Update: got in touch with my son a few months ago, and have established a very warm and loving relationship with him! Turns out he needed to do a LOT of processing thanks to his mother's bi-polar condition, and the resulting abuse, which I had no idea about. It's made him look at me in a different light, so now instead of telling everyone I abandoned him and his sisters, he now describes how his mother did everything she could to keep me from them. How's THAT for a turn-around! Time does a lot, so if anyone is still estranged from family, take heart...

Look at the good side, you're free of religious indoctrination. Live your life to the fullest and don't dwell on your kids. They chose their own fate. Find another lady and feel good that you're rid of a nasty lady, who doesn't give a damn about you, or your kids, if she'd so coldly do what she did.

I’m so sorry. I’ll hope they do too.

No, my daughter is a chip off the old block, a non-beliver.

Yep. My daughter and stepson. My oldest son is probably agnostic or at least questioning the evidence for god. We still talk daily.

My family, yes. I don't have any kids.

That's awful. I raised my three on my own and thought I'd done an ok job. Then my son succumbed to his xian wife's manipulation, and now he's a fervent religiot. I'm still in touch with him, but it's really, really hard to have a conversation over more than the usual niceties. We were so close, and now we're not. It's awful.

No, but the reverse, my ex has distanced my kids, many reasons, but the fact that they would not follow her religion is one of them.

My parents almost did?They tried to give me a lame ultimatum to go to their church and raise MY kids in their religion.

No, my kids were agnostic before I was. But a good way to change the negative ways of others is to use behaviorist methods.

Totally ignore them. Don't talk about them, post about them, or bemoan your fate to anyone. Act like they don't exist. Get busy and happy with your own life and act like you forgot about them.

Since the point of blackballing is to punish you, they'll soon start making overtures.
Whenever they actually say something positive to you, ONLY THEN notice them-look at them, smile at them briefly, then go about your business. No clingy, needy, desperate behavior. Just act like you are preoccupied with more important things.

If you only acknowledge them when they say or do something you approve, it won't take long before they are the ones trying to get your attention.
Just stay cool, and have many friends and activities to occupy your time so you don't give the impression of some lonely, sad person-which would only encourage your family to scorn you.