The heartland is a rough place to be a free thinker. I keep it to myself unless I'm in a safe enviornment. You have to pick your battles man.

Skateboarding woman, here. It's not just religion. It's literally anything that forces people to confront their assumed certainties.

Very sad that you have to deal with that. I tend to have a easier time when I don't discuss religion with anyone. Since I'm not a believer anymore I don't feel the need to share with anyone about my personal choices. Unless I'm asked point blank I don't think a lot of people I know personally when know. I just enjoy belong happy with me when if I'm the only one that knows ?

I remember reading a sci-fi short story which I now realize was about your experience. In it, society accepts you as long as you're "happy", keep taking your drugs, and don't become a bummer to everyone else. There was another story in the book, which had contributions from many authors, about an intelligent person's experience growing up in a world where being better at something is seen as arrogance, thus requiring them to fly under the radar - or camouflage their talents.

There are lessons in both stories, I think.

While your conversion to non-belief is exceptional and commendable considering the coercive power and social pressure of religion, you must realise that there will be consequences for identifying with a different tribe. We are intelligent monkeys, after all.

Two sayings keep me out of conflict:

"I'll leave space for your religion to exist, if you leave space for my rationality"

And.

"When the student is ready, the teacher will appear."

Get yourself ready.

Practice Socratic Dialogue. I can't recommend Street Epistemology enough.

Oh man, you list your age as 18. When I was 18, and that was a looong time ago, I stopped shaving to protest the vietnam war and grew a ponytail. Talk about being shunned by the community, I was openly insulted and called a traitor to my face. This was a couple of years before I figured out that religion was bullshit, and by that time, in my early 20's, I had a LOT more experience dealing with the fuckstick jackwagons with closed minds and a tribal prediliction to distrust and attack the unfamiliar. I suggest that you should persist, find your own way, do NOT give up your values or your voice, and grow stronger. And Kansas? Look for an escape hatch, but don't expect that a physical move will solve these problems, they are yours to confront wherever you find them, and they will find you, trust me. Stay strong, good luck, and I hope this helps just a little.

Their opium only works if the delusion isn't challenged.

Yes it is though when one lives in a community that is so bigoted, considering themselves to be so Christian but acting very unchristian like. You need to either move or hold your head up high and live by example. That one is hard but you will see that after some time people will see that despite you believing in something else you are not a threat to them.

I'm sorry you are going through that. Is it possible to move? Glad you found this online community, but in person is better.

It's so easy to outsmart them.... (Why) make it complicated?

It's almost as if ignorance is contagious. Maybe there's a better place for you to live.