This is a personal message for Christians struggling with confusion and concern over loved ones leaving the faith. If you don't understand what's happening, these 18 minutes might help.
When I told my parents over two decades ago, that “I’m an atheist”, my mother said (in horror), “I didn’t raise you that way”. That one sentence made my point. It was never my choice. I was told what to believe.
From Nebraska here. A VERY red and Christian state. It’s very difficult to have this conversation in the vast majority of this State. Even if you show up to the conversation wanting to be receptive and understanding of the other side, the conversation is never in good faith and always turns into a sales pitch. When the sales pitch fails, it turns into a threat of hell. It’s very disheartening. I did not change relationships with the believers. Believers changed their relationships towards me. Which is shame. I hope that your message reaches as many people as possible, Seth. Your channel was instrumental in my deconstruction and my path forward.
I am an atheist (could you tell?) that chooses not to reveal myself publicly. My close friends know I'm atheist, but for personal reasons, I choose to remain anonymous. Some day, when conditions are right, I'll let everyone know where I stand. I'm glad there are atheists like Seth who are willing to work with religious people in a fully accepting way. I like the message: take YOUR journey in YOUR own way, being authentic to yourself.
I have been an atheist since the fall of 2010. My spouse is still a believer and just can't wrap her head around why I have made the decisions I have. I have forwarded this video to her this morning. She will probably never understand, but maybe if she's will to watch, it might help at least a little. I think she feels betrayed, since I was an ardent Christian when we met and that is no longer the case.
I really want to send this to my mom. We live in Malaysia instead of the US though and don't enjoy the same amount of religious freedom but I remember her crying intensely when I told her of my deconversion from Christianity. Thanks for this.
This is just as much a letter to those struggling with guilt after starting to doubt faith or walking away from religion. I would wager that it can be just as hard to start the process knowing you're going to hurt people along the way as it is to watch it happen as a believer.
I’m a progressive christian. I have no need to convert anyone or desire to change anyone’s beliefs. My family was catholic but over the years I evolved and changed the way I worship. My sister is now Jewish, some friends are conservative christians, some catholic, some agnostic, some atheists. I can only be free to worship the way I do, if they are all free too.
In my family, there is a Wiccan, an agnostic , a satanist , and 2 Christians. We love each other with NO judgement. We respect each other without judgement. I wish our country would work like our family.
I was a non-religion person - not yet an atheist and I did not belong to any religious denomination. I fell deeply in love with a young woman to whom I have been married with for 45 years. We were married in the Catholic Church and one of the promises required was to raise any children in the Catholic faith. I allowed this to happen. Although neither my wife or daughter are involved in the Catholic Church now, I now regret fulfilling that promise. As I look back, such training to believe was part of a generational system of brainwashing young children to believe mythology is fact with the insertion of the horrific concepts of guilt, fear and belief of being sinful simply on the basis of another fantasy Adam and Eve. So, yes, I get along with all of my wife's relatives, but I do not view their projections of wanting to me believe as sincerity, but rather an extension of the very effective brainwashing developed. I do not reject my relatives and friends, but I deeply reject the foundation upon which they have had their beliefs created for them.
I'm new to the channel and appreciate your content. I have been an atheist either subconsciously or consciously almost my entire life, and I am 62 years old. I never struggled with my beliefs, I never had any. They just never took root.
Seth, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for this video! My own Christianity is wavering and I know my Christian friends and family are concerned about me. I am sharing this one.
I was on the opposite side of this one for a while. My wife was a regular church-goer when we met - I was not. A few years later we both became evangelicals, stayed that way for two decades, carefully raised our two kids that way. The kids walked away from it first...then my wife...and last, me. I don't think I always took it so well all of the time as I watched them leaving. Now I'm an atheist, my wife is something of a universalist, my older kid is an atheist as well, and my younger one is (I think) a pagan. Life is really, really interesting.
