Re: STUPID, BIGOTED EVANGELICAL FATHER!
And also with manatees, correct? Humans are definitly special if we share a common ancester with manatees. *nodnod*
Like opal said, we share a common ancestor with pretty much _the entire animal kingdom_ if you go far back enough. Monkeys are the closest living relatives to us, apart from pre-Homo sapiens hominids such as Homo habilis, erectus etc. etc. We share an evolutionary ancestor with monkeys in the sense that some couple million years ago, there was an animal that was very much like a modern monkey, but not completely a monkey. It gradually, slowly evolved into two different branches. That thing we evolved from wasn't as much a monkey as modern monkeys are - it was very much like a modern monkey, but not exactly a monkey.
Evolution is very subtle. That's the beauty of it. Humans did not evolve from monkeys - they evolved from creatures that were very much like monkeys. There was a creature that was close enough to monkeys that if it evolved through the path monkeys used, it would end up being called a monkey, but some different path in evolutionary space-time took it to become a human.
Anyway. I'm not sure I know what you mean. If you stick up for your beliefs, aren't you saying you believe them and saying why? I mean, I guess you could ignore everyone elses claims after you say that, but that isn't doing your belief any justice.
There's saying what you think and there's shouting it off a rooftop. Apart from that, in some situations, as you may have noticed, saying what you think is tantamount to suicide. You must judge whether you'd risk being a little secretive a little longer and work towards a situation where you can be yourself, or speak your mind and face the consequences of the situation you're in. If you're diligent about what you say and think, then you might not be convincing towards other people, but you might also not stick your nose in so far that it gets chopped off.
Some people, like strong evangelicals, will not be convinced. They have faith, remember this. They will cling to it even in the face of odds that prove they are wrong entirely and utterly. This is what faith does. You can't convince those people because being an atheist entails being critical about anything. And being critical means destroying thought processes that don't lead anywhere. And the "safe zone" or "comfort zone" of their minds, will be destroyed. Therefore they do not accept such things. They indeed use faith to build their lives.
It is better to keep quiet until you are independent, then show your father how much you are worth, and tell him quietly. If you mock his beliefs openly, of course he will be insulted. You can't tell somebody their whole worldview is wrong and accept them to take it lying down, even if you're right rationally. There's a difference between being right and being accepted as being right.
Also if this entails physical abuse you're allowed to tell social services. Punishment using belts should be outlawed. Unless you're in some shitty country where it isn't. In which case I wish you good luck.
And ohmygod, your avatar is scary. I'm gonna remember you.
I love it.
