Wishing to come out as Atheist

[gentle_dissident]

I sat and started at it a bit and realized I wanted nothing more than to add that life event. To mark publicly that I'm an atheist. I mean, I'm getting an atheist themed tattoo, but most people have no clue what it means. I made a necklace with the atheist @ on it and people think it's the symbol for The Avengers. To put up on there that I'm an atheist is just asking for trouble in my small town in the bible belt, but I still want to do it.

Living in deceit can't be good for a person. Once you leave that situation, you may still be deceiving yourself and others. The real escape is from mind games.

[Bluewind]

Blue,  why would you really give a rats ass what others think of your beliefs and /or choices in life?
Being an atheist isn't like some big badge of courage or honor.  It simply means that you don't believe in a god or other spook in the sky. I don't run around telling everyone I know and frankly it's nobody's damned business what I do or don't believe.
I've had plenty of people who tell me that I believe in a god,but just won't admit it or that it's a phase or some other such bullshit.
You know what I tell them? I actually got cold, hard cash from the Tooth Fairy, but not one damned dime from their god damn god.. That always shuts them up and they leave me alone..

Because the majority of people here think people like us are bad people, worship Satan, or have just lost their way. Because my sister says Christian stuff every time I see her and buys me Christian crap for most Christmases even though I've told her I appreciate it but don't need it. Because I can't go to town one time without a random stranger preaching to me about going to church, giving to the church, or reading my bible. Mechanics, plumbers, chiropractors, electricians, libraries, banks,... there is no real place I can go that I don't get approached by people/employees or that isn't covered in Christianity themed items. And so I sit an nod and try to polity change the subject or leave, but too many of them are dogged with it. My town is small and all it would take is saying I'm an atheist to the wrong person when I can take the badgering one day and the whole town will know. I almost want them to so they can see the monster they drilled in my head and everyone else's around here doesn't exist and that I am no more evil than anyone else. That people like us can be good honest kind people and doubting religion doesn't turn you into some sort of monster.

And I want to tell my sister so she will stop shoving God down my throat as much. It gets exhausting. I also don't want her to spend her hard earned money on me for Christian stuff on Christmas. I'd rather her save the money for herself or at least consult me. I don't need cross decorations, an angel door hanger covered in bible verses, several t shirts covered in bible verses and crosses, a charm bracelet of crosses and angels and doves, or anything else Christian related. The thought is nice and all, but I have no use for it and feel bad when I give it away.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

The only thing holding me back is my sister. She is a wonderful person, but a little overboard on the Christian stuff. I love her and my nephews, but I'm scared of what she would do if she found out. Would she smile and go on or cut me out of her and her kid's lives? It's that fear that has kept me from telling her I'm bisexual and I've been out for 6 years!

When I decided to propose to my third wife I had a problem, she was a believer. So I decided on a plan. I asked her to write down all the things she liked and disliked about me. I gave her twenty-four hours and when she came back I said, "I'm an atheist. If that changes anything on your lists it's better to know now, isn't it?" She replied that it didn't change a thing. I had gotten her to think about my pluses and minuses and then I let her know about one more thing. She told me that it didn't change anything on her lists. We were married for ten years before she died. Happy years.

I hope you find some way that works for you.

[Bluewind]

@gentle_dissident
Agreed. We can only hope that one day faith intolerance and other forms of bigotry will be a thing of the past.

@Gawdzilla Sama
That story was beautiful. Hit me right in the feels.

[widdershins]

I try not to make a big deal over it.  If you want to get into a religious conversation, it'll probably come up.  If you ask me to participate in your archaic magic rituals, it'll probably come up.  If your kid tells my kid that if they want to be friends my kid has to start attending your church, it'll come the fuck up real quick.  If you just can't help but to tell me the "good news", it'll almost certainly come up.  And if you ask, it will definitely come up.  But if I don't know what your religious beliefs are (and I don't really care to know) I just don't care whether you know mine or not.  Even if I do know, but you're not pushy about it, if you don't ask it's not something I feel I need to inform a person of.  Respect begets respect, not talking to me about your crazy religious shit begets me not talking to you about how crazy your religious shit is.

Besides, Facebook is for religious nuts, idiots, racists and old people.  It's for people who never vote to bitch about Obama, people who get free insurance from the state to bitch about how they can't afford insurance and people who know nothing about the law to bitch about laws they've never read, but heard all about on Faux (We're Calling This Shit) News.  Even the normally relatively intelligent people I know turn into stupid fuckheads the moment they log in, doing dumb shit like spreading rumors that milk is going to cost $6 a gallon thanks to Obamacare (Thanks Obama!)  I bet you can still find that death panel bullshit on there right now.