I’ve never been dumped, though “friends” have made it their mission to convert me, or to bring me to Jesus. They cease being friends pretty quickly.
Never. One gave me an opportunity to explain my beliefs (she found out that I was an athiest a few months into our friendship) because she thought I was a good person. After a few weeks of flip-flopping, she became an athiest herself. None of this has changed our friendship at all.
So, yeah, sometimes, good things can happen.
In complete honesty, I can’t think of any religious friends or acquaintances I have. Maybe parents of a friend, or “that church guy on the 12th floor”, but I go day-to-day without encountering religious folk. I’d be flabbergasted if someone other than a close friend asked me whether I belonged to a religious faith.
In fact, to confess a little prejudice, I would probably be a little startled if someone slipped in a reference to strong religious beliefs in our conversation. I’d probably inwardly react with a little distrust. I’d never discount a friend if I discovered they were religious, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to make friends with a religious stranger, particularly if they held socially conversative views.
… so I guess the prejudice works in both directions. To clarify, I wouldn’t avoid friendship with a conservative religious person because of their faith per se, but I’d be quite aware of the fact that with time their views would probably come into conflict with mine.
The worst part about someone rejecting you for your atheism is that if you tell the person rejecting you “go to hell!” they know you can’t meant it.
A cousin tried it with me. I bring out the copy of The Gospel of John he gave me whenever I want to harass him, now that he’s converted to Our Side ™.
Like some others in this thread, religion has never come up with anyone I know. None of my friends are very religious, although I know a couple of Christmas Christians and Orthodox Jews. I automatically assume people are atheist/agnostic before I meet them. Among the people I know at least, it’s seen as strange to be religious (bible study, church every week). Before I met him, a friend of mine used to be a part of a Christian youth group, which his friends found completely bizarre.
I wouldn’t have any problems with a deeply religious friend unless all they could talk about was their religion. Just as I wouldn’t have any problems with a friend who liked photography unless they went on and on about it and kept trying to get me to join their photography club.