...how much would it affect you? Because my parents still think that I'm a christain, and i don't want to tell them that I'm not and have them be like freaking out thinking im going to hell or something. how would you react to your child telling you something like that?
During my first explorations into extreme forms of metal, I did a paper on satanism (this was when I was your age) and stating in it that I wasn't a satanist but didn't believe in god either. My mom said it was okay, and I didn't have to go to church anymore. Nowadays I'm sporting inverted crosses, pentacles, and everything, But she's not complaining too much. My dad (atheist) doesn't give a fuck anyway if it wasn't for that he supports how mom brought us up and runs the family. If your parents are strict this may not reflect your position... I was brought up very liberally and my mom's quite down-to-earth.
just spin em a bunch of shit like your "finding yourself" and that you your not writing god off (Even if you have,hey,its cool to lie your ass off now,yeehaw *satan snickers somewhere,as he collects soul energies*) I have to search my own heart maw,if god's light is true it will find me,have FAITH in that! Oh son,i shall pray for thee ok maw,off to mumble to the ceiling with ya then (oh lord....AMMA SCARED!weepy woo boo hoobie hoo)
Many parents in the Southern US would take the tack that their son will burn in hell forever, so may as well get over the impending loss by dealing with it in this life e.g. cutting off the kid.,
TreeFiddy, I have been through the same senario with my parents. I just tried to avoid the religion issue with them completely. They know I don't go to church and that I have a disdain towards the fundamentalists they sent me to school with for 10 years. I respect their beliefs - meaning I don't hassle them for it, or act rudly about it. Basically we never have and never do talk about it at all, and I let them live in whatever happy reality or denial they create for themselves. I aviod the whole "I don't believe in your god" conversation for the same reason you spoke of: I don't want them wasting time and stressing needlessly about me going to hell. They probably think I am still "saved" just that I don't go to church like most people here in the states. (although my father know my opinions on organized religion and calls me silly because I think we evolved) I was hoping some christian parents would respond to this thread. I am really curious as to what they have to say, or how they would feel about situatons such as this.
i was lucky enough to have been born into a family which understands the meaning behind christianity rather than subscribing to every literal belief that comes with the religion. None of us go to church, but when my mom read a paper (which i didnt ask her to) in which i stated i didnt believe in christianity, she started getting all of these books out of the library such as "Mere Christianity", i cant remember any others. that was kind of weird, though
I've got it the other way around ~ one of my sons is doing the Holy Joe Born Again Pentecostal copmplete with baptism thing. But unlike christians, I totally believe that Truth is an absolute, and the lies that he's being subjected to will fall away because lies have no basis in reality ~ only truth does. So I see it as a part of his learning experience, in the same way that I learnt the truth by being deceived by and then exposing, the lies of christianity. Know the truth and the truth will set you free....
My parents, my dad anywans, but probably mom too, think it's a phase. They respect my right to believe as I wish, and since they see that I'm spiritual in other ways like meditation and so on, they seem to think I'll find my way back to the Truth of Christianity. My dad talks about how he was the same way at my age, he stopped being religious and stuff. Now he's like the super-catholic. My mom is harder to read, as she seems more open minded, though her own faith seems pretty strong. It's funny though, my dad's always trying to get me to read his books, all those nice Catholic Church sanctioned books, about various visitings from Mary or other saints, or about Pope John Paul. Some of the books are alright, but I rarely read any because they're all firmly rooted in dogma which really rubs me the wrong way. Personally, I really doubt I'll ever go back to the Christian church, be it Catholic or otherwise. Jesus seemed like a cool dude, mostly, and maybe he was enlightened, but I don't buy the need for blood sacrifice or any of that, I don't think what someone else did is relevant to the state of my soul.