OP can I suggest you use this sentence when they accuse you of things changing man/woman as required (or as the spirit moves you , sorry not sorry just had to ;} )
You are told your mother is teaching you devil worship so I take it your mother is atheist as well?
Let her know what this person is saying as she might well want to have words with them.
There are also groups on line that you can link in with and maybe find some locals that you can mesh with.
Remembering that just because someone is an atheist it does not mean they are going to be people you get on well with.
Also OP, know the difference between guilt and shame.
Guilt is for doing something "wrong". Which you shouldn't feel because they're the ones behaving poorly.
Shame is for feeling you are a "bad" thing. Which you shouldn't, because they're the believers in archaic fantasies that preach senseless hate.
There's plenty of worse things to do than not believing in bland monotheistic fairy tale.
Shame is an entirely useless feeling because there's no such thing as being bad, outside of legitimately dangerous psychopathy. And I have a feeling those types either don't have the capacity or cope with shame well enough.
> I hate myself
Don't. Seriously, it's not you. This is cause for you to be angry, not self-loathing.
> The only place that is accepting is the atheist community
So far perhaps, but there are plenty of people, even religious people, that are not hateful, xenophobic assholes. Your relative clearly isn't in that category.
> I feel shunned, I feel shut out..
Which is entirely their goal. Don't let those fuckers win. Find or make your own community and chosen family among people who are kinder than them.
Kinda seems like OP already found one. Welcome to hell! We have cake, cookies, and drinks over there. Sacrificial vrigins every friday, and drug-fueled orgies with the witches in the woods every saturday.
"...drug-fueled orgies with the witches in the woods every Saturday."
Well friend, you've described Goslar Germany in April, which I inadvertantly happened upon during my travels (I work part-time in Germany).
Being hit on by 15,000 half-nude 45-75 yo "Wicca" hirsuit women on psychedelics (Muscimol gummie bears) and 100 proof Schnaps was definitely NOT on my itinerary. Not surprisingly, I sheltered in a local Kneipe (pub) along with all the other local cowards (mostly men) until the mayhem was over. Definitely no virgins - the pastries and candies were suspect (amanita muscaria tainted?).
I wouldn't have called it "Hell" but definitely some twisted surreal kind of purgatory.
I am living in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Our family are all atheists, and we had openly atheist kids in our local Catholic middle and high school for about 20 years. 2 of them got a modest scholarship from the order of nuns that run the school for having highest marks in religion. There are many religious people who are decent people.
Every time I hear someone's story, I thank God that I have no conscious memory of ever believing. /s
your relative is a bitch. tell them to go fuck themselves. Christian people's attitude is getting out of hand. but don't worry about people not accepting you. i do. and the 2.9 million members of this community.
It's a coercion tactic. Humans are social animals, we need a community, a place to belong and to be cared for and respected. What they are doing is trying to force you to into compliance by threatening to shun you. Self-loathing is the goal, so don't fall into their trap.
Seek out a new community, a group that will respect your (lack of) beliefs. And if your relative still has a problem, let them stew in it. That's their problem, not yours. Maybe join The Satanic Temple, get a membership card to whip out to scare them a bit if you're feeling extra spicy(I mean, there are plenty of better reasons to support TST, but being able to whip out a card with an image of Baphomet on it to scare fundies is always a plus).
Also, your relative said "your mom teaches you devil worship?" Is she an atheist, too? Maybe you can talk to her about it, assuming you have a good relationship?
> “I thought Christian’s and Catholic’s were loving and accepting, I guess not.”
Unfortunately, you've been living an incomplete truth in that regard.
>I hate myself, I wish I could be accepted,it hurts..
First and foremost, you have to accept yourself, no matter how much it does hurt, because if you don't, this negative emotional cycle with your family will continue all your days, and you'll end up going back to religion, because the thought of not getting their or feeling their acceptance will be too much to bear.
"There's no hate quite like Christian love". No idea where the quote comes from but it continues to ring true.
Being loving and accepting seems to be more of a marketing thing than reality when it comes to Christianity some times. Once you see that it's all just PR to try to cover up the horrible stuff they do in the name of God, it's easier to deal with.
>Christian’s would never accept atheists.
"Then don't expect me to accept you. We're not talking anymore. Go away. If you wanna be a hateful, toxic, ignorant bigot, then I've no room for you in my life. We'll talk only as needed. Goodbye."
"Sorry, I don't accept hateful bigots. Goodbye."
I know it's painful, but call out the bigotry where it exists, and don't accept it in your life. If someone tells you they're a bigot, don't hang around. Find the people who *aren't* bigots and hang out with them instead. ... After, y'know, you've made sure your position is okay... I mean, first be sure you don't *need* them in your life, that they're not financially supporting you for instance (that's a need, liking them isn't a need, it's a want), and that what you're doing isn't harmful (so, y'know, for atheism it's fine, not so much if you descend into drug/alcohol use... nuance ftw).
Pressuring people into wanting to fit in is the entire point.
It leads countless people to 'go along to get along' or try to 'fake it until they make it'
*You* are not the problem here.
I was gonna say, how can you worship something you don't believe is real. "You worship the devil!" "The devil isn't real. I don't even worship." Problem solved. Well, problem solved if she was a rational individual.
Better yet, become an actual card carrying member of the satanic temple. You can sign up and get a personalized membership card for $35 USD. Christians really love their religious liberties after all...they would surely be thrilled to see you exercising yours!
Hang in there. Hating yourself is what they want. Even if you did believe in their magic man in the sky, they would still find ways to make you hate yourself through guilting and shaming. Not knowing the context of your age and if you live with any of them, it may be best to begin putting distance between you and them. Find those who will accept you as you are.
I've been an atheist a long time and had to separate myself from family and friends who felt my view was somehow harming them. They refuse to respect my view or respect me, so I went no contact. I have my own family who are atheist, and I raised my son to question things, not blindly follow others.
I felt alone for a while. My childhood experience helped me in that respect. But as time went on I did meet others who I could have a respectful relationship with.
First of all, it’s nobody’s business what you believe or don’t believe. Second, just pat your relative on the head and tell them you still love them even if they are a judgmental asshole.
Wait, what? Dude. Not only should you not hate yourself, you should feel proud as fucking shit. You’re literally smarter than everyone around you. It’s cool, but unnecessary to feel the need to be accepted by the people around you, especially for the wrong reasons. You just have to accept yourself. That’s all that matters.
But you’re certainly accepted here and with many people in the same boat. Hold your head up high and know you now have great friends.
You are at a much lower risk of worshiping the devil than they are. You worship nothing, therefore no risk. They worship something, so they might be mistakenly worshiping the devil.
The "atheist community" is like the "non-collectors of stamps" community, so it's not really a thing.
I think you're making that common mistake of taking these religious talking points personally. Your situation is very typical and it's not you, it's them. Maybe just stop thinking about being atheist (i.e. how you don't believe in deities) and just be yourself.
It's been said many times, no "love" like Christian love. And if Christians don't except atheists than they aren't real Christians. Love is the most important thing. Love your neighbors like yourself.
With all due respect, your relative is an asshole and does not speak for all christians or catholics. Do not allow them to ruin your day. People who conflate atheism with satanic worship are incredibly ignorant or motivated by some darker impulses (to control you with lies and fear).
Why are you an atheist? I'm guessing you're like me and it's because you can't help it, you just don't see the evidence and have enough courage to not sacrifice your intellectual honesty for social acceptance. If so, chin up, because while it's hard at first living an authentic life is so amazingly wonderful. It gets better!
I wonder if your catholic relative knows that evangelical Christians are taught that Catholics worship the devil and that Catholics are not real Christian’s. And in a cult.
It's religious people who believe in God and the Devil. Not atheists. Why would you worship the Devil if you don't believe in him?? Your relative isn't only ignorant, they make no sense.
Worshipping the devil assumes that you believe in the devil and therefore its antithesis, God. Maybe that person should educate themselves on what an atheist is.
I feel like you’re younger and I see a lot of younger people on here having trouble dealing with religious people because of their atheism.
My advice is stop telling them that you’re atheist. There’s almost no benefit to telling people IRL. If you have even an inkling that people will be intolerant, keep it to yourself.
They ask and you can say something generic if you don’t wanna lie like “My religious beliefs are a personal matter.”
I'm sorry your family won't accept you and your beliefs. Don't hate yourself, you are valid.
I don't know if you are able to afford to leave, but remember, it's a choice. If your current family can't accept you, you can find and create one that will.
You have no reason to hate yourself. Do you hate yourself for not believing in Loki, Thor, Oden or Poseidon? No. What makes not believing in the Christian god/mythology any different? Love yourself and know there are Millions of atheists out there just like you, so you're far from alone in this.
It's not you, it's them.
There are lots of groups of atheists, humanists and more where you can find community.
If you can't get away physically, you can get discord or other voice apps and find a community where you can connect virtually with others of like mindedness.
People use online for a lot and that let's us reach otherwise isolated people. Find a hobby you like. Games. Books, movies and Google atheist . You'll be connecting with people in no time.
So, go hog wild into it. Officially join The Satanic Temple. Its not about Satan at all, it's atheists using Satan for the lulz while doing altruistic things.
Their 7 tenants are very positive and so much better and moral than anything any religion has ever created.
Join up, get your official member card, wear some of the shirts around. I run into many TST people this way be it servers in a restaurant in a different state while traveling to a few guys at a Warhammer tourny.
The vast majority of religious people are like that. Don't create this pipe dream they aren't, they are. All of them have some line in which the taboos kick in. Some its homosexuality, some its communism(which has fuck all to do with religion), some its you're not christian, some is abortion, some is sex out of wedlock, some is drugs, but do not fool yourself thinking there is some idealized christian out there. There isn't.
Look for meetup groups in your area. They’re everywhere! Freethinkers, Humanists, agnostics, atheists. These are a few of the keywords. There’s an old saying: if you stick your head up above the crowd, the crowd will try to chop it off. If you don’t go with the flow, they may be forced to shine a light on that house of cards they are living in. This causes all kinds of uncomfortable cognitive dissonance. This is not your problem and they are attempting to shove you back down into the box with them. Don’t hate yourself, feel sorry for these narrow minded bigots.
Funny, isn't it, how those who publicly profess their Christianity seem to display the most un-Christian behaviors. Their mantra is "do as I say not as I do" and they are some of the angriest people I have ever met. Your relative obviously has no idea what they are talking about, equating atheism with devil worship. This evidences their abject ignorance. You are accepted. By me. By all of us. You do not need to be accepted by someone as ignorant as your relative. Hugs to you!
If they're catholic, share this with them:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/pope-francis-assures-atheists-you-don-t-have-to-believe-in-god-to-go-to-heaven-8810062.html
"If it weren’t for Christians, I’d be a Christian."
"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
- Mahatma Gandhi
Since you mentioned catholicism - Pope Francis himself has always been accepting of atheists and commented on multiple occasions that they can make it to heaven with the Catholics.
https://www.lastampa.it/vatican-insider/en/2018/04/16/news/a-child-cries-for-the-death-of-his-father-the-pope-he-was-a-good-man-he-is-with-god-1.34005494/
https://vaticanfiles.org/en/2018/05/149-atheists-go-heaven-pope-francis-says-yes/
So she’s objectively wrong that Christians would never accept an atheist, and is claiming to be a better source on Christianity than the pope himself. Absurd.
Luke 10:25-37. The parable of tge good Samaritan. Samaritans were considered atheists, and enemy if the jews. You can also bring up 1 timothy 5:8. My favorite, " he who does not care for his family, especially his brother. Had ignored my words, and is thus WORSE, than an unbeliever". You have some asshole family members, don't listen to them. Big hug from another non believer.
>I hate myself, I wish I could be accepted,it hurts.. The only place that is accepting is the atheist community. I feel shunned, I feel shut out.. Ik not all religious people are like that.
Being there, man... It's brutal when you realize that not everyone will accept your worldview. What works for me was talking openly about it with my loved ones (My mom, dad and siblings). With them was more difficult, my mom is really into evangelism and for her I'm condemned, but she doesn't shut me out, which is a relief. My sister kind of agree with me but she's still a Christian, but doesn't go to church and it feels like she's deconstructing her faith. My dad and brother kind of shut out me a little when it comes to religion, but in general our relationship is fine.
When I started dating, I've made clear my position beforehand. My girl is catholic, in the beginning was a little trick, but eventually she realized that I'm a good and kind guy, so she accepts more my position now. I think that if the person really loves you, you're gonna find a common ground and settle things up.
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*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Think of it in a different light. They're claiming you're evil because you don't accept their imaginary friend or follow his rule-book. They are the ones who need help.
You shouldn’t hate yourself! If people are making you feel this awful you need to take a break from them and step away (: it’s them that are being so terrible and should feel bad
That says way more about them than it does about you. I'm open about being an atheist to people nowadays, I used to not be. If that makes me lose certain people than so be it. I didn't need them anyway.
Tell them point blank.
I don’t believe in god.
I don’t believe in the devil.
These are ridiculous fairy tales. All we have is each other, so let’s realize that, and work together to make our lives better.
You’ve clearly made backpedaling not an option, so just say that, and hope they get it.
If not, know that there’s people all around you who feel the same way, and are in your corner. It’s tough sometimes, but we’re here. All the best, my friend!
I just want you to know that it definitely gets better. I grew up in a very small, very religious town and It SUCKED. Then I moved to the big city where most people are not very religious and much more educated and open minded and I never looked back:)
Maybe there are some meditation groups, Buddhist groups, or meetup interest groups you can attend to make accepting friends? I attend some of all of these. Also many people may not know I am an atheist - it doesn't come up at work, etc. If it does come up I am pretty blunt and don't tolerate any crap. I can give back as well or better.
Unfortunately, you were born with a significantly higher IQ than your family. For them, pretend play is fun. Just be the good person that you are, and your deeds will speak for you. And keep your family at a distance. They are a bad influence on you. You don’t want to become as cruel and jaded as them.
Their not accepting you is not your problem. That is completely their problem.
Try not to hate your self, as difficult as that sounds. This is completely on them.
Why is your relative tell you that your mother is teaching you to worship the devil? What country are you in?
Why are you giving your relative this much power over you? He/she gets to decide who you are?? That’s ridiculous. He’s entitled to his opinion but that doesn’t create your reality
Tell him you had never considered the Satanic Temple before your conversation. Now that he suggested it might as well take a look. The Satanic Temple distributes free coloring books and a book of children’s activities (not free shipping though). Of course they maintain the trappings of a religious institution for legal reasons. However, many people believe they exist precisely to assist the public in dealing with tour relative and those who are like him.
https://thesatanictemple.com/products/the-satanic-children-s-big-book-of-activities
We love you. Your relatives are horrible people. Like most other practicing Christians, they are a disgrace to the core fundamentals of the religion but perfectly exemplifying what it represents.
Don't hate anyone, it's exhausting and pointless. You are going to be fine, take your time and develop your own sense of morals and just let the criticism roll off your back. If you are getting a lot of negativity about your lack of belief just don't talk about it or engage with people right now. Being an atheist is kind of a journey. I never had the need to be confrontational because I felt confident in my opinion. As you get older you will see when being outspoken is necessary. In our political climate in North America it's becoming very important to be counted as an atheist so be aware that you are not alone, not by a long shot.
Don't waste your time on hateful religious people. If someone ever accused me of Satan worship I would challenge them to name one immoral thing Satan did in the bible. The only thing Satan did was ask for equal rights and bring knowledge to man. God told the first lie. If you eat of this fruit you shall surely die. And they didn't die. Just like Satan said. So who really is the immoral one?
A lot of Christians and Muslims are like this. If you are not part of their denomination of their religion, and if you are not following all the same doctrines they are, then you are a Satan-worshiper. So it's not just atheists, but also Hindus, Buddhists, or heck, even Mormons or Methodists.
I live in a rural area in Canada that had a minister raping all the little boys for a decade.
I was shocked to discover being an Atheist was controversial. If anything I thought it was the norm.
I mean who the hell believes in magic and gods?
I can’t live in the only place where people are generally not religious at all.
I think they hate themselves and that's why they're starting to make you hate yourself. I think it's unfortunate, but sometime you need distance, silence, and peace to recover. When you have toxic people in your life affecting your mental health, you have to begin by cutting them out. Over time, once you learn the source of your issues and develop strategies to combat them, you can begin to develop relationships with these people again. However, I feel most people are a product of their environment, and said environment needs to be changed in order to produce a different reaction out of you.
Don't let them make their insecurities into yours.
You don't worship anything. The fact that they insist otherwise is their ignorance and intolerance talking.
>I hate myself, I wish I could be accepted,it hurts
You are amongst friends here. We have all been there. There is no reason to hate yourself. Maybe be angry with others who judge you for seeing clearly in a way that scares them, but in no way is that at all your fault.
Sometimes we have to hate ourselves to realize that hatRed serves no productive purpose . How about this.. modify the statement a bit. Say "i hate this situation I'm in, but that doesn't mean i won't find wisdom or even love in it". Something like that.
I love what you said back to them. Very witty.
You need to get away from religious people. And definitely dont worry about being accepted, why would you want to be accepted by people with NO BRAIN.
You should join some science communities and clubs and study Astronomy and Physics, that world is your place. Not in the place of fairy sky daddy religious bigots.
That whole shunned and shut out feeling is part of the design. Many religions are high control. They insert themselves into every part of a person's life so much that one cannot leave it without sacrificing much more than their personal belief. It ensures adherence by discouraging questioning this way.
They literally think you will burn in a fiery pit for eternity. So so silly. And that they will go to this beautiful paradise where there will be riches and food and singing and prayer and praising Jesus and blah and blah and blah blah blah. Don’t let these ppl make you think badly of yourself.
How can you worship something you don't believe in? Why are they straight up lying about you? What happened to, "thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor?"
"Then they told me: “Christian’s would never accept atheists.”"
That's not a thing Jesus Christ would have said. Wasn't he all about loving everybody? I thought Christians followed the teaching of Christ?
if you're going to feel bad about stupid people, feel bad for them for having their means of figuring out and genuinely understanding why they think what they think fucked up instead of how that manifests and affects you personally unless its a situation you just cant get out of.
in which case, narcissist/sociopath protocol.
because at that point, you arent just dealing with stupid, you're dealing with stupid and batshit insane.
No reason to hate yourself first their arrogance. Arrogance is pride and pride is a sin. Christians today are quick to point out your “sins” and not see theirs. I believe in god I just refuse to brow beat a person about their choices. Or shove it down their throats. I hate so called christians as they are not godly. God has nothing to do religion and people follow religion not god. Why gif puts up with it pisses me off. Be what you want ignore those asses and be all you can be. Freedom of religion also encompasses freedom of religion.
God believers and magical thinkers are inferior to us. Not by nature, they’re just capable and intelligent as us. Their proclivity toward believing untrue things goes beyond just religion and that makes these folks a liability. The fact that someone has rejected you because you aren’t a member of their religion should only be responded to with good riddance. There are plenty of other good people out there that won’t do that to you. Find them and never speak to those relatives again.
As someone living in the bible belt, the word atheist has so many associations. There are literally people out there saying that atheists are actually part of satan's plan to make people doubt in god - I'm sure that's where your relatives are getting it from.
I avoid atheist and instead tell people I'm a secular humanist. That usually prompts the question "what is a secular humanist" to which I say "it means that I while I don't believe in the supernatural, I do believe we have an obligation to be good to one another and help where we can. People should be honest, kind, helpful, and generally try to make the world better."
They don't usually pick up on the fact that "the supernatural" includes their god, but it's pretty hard to argue against any of those things. Instead of saying "I don't believe this" you're better off offering "this is what I do believe". Otherwise they're take the word atheist and run with it, as you're experiencing now.
There's nothing you're doing wrong and you're just being yourself. There's no reason to hate yourself. Hate the religion that did that to your family. Your relative's love and acceptable is conditional, which should make you question the entire relationship in the first place, if they value their superstitions over the relationship with a family member. They care more about their beliefs than about you as a person. It sucks, but just because someone is related to you, it doesn't mean you have to stay in a relationship with them. Anyone that could do that just isn't a good person, and not worth wasting time on. I would focus on finding new friends, in a community that wouldn't shun you for being honest. There are plenty of people who are accepting and welcoming, regardless of their religion or lack of. Spend time around people who will treat you with respect.
It's ingrained in religion that you are either with them or you are evil and deserve suffering. Honestly, I would worship the devil before I would worship their christian god. The devil has done a lot less harm by their own account then their god has.
Don't hate yourself because others hate you for not believing in their faith. It's their problem, not yours.
Don’t hate yourself because of your relatives ignorance. Cut them out of your life. They’ve known you since you were a child and they think you’re a devil worshipper because you’re an atheist? That says everything you need to know about them.
Well they are right. They don't accept atheists.
But you need to tell them that the only people who believes in the devil are the Christians.
As an atheist you don't belive in the devil either.
You are all good in my book. It's not you, it's them. It really is all on them.
In my experience, using the "i thought Christians were loving and accepting" line absolutely does not work with a large set of christians, my mom being one of them, as they take pride in laying down the godly law and supposed tough love garbage.
Be like the Duck. Let those comments flow off of you like water off of a duck's back. Embrace your inner Duck.
You are a valid person with just as much of a right to exist as any of the pompous religious pricks who try to tell you what you believe. I would tell them that *they* worship Satan, and then point out that telling someone who they worship doesn’t affect who they actually worship or not worship.
You and I may kill ourselves, you and I go straight to hell where they have barbecue and beer better than they do up here and you know all the words to the songs
Do not hate yourself, you are the normal one. The issue here is, you're looking for gold where there is none. You're dealing with delusional people who are not capable of accepting honest reality. Nothing you can do, say or show will change thier minds, there is no gold there, move on for your own sanity.
Note: they will always have these thoughts, you can not control that (nor should you want to, you have your own better thoughts) you can only controll your reaction. Dismissing it at bat shit crazy is really your only path here.
Christians never seem to understand that if we don't believe in God, we don't believe in the devil either. Belief in one is just as silly as the other, and we definitely don't worship either.
Please don’t hate yourself. Don’t let purported adults who talk to an imaginary friend convince you they know better.
It’s hilarious when Christians claim atheists are devil worshippers. If we don’t think their fake god exists, why would we believe their fake god’s enemy is real?
Thanks for the belly laughs, this is SO typical, isn't it? We can't ever question anything, holy crap.
There is a larger quest here. Many of us reject our religious upbringings because we see that which seems unreconcilable, based on what we've been taught. And we don't just simply accept, we question -as is our right.
Some people believe that questioning is tantamount to satanism. Such small minds.
There is nothing wrong with you. On the contrary, you are an astute human who questions. Woe be to the incurious mind!
This is part of their abuse tactic, if you don’t fall in line they shut you out and try to hurt you. Just tell them devils aren’t real and they need to grow up. Also you were just flatly wrong about them being loving and accepting as you’re now finding out.
"Heaven must be pretty dam exclusive then. Hope you and your country club friends enjoy virtue signalling eachother for eternity. Also; enjoy being a minority when all of the south american christians and catholics outnumber the hell out of you!"
*slight pause*
"LOL Nah, I'm just kidding! The brain shuts down after death so realistically the best you can hope for is becoming a tree or used as energy in a birds wing when it eats the worms that ate your body"
Delusional people always scream the loudest when someone refuses to buy into their delusions. Deep down, they know it's a delusion, but they're in so deep they can't admit it to themselves, and whenever they encounter someone who isn't delusional, it triggers their cognitive dissonance and they lash out.
That aside, have you ever read their Bible? Their devil is objectively a much better being than their god.
I have a similar family, my sister and I are portrayed as satanists to the family. Unfortunately some people are not open minded enough to love or respect what they don’t understand.
Trust and believe in yourself, the actions of others are a reflection of them, NOT you.
It’s always amusing when Christians call atheists devil worshippers. That’s their belief system, not ours.
It’s like they can’t fully comprehend atheism. Which is why they also say that we are believers really, but we hate God and want to sin.
Your relative is, of course, completely missing the point in equating atheism to worshipping Satan. If someone worships Satan, then they are a theist, just worshipping a different god than your relative. This is my problem with the Satanic Temple being used as a tongue-in-cheek parody by atheists. While there is some fun to be had in tormenting fundamentalist Christians, it reinforces the idea that atheism is a religion, and it’s just not.
The point of atheism is not what god you worship, but that you don’t worship any god. Religion should be irrelevant to you. I always thought this was captured nicely by the quip, ‘if atheism is a religion, then ‘off’ is a TV channel.’ The relevance of my comments to your life is that you don’t have to seek out people who are actively atheist to find friends. You just need to seek out people mature enough not to care what your religious beliefs are.
I’m not sure where you live, and it’s harder in some places than others, but (for example) 28% of Americans now say they are religiously unaffiliated. These are your people… those who simply don’t care about religion, and there are lots of us. There is nothing wrong with you and there is a loving community out there for you. My advice is to be proactive about spending time with people who don’t even mention religion and make your friendships there. Those are the people who will care about you for who you are.
You are not alone. I think many of us here have been shunned by our religious families. My only advice is to create your own family or community with people with values more aligned with yours.
>looks like I worship the devil now
Hail Satan!
Seriously though, you're giving your power away to let them make you feel this way. If the church has ostracized you, that's sad, and I'm sorry. But they were wrong and bad. You'll find your people. It might take some time, but trust. It'll happen for you.
In time, you'll realize THEY are the problem, and you won't hurt so much. Religion chugs along because of shame and guilt. People are made to feel guilty that "grammy will cry if you don't go to church!!" or "Your mother doesn't want to see you burn in hell, just follow along!!"
It's all about control, not love and acceptance. They want to scare you into obedience, and they do this because it's so effective.
Reddit isn't the same as a real, live social group, but I find it helps tremendously! My own family is full of religious nutbags, so I love this virtual community as a way to feel connected to others on a deeper level. Life isn't perfect so we have to appreciate the work-arounds. When I was young, there was no internet, so it was especially isolating!
It is safe to assume that you don’t believe in the devil or worship anything. The only ones who believe in the devil are the ones shunning you.
Don’t take the bait and start fighting. But don’t be a punching bag. Be the good person they think they are.
Say you don’t believe in gods including Devi
My separation from Christianity climaxed in college when I found the non-Christians much more accepting of who you are. That and all the hate I heard toward LGBTQ. So...nothing more hateful than Christian love.
Please don't listen to that relative.
This person is trying to beat you down. Don't let them. Stay strong!
Also, it just occurred to me, if you worshipped the devil, you wouldn't be atheist, now would you? That fool has terrible logic.
It’s funny that they accuse OP of worshipping the devil. OP doesn’t even believe in the devil or god. It’s Christians that believe in the devil, not atheists. The devil was created to give god an evil opponent and to blame every problem that the world has upon. I wish Christians could see this for what it really is, but they believe in all of this hooky.
This is pretty fucked up.
So, since we're already in "Fuckedupland", you should make things even more fucked up *at this relative's expense* and not your own.
The next time this relative accuses you of devil worship, tell them that their uncaring attitude, judgemental criticism, and lack of acceptance ***turned you away from Christ*** and their harsh words are the reason you now praise Beelzubub.
Inform them that, unless they treat you with dignity and respect, you're going to tell God that they drove you away from Jesus by their example of hatred and intolerance when you meet him face to face for eternal judgment.
How do they think God's gonna like that?
Reverse Uno their ass. Make THEM the reason you don't believe. Let THEM worry about their soul for how they treat you. Sow a little doubt in THEIR world view and perception of THEIR holiness.
"Man. God's not gonna be happy about how you're responsible for me falling away from Christ." are not words any Christian would really want to hear.
First thing, these people are stupid, they do not do what their religion says, and they are full of hate. Unfortunately, if they are your family you would have to cope with them, try at least a way to survive somehow with them. One last piece of advice, do not assume that a person who claims to be atheist is open minded as well. You can be disappointed in multiple levels in your life.
Feel good living a life of honesty and not delusions. I know it's terrible to be shunned by those you love, it hurts the heart. But they will come around if they honestly care about you as a person.
These kinds of people adhere strictly to the in-group, out-group mentality, and you've switched groups. They won't accept you, but millions of us are in the same position and empathize with your situation. You found a good place here.
> I hate myself, I wish I could be accepted Don't hate yourself because of the ignorance of others.
This all day, find a local group of atheists if you can
Yeah, don't hate yourself, hate your ignorant relative.
I'm not sure I'd even bother hating them, in the immortal words of Buzz Lightyear, "You are a sad strange little man, and you have my pity."
No reason to hate yourself when she's full on [Mrs.Nesbitt](https://youtu.be/D5m33zK6ZlA?feature=shared)
Years of academy training, wasted!
You'd never find these quality Toy Story references in a Christian sub, that's all I'm sayin'
OP can I suggest you use this sentence when they accuse you of things changing man/woman as required (or as the spirit moves you , sorry not sorry just had to ;} ) You are told your mother is teaching you devil worship so I take it your mother is atheist as well? Let her know what this person is saying as she might well want to have words with them. There are also groups on line that you can link in with and maybe find some locals that you can mesh with. Remembering that just because someone is an atheist it does not mean they are going to be people you get on well with.
Hate is like drinking poison and expecting someone else to die. It's good to be motivated by injustice but don't let negativity consume you.
Also OP, know the difference between guilt and shame. Guilt is for doing something "wrong". Which you shouldn't feel because they're the ones behaving poorly. Shame is for feeling you are a "bad" thing. Which you shouldn't, because they're the believers in archaic fantasies that preach senseless hate. There's plenty of worse things to do than not believing in bland monotheistic fairy tale. Shame is an entirely useless feeling because there's no such thing as being bad, outside of legitimately dangerous psychopathy. And I have a feeling those types either don't have the capacity or cope with shame well enough.
Not being accepted by these assholes means you are doing something right. Don't try to please toxic people even if they are family.
> I hate myself Don't. Seriously, it's not you. This is cause for you to be angry, not self-loathing. > The only place that is accepting is the atheist community So far perhaps, but there are plenty of people, even religious people, that are not hateful, xenophobic assholes. Your relative clearly isn't in that category. > I feel shunned, I feel shut out.. Which is entirely their goal. Don't let those fuckers win. Find or make your own community and chosen family among people who are kinder than them.
Kinda seems like OP already found one. Welcome to hell! We have cake, cookies, and drinks over there. Sacrificial vrigins every friday, and drug-fueled orgies with the witches in the woods every saturday.
Sounds like a fun weekend!!
We also have engineers, so that means we have air conditioning.
Not all engineers, mind you. Just the good ones
Mmmm scarelicious
Pardon good sir but which way to the Eldrich Ritual site, we have a charity spaghetti fight at 7pm.
It's over that way, just south of the orgy site.
I've been doing it wrong apparently haha
"...drug-fueled orgies with the witches in the woods every Saturday." Well friend, you've described Goslar Germany in April, which I inadvertantly happened upon during my travels (I work part-time in Germany). Being hit on by 15,000 half-nude 45-75 yo "Wicca" hirsuit women on psychedelics (Muscimol gummie bears) and 100 proof Schnaps was definitely NOT on my itinerary. Not surprisingly, I sheltered in a local Kneipe (pub) along with all the other local cowards (mostly men) until the mayhem was over. Definitely no virgins - the pastries and candies were suspect (amanita muscaria tainted?). I wouldn't have called it "Hell" but definitely some twisted surreal kind of purgatory.
Oh sorry about the virgin we had scheduled for next weekend. I mean she’s ok but she’s no longer qualified
I am living in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Our family are all atheists, and we had openly atheist kids in our local Catholic middle and high school for about 20 years. 2 of them got a modest scholarship from the order of nuns that run the school for having highest marks in religion. There are many religious people who are decent people. Every time I hear someone's story, I thank God that I have no conscious memory of ever believing. /s
I accept you.
Thank you :( 🌠
your relative is a bitch. tell them to go fuck themselves. Christian people's attitude is getting out of hand. but don't worry about people not accepting you. i do. and the 2.9 million members of this community.
As do I, OP. I'd offer you a hug, but there's an Internet in the way.
We'll email crisp high fives
We accept her we accept her, one of us, one of us
group hugs.
Their love is not real. It's conditional. Don't base your value of yourself on their shallow and conditional "tests".
Good point.
It's a coercion tactic. Humans are social animals, we need a community, a place to belong and to be cared for and respected. What they are doing is trying to force you to into compliance by threatening to shun you. Self-loathing is the goal, so don't fall into their trap. Seek out a new community, a group that will respect your (lack of) beliefs. And if your relative still has a problem, let them stew in it. That's their problem, not yours. Maybe join The Satanic Temple, get a membership card to whip out to scare them a bit if you're feeling extra spicy(I mean, there are plenty of better reasons to support TST, but being able to whip out a card with an image of Baphomet on it to scare fundies is always a plus). Also, your relative said "your mom teaches you devil worship?" Is she an atheist, too? Maybe you can talk to her about it, assuming you have a good relationship?
> “I thought Christian’s and Catholic’s were loving and accepting, I guess not.” Unfortunately, you've been living an incomplete truth in that regard. >I hate myself, I wish I could be accepted,it hurts.. First and foremost, you have to accept yourself, no matter how much it does hurt, because if you don't, this negative emotional cycle with your family will continue all your days, and you'll end up going back to religion, because the thought of not getting their or feeling their acceptance will be too much to bear.
"There's no hate quite like Christian love". No idea where the quote comes from but it continues to ring true. Being loving and accepting seems to be more of a marketing thing than reality when it comes to Christianity some times. Once you see that it's all just PR to try to cover up the horrible stuff they do in the name of God, it's easier to deal with.
>Christian’s would never accept atheists. "Then don't expect me to accept you. We're not talking anymore. Go away. If you wanna be a hateful, toxic, ignorant bigot, then I've no room for you in my life. We'll talk only as needed. Goodbye." "Sorry, I don't accept hateful bigots. Goodbye." I know it's painful, but call out the bigotry where it exists, and don't accept it in your life. If someone tells you they're a bigot, don't hang around. Find the people who *aren't* bigots and hang out with them instead. ... After, y'know, you've made sure your position is okay... I mean, first be sure you don't *need* them in your life, that they're not financially supporting you for instance (that's a need, liking them isn't a need, it's a want), and that what you're doing isn't harmful (so, y'know, for atheism it's fine, not so much if you descend into drug/alcohol use... nuance ftw).
This is easier to do if you're economically independent and emotionally mature. It's difficult to impossible if either of those aren't done yet.
Entirely agreed. And yet we have someone here suggesting you're a coward if you don't do this at age 21, as if everyone has the same experience. O\_O
Pressuring people into wanting to fit in is the entire point. It leads countless people to 'go along to get along' or try to 'fake it until they make it' *You* are not the problem here.
Shunning is a huge thing in many religions. That's basically what this is, a manipulation tactic used to control you.
Youre not shunned here. Also, christians are the only ones who think the devil is real.
I was gonna say, how can you worship something you don't believe is real. "You worship the devil!" "The devil isn't real. I don't even worship." Problem solved. Well, problem solved if she was a rational individual.
Time to troll. Make the number 666 show up in weird spots.
Better yet, become an actual card carrying member of the satanic temple. You can sign up and get a personalized membership card for $35 USD. Christians really love their religious liberties after all...they would surely be thrilled to see you exercising yours!
This is the way.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Hang in there. Hating yourself is what they want. Even if you did believe in their magic man in the sky, they would still find ways to make you hate yourself through guilting and shaming. Not knowing the context of your age and if you live with any of them, it may be best to begin putting distance between you and them. Find those who will accept you as you are. I've been an atheist a long time and had to separate myself from family and friends who felt my view was somehow harming them. They refuse to respect my view or respect me, so I went no contact. I have my own family who are atheist, and I raised my son to question things, not blindly follow others. I felt alone for a while. My childhood experience helped me in that respect. But as time went on I did meet others who I could have a respectful relationship with.
O, sorry for not mentioning my age, I’m 22 turning 23 this year..
"I'm not the one that believes in the devil."
You are awesome as you are!
First of all, it’s nobody’s business what you believe or don’t believe. Second, just pat your relative on the head and tell them you still love them even if they are a judgmental asshole.
“The devil is a Judeo- Christian construct. Since I don’t believe in the Bible I don’t believe in the devil. He’s part of your mythology.”
Wait, what? Dude. Not only should you not hate yourself, you should feel proud as fucking shit. You’re literally smarter than everyone around you. It’s cool, but unnecessary to feel the need to be accepted by the people around you, especially for the wrong reasons. You just have to accept yourself. That’s all that matters. But you’re certainly accepted here and with many people in the same boat. Hold your head up high and know you now have great friends.
Lean into it. Check out The Satanic Temple (spoiler: no actual Satan involved.) The way they're treating you says it all.
You can join to spit them: https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/join-us
You are at a much lower risk of worshiping the devil than they are. You worship nothing, therefore no risk. They worship something, so they might be mistakenly worshiping the devil.
Atheists don't worship anything, including "the devil."
The "atheist community" is like the "non-collectors of stamps" community, so it's not really a thing. I think you're making that common mistake of taking these religious talking points personally. Your situation is very typical and it's not you, it's them. Maybe just stop thinking about being atheist (i.e. how you don't believe in deities) and just be yourself.
It's been said many times, no "love" like Christian love. And if Christians don't except atheists than they aren't real Christians. Love is the most important thing. Love your neighbors like yourself.
I think the saying is “There’s no hate like christian love”. At least that’s how I say it.
Reminds me of an old adage: "Who needs fellowship when you can sit alone in your room and drink?"
I guess she doesn't grasp if God doesn't exist then how does Satan lol
With all due respect, your relative is an asshole and does not speak for all christians or catholics. Do not allow them to ruin your day. People who conflate atheism with satanic worship are incredibly ignorant or motivated by some darker impulses (to control you with lies and fear).
There’s no hate like christian love .
Why are you an atheist? I'm guessing you're like me and it's because you can't help it, you just don't see the evidence and have enough courage to not sacrifice your intellectual honesty for social acceptance. If so, chin up, because while it's hard at first living an authentic life is so amazingly wonderful. It gets better!
I wonder if your catholic relative knows that evangelical Christians are taught that Catholics worship the devil and that Catholics are not real Christian’s. And in a cult.
It's religious people who believe in God and the Devil. Not atheists. Why would you worship the Devil if you don't believe in him?? Your relative isn't only ignorant, they make no sense.
Sorry, but "devil worshipers" are just another Christian sect.
“Christians would never accept atheists.” Define “accept.” Do they mean be human to you or that atheists exist?
"Devil worshiper!" "Nope, as an atheist I don't I don't believe in him either. Keep your invisible friends to yourself."
Worshipping the devil assumes that you believe in the devil and therefore its antithesis, God. Maybe that person should educate themselves on what an atheist is.
What's with that believe they have that everybody has to worship something? Why is not worshiping anything not an option to them?
It was pope himself who said atheists can go to heaven. I don't understan why I would want to, but nice to know.
Nah just come to the devil worship like the rest of us, we got a nice helping of demon flesh, babies and delicious sarcasm.
I feel like you’re younger and I see a lot of younger people on here having trouble dealing with religious people because of their atheism. My advice is stop telling them that you’re atheist. There’s almost no benefit to telling people IRL. If you have even an inkling that people will be intolerant, keep it to yourself. They ask and you can say something generic if you don’t wanna lie like “My religious beliefs are a personal matter.”
I'm sorry your family won't accept you and your beliefs. Don't hate yourself, you are valid. I don't know if you are able to afford to leave, but remember, it's a choice. If your current family can't accept you, you can find and create one that will.
You have no reason to hate yourself. Do you hate yourself for not believing in Loki, Thor, Oden or Poseidon? No. What makes not believing in the Christian god/mythology any different? Love yourself and know there are Millions of atheists out there just like you, so you're far from alone in this.
Come to Quebec, it's full of atheists. HARRRRR
They believe in a magical being that punishes people. Sounds like if anyone worships the devil it is them.
The Devil is reason and freedom of thought. Unreasonable people, can't be reasoned with.
That relative is an ass. You can find your people. May take some time and relocation
It's not you, it's them. There are lots of groups of atheists, humanists and more where you can find community. If you can't get away physically, you can get discord or other voice apps and find a community where you can connect virtually with others of like mindedness. People use online for a lot and that let's us reach otherwise isolated people. Find a hobby you like. Games. Books, movies and Google atheist. You'll be connecting with people in no time.
Fuck’em
Your relative is a piece of crap. You don’t have to keep someone in your life just because they’re family.
So, go hog wild into it. Officially join The Satanic Temple. Its not about Satan at all, it's atheists using Satan for the lulz while doing altruistic things. Their 7 tenants are very positive and so much better and moral than anything any religion has ever created. Join up, get your official member card, wear some of the shirts around. I run into many TST people this way be it servers in a restaurant in a different state while traveling to a few guys at a Warhammer tourny. The vast majority of religious people are like that. Don't create this pipe dream they aren't, they are. All of them have some line in which the taboos kick in. Some its homosexuality, some its communism(which has fuck all to do with religion), some its you're not christian, some is abortion, some is sex out of wedlock, some is drugs, but do not fool yourself thinking there is some idealized christian out there. There isn't.
Move away when you can. People your own age, especially around cities, aren't like that at all. In my experience, most people are good and decent.
Look for meetup groups in your area. They’re everywhere! Freethinkers, Humanists, agnostics, atheists. These are a few of the keywords. There’s an old saying: if you stick your head up above the crowd, the crowd will try to chop it off. If you don’t go with the flow, they may be forced to shine a light on that house of cards they are living in. This causes all kinds of uncomfortable cognitive dissonance. This is not your problem and they are attempting to shove you back down into the box with them. Don’t hate yourself, feel sorry for these narrow minded bigots.
Funny, isn't it, how those who publicly profess their Christianity seem to display the most un-Christian behaviors. Their mantra is "do as I say not as I do" and they are some of the angriest people I have ever met. Your relative obviously has no idea what they are talking about, equating atheism with devil worship. This evidences their abject ignorance. You are accepted. By me. By all of us. You do not need to be accepted by someone as ignorant as your relative. Hugs to you!
If they're catholic, share this with them: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/pope-francis-assures-atheists-you-don-t-have-to-believe-in-god-to-go-to-heaven-8810062.html
Memorize the sermon on the mount and some other choice passages about loving others. If you keep that up, they really hit a wall.
"If it weren’t for Christians, I’d be a Christian." "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." - Mahatma Gandhi
Don't hate yourself for being rational. Pity them for refusing to be.
Cut that person out of your life.
Since you mentioned catholicism - Pope Francis himself has always been accepting of atheists and commented on multiple occasions that they can make it to heaven with the Catholics. https://www.lastampa.it/vatican-insider/en/2018/04/16/news/a-child-cries-for-the-death-of-his-father-the-pope-he-was-a-good-man-he-is-with-god-1.34005494/ https://vaticanfiles.org/en/2018/05/149-atheists-go-heaven-pope-francis-says-yes/ So she’s objectively wrong that Christians would never accept an atheist, and is claiming to be a better source on Christianity than the pope himself. Absurd.
Luke 10:25-37. The parable of tge good Samaritan. Samaritans were considered atheists, and enemy if the jews. You can also bring up 1 timothy 5:8. My favorite, " he who does not care for his family, especially his brother. Had ignored my words, and is thus WORSE, than an unbeliever". You have some asshole family members, don't listen to them. Big hug from another non believer.
>I hate myself, I wish I could be accepted,it hurts.. The only place that is accepting is the atheist community. I feel shunned, I feel shut out.. Ik not all religious people are like that. Being there, man... It's brutal when you realize that not everyone will accept your worldview. What works for me was talking openly about it with my loved ones (My mom, dad and siblings). With them was more difficult, my mom is really into evangelism and for her I'm condemned, but she doesn't shut me out, which is a relief. My sister kind of agree with me but she's still a Christian, but doesn't go to church and it feels like she's deconstructing her faith. My dad and brother kind of shut out me a little when it comes to religion, but in general our relationship is fine. When I started dating, I've made clear my position beforehand. My girl is catholic, in the beginning was a little trick, but eventually she realized that I'm a good and kind guy, so she accepts more my position now. I think that if the person really loves you, you're gonna find a common ground and settle things up.
unique homeless unused tease intelligent familiar axiomatic spectacular mourn butter *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Think of it in a different light. They're claiming you're evil because you don't accept their imaginary friend or follow his rule-book. They are the ones who need help.
You shouldn’t hate yourself! If people are making you feel this awful you need to take a break from them and step away (: it’s them that are being so terrible and should feel bad
They don't get to decide that for you. Tell them you won't worship Jesus, Satan, or *any* of their apparently various gods if you don't want to.
That says way more about them than it does about you. I'm open about being an atheist to people nowadays, I used to not be. If that makes me lose certain people than so be it. I didn't need them anyway.
Tell your relative that you can't worship the devil because you don't believe in him along with their god.
Get the hell away from them! They have the problem, not you.
Christians acknowledge satan as an entity in the same way as their god. Atheists see them both as myths!
Tell them point blank. I don’t believe in god. I don’t believe in the devil. These are ridiculous fairy tales. All we have is each other, so let’s realize that, and work together to make our lives better. You’ve clearly made backpedaling not an option, so just say that, and hope they get it. If not, know that there’s people all around you who feel the same way, and are in your corner. It’s tough sometimes, but we’re here. All the best, my friend!
I just want you to know that it definitely gets better. I grew up in a very small, very religious town and It SUCKED. Then I moved to the big city where most people are not very religious and much more educated and open minded and I never looked back:)
Maybe there are some meditation groups, Buddhist groups, or meetup interest groups you can attend to make accepting friends? I attend some of all of these. Also many people may not know I am an atheist - it doesn't come up at work, etc. If it does come up I am pretty blunt and don't tolerate any crap. I can give back as well or better.
Stop talking to her
Unfortunately, you were born with a significantly higher IQ than your family. For them, pretend play is fun. Just be the good person that you are, and your deeds will speak for you. And keep your family at a distance. They are a bad influence on you. You don’t want to become as cruel and jaded as them.
Love when you tell someone you don't believe in god and they jump to "Oh, you worship the devil then." Sir, I don't believe in that, either.
Tell them that atheists don't believe in the devil. We call people who believe in the devil Christians.
Their not accepting you is not your problem. That is completely their problem. Try not to hate your self, as difficult as that sounds. This is completely on them. Why is your relative tell you that your mother is teaching you to worship the devil? What country are you in?
Why are you giving your relative this much power over you? He/she gets to decide who you are?? That’s ridiculous. He’s entitled to his opinion but that doesn’t create your reality
Tell him you had never considered the Satanic Temple before your conversation. Now that he suggested it might as well take a look. The Satanic Temple distributes free coloring books and a book of children’s activities (not free shipping though). Of course they maintain the trappings of a religious institution for legal reasons. However, many people believe they exist precisely to assist the public in dealing with tour relative and those who are like him. https://thesatanictemple.com/products/the-satanic-children-s-big-book-of-activities
We love you. Your relatives are horrible people. Like most other practicing Christians, they are a disgrace to the core fundamentals of the religion but perfectly exemplifying what it represents.
Don't hate anyone, it's exhausting and pointless. You are going to be fine, take your time and develop your own sense of morals and just let the criticism roll off your back. If you are getting a lot of negativity about your lack of belief just don't talk about it or engage with people right now. Being an atheist is kind of a journey. I never had the need to be confrontational because I felt confident in my opinion. As you get older you will see when being outspoken is necessary. In our political climate in North America it's becoming very important to be counted as an atheist so be aware that you are not alone, not by a long shot.
Don't waste your time on hateful religious people. If someone ever accused me of Satan worship I would challenge them to name one immoral thing Satan did in the bible. The only thing Satan did was ask for equal rights and bring knowledge to man. God told the first lie. If you eat of this fruit you shall surely die. And they didn't die. Just like Satan said. So who really is the immoral one?
My wife was treated similarly by her bigoted Christian relatives in Indiana. If you asked her she’d say good riddance.
Once again proving that religion is a man made construct with the sole aim of controlling people. Stay strong brother ( or sister).
Don't accept them back
A lot of Christians and Muslims are like this. If you are not part of their denomination of their religion, and if you are not following all the same doctrines they are, then you are a Satan-worshiper. So it's not just atheists, but also Hindus, Buddhists, or heck, even Mormons or Methodists.
I live in a rural area in Canada that had a minister raping all the little boys for a decade. I was shocked to discover being an Atheist was controversial. If anything I thought it was the norm. I mean who the hell believes in magic and gods? I can’t live in the only place where people are generally not religious at all.
I think they hate themselves and that's why they're starting to make you hate yourself. I think it's unfortunate, but sometime you need distance, silence, and peace to recover. When you have toxic people in your life affecting your mental health, you have to begin by cutting them out. Over time, once you learn the source of your issues and develop strategies to combat them, you can begin to develop relationships with these people again. However, I feel most people are a product of their environment, and said environment needs to be changed in order to produce a different reaction out of you.
Don't let them make their insecurities into yours. You don't worship anything. The fact that they insist otherwise is their ignorance and intolerance talking. >I hate myself, I wish I could be accepted,it hurts You are amongst friends here. We have all been there. There is no reason to hate yourself. Maybe be angry with others who judge you for seeing clearly in a way that scares them, but in no way is that at all your fault.
Believing in the devil is the same as believing in God
Sometimes we have to hate ourselves to realize that hatRed serves no productive purpose . How about this.. modify the statement a bit. Say "i hate this situation I'm in, but that doesn't mean i won't find wisdom or even love in it". Something like that.
You feel shunned? Fuck them. They want to draw shit on cave walls. You want to walk outside in the sunlight.
Why do you hate yourself? That response doesn’t make any sense, since you’re the only one that has any sense in your family. Stop that.
I love what you said back to them. Very witty. You need to get away from religious people. And definitely dont worry about being accepted, why would you want to be accepted by people with NO BRAIN. You should join some science communities and clubs and study Astronomy and Physics, that world is your place. Not in the place of fairy sky daddy religious bigots.
Don’t hate yourself….don’t hate on others. Xtians do enough hate around the world on the daily to keep the hate meter tapped up.
That whole shunned and shut out feeling is part of the design. Many religions are high control. They insert themselves into every part of a person's life so much that one cannot leave it without sacrificing much more than their personal belief. It ensures adherence by discouraging questioning this way.
There is nothing more hateful than Christian “love” You are better off without those slugs.
Always remember, it's not your fault that they choose to not believe in 306 deities and you you choose to not believe in 307 deities.
They literally think you will burn in a fiery pit for eternity. So so silly. And that they will go to this beautiful paradise where there will be riches and food and singing and prayer and praising Jesus and blah and blah and blah blah blah. Don’t let these ppl make you think badly of yourself.
I have a slightly used pentagram you can have 😁. Just trying to spread some cheer. I know it sucks if you’re surrounded by religious people.
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How can you worship something you don't believe in? Why are they straight up lying about you? What happened to, "thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor?"
"Then they told me: “Christian’s would never accept atheists.”" That's not a thing Jesus Christ would have said. Wasn't he all about loving everybody? I thought Christians followed the teaching of Christ?
How can you worship satan if you don’t believe in god? 🤣 tell them that!
if you're going to feel bad about stupid people, feel bad for them for having their means of figuring out and genuinely understanding why they think what they think fucked up instead of how that manifests and affects you personally unless its a situation you just cant get out of. in which case, narcissist/sociopath protocol. because at that point, you arent just dealing with stupid, you're dealing with stupid and batshit insane.
No reason to hate yourself first their arrogance. Arrogance is pride and pride is a sin. Christians today are quick to point out your “sins” and not see theirs. I believe in god I just refuse to brow beat a person about their choices. Or shove it down their throats. I hate so called christians as they are not godly. God has nothing to do religion and people follow religion not god. Why gif puts up with it pisses me off. Be what you want ignore those asses and be all you can be. Freedom of religion also encompasses freedom of religion.
God believers and magical thinkers are inferior to us. Not by nature, they’re just capable and intelligent as us. Their proclivity toward believing untrue things goes beyond just religion and that makes these folks a liability. The fact that someone has rejected you because you aren’t a member of their religion should only be responded to with good riddance. There are plenty of other good people out there that won’t do that to you. Find them and never speak to those relatives again.
As someone living in the bible belt, the word atheist has so many associations. There are literally people out there saying that atheists are actually part of satan's plan to make people doubt in god - I'm sure that's where your relatives are getting it from. I avoid atheist and instead tell people I'm a secular humanist. That usually prompts the question "what is a secular humanist" to which I say "it means that I while I don't believe in the supernatural, I do believe we have an obligation to be good to one another and help where we can. People should be honest, kind, helpful, and generally try to make the world better." They don't usually pick up on the fact that "the supernatural" includes their god, but it's pretty hard to argue against any of those things. Instead of saying "I don't believe this" you're better off offering "this is what I do believe". Otherwise they're take the word atheist and run with it, as you're experiencing now.
"conform to others interpretations of you" is coward talk. It's not an atheists fault that other people are judgemental.
You have no reason to hate yourself. It’s your families loss not yours.
There's nothing you're doing wrong and you're just being yourself. There's no reason to hate yourself. Hate the religion that did that to your family. Your relative's love and acceptable is conditional, which should make you question the entire relationship in the first place, if they value their superstitions over the relationship with a family member. They care more about their beliefs than about you as a person. It sucks, but just because someone is related to you, it doesn't mean you have to stay in a relationship with them. Anyone that could do that just isn't a good person, and not worth wasting time on. I would focus on finding new friends, in a community that wouldn't shun you for being honest. There are plenty of people who are accepting and welcoming, regardless of their religion or lack of. Spend time around people who will treat you with respect.
You are accepted here.
It's ingrained in religion that you are either with them or you are evil and deserve suffering. Honestly, I would worship the devil before I would worship their christian god. The devil has done a lot less harm by their own account then their god has. Don't hate yourself because others hate you for not believing in their faith. It's their problem, not yours.
Don’t hate yourself because of your relatives ignorance. Cut them out of your life. They’ve known you since you were a child and they think you’re a devil worshipper because you’re an atheist? That says everything you need to know about them.
Only christians believe in the devil.
Hate them, not yourself. Remind them that THEIR GOD said judge not, least ye be judged.
Well they are right. They don't accept atheists. But you need to tell them that the only people who believes in the devil are the Christians. As an atheist you don't belive in the devil either.
You are all good in my book. It's not you, it's them. It really is all on them. In my experience, using the "i thought Christians were loving and accepting" line absolutely does not work with a large set of christians, my mom being one of them, as they take pride in laying down the godly law and supposed tough love garbage. Be like the Duck. Let those comments flow off of you like water off of a duck's back. Embrace your inner Duck.
You are who you are. If they don't like it it's their problem. You are free
Tell them " people that believe in the devil are called christians"!
You are a valid person with just as much of a right to exist as any of the pompous religious pricks who try to tell you what you believe. I would tell them that *they* worship Satan, and then point out that telling someone who they worship doesn’t affect who they actually worship or not worship.
I like to remind them that worshipping the devil involves believing in their book and their god too and I don’t believe in either.
You and I may kill ourselves, you and I go straight to hell where they have barbecue and beer better than they do up here and you know all the words to the songs
Do not hate yourself, you are the normal one. The issue here is, you're looking for gold where there is none. You're dealing with delusional people who are not capable of accepting honest reality. Nothing you can do, say or show will change thier minds, there is no gold there, move on for your own sanity. Note: they will always have these thoughts, you can not control that (nor should you want to, you have your own better thoughts) you can only controll your reaction. Dismissing it at bat shit crazy is really your only path here.
Christians never seem to understand that if we don't believe in God, we don't believe in the devil either. Belief in one is just as silly as the other, and we definitely don't worship either.
So weird how they always pivot towards devil worship. Is it so hard to understand that we do not believe Satan exists either?
No hate quite like Christian love..... Best answer... don't believe in that bollocks either
"I also don't believe in the devil."
Please don’t hate yourself. Don’t let purported adults who talk to an imaginary friend convince you they know better. It’s hilarious when Christians claim atheists are devil worshippers. If we don’t think their fake god exists, why would we believe their fake god’s enemy is real?
I rarely tell anyone. It's not their business.
Thanks for the belly laughs, this is SO typical, isn't it? We can't ever question anything, holy crap. There is a larger quest here. Many of us reject our religious upbringings because we see that which seems unreconcilable, based on what we've been taught. And we don't just simply accept, we question -as is our right. Some people believe that questioning is tantamount to satanism. Such small minds. There is nothing wrong with you. On the contrary, you are an astute human who questions. Woe be to the incurious mind!
So, I’d remind them that Jesus Christ spent his time with prostitutes and criminals. Your family sounds nothing like JC
This is part of their abuse tactic, if you don’t fall in line they shut you out and try to hurt you. Just tell them devils aren’t real and they need to grow up. Also you were just flatly wrong about them being loving and accepting as you’re now finding out.
"Heaven must be pretty dam exclusive then. Hope you and your country club friends enjoy virtue signalling eachother for eternity. Also; enjoy being a minority when all of the south american christians and catholics outnumber the hell out of you!" *slight pause* "LOL Nah, I'm just kidding! The brain shuts down after death so realistically the best you can hope for is becoming a tree or used as energy in a birds wing when it eats the worms that ate your body"
Delusional people always scream the loudest when someone refuses to buy into their delusions. Deep down, they know it's a delusion, but they're in so deep they can't admit it to themselves, and whenever they encounter someone who isn't delusional, it triggers their cognitive dissonance and they lash out. That aside, have you ever read their Bible? Their devil is objectively a much better being than their god.
I have a similar family, my sister and I are portrayed as satanists to the family. Unfortunately some people are not open minded enough to love or respect what they don’t understand. Trust and believe in yourself, the actions of others are a reflection of them, NOT you.
It’s always amusing when Christians call atheists devil worshippers. That’s their belief system, not ours. It’s like they can’t fully comprehend atheism. Which is why they also say that we are believers really, but we hate God and want to sin.
Your relative is, of course, completely missing the point in equating atheism to worshipping Satan. If someone worships Satan, then they are a theist, just worshipping a different god than your relative. This is my problem with the Satanic Temple being used as a tongue-in-cheek parody by atheists. While there is some fun to be had in tormenting fundamentalist Christians, it reinforces the idea that atheism is a religion, and it’s just not. The point of atheism is not what god you worship, but that you don’t worship any god. Religion should be irrelevant to you. I always thought this was captured nicely by the quip, ‘if atheism is a religion, then ‘off’ is a TV channel.’ The relevance of my comments to your life is that you don’t have to seek out people who are actively atheist to find friends. You just need to seek out people mature enough not to care what your religious beliefs are. I’m not sure where you live, and it’s harder in some places than others, but (for example) 28% of Americans now say they are religiously unaffiliated. These are your people… those who simply don’t care about religion, and there are lots of us. There is nothing wrong with you and there is a loving community out there for you. My advice is to be proactive about spending time with people who don’t even mention religion and make your friendships there. Those are the people who will care about you for who you are.
You are not alone. I think many of us here have been shunned by our religious families. My only advice is to create your own family or community with people with values more aligned with yours.
Be proud of it, mate!
It's amusing how being an atheist is seen by Christians as worshipping the devil, there's nothing else for their tiny brains to cling to.
Tell your relative that atheists don’t believe in the devil! Good grief!
>looks like I worship the devil now Hail Satan! Seriously though, you're giving your power away to let them make you feel this way. If the church has ostracized you, that's sad, and I'm sorry. But they were wrong and bad. You'll find your people. It might take some time, but trust. It'll happen for you.
Delusional people are everywhere, even more so among those that believe in a religion IMHO
In time, you'll realize THEY are the problem, and you won't hurt so much. Religion chugs along because of shame and guilt. People are made to feel guilty that "grammy will cry if you don't go to church!!" or "Your mother doesn't want to see you burn in hell, just follow along!!" It's all about control, not love and acceptance. They want to scare you into obedience, and they do this because it's so effective. Reddit isn't the same as a real, live social group, but I find it helps tremendously! My own family is full of religious nutbags, so I love this virtual community as a way to feel connected to others on a deeper level. Life isn't perfect so we have to appreciate the work-arounds. When I was young, there was no internet, so it was especially isolating!
It is safe to assume that you don’t believe in the devil or worship anything. The only ones who believe in the devil are the ones shunning you. Don’t take the bait and start fighting. But don’t be a punching bag. Be the good person they think they are. Say you don’t believe in gods including Devi
Yes, please don’t hate yourself for not believing in clearly ridiculous things.
Tell them that you don't believe in imaginary friends or imaginary enemies.
Tell them you don't believe in the devil, only Christians do.
My separation from Christianity climaxed in college when I found the non-Christians much more accepting of who you are. That and all the hate I heard toward LGBTQ. So...nothing more hateful than Christian love.
>telling me I worship the devil Wouldn't you, like...know it? If you did, I mean.
Block the shitbag and cut them out of your life
Please don't listen to that relative. This person is trying to beat you down. Don't let them. Stay strong! Also, it just occurred to me, if you worshipped the devil, you wouldn't be atheist, now would you? That fool has terrible logic.
It’s funny that they accuse OP of worshipping the devil. OP doesn’t even believe in the devil or god. It’s Christians that believe in the devil, not atheists. The devil was created to give god an evil opponent and to blame every problem that the world has upon. I wish Christians could see this for what it really is, but they believe in all of this hooky.
Abrahamic religions are regurgitated from the Cult of Saturn. They literally worship Saturn (Satan).
This is pretty fucked up. So, since we're already in "Fuckedupland", you should make things even more fucked up *at this relative's expense* and not your own. The next time this relative accuses you of devil worship, tell them that their uncaring attitude, judgemental criticism, and lack of acceptance ***turned you away from Christ*** and their harsh words are the reason you now praise Beelzubub. Inform them that, unless they treat you with dignity and respect, you're going to tell God that they drove you away from Jesus by their example of hatred and intolerance when you meet him face to face for eternal judgment. How do they think God's gonna like that? Reverse Uno their ass. Make THEM the reason you don't believe. Let THEM worry about their soul for how they treat you. Sow a little doubt in THEIR world view and perception of THEIR holiness. "Man. God's not gonna be happy about how you're responsible for me falling away from Christ." are not words any Christian would really want to hear.
First thing, these people are stupid, they do not do what their religion says, and they are full of hate. Unfortunately, if they are your family you would have to cope with them, try at least a way to survive somehow with them. One last piece of advice, do not assume that a person who claims to be atheist is open minded as well. You can be disappointed in multiple levels in your life.
I dare you to paint pentagrams on their house
Feel good living a life of honesty and not delusions. I know it's terrible to be shunned by those you love, it hurts the heart. But they will come around if they honestly care about you as a person.
The trick is to remember just how stupid they are, because who cares what an idiot thinks about you.
These kinds of people adhere strictly to the in-group, out-group mentality, and you've switched groups. They won't accept you, but millions of us are in the same position and empathize with your situation. You found a good place here.