependent, I would just wait till I moved out, and THEN tell them...that way they don't see you everyday and will have some time to calm down about it, xP

kaiserAxel said:

DJ...there is a big difference between believers and nonbelievers...If you go up to a 'true' believer, and attempt them to convert them with ANYTHING, it won't work...period...because that is there belief and they are sticking to it (and yeah yeah Christians have many diverse subgroups but by conversion I mean a whole new god, or none at all). On the OTHER hand, if you bring provable evidence to an atheist, he/she will actually consider converting to that ideology. And the reason I say agnostics are atheists without balls is because both are waiting for just that: evidence. They won't believe in religion until it is proven, or something happens to them in their life that makes them believe; either way I decided the evidence wasn't going to show up in my lifetime and wth, just go full-blown atheist.

And Warlord, I've seen some pretty negative reactions towards family members, particularly offspring, when they come out about being atheists. If you are still their dependent, I would just wait till I moved out, and THEN tell them...that way they don't see you everyday and will have some time to calm down about it, xP

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Just because the 'majority' works this way *I don't agree, but for sake of conversation let us say* does not give reason to the generalization of the whole.

I know atheists just as non accepting as the most devote theist, and vice versa. It's not that most atheists are open minded, it's most open minded people seem to be atheists, you've missed this crucial point.

aside from that though, sure, alright, but my point was to face up and try, be the bigger person. If this doesn't work, well then there's a problem afterwards.
-Assuming you need to bother telling them at all. If you truly feel uncomfortable with the situation you're in, theres only one way to go about it and two responses to it. Face up - be with or be without them. Simple as that.

If they're so bat nut fucking crazy, coupled with being so uncomfortable that one cannot bare there families theistic presence upon them, I see no other solution or outcome besides being a pussy.

for someone who knows so much about a person its funny you don't even know his name

and Mw if it will upset your mother i'd just keep it to myself

im an open agnostic and proud to be one. ill debate religion with a radical muslum a rabi and a catholic priest

i know all about religon and i dont bellive a shred of it. Catholicism is a joke and a scam and the pope is a nazi. jesus wasnt born in december and vigins dont have children

If you were proud of who you are everyone would know it. Instead you spend your time trying to tear others down, and feeling insecure about your self.

Pathetic

i hope your talking to me and calling me pathetic, and not the OP, because ill debate you too if you anything i said is disagreeable

KaleoXxX said:

i hope your talking to me and calling me pathetic, and not the OP, because ill debate you too if you anything i said is disagreeable

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Apparently you don't disagree with my psychiatric analysis?

Self esteem has a cure, try charity work

Green Cross said:

If you were proud of who you are everyone would know it. Instead you spend your time trying to tear others down, and feeling insecure about your self.

Pathetic

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you mean this. i dont think i tear anyone down, and i challenge you to find something i said that would be considered "tearing down" anyone in particular

i try to be nothing but helpful or at the least, comical. and ive never intentionally hurt anyone's feelings

you obviously dont know me from any other member, and unless im paying you for counseling, id like it if you kept your psychiatric analysis to your self

and for the charity work, i do clean up the woods rivers and all that stuff around my house, if youd consider that charity