I'm assuming you're 16.
I always say that one of the wonderful things about being a person firmly enmeshed in reality is that you can choose the most realistic situation and go with that until it becomes unrealistic.
You know your dad. You can easily figure out how he would react. But if the pros (not hiding/being yourself, sleeping in on Sundays, etc) do not outweigh the cons (school, friends, job, disowned by family, chance of being more immersed in Church) then you can be realistic about it, and just play the part.
That was my situation. I went to church with my parents, three times a week. I never believed, I don't ever remember buying into it. My freshman year in college, when I was fully financially solvent, I told my parents. To their credit, I don't think they would have cut me off were I dependent on them or anything, but they didn't have the option anyways. I have a great relationship with my parents and siblings now, who are all still staunchly religious.
So that is my advice. Be realistic. It is truly fantastic that you haven't bought into the indoctrination and that you are smart enough to seek advice before acting. Sounds like you are smart enough to be realistic about this. It is great to be yourself and not feel like you have to hide things, but not if that freedom comes with being ostracized, set you apart from your family, or cause you grief.
John!
I always say that one of the wonderful things about being a person firmly enmeshed in reality is that you can choose the most realistic situation and go with that until it becomes unrealistic.
You know your dad. You can easily figure out how he would react. But if the pros (not hiding/being yourself, sleeping in on Sundays, etc) do not outweigh the cons (school, friends, job, disowned by family, chance of being more immersed in Church) then you can be realistic about it, and just play the part.
That was my situation. I went to church with my parents, three times a week. I never believed, I don't ever remember buying into it. My freshman year in college, when I was fully financially solvent, I told my parents. To their credit, I don't think they would have cut me off were I dependent on them or anything, but they didn't have the option anyways. I have a great relationship with my parents and siblings now, who are all still staunchly religious.
So that is my advice. Be realistic. It is truly fantastic that you haven't bought into the indoctrination and that you are smart enough to seek advice before acting. Sounds like you are smart enough to be realistic about this. It is great to be yourself and not feel like you have to hide things, but not if that freedom comes with being ostracized, set you apart from your family, or cause you grief.
John!
"There remain four irreducible objections to religious faith: that it wholly misrepresents the origins of man and the cosmos, that because of this original error it manages to combine the maximum servility with the maximum of solipsism, that it is both the result and the cause of dangerous sexual repression, and that it is ultimately grounded on wish-thinking." ~Christopher Hitchens, god is not Great
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