And now I'm here . . .

[Coyote]

Hi, there.  I'm joining for an outlet.  I'm an atheist in hiding.  Well, one person knows.  My wife.  Whom I married under the pretenses of being joined together by God.  My atheism/agnosticism is a relatively new development.  I admitted it to myself a couple of months ago, but having some time to think about it, I probably stopped truly believing a bit before that.

However, I married my wonderful wife over four years ago, after having just returned from a year studying theology at a Bible college, when I was certainly a believer.  Yay!  Now, I'm atheist and she's not.  She can't understand, though she does try.  Anyway, a little creative thinking I'm sure will paint a picture for you of all the problems just in that area.

Oh, and my parents raised me Christian, are Christian themselves, and my little brother - who looks to me for advice.  And all of my friends.  In fact, I know only one other atheist for sure, and I don't really know him.  But it is what it is.  Guess I'll know more soon.  Looking forward to gleaning advice from people who have certainly experienced similar situations.

[Solitary]

:-D Welcome aboard Coyote! I've been married 49 years to a Catholic. I think she is stupid and she thinks I'm crazy or vice versa so it works out great. Both of my sons are atheist even though they were raised Catholic.  =D>  Solitary

[Coyote]

I guess that's slightly encouraging.  But my wife, family, and friends are all quite dedicated Pentecostals.  And the difference between Catholic and Evangelical is . . . vast.  No offense to the Catholic.

[Hijiri Byakuren]

Welcome, Coyote. I've always been an atheist because my mostly-Christian family never bothered trying to impress it upon me. About half of them, including the atheists, know that I'm an atheist. The other half thinks I'm a deist, and will accept any criticism of their religion from me as long as they think I believe in a god. It's kinda great.

Enough about me, though. How are you holding up through all of this?

[GrinningYMIR]

Welcome Coyote

A few of us are in similar situations, I'm surrounded by very religious people who think I'm either young and hotheaded, or I'm going to burn in hell for all eternity, which is a way still means I'm hotheaded.

You've got a good many people who share your beliefs here, so feel free to vent as you like!

[SGOS]

Joined together with your wife by God?  Is that better than having the state recognize your marriage? :-D

[Solomon Zorn]

I guess that's slightly encouraging.  But my wife, family, and friends are all quite dedicated Pentecostals.  And the difference between Catholic and Evangelical is . . . vast.  No offense to the Catholic.

Pentecostal. That's got to be some intense shit. I almost lost my faith (back when I had faith) going to a pentecostal church. They were trying to divine knowledge. Really shook me up for a while.

Glad you found a new perspective. =D>

[aitm]

greetings and welcome to the house

[Coyote]

I guess that's slightly encouraging.  But my wife, family, and friends are all quite dedicated Pentecostals.  And the difference between Catholic and Evangelical is . . . vast.  No offense to the Catholic.

Pentecostal. That's got to be some intense shit. I almost lost my faith (back when I had faith) going to a pentecostal church. They were trying to divine knowledge. Really shook me up for a while.

Glad you found a new perspective. =D>

Yeah.  I was raised in it.  Started out UPCI and then merged to become independent.  The independent church I was involved in was definitely better than UPCI.  In case you don't know what UPCI is.  Here you go.

http://www.upci.org/about-us/beliefs/21 ... beliefs/91

[Solitary]

Joined together with your wife by God?  Is that better than having the state recognize your marriage? :-D

Mine was. It was fun when my wife prayed to the virgin Mary statue and it fell over on the ground. I couldn't stop laughing while you could hear a pin drop in Church. :rollin:  Solitary

[Brian37]

Be sure to barbecue kittens, record the NFL without their permission and rip the tags off of your mattress.

[mykcob4]

Welcome. Unfortunately the truth is that almost every Atheist has a story simular as yours. We go through every day with people completely disrespecting our individual right. It is amazing how christians act towards Atheist.

[Smartmarzipan]

Hi, there.  I'm joining for an outlet.  I'm an atheist in hiding.  Well, one person knows.  My wife.  Whom I married under the pretenses of being joined together by God.  My atheism/agnosticism is a relatively new development.  I admitted it to myself a couple of months ago, but having some time to think about it, I probably stopped truly believing a bit before that.

However, I married my wonderful wife over four years ago, after having just returned from a year studying theology at a Bible college, when I was certainly a believer.  Yay!  Now, I'm atheist and she's not.  She can't understand, though she does try.  Anyway, a little creative thinking I'm sure will paint a picture for you of all the problems just in that area.

Oh, and my parents raised me Christian, are Christian themselves, and my little brother - who looks to me for advice.  And all of my friends.  In fact, I know only one other atheist for sure, and I don't really know him.  But it is what it is.  Guess I'll know more soon.  Looking forward to gleaning advice from people who have certainly experienced similar situations.

Welcome!

Most of us here know what it's like to hide our atheism from friends and family....just keep in mind that learning about you may be just as difficult for your wife as it is for you dealing with her not understanding.

[Sal1981]

Welcome to AF. Many people here have similar situations. I'm the only atheist, that I'm sure of, in my family.

[leo]

Welcome !