Hi everyone,
I've been stalking the board for a couple of weeks as a guest now and thought I'd finally say HELLO and give you a little bit of my background. I'm an Atheistic Tango Dancing Scientist. Woot!
I could have been brought up in a very religious environment. My mother's family was devout Polish Catholic and EVERYONE went to Catholic school in my mom's generation. She kept going to church with the family and originally got married in a Catholic church to her first husband. They got divorced because she wanted to have kids and he lied about being sterile. When she wanted to marry my dad years later the church said NO-WAY. So they just got married by the Justice of the Peace. As a baby they tried to have me baptized (under pressure from my grandparents)... but were unable to. They had recently moved to a new city and didn't know many people. Being a godparent is serious business in the church so if you brought someone that wasn't Catholic they wouldn't baptize the child. The only friends my parents trusted with my care happened to be Protestant. No baptism for me. No church either. Ever. I think I lucked out.
I'm now married and my husband does have faith, but we don't go to church. His dad was a youth pastor and his mom is very religious. She talks about how she loves being near the beach "Because God made it" or that people with psychological disorders are "probably possessed by demons." Oftentimes it is hard to carry on a logical conversation with her.
Approximately three years into our relationship we finally had to tell his mom that we were living together (w/o being married GASP!) because they were coming to visit us for my PhD Graduation... she FREAKED out. Crying that we were going to hell, that we were sinners, etc. We saw no problem with it...I was in grad school, he was in college and we were happier and financially more stable living together. She learned to cope with us being a couple when she realized that her son was going to live his own life (including non-religious me) whether she liked it or not. I always thought most parents wouldn't mind their child dating someone like me... I have a PhD, a great job (professor), I'm fit and healthy, I like to think I'm talented and creative (I'm also a dance instructor), kind and thoughtful... but because I don't believe in an imaginary guy in the sky I was undesirable as a daughter-in-law. It just seems stupid to me. I make her son happy, but that doesn't matter. I don't believe in Jesus so I was 'not a good choice.'
I happily took a job in another state to be farther away from her and her ramblings and judgement. I didn't want our future kids (if we have any) to be influenced by her crazy talk.
Anyone else have In Laws that judge you for being Atheist or try to stop you from getting married?
Anyways, I'll be happily reading and commenting!
I've been stalking the board for a couple of weeks as a guest now and thought I'd finally say HELLO and give you a little bit of my background. I'm an Atheistic Tango Dancing Scientist. Woot!
I could have been brought up in a very religious environment. My mother's family was devout Polish Catholic and EVERYONE went to Catholic school in my mom's generation. She kept going to church with the family and originally got married in a Catholic church to her first husband. They got divorced because she wanted to have kids and he lied about being sterile. When she wanted to marry my dad years later the church said NO-WAY. So they just got married by the Justice of the Peace. As a baby they tried to have me baptized (under pressure from my grandparents)... but were unable to. They had recently moved to a new city and didn't know many people. Being a godparent is serious business in the church so if you brought someone that wasn't Catholic they wouldn't baptize the child. The only friends my parents trusted with my care happened to be Protestant. No baptism for me. No church either. Ever. I think I lucked out.
I'm now married and my husband does have faith, but we don't go to church. His dad was a youth pastor and his mom is very religious. She talks about how she loves being near the beach "Because God made it" or that people with psychological disorders are "probably possessed by demons." Oftentimes it is hard to carry on a logical conversation with her.
Approximately three years into our relationship we finally had to tell his mom that we were living together (w/o being married GASP!) because they were coming to visit us for my PhD Graduation... she FREAKED out. Crying that we were going to hell, that we were sinners, etc. We saw no problem with it...I was in grad school, he was in college and we were happier and financially more stable living together. She learned to cope with us being a couple when she realized that her son was going to live his own life (including non-religious me) whether she liked it or not. I always thought most parents wouldn't mind their child dating someone like me... I have a PhD, a great job (professor), I'm fit and healthy, I like to think I'm talented and creative (I'm also a dance instructor), kind and thoughtful... but because I don't believe in an imaginary guy in the sky I was undesirable as a daughter-in-law. It just seems stupid to me. I make her son happy, but that doesn't matter. I don't believe in Jesus so I was 'not a good choice.'
I happily took a job in another state to be farther away from her and her ramblings and judgement. I didn't want our future kids (if we have any) to be influenced by her crazy talk.
Anyone else have In Laws that judge you for being Atheist or try to stop you from getting married?
Anyways, I'll be happily reading and commenting!
"I still say a church steeple with a lightning rod on top shows a lack of confidence" ~Doug McLeod
T/B
