I say put 'em on the rack! A little stretch on the rack will get the truth out of them!

Sorry. I'm a little jumpy today...

To openly declare yourself agnostic or atheist in today's religious climate requires a certain level of courage most do not possess. The courage to lose everyone in your life that matters. The courage to be an outcast among your peers. The courage to stand against the world alone. The courage to face whatever consequences may come, up to and including ridicule, hatred, unemployment, discrimination, character assassination, threats, violence, and even death. And all the while knowing you will not be rewarded after death for your courage.

By openly stating that we are Agnostics / Atheists whenever they talk about religion in our presence.

I think we come out of the closet when we can take pride in our agnosticism/atheism. We need to be clear in our own mind that being evidence based is far superior to being faith based (faith being believing in things without evidence or even when evidence is for the contrary). Faith is illogical and anti-intellectual. It's a fight against ignorance.

I never pressure anyone about their religion or lack thereof.

As an atheist, I am tired of Christians trying to convert me and asking the same tiresome, rude questions:

"How can you be a good person with morals without believing in God or going to church?"

"What happens when we die?"

"How did the universe begin?"

As if being an atheist automatically makes me an astrophysicist.

I lost half my family. So I would say when there is nothing to lose. Besides we are making more headway than religions. Our numbers keep getting bigger and better.

I do not fear ostracism from my friends and family, but I do find myself concerned with the "general public", those whose opinions really should not matter to me. I don't like the feeling of being judged or hated because of my beliefs, so I often avoid the subject matter. I think if we (myself included) were more inclined to be more open with EVERYONE perhaps it would not be such a rare occurance (this discussion of atheism or agnosticism).

We could give free cookies to anyone who publicly acknowledges their agnosticism. Just a thought.

Slap anyone that says "Jesus" but make sure you say "mosquito" afterwards.

Encourage sounds like forcing things just like religion does. Everyone must become aware and beliefs free by themselves. It's a slow process but I would like to think that eventually everyone will get there.

I am always so surprised when this happens. Is it only in the US that people are afraid of saying that they are atheists/agnostics? I know that there are countries that will prosecute you if you renounce the religion but in the US that is supposed to be free?

Yes, but oncoming generations increasingly don't care about religious status quos. Think how rapidly LGBTQ people gained mainstream approval, despite current GOP setbacks.

There are some cultural elements that need to be considered in some cases, esp. with POC. From my experience, black and Latinx people have a lot of our cultures linked intrinsically to religion. With black Americans, the church is tied to strongly to our ascension from slavery that it's very difficult for us to tell our family and friends that we don't believe in Jesus because it's almost like a betrayal of our history. The most popular Civil Rights figures are religious and because of the limited amount of POC who can actually make things like films and TV, we're generally painted in the same light over and over and that is being super-religious. The same is usually true for Latinx people as well. I've embraced the term "atheist" because I want to normalize the word as something that's not spooky or evil, but from all that I've heard, it's sometimes best not to start with such terms because they scare people who are on the fence. There are more people who just don't believe in god or have lost faith in their religions. I think one of the ways to make space for them is to allow them not use the "a" words until their comfortable, secure, and can handle the backlash they might get from friends and family. I know some people hate terms like "safe spaces" but they're essential to minority communities. It's where we can share resources and ideas without worrying about being outed to our families until we are ready. More spaces like these show non-believers that they're not alone. It's what I needed and I'm guessing it would help others as well.

It just never comes up. It has never really come up in my life. If you were a believer at one time, who convinced you, you were wrong? I have never heard anyone here say they were converts because someone convinced them it was the way to go. Like myself, I believe people come to this conclusion on there own.

In the bible belt, that can lead to a lot of problems. I would likely lose half of my income if I outted myself or it was done for/to me.

I also recommend watching Street Epistomology videos with Anthony Magnabosco on Youtube. It may give you some help with having non-threatening conversations with believers.

Same as what worked for the queer community, by being honest, open and authentic about who we are whenever possible. It models for others and encourages them. The more positive visibility we get, just as gays and lesbians got, the more acceptance and less stigma we will have with the public.

There's a spectrum of answers but I think to keep the peace is on the high end of it.

Just let it ride. With a wee bit of hope, some will come around. Seen it in my own lifetime.

We can't.
Their fear overwhelms their reason.
Being ostracized and rejected is not fatal.
They don't understand that they can create family for themselves.
It has nothing to do with DNA.
People need get a backbone with this stuff.