You relate being content to being a pushover?  Being able to accept circumstances without being driven to be emotionally unbalanced, such as being perpetually angry or depressed or negative is a strength.  Like, individuals who can be single and not get lonely, are stronger.  People who are mature have seen more and are able to put up with more.

Care to argue how it isn't? 

Everything taken in excess is bad. That includes contemptment. If you're always contempt, even when you have good reason not to be you'll never make any progress in life. Life doesn't get better without puttin effort to change it, and being unsatisfied with your current situation is a good incentive. Of course if unsatisfaction is taken in excess that it can have the opposite effect, but still the middle road is the best.

The  type of thinking that you talked about (contemptment in any situation) has had a very strong influence in Romanian culture and it's one of the main reasons why Romania sucks so much. I often remember reading Romanian literary works that had exactly this theme: a person tries to better their life only to fail miserably. Moral: be contempt with what you have, don't try to better your life 'cause you'll fail, you're gonna be a worthless POS forever.

The philosophy you talk about doesn't ilustrate maturity, it ilustrates fear. The fear of change and the fear of taking risks.

when Paul advises people to stay single, it's only when men were about to go out to war.  so then the woman wouldn't have to a widow.  (That's what I was taught anyways). 

It's sad thought that churches make stupid rules that's not in the bible just so that they could look "holy".  Stupid.

actually, talking to a priest isn't automatically an act of confession. It's different if you are willing to confess (where the priest serves as a kind of channel(conduit?) to God)  or do you just want to talk to priest seeking advice or guidance.

About your problem, religion is an individual choice, and like many other individual preferences, your choice is a subject to criticism from other members of your community. One can accept you as who you choose to be, or one can decide to distance him/herself from you. There are many variables on which this decision is to be made, and if your parents really love you, they will love you after you explain your proplem to them. Just don't expect that they will be happy with your choice. It's similar to console fanboyism - if your friend is a nintendo fanboy, and you are an avid supporter of ps3, you can normally continue to be friends, but you will hardly ever agree on some console-related topic. But ofcourse, while it's similar, religion has a far greater impact on one's life, and according to some, one's afterlife. 

Out of pure curiosity, why have you became atheist? HAve you considered other religions before you decided? Have you actually give your parent's religion a try (reading and research about dogmas and so on)? Have you found satisfying answers of complex questions such as existence in logic? Can you imagine your cease of existence on this world, and are you satisfied where yoi imagine yourself after that?

I know those are highly individual questions, and you don't have to answer them if you feel uncomfortable.

Just out of curiosity, what do they say about us Catholics? (And don't even bother replying if they call us "fish-eaters." I've heard that so much it's not offensive anymore).

OP: As a former atheist who has, as they say, "seen the light," I really have no advice. I never told my parents I was atheist, and by the time I was able to tell them I had converted back to Catholicism.

Shouldn't Paul be preaching against war?

What is the other option?  The American culture is one of always being miserable and wanting more.  You keep acquiring and never have any peace or happiness.  In this culture they keep selling more and more meaningless stuff.  The key here is to being able to be happy with what you have and appreciate it.  You can pursue more, but the idea is to not have your happiness lie outside yourself.  If you can't enjoy what you have, more stuff doesn't make a difference.  Key is to work out of where you are to have things get better, not suck where they are and not be as bad.   In this way, getting more is a blessing, rather than and end of suck.

Watch this:

LMFAO!Couldn't have said it better myself

Paul said to stay in the station in your life you were found.  If single, stay single.  If married, stay married.  Gain freedom if possible though.  Paul also writes about being content in all things.

Or......do what everyone else in the real world does at that age ( I was 19), save some money from your job and get an apartment.