I don't have a family. It's been a relief.

Only very carefully

Yes it's easy as out of 7 kids all raised Catholic 6 are now atheists.Parents long gone (my mother simply followed my dad and after he died she became who she was, an agnostic). One sister can't make up her mind as she keeps switching religions (now a 7th day Adventist) but is easy to talk to. She does push her religion of the day but we just ignore her. My dad never really forced religion on us but did send us to parochial school.

She's 89, nothing you say will change what she believes but it can hurt her. My mum's 93 and the same. I just accept her for who she is, prayers and beliefs, and I don't try to change her although like you I do point out the realities of religious abuses at times. Not to change her beliefs but to give her perspective. She told me today that she saw one of the yank televangelists going on about trump and she thought he was possessed by a demon

My family knows I am an unbeliever/Atheist, but don't like it. We have all agreed to disagree on the subject of religion and simply don't talk about it.

With a few of them. My father is a die-hard mormon. I don't argue with him about it. It works for him, so he is welcome to it. He knows I don't want anything to do with religion. He doesn't like it, but he lets me do my thing.

Well you seem to be yourself around your mum. Of course you can be yourself around your family, unless they are fanatics.

We all get along great. Very rare political or religious discussion comes up. There are, of course disagreements sometimes, but in the end we all live with our differences.

This was weighing on me heavily today.

Since I left our church, my family has treated me more respectfully overall. But they also stopped inviting me to family functions for a while. They've begun including me again the past couple years but I'm not sure I trust them.

Emotional abuse was the norm in my home during my childhood but we treated other people respectfully. I don't know if my family has changed or if they are just treating me like an outsider because I'm no longer a member of their church.

Either way, the answer is no, I can't really be myself around them. To a certain extent, I'm able to be more myself than ever before but I can't speak openly about my beliefs. Hell, just drinking coffee breaks my mom's heart.

If we cannot be 'ourselves', as in who we truly are to any others, it means to me we are in some measure still not ourselves to ourselves either. Isn't it a comfort to genuinely respect others' differences when they return respect for yours? I cherish it because it is so rare.

I always have been truthful to my immediate family. I had some great aunts that I never discussed religion with but I don't think they were very religious anyway.

I've always felt it was important to respect other people's feelings on religion and never tried to change their beliefs. It's always about doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.

My family lives in denial. I remind them frequently. It's a dance.

I am.

I love religious friends and family. I steer clear of religious discussions. Just as I don't like to be proselytized to, I try not to challenge someone's faith.

I don't hide anything but I do tone it down with co-workers on the religious aspect. What I find strange is my daughters and a few others I know looking at Trumpism and biblical end times, then getting back into religion again.

My family knows about and accepts my atheism. What alienates me from them is my classical liberalism, including my rejection of regressive leftism, Marxism and Islam.

Yep.
They all know.
I don't hide anything.

Yes, if they accept you for who and what you are, not just as they would like you to be.