How to tell parents I'm an atheist

[Creeper23782]

Runaway and join a circus

I might just try that!

[Brakeman]

Personally I wouldn't come straight out and tell them because that would simply invoke a knee jerk reaction for them to turn angry and try to cram belief down your throat. Rather, I would read a lot of good arguments here in the archive, plus ask us any questions that you think might come up in a following argument. When you are ready, then bring up some of the hard to answer issues.

Worst case = They tell you to shut up, but then they know that you have big questions about the truth of their god story.

Best case = You get them to disbelieve the bullshit too!

[KUSA]

The time I lived in the bible belt let me realize one thing: it eats your soul when you are reminded every day, in all kinds of situations, that your kind is officially seen as a lesser type of human being, untrustworthy, and to be shunned. Now minorities feel this every day everywhere, but this is when I felt it. You at some point feel the need to jump up and yell: stop telling lies about us!

I don't know why many people feel like they have to come out of the closet on this.

There are friends I have that know I am an Atheist but most people don't. I look at it like this, if someone pushes me in a corner about it I'm gonna hurt their feelings with some cold hard facts. Otherwise I just live and let live.

I still go to my parents church from time to time out of respect to them. It doesn't bother me at all to walk in a church. I just simply don't believe. It's no big deal.

There are a lot of things I don't believe in but I'll watch a movie about it and be entertained. If it's a movie about Vampires I don't feel compelled to point out that I don't believe in them.

Just loosen up and don't give a crap about it. One day they will know that you don't believe. My parents really suspect that I find the bible to be a load of shit but I don't just come out and say it because they raised me and I respect them.

I live in the bible belt. It sucks.

[The Valkyrie]

"Hands up all those who don't have a child who's an atheist. Not so fast, mum and dad!"

[*Deidre*]

Sometimes, what we fear happening when thinking through a scenario, never actually happens. I would find a time when they are relaxed and then, just calmly discuss it. Understand, seeing you are 15, they may consider it a 'phase.' Rome wasn't built in a day. Tell them your feelings...see where it leads. This will be an ongoing discussion for some time to come. They won't accept it right away, or they may never ''accept'' your decision. Or...they may grow to accept it. But, it all begins with a first step.

Good luck to you.

[Mothonis]

I never understood one's concern for keeping something bottled up inside. It is unhealthy.

You know what's also unhealthy? Being 15 and getting kicked out of your house for being an atheist (or gay, or whatever else).

To the OP, try and figure out how your parents will react - try bringing the subject up in some non-threatening way to gage their reaction to the word atheism or a person who is atheist. Try openly reading a Richard Dawkins book that is more scientific than atheistic (one of his books on evolution like The Greatest Show on Earth - but NOT The God Delusion!) and when they ask you what you're reading tell them it's a book on evolution by an atheist - have you heard of him?

See if that starts a conversation about atheism or atheists and that should give you a good idea about their initial reaction to notion. If things look favorable or they don't go too ballistic, try reading another book that's by Dawkins, then openly read a book that pits creationism against evolution, then a book that's about the historicity of the bible (Like The Bible Unearthed, or one of Bart Ehrman's books about early Christianity). Basically, ease them into the idea that you're questioning what you've been raised to believe, and when they start getting uncomfortable you know you've hit their limit - and (BONUS!) you'll have read some really interesting books.

If you read that first Dawkins book and things escalate quickly or they have a bad reaction to you reading something by an open atheist, you'll know that telling them you're an atheist isn't the best option for you and that you should wait until you're financially independent of them, as hard and as frustrating as that might be for you.

As a previous post said, try and think of the most reasonable worst case scenario that could actually happen, and if that scenario is something you're willing to live with then tell them, but if not keep your mouth shut and tough it out. Don't do anything that will compromise your safety or your well being.

I extremely disagree with this view. lack of belief should not also mean lack of integrity or courage.I would tell the truth even if it means death penalty.Think about how many nazis went along with hitler even though they didnt believe what he believe,they use the excuse,that there safety was being threatened. Besides your sending message that atheists have no courage to the christian community.

[Alex K]

I extremely disagree with this view. lack of belief should not also mean lack of integrity or courage.I would tell the truth even if it means death penalty.Think about how many nazis went along with hitler even though they didnt believe what he believe,they use the excuse,that there safety was being threatened. Besides your sending message that atheists have no courage to the christian community.

^This.

Exactly!
Creeper23782's parents are Hitler and Himmler respectively (just to be sure, have you checked for mustaches?), and by not telling them his religious views, he's sending the Jews to the gas chambers. And you're a fucking idiot.

... maybe godwin was right...

[Mothonis]

I extremely disagree with this view. lack of belief should not also mean lack of integrity or courage.I would tell the truth even if it means death penalty.Think about how many nazis went along with hitler even though they didnt believe what he believe,they use the excuse,that there safety was being threatened. Besides your sending message that atheists have no courage to the christian community.

^This.

Exactly!
Creeper23782's Parents are Hitler and Himmler respectively (just to be sure, have you checked for mustaches?), and by not telling them his religious views, he's sending the Jews to the gas chambers. And you're a fucking idiot. Telling others to ruin their lives in order to conform to your dishonest sense of whatever, and using the slaughter of millions of people to make that stupid a point. Oh my god, fuck you so much.

No you stupid piece of garbage, you obviously have no integrity and have missed the point. its better to be dead than to have others tell you what your alowed to believe.Your a coward for letting others tell you what you are alowed to be. ''Give me liberty or give me death''

[Alex K]

No you stupid piece of garbage, you obviously have no integrity and have missed the point. its better to be dead than to have others tell you what your alowed to believe.Your a coward for letting others tell you what you are alowed to be. ''Give me liberty or give me death''

I concur, I'm a stupid piece of garbage without integrity. Moving on...

Oh wait, do I understand you correctly, if I would tell you now that you have to become muslim immediately because I don't allow otherwise, you are going to kill yourself?

Btw: your a piece of garbage with no grammer and spelling.

[Mothonis]

No you stupid piece of garbage, you obviously have no integrity and have missed the point. its better to be dead than to have others tell you what your alowed to believe.Your a coward for letting others tell you what you are alowed to be. ''Give me liberty or give me death''

I concur, I'm a stupid piece of garbage without integrity. Moving on...

Oh wait, do I understand you correctly, if I would tell you now that you have to become muslim immediately because I don't allow otherwise, you are going to kill yourself?

No i would kill you first.and besides you cant conplain about me insulting you when called me stupid first. by the way who is Godwin?