Coming out as a non Christian

[PureX]

2 years later and I still bite my tongue.

I was hanging out with grandma today and I accidentally let it slip that I went to a “non denominational” “spiritual center” and she started lecturing me about how I need to be careful because places like that might not accept Christ as their savior and any spiritual belief system that is not Christ is savior is bad for the mental… it really made me sad to hear her say that. Though I accidentally brought it up, I would love to share with her that I am excitedly going to church. But instead I quickly changed the subject.

I know that it's probably difficult, but sometimes it's better to just try and appreciate our friend's and family's unfortunate biased shortcomings as part of their unique humanity and leave it at that. Especially the old ones. At this point trying to correct them would be useless, as they will not change their thinking, so it is better to just steer the conversation away to something more pleasant.

And remember that we are not perfect, either. We also have our prejudices and shortcomings. And they are as blind to us as your grandma's is to her.

I am very grateful that I was not born into a religiously zealous family because my nature would have fought back at that tooth and nail. I was a handful even as it was. I am still a very 'resistant' person, but as I've gotten older, I have learned the value of accepting others for who and what they are. And realizing that they are far more than their crazy prejudices, alone.

 

[Balthazzar]

Hey, if you were from a Christian household and are no longer a Christian, how'd it go over with your family when you told them you weren't Christian ?
You see, thanksgiving is coming up and my family is super Christian. Can't tell my grandma that I'm not Christian anymore,can't do that to her poor heart and make her believe I'm gonna burn forever.
Rest of the family, though, I'd like to tell. I can see them laying hands on me (in prayer) and tongue speaking the non Christian out of me.
Tell me how it went over for you!

Well, what they would need to understand is it's not that I'm NOT a Christian anymore, It's that I BECAME a different kind of Christian. I'm Christos Agnate/Evolutionist now (CAE for short). That's a fancy way of saying that I'm a truth-oriented evolutionist standing by my Christian heritage.

It happens all the time ... I think people need to follow their own paths in life, otherwise we become typical shadow walkers. Not that shadow walkers are bad, it's just that some people aren't content to remain walking in the shadows of others.

 

[Kathryn]

I don't know what to tell you about how you should handle telling your family about no longer being a Christian. I think you should handle it as you think is best. My adopted parents and the majority of my extended family could care less if I'm a Christian or not, despite being Christians themselves. I've been estranged from my parents for over a year and from the rest of my family for about four months now. It's a long story. My in-laws, on the other hand, are concerned that I'm no longer a Christian. I think it was pretty obvious to them when I didn't take communion the last time I was in church with them, and I don't bow my head in prayer when they pray before each meal anymore either. I used to talk a lot about being a Christian and about God, but I don't anymore. They seem to respect my decision to leave Christianity because they don't pry or bother me about it or ask me why I'm no longer a Christian.

I have a son who is at least an agnostic, and at one point he became a full fledged Catholic so there's that. He has never announced it to me but he is living with his girlfriend and is very liberal, which is all very different from me so I sort of figured it all out. He definitely has some issues but oh well, I can't help all that. I have been praying for him but here's the deal - that's all I can do and if he came to my house he would need to obey my rules and if I go to his house I would need to obey his rules. By "rules" I simply mean the way we do things, like praying before a Thanksgiving meal. He does not need to take communion or anything like that but if he did I wouldn't make a stink about it. I seriously doubt he would even go to church with me but if he did, whatever.

I cannot judge his walk and he cannot judge mine.