Coming Out Of My Heathen Closet
by Vickie Sauseda
Telling my family that I am atheist has had the most peculiar repercussions…
I didn’t think that the revelation would even be noticed:
“Oh, hey, I don’t believe in God.”
“Ok, Vickie, can you pass the butter?”
How wrong I was. Getting yelled at by my Father was a shock; I nodded, smiled, and didn’t press the issue. My Mother, on the other hand, posted on Facebook: “Vickie was just kidding about that atheist crap. We all know she’s Methodist!”
What the F? Methodist? My parents are Catholic, so this was really peculiar. I had to confront her. To her credit, her answer was short and clear. It’s the first thing she could come up with, and it helps her to sleep at night if she believes that I believe. I didn’t want my Mother to worry, so as I did with my Father, I dropped the subject.
A girl has to stay somewhat true to herself though, so when I received an email from my Aunt asking what all this “atheist nonsense” was about, I responded, “Oh, don’t worry Auntie. I’m Methodist. I’m just a REALLY, REALLY, REALLY non-practicing one.”
A sell-out, or keeping the peace?
This is one of many recurring posts in the And All That Jazz series by Vickie Sauseda. Stay tuned for more!
We're Not Funny 