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[squeakyReaper]

This isn't the Atheism Redux thread.  Just putting that as a disclaimer.

My stepdad is in Korea for a year, my sister (6) has speech disorders, my brother ( is autistic, my baby brother (5 months) is...  Well, a baby.  Add in a depressed, jobless and car-less (but full time college and babysitting) me, as well as my mom's own college duties and... Well, it'd be an understatement to say my mom is stressed.

To...  Cope with this, I guess, my mom has turned to God for answers.  She now goes to Church in addition to her many appointments, gives 10% of everything we have as tithes, and does special bible devotionals to my stepdad to "strengthen their marriage"... This in addition to saying grace at dinner, buying tons of bible study dvds, buying everyone in the family deluxe quality bibles and those frustratingly ear-wormy christian music cds.

Thing is, this just isn't her.  She's always been an atheistic person, and suddenly her world view changed... Literally over night.  Whether the whole Jesus thing is correct and all matters little here, it's just very jarring.  she responds bitterly to me not wanting to go to church, spends money on Godly things and seems to just be using it as an escape.  It's better than crack, and it's not hurting anyone, but it's worrisome to me.

Maybe I'm crazy or whathaveyou.  I just don't want to have her suggesting I get baptized anymore.  Asking for someone to give me the words to magically snap her back to reality sounds argumentative to Christians and all, but...  I dunno.  Just ranting I guess.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

If money is a big issue for your family, this may very well be as bad as crack if she's straight up giving away 10% of your family's income and spending even more on religious items. So hopefully that isn't the case and you aren't in financial trouble.

If she brings up the baptism thing again, you should be firm in your refusal and stand your ground, then ask her not to bring it up again.

[Willfor]

Speaking as a Christian and a former Christian Bookstore employee, I'd like to point out that she might be experiencing New Christian Syndrome. This is the period where someone has recently converted, and is a little too anxious to dive in whole-heartedly, and tell everyone and their dog around them about this thing they've found. From a Christian perspective, this is both a good and bad thing. The excited-ness is something that is encouraged, but the zeal to convert everyone she knows is ... not. She sounds like a new convert, and while it's not strictly discouraged that she be one doing proselytizing, I -- myself -- like to see a person having a lot more experience with theology and such before they start. It hurts more than it helps trying to convert someone who is actively against it -- which is why I've never attempted it on these boards.

The ZEAL is likely to go away on its own. I can't say that the conversion attempts will. Honestly, you just have to stand your ground on that.

Also, buy her a CD by these guys for Christmas. Low preachiness, high production values. I recommend Travel II as the best of their discography, but make sure the store you're buying it at knows and prices it as an EP.

[Nospherat]

Same thing happened to my uncle. He spent his entire life being an atheist, a fervent one who used to curse any and all potential divinities with great.... good grief, man, I can't even begin to describe it. Every now and then he got in some kind of divinity-denial frenzy, screaming, shouting, making an ass out of himself and usually being the "black sheep" of the family.

Now, at the age of 70-ish he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and suddenly he's praising God every day.
I don't know what to call it. *shrug* Whatever brings him comfort.
His views are not my own.

So yeah, I guess people turn to religion in desperate times. It kind of makes sense (?).
When you are dirty, you turn on the shower, when you are hungry, you turn on the stove. At some point, your life may become such a mess, that nothing and I mean nothing can help you. No devices, no doctors, no nothing.
An since you have nothing left to turn on... you turn to religion. The last bastion.

[squeakyReaper]

Not really in trouble financially, we're great with savings.  Just sucks spending our luxury money on those things- she bought me an 80$ engraved bible "for when I'm ready".  It's been going on for a month or so, so I guess that's not really long enough for honey mooner's syndrome to die down yet, heh.  Thanks for the present advice.

Sorry for the whole rant thing, I just needed a sanity check.

[TheMasterTurtle]

I am a Christian and I must say that is going a little overboard. 10% of income is very extreme. I don't buy Christian CD crap or anything, I stick with my bible and a few analytical books and go to church

[timotheus]

This is coming from a person who was raised in an intensely religious family..

You could try letting your Mom know that you need time to think about all this. Maybe letting her you know you need time to absorb all this, and to please not pressure you into anything.. that might help. Something along the lines of "I don't want to reject your life changes simply because you're pushing them on me so hard".

I'm not sure. Newly religious people can be.. zealous. And it's tough, right, because they have good intentions. I hope she tones it down soon. Also, I hope your depression lessens. Being depressed is so draining. I deal with it myself, on occasion.

[squeakyReaper]

As a note for the 10% thing, she was told that's appropriate tithing money.  Not a random number, though dunno where it comes from.

[justinlee999]

The 10% tithe comes from one of the Old Testament law books, though if you were to believe that, you might as well believe in not eating pork, stoning sinners for various deeds, etc. They were in the law books too.

[mr. macduggan]

I think all mormons do the 10% tithe. Can't be sure though...

[squeakyReaper]

Ah, okay.  There seems to be a very strong stigma relating to giving to the church, as shown by the tearful story of the woman who sold a dress to donate 24$ to the church (her only luxurious belonging, which they happily accepted)...  Iunno, as long as it's not scientology's alleged levels.

[Vector]

I'd read the Bible through at least once, because it's damned useful context for a lot of other people's opinions.  Might also fend your mom off for a while: "Yeah, well, I'm thinking I should find out what it says in here first."

[G-Flex]

People sometimes take drastic measures for their own sanity in order to deal with difficult circumstances, and do things they wouldn't otherwise do. People do what they need to do in order to not go crazy, even if it's not the most rational thing (by their own standards).

Hell, that's the exact principle on which most cults work: Vulnerable people will be willing to take extreme risks or do things they would normally never do if you offer them a means by which to deal with their predicament or be happy.

[Funk]

"Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people."

Karl Marx

it sounds like she is under a lot of stress, so she turned to god for help.
if it helps her get by then it is a good thing that she is not turning to drink or drugs.
still read a bible, it will be a great help in any aguments.

[squeakyReaper]

We do bible study every other day, chapters at a time.  I gotta say, some things in there can be interpreted in certain ways.

Socially, for example, you get the idea that the snake was a terrible creature that told lies, tempted Eve and did all sorts of evil.  Actually reading it, the Snake was telling complete truths, with his only fault being "defiance".  Not to root for the bad guys of the story, but each designated villain ends up being more reasonable than the "good guys"...  At the very least, reading it for myself gives me an edge in conversations/debates/arguments about the subject matter.