Question: My family is very upset with me because I am an atheist — what do I do?
Unfortunately, not every family is very accepting of people rejecting their religion; rejecting belief in a god altogether can be even more difficult. You've told your family that you are an atheist, but like many families, they aren't reacting well and things are going badly for you. Figuring out what to do next is very difficult.
To a large extent, how you proceed will depend a lot upon what your social and financial relationship is with your family. If you are a financially independent adult living on your own, you have quite a few more options open to you than if you are a teenager still living at home. You will also need to ask yourself to just what extent you want to repair the damaged relationships with your relatives. In the case of abusive family members, you may not want to continue a relationship with them unless and until they seek help and begin to change.
However, assuming that the damage is repairable and that repairing it is something you want to do, you'll have to take some time to consider just how you will go about it. Seeking out a professional family therapist may be worth doing, especially if you are an adult and can afford to do so — but be sure you don't use one who is biased against atheism.
If you are a teenager living at home or otherwise financially dependent upon your family, your options are a lot more limited. Your family may use your dependency as leverage against you and thereby try to force you to conform to their beliefs. This is unfortunate for you because you probably can't avoid it, but it is also unfortunate for them because it is unlikely to work.
They can force you to conform in terms of behavior (and, to a certain degree, requiring you to abide by their rules is entirely reasonable). However, it is both wrong and unreasonable to try to force you to believe in a god and be a member of their religion, even if you are a teenager. Your parents may believe that important morals and values are dependent upon their religion, but hopefully they will learn that that isn't true and that a person can be moral and good not only without their religion, but even without believing in their god.
Keep in mind that your behavior will play an important role in whether or not they do learn this. You don't want to attack their religion or the fact that they continue to be members of that religion; you don't want to attack their theism or the fact that they continue to be theists. You don't want to be particularly rude and nasty when it comes to religious issues, however much you may be tempted to do so — especially when it seems that they are constantly pushing their religious beliefs on you.
This doesn't require always being meek and subservient, however — indeed, there may be quite a few heated confrontations and arguments along the way. At times you will need to be very firm and assertive about who you are, what you believe, and why you believe that way. Your family won't always be understanding, and sometimes your relationships may get worse before they get better, but so long as you refrain from personal insults and remember to show love and respect even as you are being assertive, it will be possible for things to get better.
In the meantime, a good plan would be to focus your energies on learning more about religion, learning more about atheism, and working towards the day when you will be financially and socially independent such that others won't be able to use their power over you to try to change your beliefs. It may seem far away now, but the day will come and your studies today will make you a better person when that day arrives.
