Since all of this went down, some of the people attending this party have slowly fazed me out of their lives. The reason why is unknown to me.
Might it be because many of them are religious and decided that didnt want to associate with someone who didnt believe like they do? If the people you are refering to were similar to the people you described in this post then I would guess that would be the why. If that is the case then just be glad they phased you out and that you dont have to deal with them. Im all for open debate and discussing different ideas, but if the people just want to evangelize, insult me, and use circular logic to defend their position then I would rather just not keep those people in my life.
I guess the best thing is to go to the party and just leave if the shit hits the fan (I live less than a mile away).
100%. Remember you owe him nothing. You can show up and talk to those people you WANT to see, and be civil with those people you dont want to. If they want to start a whole bunch of shit then just leave. If you do leave then try and quickly explain to those people that you DO want to see that you are going to leave because you dont want to cause trouble and it seems like your presence alone is causing trouble but that you would like to have a chance to see them again soon. That way hopefully it wont be another year before you see them.
My friend and I haven't talked since that evening. I've met him three-four times since then and just given a friendly wave, "hello!", and a joking/friendly compliment. In return I got a plain (>_>') face and a tiny nod.
I totally know what you are talking about. I have a few previous friends somewhat like this. Though I moved far enough away from where I grew up and ended up (through a few major life changes) severing almost ALL ties with anyone I knew before I turned 18. Thinking back on it, in the last 3 months I have not spoken a single word to a non family member that I knew prior to 18, and in the 3 months before that I spoke to 2 people I knew before then, both of whom are still occassional friends that I am friendly with, though rarely talk to. So I never really accidentally come into contact with any of those people who used to be great friends until I started to leave the religion that we were all raised in. Its amazing how quickly you can be shunned by a group if you start to hold different religious beliefs.