My family is Jewish and we all went to a Reform synagogue. This sect of Judaism is very liberal in the scheme of things, making it very clear that the bible is not literally true and accepting of just about anything, even agnosticism (if not atheism).
At the age of 16, Reform Judaism has a confirmation ceremony where one makes a statement of faith to the assembled congregation.
I realized that I couldn’t go up in front of a crowd and in good faith profess a belief in God. I had understood all of it to be just stories for a long time, at least since the age of 13, but I hadn’t quite realized that meant I was an atheist. I just never really thought about it, but when I finally did it seemed obvious in retrospect. I ended up reading a poem to the congregation and it was very well received as it was the shortest speech given that day.
The next year, I decided I wasn’t going to go to synagogue for the High Holidays (where my liberal synagogue had 3 hour long worship services). My parents weren’t quite sure how to react, but they told my grandparents and my grandparents responded by deciding they weren’t going either. This particular decision set off a chain reaction where it was determined that no one in my family from my grandparents on down were believers and we had all just been going along for each other’s benefits. On the holidays now, my 92 year old grandfather always mentions how nice it is that the holidays give us reason to get the entire family together.
I mostly just got lucky based on the circumstances. My little brother has fallen in with the 12 step program, though. It’s working for him but it’s nature is so anti-rationalist that it pains me somewhat. He started believing in God again; I threw some basic paradoxes at him and he just responded by saying he never really thought about it. I think he’ll grow out of it eventually.
I went to Israel last year and was surprised and delighted to see that the country was positively European in its religious attitudes. Almost half of the people are non-believers, but I would be seriously afraid to try and deconvert any Orthodox practitioners, even or especially if they were family. They can get rather angry.
My family is Jewish and we all went to a Reform synagogue. This sect of Judaism is very liberal in the scheme of things, making it very clear that the bible is not literally true and accepting of just about anything, even agnosticism (if not atheism).
At the age of 16, Reform Judaism has a confirmation ceremony where one makes a statement of faith to the assembled congregation. I realized that I couldn’t go up in front of a crowd and in good faith profess a belief in God. I had understood all of it to be just stories for a long time, at least since the age of 13, but I hadn’t quite realized that meant I was an atheist. I just never really thought about it, but when I finally did it seemed obvious in retrospect. I ended up reading a poem to the congregation and it was very well received as it was the shortest speech given that day.
The next year, I decided I wasn’t going to go to synagogue for the High Holidays (where my liberal synagogue had 3 hour long worship services). My parents weren’t quite sure how to react, but they told my grandparents and my grandparents responded by deciding they weren’t going either. This particular decision set off a chain reaction where it was determined that no one in my family from my grandparents on down were believers and we had all just been going along for each other’s benefits. On the holidays now, my 92 year old grandfather always mentions how nice it is that the holidays give us reason to get the entire family together.
Every now and then I hear a story about (or meet in person) someone who not only left but managed to deconvert their whole family.
I wish, so dearly, that I could devote the time to at least seriously trying that...
I mostly just got lucky based on the circumstances. My little brother has fallen in with the 12 step program, though. It’s working for him but it’s nature is so anti-rationalist that it pains me somewhat. He started believing in God again; I threw some basic paradoxes at him and he just responded by saying he never really thought about it. I think he’ll grow out of it eventually.
I went to Israel last year and was surprised and delighted to see that the country was positively European in its religious attitudes. Almost half of the people are non-believers, but I would be seriously afraid to try and deconvert any Orthodox practitioners, even or especially if they were family. They can get rather angry.