RE: Being atheist in the Bible Belt
January 3, 2017 at 4:06 pm
(This post was last modified: January 3, 2017 at 4:18 pm by Alex K.)
@OP
I'm not American, but I had the pleasure (not meant ironically) to live outside Midland TX with a Christian family while I was doing my senior year in a public high school there. They found out soon enough that I wasn't a believer, but it was very important to them that I would show up to church with them as a family thing, so I went most of the time. Initially, it was really interesting because there was a decent live band, and a charismatic style preacher, and man was that something different! However, the novelty wore off after a few months and it just became an ordeal to sit or stand between rows how people yelling "yes Lord! Amen" all the time, some of them singing themselves into a state of extasy. Even as a relative outside and a science minded atheist, you start to feel the brain melting effect of the whole endeavour, and that started to piss me off. I managed to skip on quite a few occasions when spending the weekends with friends. I didn't actively hide my nonblief in school, but it barely came up. I only remember one instance where I got into a lunchtime discussion with a lovely girl from my class about some theological question - I don't even remember what it was about. It must have worried her though, because the following week she gave me a bible in which her pastor had highlighted certain verses which they thought were especially relevant to my salvation. Of course I cordially accepted the present. I never felt any repercussions because of my belief, which may be due to the fact that 1. I was more or less a guest from the outside and 2. I was an excellent student, consistently on the honour roll.
I sometimes heard family say stuff like "Well, how's that new colleague X of yours?" "He's appears to be a good guy... he's a Christian, so..." and I must say that I felt quite hurt by that. I also heard talk about how some previous exchange student who went to the same church had found jesus there and how everyone was so proud because of that. Sure, they didn't imply that I must be bad because I wasn't a Christian, but I still felt like a second class person at times. But I never was explicitely treated like one, so it was just an emotional thing.
One night after church bbq, the new youth pastor gave me a ride home in his slick convertible, and we were rocking out to Jars of Clay and other badass rock music, and he asked me about my beliefs. I suspect that they set the thing up so he had an opportunity to reach out to me - I didn't mind. I told him my scientific and theological position in quite some detail, and his response was - well, I must say, you have a very transparent and clear worldview. I thought that was an interesting reaponse, and there wasn't any further attempt to preach to me.
I'm not American, but I had the pleasure (not meant ironically) to live outside Midland TX with a Christian family while I was doing my senior year in a public high school there. They found out soon enough that I wasn't a believer, but it was very important to them that I would show up to church with them as a family thing, so I went most of the time. Initially, it was really interesting because there was a decent live band, and a charismatic style preacher, and man was that something different! However, the novelty wore off after a few months and it just became an ordeal to sit or stand between rows how people yelling "yes Lord! Amen" all the time, some of them singing themselves into a state of extasy. Even as a relative outside and a science minded atheist, you start to feel the brain melting effect of the whole endeavour, and that started to piss me off. I managed to skip on quite a few occasions when spending the weekends with friends. I didn't actively hide my nonblief in school, but it barely came up. I only remember one instance where I got into a lunchtime discussion with a lovely girl from my class about some theological question - I don't even remember what it was about. It must have worried her though, because the following week she gave me a bible in which her pastor had highlighted certain verses which they thought were especially relevant to my salvation. Of course I cordially accepted the present. I never felt any repercussions because of my belief, which may be due to the fact that 1. I was more or less a guest from the outside and 2. I was an excellent student, consistently on the honour roll.
I sometimes heard family say stuff like "Well, how's that new colleague X of yours?" "He's appears to be a good guy... he's a Christian, so..." and I must say that I felt quite hurt by that. I also heard talk about how some previous exchange student who went to the same church had found jesus there and how everyone was so proud because of that. Sure, they didn't imply that I must be bad because I wasn't a Christian, but I still felt like a second class person at times. But I never was explicitely treated like one, so it was just an emotional thing.
One night after church bbq, the new youth pastor gave me a ride home in his slick convertible, and we were rocking out to Jars of Clay and other badass rock music, and he asked me about my beliefs. I suspect that they set the thing up so he had an opportunity to reach out to me - I didn't mind. I told him my scientific and theological position in quite some detail, and his response was - well, I must say, you have a very transparent and clear worldview. I thought that was an interesting reaponse, and there wasn't any further attempt to preach to me.
The fool hath said in his heart, There is a God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psalm 14, KJV revised edition
