I will no longer hide my atheism.

For years now, I have struggled with the idea that I may loose friends and family because of my beliefs, or lack thereof. I've sat on the sidelines while people speak of their god, usually just nodding along in agreement. In the recent months, I've noticed that I have been unable to hold onto this mask. I no longer held my head down in prayer, just waiting for it to be over. I hold my head up and do not acknowledge the ritual. Some may feel that this is disrespectful. I do not feel this way at all.

I've slowly began to realize that are many atheists/agnostics in the South, mostly choosing the same path I was on. It really got me thinking... How are we ever going to be free from the lack of understanding if we are not out there in our communities? In other words, we need to show the people that we, atheists, are here to stay. We are people, we have children, we have morals, and we most defiantly have RIGHTS.

Yesterday started my campaign, beginning with "A" week. I changed my profile picture to the big "A". Though, I'm sure most people will just think it goes along with my real name (Alisha). To combat that, I posted a link to the "A" week's facebook page. I hope those that question my profile picture will follow the link.

As of today, I have 185 friends, all of which are people that I know. Many are family members who are devout in their Christian faith. I would say that only around 15-20 of those people previously knew that I am an atheist.

My goal is to push my atheism through in a positive light. Who knows, maybe I can bring out a few people with me.

One thing is for sure, I will no longer hide my atheism.

Tags: atheism, closet, hiding, of, out, the

16 members like this

Comment by Hope on March 21, 2011 at 3:39pm: I am so happy that you can come out now and push your atheism through in a positive light as you said, and I wish you all the best.

Comment by Walter Maki on March 21, 2011 at 3:48pm: I tip my hat to you Scarlette Blues. Since it is a new awakening for me I haven't quite developed the courage to be as open about my atheism. The current pace that I'm going now will probably make me open up much sooner, patience is an on going struggle for me, I like to share knowledge especially when I feel strongly about the subject.

Comment by Scarlette Blues on March 21, 2011 at 4:25pm: Thanks so much for the support!

@Walter- It took me 3 years to get to this point. You'll get there soon enough! Good luck to you!

P.S I just made my first "public" statement of my atheism on facebook:

‎'A' Week: 20-26 March 2011. "'A' Week is not about being disrespectful to religion or people who have religious views, it's about quietly showing that there are more people than may be realised who are 'Good without God' and who don't need religion to influence their lives." I am an Atheist. :)

Comment by Scarlette Blues on March 21, 2011 at 4:45pm: Yea, over the past few days, I realized that if they are my "family" they will love me no matter what my views are. If they choose to not speak to me, that's their problem (and totally against what a loving god would want you to do lol)

I also noticed something else pretty neat. The majority of my family are devout Christians. However, I've also found out that I have 5 cousins, 2 on my mom's side & 3 on my step-dad's side, that are atheists. It was a little bit helpful knowing that I wasn't completely alone. As far as my "real" dad's side goes, they are evangelical. I see no hope in that lol

Comment by Heather Spoonheim on March 21, 2011 at 5:54pm: It's a big step, and I hope it goes well for you. Just tossing it out there is bound to get a reaction and I recommend taking your time in responding.

As far as bowing my head during prayers, well, I'm happy to use the time for a short nap. Unfortunately I've been caught more often than not when I don't hear the Amen to cue me that it's over.

Comment by Scarlette Blues on March 21, 2011 at 6:40pm: So far, I have not received any negative feedback, and a few likes. It's going a lot better than I expected, though I'm sure the news will trickle down the family tree.

My friend, who is extremely open, posted the same status. Someone replied back with "You an asshole." It made me laugh.

I plan to redo my profile page in a few days, making it more of an obvious statement.

Comment by Scarlette Blues on March 21, 2011 at 6:42pm: You turning prayer-time into nap-time really made me laugh. :)

Comment by Brother Gabe Rodriguez on March 21, 2011 at 7:52pm: I hope it goes well for you! I live in the South as well and I am having to deal with this kind of stuff as well! Recently I got into an argument over my beliefs and my dad said that he did not mind that I was an atheist, but that I might push people away from me. My dad's side of the family is uber-Christian also and so is my Mom's side to some extent. So I hope it goes well once again and I have been posting videos and information on my page for others to read!

Comment by Alayna on March 21, 2011 at 9:34pm: Nice going Scarlette! It takes alot of gusto and inner strength, so stand firm...and good luck!

Comment by Mallory on March 21, 2011 at 10:06pm: I too have decided to change my profile picture to the A. I doubt anyone will notice or care (I've made my views known to various people by now), but still. It kinda feels... "official" now. :)

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