An Atheist in a Christian Nation

I thought I would go out on a limb here and talk about what it means to be an Atheist in the United States. I know that there are many negative connotations associated with the word “Atheist,” and I know this because I grew up in a Southern Baptist church. I would like to point out a few things and hopefully clear up a few misconceptions.  I would also like to point out a few ways in which Atheists are discriminated against in this country.
As an Atheist in a Christian nation:

• I will be outnumbered anywhere I go.
• People might assume that I worship the devil. I grew up thinking that an Atheist was the same as a devil worshiper. But, just like I don’t believe in God, I don’t believe in the Devil either.
• I carry around and use currency that says, “In God we trust.” I am no longer a part of the “We.”
• If I were running for public office and talked about my non belief in God, I probably wouldn’t be elected.
• If I say the Pledge of Allegiance, I make a very conscious decision not to say “under God,” which is distracting and makes me feel very aware of my place in society, which is like an outsider.
• It took me a long time to get over my feelings of guilt and shame concerning my non belief in God.
• When I talked to my mom about my thoughts and non belief, it broke her heart. She still asks me to go to church with her, and denies my non belief.
• At family meals and gatherings, I am expected to pray.
• People might assume that I am really just angry with God, when, in actuality, I do not believe in God. It is hard to be angry at something that doesn’t exist.
• I might be expected to teach that God created the world in 7 days. I base my believes on science. I like facts and need concrete proof of God’s existence. I do believe in evolution and see human beings as another species on this planet. We have the ability to think and reason and create, and I think that we are an amazing animal, but I think that evolution can explain all of it.
• I have studied world religions and probably know more than most about them.
• I have studied the Bible and Christianity.
• I have high moral standards and value human beings and freedom. Many Christians believe that morality comes from God, and if a person doesn’t believe in God, then that person must be immoral and wicked.
• Generally speaking, I am a happy person. I am not angry or sad, and I love life and cherish the moments that I have on this Earth.
• I often feel like I have to lie about my non belief, or at least hide it.
• It makes me mad that, in Georgia, I can’t buy alcohol on Sundays.
• I believe that religion causes more harm than good – wars, crusades, televangelism, cults, bigotry, mistrust, terrorism, and discrimination are a few that come to mind. I know that there are many positive things that come from religion, and religion has helped a great many people reach a higher level of understanding and consciousness, but for me the bad outweigh the good.
• Most people assume that I am a Christian.

Please feel free to comment on any of these or ask questions if you have any.