Respecting Christian family and friends

[watchamadoodle]

Would they respect your views?

Everybody would respect my views except my mother. My mother would probably worry and pray more, and I'm sure she would persistently suggest that I need to be a Christian. It wouldn't bother me, but it would add unnecessary worry to my mother's life.

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Thanks for those replies, everybody.

I have heard that Judaism tolerates atheism. I was hopeful that the Episcopal church might tolerate atheists and even allow them to receive communion, but most Episcopalians were offended when I asked about this on a forum. Many of them seemed to think that it would be extremely disrespectful for me to even participate in the songs and prayers as an atheist.

The other thought was the possibility that I could believe in a God behind the Christian God (and all the other religion's gods too). I thought this type of belief might be acceptable to some denominations (such as Eastern Orthodox). Asking about this got me cited for blasphemy on a general Christian forum, and it really pissed-off the people at an Orthodox forum.

I feel like Christianity is making me into a leper. It makes me angry, because I was baptized into the Episcopal church as an infant. Later I joined the Orthodox church and participated there. I always had doubts. Now that I consider myself an atheist, I'm a blasphemer and a pariah. (I see what people mean about atheists being unpopular in the US )

BTW I have always hated going to church, and most of my life I have rarely attended church, so I don't know why I care about not being welcome there anymore... strange.