(April 6, 2017 at 7:34 pm)The Valkyrie Wrote:(April 6, 2017 at 3:19 pm)Mister Agenda Wrote: A female friend of mine had a horrible experience. Her aunt snooped in her room and found atheist literature, told her parents, she admitted that she had become an atheist, and they kicked her out of the house and cut off her college money. It was several years before they would even speak to her again and a few more before she was trusted to be around her nieces and nephews unsupervised. Her parents are Pentecostal like mine, but I was in my 40s when I came out to my father's side of the family and already lived in a different state, so it probably helped that I wasn't as vulnerable as my friend.
See, this is the kind of bullshit that pisses me off.
Parental and family ties shouldn't depend on believing in the same imaginary friend.
If you put religion above family I have nothing but utter contempt for you.
I cut my older brother off, not because he believed, but because he emotionally sucked the life out of me, and the last straw was when he verbally threatened me with physical violence. Having been beaten up by bullies as a kid , and having been emotionally blackmailed by even friends prior to meeting him, I don't play that, not even with family.
No, ditching a loved one or friend over religion is bullshit. I agree, but I will cut anyone off, including family if being around them becomes to the point of having to walk on eggshells or fear verbal abuse or physical threat for what amounts to their baggage.
My family and friends I will accept even with our differences. but nobody has to be a doormat for someone else because you are afraid of hurting their feelings. There are ways to have disagreements among family and disagreeing with family without being abusive. When it becomes to the point where you have to fear someone that is not love, that is abuse.
