What do you do when people offer to pray for you?

Usually I thank them, if they’re expressing genuine concern for my welfare. If it’s more of a threatening statement – like some believers will make when they find out that you don’t believe – I’ll ask that they not bother, and spend their time praying for the sick and hungry instead.

If it’s someone I know fairly well, I’ll say something humorous in response, such as “…and I’ll think for you!” But only if they’ll know right away that I’m joking and not being a jerk.

Does your family know that you are an atheist?

Some of them do, and the rest probably have their suspicions. The subject doesn’t come up that often between myself and two of my siblings, but the other one – my oldest sister – knows about my atheism for certain, and we frequently talk about it. For the record, almost all of my relatives are Christians of one sort or another.

I have mentioned this in an earlier post, but it applies here as well, so I’ll repeat it – When my mother was alive, I was much more secretive about my atheism. She was a devoted Catholic, and was very concerned about the fate of both our souls if I did not follow the Catholic way. In the interest of making the latter years of her life as calm and peaceful as possible, I never told her about my lack of faith, and I was as evasive and deceptive as I could be when the issue came up.

Yep, I lied to my dying mother to make her final days more comfortable. Just another example of vile atheistic depravity.

I recognize how fortunate I am in that I have no worries about my lack of belief becoming a problem for my relationship with my family. The same cannot be said for many people who are atheists, unfortunately. Many atheist teens have been kicked out of their homes by believing parents, and in extreme cases, people have been disowned by their families because they don’t share their belief.

While this is certainly not the case for every believing family with nonbelieving members, it is a sad reality for many.

If you died and discovered that a god exists, what would you say to he/she/it?

(This is the 7th question in Brett Keane’s Atheist Challenge)

If you died and discovered that a god exists, what would you say to he/she/it?

“You have a lot of explaining to do!”

If I was in the mood, I might even do it in a Ricky Ricardo accent.

Who are you, anyway?

For the protection of my family, myself, and some of the other work that I do, I will not reveal much about my true identity. I’m not someone famous. You probably don’t know me.  But I will offer a little bit of information on the three aforementioned topics, for those who want a little help painting their mental picture.

Myself - Caucasian heterosexual male, approaching middle age, nondescript. Really, you wouldn’t look twice if you saw me on the street. I live in the Eastern United States, and have done so all of my life. I am a writer, artist, and musician. I’m currently unemployed and hoping to improve that situation eventually.

My family – I have a partner, who we shall refer to as A. We have been together for over 20 years, but have never officially wed. At this point, we both realize that we don’t need government or religion to recognize our union – we’re doing perfectly all right without getting either one involved. (This is a personal choice, and does not mean that I hold anything against anyone who has participated in marriage.)

Together, we’ve created two daughters – H. and K., both of whom are beautiful and intelligent and exceptional and all of the other things you expect a parent to say. I love all of them dearly and would protect them with my own life.

My work – I do other things online and in the “meat world” that I feel would be affected if it became known that I am an atheist. In most cases, I think the effect would be negative. I volunteer for a couple of creative groups in my local community that have many members who are strong believers. I love them all very much, and enjoy working with them to a great degree, but I am genuinely concerned at times if I would still be welcome if word got out that I am a nonbeliever.

…and that’s just about everything you’re going to know about me. Feel free to inquire about more, but please understand that I’ll also feel free to not answer.