as an atheist. I just put it on Facebook, let's see how my family reacts. I'm coming out of the closet. I'm an ex-Christian. Trying to believe in god and believe that Jesus was somehow born to a virgin and came back from the dead is like trying to believe in Santa. Sorry.
^ What was you religious status on Facebook before? Those are harsh words for some people. I've always believed in most of it, though not all. I just distanced myself from the church instead of not believing. I had a phone discussion with a cousin about this. They mentioned this approach: that if you don't like the institution but believe in a higher being, then just disassociate yourself from the institution, and that's what I did. But if you don't believe it, you don't believe it, and that's all there's to it. Let us know what happens.
Well, it is easy enough to renounce faith in traditional Christianity I suppose. The reaction all depends on how hardcore your family is.
When did you stop believing? I will probably never consider myself an atheist because I dislike absolutes (I prefer to be an agnostic). Growing up, I had trouble with certain dogma and biblical events (e.g. The Flood and the Ark). I think I was around 10-11 when I started questioning a lot. I was always a good (and smart) good boy, so I could feign religiosity to please friends and family and pretend I believed in everything that I was taught. Anyways, congratulations on "coming out;" hopefully, your family will understand.
I was an atheist most of my teenage life, but took a Christian holiday. I can only describe it as like the first time you get high on a drug...it's amazing and fun until reality comes crashing down.
Being an atheist is really like a coming out experience itself. I remember I was the black sheep of my family and they literally fucking called me a heathen and told me i would go to hell if i wasn't a christian after i told them i didn't believe in god at age 12 XD Ironically my dad was the worst offender and guess what? He recently told my mom he is an atheist now. And I think my mothers faith is withering. And just a little while ago they were sooo devout.
Hey, don't knock coming out as atheist. Although I have worries about Dawkins appropriating coming out (atheists and queer people do NOT face the same struggles), atheists do face real oppression. I've been subjected to more hostility because of my atheism than I have because of my bisexuality or my gender.
