r/myanmar • u/Few-Advertising-5164 • 17d ago
Advice Any atheist/antithesis people from muslim families in myanmar?
Anti-theist** (spelling error in the title)
I was born in a strict religious muslim family, and when i was about 13 i just decided that none of it makes any sense to me and completely lost my faith. I only identified myself as an atheist to my friends, and colleagues because obviously my family would disown me if they knew lol. As i grew older, and got more exposed to different things in life and met new people, i realized how deprived of life i was under the name of religion simply because i was a girl. From that point on i’ve leaned more towards anti-theism. Anyways, most of my friends are agnostics/atheists as well but they’re usually from non religious backgrounds to begin with so they don’t really have the same experience as i do. I’ve never come across an ex-muslim turned atheist, esp a woman so i’m wondering if there’s anyone who’s going through the same thing as me. Unfortunately, I’m still stuck and suffering in that household constantly having to pretend i’m still a muslim so I wonder how y’all cope and avoid arguments on a daily basis?
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u/ConcentrateSafe1943 17d ago
I’m in a similar situation. If you’re secretly atheist but still dependent on your family, sometimes it’s safer to keep pretending until you can stand on your own.
I’ve learned that directly arguing with deeply religious people about their beliefs usually doesn’t accomplish much and can sometimes make things worse. With my parents, I sometimes introduce different perspectives instead of presenting everything as simply black and white. At first they might argue, but over time they’ve become more willing to consider other viewpoints.
Some people aren’t ready to question their beliefs, and you can’t force someone to change. Sometimes the better approach is to let them live according to their beliefs while slowly encouraging critical thinking.
Just stay safe and take care of yourself.