So, I find that being in the closet sucks. Too much energy and shame gets devoted to pretending I am someone I'm not. 

I want out of the lie.

Problem is...I have insanely religious extended family. And I don't care to argue with them about hell-fire, nurture vs. nature, scripture, or praying away the gay.

They're visiting this week. I'm not going to make an announcement or take people aside to talk about it. I've decided not to hide all my queer stuff (books, pictures,…

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(If you would like to visit my blog or would like to read this posting in its original formatting:  Josephine)

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We have all watched and read accounts of atheists coming out to their families, but I am curious if there are equal accounts of people coming out as religious to their atheist families?

“A Time to Come Out”

http://emilyhasbooks.com/a-time-to-come-out/

We are now accepting stories for a groundbreaking book for atheists.  A Time to Come Out: Revealing Non-Belief in a Theistic World is slated for nationwide release in Spring 2012.

Hiding a part of your life from your family, friends, and colleagues is…

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I live in the South, and come from a family who is very socially conservative. This is also true for most of my friends, coworkers, and generally anyone else whom I interact with. I have told my girlfriend, who was slightly worried about it. I think she was mainly worried because of the sticker shock, but she seems to be fine with it now.

Despite my worry of how people will accept me afterward, I feel like I at least need to tell my family, but I am unsure of how to do this. I have…

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This is not a happy story, but it is one that needs to be told.

 

I was raised in the RLDS church. It's basically a 'lite' version of Mormonism. Wikipedia has it under the Community of Christ. Basically, it's Protestantism with the Book of Mormon included. Anyways.

 

As a child, I believed that I would go to hell for masturbating, for lying, for thinking negatively about my parents, for hitting my brother. Everything was secretly a trap from the devil, trying to…

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I’ve done possibly the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life: come out to my mother about not believing in God.

 

We were speeding down the highway northbound to the town where the bulk of my family lives. That morning, the preacher asked me to read a couple of bible scriptures, one from first Thessalonians, and another from first Peter. I agreed, stood up before the congregation, took a deep breath, read the scriptures, sat down, and…

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I'm getting ready to "come out" to my family and church. I've written a letter to send to the church or any family member in the event that I cannot personally talk with them for fear of my own safety. I intend to go about this in the least dramatic way possible, and only use this letter if I have to. If there is any drama, it will be caused by the church or by my family- not by me. I played a very active role in the church (I'm their best worship leader, they keep saying), so I expect some…

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I think that it's important that we support young atheists who have found a voice on Youtube.  For many of them, it's the first time they've found the courage to speak out publicly.

Their fledgling channels only rarely show up in searches, which translates to few views, which can be discouraging. I thought it would be a good idea to help them along as many of them are "coming out" for the first time.

My suggestion: …

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The title of this blog basically sums up most of my life with my experience with religion. I know I am only 23, but it seems like I spent a lot of time being fake. I was raised Catholic, but was not very involved with the church. I was baptized, had my First Communion, went to CCD class, but then was given the choice to continue or stop by my parents, so I decided to stop.

 

As I grew up, I never really thought about religion and never questioned it, but I do remember the first…

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Has it ever occurred to apocalypse-eager Christians that spending 2000 years obsessively waiting and preparing for the end of the world is not just disturbing but a waste of the one life you do have?

 …

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(I have to use my phone to write this so excuse any grammatical errors)



Yesterday was a pretty exciting Mother's day in my family. They found out one of their own was an atheist. The conversation started with the killing of Bin Ladin which led the topic of religion. I found it to be the perfect opportunity to voice my opinion. My aunt brought up the radical muslims and their violence. I quickly pointed out that Islam is still a young religion and that Christianity went through the… Continue

you know, it’s time.



it’s not like this is a new thing, but i’m not even sure if most of my friends even know this about me. since most of my socializing is online (yes, it is, so what?) anyway, i’m not at all sure they notice when they are in a bad way and ask for prayers, and i mumble something comforting and/or do the old ‘you are in my thoughts’ & send hugs, love, comfort, etc. i haven’t been in a discussion about this with anyone, and that’s ok, i have no driving need to… Continue

I was raised in a Christian 'Church of God' church.

The sect was actually called "Pentacostal Holiness".



Speaking in tongues, dancing and other mystical entertainment was a weekly experience for me. We were taught that this was a necessary step to really be close to god and have him speak through you.



We were put into a room on Sunday mornings to hear and memorize stories and verses. The women didn't cut their hair and they wore long dresses. No jewelry. The men… Continue

My hand shook. I stared as it carried vibrating forkfuls of food towards my mouth--too quickly, I thought. I could barely swallow in time before having another bite to chew. I didn't feel control over my own movements, so they happened anyway; I simply observed. The clichéd tremble amused me, and I chuckled to myself, which I'm sure came across as puzzling to my mother who sat across from me, leaning back from her empty plate as I continued to work at my food--barely touched.



The… Continue

Hey yall,

Take a look at this letter I'm gonna send to my folks and bro (texan, christian, fundies) and let me know your suggestions, if it's any good and how you think it will be received. Thanks a lot for your help! Sorry for the length. I just needed to pre-empt all their arguments ahead of time.

thanks and cheers,

kat











Dear ----,



I need to talk to you about something important. I wanted to tell you in writing because I felt it… Continue

I'm new to the community. Running on little sleep, lots of post-holiday annoyances, and a handful of sodas that should have been diet and caffeine free. Regardless, I stumbled here... took in some great reads and made a handful of replies. I've got a bit of a formal dash to my writing as I'm polishing off the last year of a liberal arts degree. <-- I'm boring, but my story is interesting.



Having come back to my hometown from about 90 miles away, I was glad to see my friends. Of… Continue