8of9

My parents both know and accept my atheism. In fact, they're two of the best people with whom to discuss my beliefs, and religion in general.

Although I think they sometimes suspect it's a phase, I get no rejection or belittling from them.

Mom (despite her liberal Episcopalian church) is getting more conservative with age, and has recently rejected the validity of homosexuality (when her step-daughter came out), and of birth control. So maybe atheism will get the shaft next.

Dad is a "Catholic" who has completely re-written the Catechism in his head, generating (to him, acceptable) paradox to the point of meaninglessness.

I ate Pascal's Wafer

Yes, that's yet another reason I do not plan on telling my parents anytime soon. It's not my main reason at all, but it does rank somewhere up top. I have to worry enough about paying for grad school and the like after I graduate, much less having to pay for college now as well. I know there are many people who do, and I am sure that I could as well, but it's not something I want to struggle with at the moment.

-Nick

demystifier

I've been fortunate to have parents that don't make religion a big deal. They are religious, but they don't go to church and don't ask me about my religious beliefs. Since religion has never been a source of major interest or conflict in my family, I don't intend to make it so, so I've never told them. If they asked, I would. I'm pretty sure they know that I don't believe in any variety or religious literalism (christian or otherwise) and that I'm very pro-science, but as long as I don't make non-religion an issue for them, I feel they won't make their religion an issue for me.

I am sad to hear that so many of you are not this fortunate, and have parents that are hyper-religious and have trouble accepting your non-religious views.

Arvel Joffi

The subject hasn't come up, but it won't matter when it does. My mom's pretty much a new ager. No heaven, no hell; we've got reincarnation instead. I still live my life like a spiritual person: love, self-awareness, the realization that there is something greater than myself. I've just dumped the dogma. Since my soul is not in any sort of risk by mother's viewpoint, she won't really care that I'm an atheist.

She'll probably just think that I'll know otherwise once I'm on the "other side." Hell, she could be right. Doesn't matter to me.

DonnieDarko

My parents do not know. I've considered telling them a few times but haven't worked up the nerve yet. My Dad has never went to church, I don't think he really gives it much thought. But my Mom is a pretty hardcore Southern Baptist fundy. She asks me to go to church with her quite often. I think telling her would just destroy her, and I see no reason to do that. The only really bad thing is I also have to keep my mouth shut around my extended family so word doesn't get back to my Mom. But with my friends and even strangers where the topic comes up I'm about as out as you can get. I kind of like the shock value I can get out of people around here in the Bible Belt by admitting I'm one of those "Evil Atheists".

I have tried to warm my Mom up by telling her I don't agree with certain religious things she mentions, but I don't think I'll ever be able to tell her the whole truth.

Fisheye

I've identified myself as athiest for probably close to 5 or 6 years now (since I was 12-13)...still haven't formally came out to my parents. Me and my brother were pretty much raised Catholic by my mother, who brought us to church and sunday school, but I don't even remember believing it. We aren't a very religious family...even my mom has quit going to church regularly...she migh go once ever couple of months. I don't know what my father believes...he'd go to church with us on holidays, but that's about it. I never hear him mention god, so who knows? Frankly, I'm more concerned about what their reaction would be to my ...political leanings (fairly liberal). My dad has Fox News on all the time - blechh. Last election he told me to "vote republican, because the democrats are going to give this country away" I just avoid discussions of politics and religion while at home.

Paul2

My parents are both catholic. So's my whole family except for one or two uncles and most of my cousins. At the last family reunion of sorts i found out that most of them don't attend church anymore which is a relief, as i thought i was the only heathen. At any rate, my parents believe in god and jesus and all of that but i think they only go to church and the like because it is tradition. A tradition that i will not be continuing, but my sister will. It kills me to see her spending more time with her youth group than she does with her family. Oh well. As long as she's happy i guess. She's asked me to go quite a few times, but i don't think i will. It'd probably turn into a "convert the heathen" shouting match. Anyway my parents think that my atheism is "just a phase" and i'll find god on my own. blah.

crazyfingers

My mother is a pantheist. My dad is a weak atheist. Dad inoculated me to religion when I was a little kid. He would say, “Would you like for me to read you a fairy tale?” and when I said yes he’d pull out the bible.

Loki

My parents are both nominally Catholic. My mom's a cradle, my dad a convert. We went to church religiously (pardon the pun) until I was about 11 or so, at which point the indoctrination came to a complete end (formal indoctrination ended after 3rd grade when we moved and I enrolled in public school).

I slipped it into an e-mail to my mom about how my roommate told my Catholic ex-boyfriend to break up with me because i'm an atheist.

She forgot, so I told her again when the Pledge of Allegiance thing came up. I haven't told my dad, but he knows because I know my mom told him.

They sort of pretend it doesn't exist, but implicitly respect my beliefs anyway, for the most part.

My (current) boyfriend, however, decided it'd be a good thing to tell his parents, within the same day, that 1. he's dating a non-Catholic (he was raised Catholic, went to Catholic schools all the way through, his family still practices) 2. He's living with her next year, and 3. He doesn't believe in god.

That must've taken balls.

Carlos

They don't know, though some of them may suspect. I live away from my family and only see them a few times a year, so it's not an issue that comes up very often. They're all Catholics, so religion and belief is mostly kept to attending weekly mass. I've thought about telling my parents and sister; I think they could accept it but I'm ready to deal with the consequences if they do not. My grandmothers would be very hurt and my extended family would be offended to varying degrees, so I don't foresee telling them.

In the past I wasn't sure I could defend myself adequately and I sought to avoid confrontation. These days I'm confident in my abilities to do the former, but I'm not going to be the one to provoke a confrontation. It seems I'm now absolved from attending mass while I'm visiting, the exception being Christmas - which, in a way, I willingly concede, because I like Christmas and because I see that as more of a family event than a religious one.

Part of the trouble with telling them about my lack of belief is that it is something I'd rather do face to face. Doing so in a letter or over the phone just seems too impersonal, as if I were trying to distance myself from them. But most of my visits are around holidays, birthdays or other celebrations - not the best time for what will probably be upsetting news. And then there's the question of when to tell them during a short visit - at the beginning, "spoiling" our time together, or at the end, "dropping a bomb" and just leaving?