Atheism: The Other Closet

It was only two years ago, March 15th. I woke up, and had breakfast. I cut the grass for my father, and cleaned my room. I don't remember why I had left my book, The God Delusion, on the table. Apparently, I had made the worst mistake of my life. In another short story of mine I give a brief description of the events that played out that day. They are happening everywhere.

More than you would think, people are wondering. Questioning may be an even better word. Questioning everything. Their teachings, their families, their lifestyle. Are they happy with the life they are living? Do they aspire to make a drastic change, with the results uknown? I was more or less forced upon my coming out. No, I am not gay, but I am an Atheist. This was what I aspired to be.

Using the word aspired in this article will be very tricky. Many will read and say, he was simply a rebel, or use peer pressure as an excuse. To justify my terminology, I will give a brief description of my lifestyle.

My family consisted of myself, my father and step-mother, and a step-sister.My mother's side of the family consisted of myself, my mother, her male partner, and my other sister. I was living an already complicated schedule around my booming social life. I was overstressed the majority of the time. I prayed evcery night that things would get better. For three years, I prayed. Maybe my parents will stop fighting. Maybe I would get over the loss of one of my friends. I longed for answers, and I went to church every other weekend.

Slipping back into the matter at hand, my prayers went unanswered. I conversed with my friends, who all said to wait, and hope. Hope is a very bad word to use. I no longer believe in hope. I try as best I can to take full on action every time. I ask questions, I demand answers. That is why I turned to Atheism.

As it would seem by statistics, we Atheists are a minority in America. If you think about it, every president we've had has been some form of a middle aged white Christian man. Some have been better than others, but that is not the point. Originally, the colonists used the phrase "freedom of religion" not to mean anyone could be anything, but because all colonists were protestant. They were fleeing from exile, or the Catholic Church of England.

When I told my father (or he told me) that I was an Atheist, he went ballistic. I was thrown out of his house, and am now living solely at my mother's. It was very hard for me. My mother was tolerant of my beliefs though. She calls herself "a cafeteria Christian", meaning she accepts some parts of the church, and denies some. We often talk, and we share a very open-minded view of the religious world.

Often times, when telling a large audience of my beliefs, I wil get at least one "devil worshipper" comment from the crowd. I have gotten used to these, but they still act as pins in my side. I don't understand really, why the world could hate me. I have done nothing wrong. My personal motto is that of many Atheists, "Live and let live". Unless I am forced into an argument with a devout Christian, I will almost never publicly criticize the Church. I have the good majority of the Bible, and reflected upon the teachings of my childhood, as a child of Catholic parents.

Upon reading this article, many will be confused. What is the purpose of the article? Where is he going with this? I might not have made a distinct point here. I am merely giving a single side of the larger picture that is religion. I hope you understand the personal troubles that myself and many others face every day. Next time you go to put down an "unbeliever", think about this article. Thank you for reading.