I am a non-Christian international student at a Christian high school in Seattle, living with a Christian host family. I really dislike having Bible class for 1 hour and 25 minutes every day, Chapel every Friday, church every Sunday, and discussions about Christianity everywhere around me. I don't feel safe being myself around so many Christian people. My host mom is a very dominant person and always prays out loud in front of me, asserts that "homosexuality is a disease" and "America needs a Christian revival". I don't want to go to church with them anymore, but I am afraid I'd get kicked out of the house by my host mom. I'm not prepared to have big arguments with them yet. I don't know what to do? Anyone in the same boat?
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Hi, Amy. Welcome to AR. Have you any friends in the area who are not xtian? Are you confined to your host family's house or can you get out and about?Can you request a different host family? Do you have to go to that school?
I think you should try to find other accommodation. this place sounds awful.
xox my sympathies
@ Amy
1. Play along, bide your time. It might seem horrible for several reasons, but unless you're in a position where you can support yourself economically and have alternate living quarters, don't do anything to make your situation worse!
2. Discretely find out if you can improve your situation (switch family, switch school). Give reasons other than religious if necessary, since that may be better received by others.
bide your time, find work and get independent :) xxo
I'll stick with The Pragmatic's suggestion.
Patience and tolerance are the order of the day. You may well feel pent up and prone to much introspection but, as they say, this too shall pass.Think of it like working at a job that gives you a standard of living you can accept but the boss, Richard Cranium, delivers woe unto your psyche. Same deal. Look around for a way out in the meantime.
I had to go through the same stuff you are negotiating now when I went to a christian university. I lived in a dorm, though, so I didn't have to endure it after classes. Plus, I told the faculty involved I was atheist and wasn't much interested in their tall tales of gods and such. They were savvy to people (students) like me so we tolerated each other well enough and mutual avoidance was the name of the game.
I can't imagine an air-headed surrogate mom being that imposing upon a house guest. That's just rude, if not a bit wacko. Were you aware of the situation, even generally, before accepting the family's hosting offer? I suppose even if you were you'd not have expected what you're experiencing now. Christians can be irretrievably around the bend. Deep breaths and slow sighs.
I am not sure of the conditions of your arrangement, but in general, unless you signed on through a specifically Christian organization, there are restrictions on indoctrination.
You must have a counselor or contact person with the group that set this up. Talk to them