Open but gentle. Many people have doubts about their religious beliefs and I like to be able to talk to them about those doubts. I've found aggressively asserting my agnosticism shuts folks down or makes them hyper defensive. I grew up in a very religious environment, so I know the humans inside the believers. Conversations with those humans are more interesting to me than a debate that is, frankly, getting a bit tiring. Also, as agnostics and atheists, we have a pretty crumby stereotype to deal with. I like to subvert that stereotype. That's hard to do when you tell a religious person they're stupid for believing something. They often expect an atheist to be disrespectful and aggressive because they're taught to believe that's how we all are. Some of us are aggressive, and that's fine. Religion has hurt many of us. However, I try to be the agnostic that I am, rather than take on the expectations of people I disagree with. I've found gentle, open discussions are a powerful path towards helping people shed unhealthy religious views.

I'm not a self-worshiping egotistical athiest like Anton LaVey , nor am I agnostic. I am spiritual, but I do think there is some sort force of good and evil in the world. The dark usually obsesses me, but I know the difference between doing the right thing, and the wrong thing/ Steven Weinberg once said something along the lines of "In a world with or without religion, you would have good people doing good things, and evil people doing bad things. But for a good person to do evil tings, that takes religion". On a tangent, look at Hitler and Stalin. One was Roman Catholic for most of his life. The other was an athiest.

My parents know, my grandmother knows, my aunt and uncle know... other than that I keep it to myself. I live in a very religious part of Kansas so i would definitely be treated differently if others knew. as an example the place i work at has a large wooden sign in front that says "In God We Trust" right below the name. and one of my co-workers told me i was going to hell if i didn't accept Jesus as my personal savior... its not something i share with people freely, however if they ask then I will not lie.

When it comes up : wide open Anti-theist.
Nothing to hide, nothing to fear, nothing to lose.

My husband is a Methodist; our boys are non-practicing Christians. I am very hidden in the closet.

I am open because so many carry bad stereotypes about us. I think it’s important for them to confront honest skepticism that challenges the you are mad or want to sin narrative.

Pretty open from the beginning. LOL an Army 1SG once aggressively asked, "you're just an unrepentant sinner"

YUP

Thankfully my family has always been supportive.

Open atheist mainly because I am not bothered to talk about it to 'anyone of any religion or none' if they want me to. I actually don't think its a very interesting subject I'd far rather talk about everyday things. I was brought up in a small suburb of London & religion was never really talked about - because it was personal. I now live in Northern Ireland where its a great topic of interest and seems to define people - as in 'I'm this not that' I find it difficult given that there is only one specific difference between the two ways of praising the same god and I sometimes think it isnt about the religion at all but a bit like a need for difference to maintain a sense of self.

Open...even became an ordained minister in the Church of The Flying Spaghetti Monster to flash my ordination card at religious co-workers and such.

Open. I don't hide it, though I don't go around shoving it in people's faces.

I'm an open atheist with my family and friends. Generally, I respond by letting people know I'm an atheist when they start justifying their bigotry using "The bible says..." I let them know that I believe all religions are equally foolish.

MILITANT ATHEIST in that I go out of my way to respond to the 'buffoonery' (nice description memetolva) that some people claim as true and right. Respect for individual beliefs is one thing, once it enters into policy or practice that effects others, then I speak out. Their are some incredibly dangerous people in the world today, many are driven by religious delusions.

I am an open atheist because I feel that I have a right to show the religious crazies around here in oklahoma that people don't need a god to be good people. I volunteered at the local soup kitchen until they found out I was an atheist. I volunteered at the local thrift shop until they found out. So now I spend my free time with my kids and their friends keeping them out of trouble and keeping them busy. A few parents know I'm an atheist and I don't do anything to hide it but mostly they just ask me not to say anything to their kids. I have no issues with that request and even correct my kids when they speak up.

OPEN! Because I am an american and I have the right to be and believe what I want and have researched!!

I am an open agnostic, but I don't were a sign an advertise. If someone is pouring on the gospel, or church identity then I will tell them I am agnostic. Usually the conversation ends there. I wouldn't mind further inquiry, but most times the conversation is dropped, the subject is changed.

I'm open. I like to treat people with respect regardless of what they believe. I enjoy hearing about other religious views. I'm not judgmental. You can say it's against my non-religion.

Open or not? Never gave it a seconds thought. I yam what I yam. It's not that I'm an atheist. We are all born atheists. We have to be taught to adopt the mantles we hang on ourselves and others. I am an unencumbered human. I did not make a choice to believe in a higher power or not. None ever came around for me to believe in. Anybody here ever meet one? Just curious. As maturity approached I did read the bible to see if it had any beef. Nope. No red meat at all. Just a bunch of fish that swam away when you got close. I was so confused with that fantasy I cancelled my subscription to Mad mag. Found that the printed word was also not believable. That coupled with the desire to be left alone by powerful people or supposed omnipresent entities gave me the title of 'atheist'..... Believe? What a word. I believe I'm alive right now. Able to walk and talk. Get stuff done. Work my hobbies. Enjoy my family. Enjoy this life. All without any astral help. The bottom line? If there was a god of any type, I would want it to stay far away from me and mine. But, I know there is not.

To have been an open Atheist would have been professional suicide while raising to kids alone, without support what so ever, though my friends and family knew this. I am a firebrand Atheist, since my retirement. I make it a point to listen, be kind and gently with the religious and don't mind engaging them in that subject. Some people can't look me in the face and some people are close and dear friends. It's all good.

I don't usually share my beliefs or lack thereof... But most of the times I just say " I do not practice religion, I just believe in something"

I don't consider necessary announce to all people around me my political or religious affiliations

Kinda closeted agnostic at least until my divorce is final and I can move out of the more fundamentalist part of my state, part of the dynamic involves having to write down some of my moral and religious beliefs as part of the questions sent by my ex’s lawyer...the deeper I got into the questions, the more I realized that what I believe in and what I want for my kids just doesn’t square with what most churches offer out here (and the ones where I might be a fit don’t count in the eyes of many). But I’m isolated enough in this town as it is.

Open, except that no one ever asks.

It's so much easier to simply keep it to myself but I feel that it's important to display to the world that we are around in large numbers and we are good moral people. However, it can be super discouraging to waste your breathe on people who just assume that you are evil because you reject their dogma so I am generally not very outspoken unless I am conversing with someone who seems capable of critical thinking.

Well I'm open enough about it that I post FFRF newsletters and alerts on my Facebook page. Anyone else?

I'm open to close friends and parents. Still haven't told my grandparents as I risk alienating myself from them near their deathbed. Something I don't (as of yet) feel is necessary. When the timing is right I will tell them. As far as social media I don't like to get preachy. Seems too much like my religious days.

I am an open atheist to my family and closest friends. As far as the overly conservative close knit community I was brought in goes, not a lot of people know of my deconversion.