Mary

[mary]

Hi, I'm Mary. Let's see, I'm 44, married 22 years and have two daughters ages 21 and 19.

I was raised Catholic but fell away by the time I was about 11. I loosely considered myself Christian until about 5 or so years ago when I decided I was agnostic.

Recently I've concluded I'm atheist. I found the blog through another blog called, I believe, "Skepchick."

I have some familiarity with the Quiverfull movement from an online friend I used to have, but my experience is very limited. That online friend continued to have children even though they were coming earlier and earlier and requiring long stays in the NICU.

I believe my SIL is in an emotionally abusive marriage and that her Christian beliefs keep her there and enable her husband to abuse her. It's created a lot of tension in my relationship with my husband's parents because they refuse to see it based on their Christian beliefs. This is on top of the tension between us because I've raised my kids with no religion. I think my MIL is dumbfounded that my kids turned out just fine, lol!

So basically I keep my mouth shut but seek out information on the internet because I find it so frustrating.

I enjoy reading the blog and everyone's comments. There are some fantastic and bright people here and you all are educating me every day.

Mary

[Kaderin]

Hi Mary!

Wow, that certainly sounds a like an interesting family dynamic. If you don't mind me asking, what exactly led to your new labels (agnostic and then atheist)

I'm looking forward to your comments ~

[tapati]

Hi Mary! I can imagine how difficult it is to watch what your SIL is going through and then deal with the rest of the family being in denial. I'm glad you've found a place to vent and network with others dealing with spiritual abuse and the plain old domestic violence and verbal abuse that seems to go with it so often.

[mary]

Apr 17, 2009 20:36:19 GMT -5 Kaderin said:

Hi Mary!

Wow, that certainly sounds a like an interesting family dynamic. If you don't mind me asking, what exactly led to your new labels (agnostic and then atheist)

I'm looking forward to your comments ~

Thanks. I don't know exactly what lead me to atheism. Catholicism just never resonated with me at all. I stopped going when I was 11. I'm sure my mom was heartbroken, but I wore her down.

My only other real experience with religion or church is my in-laws church. I just looked up their website and they call themselves "a foursquare church." I don't completely know what that means, but I was never comfortable there. I've always bristled at any suggestion that because I'm female, I'm lesser in some way.

I always felt like people were phony there, and in general, I just didn't buy that only those who were saved were going to heaven. I was also turned off by evangelism.

The whole "father as the head of the household" thing just turned my stomach. First off, I'm better at my husband at a lot of things, and I'm gonna speak up if he's doing something I think is wrong (if it's important). We just don't roll that way

This is getting long, but I was put off by a lot of Christians. I hate watching my in-laws justify my idiot BIL's behavior and refusing to see how miserable my SIL is.

Then there's the fact that I like science and I believe in evolution. There were just too many things that made me unable to believe in a god.

Now, my mild depression after making this decision is for another day I suppose. But I found it hard to think there is no heaven.

Mary

[krwordgazer]

Hi, Mary!

I visited a Foursquare Church a couple of times. It's kind of odd, the male-authority position they take, because their organization was started by a female, Amy Semple McPherson.

Of course, there are churches that refuse the whole "women can't be church leaders" thing but still insist on full authority-submission between husband and wife. But as far as I could tell in the Foursquare Church we visited (and decided not to attend), there were no women in ministry there.

I think it's weird.