How my atheist parents almost ruined my life

[jennifer_bloom]

My parents weren’t religious and when I was a kid I was taught only to be beautiful and successful, communication and negotiation and conflict resolution were never taught, sympathy was punished cause my dad feared that I would lower my social value if I practiced compassion towards poor people and I was screamed at and humiliated and slandered every time I expressed a point of view that was not main stream. And when I received death threats, my dad told the police I was mentally I’ll and lying and hung up the phone because he did not want me to embarrass the family by getting the police to drive to our home and interview me even though my email was hacked since the neighbours might gossip if a police car arrives at our door and I was told that my value as a human being was 100% determined by how much people liked me and when I stopped caring what people thought of me. My dad slandered me to 200 people by saying I was mentally Ill because he was worried they would conclude he was a bad parent if I was his daughter and neither beautiful nor rich.

[Bubbles45]

I don't really think it's about religion, moreso just how your parents raised you in general.

It's kind of a complicated topic because there is no real general guidelines about how to raise a child, for some parents having their first child they make many mistakes and slip-ups. That's just part about being a parent, over time if they have more kids than they learn from those mistakes and try their best to move on.

I'm sorry you feel this way but I'm sure your parents didn't really mean it or know at the time it was hurting you. If they did it on purpose that's another story, but all I'm saying is don't be so quick to pass judgment on people's experiences... If you want to know more about it I would ask your parents themselves about it, just talk to them on a personal level about how they felt about raising children, and what kind of hardships they overcame to make it happen.

My mother was a single parent raised three children all on her own, we lived very poor.. but she always made sure that we had nice clothes to wear, food on the table, and always went to school on time. She's made a lot of mistakes in her life too, but there's no possible way I could blame her for it.. like I said being a parent is difficult sometimes, my mother accepted her mistakes and apologized to us three about it.

[goaded]

I suppose that's a downside to people only having one or two children; in general they've had less practice (although they're generally more mature when they start).

[MrNameless]

Uhh.. I don't think it has anything to do with your parents being atheist. They're just shitty and abusive parents for doing all of that.

[SmasherJosh5000]

You can have the same with like your Christian family, my father's side of the family are very religious people but very self righteous and hypocritical, my grandfather came into the house when my brother and I were younger, I don't remember it but my mother told me that he went up to my brother who was cowering in the corner due to the bullying and harassment he had to endure with the family saying "You are going to church" waving his finger around

[coffee_hates_me]

Gave it a thumbs up just to i guess help your account. I actually kept ignoring this post because I thought it was gonna be a religious person contently ranting about how their parents being atheists is what made them messed up or something but for some reason this website kept it promoted along w some other christian-inclined posts. But I just gave in now to check it out and I'm just laughing at how the title act kinda like clickbait for some people -- probably christians who hate atheism. And this structure is also reminiscent of how news headlines are so made to appear exaggerated to grab people's attention on whatever political subject, resulting in most people not actually reading the whole article but at least even clicking it and reading the full headline, only to leave with whatever confirmation-bias-influenced impressions the headline left on it's viewers. And only if they had actually read the whole, thing would they have realized that the headlines are not quite as they seem and are deceptive, usually by omission, to arouse politically-charged emotions that further people's biases and worsen the greater, already cratered, political divide

[Guardian45]

Okay. You had lousy parents, but don't blame atheism, blame your parents. For whatever reason, they have/had undesirable parental qualities. Are you living on your own now? If so, you are your own person now fully responsible for who you are and who you will be. Their time is done. Move forward.

[FunkyMonkee]

How do you know YOU'RE not ruining THEIR lives? They WERE here, first!
Maybe you can ask your god buddy to fix them for you. Lemmie know how that works out.

[Subarugirl]

I'm pretty sure that has nothing to do with atheism... just shitty parents. I've seen countless children who have been abused and fucked up by "Christian" parents.

[GrantArmstrong]

That is awful and I'm so sorry you had to go through it. I'm an atheist so I feel especially bad if that has become your impression of us, though that would be understandable. I will always support my children no matter what path they take in life.

[integrale77]

Your dad sounds like a dick but I wouldn't associate it with him being atheist

[IveGotNoName]

Stop blaming your parents being vad people on them beibg atheist.

[skyeee_]

i dont think this had much to do with being atheist but he seemed disgusting

[admles]

Atheism has literally NOTHING to do with this, they're just terrible people. I've known plenty of christian parents just as bad, or worse.

[zagor]

Sounds more like it was assholism, not atheism, that made the difference.

[Staximus]

I don't see what your parents being non religious has to do with your dad being an asswipe

[Deathraider]

I don’t think this has anything to do with religion. Anyone could be a shitty parent.

[s1lv3r_fangz]

Don't think this has much to do with him being atheist, mostly bc I've met the same people but religious, but ur dad is definitely a total dipshit

[snowboarder720]

I can name a few bishops like this.

[goaded]

Where does their atheism come into it?

[EffaMan]

I can name a few bishops like this