Some parents are truly concerned that you will end up in hell and then there are the others . . .

Really, gezelligtexas, don't you think your mother may be a little manipulative? Either you are a light sleeper or she is an awfully loud crier.

While I do recommend that people try to get along with their parents, this should not be mistaken for knuckling under. I actually know a very "nice" woman like this. She and her husband keep sending their son off to one to those camps where he is supposed to have the "gayness" indoctrinated out of him.

LW, you may at some point have to decide if your parents are sincerely concerned about your well-being or if they just cannot tolerate any divergence from the received wisdom that they have transferred to you. Few people are as close to their parents as they might like to be. Often this is because the parents simply cannot tolerate their children's thinking independently. Personally, I wouldn't indulge this sort of thing.

I'm one of those people who doesn't especially believe anytihng, but I have wandered across faith and have seen things from the inside. I've never thought Christians had any kind of corner on self-righteousness or judgmentalism. More and more, I find, as it becomes "Okay" to be an athiest, it seems many athiests get meaner and more disrespectful. And I wonder, what will happen when things turn around and Christians are again in the minority? There are many assumptions made here about how they can't think and are only fit for drone work. I beg your pardon. You obviously haven't met at least ten+ of the people I know, all believers and all highly intellectual, competent as well as deeply compassionate. I'm really getting nervous about this. Not only does it seem many would feel no compunction about discriminating on the basis of creed, but also I'm not convinced our social programs will be any better off. Of course many of those who care about their fellow humans don't believe in God, but a lot of others are toting around Ayn Rand books. Will athiests fund hospitals and soup kitchens? When I was a believer I was a bleedin' liberal, and I find that I still am - that ran much deeper than religious belief in me, I see, but the fact is that most people I come across working for liberal causes cite their religion as a motivation for it.

The belief that "if I haven't seen it, it doesn't exist," is a logical fallacy that a lot of people fall into. No, you can't see God in a test tube, but believers don't talk about that kind of evidence. They, often, feel that they had an intense spiritual encounter where they experienced the presence of God, and who am I, or you, to say that that didn't happen, just because it's never happened to us? It would more doubt be more comforting, but it's not logical. When it comes down to it, none of us know diddly. We all just have experiences - or the lack thereof - that we struggle to understand.

Everybody needs to watch their own arrogance, give other people a little respect, and behave like ladies and gentlemen.

But I think "If I don't see it, it doesn't exist" is a straw-man definition of atheism.

By the way, it's a joke to use the phrase "when Christians again are in the minority" - are you referring to the days of the Roman Empire, perchance?

Oh, I'm sorry - I'm probably being mean or disrespectful. By all means, then, let's abjure all opinions or points of view that might possibly offend the piety of our fellow man - goodbye Voltaire, goodbye Nietzsche, goodbye Mark Twain! (They never contributed anything to Western civilization anyway.) Goodbye, open intellectual debate!

People who feel the need to "come out" are part of the Jerry Springer society. Why all this "coming out" over everything? Stop it. And, there's something about "not airing one's dirty linen in public" that more people need to consider. And, more people need to learn how to mind their own business. And, more people need to learn that one's religious beliefs are a personal issue that most people do not feel the need to defend or even discuss. I am 58 years old and I have never, ever asked anyone (not even one single person in my entire life) what religion/non-religion they profess. Stupid people have to have their nose all the way up somebody's ass before they can JUDGE and determine whether or not they APPROVE of someone else. Like their approval really means anything. You want to "come out" to these kinds of people? What the hell for? You already know what they think and how they will react. No more coming out. Stop sharing all your personal crap with the world.

Brightstar65 shows why you should come out as an athiest. He doesn't think you should and he's a complete moron. He's wrong about everything and a pompous ass while he does it!

Normally I'm not a proponent for the dark, constrictive, ominous world within closets, but in the case I'll make an exception.

If you're school kicks you out, are you prepared to transfer somewhere else? If not, don't tell your school. Your personal crisis of faith has nothing to do with the business of paying for and receiving an education. If you were receiving a scholarship or attended the school for free, I would give a completely different answer, because then fraud would be the issue.

As for friends, if they go to your school, don't tell them either. There's nothing like a non-beliver to raise the ire of religious folk. They might not be able to burn you at the stake, but your rejection of their faith will be akin to slapping a glove in their faces. One of them, if angry enough, may decide to report you. No matter how you want to play it out, it won't be pretty. I know this from experience, so trust me.

As for your family, there are always things that they know that they can't accept. If you decide to bring it up again, tell them the information as a matter of fact. Its not up for discussion, they don't need to unconditionally accept or diss you. Its not for them to judge.

You can say to them, "There's nothing you have to do or say about this, but I want to let you know that I'm an atheist," then you continue eating your dinner. Don't answer questions, don't fight over it. They will want to piss and moan and you just keep eating. They will get over it, or they will disown you.

I also suggest that you not require your parent's financial support before you tell them this news.