gay or atheist?

[Alex K]

I'll go on record now to say that if my daughter should ever realize that she is gay or even a trans man, it's not going to be an issue for us? Duh.

[Alex K]

I mean seriously, as a parent, there are sooo many things to worry yourself to death about, I honestly don't get how that makes anywhere near the top of the list.

[Gemini]

I mean seriously, as a parent, there are sooo many things to worry yourself to death about, I honestly don't get how that makes anywhere near the top of the list.

I think a lot of the attraction to theism is that people delude themselves into believing that they don't have to worry about the real dangers that children face. An all powerful, perfectly good being is there to look after them, right? Their first concern is that their offspring don't piss off the cosmic authority.

[Alex K]

I mean seriously, as a parent, there are sooo many things to worry yourself to death about, I honestly don't get how that makes anywhere near the top of the list.

I think a lot of the attraction to theism is that people delude themselves into believing that they don't have to worry about the real dangers that children face. An all powerful, perfectly good being is there to look after them, right? Their first concern is that their offspring don't piss off the cosmic authority.

Makes sense - God takes care of all the usual dangers, but the kids turning atheist or turning into some kind of abomination is of course not covered by the insurance policy!

[Cyberman]

Personally, I've always been an atheist and my parents not only know about it, they've always positively encouraged it. So that wouldn't be much of a surprise to them. They also know I'm straight - though not necessarily exclusively - so again, not a lot to shock anyone there. I think they'd be relieved if they found out I was getting a piece of any action at all. Not as much as I would, maybe, but still.

This question actually pertains more to a guy from the States I used to know from the erstwhile CVAtheists forum, and one or two others here would remember him I'm sure. Basically, he wasn't only a xtian, he was an out-and-out YEC. Mind, he was only about sixteen or something. Anyway, over time he slowly moved away from that fundie stance until eventually he was at least as much an atheist as I am. Then came the problem of how to come out to his parents.

After several months of asking our advice and waiting for the right time, he managed to pluck up courage to sit his parents down for The Chat. With much nervous stammering, he eventually managed to 'confess' that he was now an atheist. "Is that all?" asked his mum, "We thought you were going to tell us you're gay, like your brother!"

I still occasionally bump into him on Facebook. He's doing great.

[drfuzzy]

My brother and I told our parents were were gay.  They told us never to darken the door again . . . unless we got married and begged the church for forgiveness.  
I was told it would help if I also showed up pregnant.  This was 1988.  I spotted them briefly at my Grandfather's funeral.  They left before it was over.

My Father died.  I didn't learn about it until 4 months after it happened.  

But ATHEIST????   Oh, that's much worse.  Much, much worse. After all, true belief in SkyRapistDaddy is supposed to cure the nasty queers of their demon possession.  
(I wondered more than once what would happen if I showed up pregnant and told 'em I was still a virgin and god was the father.)

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I was tremendously fortunate in having had parents who supported my atheism. I strongly suspect they would have been equally supportive had I told them I was gay, bisexual, Conservative, or a one-legged Armenian acrobat who fought crime under the nom de guerre Pooky Pookerson.

Boru

[The Grand Nudger]

[Cyberman]

[emjay]

My strongly Christian parents were, and still are, much more upset about me coming out as gay than as an atheist. But funnily enough they've hardly batted an eye about the atheism but as soon as I started showing an interest in Buddhism, they went nuts, figuratively speaking. So since I still live with them, as an adult, it felt very unpleasant to feel ashamed just to go to a simple meditation class... and to have to essentially hide it from them to keep the peace. I shouldn't have had to do that I shouldn't have to be ashamed about wanting to meditate when all it is to me is good psychology and an exercise in wellbeing with nothing supernatural about it. In their ignorance about the subject, to them I want to join some weird cult but it's not even a religion as I'm interested in it... it's just a philosophy... with no 'god' anywhere in sight. It just really annoys me