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Me, I'd just be straight with them. Tell 'em, I don't have the faith; I'm going to explore life without it. Tell them that faith can't answer all the questions that you have.
Yes, the family will hate it. Yes, there'll be much commotion. But how will they feel about you if you lie to them for 10 years, and then they find out? Will they think you've been a true son by lying to them?
This must be a very conservative form of Christianity; because frankly, old-line Protestant denominations, and even the Catholics, pretty much accept that most youth will stop going to church in their late teens and _mayb e_ come back in their 30s or 40s. That's just the way life is.
I read a "how to be a pastor" book from 100 years ago once, and it said, "You're gonna lose a lot of them at 15, but don't sweat it; most of them will be back someday." The way so many conservative churches try to keep a tight grip on the kiddies through college and beyond is mainly a phenom of the last 25-30 years or so.
I'm not saying you're going to pop back to your old religion. But you might move on to some other spirituality that can coexist with your basic atheism. Religion and spirituality is about coming to terms with the universe -- and you don't have to believe in God to do that!
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