Being an Atheist in Mississippi

I enjoyed reading this post on the Mississippi Atheists website. I see myself in his writing -- I'd always rather not rock the boat than be honest. The other week a Mississippi friend in Facebook asked me not to tell his mother that I didn't believe in God as 'she loves me so much.' So I guess she would no longer love me if she knew I didn't feel the same way she does about religion. That conversation made me feel strange afterwards.

Anyway, here's what V Jack says:

"I want to start by acknowledging that living in Mississippi is no picnic for an atheist. This is about as oppressively religious environment as one is likely to find in the U.S., and we face situations on a regular basis that are virtually unheard of in more secular regions of the country. It is commonplace for complete strangers to approach us and ask where we go to church and whether we would like to visit their church. Church/state violations abound, and our complaints are often met with, "We're in the South; what do you expect?" Most of us have lost friends simply for describing ourselves as non-religious, and many of us have been threatened with hell.

In such an environment, it is only natural that we would learn to keep our views on religion concealed. We dread the point in the conversation when the topic comes up. There is tremendous social pressure to lie, even if only by omission. We don't want to use the a-word because we fear many negative outcomes.

What makes all of this even worse is that most of us know, at least on some level, that this is no way to live. We deserve better than a life ruled by fear, and we know damn well that it is our silence that perpetuates these circumstances. By refusing to express ourselves honestly, we give power to those who oppress us. We know this rationally, but it provides little comfort to the individual contemplating such a disclosure."