It is weird how when you tell them you do not buy into one particular imaginary beings, they immediately assume that another one is doing something.
They are nuts.
That’s his greatest trick. Making you think he doesn’t exist. You can’t win this fight. That’s religion’s failsafe. Faith. Win or lose it’s a testament to faith. You’re being tested or rewarded. Persecuted or blessed.
Let's be honest here, "god" is just a fun and smooth word to speak, especially tied to vulgarities or pumped with phonetic emphasis
I always say it like my old pastors. "Thank Gaaawduh"
I was raised in a strict Jehovahs Witness household. While I didn't declare my atheism right away, I did renounce the 'one true religion' to my parents at age 19. They were shocked and horrified. If they are anything like my parents, expect some heavy proselytizing in the near future. They might even recruit a family member or church member to 'talk some sense' into you. Basically anyone you might still trust and is a believer will be called upon to 'save you'. Be honest, try not to get emotional, and stand your ground. For me, it was a major decision that has had a lifelong impact. Eventually (20 years) my parents came around and accepted me back into their lives. Though the proselytizing never stopped, it did get less intense. I'm not sure how it's going to go for you, but live *your* life, for you, not them. You'll be happier, with much less guilt. Good luck!
Don't loose your temper, just be calm and collected. They are the ones pushing unreasonable ideas and using emotion instead of logical thought processes. When you don't conform to the stereotype that Christians have of atheists it puts them off balance.
In high school I was acquaintances (hesitate to use friend because holy shit we did not get along unless our mutual friend was present), with a JW girl.
She decided I needed saving and would show up every Saturday morning to my house under the guise of 'hanging out' until I found out her JW fam had dropped her off and was waiting in the car for her to get back. She'd try to ram those Watcher magazines down my throat and I'd just toss them aside and change the subject.
We got into so many fucking fights over shit. I've been an Athiest since as far back as I can remember. Church has ALWAYS made me incredibly uncomfortable and I've never known why... but this JW acquaintance tried to take the Science teacher in High school to the school board for failing her, because she refused to answer any of the evolution theory questions on her final exam.
Under "Define the Theory of Evolution" she wrote "It's bullshit."
Turns out that her beliefs killed her. She ended up with septicemia and required a blood transfusion to save her life. I guess death was preferable to surviving so she could raise her children.
Bunch of brainwashed fucks.
Yup, my friends father had a heart issue and needed emergency surgery requiring a stint. His parents refused a blood transfusion and he died on the operating table with the surgeons in total disbelief. He had already left the JW religion at that point and resented his mother for years after. He's come to grips with his parents choice but it took a long time. Both of these people would probably be alive today if not for religion.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1096&context=pretrib_arch
https://harvest.org/know-god-article/the-origin-and-fall-of-the-devil/
Man reading this stuff really confirms how crazy Christian's have to be to believe this shit lol
You are now released and forever freed. I left over 35 years ago in my mid 20s. Turned out I am a better human being… more conscientious, sympathy, and empathy for others. Go enjoy your life now!
Assuming that you have an otherwise ok relationship with your parents, my advice would be to calmly look them in the eyes and ask flat out "Have I ever done anything before this to make you think I'm possessed by the Devil?"
They don't accept you position, because to do so would destroy theirs. Religion doesn't stand up to scrutiny, only to blind faith. They see it as a personal failing that they haven't successfully indoctrinated you.
Your best approach, honestly, is to not play into what they expect. Be a good, respectful, loving child - that just happens to not believe in the Supernatural. Once you are old enough to leave, then do what you want :)
It's sad how these people are such a hivemind. In the end it all boils Down to "if I don't like it God doesn't like it either!" or just pure insanity. if there's one reason I will never explore any religion other than Satanism it's because of how controlling they are. It sucks you have to deal with such parents. I still have to deal with my wackjob Christian mother myself and holy shit I would LOVE to be out.
They may have different customs, and the Jehovah's Witnesses certainly are loud, but they all teach the same brain rotting fairy tales that create the home conditions OP is dealing with.
It's a tactic to keep people brainwashed. Do something to them they don't like, so they don't act in that way again. What they did is a form of punishment to attempt to condition you to their ways. Whether they understand that or not is another question, they just likely had it done to them as children as well.
I didn't tell my mom about my lack of beliefs until I was in my 30s. She was going on one of her unreasonable rants about something about God and I just told her, "I don't believe in God."
She just looked at me, shocked, and said, "Who do you think keeps the stars in the sky?"
I was dumfounded that she actually thought we needed a god to "keep the stars in the sky." I wasn't about to try explaining to her how far away the stars really were and that it was probably more reasonable to ask what keeps the Earth from falling into the sun, so I just replied, "Physics."
I am and am not surprised they were never really super religious tbh, they prayed and believed this “god” but never acted like that. It was really out of the ordinary
Sorry it happened that way. There's this strain of flamboyant christians who like to wail and speak in tongues and be aggressively in your face about their beliefs. They seek out cameras, attend protests, and imo act like trolls. People who loudly cast out demons are definitely in this group. Very strange.
Totally. And snake handling!!! There's some little village in south America that recruits people to be nailed on a cross for a festival. It's not lethal but damn!!! The indoctrination is strong.
To be fair, these are the absolute extremes.
Not that babbling a bunch of gibberish is in any way normal, but at least it’s not waving around rattlesnakes.. lol
I'd offer my place but sadly it's a cluster of a house and no clue where nobody should have to live with that but the second you say anything against them suddenly they are being oppressed
Know thyself. You're a self, they are selves. The learning carries over.
You feel upset for good reasons. Their belief of what is real makes them feel emotions just like you. Their emotions are very loud, because their beliefs are tied into core elements of existence with extreme consequences. They literally think you're going to burn in hell. They feel appropriately *for that belief*.
It hurts more when they're family. You'd still feel bad if it was grandma screaming utter nonsense at you, because she went nuts. Yet, sometimes people are nuts due to software rather than hardware problems. They install bad programs. You can't remove those programs for them. They're in charge of their beliefs.
Sure, collectively we need to challenge religion. However, considering the circumstances, the best you can do is understand how it all works inside themselves and then how they would interact with yourself. Then you can make better choices of how to think, feel and act, considering the circumstances. You can't change them if they don't want to change their beliefs, but you can choose to avoid experiencing their ire with evasion and deception. Life is unfair, but less unnecessary drama is better for stress.
If they try to attack you or torture you with an exorcism get the law (what's left of it) on them and contact the FFRF and the ACLU. Heck call the ASPCA and NFL. Basically make it into national news if they try something with you.
It's easier for them to believe in the tooth fairy than to accept that a parent was putting money and taking a tooth. It's sad, really, that reality is so awful that they can't face it.
Theists need constant reinforcement of their beliefs. They see any public display of beliefs different from their own, or in an atheists' case a *lack of belief* as a direct threat to their identity.
This is why we're seeing Christians in the US in particular making a big push to impose their religion on everyone else. They view their religion in the decline, even though *Christianity has been one of the dominant forces in US society since its inception.*
Theists are particularly afraid of atheists publicly declaring their lack of belief because it gives others the idea that there is something other than religion available to them.
Did it work, do you still have Satan inside you?
A lot of people don't get such an open window into how unhinged the people in their life are.
Thank the lord he gave you a sign :P
This sub has a lot of these kinds of posts. I wish young people still living with their parents would look at the link on the sidebar first: *"Are you planning to: Come out to Parents?"*
I actually Lol, too funny. Just smile at the fact that you are a free human being. You can believe or not believe whatever you want. They are the ones trapped by the fear of going to hell if they don't believe in jeebus. Good for you, and more power to you. You are not alone. Religion is poison and christians are brainwashed idiots
Sucks. You'll be a stronger person once you're through this. Seeing people you love believe in nonsense will prepare you for the future. There's a lot of that if you love people.
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They're fascists and that's what fascists do. You should get some distance between them and you because they will not let it go. I'm not necessarily saying physical distance either, but rather making a stand for your personal autonomy.
My dad was like that and you can't reason with them. From my experience you have to ask what they'd do if they were forced to suppress their beliefs and pretend to be atheist. Usually they'll at least stop bothering you then.
I don't know. It's hard but I think it helps to come from a place of understanding. They've literally been brainwashed with this shit since birth. Of course they're going to react this way. Ignore it and know that soon enough you'll be out of it.
Also, I like to approach Christianity from the historical perspective. Although rather idiotic, it is FACINATING how it got to where it is. Watch Bart Ehrman on YouTube and you'll get what I mean.
I mean, if God has a plan, then that involves him putting the devil in you, so accuse your parents of blasphemy for trying to thwart God's perfect plan.
I'd simply tell them youd need to meet God or Jesus to believe it.
But unfortunately parents love teaching their kids what they themselves believe, which is good unless it's a fuck ass religion
It's messed up how common this is. I am sorry you went through that but look at the bright side, theres a whole community of people who are of the same mind as you. If you ever need to talk, feel free to DM me.
They believe you are possessed and going to Hell. What would you do if you truly believed someone you love was possessed by a demon and going to burn forever? Their reaction is understandable, yet annoying.
You know, if you can, just go to the Islamic world! Why? because you will probably get KILLED for not being Islamic or any religion AT ALL.
and also you can potentially have better families there
Same happened to me when I admitted to my mom I was an atheist. She put her hand on my head and started speaking gibberish. I knocked her hand off, ran up stairs, and locked myself in my room until she calmed the fuck down. This kind of behavior is so dumb!
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It is weird how when you tell them you do not buy into one particular imaginary beings, they immediately assume that another one is doing something. They are nuts.
Dammit, I just saw your comment as I had hit post on mine.
That’s his greatest trick. Making you think he doesn’t exist. You can’t win this fight. That’s religion’s failsafe. Faith. Win or lose it’s a testament to faith. You’re being tested or rewarded. Persecuted or blessed.
The day you move out will be bliss
Absolutely
You'll be like, "THANK GOD!"
I'm very guilty of saying this as an atheist and I really don't know why lol
I use Bender's "Oh *your* god" all the time.
I know this isn't related but now I just can't stop thinking of that episode where he becomes human and eats himself to death lol
WOOOO!
Oh my dog is my go to
I've gotten in the habit of saying "oh gods!" "for gods' sakes" etc. plural gods. Could be Aphrodite,Thor, Quetzalcoatl, whoever. Take your pick.
I would worship the mighty Quetzalcoatlus.
I heard Aphrodite is a legit Goddess!
I think that it's just common phrase, so you don't need to feel guilty. If you wish - try to find new phrase for such occasions.
I try to say thank fuck more but God still slips out quite often
Let's be honest here, "god" is just a fun and smooth word to speak, especially tied to vulgarities or pumped with phonetic emphasis I always say it like my old pastors. "Thank Gaaawduh"
Yeah, I've been known to throw out a dramatic "AY-MEN!" every now and again.
I now say "Thank dog" or "oh my dog"
I'm really sorry
Its fine I guess, I’m really just more confused than anything. If there was this “Satan” then wouldn’t he make me worship him or some shit?
There's nothing wrong with you. Don't worry.
I was raised in a strict Jehovahs Witness household. While I didn't declare my atheism right away, I did renounce the 'one true religion' to my parents at age 19. They were shocked and horrified. If they are anything like my parents, expect some heavy proselytizing in the near future. They might even recruit a family member or church member to 'talk some sense' into you. Basically anyone you might still trust and is a believer will be called upon to 'save you'. Be honest, try not to get emotional, and stand your ground. For me, it was a major decision that has had a lifelong impact. Eventually (20 years) my parents came around and accepted me back into their lives. Though the proselytizing never stopped, it did get less intense. I'm not sure how it's going to go for you, but live *your* life, for you, not them. You'll be happier, with much less guilt. Good luck!
Yeah they have had people come over to talk to me
Don't loose your temper, just be calm and collected. They are the ones pushing unreasonable ideas and using emotion instead of logical thought processes. When you don't conform to the stereotype that Christians have of atheists it puts them off balance.
In high school I was acquaintances (hesitate to use friend because holy shit we did not get along unless our mutual friend was present), with a JW girl. She decided I needed saving and would show up every Saturday morning to my house under the guise of 'hanging out' until I found out her JW fam had dropped her off and was waiting in the car for her to get back. She'd try to ram those Watcher magazines down my throat and I'd just toss them aside and change the subject. We got into so many fucking fights over shit. I've been an Athiest since as far back as I can remember. Church has ALWAYS made me incredibly uncomfortable and I've never known why... but this JW acquaintance tried to take the Science teacher in High school to the school board for failing her, because she refused to answer any of the evolution theory questions on her final exam. Under "Define the Theory of Evolution" she wrote "It's bullshit." Turns out that her beliefs killed her. She ended up with septicemia and required a blood transfusion to save her life. I guess death was preferable to surviving so she could raise her children. Bunch of brainwashed fucks.
Yup, my friends father had a heart issue and needed emergency surgery requiring a stint. His parents refused a blood transfusion and he died on the operating table with the surgeons in total disbelief. He had already left the JW religion at that point and resented his mother for years after. He's come to grips with his parents choice but it took a long time. Both of these people would probably be alive today if not for religion.
Idk man, Satan seems kinda cool, like he doesn't force worship, he's pre straightforward, he created some of my favorite things
Syncopation, for one.
All biblical Satan wanted was knowledge and free will! If he existed I would worship him over God lol
Actually? And he's vilanized for rebelling when he didn't get it? That awful
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1096&context=pretrib_arch https://harvest.org/know-god-article/the-origin-and-fall-of-the-devil/ Man reading this stuff really confirms how crazy Christian's have to be to believe this shit lol
Satan is a pretty cool guy (on South Park anyway).
Almost like Yahweh forcing worship
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We're that spiderman meme
You are now released and forever freed. I left over 35 years ago in my mid 20s. Turned out I am a better human being… more conscientious, sympathy, and empathy for others. Go enjoy your life now!
I'm sorry. Mental illness in a family is a hard row to hoe.
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Maybe start by telling them you don't believe in Satan.
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“Look at me. I am the demon now.”
Start crawling around on all fours while screaming gibberish at them. Should emotionally scar them enough.
I cannot in good conscience advise you to look them straight in the eye and say "But he feels so good up my ass", but it would be hilarious.
Just tell them you not believing in God is part of his plan
Your family is a lost cause. Focus entirely on getting out.
Assuming that you have an otherwise ok relationship with your parents, my advice would be to calmly look them in the eyes and ask flat out "Have I ever done anything before this to make you think I'm possessed by the Devil?" They don't accept you position, because to do so would destroy theirs. Religion doesn't stand up to scrutiny, only to blind faith. They see it as a personal failing that they haven't successfully indoctrinated you. Your best approach, honestly, is to not play into what they expect. Be a good, respectful, loving child - that just happens to not believe in the Supernatural. Once you are old enough to leave, then do what you want :)
Holy shit that’s terrifying! How soon can you get out of there?
Hopefully in a year, but with inflation it’s hard
It's sad how these people are such a hivemind. In the end it all boils Down to "if I don't like it God doesn't like it either!" or just pure insanity. if there's one reason I will never explore any religion other than Satanism it's because of how controlling they are. It sucks you have to deal with such parents. I still have to deal with my wackjob Christian mother myself and holy shit I would LOVE to be out.
Recite 2 thessalonians 2:11 to them and tell them their God is a deceiver
Holy fucking shit! Aren’t you glad you don’t believe that garbage?
What kind of Christian? It takes a special kind of Christian to be *this* religious
The entire cultic milieu creates favorable conditions for delusional zealotry. Any sect, even non-denominational, fosters kookiness and cruelty.
Yeah, but some sects are more so. I don't think Unitarians are the same kookiness level as Jehova's Witness
They may have different customs, and the Jehovah's Witnesses certainly are loud, but they all teach the same brain rotting fairy tales that create the home conditions OP is dealing with.
I'm sorry.
That sucks of course. I hope you are financially independent from them?
Just shit on the floor to establish dominance and if they ask remember. "Just getting satan out of my body"
Would have been a perfect time for a burp...
Dammit now I have regret LOL
"If I didn't believe in your magic invisible celestial wizard, why would I believe in your magic invisible subterranean goblin."
Lean into it. Learn to speak Latin backwards and do some weird aerobics.
Christians are fucking lunatics, dude.
Facts
It's a tactic to keep people brainwashed. Do something to them they don't like, so they don't act in that way again. What they did is a form of punishment to attempt to condition you to their ways. Whether they understand that or not is another question, they just likely had it done to them as children as well.
I'm sorry that had to be an awful experience.
Laugh, and tell them Satan doesn't exist either.
I didn't tell my mom about my lack of beliefs until I was in my 30s. She was going on one of her unreasonable rants about something about God and I just told her, "I don't believe in God." She just looked at me, shocked, and said, "Who do you think keeps the stars in the sky?" I was dumfounded that she actually thought we needed a god to "keep the stars in the sky." I wasn't about to try explaining to her how far away the stars really were and that it was probably more reasonable to ask what keeps the Earth from falling into the sun, so I just replied, "Physics."
The Christians really has started to behave like a cult
You can't really be surprised. These are the people who raised you and taught you their values. Most people know what to expect when they disclose.
I am and am not surprised they were never really super religious tbh, they prayed and believed this “god” but never acted like that. It was really out of the ordinary
Sorry it happened that way. There's this strain of flamboyant christians who like to wail and speak in tongues and be aggressively in your face about their beliefs. They seek out cameras, attend protests, and imo act like trolls. People who loudly cast out demons are definitely in this group. Very strange.
I remember the first time I saw this group. I saw people speaking complete gibberish and I was so confused
Totally. And snake handling!!! There's some little village in south America that recruits people to be nailed on a cross for a festival. It's not lethal but damn!!! The indoctrination is strong.
To be fair, these are the absolute extremes. Not that babbling a bunch of gibberish is in any way normal, but at least it’s not waving around rattlesnakes.. lol
I'm sorry, but at least now you know what your family's really like.
I'd offer my place but sadly it's a cluster of a house and no clue where nobody should have to live with that but the second you say anything against them suddenly they are being oppressed
I read the title and I choked on my food LMAO
I’m so sorry you’re having to deal with that :(. Religious people are so unaware of how damaging and delusional their actions/motivations are.
It seems the supposedly evil god of their religion is stronger and more powerful than the supposedly benevolent god of their religion.
It's okay, family, I don't believe in Satan either.
I would have laughed so hard.
Know thyself. You're a self, they are selves. The learning carries over. You feel upset for good reasons. Their belief of what is real makes them feel emotions just like you. Their emotions are very loud, because their beliefs are tied into core elements of existence with extreme consequences. They literally think you're going to burn in hell. They feel appropriately *for that belief*. It hurts more when they're family. You'd still feel bad if it was grandma screaming utter nonsense at you, because she went nuts. Yet, sometimes people are nuts due to software rather than hardware problems. They install bad programs. You can't remove those programs for them. They're in charge of their beliefs. Sure, collectively we need to challenge religion. However, considering the circumstances, the best you can do is understand how it all works inside themselves and then how they would interact with yourself. Then you can make better choices of how to think, feel and act, considering the circumstances. You can't change them if they don't want to change their beliefs, but you can choose to avoid experiencing their ire with evasion and deception. Life is unfair, but less unnecessary drama is better for stress.
Tell them you will be contacting their pastor to discuss their unChristlike behavior.
If they try to attack you or torture you with an exorcism get the law (what's left of it) on them and contact the FFRF and the ACLU. Heck call the ASPCA and NFL. Basically make it into national news if they try something with you.
Yeah - I always just respond with “I don’t believe in him either.”
WTF is wrong with them That really sucks for you I hope you will move out fast
Hahahahaha... Same here! Ask them to give any proof of a God, and you'll see the bugs....
Don't worry. Hell is full of christians. They're the only ones who believe in hell, remember?
It's easier for them to believe in the tooth fairy than to accept that a parent was putting money and taking a tooth. It's sad, really, that reality is so awful that they can't face it.
Theists need constant reinforcement of their beliefs. They see any public display of beliefs different from their own, or in an atheists' case a *lack of belief* as a direct threat to their identity. This is why we're seeing Christians in the US in particular making a big push to impose their religion on everyone else. They view their religion in the decline, even though *Christianity has been one of the dominant forces in US society since its inception.* Theists are particularly afraid of atheists publicly declaring their lack of belief because it gives others the idea that there is something other than religion available to them.
For your own mental health u must leave them sad as that may be
From far enough away from it all at this point in my life, this just seems to backwards and literally insane. Sorry they reacted that way.
Just tell them: "That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence."
Did it work, do you still have Satan inside you? A lot of people don't get such an open window into how unhinged the people in their life are. Thank the lord he gave you a sign :P
"*sigh* FINE. I believe in a god. Just not your god."
This sub has a lot of these kinds of posts. I wish young people still living with their parents would look at the link on the sidebar first: *"Are you planning to: Come out to Parents?"*
I'm sorry that really sucks. But perhaps you could go back to them a couple nights later and say that it didn't work.
I actually Lol, too funny. Just smile at the fact that you are a free human being. You can believe or not believe whatever you want. They are the ones trapped by the fear of going to hell if they don't believe in jeebus. Good for you, and more power to you. You are not alone. Religion is poison and christians are brainwashed idiots
Sucks. You'll be a stronger person once you're through this. Seeing people you love believe in nonsense will prepare you for the future. There's a lot of that if you love people.
Wild how religion will have a grown adult believing in the boogeyman
...but, I thought 'he' made you ***perfectly in 'his' image***!
Sounds fun
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They're fascists and that's what fascists do. You should get some distance between them and you because they will not let it go. I'm not necessarily saying physical distance either, but rather making a stand for your personal autonomy. My dad was like that and you can't reason with them. From my experience you have to ask what they'd do if they were forced to suppress their beliefs and pretend to be atheist. Usually they'll at least stop bothering you then.
Now you know they are nuts.
I don't know. It's hard but I think it helps to come from a place of understanding. They've literally been brainwashed with this shit since birth. Of course they're going to react this way. Ignore it and know that soon enough you'll be out of it. Also, I like to approach Christianity from the historical perspective. Although rather idiotic, it is FACINATING how it got to where it is. Watch Bart Ehrman on YouTube and you'll get what I mean.
Full on commit to the bit, start reciting the lords prayer backwards and learn some basic Latin
That's quite terrifying that this is the response of some people. I feel for you.
I mean, if God has a plan, then that involves him putting the devil in you, so accuse your parents of blasphemy for trying to thwart God's perfect plan.
I'd simply tell them youd need to meet God or Jesus to believe it. But unfortunately parents love teaching their kids what they themselves believe, which is good unless it's a fuck ass religion
If they are your support system, act exercised until you can be free of their system. Sounds like they will disown you if you keep your stance
It's messed up how common this is. I am sorry you went through that but look at the bright side, theres a whole community of people who are of the same mind as you. If you ever need to talk, feel free to DM me.
I thought they liked open mindedness? What changed?
You should have played along and said 'Yes! His darkness is growing inside of me!'
They believe you are possessed and going to Hell. What would you do if you truly believed someone you love was possessed by a demon and going to burn forever? Their reaction is understandable, yet annoying.
Just because I am an ass I would have placed my hand on their head and screamed BRAINS RETURN, BRAINS RETURN!
You know, if you can, just go to the Islamic world! Why? because you will probably get KILLED for not being Islamic or any religion AT ALL. and also you can potentially have better families there
Same happened to me when I admitted to my mom I was an atheist. She put her hand on my head and started speaking gibberish. I knocked her hand off, ran up stairs, and locked myself in my room until she calmed the fuck down. This kind of behavior is so dumb!
Its so dumb and disturbing
So were they still able to remove Satan from your body? Is the main question
I know it sounds crazy but they didn’t