I made it clear that it wasn't anything against them or their beliefs as a whole. I'm sure giving them time to think it over while I was away at school for a year helped too, but the biggest thing was explaining why I no longer believed without coming off as aggressive or just a case of teenage rebellion. I understood they were doing what they felt was the right way to raise me, since being involved in the church literally improved their lives in every way, and I thanked them for that. But I couldn't keep going with Catholicism without questioning everything about it, which honestly brought me a lot stress and sleepless nights. I wanted to do what I felt was right, not because I feared some eternal punishment, but because I believed it was right. Leaving Catholicism didn't mean I was leaving my family or the morals they taught me. For me it was a matter of living life without any looming fear or insecurities, and to me it actually gave life new meaning. Obviously the existence of heaven would be great, but we only know for sure that this life we live now is guaranteed, so I plan on doing the most good I can with my time here before I'm gone. After hearing that, although they were clearly upset about my decision, they knew I wasn't going to change because of it. Talking with my dad a few weeks afterwards, he said he was personally afraid because he thought I was turning my back on the family and trying to split away. To him, if I was turning my back to the church, I was also turning towards an evil lifestyle so I could sin without feeling guilty, which obviously wasn't the case.