(February 19, 2014 at 9:57 am)aspiecat Wrote:
Hi everyone, aspiecat here.
Yes, I am an Aspie; yes, I like cats.
Wanting to touch base with other atheists, particularly other atheist parents, and although my extended family are generally fine about my, my husband's and my 14-year-old son's atheism, it doesn't mean they are totally okay with it.
Background: I am from New Zealand, but moved with work to Australia in 98, then moved back with my (now ex-) husband and our son to NZ with his work, then again back to Oz to help my then FIL who was very ill. Time passed, things happened (marriage broke up = "things" LOL) and since September 2013 my son and I have been in north-eastern Kentucky with my new hubby.
While we await for my son's and my residency to come through, we are getting to know our new home - a far cry from the extremely metropolitan areas in which we lived for so many years. I find that people want to know on meeting us what church we attend, but their politeness stops them from more than a tight-lipped smile. Don't get me wrong - the people here are VERY community-driven, and the kids are generally very polite and courteous - but the underlying "we won't let your son socialise with our children because he might infect them" is very obvious here. Even the only other boy in our American extended family is not allowed to spend time with my son, as his parents are afraid my son's atheism will "rub off" on their boy. The fact they both have shared interests and live less than 10 minutes' drive away from each other doesn't matter - our lack of theism is an issue. This boy is even discouraged from talking with my son at family gatherings - *sigh*.
Apart from that, the only other thing to say is that I was brought up in the Roman Catholic Church, and even to this day feel very comfortable in a Catholic church...I even from time to time go into a church to sit and remember the feeling of safety that engulfed me as a child.
Sorry about the length! I tend to be rather verbose...
Welcome from a cat loving Aussie living in Wellington.
Playing Cluedo with my mum while I was at Uni:
"You did WHAT? With WHO? WHERE???"
