A wedding, and I "outed" myself

A wedding is the last place you think you'd have to worry about being an atheist. The ceremony is all about the couple. As an atheist, I am very discrete about my beliefs. I just go along with it. The ceremony had blessings and bible readings (which I mostly zoned out for). There was no long, drawn-out mass like some Christian marriages.

The problem is after the ceremony, at the reception. Who did I end up sitting next to? The reverend and his wife. Yeah, thanks! They were very nice people. I wonder what they would have thought if they knew that I think religion is bullshit. Not that I'd ever start something because it's nobody's business.

There are a few in my husband's family who are aware that my daughter ("E") is atheist. My SIL knows, and started talking to me about how she is nervous for her atheist son to visit over the holidays because he is one of those "angry" atheists who thrive on shoving his opinions onto others. I despise people like that. That is why I try very hard to be open-minded about religion in general.

I told SIL that she has every right to honor her religion in her house, and she should ignore her son or tell him to shut up or get out. Then I told her that even though E and I are both atheist (not sure if she realized it about me), that there is no need to even talk about stuff like that. Religion and politics are personal and many arguments arise from those topics. So, just don't go there! That's my opinion.

Anyway, we were having this nice chat about how she might deal with her son and all the chaos he could potentially cause. I glanced to the other side of the table to see SIL's cousin listening intently. Crud. Some things I just don't want others to know. This cousin is VERY religious, and is a Eucharistic minister (meaning she can give communion at a Catholic mass). I'm sure there'll be some gossip about me, but whatever. It's the same as when we all found out about the one cousin's daughter being gay. Everyone eventually got over it and nobody thinks twice about it now. It is what it is.