I’m 13 and my entire family is Christian. I do not believe is Jesus or God but I feel like I’m in the wrong to be an Atheist. I feel like if I tell my family I will be hated. I just don’t know.
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@ tejas51 Atheist
Greetings and welcome to the site. My first response is just a blunt response to the question. “Is it okay to be an Atheist?” It’s a bit like asking, “Is it okay to be a human being?” Of course it’s okay. That does not mean it’s safe. Imagine being a Christian in an Islamic country where Christians are persecuted. By living in a Country or with a family and openly declaring you are Atheist, you leave yourself open to persecution by theists around us.
So… here is the real question… Instead of, “Is it okay?” ask yourself, “Do you have a choice?” READ THESE NEXT TWO SENTENCES CAREFULLY: If you think you can choose to be religious, you do not understand atheism. If you think you can choose to be an atheist, you do not understand atheism.
Atheism is not a choice. You do not “be” an atheist. There is nothing to ‘be.’ Atheists have no dogma. There are no rules. We have no rituals. There are no systems of beliefs. You can not be indoctrinated into the cult or religion of atheism. There is nothing here but emptiness.
The word Atheist is synonymous with "heathen, non-believer, apostate, disbeliever, doubting Thomas, infidel, sinner, skeptic, anarchist, the godless, heretic, faithless and more. These are words the good loving religious people use to describe anyone who disagrees with them. These days we are lucky because the good loving religious people can not put us to death for wondering why they believe in superstitious nonsense. (That’s another story.)
The point is, Atheist, is just a derogatory term the Christians have thrown out into the world to condemn non-believers. The Christians themselves were once non-believers when they refused to believe in the Roman Gods. America was founded by non-believers when the settlers refused to believe in the official Church of England.
So, another question, do you know why you do not believe? If you are simply rebelling and hate going to church on Sundays, you are not an atheist. If you find all the magic and mystery of religion, the idea of praying to supernatural forces, and things of this nature just silly, and unreal… well, you are probably an atheist.
So what say you? Do you believe in a God? If you say “Yes” or “Maybe in some form” you are not an atheist and you have nothing to worry about. If you say, “No.” You are already an atheist whether it is okay or not. And whether it is okay or not, you are just going to need to toughen up a bit and get used to the fact that the Loving Christians and Muslims of the world HATE YOUR GUTS, but will not admit it to themselves because they believe they are loving by telling you that you are going to burn in hell and be tormented for eternity by their silly God being.
“Is it okay to be an atheist?” If you think you have a choice. If you actually believe you can choose to be an atheist. IT IS NOT OKAY. You do not understand atheism. You are playing a mind game with yourself. You can not choose to be an atheist. You either are, or you are not. You either believe in god or gods, magic, spirits, demons, luck, and all that supernatural junk… or you don’t believe in any of it. So which is it?
Is it okay to be hated by theists, by family members, by neighbors, by people who were once your friends at school? Is this okay? Sure it’s okay. Are you sure you want to go there?
Just because you are an atheist and do not believe in religious stories, does not mean you can not play along for a bit to make your life more comfortable. How much trouble do you want at 13 years old?
Only you can answer the question for yourself. Is it okay for you to be an atheist? I don’t believe in god or gods. I don’t believe in souls, ghosts, spirits, or magic. I don’t believe in ESP, curses, prophecy, or fortune telling. I don’t believe in luck. And the Christians call me “ATHEIST.” So I have accepted the term and made it my own. “You are correct, I say to the Churches and the theists, I do not believe your nonsense. You can call me Atheist.”
There are some great clips on YouTube of people coming out as atheist. Perhaps watching a few …
My Favorite Clip!
Older people don’t get yelled at as much. They get preached.
Some Good Advise
And one of my favorite shows discussing the topic:
Good luck to you and certainly feel free to post here as often as you like.
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I JUST REALIZED ---- hey mods???
This post would get more action in Debate.
Welcome to AR. If you’re remotely in any danger from anyone’s reaction to declaring yourself an atheist, then please be careful about who you tell.
There’s nothing wrong with being an atheist at all, but many theists will never accept that sadly.
You can vent your feelings here though, as this site is run and predominantly frequented by atheists. So you can relax here, and enjoy yourself.
Welcome to Atheist Republic tejas51.
Do you think that you are smarter and know more than when you were 11? Do you think you were smarter and knew more at the age of 11 than 9?
My point is that you are still learning and growing. When you turn 15, you will know more and be smarter than you are today. And the same goes with 17 and 19.
These are the years you develop into an adult. But you are not there yet. My suggestion is you keep these thoughts inside your head, and wait. You know inside your head what your beliefs are, there is no reason at this time to express those thoughts to your family.
I recall my teens, when I thought I knew everything and was infallible. I was wrong, I hope you do not learn this lesson the hard way.
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You are on the right track, thinking for yourself. Keep it up, challenge every assertion (at least, in your mind), do not accept anything “just because” someone told you so.
Atheism is a dirty name among theists. But personally, I believe being an atheist is a sign that you are an independent thinker, aware of societal pressures, but willing to walk your own path.
How you approach with being an atheist is very important. If you express yourself as an angry anti-religion atheist, most people will not like you, or even listen to you. But if you take your time, choose your words carefully, and make every effort not to offend anyone, then life will be much easier, and you can win friends and respect.