Christian Mother, Atheist Father Violence - Advice needed as teen

[evajane]

Hi! I'm a 13 year old girl.

My mother is a baptised christian and has been taking me to church for my whole life. (Side note I'm getting baptised in a month) My father however while loves my mother and my mother loves him is a strong atheist. He is a science and biology teacher who firmly believes my science cannot go with religion. (A view I personally do not share)

Recently he has been in many extremly bad moods and has been threatening to stop letting my mum take me to church. Despite my mother accepting his opposing views he has recently been forcing arguments and debates through the night were my mum simply trys to hold her ground and get him to accept while not agreeing with her points/beliefs. He makes he cry and shouts. alot. I cannot sleep and feel scared as my mum is other then christ my rock. Seeing her cry and my dad violent and angry is hard. I also feel like each unaccepting word that trys to tear down christianity and its evidence and views is a knife in my heart. Hearing it from a man I love about a God I love even more. Even when I ask my parents while crying to stop my dad just shouts at me to go to bed. My mum while crying begs me to go to bed and try to sleep.

Additionally hearing this all the time. My fathers ignorant destruction of evidence/beliefs/reasons of christianity while I try to fight it slowly damages my belief. I constantly hear his words damaging my trust and resolve in christ. I cant escape the fighting. Occasional violence. And emotional abuse. He also acts like he has done some great favour by allowing my mum to continue taking me to church. I just need advice on how to approach this while strengthening and maintaining my faith.

 

[HealthAndHappiness]

Hi! I'm a 13 year old girl.

My mother is a baptised christian and has been taking me to church for my whole life. (Side note I'm getting baptised in a month) My father however while loves my mother and my mother loves him is a strong atheist. He is a science and biology teacher who firmly believes my science cannot go with religion. (A view I personally do not share)

Recently he has been in many extremly bad moods and has been threatening to stop letting my mum take me to church. Despite my mother accepting his opposing views he has recently been forcing arguments and debates through the night were my mum simply trys to hold her ground and get him to accept while not agreeing with her points/beliefs. He makes he cry and shouts. alot. I cannot sleep and feel scared as my mum is other then christ my rock. Seeing her cry and my dad violent and angry is hard. I also feel like each unaccepting word that trys to tear down christianity and its evidence and views is a knife in my heart. Hearing it from a man I love about a God I love even more. Even when I ask my parents while crying to stop my dad just shouts at me to go to bed. My mum while crying begs me to go to bed and try to sleep.

Additionally hearing this all the time. My fathers ignorant destruction of evidence/beliefs/reasons of christianity while I try to fight it slowly damages my belief. I constantly hear his words damaging my trust and resolve in christ. I cant escape the fighting. Occasional violence. And emotional abuse. He also acts like he has done some great favour by allowing my mum to continue taking me to church. I just need advice on how to approach this while strengthening and maintaining my faith.

I'm sorry to hear what you are going through. I can understand having been through a similar situation as a child.

I have two things to offer that should help.
The first is a short message of >Good News< to kids at school.
You should pray as sincerely as you know how at the end.
Ask if you have any questions.

The second will take some searching to find.

 

[Doll]

Do you really feel safe at home?

Praying for you and your parents.

 

[Roughsoul1991]

Hi! I'm a 13 year old girl.

My mother is a baptised christian and has been taking me to church for my whole life. (Side note I'm getting baptised in a month) My father however while loves my mother and my mother loves him is a strong atheist. He is a science and biology teacher who firmly believes my science cannot go with religion. (A view I personally do not share)

Recently he has been in many extremly bad moods and has been threatening to stop letting my mum take me to church. Despite my mother accepting his opposing views he has recently been forcing arguments and debates through the night were my mum simply trys to hold her ground and get him to accept while not agreeing with her points/beliefs. He makes he cry and shouts. alot. I cannot sleep and feel scared as my mum is other then christ my rock. Seeing her cry and my dad violent and angry is hard. I also feel like each unaccepting word that trys to tear down christianity and its evidence and views is a knife in my heart. Hearing it from a man I love about a God I love even more. Even when I ask my parents while crying to stop my dad just shouts at me to go to bed. My mum while crying begs me to go to bed and try to sleep.

Additionally hearing this all the time. My fathers ignorant destruction of evidence/beliefs/reasons of christianity while I try to fight it slowly damages my belief. I constantly hear his words damaging my trust and resolve in christ. I cant escape the fighting. Occasional violence. And emotional abuse. He also acts like he has done some great favour by allowing my mum to continue taking me to church. I just need advice on how to approach this while strengthening and maintaining my faith.

I know this will be hard to hear and even harder to accept but violence is never okay. In this situation your mom needs to gain a temporary separation and a potential restraining order on your father because the number one importance is that you are in a safe environment, then your mom.

Your father spiritually is having the light expose inner darkness and that inner darkness is very bothered by the light.

A temporary separation may be the healthiest option to direct it to long-term healing. If the abuse and violence gets so severe and your mom doesn't report it, then you tell another trusted loving adult.

I'm so sorry you are exposed to this. If violence is occurring then this is the response needed to protect you both.

If it is just verbal abuse and lots of arguing well as toxic as that may be for children in the home, police won't do much for that. I would still recommend a temporary separation on their part to work on healthy communication and problem-solving.

Anyways don't doubt, your faith is built on centuries of evidence, billions of lives, personal revelations, and a Bible that has withstood the scrutiny of scholars, the evil of invaders book burnings, the tyrannical influence of kings, we have 100s of fulfilled prophecies, and the changing of lives through the Holy Spirit.

Don't doubt. Science doesn't say anything, scientists do.
Science is just observing in which the scientist builds a theory often based on personal bias and opinion. Research sometime that many Christians are in the fields of biology or science in general. Two scientists can look at the rocks and one walks away with an old earth theory while the other with a young earth theory. Either one is right, both are wrong or the truth falls somewhere in the middle.

Be strong and remember violence is never a light issue and should be taken seriously. Sometimes love means doing what is temporarily painful for the greater good.

 

[HealthAndHappiness]

I just need advice on how to approach this while strengthening and maintaining my faith.

Once the large website loads, the upper right white lined menu is the one to choose. Then look for "Creation".
This should provide (A-Z) plenty of Bible/ faith based science and Scripture to build your faith.
Creation Sciences

 

[HealthAndHappiness]

@evajane ,
I'm wondering if your grandparents, aunts and uncles might be of help? Could they perhaps have a talk with your parents? I'm hoping that there would be family accountability that your Mother would seek. Maybe she needs encouragement to do that. This is all I can suggest being a stranger on the Internet from another country. Those closest are the ones able to offer help.

 

[Suze]

Hi! I'm a 13 year old girl.

My mother is a baptised christian and has been taking me to church for my whole life. (Side note I'm getting baptised in a month) My father however while loves my mother and my mother loves him is a strong atheist. He is a science and biology teacher who firmly believes my science cannot go with religion. (A view I personally do not share)

Recently he has been in many extremly bad moods and has been threatening to stop letting my mum take me to church. Despite my mother accepting his opposing views he has recently been forcing arguments and debates through the night were my mum simply trys to hold her ground and get him to accept while not agreeing with her points/beliefs. He makes he cry and shouts. alot. I cannot sleep and feel scared as my mum is other then christ my rock. Seeing her cry and my dad violent and angry is hard. I also feel like each unaccepting word that trys to tear down christianity and its evidence and views is a knife in my heart. Hearing it from a man I love about a God I love even more. Even when I ask my parents while crying to stop my dad just shouts at me to go to bed. My mum while crying begs me to go to bed and try to sleep.

Additionally hearing this all the time. My fathers ignorant destruction of evidence/beliefs/reasons of christianity while I try to fight it slowly damages my belief. I constantly hear his words damaging my trust and resolve in christ. I cant escape the fighting. Occasional violence. And emotional abuse. He also acts like he has done some great favour by allowing my mum to continue taking me to church. I just need advice on how to approach this while strengthening and maintaining my faith.

Hi , I'm very sorry for your situation , I know that it's very frightening and distressing to b able to hear your parents arguing and , to hear your mum crying is extremely traumatic for a young person .
Having been through a similar situation and , now having the benefit of hindsight , there r a couple of things I can tell u that might b helpful .
Adults r very complex and u may not b aware of everything that is going on in your parents relationship . This arguement between them may not actually b about religion , it may b about power and who is the boss in your house . Religion may just b the battle field that's being fought on , but not the actual battle , if u can understand that . I'm not always great at making myself clear .
Physical and emotional violence r not things that u and your mum should have to put up with for any reason . R u able to talk to your mum about these things ? Is your relationship with your dad good enough that u feel u can talk to him about what is going on ?
If u decide that either of those things might b possible and u want to try , make sure u pick the right time . Make sure that whichever one u talk to , isn't too busy doing something else , make sure u have enough time to b alone with them and if u can , try to think before hand about what u want to say to them .
This may seem hard for u to believe , but it is possible that they don't realise that u can hear them and that u r as aware as u r about what is going on , they genuinely may b unaware of how much this is upsetting u .
If u don't feel able to talk to either of them , how about a very close family member ? An aunty or uncle ? Someone that u know u can trust and who love u , your mum and your dad . As I said earlier , adults r very complex and I hope u r able to stay calm and not b too disturbed by this behaviour , I also hope that your parents resolve their differences and get back to a normal family life very soon , u might like to know that that is exactly what happens a lot of the time .

 

[Daisy2]

Evajane,

I'm sorry to hear about the difficult situation with your dad. If possible, maybe you could encourage him to read The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach by Michael Licona. It's a book that presents historical evidence about Jesus’ resurrection both Christian and atheist perspectives. Licona himself was very skeptical and wrestled with these questions for years before investigating the truth for himself. Your father might find it interesting since he's fact based.

I hope these stories and movies can bring you some encouragement and strength during these hard times:

• Gladys Aylward: The Small Woman With A Great God (2010) | Full Movie | Carol Purves
• Woman of Faith, Darlene Deibler Rose testimony part 1 - YouTube
• Sheffey (1977) | Full Movie | Dwight Anderson | Harold Kilpatrick | Beneth Jones

Sleep with God's Word - Psalms with Rain for Deep Sleep Read By David Suchet | The Book of Psalms

 

[Ceph]

You aught to tell your father to look up how many biblical prophecies have come true, and show him all the prophecies that align with the last times.
He needs an abrupt wakeup call. Pray that he'll receive that.

 

[Branch]

Evajane, You're a 13-year-old girl about to be baptized soon, which is a wonderful step. I know you live with your father who isn't saved and is against you going to church. He's been staying up all night, which the Bible says is often a sign of wickedness, as God gives rest to the righteous but the wicked have trouble sleeping, and they cannot sleep without doing wrong. Proverbs 4:16.

I understand you love your dad, but it's important to be safe. Right now, it's best not to talk to your dad about religion, and your mom shouldn’t either. Fighting about religion might escalate to violence, which sadly tends to start small and grow worse. Your dad isn't just opposing you; he's opposing Jesus.

If possible, consider moving to live with a Christian family member like grandparents, an aunt, or an uncle who will support your faith, especially because your dad seems unwell spiritually and emotionally. He might be demon-possessed, a condition he can't fix, and it can get worse and become dangerous for you.

Your mom should think about leaving him and divorcing if possible, to protect you both. But if that can’t happen, keep your faith private; don't tell your dad about your baptism or your belief. Consider being baptized quietly at home, maybe with your mom in the bathtub or a private spot, like a lake or a river, without your dad knowing.

You've grown up with this man, but now he is very different because we are living in the end days and there are more demons. If you want to live peacefully, keep your belief hidden until you can move out. If you choose to openly tell him, you might face serious danger because the spiritual battle he fights is very real and harmful.

Remember, you’re not just dealing with your dad—but if you want to be a martyr, you know you can tell them that you're Christian, but he might kill you. That's just the way it works. You might end up dying for it. That's the way it works because of those demons; you don't know how many demons are in him and they can't stand a Christian living peacefully. You know, one time somebody said to me, 'Branch, you're not dealing with the leaf here, you got the whole tree.' Think about that for a moment—how many demons your dad could have in him.

He knows that God exists; your dad knows that God exists. He wouldn't be fighting with you so fervently if God didn't exist. He's keeping you up and running down the Lord because that's what he has to do. He wants to rail against God, against goodness, because he is practicing some sin. It's something that he loves more than God, and that's it. God bless you, good luck; I'll be praying for you. May the Lord God protect you Evajane in name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Amen.

 

[Branch]

34 Do not assume that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household. Matthew 10:34-36

 

[GRACE_ambassador]

Hi! I'm a 13 year old girl.

My mother is a baptised christian and has been taking me to church for my whole life. (Side note I'm getting baptised in a month) My father however while loves my mother and my mother loves him is a strong atheist...

Precious friend, @evajane, sorry to hear about all the trouble. Best is to stay in God's Word:

God's Grace Word for our infirmities! ​

+

"Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is The Will ​

of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 AV)​

​

Many of us on this site will be doing this with you. May you always have God's:

Grace, Peace, Mercy, And Love!

Amen.

 

[Branch]

Precious friend, @evajane, sorry to hear about all the trouble. Best is to stay in God's Word:

God's Grace Word for our infirmities! ​

+

"Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is The Will ​

of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 AV)​

​

Many of us on this site will be doing this with you. May you always have God's:

Grace, Peace, Mercy, And Love!

Amen.

Dear Grace,

Peace, mercy, and love in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I read your post, and while I agree with you that 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 is a good reminder for all of us, I must respectfully and urgently share my concern.

The child in question is only 13 years old. It is not safe or wise for her to live with a father who denies her religious freedom, mocks the name of Jesus, and creates an environment filled with fear and turmoil. Her mother was a Christian when she married him, and now the child’s faith is being torn apart by hearing constant insults and fights in the home.

Please place yourself in her situation. At 13, she is too young to defend herself against a parent who opposes her faith, keeps her awake with conflict, and may even threaten her for following Jesus. No child should be forced into a home where they are not safe spiritually, emotionally, or physically. This is not only a spiritual concern but also a human rights issue.

You may be 60 or older and strong enough in the Lord to resist spiritual attacks in your own home, but a young child does not yet have that strength or ability. We must not advise her to endure what may crush her faith or even place her life in danger.

I also know of an adult in her twenties who is afflicted by what I believe to be demonic possession, and even in the Bible such individuals were not living with their families. If, by God’s grace, you feel led to provide her with a safe place of lodging, please let me know privately.

For now, my plea is this: please do not suggest that this young girl should live with a father who endangers both her body and soul. She deserves the freedom to worship Jesus without fear, and she must be protected from the kind of oppression that could destroy her faith at such a tender age.

Thank you for hearing my heart on this matter. May God bless you with wisdom and compassion.

In Christ,
Branch.

 

[Branch]

Hi! I'm a 13 year old girl.

My mother is a baptised christian and has been taking me to church for my whole life. I cannot sleep and feel scared as my mum is other then christ my rock. Seeing her cry and my dad violent and angry is hard. I also feel like each unaccepting word that trys to tear down christianity and its evidence and views is a knife in my heart. Hearing it from a man I love about a God I love even more. Even when I ask my parents while crying to stop my dad just shouts at me to go to bed. My mum while crying begs me to go to bed and try to sleep.

Additionally hearing this all the time. My fathers ignorant destruction of evidence/beliefs/reasons of christianity while I try to fight it slowly damages my belief.
Dear Evajane,

Greetings to you, and praise to The Lord Jesus Christ, who can do anything, Amen!

Jesus loves you very much, and you can trust Him. He wants to keep you safe from harm. I want you to understand that getting help for your family now is the best thing you can do. If your dad hurts you or your mom, he could go to prison because what he is doing is wrong.

By asking for help, you are helping protect your family. Your dad is wrong to hurt you and your mom, especially since your mom was a Christian when he married her. Right now, your dad is hiding his bad actions in the darkness of the night, but your job as a Christian is to bring that darkness into the light by getting help for them.

Now, I want to explain something important about family safety in Australia.

Sometimes, very sad things happen where dads hurt or even kill their wives and children. Usually, this happens when the dad is very upset because of problems like arguments, anger, or stress that he can't control. It’s a tough subject, but knowing about it can help keep people safe.

In Australia, last year (2023–24), there were 448 murders, meaning people were killed by others. About 175 of these were related to family or domestic violence. Sadly, about 3% of these murders involved a parent killing their child.

Here are important helpline numbers to call if you or someone you know needs help:

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 – for family, domestic, or sexual violence counselling, available 24/7

Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 – for children and young people, available 24/7

Lifeline: 13 11 14 – for crisis support and suicide prevention, available 24/7

Emergency: 000 – for immediate danger and police

These hotlines are private and safe places where caring people can support you anytime.

God be with you, Evajane, and God bless you, Amen.

Your friend,
Branch

 

[Randy4u2c]

Hi! I'm a 13 year old girl.

My mother is a baptised christian and has been taking me to church for my whole life. (Side note I'm getting baptised in a month) My father however while loves my mother and my mother loves him is a strong atheist. He is a science and biology teacher who firmly believes my science cannot go with religion. (A view I personally do not share)

Recently he has been in many extremly bad moods and has been threatening to stop letting my mum take me to church. Despite my mother accepting his opposing views he has recently been forcing arguments and debates through the night were my mum simply trys to hold her ground and get him to accept while not agreeing with her points/beliefs. He makes he cry and shouts. alot. I cannot sleep and feel scared as my mum is other then christ my rock. Seeing her cry and my dad violent and angry is hard. I also feel like each unaccepting word that trys to tear down christianity and its evidence and views is a knife in my heart. Hearing it from a man I love about a God I love even more. Even when I ask my parents while crying to stop my dad just shouts at me to go to bed. My mum while crying begs me to go to bed and try to sleep.

Additionally hearing this all the time. My fathers ignorant destruction of evidence/beliefs/reasons of christianity while I try to fight it slowly damages my belief. I constantly hear his words damaging my trust and resolve in christ. I cant escape the fighting. Occasional violence. And emotional abuse. He also acts like he has done some great favour by allowing my mum to continue taking me to church. I just need advice on how to approach this while strengthening and maintaining my faith.

Hi! I'm a 13 year old girl.

My mother is a baptised christian and has been taking me to church for my whole life. (Side note I'm getting baptised in a month) My father however while loves my mother and my mother loves him is a strong atheist. He is a science and biology teacher who firmly believes my science cannot go with religion. (A view I personally do not share)

Recently he has been in many extremly bad moods and has been threatening to stop letting my mum take me to church. Despite my mother accepting his opposing views he has recently been forcing arguments and debates through the night were my mum simply trys to hold her ground and get him to accept while not agreeing with her points/beliefs. He makes he cry and shouts. alot. I cannot sleep and feel scared as my mum is other then christ my rock. Seeing her cry and my dad violent and angry is hard. I also feel like each unaccepting word that trys to tear down christianity and its evidence and views is a knife in my heart. Hearing it from a man I love about a God I love even more. Even when I ask my parents while crying to stop my dad just shouts at me to go to bed. My mum while crying begs me to go to bed and try to sleep.

Additionally hearing this all the time. My fathers ignorant destruction of evidence/beliefs/reasons of christianity while I try to fight it slowly damages my belief. I constantly hear his words damaging my trust and resolve in christ. I cant escape the fighting. Occasional violence. And emotional abuse. He also acts like he has done some great favour by allowing my mum to continue taking me to church. I just need advice on how to approach this while strengthening and maintaining my faith.

Evajane, you and your mum need to read I Cor 7:12-16. If your father is preventing you and your mum from worshipping God, it isn't a good thing. You may be better off without him but setting a godly example may eventually win him over. I pray for God to change his thinking for your benefit.

 

[Mwestton]

Hi! I'm a 13 year old girl.

My mother is a baptised christian and has been taking me to church for my whole life. (Side note I'm getting baptised in a month) My father however while loves my mother and my mother loves him is a strong atheist. He is a science and biology teacher who firmly believes my science cannot go with religion. (A view I personally do not share)

Recently he has been in many extremly bad moods and has been threatening to stop letting my mum take me to church. Despite my mother accepting his opposing views he has recently been forcing arguments and debates through the night were my mum simply trys to hold her ground and get him to accept while not agreeing with her points/beliefs. He makes he cry and shouts. alot. I cannot sleep and feel scared as my mum is other then christ my rock. Seeing her cry and my dad violent and angry is hard. I also feel like each unaccepting word that trys to tear down christianity and its evidence and views is a knife in my heart. Hearing it from a man I love about a God I love even more. Even when I ask my parents while crying to stop my dad just shouts at me to go to bed. My mum while crying begs me to go to bed and try to sleep.

Additionally hearing this all the time. My fathers ignorant destruction of evidence/beliefs/reasons of christianity while I try to fight it slowly damages my belief. I constantly hear his words damaging my trust and resolve in christ. I cant escape the fighting. Occasional violence. And emotional abuse. He also acts like he has done some great favour by allowing my mum to continue taking me to church. I just need advice on how to approach this while strengthening and maintaining my faith.

Child, my mom is of faith and my x step dad was 100 percent narcissist. He was always keeping her up yelling and screaming. She tolerated him for 13 years. Finally they divorced. I never let him convince me that my faith in Jesus was false. He only believes in himself and views all his ways are right in his eyes like the Bible says people will in the last days. Please don't let anyone rob yourself of Jesus out of your life. Love is not treating a family like this. The couple is unequally yolked. We don't blend with unbelievers. We are in a world full of them. You're in my prayers.