How to Introduce Your Atheist Partner to Your
Evangelical Parents.
Your partner may be your soul mate, only your
partner doesn’t believe in soul mates, because
your partner doesn’t believe in souls.
Atheism may be okay with you, but what about
your evangelical folks?
Oy vey!
You will need A meeting time like lunch or
dinner A meeting place preferably public neutral
ground Newspaper A respect for different opinions
Diplomacy skills Integrity and a credit card.
Step 1.
Clearly assess your partner&#8217;s beliefs
or lack thereof.
Atheists can fall anywhere along a continuum
ranging from &#8220;Wish there were a God
but I need proof&#8221; to &#8220;Existence
would be much better without the silly notion
of God.”
Step 2.
Debrief your partner on “evangelicals.”
Evangelicals believe in spreading the Gospel,
but they’re not all fire-and-brimstone fundamentalists.
Some may fall on the same side of many issues
as your atheist partner&#8212;like the environment.
Step 3.
Arrive at the restaurant 15 minutes early.
This gives you the high-ground position as
the greeter and allows you time for a quick
drink and a breath mint.
Step 4.
Greet your parents warmly upon their arrival.
Avoid introductions such as, “Mom, Dad,
this is Jack, the atheist!”
Step 5.
Be sure to sit at the table strategically,
in kicking distance of any leg.
Wear soft shoes.
Step 6.
Having been careful to study the Sports and
Entertainment sections of the morning paper,
keep the dinner conversation light.
Steer clear of politics at all costs.
Step 7.
When dinner arrives and your parents want
to say grace, jump in and say it before they
have a chance to ask your partner to lead
them in the prayer.
Help your partner prepare explanations for
atheism.
Rework explanations that begin with, “Around
the time I realized there was no Santa Claus…”
Step 8.
Discussing your partner’s beliefs may be
inevitable even at the first meeting.
Whatever happens, act with integrity.
Your partner is an atheist—no sense pretending
otherwise—and you must be supportive of
this personal conviction even if you don’t
agree with it.
Step 9.
If your parents admire your partner’s integrity
while still disapproving of the atheism, there
is hope.
They will probably offer to pray for you and
your partner.
Accept this as a goodwill gesture.
Step 10.
Pay the check, preferably with a credit card
because “In God We Trust” is on all the
cash.
Did you know Recent surveys have consistently
found that about 10 to 15 percent of Americans
identify themselves as atheists.
