Living in my part of the Bible Belt, I can tell you that if i ran for office as an openly liberal atheist i might as well not try. If I tried to focus on atheist activism in my area, I would absolutely expect death threats and intimidation tactics to be used to suppress me. Id have to go out of my way to draw the attention, but I’d still call it a degree of oppression. Not compared to women, LGBTQ and people of color but compared to an actually free society Id say youre correct. If I displayed rainbow or Clinton flags or anything else likely to piss off one of Mango Mussolini’s god fearing concentration camp apologists half as much as their confenderate second place participation trophies piss me off, Id expect some passive aggressive vandalism around my property at the very least.

Atheists are vilified and liberal ones especially are politically oppressed in most of the south east, midwest, and in basically every red state, rural, out of the way place i know of in some way, with very few exceptions. If you don't have a university, major metro area, legal herb or beach in your area and your population stagnates/never leaves the area, you stay pretty closed minded because not enough diversity is reaching you and youre not reaching out to enough of it either. Residents of my town sometimes surprise me with their kindness, but Im an aryan dreamboat so I wonder how life here is for those who can't pass as a redneck. Everyone tries to mind their business and i return the favor, but i know my life would be much harder if i were more vocal and politically active as an atheist.

Here's my 2 cents. I think there are far more atheists (in the way most if us here are atheists, not like Ricky Garvais' description, "We're all atheists, I just believe in one less god than you." ), but they're afraid to verbalize that, or "come out of the closet."

I've lived in Germany and have friends in the UK, so I realize it's more common to be atheist in Europe and way easier to be open about it. Here, you can lose family and friends.

My best friend has been told - more than once - to stop associating with me. Christians don't have as much faith in their dogma as they let on, because they're terrified that friendship with an atheist will cut into their bottom line, so they push for shunning and ostracizing.

So, anyway, it's not, strictly speaking, oppression, but it is really fucking lonely.

Your counterpart has NO idea what they're talking about.
The "bible-belt" covers A LOT of ground, and there are atheists throughout.
I'm an open atheist in southwest Georgia. I'm not alone, but there aren't many.
Especially not many who feel safe to be "out". There are many who feel their jobs, homes, and families would be at risk were they to be open about their non-belief.
While some may believe there is not "active oppression" of atheists in this country, there are still seven states that prohibit any person who denies the existence of a "supreme being" from holding any public office.
Btw, the idea of an "atheist homeland" is patently absurd.

I won't call it oppression but the area in Pennsylvania where I live is full of what I call fake Christians. They are very vocal about everything that doesn't fit into their strange little mindset. But I have a group of freethinkers that I spend time with and I do my best to ignore the fake Christians and their religion/politics. Also I don't spout my beliefs or should I say disbelief but that is mainly because I'm a private person and it would never occur to me to walk up to a stranger and say," Hi I'm Christina, I've been divorced twice and I'm Agnostic with Buddhist leanings.

Honestly, it kind of varies from place to place, more so than just generalized bible belt areas. Some communities are really tolerant and accepting of all faiths (or lack thereof), some are very much not. A lot of it follows how liberal or conservative an area is, with conservative areas, predictably, being less tolerant and accepting.

Up in northern Michigan, I had a boss tell me that I didn't need to take holidays if I didn't have a religion. I also had a lot of combative people get aggressive about my lack of religion when I came up, though thankfully, no others were in a position of authority.
I haven't been living in North Carolina very long, only a few years, so I haven't had too much happened here yet. But I see the potential for atheist discrimination even more here than back home. A lot of the area is very Fundamentalist. I get a bit disconcerted when I have to wonder, if my ex and I ever get into a real Court battle over custody, will the officials discriminate against me, overtly or otherwise? Would I even know if they did?

It's pretty pervasive across all of America that atheists have to live in the shadows until very, very recently. Until just this last year it was difficult to be in a position where you interface with the public and acknowledge your were an atheist. I teach in a high school, and I do not think that my colleagues or the parents would generally accept or understand being atheist.

I have lived in the "bible belt" all my life, Alabama and Texas, and I have never experienced "oppression" as an A-theist. I must admit that I am NOT an outspoken A-theist and you cannot be identified as an A-theist just by looks.

I used to live in Pennsylvania and had suffered job discrimination there from stating liberal views and atheist views. It’s a little better in the cities but I’d say it’s rampant everywhere in America to some extent. I don’t share the beliefs (lack of beliefs) unless I really know someone.

My husband, myself, and my mother in law are athiests who live in the Bible belt.

If we just run, they win.

Im in michigan, No oppression to speak of, most people don't really care, and the fun thing about atheism, is if you don't mention it, pretty much no one asks. On the rare occasion that it becomes relevant most people respond with 'oh, ok' and drop the subject.

There is no atheist homeland. A homeland means a place it gave birth! It is given birth in your mind when you decide truth is better then myths.

I live in rural Indiana where most people around are Christians. To be honest it's really not that big of a problem here. Most are just Christians in name only. Basically people keep to themselves. Its more of an issue in Jr/Sr high school where everyone was a bible thumper but when you move on and meet your real friends the bible thumpers don't matter.

There’s no such thing. We maybe unwelcome, but we’re not actively oppressed.

Midwest here, twixt Milwaukee and Chicago, and can confirm the anti-Atheist sentiment is alive and well. Depending on personal situations, making your beliefs known can impact your job as well as your social life. I know people who are in the closet because they fear the repercussions of others knowing they are Atheist. I don't make a point of telling everyone of my beliefs, it usually is not relevant, but usually don't make a point of hiding either. That said, I tried to be quiet about it on my job when I was still working.

Why is the US called America? The America's is actually comprised of 39 countries, most of which do not have any form of English as a first language. In reality habitants of all of these 39 countries are American's.

It's all over.... To the point where people in the US are still afraid of electing openly atheist city officials. They think being religious guarantees them that their representatives will have integrity, despite all the negative news about their deeds on TV.

Not really. You’re not paying for it. The public is. You know the everybody including you.

I've worn my Atheist T-Shirts into Walmarts, convenience stores, farmer's markets, and antique shops from Tulsa to OKC, OKC to Dallas, and from Dallas to Houston. While I've had a few "looks", no one has ever said a thing to me. I live in a small town near the TX/OK line....and there are Wiccan groups here....other pagan groups....Buddhists....and lots and lots of people who will freely tell you that they "don't go to church" except for weddings and funerals. I really don't think it's a problem anymore, in general.

One must remember regardless of blue States and red States there are conservatives and liberals everywhere.. and I grew up in the Mississippi Delta my aunt helped the Freedom Fighters get to Washington DC. like some of the things that happened in Alabama I certainly consider it one of the worst areas for what I might call religious ignorance. I also see what's happening now Through The Eyes Of Evolution we only a geological blink away from being hunter-gatherers so much has happened in the last hundred years and like I said and geologic time that's not even a blink a nanosecond split a gazillion times. but yes it's true that in America for example California is very different from North Carolina like New York is different from Texas. its history

By the “Bible Belt” most people are referring to the South I think, and that description is grossly inaccurate. Religious fundamentalism is rampant all around the country.

[pewforum.org]

If you click on the above link you'll see a rating of various religious practices and values in the South. Under each table is a tab to click on and see how the various regions compare in religious practices. If you look you'll see that while the South is indeed more religious, the differences among the regions are not very great. There are certainly not enough differences to warrant labeling the South as the "bible belt". The South is a huge and diverse region, the most populous region, with every conceivable religion and religious opinion.

So far as oppression, I live in a very rural area, and I’ve never heard of anyone being oppressed because of their religious opinions. There are great numbers of people around me who, while not describing themselves as atheists, are definitely non-believers, and they are in no way oppressed. Of course that is just my observation. Others might see it differently.

What about in your country? Do people commonly say that they are atheists? Are there cultic fundamentalist groups? According to something I read, Paul Dirac was denied a professorship at one of the English universities because of his atheism. Is that common? He had no trouble getting on at FSU, right in the heart of Cracker country, and he is buried there, in Tallahassee.

People assume I am catholic because of my Irish roots. Fortunately my father was excommunicated from the church years before I was born. People are shocked and usually argue that "I must be a believer, how dare I .....". I don't care and they can pretend they are really christians

I’m in NYC and constantly hear about thoughts and prayers, it’s god’s plan, thank god... it’s bloody all over!

I live in metro Detroit. Atheists are seen as unethical even by my ‘open minded’ contemporaries. Though I’m accepted, there is an initial assumption that I’m a hedonistic, careless, and generally wild animal.

Everywhere.