Yep. Of course, he's far from unique in that regard! The whole "its okay when we do it" thing appears to be widespread.

Happy birthday!

Oh yeah, Christian numerology is a big thing. In fact, I think it is the basis for most of the specific rapture predictions we've had. The astrology thing I'm not so sure about. I've known some Christians who would consider that "Satanic."

I like what you said about "expressing their opinions in a venue unrelated to their professional duties" because I think that's important too.

It makes me wonder if one of their motives for acting like this is that they worry spending time with us might lead them to question their faith.

Absolutely. The imposition of religious values on the rest of us is something I'd hope we'd all oppose.

Like you, there were a couple metal t-shirts I had to hide, but the thing I most remember hiding during junior high and high school (aside from the alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs) were certain metal albums. I had to learn the hard way that I needed to hide these. My mom started reading the lyrics, and the albums she found objectionable (most of the good ones) were taken away. I'd either destroy the lyric sheets or hide the albums, and that seemed to work pretty well.

Yes, I'm sure you are right about there not being one plan that fits everyone. That's one of the reasons it makes me nervous when I see people insisting that all teens (or even all adults) who are atheists should immediately "come out" to serve some greater good. I've known two people who ended up homeless after being kicked out and disowned by their families, one for admitting he was an atheist and the other merely for saying he was beginning to have doubts about his faith.

I think that many teens expect (and rightly so) that they should be able to be themselves around people who are supposed to love them. For some, their sexual orientation is an important part of who they are and not something that is easy to conceal during their adolescent years when most of their peer group is sexually active. For others, it becomes important to express their values and beliefs, including their thoughts on religion. Obviously, this is usually much easier to hide; however, I'm not sure it is reasonable to expect every atheist teen just to keep it to themselves as they are being forced to attend religious services, participate in religious rituals, etc. I remember feeling like a hypocrite during this time, and it was not a pleasant experience to think that I was willfully deceiving everyone who I was supposed to love and who was supposed to love me. I'd rather help their families learn how to handle this stuff better than tell them to keep living a lie.

I don't know that such parents necessarily need to accept their child's atheism, at least not quickly. I think it could still be helpful for them to have a clearer understanding of what their child may be experiencing, especially if mental health issues are also present.