Is it important to let people know you are an atheist?
It's important when forming a new relationship, but it may not be important or it may, in your work place, that varies as to where you work and in which country or which part of your country/city. Where I currently work as a teacher, religion never comes up, no one cares, and it's not relevant.
Lucky you! Seriously.
Being an Atheist is as important as being honest sane and neighborly. I was born this way and cannot imagine living my life any differently than Atheistically......I will not lie for 2 rapist popes, be irrational as bible thumpers nor threaten anyone with alleged hells nor bribe others with alleged heavens
It doesn't define me. However, it is more important to live a life based in reality and facts than one in delusions and willful ignorance.
Faith is belief in the absence of facts. Willful ignorance is belief in spite of the facts. Willful ignorance is often mislabeled as "faith" by religious persons.
It depends on the situation. If we're casual acquaintences and the subject doesn't come up, then no. If I am asked to join/do something affiliated with a church, then yes. If the person is genuinely close to me then my attitudes and proclivities will come up naturally.
Being an atheist is natural and ordinary. We've all heard how all children are atheists until they are conditioned by adults to believe; we've all heard how everyone is an atheist for every other religion on earth but their own. And everyday experience informs us that a person's religious identification has nothing whatsoever to do with their moral behavior, which is what really counts.
I don't volunteer the information and when the subject comes up, if I have a political or business need to avoid giving offense to others, I identify as "not religious" and only use the word "atheist" if pressed. In a low-pressure situation, I treat it as both unimportant and the equivalent of any sort of religious identification.
How often do people attach importance to the color of their eyes? How much importance should be attached to that variable but immutable characteristic? That's the appropriate level of importance of a person's religious identification, which includes atheism.
I think it is important for people to separate their religion and politics though I'm not sure if that is actually possible. It doesn't matter to me that I'm an atheist. It does to some people, usually the religious ones.
I don't think anyone else cares about my stance on gods, except me. With the exception of my Sister, who, out of misguided good intentions occasionally tries to "sell" Jesus, even my close friends care not one iota about my deal. But then most of my favorite folks are in my life because we each recognize the similar open status of our minds, and have respect for one another.
It's no more important to me to let the world know I'm not a believer than is is to let them know I have two hammer toes on my left foot !
Personally, only if people ask and argue. I generally let people believe what they want. I try not to judge people too much because it's a free country, and lately I've not been pestered because, though people may not understand, they understand I don't judge them.
Not the general public. Perhaps people you work with and people you live with.