Frontmatter --CONTENTS --Acknowledgments --INTRODUCTION. The Other Closet: An Introduction to Atheism and Coming Out Processes --PART 1. LEAVING FAITH --Arriving at Atheist Identity from Religious Backgrounds --1. HOW I GOT TO NONE OF THE ABOVE --2....
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Frontmatter --CONTENTS --Acknowledgments --INTRODUCTION. The Other Closet: An Introduction to Atheism and Coming Out Processes --PART 1. LEAVING FAITH --Arriving at Atheist Identity from Religious Backgrounds --1. HOW I GOT TO NONE OF THE ABOVE --2. RELIGION AND THE F-WORD (FEMINISM) --3. CLAP OUR HANDS LIKE TREES --4. EX-MORMON --PART 2. CULTURAL CONTEXTS IN COMING OUT AS ATHEIST --Introduction --5. AN UNEXAMINED LIFE --6. USER ERROR: COMING OUT AS ATHEIST IN UTAH --7. THE NAMES WE CALL HOME --8. A LIFE OF CLASS CONSCIOUSNESS --PART 3. TWO CLOSETS? Identifying as Both LGBTQ and Atheist --Introduction --9. A TALE OF TWO CLOSETS --10. THE PERMANENT PRODIGAL DAUGHTER --11. FAR FROM HOME --PART 4. AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH --Navigating Romantic Relationships as an Atheist --12. AN ATHEIST'S SIMPLE REVELATION ABOUT LOVE: IT'S COMPLICATED --13. SWEPT UNDER THE RUG --14. ON LOVE AND CREDULITY --PART 5. FAMILY LIFE AND ATHEIST PARENTING --Introduction --15. DINNER WITH GRANDMA --16. PARENTING AUTHENTICALLY IN AN INTERFAITH MARRIAGE --17. HAVING A BABY MADE ME AN ATHEIST --18. BORN SECULAR --PART 6. THE SEARCH FOR CONNECTION --Coming Out to Friends and Questing for Community --19. SLOW GROWTH --20. AN ATHEIST IN THE BIBLE BELT --21. COMING OUT AND FINDING HOME --PART 7. ATHEISM AT WORK --Tales of Coming Out to Coworkers and Colleagues --22. IS THIS THE WAY TO AMARILLO? --23. CRACKING OPEN THE CLOSET DOOR --24. MY FAVORITE ATHEIST --PART 8. ATHEISM AND AGING --The Challenges of Entering Older Adulthood as a Nonbeliever --25. THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED --26. A CONTRARIAN LIFE STORY --27. DARK MATTER AND MISSING SOCKS --Concluding Thoughts: The Open Door --Notes --Bibliography. This collection features more than two dozen narratives by atheists hailing from different backgrounds across the United States. Ranging in age, race, sexual orientation, and firmness in their irreligiosity, these individuals address religious deconversion, community building, parenting, and romantic relationships, providing a nuanced look at living without God in a predominantly Christian nation. These narratives illuminate the complexities and consequences for nonbelievers in the United States. Stepping away from religious belief can have serious social and existential ramifications, forcin
