Trapped in a society of Christians

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I’ve read the Bible, it’s broken. I lost my faith, it hurt. Now I’m stuck with a thousand people around me who are all deeply religious and I know that they won’t accept me for being an agnostic atheist. Everywhere I regularly go and am allowed to go to is based off Christianity. I’m sixteen. I feel like I’m wasting my short life on something I don’t love. I’m living a lie. I’m suffocating. Help????

Category: Tags: asked March 17, 2015

3 Answers

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As a fellow atheist, I live my life openly secular and unafraid. It was not an easy transition, but it is far more rewarding. You have resources available; the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Recovering From Religion, the Foundation Beyond Belief, months' worth of podcasts, Facebook pages, the list goes on!

The atheist and secular movement is growing like wildfire and now is the best time to come out. If you are in any kind of danger the SAFE program can help you with information, or The Hotline Project can help you by giving you secular people to talk with. You are NOT alone. Go to youtube and look up the TSreet Epistomology series and look at how people engage believers in conversation, using a Socratic method of conversation to to get them to talk about their beliefs, and even Atheist Bible Study can be found all over the place on shows like The Bible Reloaded, Dogma Debate with David Smalley, whose secular media group also hosts audiobooks.

Do not let your surroundings get to you. Reach out to other people in the secular movement, start writing or blogging about your experiences and post it online; share your life and your perspective. There is a LOT to do.

If you want to discuss this further, my inbox is always open at blahtherapy/com/members/blackholehead
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I am currently going to a catholic college and it was definitely a culture shock, even though it is a very accepting and open community thats goal is to support people from all walks of life and different religious backgrounds, for me it was harder to transition than I thought it would be. I ran into a lot of homophobics and people who weren't as knowledgeable about gender. However, I have grown from the experience and I've learned to be a little bit more open to people who follow religion passionately. Before, I wasn't even aware of how uncomfortable I was around very religious people. I think it's fantastic when people use religion to actually improve and better their lives and learn how to love others. I think religion can be very constructive and positive when it's practiced by good people. So, try to find people who are open minded, good people. Try to stay friends with people who will accept you no matter what, and be more open with who you are. Become friends with people who are more like you. Be friends with both types of people that have good qualities. It's good to have diversity in your life, and my situation has improved a lot so I'm sure yours will too.
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@Ed I'm not sold on the Big Bang. It's questionable. And no one around me is aware of my atheism. I'm not wearing a t shirt and advertising it everywhere I go. No one knows. I don't bash their faith, I don't bash anyone. I'm just feel like the only person around that thinks the way I do, and I don't feel appreciated for who I actually am, and I feel trapped, and I feel like everyone around me is lying to themselves and that's depressing the shit out of me and I just feel lonesome as hell. It sucks because every time I mention what I'm going through people come at me from every angle and accuse me of being intolerant. I've not shown a shred of intolerance. People can believe whatever they want. But meanwhile, I feel like an alien stuck in a world of robots and just so trapped and misunderstood and unloved. And atheism requires no faith. That is the point of atheism. I believe what I see, that is not faith. I would take no issue with befriending religious people as long as I wasn't trapped by them on a daily basis and I'm constantly under the thumb of what I believe are delusions. I appreciate your contribution, but I think you missed my point.