Christmas For A Reluctant Atheist
by Jamie Kelly
Folks:
For years I have labored under a cloud of self-doubt and need. I have an alcoholic father who just happens to be wonderfully endearing, though sheltered, and a mother who "serves" him. My family is open and secular, in the sense that they don't dance the Jesus two-step, but they do believe in the "cloud guy" and I am reticent to tell them that I don't dance that dance, and that, in fact, I don't even get on the floor.
How do you tell your parents, who have "sacrificed" (quotes very intentional) so much for you and who are entering the autumn stage of their lives, that you're an atheist who typically votes Republican?
I suspect they know; I'm the guy in the family who marches to a "different drummer." Seems to me that it's probably a bit difficult for children to break away and still appreciate and acknowledge all that their parents have done for them.
I really do appreciate this web site. I'm a newbie, but it's been very fun for me (thanks to Andrew Bissell for pointing me here). This site is also confirmation that the Objectivists, and those who flirt with Ms. Rand's philosophy, are not the automatons I once figured them to be in my younger days. Yeah, I grew up.
Merry Christmas to everyone here; my big Magic 8-Ball forecasts riches and good fortune for all of you. So I threw the fucking thing out and, left with my brain, decided to wish you all a colorful and dynamic New Year.
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