Something terrible happened!?

Question

I think my dad found out that I'm an Atheist.. Unless he has no intelligence whatsoever(quite the contrary. He is *very* smart). What should I do? Please help!

"What exactly do you fear? How old are you? What sort of religion do your parents follow, and how strictly? What country do you live in?"
I fear being yelled at, ignored, and kicked out. 13. Christianity, and moderately. United States. But I've never seen them with an Atheist in company, so I don't know how they'll react..

(I also sometimes consider my dad crazy.. He can have random tantrums, due to the fact that he was abused by his father as a child.. So yes, I can technically be allowed to be afraid.) Thanks for all the answers guys.(And of course, gals. )

Answer 1

It's hard to give you an exact answer without knowing you or your Dad. You sound like you are in you might be in your early teens.

Your headline refers to something "terrible" happening which implies you are expecting a negative reaction. But if your dad is as smart and (hopefully) level-headed as you claim, he will likely be supportive. The more clarity you have in your own mind as to your beliefs the better you will be able to explain your views to him and others. If he feels you have come to your path in a well-thought out manner, it will help your chances for acceptance.

If there is friction, just try to minimize any chances for conflict where it might appear you are disrespecting his religious views or flaunting your heathenism (I'm assuming you are living under his roof and his rules).

You are in good company Joe so stick to your guns. John Stuart Mill said: "The world would be astonished if it new how great a proportion of its brightest ornaments, of those most distinguished even in popular estimation for wisdom and virtue, are complete skeptics in religion."

Remember, you are standing on the shoulders of giants, (no not the ones mentioned in the bible) which makes the view much clearer up here. Be courageous as you join ranks with some of the world's greatest minds who share your same views towards theism.

Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Sigmund Freud, Socrates, Shakespeare, Thomas Jefferson, John Lennon, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Thomas Paine, Friedrich Nietzsche, Voltaire, James Watson, Francis Crick, Stephen King, T.S. Eliot, Frank Lloyd Wright, Joseph Campbell, Vincent Van Gogh, Charles Schulz, Abraham H. Maslow, Epicurus, Niccolò Machiavelli, Richard Feynman, John Locke, Ayn Rand, Gene Roddenberry, Albert Camus , David Hume, Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Bertrand Russell, Marie Curie, Immanuel Kant, C.S. Lewis, Robert Oppenheimer, Clarence Darrow, Jean-Paul Sartre, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Seneca, Charles Dickens, Helen Keller, Robert Frost, Upton Sinclair, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Søren Kierkegaard, Edgar Allan Poe, Isaac Asimov, George Bernard Shaw, William James, Milton Friedman, Sir Richard Branson, Andrew Carnegie, Charlie Chaplin, Warren Buffett, Euripedes, Hippocrates (father of medicine), Douglas Adams, Ralph Waldo Emerson, H. G. Wells, Walt Whitman , William Howard Taft, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Sinclair Lewis, Gore Vidal, Peter Ustinov, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, Woody Allen, Katharine Hepburn, Gene Wilder, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Carl Sagan, Paul Kurtz, James Randi, Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and let's not forget George Carlin, Jackie Mason, and Dennis Miller.

Welcome aboard. And remember there are 1.1 billion non-religious* people like ourselves in the world so while the sheep (I mean meek) may inherit the earth, we're catching up.

Now I'll leave you with a line from the Matrix spoken by Neo: "I know you're out there. I can feel you now. I know that you're afraid... you're afraid of us. You're afraid of change. I don't know the future. I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it's going to begin. I'm going to hang up this phone, and then I'm going to show these people what you don't want them to see. I'm going to show them a world without you. A world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries. A world where anything is possible. Where we go from there is a choice I leave to you"

Answer 2

Um, it's kinda hard to tell what your family is like by this question...

What exactly do you fear? How old are you? What sort of religion do your parents follow, and how strictly? What country do you live in?

If you don't fear physical harm or being kicked out, then I really suggest you try to be honest.

Edit - Well, first of all... make sure you are not overreacting in your fears. Wait it out a while, and if your father says nothing, leave it at that for now.

You might wait a while, then bring up atheism in passing, "I read this article," or "I heard about ____" having to do with atheism... and just ask what he thinks.

If he asks you directly, do what you have to do. If, after calming down from the initial panic, you still think there's a chance you could be kicked out, then I wouldn't blame you for denying it.

Being yelled at - trust me, if that's all he does, you'll both eventually get over it. Same goes for being ignored... it won't last.

I remember how nervous it made me to think I was "in trouble" with my dad, though... even if I thought he'd just yell at me.

Whatever happens, good luck :)

Answer 3

Why is this terrible? If you are an atheist then at least stand up and say so! Are you afraid your dad will not love you anymore? I doubt that very seriously!!

I do not wish you harm so, if he should not know for a GOOD reason, then be careful!!

Even though I am a Christian, I wish you the best with this issue and with your dad.

Answer 4

Yvette: First of all, seeking something terrible isn;t really the most mature thing you can do. First, you need to change your mentality. Don't say "I can't change unless I'm forced to", because if you think/say that, then that is the way your psyche will make you be. You'll mature with age.

Answer 5

Well if you feel bad that your dad found out that you are an atheist then maybe you yourself realize that there is something wrong with you being an atheist.

If you think you believe in something and have no reservations about it why would you be feeling bad that your dad found out.

For example I am a Christian, I cannot be sorry or scared to tell anyone that I believe the Bible.

Answer 6

You said your father is intelligent. If that's the case, and he loves you, this will be no big deal. There were some things that my father and I disagreed about, but we had an excellent relationship. The result was that we had spirited, but always good-natured, debates with each other.

Answer 7

Tell him the Flying Spaghetti Monster has filled your life with pasta goodness.

Answer 8

Recite the First Amendment at him.

You have nothing to be ashamed of or worried about.

Answer 9

Be yourself, don't lie, stay open-minded to learning and let him know you're always open to learning. He should accept your beliefs just as you accept his. Not everyone believes the same.

Answer 10

Explain to him your reasons for being one and let him explain his arguments. Then tell him that him forcing you to be religious will not make you one and even make you less of one.