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Have you lost friends or family from disbelief.

Cacotopia

Cacotopia

Let's go full Trottle
I have lost friends mostly, and some select family members have voiced that they have chosen to never speak to me again due to my lacking of faith and openly questioning it.

My mother said to me last year, that she finally accepts that I don't believe and that she is okay with it. And that my skepticism has led me to being a better and more articulate person overall. So that's good I guess, but makes me wonder what she thought of me all these past years. I decided not to press the issue. When we argue matters of faith she says "it upsets her" and she shuts down.

And my aunt who is a devout christian says she prays for me but has voiced that she doesn't want it to be offensive, that she only hopes that I have good fortune in life. But I have noticed that a great majority of my family finds my lack of belief puzzling. I suppose the same can be said of my thoughts about their belief. I don't think I will truly understand why people believe what they believe and make so many excuses for it.

Well that went a little off the rails on topic but meh, if you want to say anything about it or not feel free to unload.
 
Epic Beard Man

Epic Beard Man

Bearded Philosopher
Cacotopia said:
I have lost friends mostly, and some select family members have voiced that they have chosen to never speak to me again due to my lacking of faith and openly questioning it.

My mother said to me last year, that she finally accepts that I don't believe and that she is okay with it. And that my skepticism has led me to being a better and more articulate person overall. So that's good I guess, but makes me wonder what she thought of me all these past years. I decided not to press the issue. When we argue matters of faith she says "it upsets her" and she shuts down.

And my aunt who is a devout christian says she prays for me but has voiced that she doesn't want it to be offensive, that she only hopes that I have good fortune in life. But I have noticed that a great majority of my family finds my lack of belief puzzling. I suppose the same can be said of my thoughts about their belief. I don't think I will truly understand why people believe what they believe and make so many excuses for it.

Well that went a little off the rails on topic but meh, if you want to say anything about it or not feel free to unload.
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I once dated a Muslim young lady from Egypt whose mom found out we were dating and told her to leave me alone or she'll disown her. This girl asked me to convert and to marry her, but regardless her mother was going to disown her because I wasn't Arab. We stopped talking since then which was roughly 15-16 years ago.
 
Altfish

Altfish

Veteran Member
Cacotopia said:
I have lost friends mostly, and some select family members have voiced that they have chosen to never speak to me again due to my lacking of faith and openly questioning it.

My mother said to me last year, that she finally accepts that I don't believe and that she is okay with it. And that my skepticism has led me to being a better and more articulate person overall. So that's good I guess, but makes me wonder what she thought of me all these past years. I decided not to press the issue. When we argue matters of faith she says "it upsets her" and she shuts down.

And my aunt who is a devout christian says she prays for me but has voiced that she doesn't want it to be offensive, that she only hopes that I have good fortune in life. But I have noticed that a great majority of my family finds my lack of belief puzzling. I suppose the same can be said of my thoughts about their belief. I don't think I will truly understand why people believe what they believe and make so many excuses for it.

Well that went a little off the rails on topic but meh, if you want to say anything about it or not feel free to unload.
Click to expand...
Where do you live?
In the UK where I live, I've not had any problems but I must admit I don't know any really devoted religious people (at least I don't think so). The nearest is an evangelical Christian, a sort of happy clappy church, I got invited to his wedding about 5-years ago. Luckily I was out of the country at the time. We are still good friends/work colleagues but he is based in London now, so I don't see him that often.
 
Cacotopia

Cacotopia

Let's go full Trottle
Altfish said:
Where do you live?
In the UK where I live, I've not had any problems but I must admit I don't know any really devoted religious people (at least I don't think so). The nearest is an evangelical Christian, a sort of happy clappy church, I got invited to his wedding about 5-years ago. Luckily I was out of the country at the time. We are still good friends/work colleagues but he is based in London now, so I don't see him that often.
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I grew up in Texas, I live abroad now, and don't see my family much anymore. but some have decided to cut familial ties due to our conflict in belief/disbelief.

And in particular a friend who I had for around 10 years got back into being a JW, and he call it quits on our friendship. And partly due to my brother being gay and him not wanting to associate with "abominations."
 
Altfish

Altfish

Veteran Member
Cacotopia said:
I grew up in Texas, I live abroad now, and don't see my family much anymore. but some have decided to cut familial ties due to our conflict in belief/disbelief.

And in particular a friend who I had for around 10 years got back into being a JW, and he call it quits on our friendship. And partly due to my brother being gay and him not wanting to associate with "abominations."
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It is so sad, and yet religion still tries to claim the moral high ground.
 
Father Heathen

Father Heathen

Veteran Member
I had a small group of close, tight-nit friends in high school, most of whom came from christian conservative families. About a year or two after graduation I had told them that I wasn't a believer, and was gradually "ghosted" afterwards.
Relationships that would end over something like that weren't genuine or worthwhile to begin with, so no loss.
 
John53

John53

I go leaps and bounds
Premium Member
It's My Birthday!
My father had very little to do with me right up until his death. But thinking back on it now, we didn't have much to do with each other before I became atheist... hmmm interesting
 
D

Deidre

Well-Known Member
When I left Christianity, and eventually identified as an atheist, sadly yes. I haven't returned to religion, but believe in God again, and those same people still won't talk to me. lol The true testament of a friendship is if people are only your friends contingent on your beliefs.
 
Ocellatus

Ocellatus

New Member
I've had 25 or so years of conflict with my family over religion.

It started out that they were worried we'd raise the kids in the "wrong type" of Christianity, i.e. that of my in-laws.

That led to heated discussions, my confirming to them I was a non-believer and that we planned to raise the kids in a "how to think" not "what to think" atmosphere.

Huge fights, lying to my children, attempted religious intervention, unwanted religious gifts, not respecting our wishes to keep their religion to themselves etc. led to years of little or no contact between us.

They threatened to sue for unsupervised visits with the kids and told me they wouldn't respect our approach to their non - religious upbringing. Called their bluff and it's been 10 years since they've been welcome in our home.

We're still in occasional contact, but the relationship is cold and broken.
 
Cacotopia

Cacotopia

Let's go full Trottle
It's shocking that you can forsake your own children, over religion, like they were expendable and the religion, a thought isn't.
 
infrabenji

infrabenji

Active Member
Cacotopia said:
I have lost friends mostly, and some select family members have voiced that they have chosen to never speak to me again due to my lacking of faith and openly questioning it.

My mother said to me last year, that she finally accepts that I don't believe and that she is okay with it. And that my skepticism has led me to being a better and more articulate person overall. So that's good I guess, but makes me wonder what she thought of me all these past years. I decided not to press the issue. When we argue matters of faith she says "it upsets her" and she shuts down.

And my aunt who is a devout christian says she prays for me but has voiced that she doesn't want it to be offensive, that she only hopes that I have good fortune in life. But I have noticed that a great majority of my family finds my lack of belief puzzling. I suppose the same can be said of my thoughts about their belief. I don't think I will truly understand why people believe what they believe and make so many excuses for it.

Well that went a little off the rails on topic but meh, if you want to say anything about it or not feel free to unload.
Click to expand...
Yeah buddy, I got a mom I talk to for 5 minutes once a year because that’s how long it takes before she starts spitting religious vitriol. No other family except a kooky sister who’s into woo. My Fiancé’s family are devout Catholics but we decided right away to never talk politics or religion after I cracked some catholic jokes.
 
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