Answer102

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Question102

Do you have any relatives who are atheists, and has this made your atheism any easier?

I think about half my family is atheistic.

And yes I think this made my atheism easier. I still remember the relief I felt the moment I realised my father was an atheist too and that I was not the only one to doubt god's existence. (Antoon Pardon #87)

I have several who are either atheists or agnostics. I also have quite a few who are religious. Can't say that it has had much effect on me one way or the other. My family knows I'm an atheist. It simply isn't an issue that comes up. (George Ricker #146)

My father has been an atheist since he was a child. Of course I didn't know about it until I was 17 or so. My mother has become agnostic over the last few years.

Of course it's helped. I wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for my father. (Lori Lee #1049)

None that I know of.

>and has this made your atheism any easier?

Well, don't think so... :-)

My family knows that I am an atheist. If that's a problem for them then they keep it to themselves. My mother did offer once to get my daughter baptized if that was what she wanted and I told her that would have to wait until she (my daughter) was an adult. I've never heard another word about it.

They respect me and I respect them. (Maria Elena #1271)

Not one, although apathetic xianity is the rule on my father's side. they generally only go to church if someone is getting married or buried. My mom's family is more catholic than the pope, although my generation has fallen away. I'm the only one who won't pretend and do the church thing at x-mas or whatever, and I catch all kinds of shit for it. (Medieval Knievel #1554)

My answer is yes. The grandfather who was alive when I was growing up, if not a vocal atheist, was an effective one. I never remember him going to temple, he changed his name from Isidore to Harry to seem less Jewish, and when his daughter wanted to marry a goy had no objection to it (quite advanced in 1940!)

My father in law is also. When we decided not to get married in any kind of religious establishment, we had no grief from any of our family.

(We started attending temple when I was 9 or 10, but that was so I could get bar mitzvahed, more of a social than a religious thing. My father got involved in it later, but only so he could take over the Men's Club :) Scott Davidson #1045)

My whole family was atheist. That did not stop my parents to have me baptized (like almost everyone in Austria at that time). Having "no religious observance" in your passport was regarded as a bit suspicious.

But fortunately, those things have changed .... (H Gruemm #1224)

Yes, and yes, but not in the ways you might expect. My family is mostly very religious. My father is a minister in the Uniting Church of Australia. My brother and I both have abandoned conventional beliefs; but he maintains the Christian connection by involvement with the Quakers (a very atheist-friendly group) and is at present the "clerk of meeting"; a kind of rotating semi-leadership role; but since the group does not have worship leaders or ordained ministies, this is of little significance.

Various others of my family are deeply involved in differet ways. Some of Mum's family are very evangelical.

My uncle, Dad's brother, is also a minister.

On the other hand -- my family encouraged critical thought and study right from the start. We had daily bible study before breakfast, and there was a huge library of material in Dad's study to chase up anything of interest. We were encouraged to investigate, and and lots of diverse opinions were considered; though it was mainly diversity within the compass of the church.

Dad is relatively liberal compared with many of the fundies we see here from the USA; and his brother my uncle (another minister) is downright scandalous for many of the faithful. My uncle's, ironically, enthusiastically encouraging of my atheism, it seems. He believes faith should not be complacent, and is happy to have the boat of the church rocked by views that challenge people to think. My own parents certainly don't encourage my atheism; but they have never once made me feel unaccepted for my disbelief. Mum is not really inclined to long debates; but Dad is, and we often discuss issues along the boundary of our different world view. He has also used me at times to get an atheist perspective on a bible study he may be writing, etc.

All told, I feel very fortunate to have had the experience of the positive aspects of faith; the encouragement to look into it, and continued support even when I ultimately adopted a very different world view. From what I have seen, I think my situation is very unusual. (Chris Ho-Stuart #150)

I come from a generally unchristian family (deists for the most part)on one side (the native american side) and a staunchly atheist f amily ( atheists since the early 19th century) on the other (the jews) There is one notable exception - my father- who converted rather rabidly to christianity when I was a child ( my parents divorced shortly there after) when I look realisticly at the situation I realize that his conversion is due almost entirely to his traumatic childhood experiences during world war II europe.

I am filled with gratitude for the fact that I was encouraged to ask questions and not filled with dogma from an early age. My only regret was being raised in the middle of the bible belt. When I compare my situation as an atheist to that of those brought up in religious families I feel truly" blessed ". In fact the only time I find my Christian in-laws preferable to my own family is when trying to decide on a restaraunt. Since they are a "good Catholic family" whatever dad says goes where as in my family everyone gets their own opinion and it takes forever to decide. A person could starve to death. (The Virgin Mary #1638)

Not as far as I know, but my immediate family has always been very secular. My parents never mentioned any gods to me or my brother, even though they are theists. I'm not sure sure why though. I think they were probably afraid we'd turn into fundies on them. Also, they felt that children should be raised in an environment where they decided things for themselves.
My biological mom was raised Catholic, with all the trappings that go along with that. Mass every Sunday (although curiously, her parents sent her and her brother to church, while staying home themselves) and Catholic high school. She will identify as Catholic if anyone asks her, but she doesn't believe the theology at all. Basically, she's one of those warm and fuzzy theists. She believes in God and angels and supports groups like Habitat for Humanity.
My adoptive mom is pretty much along the same lines, although less warm and fuzzy about spirituality. I've never heard her mention anything about angels for instance. She and her brother were raised Lutheran but only went to church on Christmas and Easter. Basically, that whole side of the family is pretty secular. I've never talked about religion with my uncle or grandparents on that side, and I've never heard them mention it.
My younger brother is also pretty secular minded. We've had a few discussions on the topic, and he basically is unsure whether any gods exist or not. He also expressed to me once that it would be disturbing if life doesn't have a point, some kind of cosmic or divine meaning. So, I don't know what to make of that. I asked him once if he was an atheist, and he said he wasn't, but he didn't know what he was. Agnostic or just confused maybe.
Anyway, I've rambled far too long on this subject. Basically, my family made it very easy for me to grow up as an atheist, and I'm very happy that religion is not a divisive factor between any of us. (Anna #1490)

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