Alabamian Atheist in Need of Advice

[mr.atheist]

Welcome nice to see a fellow geek/nerd join up.
I wish I could help or give advice to your situation but I don't live in the US.
But welcome

[AtcAtheist]

Celi,
Welcome!
I loved what you said in your (rough draft) Facebook post. You nailed so many points I'd like to express as well to my Facebook 'friends'.
I'm in a similar situation as yourself, but I'm twice your age. The only people I've come out to are my wife (who is still very religious) and a three co-workers who I know to be atheists.
I, too, live in the south (Mississippi), so I know how much of a minority you are when it comes to religion.

I don't have any advice other than what has already been given, but good luck! You have already proven to be smarter than the average teenager, so I'm sure you will do what is right...

Welcome again!

[My imaginary friend is GOD]

Hey, I'm from Alabama, too. I'm 22 and I'm way out. Most of my professors know I'm an atheist.

I feel like an expert on coming out because I've had to come out so many times: as an atheist, as a lesbian, as a vegetarian, as a feminist, etc. It's my general belief that you should live life as out as possible because it just takes a lot less energy to do, and it feels damn good, but I understand that that way of living may not be practical for everyone. I've hardly had any backlash from any of my coming-outs, either, but my family is an anomaly and I know that. Nobody knows better than you whether you should come out.

If you want to just talk, message me on the site, or whatever.

[Violet]

I have some advice for you if you wish to "come out" as they say...

I have advice on coming out too... don't. You'll have *way* more sex if you avoid telling your parents that you're homosexu-

Oh, just another atheist? Well, you still shouldn't... but pretending you're religious might just be the ticket that lands you the ladies (or men, but let's be honest: they were a given). Christian girls are easy

---

I feel like an expert on coming out because I've had to come out so many times: as an atheist, as a lesbian, as a vegetarian, as a feminist, etc.

Ooh, you should try telling your parents that you're a woman (or... I guess a man, in your case). They eat that shit up.

I'd like to say I'm an expert at coming out: I told my parents routinely since I was 13 that I was a woman, and continued to have sex with men that they kept allowing me to sleep with

Wasn't until I was like 17 that anyone grew half a brain and questioned it. Still: teenagers shall find a way Of course, they wouldn't let me within 10 feet of other girls... so I didn't get to enjoy the full range of my sexuality. At least my parents can be comfortable knowing that they were half right

[FKHansen]

or maybe just encouragement.

Hi, I'm Celi. Nutshelling: I'm 16, I live in Alabama, I'm socially anxious and inept, and I'm an atheist. I like sci-fi, fantasy, and other nerd stuff in the form of comics, video games, TV, books, and anime/manga. I also like writing.

And I want to come out. I really, really need to come out. Which is what I'd like advice on: I wrote this to post as a note on Facebook, and I'd really appreciate some input. I'd go on and introduce myself some more, but this says it all:

I'm atheist. I don't believe in Yahweh or any other god. I've wanted to say this for a long time, but I've never been brave enough.

The reason I'm saying this is that I don't want to lie any more. I don't want to sit through church services that alienate, revolt, and offend me, or attend Sundy school and feel like I'm assenting by silence to the lesson. I just want to go ahead and make it very clear that I'm not trying to insult anybody, although people will certainly feel insulted. I believe that something you believe is wrong, and even appalling, but I don't think that makes me superior to Christians, or that Christians are bad/dumb/otherwise contemptible people--just people who have been indoctrinated, usually from early childhood, into an insidious belief system that doesn't allow them to doubt it, lest they risk eternal torment.

Even in my earliest memories of going to church, I was highly skeptical of the accuracy of what I was being taught. To believe in something like a personal god, you have to want to, and the older I got the less I liked the idea of a murderous, misogynistic, jealous, voyueristic control freak who tortures you forever if you don't love him governing the universe. I don't remember a specific point of what a Christian would refer to as "losing my faith" because I never had any; I've always believed that faith--essentially, believing in something that you have no good reason to believe in--was illogical and rather disgusting. I merely gradually went from not knowing or caring whether it exists to believing that it doesn't. More recently, in the past few weeks and months, I've been seeing how appalling this religion is

I know I can't be the only person I know who feels this way. In any community, there are bound to be intelligent, strong-willed people who can see through the bizarre logic of religion. I know it's natural not to want to tell anyone, often not even yourself, especially here in the Bible Belt where there's so much social pressure to follow this one partiular religion and very few people who don't accept it. So, to any closeted atheists or agnostics: if you're a teenager living with religious parents who may have a seriously bad reaction, I'd recommend not coming out, obviously; everyone else, you really should. If more people come out, then it will make it easier for others to come out, and so on. You don't have to keep lying to yourself or anyone else.
--
It's really just a rough draft, I suppose, I just think I could benefit from advice from other atheists.

I realize this isn't a typical introductory thread--I'm just sort of showing up and asking for help with something. I really hope I'm not being rude.

This forum looks exceptionally tolerant and open-minded, which is a feat considering the nature of most Internet forums and the tendency of the subject of religion to get people angry. I look forward to posting here.

The text is a bit puffy in places, but it's still very good. If you like to write, use that medium to evolve, for I believe you have talent.
Secondly, I think you are very brave stepping forward like this. Whether it is the right thing to do, I do not know, but you are right concerning finding your peers. The more you are, the easier it gets. No one is to walk alone.

Btw. Welcome from Denmark

[Celi]

Thanks for the advice and welcome, everybody--especially FKHansen's kind words (I actually do intend to become a professional author).

Just to clear up why I disappeared: my parents saw this forum open in another tab, went through my Internet history, found this thread, saw what I was planning to post on Facebook, and took away all my Internet access to keep me from spreading this 'poison'. I'm only able to post this now because I happened upon a device that somebody forgot to password-lock. I just posted that not to Facebook, since this might be the only chance I get for some time. Fuck pragmatism; from the moment they interfered with my free speech this became a matter of teenage rebellion.

I feel great; I get to sleep now (it's 2 in the morning), and when I wake up, my life will be upside down. Fun!

[Kayenneh]

A) I'm sorry to hear that, Celi *gives a big hug*
B) Lock your computer if you have secrets or porn on!!

[Minimalist]

Fuck pragmatism; from the moment they interfered with my free speech this became a matter of teenage rebellion.

They sound like a couple of real tyrants. Jesus wasn't big on free speech, you know.

Good luck with that crew. You're going to need it.

[Celi]

This isn't really an 'introduction' thread anymore--if I need to create a new thread for this nonsense with my parents, I'd be happy to.

Anyway, an update: I posted that thing on Facebook, and was subsequently grounded from all electronics (they call it 'grounding' when they take stuff away for a certain period of time, although I think it usually means something else). I can only post this because, again, someone forgot to lock the wi-fi. I was, however, persuaded to remove it--I do have a little sister, and she might suffer if her friends' parents saw that. At least some people saw it before it was keelhauled. Sigh.

A) I'm sorry to hear that, Celi *gives a big hug*
B) Lock your computer if you have secrets or porn on!!

Heh. Now I know that they're still looking at this thread, because I heard my mom say 'There was one girl on there talking about porn, so you know they're not normal people!" That's probably funny to you, and it would be to me too if it wasn't coming from somebody with nigh-absolute authority over me.

(Although it does mean that they'll see anything you guys post on here, so if you've got anything you'd like to say to them, you can.)

Anyway, I can't heed your advice because my computer is now a 'family computer' until further notice. If I locked it it would be a hostage situation.

Fuck pragmatism; from the moment they interfered with my free speech this became a matter of teenage rebellion.

They sound like a couple of real tyrants. Jesus wasn't big on free speech, you know.

Good luck with that crew. You're going to need it.

Thanks.

[Fruity]

Good luck, Celi. My heart sank reading your posts. I hope everything goes well for you.