NationStates Jolt Archive

So yesterday I was driving home with my mom and dad, and I basically let slip that I was an Agnostic. Up to this point I had stopped going to the temple but my parents still thought I was a Sikh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhism) because I hadn't outright said anything.

We spent the entire car ride arguing. My dad was trying to prove the existence of god while my mom kept threatening me with various punishments. I found my dad's arguments to be incredibly weak. At first he tried to explain that god must exist because he "blessed" him and my mom with kids. I suppose he was trying to argue that god created/gave us life, or something. Then my mom started saying that god "gave us" my little brother because apparently when I was around seven I prayed for that. It's like they thought that I was 8 instead of 18. I spent the next little while trying to explain sex and XY chromosomes to my parents. :headbang:

By the time we got home my mom had threatened to send me to some religious school in India to "fix me" and had stated that I would no longer be her son if I continued to believe in what I believe. My mom usually gives me empty threats like these so I just ignored it. My dad just began saying that I was too narrow-minded and uneducated to understand the concept of god. :headbang: Next they started discussing whether or not to send my brother to school in India to get him away from my apparently corrupting influence.

So, anyone else got any stories like these. Advice, Comments, Questions, Good Jokes, Movie Reviews, Bueller.

Get a gun, with bullets, point it at your head in front of your parents and tell them that if there is a God, he will not allow you to kill yourself. :D

I'm in a Sadistic mood right now.

Get a gun, with bullets, point it at your head in front of your parents and tell them that if there is a God, he will not allow you to kill yourself. :D

I'm in a Sadistic mood right now.

Oh dear. You´re not sadistic today. You´re one radical person, you.:D

So, anyone else got any stories like these. Advice, Comments, Questions, Good Jokes, Movie Reviews, Bueller.

I had the opposite experience. I come from a very secular family, and when I married a Catholic (in a non-denominational ceremony, I'm still an atheist) my mother started asking questions about whether or not I had joined the church. I hadn't. She insisted they wouldn't have let the ceremony proceed in a Catholic church I unless I did. To this day, three years after our separation, I have to contend with passive-aggressive accusations that I "secretly" converted to Catholicism. Or, even more crazily, that I was converted (and baptised) without my knowledge. :rolleyes:


And my parents wonder why I never call.

New Manvir
I say that as long as you stay the *bleep* away from scientology and Judaism, your faith is your faith - if Agnostic feels good to you, its your life, your faith, dont let anyone try to brainwash you into following their ideas

Good on your parents. They want to save you from the corrupting nihilistic influence of the modern West.

New Manvir
I say that as long as you stay the *bleep* away from scientology and Judaism, your faith is your faith - if Agnostic feels good to you, its your life, your faith, dont let anyone try to brainwash you into following their ideas

whats wrong with judaism, in particular?

Get a gun, with bullets, point it at your head in front of your parents and tell them that if there is a God, he will not allow you to kill yourself. :D

I'm in a Sadistic mood right now.

A Sikh and Destroy mission? :D


*sets off cotton candy smoke bomb and vanishes*

For some good Agnostic humor, read The Eyes of the Overworld, by Jack Vance. After Cugel meets the Gilfigites, things get better and better.

The sequel, Cugel's Saga, also has some great laughs:

"Stand among the shadows; divine Wiulio protects his own."

...

"The beast now moves among the huts. For all we know it may also worship Wiulio."

A Sikh and Destroy mission? :D


*sets off cotton candy smoke bomb and vanishes*

Sometimes you worry me.

Some religious people are silly in how they absolutely want to shove what they believe down their childrens/neighbours/fellow citizen's collective throats.

Obviously your parents need to realize that freedom of religion is protected in most modern countries' charts of human rights and that have no business telling you what you ought to believe or not.

whats wrong with judaism, in particular?

Nothing that is not wrong with any other religion. Or course, you must keep in mind you are conversing with one who is proud to be "Aryan".

A Sikh and Destroy mission? :D


*sets off cotton candy smoke bomb and vanishes*

Contrary to popular belief "Sikh" is pronounced "sick" and not "seek." But nontheless your post is excellent.

Good on your parents. They want to save you from the corrupting nihilistic influence of the modern West.Are you for real? :confused:

Are you for real? :confused:

Yes

Yes

Cool...Nihilists, I mean.

tell them that your gay.

that should occupy them ;)

From the pages of bash.org....

Gear Grinder X: once, we had these total freak seventh day advenist (or whatever) freak ass neighbors
Gear Grinder X: and this girl Lanna was a little younger than me
Gear Grinder X: she was a bitch, and they were all totally religious
Gear Grinder X: she threw rocks at me once on my bike, and so I turned around, and went to run over here
Gear Grinder X: I was hauling ASS, and you know what she did?
Gear Grinder X: put her hands on her hips, and stood there and said "The lord will protect me"
Gear Grinder X: well.... he didn't

YesI'm so sorry :(

Contrary to popular belief "Sikh" is pronounced "sick" and not "seek." But nontheless your post is excellent.

Not according to Dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sikh

Not according to Dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sikh

Not only do you make a pun, then you defend it!

LG, you are a trip on this forum.

A Sikh and Destroy mission? :D

You win the thread.

Not only do you make a pun, then you defend it!

LG, you are a trip on this forum.

I take silliness very seriously. :)

I take silliness very seriously. :)http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a205/ulteriormotives/Youre-a-MONSTER.jpg

tell them that your gay.

that should occupy them ;)
Yeah that'll do wonders. While you're at it tell them you've joined the opposite party to what they vote for and an activist organization they disagree with. Also tell them that you've outgrown your backwards Indian heritage and as a proud modern Canadian you're thinking about getting a maple leaf tattoo, joining the army or something.

For some reason parents seem to find it unacceptable that their children are different from themselves. Some even insist on that their children shouldn't consider other careers than taking over the family business. Can anyone explain why?

Once during history class my teacher said humans evolved from apes. I wanted to correct her and tell her that both humans and apes evolved from a common ancestor. So I raised my hand, but all I was able to get out is "that's not true, because..." The teacher panicked and said "WE ALL HAVE OUR OWN THEORIES" and wouldn't let me finish. She must have assumed I was a creationist, because for the rest of the year she treated me like I was a moron. She gave me a C on every paper citing "lack of critical thinking" as an explanation. When I asked her to explain what exactly I wrote that demonstrated a lack of critical thinking, she gave me this extremely condescending speech about how critical thinking was hard but I would understand it eventually (she never explained what her definition of critical thinking actually was). I'm still mad about that, because I was never allowed to take any advanced classes after that incident, because of the bad grade I got.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a205/ulteriormotives/Youre-a-MONSTER.jpg

I'm like the Cloverfield monster. Even when you know everything, you still can't figure me out. :D

For some reason parents seem to find it unacceptable that their children are different from themselves. Some even insist on that their children shouldn't consider other careers than taking over the family business. Can anyone explain why?Parents tend to see their children as extensions of themselves. They think their children will be exactly the same as them, except with less flaws because they will protect them from corrupting influences. They use their children to compensate for their own flaws.

My parents never pushed any beliefs or careers on me, but I think they identify too closely with me. If I do something they don't like they talk about what they did when they were 20. I shouldn't have to remind them that my problems aren't the same as the problems they had at my age.

Contrary to popular belief "Sikh" is pronounced "sick" and not "seek." But nontheless your post is excellent.

http://www.myconfinedspace.com/2008/04/21/the-grammar-nazi-cares/grammar-nazi2/

This sort of thing can be very painful. My father was very understanding - but then, he was what you'd probably call a "deist" anyway. My sister, OTOH, still does what she can to "call me back to the church".

The main thing, New Manvir, is just to ensure they understand that you love them and are still the same person you always were. From that basis everything gets easier.

http://www.myconfinedspace.com/2008/04/21/the-grammar-nazi-cares/grammar-nazi2/

And since this came from our resident expert on Nazis of all stripes . . .

Not according to Dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sikh

This is one of the few instances where Dictionary.com got its sources mixed up. When the OP comes back he shall render judgment on the matter.
http://www.myconfinedspace.com/2008/04/21/the-grammar-nazi-cares/grammar-nazi2/
Yes, I am indeed a Grammar Nazi. Watch out, because I'm going to put you and your family in the Grammar Gas Chamber, you Grammar Jew.

Contrary to popular belief "Sikh" is pronounced "sick" and not "seek." But nontheless your post is excellent.

"Sikh" and "seek" are actually cognate words: "Sikh" is from a Sanskrit root "to study, to try to learn" from the same Indo-European root as English "to seek". A "Sikh" is thus a "seeker".

Yes, I am indeed a Grammar Nazi. Watch out, because I'm going to put you and your family in the Grammar Gas Chamber, you Grammar Jew.

Oh and to think I thought I wouldn't like you. :D

"Sikh" and "seek" are actually cognate words: "Sikh" is from a Sanskrit root "to study, to try to learn" from the same Indo-European root as English "to seek". A "Sikh" is thus a "seeker".

Fascinating. Thanks for sharing that.

So yesterday I was driving home with my mom and dad, and I basically let slip that I was an Agnostic. Up to this point I had stopped going to the temple but my parents still thought I was a Sikh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhism) because I hadn't outright said anything.

We spent the entire car ride arguing. My dad was trying to prove the existence of god while my mom kept threatening me with various punishments. I found my dad's arguments to be incredibly weak. At first he tried to explain that god must exist because he "blessed" him and my mom with kids. I suppose he was trying to argue that god created/gave us life, or something. Then my mom started saying that god "gave us" my little brother because apparently when I was around seven I prayed for that. It's like they thought that I was 8 instead of 18. I spent the next little while trying to explain sex and XY chromosomes to my parents. :headbang:

By the time we got home my mom had threatened to send me to some religious school in India to "fix me" and had stated that I would no longer be her son if I continued to believe in what I believe. My mom usually gives me empty threats like these so I just ignored it. My dad just began saying that I was too narrow-minded and uneducated to understand the concept of god. :headbang: Next they started discussing whether or not to send my brother to school in India to get him away from my apparently corrupting influence.



Same thing happened to me just last week. Only, I went with humanism instead of Agnosticism. My older sister flipped out and immediately started asking me questions and worrying about my everlasting soul. My mom took it a little better, but she told me she was taking me up as a burden and praying for me extra hard. Trying the whole guilt trip thing. Then, she even mentioned not wanting to let me go back to college because apparantly the liberal environment was corrupting me.

I mean, if you want to have a religion, then its fine. I can respect that. But don't shove it down anyone's throat or make them feel like they're shit because they happen to not share the same beliefs as you. And then to suggest taking away their education because of the beliefs they hold... ugh, it just sort of pisses me off.

But yeah, don't really have any advice to give on this one. I'm just glad to commiserate.

So yesterday I was driving home with my mom and dad, and I basically let slip that I was an Agnostic. Up to this point I had stopped going to the temple but my parents still thought I was a Sikh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhism) because I hadn't outright said anything.

We spent the entire car ride arguing. My dad was trying to prove the existence of god while my mom kept threatening me with various punishments. I found my dad's arguments to be incredibly weak. At first he tried to explain that god must exist because he "blessed" him and my mom with kids. I suppose he was trying to argue that god created/gave us life, or something. Then my mom started saying that god "gave us" my little brother because apparently when I was around seven I prayed for that. It's like they thought that I was 8 instead of 18. I spent the next little while trying to explain sex and XY chromosomes to my parents. :headbang:

By the time we got home my mom had threatened to send me to some religious school in India to "fix me" and had stated that I would no longer be her son if I continued to believe in what I believe. My mom usually gives me empty threats like these so I just ignored it. My dad just began saying that I was too narrow-minded and uneducated to understand the concept of god. :headbang: Next they started discussing whether or not to send my brother to school in India to get him away from my apparently corrupting influence.

So, anyone else got any stories like these. Advice, Comments, Questions, Good Jokes, Movie Reviews, Bueller.


its good practice for the day you bring home your blonde-haired, blue-eyed canadian fiancee.

MMy mom took it a little better, but she told me she was taking me up as a burden and praying for me extra hard. Trying the whole guilt trip thing. Then, she even mentioned not wanting to let me go back to college because apparantly the liberal environment was corrupting me.

That's kind of creepy as that was my experience, oh, two years back. I told them I was no longer Christian, and was now embarking on my Search for Truth. My mom's still praying. Thankfully, since I'm paying for college (well, through loans), they really couldn't take me out of college though they wanted to (their reasoning was the same as your mom's).

My dad kicked me out of the house, but to his credit, he apologized for it later.

The situation is still strained, but at least we are all talking still. Just not about religion.

Good for you! I still don't have the courage to tell my mom that I interpret the bible somewhat more liberally then she does. She keeps an iron grip on my neck at all times just in case:p

Am I the only whose parent's and family really didn't care? Well, we are all bordering on agnostic already, but I'm actually surprised that parents make that big of a deal.

Am I the only whose parent's and family really didn't care? Well, we are all bordering on agnostic already, but I'm actually surprised that parents make that big of a deal.

well my dad was a stone cold atheist and my mom drifted away from religion after all her kids were grown so, no, you arent the only one.

So yesterday I was driving home with my mom and dad, and I basically let slip that I was an Agnostic. Up to this point I had stopped going to the temple but my parents still thought I was a Sikh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhism) because I hadn't outright said anything.

We spent the entire car ride arguing. My dad was trying to prove the existence of god while my mom kept threatening me with various punishments. I found my dad's arguments to be incredibly weak. At first he tried to explain that god must exist because he "blessed" him and my mom with kids. I suppose he was trying to argue that god created/gave us life, or something. Then my mom started saying that god "gave us" my little brother because apparently when I was around seven I prayed for that. It's like they thought that I was 8 instead of 18. I spent the next little while trying to explain sex and XY chromosomes to my parents. :headbang:

By the time we got home my mom had threatened to send me to some religious school in India to "fix me" and had stated that I would no longer be her son if I continued to believe in what I believe. My mom usually gives me empty threats like these so I just ignored it. My dad just began saying that I was too narrow-minded and uneducated to understand the concept of god. :headbang: Next they started discussing whether or not to send my brother to school in India to get him away from my apparently corrupting influence.

So, anyone else got any stories like these. Advice, Comments, Questions, Good Jokes, Movie Reviews, Bueller.
First off, reading the Wikipedia article, I have to say that Sikhism seems pretty interesting.

Anyways, I wish I could give you advice but I'm terrible at that sort of thing. Besides, I'm in a sort of a similar situation that I'm trying to work out (not as bad as yours though).

Good for you! I still don't have the courage to tell my mom that I interpret the bible somewhat more liberally then she does. She keeps an iron grip on my neck at all times just in case:p

Before I go further, I might want to explain my mom and dad live seperated and have their own little families (live with dad).

My mom's family is, at least as I see it, somewhere under the fundamentalist Christian umbrella. But with my dad, for about 13 years we didn't go to church to much so a lot of liberal/secular influence soaked in. Even when we started going to our Methodist church two years ago I kept my liberal beliefs (that, and my large amount of Social Studies classes have introduced me to a lot of liberal ideas and books that I've read/studied).

Overall I'm a liberal and liberally interpret the Bible (even worse, I don't think it infallible :eek:), and my mom's family knows that.My own brother even thought I was turning Atheist just because I wanted to reconcile faith,reason, and science while having a healthy belief in separation between church and state. Between that and the church they go to in where the Sunday School teacher said (paraphrased) "Bring your kids to Sunday School to help them avoid drugs, sex, violence, and homosexuality", I feel kind of sorry for them. Luckily we don't discuss religion that much becuase I don't see the point if there too stubborn to listen to me.

If it makes any difference my dad's family doesn't really care. We just argue about more political things like healthcare and immigration.

So yesterday I was driving home with my mom and dad, and I basically let slip that I was an Agnostic. Up to this point I had stopped going to the temple but my parents still thought I was a Sikh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhism) because I hadn't outright said anything.

We spent the entire car ride arguing. My dad was trying to prove the existence of god while my mom kept threatening me with various punishments. I found my dad's arguments to be incredibly weak. At first he tried to explain that god must exist because he "blessed" him and my mom with kids. I suppose he was trying to argue that god created/gave us life, or something. Then my mom started saying that god "gave us" my little brother because apparently when I was around seven I prayed for that. It's like they thought that I was 8 instead of 18. I spent the next little while trying to explain sex and XY chromosomes to my parents. :headbang:

By the time we got home my mom had threatened to send me to some religious school in India to "fix me" and had stated that I would no longer be her son if I continued to believe in what I believe. My mom usually gives me empty threats like these so I just ignored it. My dad just began saying that I was too narrow-minded and uneducated to understand the concept of god. :headbang: Next they started discussing whether or not to send my brother to school in India to get him away from my apparently corrupting influence.

So, anyone else got any stories like these. Advice, Comments, Questions, Good Jokes, Movie Reviews, Bueller.
As others have said, you're protected under the charter of rights and freedoms, so you don't have to give in to that. Resist that, and if it gets worse maybe you could take that case to court. Don't let anyone brainwash you, not even your own parents.

As others have said, you're protected under the charter of rights and freedoms, so you don't have to give in to that. Resist that, and if it gets worse maybe you could take that case to court. Don't let anyone brainwash you, not even your own parents.

I'm not worried about that, my mom is always making empty threats. This one time she threatened to leave us if I didn't clean my room.

This is one of the few instances where Dictionary.com got its sources mixed up. When the OP comes back he shall render judgment on the matter.

In India it is pronounced as "sick". I've noticed that whenever an Indian person talks to another Indian person they say it as "sick", but to Western people they say "seek". I don't know why, that's just the way it is.

There's a couple of words where the same thing happens.

Hmm...
You could do 365 days worth of converions to new religions untill your parents get sick of it, then cycle back to Agnostism.

Hmm...
You could do 365 days worth of converions to new religions untill your parents get sick of it, then cycle back to Agnostism.

Day 121: Dear Mom and Dad: I have today found my true calling. A South Pacific Cargo Cult.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cults

Am I the only whose parent's and family really didn't care? Well, we are all bordering on agnostic already, but I'm actually surprised that parents make that big of a deal.My dad is a born again Christian and care's a lot, however he doesn't make a big deal about.

My dad just began saying that I was too narrow-minded and uneducated to understand the concept of god. :headbang: Next they started discussing whether or not to send my brother to school in India to get him away from my apparently corrupting influence.
Brilliant!! Take solice in the fact that your position is not contradictory.

So yesterday I was driving home with my mom and dad, and I basically let slip that I was an Agnostic. Up to this point I had stopped going to the temple but my parents still thought I was a Sikh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhism) because I hadn't outright said anything.

We spent the entire car ride arguing. My dad was trying to prove the existence of god while my mom kept threatening me with various punishments. I found my dad's arguments to be incredibly weak. At first he tried to explain that god must exist because he "blessed" him and my mom with kids. I suppose he was trying to argue that god created/gave us life, or something. Then my mom started saying that god "gave us" my little brother because apparently when I was around seven I prayed for that. It's like they thought that I was 8 instead of 18. I spent the next little while trying to explain sex and XY chromosomes to my parents. :headbang:

By the time we got home my mom had threatened to send me to some religious school in India to "fix me" and had stated that I would no longer be her son if I continued to believe in what I believe. My mom usually gives me empty threats like these so I just ignored it. My dad just began saying that I was too narrow-minded and uneducated to understand the concept of god. :headbang: Next they started discussing whether or not to send my brother to school in India to get him away from my apparently corrupting influence.

So, anyone else got any stories like these. Advice, Comments, Questions, Good Jokes, Movie Reviews, Bueller.

I know it'll take a lot of patience, and a lot of biting your tongue, but keep talking to them. Don't talk at them, just asnwer questions when they ask. It will take them a long time to come to terms with that, but they might eventually.
Oh, and one good thing to keep reminding them off : Nobody - not even yourself - can force you to believe something you just don't believe. It's not as if you woke up one day and decided that you don't believe any more, so it's not very likely that one day you'll wake up and suddenly believe again. Ask them if they could change what they believe in, and when they deny ask them why they would expect this of you then.

Day 121: Dear Mom and Dad: I have today found my true calling. A South Pacific Cargo Cult.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cults

*lol
Those are really, really brilliant. And so downright honest in their greed :D