RE: Im atheist but my wife isn't
June 7, 2013 at 9:37 am
(This post was last modified: June 7, 2013 at 9:38 am by Doubting Thomas.)
I'm kind of in a similar boat. I'm atheist, my wife is still Catholic, and her parents are also Catholic and right-wing Fox News watching Obama haters. (I'm not kidding about Fox News, it's on at their house every time we go over) But I don't pressure her to give up her religion, though she often tells me that she would like for me to go to church with her. I do on some occasions, like Christmas & Easter (which sucks because that is when Catholics have the looooooongest masses). But she's not a fanatical Catholic and often skips going to church, or some times she might go alone and leave the kids home with me.
But we never have 5 AM drunken tirades over religion. Even though she wants me to be religious again she doesn't push the issue. Her mom wanted me to go talk to the local priest (a right-wing conservative who during the 2012 primaries said that he thought Santorum would make a good president) but there's really nothing he could say to make me want to go to church again.
I think that you're lucky that you have a wife who seems to fall into the "spiritual but not religious" category. If I were you I'd leave her alone about her beliefs and not try to force your atheism on her. I would show her that atheism is not "depressing and angry" by showing her how happy you are without religion. I, personally am far happier since I gave up religion. Unless she's trying to force her woo beliefs on you, there's no need to ridicule those beliefs.
As far as the children are concerned, I think you're raising them right. However I would voice concerns with her about not wanting them to be brainwashed into right-wing conservatism. I would also bring it up with the children that some people have different views on politics and religion, and to not just accept certain beliefs because others insist that you believe them. I think with your two boys being 13 and 11 and not being raised with religion you have a good start. Most kids are smart enough to see through bullshit. And even if some brainwashing is attempted and the children talk to you about it, you can offer them an opposing view.
But we never have 5 AM drunken tirades over religion. Even though she wants me to be religious again she doesn't push the issue. Her mom wanted me to go talk to the local priest (a right-wing conservative who during the 2012 primaries said that he thought Santorum would make a good president) but there's really nothing he could say to make me want to go to church again.
I think that you're lucky that you have a wife who seems to fall into the "spiritual but not religious" category. If I were you I'd leave her alone about her beliefs and not try to force your atheism on her. I would show her that atheism is not "depressing and angry" by showing her how happy you are without religion. I, personally am far happier since I gave up religion. Unless she's trying to force her woo beliefs on you, there's no need to ridicule those beliefs.
As far as the children are concerned, I think you're raising them right. However I would voice concerns with her about not wanting them to be brainwashed into right-wing conservatism. I would also bring it up with the children that some people have different views on politics and religion, and to not just accept certain beliefs because others insist that you believe them. I think with your two boys being 13 and 11 and not being raised with religion you have a good start. Most kids are smart enough to see through bullshit. And even if some brainwashing is attempted and the children talk to you about it, you can offer them an opposing view.
Christian apologetics is the art of rolling a dog turd in sugar and selling it as a donut.
