One day at dinner with my friends and gf I decided to tell them I was no longer following the round earth belief system. I have heard people tell stories about when they decided to leave the family faith. But when I announced my denial of round earth belief literally everyone scoffed liked they thought I was joking, and then erupted when they realized I was not. My best friend got in my face: "How can you be so stupid? Seriously! This is how we see the world! Science is central to everything! What are you living for if you cant believe in science?!?" The dinner party quickly dissipated. My gf was the last to leave. She handed me back the ring I had given her just a week before and said something about not being able to share her life with someone who didn't acknowledged the truth... Its been a long time scince I talked to any of them. Some of them write science papers now, others have science degrees, all of them still meet weekly at the old favorite spots and discuss the latest "discoveries". I have moved on, as I knew I had to let them go. So all that is to say: [u][i][b]I understand and respect your faith offtopic. [/b][/i][/u][u]I know letting go of the promises associated with what you believe is hard. [/u]When you first reject science you feel sort of lost: like how will all the predictions of a perfect tomorrow come true? How will lifespans increase, or space travel ever make it to the heavens? How will the earth be restored to perfection? To the pristine environmental, pre industrial conditions? And most of all, how can u tell the family? I still remember my dad reading me bed time stories out of an old leather bound book with one of those silk ribbons used to mark your place. It was an over-sized Britannica. He would hold my hand as I fell asleep and tell me to "[b]imagine the stars, millions of years old and that never sleep, all up in heaven watching over you[/b]." I always fell asleep happy.