I have to say that I feel incredibly lucky to not only have parents who didn't freak out when I said I was an atheist, but who, over time, listened to my thoughts and have themselves become agnostic in the process. When you become part of the atheist community (in a sense), you become aware of the frequency in which young atheists are kicked out, shunned, or otherwise mistreated by the people they loved enough to share their thoughts with.
I feel so fortunate for my situation and hope that as we continue to become a larger demographic, these instances become a thing of the past.
My whole family is still devoutly Christian, and have been very supportive and respecting of my lack of belief. However, I do know my mother will still pray for me occasionally, which is frustrating. I am know longer expected to attend church when I visit home which is nice because it shows they show acknowledgement of my beliefs. My father isn't as emotional as the rest of my family, and often asks for my perspective on certain religious or political topics, and we can almost always have civil discussions.
Wow you have great parents then, and sounds like fairly open minded, im glad you don't have that burden , its always been such a pain in my family
My parents also made their peace with it.
But they will never be enthusiastic about it.
I tried to change them and failed.
That's so awesome.
I can definitely relate and can empathize with this. My parents were surprisingly ok with everything. It definitely made me realize how fortunate I am. Especially considering so many people, including some that may be reading this now, are not that lucky.
Wow! Thats a story... i love it. Congratulations on having supportive family.
out of the mouths of babes. good one . we are all atheists too and it feels good. still you have to remember to be actively charitable
I can relate. My parents are believers and yet secular. I came out as an atheist early in life. My parents simply allowed me to choose if I still wanted to go to religious services. At least for myself I don't see the conflict between atheism and religion because I've been raised in a "high religious" household. By "high religious" I mean that god is a metaphor and rituals are metaphors and the texts should be discussed philosophically. Fundamentalist beliefs are frowned upon. My parents were more ashamed of me when in my early 20's I became orthodox. "Don't take it so serious." my parents told me. The fact that my parents would rather have me embrace atheism over orthodoxy has helped me flourish as a good person. I count myself lucky.