Im 16 years old has of writing this and iv known iv ben an aethist for a few years now and have never spoke about it much. i was born and raised in a a very chirstian house hold and am having trubles telling anyone in my family. In respect for my late great grandmother i am going though a confirmation class and always try to make people think i am chirstian.

I am 80% postive my mother has an idea but none else. I'd think the main person I'd have trouble telling is my very religous grandma. she refuses to watch movies or read books written by aethists becuse she belves " there trying to make us all athiest" when i try to tell her thats not the case she scoffs and just changes the subject. Being the first grandchild i hink she really wants me to be religious and present an good example. i truly do love her, and i think anyone that meets her would like her, very kind and compasiate, but i still have a fear of telling her anything. I know i should tell her but I really dont want to. I duno if i should just keep up a fake smile and laughter ( which i use alot with my family) and just fake it, but i know how much she hates liars so im afird it will hurt more then do any good. And i know quite a few family members that would thorw me a cold shoulder if i told them. I'm alredy the black sheep of the family, im not social at all i prefer being alone and most of the family have givin up trying to start a conversation with me, and i think this is just the sacpe goat they need to never have a word with me agian.I Still do nt know what i should do, should i wait? or just say it now


youngest poster eh?

I sympathize with your plight. I am 56 years old, and struggled with this same dilemna over the years, because I wanted to make everybody happy. Except, in trying to please everyone else, I was unhappy. Until a few years ago, I shunned the subject with most people and kept my mouth shut about my beliefs (or lack thereof). Bottom line though, to thine own self be true. I found out that by finally facing up to the hypocrisy of religion and not being afraid to tell people my beliefs, I feel as though a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders, and I am far more at peace with myself for having done so.

This does not mean that I openly antagonize people. That would be self-defeating. My take on this is: You don't have to have religion to prove that you're a good person. Show that by example. Just because I am an atheist does not mean that I have no morals.

I wish you the best of luck in dealing with this. I know all too well how tough it can be.

Wow! 16! I am 28 yrs old and went through a lot of the same things you are too. I was raised in a lutheren neighborhood where if you wanted to fit-in (and stay out of trouble) you had to be christian. These were people who would gladly ostracize me and make me a complete social outcast if I didn't prove that I was the same too. It was nice to know that it didn't matter that I had acne or was overweight. It didn't matter that my mom had a drinking problem or I was getting bad grades. I felt accepted and completely loved by these people until I started voicing opinions that differed or started questioning the morality of what we were beliving. Eventually you will grow into yourself and realize that YOU are who defines who you are and not your friends and family. My family was a little easier. My two uncles are athiests and so I was given a warm reception. My family has never really taken religion seriously and never forced it on us kids. It was just something you did. My neice will be the first in our family to not be baptised and it came to something as a shock to my grandmother, but she quickly got over it knowing that she will be raised in a family that understands that just because you're athiest doesn't mean that you are amoral. Moralism doesn't necessaraly spring right from religion, meaning that you can be a good, moral person without religion in your life. YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Don't ever think that noone will understand you or care for you because you don't subscribe to a religious belief system. Live your life because it's the only one you will ever get, and this is your time to do something meaningful with it. I love you and I don't even know you. You are a beautiful human being and never forget that!