Atheist Voicemails #12: On Being an Atheist in a Religious Family

Being young is hard but being young and atheist is harder. In this twelfth episode of the Atheist Republic Voicemails, atheists share their stories about how atheism influenced their relationship with their family, friends, and the government.  From Pakistan, the first speaker is a twenty-five years old atheist and ex-Muslim who talks about the conflict between science and religion, and about being threatened with violence by people and even his close friends because of his atheism.  The second speaker talks about what it’s like to be an atheist in the government and how he puts up with discrimination and daily harassment from theists. An atheist from India is the third speaker. He's showing his love and support to the Atheist Republic.  A once an evangelical Christian now an atheist, the fourth speaker is from Portland, Oregon area. As an atheist for about eight months, it is a breath of fresh air to live the freethinker's life. He shares what his life was like before leaving his faith and how listening to the debates of great atheists finally convinced him to leave and break away from his group. Fifth speaker is a teenage atheist who talks about how liberating it was to be given a choice by his parents, who allowed him to make up his own mind about religion, and how an atheist friend convinced him to pick this belief system. The last speaker is a seventeen-year-old atheist from Jordan who lost his faith in God after realizing the bullshit that his family brainwashed him when he was young. He talks about the oppression he faces in a Muslim country, and how his atheism has alienated him from the local community. "Stay strong, believe in what you want to believe, don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Share your story with us today, and we will broadcast it. If you don’t want to speak but contribute in another way, please support us with a donation so we can continue our mission to inform and educate people on this global platform. Go to AtheistRepublic.com/Podcast.