how to live as an Atheist in a Christian family

[elizabeth_the_skeptic]

I am 19 years old, a college student, and I am an Atheist living in a Christian family. They all know, and they are all livid about it. My mom isn't terrible, but my father makes me go to church twice a week, once to talk to this man from church who is a professor at a Christian university. He is constantly trying to engage me in debates so that he can re-convert me, though he keeps failing miserably. I am currently in Texas for a week with my uncle, who I have learned was told by my father to talk to me about all of this. They are all absolutely abusive to me, laughing at me, calling me names, and degrading me. I have been looking for a job for months, but so far to no avail, and as I have no friends with an open room, for now I have to stay at my house. I'm absolutely miserable, and I'm at my wit's end. I don't know what else to say to them, because no argument, no matter how valid, will keep them from laughing at me, and they insist upon talking about this 3 times a day. Can anyone help me?

[Polaris]

Fake it...it's not like it's going to matter if you already don't believe.

[elizabeth_the_skeptic]

Fake it...it's not like it's going to matter if you already don't believe.

At this point, they would know if I was faking. That's not really an option.

[Polaris]

Fake it...it's not like it's going to matter if you already don't believe.

At this point, they would know if I was faking. That's not really an option.

How would they know if you were faking though? I have Republicans in my family and I make it look as if I'm no where as leftist (in reality, she's a moderate compared to me) as my cousin they always rag on. It just fakes life easier.

[elizabeth_the_skeptic]

At this point, they would know if I was faking. That's not really an option.

How would they know if you were faking though? I have Republicans in my family and I make it look as if I'm no where as leftist (in reality, she's a moderate compared to me) as my cousin they always rag on. It just fakes life easier.

Well I've made it very clear that I'm an Atheist, so if I suddenly started agreeing with them, they'd be very suspicious.

[Foxaèr]

Well I've made it very clear that I'm an Atheist, so if I suddenly started agreeing with them, they'd be very suspicious.

Fundamentalists are not that smart. They would automatically assume that their talks with you have worked, that going to church has worked, and they would praise their magical sky daddy as though a miracle had been wrought.

[Polaris]

How would they know if you were faking though? I have Republicans in my family and I make it look as if I'm no where as leftist (in reality, she's a moderate compared to me) as my cousin they always rag on. It just fakes life easier.

Well I've made it very clear that I'm an Atheist, so if I suddenly started agreeing with them, they'd be very suspicious.

Since they're in Texas, you can fool them. Just do it subtly over a few weeks.

Mind anyone reading this, this would not work if your family tends to be the intelligent Christians...they don't buy it for a second.

[elizabeth_the_skeptic]

Unfortunately, my father and uncle are actually very intelligent. Which is ironic, seeing as they're Christian. But there's pretty much no way to fool them.

[Foxaèr]

Ironically, belief or lack thereof has no bearing on intellect.

It seems you have only one option. Keep fighting. If they are as smart as you claim, eventually they will understand that you are an atheist and that no amount of proselytizing or indoctrination is going to change that.

[Polaris]

Agreed....some of the most intelligent people I have met have been religious whether they were Christians, Jews, or Moslems...the predominant faiths of the university I attended, which surprised me that so many going to a university of that caliber would be religious and that their faith would increase as they were exposed to new ideas.

On them accepting her atheism, just because someone is intelligent does not mean they will be the most reasonable.