The world had a lot more free thinkers before the inquisitions. Nowadays we are subjected to a milder one and we're just shamed when we denote acts of heresy. I just told my parents how I felt and when I was finished I asked them if they still loved me and then made sure to not get into any religious debates with them.

My family is very Catholic. My brother is a smart...physics degree... and still a believer.

We debate (calmly and respectfully) all the time.

It really depends on each individual family and family member. I just know some topics I generally can not cover with some people or they will lose thier heads.

Lucky for me, our family was not religious so I grew up with critical thinking intact.

I took my time before I told them. I did lots of reflection and analysis. I tried understanding why do they need religion. After I came out to them, they were defensive and insulting. They asked me about our shared past religious experiences. They thought it was a phase. I didn't engage in arguments. I proposed to agree to disagree. I ignored their passive aggressive jabs at me. Eventually they accepted it. The religion for my family is a crutch. They can't fathom their lives otherwise. It helps them get through their lives. So who am I to burst their bubble if they really don't want it gone. It's complicated, but it took some time to get to this odd truce.

Stay aware of your conditioning. I think it is best to not suppress it or run from it, but rather to just watch it and stay aware of that conditioning. As you are aware, what to do will become clear.

As for dealing with religious family, I would encourage you to have a goal - what is it you want from that exchange? You're grown and have shown your strength by parting with this craziness. That was a tough choice; plenty of people choose comfort over integrity all the time and you didn't. Be aware of that as well and see that the conditioning you have doesn't compel you to back away from that place of integrity.

All the best to you!

I think the easiest path is "don't ask, don't tell", a lot of families will just carry on as usual as long as you don't confront them. It's probably more about leaving the family fold than anything else. But honestly this was more my father's problem than mine, my grandparents were strict protestants, whereas my father and mother were more hippies for a while.

I started questioning and doing research in 2002. I was a total believer and well versed. By 2007 I had enough data from the Historical, Linguistic, Mythological, Archaeological, Anthropological, Semiotics, Geophysical, Astronomical, and Biblical records that I came to an understanding of the "Zeitgeist".

Being honest and consistent, regardless of what they wanted to hear. Circumstances are very important.