Informing aging relatives of your Atheism

[Bahana]

I'm curious how many of you have told your aging religious relatives of your Atheism. I've heard some say to just leave it alone and let them die thinking you'll be in heaven with them. I really don't talk much about religion with relatives. I just flat out answer "no" if they ask if I go to church. They usually don't try to question me further after that. Sometimes discussions about religion can be pointless when talking with someone who's devoted their whole life to it and is near death.

[DodosAreDead]

Most of my aging relatives are Hindu... and Hinduism has a concept called 'Nastikata', which essentially means a lack of belief in God. So it's not a hard pill for them to swallow.

[Devout-Humanist]

I'm curious how many of you have told your aging religious relatives of your Atheism. I've heard some say to just leave it alone and let them die thinking you'll be in heaven with them. I really don't talk much about religion with relatives. I just flat out answer "no" if they ask if I go to church. They usually don't try to question me further after that. Sometimes discussions about religion can be pointless when talking with someone who's devoted their whole life to it and is near death.

You seem to have the situation well thought out and under control. No point upsetting the apple cart. Let them follow their beliefs while you follow yours.

Best of luck!


P.S. What I cannot understand is society's preoccupation with the hereafter. When I go to sleep, I don't worry about my time spent being unconscious. It doesn't hurt. Death is like sleeping, only a bit longer. I'm not concerned with the eternity before I was born, and I'm not concerned with the eternity after my death. It really is that simple.

[Mr.Obvious]

They never ask.
It'd a topic i don't Bring up irl, unless brought up.
They know i don't go to church though .

[outtathereligioncloset]

I've made a conscious decision that my elderly father will die without knowing I don't believe in god. Or heaven. Or hell. It would break his heart to think he will not see me someday in heaven. (Hopefully nobody will "out" me to him against my wishes.) It took me a while to come to terms with that. It felt hypocritical. Someone at TPTSNBN said something that put it in perspective for me and made me feel very "at peace" with that. I WISH I could remember who it was. I WISH I could remember exactly what they said that made it so much better. I WISH I'd copied and pasted that post to my personal files as soon as I read it. I WISH I knew for sure that I thanked them properly. (I doubt it.) Regrets.

[no one]

I don't go out of my way to shove my lack of belief down anyone's throat. However, if you have an issue with that fact that I don't believe, and somehow view it as disrespect to your beliefs, that's your problem.

[brewer]

Both my parents and grand parents (one from each side) died knowing I was an atheist. But they had 50 and 15 years (respectively) to let it sink in. And they all died a lingering death with their minds going before the body. I doubt it caused them much grief.

[Bahana]

On the subject of parents, my mother died in an auto accident in her 50s. It was the same year I gave up on supernaturalism. She never knew I rejected the religion and she was the reason I was brought up in it. In a way I'm glad we never had that argument. I was an angry and aggressive atheist at that time and I can't imagine it would have went well for her.