Who Knows You're an Atheist?

[Perfect Ten]

As for me, I can only let close friends and family know my beliefs. If the powers that be knew at my place of work, I would not be promoted and would be ostracized, possibly fired if a decent enough reason came up. For those of you that can be open to all, please realize you have a freedom that some here in the US still don't!!!

[Codeine]

1. Every single person with whom I have more than a passing acquaintance

knows I do not believe in any God or Gods and hold religion in contempt. That includes my very VERY religious boss and my even MORE religious company owner.

[cleanhippie]

2. Everyone I know that I have had a conversation with about religion.

Unless the topic gets brought up, it remains unspoken.

[onager]

3. All my co-workers, and some devout Muslims, and...

But most of my immediate co-workers are atheists themselves. And I work in a field usually considered one of the world's most conservative - aerospace/defense. Hey, it's the engineers who give us a bad name. A lot of them are not only near-Fundies, but incredible woo-woos who go around wearing Magic Copper Bracelets and such.

During the nearly 4 years I spent in Egypt, I told some people I was an atheist. One very devout Muslim woman didn't have any problem with that. (So devout that she did "extra fasting," so it was hard for me to buy her lunch.)

She was firmly convinced that the unreligious can be just as "good" as the religious. And pretty much said she would rather associate with infidels than some of her fellow Muslims who gave her religion such a bad name.

I also had some interesting talks with a co-worker, who was always saying Egypt should be "more Islamic," but admitted he didn't exactly know how that could happen, short of having the Muslim Brotherhood run the country. And he was firmly against that idea.

He said many of his close friends were non-believers. But in his personal opinion, "everybody believes in something." Well, yes, but...

[MrModerate]

10. Interesting. I work with engineers, too, and they're generally non-religious.

Not believers or nonbelievers, but non-give-a-rat's-ass-ers.

They tend to be civil engineers, of course.

[onager]

18. Lots of the ones I work with are, too.

Or at least they don't go around advertising their religious/woo beliefs.

But the ones that do tend to stand out. Like the clown who had a plaque in his office saying: "It's one nation under God or get your ass out." Or the guy who tried to sell everyone on the benefits of copper bracelets. Or that other one, who was constantly pitching sure-fire investments in snake oil cures that he found on the internet.

My own theory - it's probably the whole "aerospace/defense" thing. I think it used to attract more conservative types. But that seems to be changing, certainly in the area of Software Engineering.

[realisticphish]

19. I think its a "wanna-be scientist" thing

They thing, "I'm an engineer, therefore I am smart, and I know science" even when there is, from what I understand, very little actual training in the scientific method involved

[realisticphish]

4. Kind of in between, for me

I'm not ashamed to tell people if they ask me. All my friends, coworkers, etc know. I don't know if my parents know, or not. I've never brought it up, and neither have they. I do have "agnostic" on my Facebook, though, so I'm sure Mom has seen it. (yeah, yeah, I know, "agnostic," but let's not get into all the bullshit associated with the word "atheist")

[cynatnite]

5. I live in the south...

Being an atheist can have negative consequences. I don't trust most people around here enough to tell them I'm an atheist.

[Perfect Ten]

22. I didn't mention in the post but I live in the south too...

Not only the south, but right in the middle of Jerry Falwell, Inc.

[amyrose2712]

6. I just recently started calling myself..

atheist, because I can't completely rule out all possibilities but I don't buy into anyidea
put forth so far. But anyone that knows me well enough that we had any kind of deep conversation knows that I'm a non believer or "heathen"as I am some times called.Also I am sorry to hear that do anyone could lose their job for such a thing. That actually shocks me.

[Odin2005]

7. Select few.

[mr blur]

8. Everyone I know, and...

nobody cares. But then I live here and not there.

[MrModerate]

9. To be honest, and since I'm surrounded by believers for whom I feel no pressing need . . .

To offend, I refer to myself as "not a religious person." They generally blink a couple of times and then move on. The few I've asked usually say, "Oh, I just thought you were a lapsed (fill in the blank), and so many of my friends are, too . . ."

Except the atheists, of course, who tend to give me an approving eyebrow-roll when I explain.

Not a lie but a social nicety. If I were activist about my atheism, I'd probably do it differently.

[LeftishBrit]

11. Everyone whom I know, with whom it's come up

Including very religious people. I've occasionally experienced very mild attempts to convert me, but NEVER ostracism or discrimination. Then again, probably the majority of the people at my workplace are atheists or indifferent to religion.

I get a bit down sometimes about the influence of religious right-wingers (mainly so-called 'pro-lifers') on some aspects of politics in the area where I live; but when I read some of the posts on DU, I realize how lucky I am!

[toddaa]

12. I don't go out of my way to tell people, but won't lie if asked.

Only a select few in my family know. I lost contact with my maternal grandparents, due to religion, when I was young and don't want my kids to go through anything like that, so I bite my tongue and suck blood at family get togethers.

[TZ]

13. Pretty much everyone if they know me well.

Its not something I advertise too much, because I do believe religious belief is very personal and private and if I'm not comfortable with you, its not something I discuss.
My dad on the other hand is kind of a loud pushy atheist....so umm, those who don't know about me specifically generally hear it from him...:rofl:

[WhollyHeretic]

14. Friends and family

I don't discuss politics or religion at work. I had been a little worried about my wife's family when we were getting married since they are LDS. There was a small problem with her sister who was mad that we weren't doing a prayer at our wedding and she also asked my wife "where does he get his morals from?" My wife's mother, who is the most religious person in the family, loves me and doesn't have any questions about my morals. My mother-in-law has actually called me a couple times when she's had a tough moral problem because she trusts my judgement.

I don't think my boss would care. He is republican and he is religious but he's still pretty laid back.

[Iggo]

15. More people know I'm a recovering drug addict than know I'm an atheist.

[amyrose2712]

25. Pssst...I have a question about your recovery and religion...

Basically, I am wondering what path you took in your recovery. The programs available seem to always be affiliated with religion. I mean it is masked with "higher power" but it seem to try to indoctrination. So many people that had issues with drugs and alcohol end up "born again" If you are private about this, no problem, however, from you above statement, you don't seem to be.

[Iggo]

26. I know I've answered this before, so I went searching...

...and I found this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=9429680#9430757

[Iggo]

27. LOL...here's another one.

http://demopedia.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=336x6018#6036

[dmallind]

16. Somewhere in between - everyone I have discussed religion with...

..or has noticed my numerous atheist shirts.

Other than the shirts - which are to me no more significant than shirts proclaiming membership in a running club or softball team - I rarely bother to bring it up unless religion is being discussed.

I'd guess about 60% of those who know more than my name.

[immoderate]

17. Friends and family all know. Business and strangers have to ask.

Depending on who is asking, I go to religious services either "never," or "every chance I get." :)

--imm

[lazarus]

20. pretty much everybody

I'm not shy about it. It cost me at least one job that I know of (in Alabama), but since I don't work anymore (full disability), there's no reason for me to hide it.

We live in a fairly liberal part of conservative San Diego county. The jerks who wrote the Left Behind series are from El Cajon, which is just 20 minutes away. Mega churches everywhere, except in our area of town.

The neighbours are fairly religious (they were big proponents of Prop 8), and know we're not (we had anti-Prop 8 signs up), but none of us cares. We're very friendly with each other. Heck, their youngest house sits for us when we're out of town. Good people, despite the religious stuff.

[Mr. McD]

21. Family, friends and anyone interested enough to inquire.

[Kolesar]

23. Could the question be rephrased: "Do you live in the South or not"?

The culture in NE Ohio is still very Yankee. It is almost unwelcome to start talking about religion.

[amyrose2712]

24. I live in NJ and I get a hard time for it.

One of my coworkers told me she was going to put a rosary on my desk because I was going to a marilyn Manson concert. I would have probably just hung it upside down if she did.

[provis99]

28. no one I know knows I'm an atheist. Not even my atheist sister.

I come from a family of fanatical Seventh-Day Adventists. So I see no point to telling them I'm an atheist.

[Rob H.]

29. Select few

My friends and most of my family know, but I still keep it to myself because I live in the Bible Belt. On my Facebook page, I just have "Non-religious" where it lists religious beliefs because at least three of the people on my friend list are super-religious and I work with two of them. It might be bad for me if it came out at work, I'm not kidding. The former owners didn't give us MLK Day off, but shut the place down on Good Friday--we get MLK Day as a holiday now but we're still closed Good Friday.

[pink-o]

30. It's not just the Bible Belt! I live in SF and work at the airport....

..yet among my co-workers, there are only 3 of us who're Agnostic/Atheist. I actually heard one of my co-workers say to another that they didn't know how anyone could have a "Moral Center" without believing in God. I didn't state the obvious: One shouldn't need the threat of a Supernatural Fairy Tale Daddy meting out punishment in order for you to do the right thing. At least not after you graduate 7th grade!

So ever since then, I've gone out of my way to be totally considerate and empathetic to all my co-workers. This way I can watch their heads explode when they see the Godless Heathen practicing altruism.:evilgrin:

[Deep13]

31. The LORD knows I'm an atheist.

:hide: