How does one stay sane in a religious environment and/or family?

[Sinyail]

I sympathize for you, as my whole family is religious. Just try not to argue with them and you should be ok. Remember now and don't ever forget this, arguing with a religious person is like arguing with an atoothfairy.

[Zenith]

So, this past weekend I went wit my family to visit my grandmother. Don't get me wrong, I care about my grandmother, but she really irritated me. She lives in North Carolina, and being an old southerner, is rather religious. I don't know if I just never noticed before or if she was more vocal this time, but she was rather prejudiced towards homosexuals, african-americans, and non-Christians. It was annoying the hell out of me, but I just kept my mouth shut and waited to go home. My father is no better. In fact, he's worse. Unfortunately, I live with my parents still and my father is currently taking online classes at Liberty University to get a Master's degree in some theological crap. I live in a highly religious community as well.

My point to all this is , is this: Who else feels overwhelmed by their religious surroundings? Usually, it's not too hard just to live your life, but sometimes all the crap just gets shoved down your throat. We atheists often criticize the religious for being bigoted, but sometimes they themselves make it exceedingly difficult not to hate them, and for family, not want to visit them. I'm aware that there are far more religous communities and families out there, so, How do you all deal with these sorts of situations?

Madness is all around. Anyway, unlike most people believe, I think all this is the majority-minority problem: If 90% of world population had been pentecostal, the rest 10% would either be forced to convert or persecuted (hated, despised, having less privileges, etc.) and others killed. If 90% of the world population would have been orthodox or catholic or islamic or atheist, I'm sure that the same would happen with the minority. Even in local groups (e.g. in a town, a neighborhood, or whatever) the majority feels itself superior and greater in number and such things happen inevitably. Even if a pentecostal spends a lot of time among lots of pentecostal people, while with atheists he has little interaction (like communication), and only a little time, he feels he's the majority, and acts accordingly.

I also can't stand hitler-kind religious people (i.e. those that try to convince people of their beliefs by using a loud voice, threatening, etc.), but such situations happen.
Now there are a few cases:
1. If he is of your family or someone you can't avoid and can't afford to be harsh to, it's better not to argue with him at all but say a kind of "yes, yes", "ok", "you're right", etc. It should sound as if you really agree or would think seriously about what he said.
2. If he is not of your family and can avoid him, you should avoid him.

• a. If he tries to talk with you and is disrespectful, or simply an idiot (perhaps most of the cases), you may be harsh in the meaning of letting him understand that you don't want to hear him.
  b. If he is respectful and seems to have something in his head (i.e. intelligence), perhaps a debate might occur and would not be frustrating. Only be aware that this latter case is very rare. In case of anything, you should not let him know where you live, or some means of contacting you, if you later try to avoid him.
  

[Diamond]

I live in a very religious environment; churches on literally every corner(and only one synagogue in about the most inconspicuous place I've ever seen), a billboard that "debunks" evolution, half my Facebook friends post bible verses and prayer requests as they're statuses every other day, and right now people are talking about what they're giving up for lent.
I usually try my best to stay sane by writing everything in a diary(about as effective as writing angry letters and not sending them) but, very recently, I lost a bit of my sanity and posted this as my Facebook status:

For all those people who get offended at the GD word: Shut your goddamn mouth and mind your own goddamn business. It is just a goddamn word, goddammit!!!!!!

Boy, did that set people off!!!

[Zenith]

well, that's how it is to be the minority. Imagine how it is in a muslim country to be an atheist or a christian: if you're an atheist, but officially a muslim, you have to pretend all of your life that you're a faithful muslim, and to fight for the faith, whether you agree with that or not. If you're a christian, everyone knows what you are, you're hated and despised, and muslims are not tolerant to other religions (or atheism) in their countries (you may get your house bombed, for instance ;)) ) I also believe that a christian would rather enjoy to be among people like him rather than atheists, perhaps the same way you feel among christians. Well, this is what it means to be the minority... or the only one different in a group.

[the6dead]

I live in Kentucky and my family is very religious. I keep sane by finding comedy in their bind ignorance.

[tackattack]

I think Atheist should have a shirt printed that says "Jesus died for me too" and on the back we could put AtheistForums.org That might work in the deep south, although it would probably cause more confrontation immediately.

[8BitAtheist]

I happened to live with a religious sister, who is very much annoying. She does this thing where when I say Geeze, she adds US, immediately after to make it sound like Jesus.

Also she prays a lot, and sings a lot of gospel and she also prays aloud. The thing is though, she doesn't really know anything about her religion at all. If you try to tell her anything, she'll just ignore you.

She has bi-polar but I don't think that it should excuse her lack of appreciation for science. She dismisses everything and when you try to explain things to her that she says she does not understand she just rolls her eyes. Also to quote her, "I do not care about science" she.. doesn't... care. How can you not care? It's the same with politics, she says she hates Obama and then she doesn't give any reasons whatsoever. She doesn't know anything about politics either. I'm sure there are reasons to be against the Obama administration but really, hating for the sake of hating is quite absurd.
But back to the topic of science In fact it was just yesterday that she was saying that she doesn't understand how earth is in space.

I try to ignore these things but, damn, is it telling. I guess I have high tolerance for that type of thing though.

Sorry for this jumbled rant. My insomnia has made me quite jittery~!

[Edwardo Piet]

She has bi-polar but I don't think that it should excuse her lack of appreciation for science

Well... I'm Bi-Polar and I appreciate science. Or at least I try to.

I know embarassingly little science, but I appreciate it in the sense that I am in no way anti-science. I'm very pro-science. I think science is awesome.

[Minimalist]

She does this thing where when I say Geeze, she adds US, immediately after to make it sound like Jesus.

Say "FUCK" instead. See if she adds "us" to that.

[8BitAtheist]

She has bi-polar but I don't think that it should excuse her lack of appreciation for science

Well... I'm Bi-Polar and I appreciate science. Or at least I try to.

I know embarassingly little science, but I appreciate it in the sense that I am in no way anti-science. I'm very pro-science. I think science is awesome.

Well, that's the sort of thing I was alluding to. Currently she gets SSI and a foodstamp card, does not work. Her life is paid by the government basically. There have been conflicting reports from several different doctors, one says that she is not capable of living by herself and the other says that she manipulates people to get what she wants and that she is very capable if she so desired.

I live with my sister to try to keep her company and to keep her out of the rehab as she gets depressed. Though there is evidence that sometimes she fakes being sick to go to rehab so that she can have them take care of her and not have to worry about simple-life problems. (This was discussed with my parents during a family meeting)

Of course, I don't pay her rent and I am currently unemployed but if I could get hired with reasonable pay I'd be working just to keep me from stressing at home. It's very stressful when you have to deal with police and such.


Anyway, besides that she has no respect for science. It's sad.