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RE: I'm a Closet Atheist
August 30, 2015 at 1:20 pm
Hey Cecelia!  Welcome to AF.
I've been here a year or so, and it has helped me with exactly the thing you're looking for. I hope it does the se for you.
Did being a history teacher have something to do with your atheism? Or would you say it was something else about you that drew you to both history and atheism?
I can't remember where this verse is from, I think it got removed from canon:
"I don't hang around with mostly men because I'm gay. It's because men are better than women. Better trained, better equipped...better. Just better! I'm not gay."
For context, this is the previous verse:
"Hi Jesus" -robvalue
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RE: I'm a Closet Atheist
August 30, 2015 at 1:37 pm
(August 30, 2015 at 1:18 pm)Minimalist Wrote: So why bother with him? This honor thy father and mother shit is bible-based too. If the guy is as big an asshole as you say then you'll never change him. People who shut out their families because of the invisible sky-daddy do not deserve to be treated with respect. If you can't talk about mundane stuff ( the weather, sports, etc.) then avoid him. Don't let his problems be your problems.
If I could shut him out, I would. If he found out we weren't believers, he'd come to our house every day to try to convert us. That's just the kind of person he is. He doesn't leave when asked. Luckily there are times when he can avoid the topic of religion (though often he'll try to bring it up). Anytime he brings up religion, I just nod my head, and hope someone changes the subject.
(August 30, 2015 at 1:20 pm)Exian Wrote: Hey Cecelia! Welcome to AF.
I've been here a year or so, and it has helped me with exactly the thing you're looking for. I hope it does the se for you.
Did being a history teacher have something to do with your atheism? Or would you say it was something else about you that drew you to both history and atheism?
I was drawn to History mostly because my husband was good at it, and it was something we could share. He planned on becoming a History teacher himself before we had kids. Then only one of us could afford to go to college. And he gave it up for me. I was drawn to Atheism because I saw just how many people were hurt by religion. My husband for a long time felt guilt about a lot of things that he shouldn't have felt guilty about. Such as us living together before being married. I've seen so many other friends who were hurt by religion. I guess in a way the study of history furthered my Atheism. Both by realizing just how much harm religion does (Sure it does good things, but as the inaccurate saying goes: Mussolini made the trains run on time), and realizing that a lot of the historical facts of the bible aren't so much facts at all. I mean reading the bible... why would anyone WANT this god to be real? The Abrahamic God is not all that different from (and I hate invoking the Godwin Rule) Hitler. He slaughtered people for all kinds of reasons. From a feminist standpoint, he's a misogynist. A friend of mine put it very well once: The Abrhamaic God reflects the values of the people of the time, not the values of a timeless deity.
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RE: I'm a Closet Atheist
August 30, 2015 at 2:00 pm
Hi Cecelia!  Welcome to AF!
I'm sorry to hear you have to hide. I know the pain. Hopefully this forum will be as much of an outlet and a relief as it is to me
Ex catholic hi5!
And here come your welcome waffles! c:
![[Image: waffles-and-ice-cream-dessert-10200001rca-ss.jpg]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=www.recipe.com%2Fimages%2Fwaffles-and-ice-cream-dessert-10200001rca-ss.jpg)
Enjoy!
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RE: I'm a Closet Atheist
August 30, 2015 at 2:02 pm
Quote: If I could shut him out, I would. If he found out we weren't believers, he'd come to our house every day to try to convert us
Call the police.
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RE: I'm a Closet Atheist
August 30, 2015 at 2:15 pm
Welcome Cecelia!
I hope you enjoy your stay here. Maybe you'll learn to be more assertive about you're atheism. I can understand a young adult who is dependent on parents keeping quiet but two independent, established adults? What for? Your father-in-law isn't going to change himself to suit you. He's not going to cower in a closet and hide who he is. Why should you? Stand up and be proud of who you are. It's the only way to live.
Like Min says, call the police on him if necessary. He'd probably do the same against you if you invaded his house uninvited, gave him unwanted religious advice and refused to leave when asked.
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.
Albert Einstein
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RE: I'm a Closet Atheist
August 30, 2015 at 2:20 pm
I don't have the heart to call the police on him, even if he's being a jerk. It's just easier to nod my head, and ignore him when he brings up religion. He's practically the only family my husband has left. If we hadn't just recently had our house built, and I didn't live within walking distance to the school I work at, we'd move away so he wouldn't be so close. I can always remind myself that he's not all there (he didn't think Catholics were Christian, and thought Merry Christmas was Mary Christmas, as in Mary mother of Jesus, and he got upset not just when people said Happy Holidays, but when people didn't specifically say Merry Christmas). I've also learned that if you get him on the subject of cars, he'll gladly just talk about that instead of religion.
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RE: I'm a Closet Atheist
August 30, 2015 at 2:24 pm
Hello and welcome! I hope you enjoy your time here. And be careful about revealing too much about yourself, as anyone may read the threads at this site.
"A wise man ... proportions his belief to the evidence."
— David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Section X, Part I.
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RE: I'm a Closet Atheist
August 30, 2015 at 2:26 pm
No one can treat you like a doormat if you don't allow it. He's a bully and he uses his god shit as his weapon.
Your choice, but he won't stop unless you do something. BTW, your husband should be the one to tell him off.
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RE: I'm a Closet Atheist
August 30, 2015 at 2:38 pm
(August 30, 2015 at 12:17 pm)Cecelia Wrote: Hi, my name is Cecelia and I'm a closet atheist. I'm 30 years old, but will be 31 in October. I'm getting old =/
I was raised Catholic, but started to doubt god around the time I started dating my now husband. I switched to non-denominational Christian, but the truth was I was just fooling myself. I didn't really get that I was an atheist at the time. The more I read the bible, the more I not only doubted god, but the more I didn't want the Abrahamic God to exist. The Abrahamic god was a misogynist, a psychopath, and not someone who I wanted to exist. So I guess I fit the stereotype of someone who 'hates god'. I'd say it's more accurate that I hate the things that god is said to have done. You know, hate the sin, not the sinner. Except you can't hate someone who doesn't exist in the first place.
I'm a high school History teacher, which is one of the reasons I'm in the closet about my Atheism. I'm worried if the wrong people find out, I could be fired. I'll be starting my eighth year of teaching this year. I had to hide a lot about who I was in my interview process. Which really sucked, especially since my boss was my old High School Vice Principal.
My husband does know I'm an Atheist. He's one too. Most of my friends know. But our families don't. My side of the family isn't really a problem. My mom's probably an Atheist. Not my dad though. It's my husband's side of the family that's big into religion. His father is your classic Wrath of God type Christian. He thinks if you do something bad, god will destroy your house. A lot of his beliefs are totally backwards. And he's immune to logic. To him, being an atheist is a worse sin than murder. And working on Sunday is definitely among the worst things you can do. Just to give an example of his 'logic'
"What about people born in Africa? They don't know about Jesus, so how can they be expected to believe in him?"
"They can pray about it."
At which point I wanted to bang my head against the wall. We haven't even told any of our kids that we're atheists because they might say something to him. He's one of those people who if found out would NOT leave us alone. And the rest of my husband's family isn't a whole lot better.
My neighbor Divinity told me about this place, and I thought it'd be a good idea to join a place where I can be more open about who I am. Christians are so worried about their religious liberty, and then treat atheists the way they do. It's nice to meet you all.
Welcome Cecilia.
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RE: I'm a Closet Atheist
August 30, 2015 at 2:59 pm
(August 30, 2015 at 2:26 pm)Minimalist Wrote: No one can treat you like a doormat if you don't allow it. He's a bully and he uses his god shit as his weapon.
Your choice, but he won't stop unless you do something. BTW, your husband should be the one to tell him off.
Some people you just can't argue with. My father-in-law is one of those people. It's not like we live our lives by his rules. So I can tolerate nodding my head anytime he says something stupid. I'm just glad my being an atheist didn't ruin my marriage. Especially since my husband wasn't an atheist when I told him. (It took him a bit longer to give up the idea of god because of how he was raised) We're much happier now though than when we believed.
Religious people tend to view Atheists as immoral. Maybe one day Atheism will be accepted by more people, and we won't see states that refuse to allow Atheists to run for office. We won't see parents complain that their kids' teacher doesn't believe in god. It's another reason I stopped being religious. Those that are religious are too concerned with things that do not effect them.
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