religion

People get so weird about the R word. Oh no, I'm gonna say it...! R-r-r-religion!!
I understand getting annoyed with people who just can't seem to shut up about the Bible. I understand getting agitated with those people who are always trying to "convert" you or whatever.
But when I say, "Oh, thank God!" out of relief, and I get a weird look or a snappy response of, "Uh, I don't BELIEVE in God." I'm like lol whattttt.
Allow me to explain to you the kind of home I live in, the kind of home I grew up in. Religion is an unavoidable topic in my household. I have an extremely religious family, and God is brought up in all sorts of conversations. When I was a child, we were at church every single Sunday. (I almost have to laugh at it now; we were even at church when my parents were hung over.) I was taught to pray at every meal, and I still pray before eating even now that I am an adult. When my mom died, she did not leave my sister and me with money or anything like that; she left us her Bible. Every morning, rather than watching the news, my dad is watching one of those channels with ministers preaching. I am also quite literally forced to read the Bible every night.
So you see, I do not say things like, "Thank God!" to offend you. God and religion are just what I grew up with; it's just a common thing for me, because I am constantly surrounded by it at home. Really, I find it rather preposterous that people get their panties in a twist over something so simple, anyway. I do not preach at people. I do not snap at people for not praying before they eat. With the exception of my occasional "thank God" or "ah, yeah, I was praying really hard that I'd do okay on that test," I never even bring up the subject of religion at all to people outside of my family. I find it ridiculous, however, that I feel the need to censor myself out of fear that I might (gasp) offend someone by mentioning God! God and religion are not bad words. I feel that people REALLY need to quit being so sensitive about that shit. I have met more than one person who has said something along the lines of, "If someone brings up God around me, then I just don't talk to them anymore. It's obnoxious." Perhaps these people need a reminder that saying such things is every bit as judgmental as the stereotypical Christians they seem to fear so much. These types of people hate me because I believe in God, not because of my personality. They hate me, NOT because I preached at them or tried to convert them, but simply because I believe in God at all!
Ridiculous. Stop with the hate. Like or dislike someone based on who they are, not their religious beliefs. To be blunt, it's discrimination; it's really just as idiotic as hating someone based on their orientation or race.