# Closet athiests. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 6, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071 "2009-09-06T18:07:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/1 "2009-09-06T18:07:01Z")
I am, I guess, an athiest. Today on _McLaughlin Group_ on PBS some discussion centered around the statistic that the percentage of americans presenting themselves as athiests has increased to 15%. One of the members mentioned “closet athiests”. I wonder about this myself, how many people are simply afraid to “admit” their non-belief. And I wonder about the many who claim the “higher power” hedge. I wonder what percentage of the population who claim christianity actually practice christianity with all it’s requirements and responsibilitys, including tithing. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/2 "2009-09-06T18:43:58Z")
A few people I happened to discuss religion with said they were athiests but rarely told anybody about it. One thought that was probably true of many politicians, who as a practical matter probably pay a big price for announcing athiesm. I’m a devout athiest and have admitted it in every conversation where it seemed honest to do so, but it doesn’t come up much. Stephen Jay Gould, the “separate magisteria” guy, once seemed to admit to an interviewer that he was willingly fooling himself - pretending - that there was some kind of god, to comfort himself in an otherwise cold and uncaring universe. At least, this is my paraphrasal of the statement. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/3 "2009-09-06T18:48:33Z")
A T H E I S T. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/4 "2009-09-06T18:56:31Z")
I guess, to a lot of people, I’m a closet atheist. If it ever comes up in discussion, I’ll let them know. Most people never know and assume I’m christian. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/5 "2009-09-06T18:58:50Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > A T H E I S T. > > Thank you. Thank _you_. The devil made me do it. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/6 "2009-09-06T19:16:13Z")
I’ve never been “closeted”, but like others have said, it rarely comes up in casual conversation. Most people seem to assume I’m some vague flavor of non-church-going Christian. If I’m involved in a political discussion, my politics will come up, if I’m involved in a religious discussion, my lack of religion will come up. Otherwise most people don’t seem interested (other than my mother, who still hopes that I’ll stop deluding myself and go back to church. _sigh_). ---
**Author:** ![Ichini\_Sanshigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d9b06d/32.png) [@Ichini\_Sanshigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichini_Sanshigo)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/7 "2009-09-06T19:24:51Z")
Is there a category of semi-closeted, maybe? My friends and family know I’m atheist, but coworkers don’t. Most people just assume Christian default, and I don’t bother to correct them, but usually make some vague, non-committal statement. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/8 "2009-09-06T19:33:58Z")
I’m not gay. I sometimes do bring my non-belief up myself, often when the topic of homosexuality is raised. There’s usually someone who is strongly opposed to gays in general and gay marriage in particular. I _will_ ask “why”. They will _always_ say "because it’s a sin, and the bible says so. So then I ask how often they go to church. That’s where the trouble begins. It seems about the only christian thing most of these christians do is hate gays. In fact, practicing christians seem to be more tolerant than those who merely claim the faith but don’t live it. A good, though extreme, example would be the white supremacists. ---
**Author:** ![Carmady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@Carmady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carmady)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/9 "2009-09-06T19:36:24Z")
I’m a closet religious closet atheist. I tell people I am christian, but secretly I don’t believe in god, but even more secretly I do kind of think a god exists (not the classical christian god). ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/10 "2009-09-06T19:38:07Z")
> [@Ichini\_Sanshigo](#): > > Is there a category of semi-closeted, maybe? My friends and family know I’m atheist, but coworkers don’t. Most people just assume Christian default, and I don’t bother to correct them, but usually make some vague, non-committal statement. I would think that’s the very definition of “closeted”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/11 "2009-09-06T19:41:22Z")
> [@Carmady](#): > > I’m a closet religious closet atheist. > > I tell people I am christian, but secretly I don’t believe in god, but even more secretly I do kind of think a god exists (not the classical christian god). Well, I really don’t want to accept the “poof” at the end of life. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/12 "2009-09-06T19:50:24Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > Well, I really don’t want to accept the “poof” at the end of life. Well it would be easier to accept if you _were_ gay. ---
**Author:** ![wierdaaron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eada6e/32.png) [@wierdaaron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wierdaaron)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/13 "2009-09-06T20:05:39Z")
I’m only in the closet with my family. If someone were doing a poll to find out the percentage of atheists, I’d be honest. If my mother were in the room at the time, I probably wouldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/14 "2009-09-06T20:06:52Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Well it would be easier to accept if you _were_ gay. 😃 Not that “poof”, the other “poof”, also known as nonexistence. Or sometimes as “oblivion”. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/15 "2009-09-06T20:13:19Z")
I was a pretty militant atheist for a while in college. I even had bumper stickers (you can tell you are hardcore when you have bumper stickers). If you want a country run by religion, move to Iran Then I had a couple that kept getting ripped off my car Atheism cures religious terrorism and God is just pretend In retrospect I am not as militant, and the ‘God is just pretend’ is offensive, but no more offensive than people who have signs or stickers that say ‘trust Jesus or burn in Hell’. If you look at exit polls among voters, about 40% of voters are secular, in the sense that they do not attend religious services. > **[Local Exit Polls - Election Center 2008 - Elections & Politics from CNN.com](http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/polls/#val=USP00p2)** > > Latest results, headlines and video, candidates' positions on the issues, fundraising totals, States to Watch news and analysis, and a unique side-by-side visual comparison of the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates. 42% of voters rarely or never go to church services, 39% go once a week or more, and 15% go once a month. Of course you can’t totally determine people’s religious views by how often they go to religious services, but it can provide a rough estimate. ---
**Author:** ![wierdaaron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eada6e/32.png) [@wierdaaron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wierdaaron)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/16 "2009-09-06T20:42:03Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Atheism cures religious terrorism Yeah, I can imagine wanting to tear that off someone’s car. It’s like “abstinence prevents STDS,” doesn’t make any sense!!! ---
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/17 "2009-09-06T20:49:45Z")
I’m an atheist, and none of my family knows about my beliefs. If they did, their reactions would range from the “I have no daughter!” hissy fit/emotional breakdown (my mother) to cold-shouldering and cutting off contact with me (my brother). It really bothers me that this is the case. My beliefs are my own business, and I have a right to think whatever I want about religion. I don’t go around preaching to religious people or try to “convert” them. I try to have a “live and let live” attitude; I’ll believe what I want, you believe what you want, and everything should be fine. Yet I feel that I could never speak up in a conversation about religion involving my family, because they would come down on me so hard. I have told a few close friends whom I trust as well, but they are pretty much the only people who know for a fact one way or the other. People with whom I have a casual relationship with (classmates, teachers) don’t know, because I don’t bother to tell them. Most of the time it’s because I don’t know what their reaction would be, and it’s really not their business anyways. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/18 "2009-09-06T20:54:00Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > Well, I really don’t want to accept the “poof” at the end of life. Just imagine it as the bookend to the “foop” when you were born. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/19 "2009-09-06T21:02:20Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > In retrospect I am not as militant, and the ‘God is just pretend’ is offensive, but no more offensive than people who have signs or stickers that say ‘trust Jesus or burn in Hell’. > . I don’t think “God is just pretend” is offensive at all. It’s simply a fact. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/20 "2009-09-06T21:22:16Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > 😃 > Not that “poof”, the other “poof”, also known as nonexistence. Or sometimes as “oblivion”. Great game. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071.md?page=2)