My cousin has been very religious for a long time now. She has traveled the world with missionary groups and illegally brought Bibles into countries that didn't allow it, and now she is on the marketing team of a huge church. I have only spoken to her a few times but when I did she would take total control of the conversation not for a couple minutes but for 10 or 15. Hearing someone rave about the lord for that long is like a slow death sentence to me. I smiled and nodded, but next time I swear I am going to say Erica, I am happy for you, but can we talk about OUR LIVES for once?? [In my head: can you please not be so selfish of the conversation???????]
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I have a few and I enjoy getting on their nerves because they can't accept me for questioning their beliefs and not following in their footsteps. I look forward to xmas dinners with them because the debates get heated :P
I have a couple of those, my grandparents namely, and some of my friends are spiritual buffs. They don't understand how I don't believe in god, and it annoys the ever living shit out of me! Ive told my buddies on several occasions that I'm not misguided and I don't want to be subjugated based on an opinion they developed during an acid trip! Unfortunately though there doesn't seem to be a solution to this problem as i have had the same "You dont believe in... ?" conversation hundreds of times.
I feel sorry for some of those acid trippers that think they open a "third eye" and get enlightment that makes them much better human beings. Then when they come back down from their acid trip they resume their stupidity of judging people and making fun of them because of how they look. This also happens with most christians. They preach something and as soon as they leave church they couldn't care less.
I have much more respect for religious people that really have strong faith and follow the good aspects of the bible, than I do for poser atheists that are horrible human beings and will probably pee their pants asking for forgiveness if they had a near death experience. I will always stand by my belief that a truly smart human being would never deny or confirm the existence of a creator.
The religion fanatics in my family really get on my nerves, they are constantly trying to change my views of religion.
Oh yeah we all have them and they always try to turn us into their beliefs but in my case all I hear is blah blah blah.
i have a sister and she is not the typical fanatic that goes to church; but every time she has the chance, she tell me that i am going to hell for not believing in god. she is judgemental...
My dad always annoy the hell out of me by telling that there cannot be anything without a creator. He forces me to watch a evening talk-show of a guruji/spiritual leader for an hour and threatens me that if I don't watch that talk-show with him, he won't talk with me anymore. He calls it 'satsang', I call it a talk-show.
Some people really go very far and just act in truly crazy ways.
It is challenging to handle a relative who is very persistent. You either figure out a way to communicate with them or just not talk to them at all. It is easier to simply turn your head and not deal with the situation, which is usually what happens unfortunately.
My husbands family used to go to church and be extremely involved with their christian faith. I've been an atheist for a while now, my husband used to tell me it made him sad that when we died I might go to hell. Thankfully, my husband also became an atheist about 2 years ago and we're so happy together simply appreciating our lives and our love. My mother in law (who is the sweetest person ever) is still very much a fanatic. She doesn't really know we're atheist but I think she suspects it. I'm having a hard time deciding if I should just tell her and go through the awkward and difficult part of her trying to do as much as she can to convert us back because she truly thinks its in our best interest. or if i should just keep it to myself. I find myself on facebook sometimes thinking "wow, I want to share this awesome atheist thoughts!" but then I change my mind to avoid going through difficulties with his family, because we have a great relationship. What has been your situations when having a loved one that you didn't want them to know you're an atheist but at the same time did. Hope it's understandable. (my native language is Spanish, so I'm sorry if this message isn't written all that well).
Thank you!
I think it is a very valuable exercise to converse respectfully with people who have different belief systems without resorting to calling them names (even if not actually out loud). It has the added benefit of strengthening one's own expectation to be treated civilly. I was born into a family that had no theology (although my mother in her old age has succumbed to the media preachers, unfortunately) and grew up without any dogma or rituals of faith, which enabled me to ask questions of people of faith without judgement, as if I were asking them about their ethnic dishes or clothing styles. I also have no interest in sports or teams. I suspect I use the same tolerant smile when people talk about religion as I do when they talk about sports. Eventually, if we can't find some topic of mutual interest, one or both parties gets bored and wanders off.
Aeromum that is very true. The problem is that fanatics will even stop talking to you because you are an atheist as if you are some kind of a monster. So there is no way to really be able to have a conversation with one without being insulted or judged.
My Uncle would be the one in my family. The bad thing is that he also drinks really heavy in the afternoons and takes xanax. He pops his xanax (he does have it legally), drinks a few beers, and then starts raving on and on about god. Hes gone through quite a few different beliefs in his time, all within the christian realm. One belief he had was that there is no hell, the rapture already happened and we are living in the paradise already. Its claims like these that made me lose all respect for him a long time ago. That and the fact that he abuses his medicine and drinks with it to get into that annoying state. Every night he does this, its his ritual. Then he goes and teaches sunday school at his church. I wish i could record him sometimes and show them who he really is but i wouldnt do that to him.
My aunt is like this, she used to be pretty fun to hang around with, well now she is preaching everywhere and giving most of her money out to her church. She's been working hard for years, still can't afford her own house and the pastors own nice cars and houses.