I need major help with my Christian Family

[Mister Agenda]

@coolfunkDJ,
- What kind of church do you attend?
- What was expected of you before you hinted at disbelief?
- What is expected of you now?

-Pentecostal
-To pray before every meal (which I thought was stupid when I was religious), To go to church every sunday and attend week long conventions, which is as tiresome as it sounds
-The exact same, which is killing me!

Ah. I've been there, though I was an adult before I realized I had become an atheist, I first read the Bible through when I was in my teens-as an act of devotion, and it was impossible to remain a Pentecostal in my heart after that.

That affects my advice. It doesn't matter what you tell them, anything but Pentecostal is unacceptable. Their tactics wouldn't change much if you told them you had become an atheist, a Buddhist, or a Lutheran. In their eyes, you're damned to hell if you're anything but a Pentecostal.

I wouldn't test them. It CAN get worse. I know four more years is like a quarter of your life to you, but it's not so much in the long run. Graduate HS, if they're footing the bill for college, try to make it not a Bible college (but not too hard, or they'll be on to you), and resign yourself to them trying to make a better Pentecostal out of you their whole lives.

I hate to recommend any sort of dishonesty, but your parents have created a climate where it is hazardous to be honest with them about what you think, and that's not your fault. Personally I think Pentecostal rigidity is like a machine for making new atheists, but the last thing a Pentecostal wants to do is change their approach just because it would be a more effective way to keep their children Pentecostals in the modern world. Not changing is what Pentecostalism is really all about.

They said they wont kick me out or anything, but I know that it will cause earthquakes within the house, so im probably going to keep my head down! Thanks so much for the advice, just so you know im going to be following your blog, might be some help

That's something, at least: it's sad that there are any parents who would kick their child out on the street for not believing the same things they do, but it's thankfully rare, even among fundamentalists. I don't think there is any doubt that they love you, that's why they're being such a pain: they're trying to save you.

You know there must be an advice book for Christian parents with atheist kids. Yours aren't the only ones struggling to deal with the situation. At least there are defintitely articles about it on the internet. I bet most of them don't advise doubling down on the religion stuff in an attempt to pressure their child into conforming. Maybe you could suggest they check out what resources there are for parents in their situation.