Why are you expected to love someone just because they are related to you by blood?

[Rollet]

Honestly, all you seem to be able to do is throw around the term "bigot" how you claim they throw the term atheist at you. The fact that they still try and convert you after all this time, I imagine, means that they care about you; seeing as how non believers aren't typically handed a get into heaven free card and all. So fuck them for trying to save you from eternal damnation.

That's not to say there way of going about it sounds like a good idea, trying to force beliefs on anyone is a shitty thing to do. But there helping you in the only way an ultra-conservative knows how and there never going to accept that you are an atheist. The fact that you are probably eats away at your parents, prompting questions such as: "where did we go wrong", or "what could we have done differently". So they may now be trying to make up for mistakes they made in the past, to help you going forward in life.

All in all though, they sound like shitty people, you sound like a shitty person who's just as unrelenting as they are in their beliefs.

TLDR; You and your family seem like unpleasant people to be around

/rant

[IIamaKing]

By the time you are old enough to really choose your family, if not a bunch of worhtless people, should have earned a place in your heart. Like Some familys are shit and you are under no obligation to love them.
I love my family because they help build me up and keep me strong. They have always been there for me in high times or low, I love them because they love me and they have earned my love and respect.

[SL1200]

I am almost 30 and haven't seen a member of my family since I was 15. Am I old enough yet to understand?

If your parents didn't abuse or neglect you, you may regret your decision when they die. I never truly appreciated my parents until I had kids of my own. When Dad died those feelings for him and appreciation of the things he did for me went through the roof.

At least I knew and was able to say thanks before he was gone.

[Xilurm]

If your parents didn't abuse or neglect you, you may regret your decision when they die. I never truly appreciated my parents until I had kids of my own. When Dad died those feelings for him and appreciation of the things he did for me went through the roof.

At least I knew and was able to say thanks before he was gone.

Lol, he ain't talking about your parents not giving you candy. It's worse than that.

This is why I will love my kids, if I ever have any, and care about them as much as I can. Because I know they aren't required to love me, I need to earn their love. Would suck if I got old and there was no one to be next to my bed to say goodbye to. (To the trolls: No this isn't the only fucking reason)

[Iflash]

I don't think it's so much because you are related by blood, but rather because they raised you/grew up with you/whatever. All the stuff they did for you, memories you built, etc.

If you find out you were switched at birth, nobody will tell you "you are supposed to love your biological mother because she's related to you by blood", so it's not really the blood part that matters.

In your case it sounds like you have a legitimate reason to want to stay away from your family, although I'd try to think about the kind of people they are beyond their religion, see if there's anything there.

[Reg]

If your parents didn't abuse or neglect you, you may regret your decision when they die. I never truly appreciated my parents until I had kids of my own. When Dad died those feelings for him and appreciation of the things he did for me went through the roof.

At least I knew and was able to say thanks before he was gone.

Check one for abuse, with scars both physical and emotional. I'm even twisted enough to have a favorite, the scar left from when my mom held a hot clothing iron to my back right below my right shoulder blade.

So yeah, not one ounce of love for my "family"