I’ve been calling myself an atheist since 2006, but my non-religious
roots go back a little farther than that. Let me begin by addressing my
upbringing:
I, along with all my extended family, was raised Roman Catholic. I was baptized as an infant, had my first communion as a child and my
confirmation as a teenager. Like most Catholics in my area (I live in a region flooded with Catholics), I attended government-funded Catholic schools from
junior kindergarten through the end of high school. And like most good
Catholics, I attended church every Sunday.
It’s easy to think you believe in something when everyone
else around you thinks they believe in the same thing. No one in my circle ever
thought to question the church’s teachings or values because we were all immersed
in a predominantly Catholic society. So, in high school, I regularly
participated in religious retreats and joined various Catholic youth
organizations.
My family was fairly ‘tolerant’ of other religions, but sometimes their judgement of ‘others’ would break through their usual silence. So, all of their friends were Catholic; and by default, so were mine.
My family was fairly ‘tolerant’ of other religions, but sometimes their judgement of ‘others’ would break through their usual silence. So, all of their friends were Catholic; and by default, so were mine.
For a creative thinker like me, it was only a matter of time
before I began to question the ‘ignorance is bliss’ attitude the church seems
to have developed since the Middle Ages. And boy, did it ever change my life!
It took many years of being trapped in an atheist closet
before I was comfortable coming even half way out. Even now, a lot of my family
members just think I’m not religious; most of them still don’t understand that
I don’t believe in ANY god. But I think I’ve finally reached a point in my life
where I need to embrace who I am. And I need to figure out a way to navigate
these [non]beliefs in my relationship with a partner who wants to keep his Catholic
roots alive, simply because they uphold certain traditional values from his
childhood and heritage.
Wish me luck, but don’t pray for my soul. And keep reading
as I attempt to post bi-weekly updates on issues currently affecting atheists
around the world.
Heather
a.k.a. The Pretty Little Atheist
