evolved yet?
A Young Evolutionist
How did you tell your families you were atheist?
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How did you tell your families?
- Thread starter evolved yet?
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I didn't. It was obvious to them once I started talkling....er, blaspheming.
YmirGF
Bodhisattva in Recovery
I come from a long line of atheists, so it wasn't a big thing. I think I just got a slap on the back and a "atta boy, son".
Is it a big deal?
FlyingTeaPot
Irrational Rationalist. Educated Fool.
Yeah. Same for me, although my mom is spiritual.
evolved yet?
A Young Evolutionist
My family is almost entirely churchy types unfortunately.
jarofthoughts
Empirical Curmudgeon
I've never been religious and my parents have always been very secular so I don't think I ever "came out" as such. Then again, living in a country where some 70% of the people are atheist/non-religious it really isn't much of an issue here. I think they would have been more surprised if I told them that I in fact HAD started to believe in a god. 
DeitySlayer
President of Chindia
I just said I was. They can deal with it.
I never really bother to declare changes to my family. I just let them figure it out for their selves, and if they don't figure it out eventually, then apparently it's not too important anyway. So I just stopped going to church, and when asked about spiritual matters I said I wasn't religious.
Herr Heinrich
Student of Mythology
Oh that was a fun day letting my mother know I wasn't Catholic anymore, and that I didn't even believe in god. She was not a happy camper. She also then tried to tell me that she didn't think you could just stop being Catholic. That there had to be some debaptism ritual or something. Yup fun day. Catholics seem to have that problem in general. They don't think you can just walk away.
Herr Heinrich endured a tempestuous day.
cuz Catholics, you just cannot walk away.
But things could be worse
than hearing mom curse.
At least you've no fear of an auto de fe.
Herr Heinrich
Student of Mythology
Kilgore Trout
Misanthropic Humanist
My worldview was never something I saw as relevant to discuss with my family. Besides, if they couldn't tell I was a skeptic and unbeliever since the time I was a small child, then they'd have to be blind.
Magic Man
Reaper of Conversation
I've never really discussed it with my dad. When I started to question Catholicism, I asked my mom some of the questions, so she knew I was skeptical. There was never a "coming out" moment, but over time she came to realize I don't believe in God. A year or two ago, it came up between my brother and me, and it turned out he didn't believe anymore either. For Christmas he gave me a couple books like "Breaking the Spell" by Daniel Dennett. So, I know my mom understands, but we haven't actually had a talk about it.
Alceste
Vagabond
It seems non-belief isn't a major event requiring public announcement for most non-believers. Perhaps this is due to the fact that it's usually either an incremental transformation or a natural expression of our inherent childhood personalities rather than a sudden conversion. For my part, I don't recall ever believing in God. By the time I was old enough to really think about all that stuff I was told in church, most of it was pretty obviously untrue.
Normally, yes. Personally, I'm trying to figure out a way to gently break the news to my in-laws. The alternative is for them to find out when they see that their son-in-law is conspicuously absent at their grandchild's baptism, which I don't think would go over so well.
You could break them in gently.
Tell'm you have doubts, & lean agnostic. They will then know you don't believe, but they'll have hope....albeit false hope.
Then come out as definitely agnostic, which will be no big change.
Magic Man
Reaper of Conversation
Good luck. I plan never to discuss politics or religion with my parents-in-law, if at all possible.