AIBU to expect my atheist teenager to respect my faith?

I mean this with love, but I'm wondering if you've got a bit of "church-blindness" going on here. You say you don't talk about faith or impose it, but you're recommending bible passages??

Have you watched songs of praise recently???

It's the local private school with their forced choristers (or detention), a few elderly ladies, the vicar and her aged labrador.

If the BBC could relegate it to a lesser broadcast time than it's already got (due to no viewers), then they would...

Would you tolerate all beliefs? Someone who believed the earth to be flat? Someone who believed that women should be subservient to men? Someone who believed that children should be beaten with sticks if they're disobedient? Are all those beliefs deserving of tolerance and respect?

I will save this thread for the next time some reform muppets goes on about Muslims in the UK are destroying Christianity and making Christians feel unwelcome to practice their faith in the UK and creating a hostile atmosphere etc

The call is coming from inside the house!

Hint: It’s not the Muslims calling 😂

She’s 16 not 12 though!

I find teens 14+ start to be a lot less childish.

When I worked with kids the 10-13 years old were the worst 😂 they were sweet kids at heart but always trying to be sooo cool and everything was sooo uncool, whereas they seem to chill out a bit after a couple of years.

Well I’m glad me and my teen friends were all a lot more tolerant of those with different beliefs whether they were our parents or friends.

I had friends who had Christian, Jehovah witness and Mormon and Muslim and Sikh and atheist or agnostic parents and/or siblings.

And thankfully I haven’t seen this behaviour in teens I know now who have differing beliefs to their parents.

Because you are 16.

She knows where you are going, it's weekly or monthly and has been for her entire life. Why can't you just say you are off out? She knows where you are going, what time it starts and what time it finishes because it is predictable behaviour.

It does appear by this constant reference to your prayer meetings that you are indeed trying to force your religion on your daughter. She has told you she isn't interested. I'd roll
my eyes too especially with reference to "leadership meetings" hardly humble is it?

Talk of religion can actually be quite triggering for some people, who have been treated badly in the name of it, or who have been quietly encouraged/ coerced to join. It can make little mentions feel pointed.

That would be ok - better to be with Elvis and Freddie Mercury than Cliff Richard and Mother Theresa.

That's just what teenagers do. It's a phase. Let it go.

@Diamond7272 ”Churches are empty these days... A few elderly stalwarts, a vicar spread between 4 churches because of the lack of demand, lack of tithes and lack of young people.
I'm relieved the next generation are become more educated, more aware, and don't need the church for anything any more...”

I realise you won’t want to say, but I’m wondering where you live and I’m curious to know if you would say that about other places of worship.

It's very rude but she is young so worth having a conversation about manners and tolerance. I'd only escalate to consequences if she continued being rude. I would say 'tolerate' rather than 'respect' when having that conversation. I don't respect people who actively believe in fantasies (people who claim to be witches or believe in a god, for example, though I include atheists too because they also have no proof for their belief) - it's all nonsense and I don't respect people who believe stories that cannot be proven. It's weird. It's okay to say; "I don't know because there is no evidence". I.e. agnostics.

But I'll tolerate beliefs. That's the price of freedom.

It’s like if a teen girl had a dad who loved football and had a season ticket and she thought it was daft, a waste of time and energy etc I would not expect them to be rolling their eyes every time he mentions it in passing.

I would!

But it gets tedious. Surely you can understand that?

It’s like if a teen girl had a dad who loved football and had a season ticket and she thought it was daft, a waste of time and energy etc I would not expect them to be rolling their eyes every time he mentions it in passing.

Like what’s the point?

You’ve made your feelings clear before but why keep on and on about it?

Ha, this is what religious people were shouting in my town centre a young teen - put me off religion for life.

It's very different, you discussing it as a matter of course - "am off to a faith meeting" or "I saw so-and-so at the church today" to lecturing her about faith. You may as well have said "I picked this up at tesco today" or whatever.. just describing your day or your plans.

You're not talking about faith in a way to lecture or to get her to believe, she should allow you the same courtesy. Keep reminding her about manners and respect, that's all this is really.

A 17 yr old girl is going to hell?

Get a life, archbishop. Sorry, former archbiship. Pity you got caught protecting that priest who abused boys for decades...

Yes, I love how critical thinking is being taught nowadays...teens are so much more clued in. What's the evidence, what's fact and what's opinion etc. Knowledge about multi denominations, multi cultures. Less blanket indoctrination.

"Christ's gentleness" then.

Either way, I feel v sorry for the girl. Her mother doesn't sound all that gentle. Sounds indoctrinated.

I'm amazed how the church feels it has any authority these days given all the awful things that went on. Still covered up. Deny deny, deny, until caught.

Thankfully, people vote with their feet...

Churches are empty these days... A few elderly stalwarts, a vicar spread between 4 churches because of the lack of demand, lack of tithes and lack of young people.

I'm relieved the next generation are become more educated, more aware, and don't need the church for anything any more...

Scientifically speaking, hell nor in fact heaven exist.

Or that it will be terribly disappointing for the OP when it turns out not to exist, and nor does heaven.

Honestly - I would quite simply ignore it - it will pass.

I suspect that, given your immersion in your faith, she has probably had a bellyful of it all her life and just wants to be rid of it all. Her view that all religions are stupid is her view. Simply that. She is allowed to say this; just as you are allowed to state the opposite. Saying this is no more disrespectful than you saying it is not stupid - it is just a view.

I think this is one of her teenage rebellion hooks and it will go away if you ignore it. Living with religious parents can be a bit of a pain! She might feel that your going on about it all the time, however unevangelized, is disrespectful to her.

You should be more concerned your daughter is going straight to Hell.

Knowing how much abuse occurs in religious communities, this kind of talk is so triggering for me.