don't offer your answer until asked but yes just say that if you are

Be the Atheist next door fearless Village Atheist stand your ground unless the boss is 2 doors down and he fires you for pissing in his church power grid

I don't go out of my way to tell people, but if the subject is broached, I just say I'm an atheist, plain and simple. I don't begrudge anyone their beliefs, so I expect the same. It is usually met with an uncomfortable silence, and then on to a different subject!

You Don't Tell them. Let them deduce it - only when it matters . Keep them guessing by playing games and you will expos their methods of thinking .

I drop the I was born on Christmas and that my dad use to be a pastor that gives me a refrece

You should not have to. In fact, we should not know that they are religious unless we are religious too and were on a site, or at a place similar to this

I would just tell them and have popcorn ready for when/if they over react to it.

I, too, lived in a Bible belt for a while. Not too far from it now either though... When someone asks me to go to their church, or religious beliefs come up in any way shape or form, or if I am directly asked, I always say it out loud and clear. When conversation has nothing to do with religion, and I am surrounded by new people, I don't see any reasons to bring it up, unless someone goes there and begins the holy steamroll, that's when I jump in

Same way I tell people about anything, Truth and then they deal with it. NOt me

I don't- I tell them I'm an Existentialist. It is interesting to see the puzzled look on their faces when I say that. They had their arguments ready if you said atheist, however the former they do not know how to handle.

Proud Existentialist here

I just tell them that I am "your friendly neighborhood atheist".

I use the term "non-believer" instead of atheist. Growing up in the bible belt, most are inculcated that atheists are evil. The non-believer doesn't carry the same connotation. Easier to strike up a conversation about non-belief.

Give them my favorite quote by Hugo Betti. To Believe in God is to know that all the rules will be fair and there will be wonderful surprises. Better yet look up George Carlin who does a great show on Religion which is on You Tube. Tell them you belong to Bart Erhmans Bible Study Group which is on You Tube also. He is a Theology Professor at Chapel Hill SC, and used to be very religious and is now an Atheist or Agnostic. He has some great presentations. Lewis Black has one on the Old Testament which is another classic. What these people lack is the ability to defend what they call religion and they are what was termed by another famous Theologian who used the term "cadaver catholics" as people who go and sit in Church every Sunday and believe everything that is preached to them and then come back again next week and do the same thing. I will spare my take on the Fundamentalists who scare me because those Bible Thumpers get a bit carried away and they can be scary. I like to tell people that I'm spiritual which can mean anything and everything and applies to every person atheists especially.

I politely tell them, I don't believe in a God or God's. It seems to work out well.

Usually I'm very unapologetic and concise about it. There's no reason to hide it from anyone. UNLESS, that person is a family member of someone I'm dating. That's the only time I'll be on eggshells about it and only if I think it would cause a lot of trouble for the person I'm with to be outed to their family like that.

I generally don't bring it up first but when that does come up I reply that I am not religious or non-theistic or have an evidence based worldview. Many listen respectfully but it is too far outside their comfort zone. There is rarely a second meeting after that conversation. I use those terms on dating app profile, too. Unfortunately, the term atheist has a very negative connotation.

I use, "I'm a total atheist" with a shrug and a smile. If they give me examples of why I'm wrong, I say, "I'm glad that works for you. All of what you're saying is meaningless to me." Etc.

I really don't like wasting time "arguing" over religion or whether or not the earth is flat.

I just tell them I am an atheist. Not gonna sugar coat it!

I now many religious people, but I can't recall conversation coming up. Perhaps it's the urban west coast.

If they assume that I'm a believer, I will correct them, but I don't lead with "I'm an atheist!" before it comes up naturally. I won't participate in religious observations like prayer - and here in the Bible Belt, prayer happens with some regularity at many businesses and otherwise secular organizations.

Never be ashamed to be free-thinking, Thomas Jefferson was an atheist. I imagine more were also trying to limit the religious control that we were suffering in Europe. It is also worth remembering you are probably sat in a room with many atheists or at least many people who have lost faith (I hate saying that it implies blind faith is a good thing) in organised religion.
Being British I feel free to say I do not believe in the fanciful, but (and that is not me bragging we have our own problems) I would recommend outsmarting them. Don't jump straight in with it, talk about the cosmos, atoms, the vastness of time and space, get them to try to look clever about science (they will), then bring up the fact that given all of this does the fact there is a god (who looks like Thor) not seem daft?
Simply then say you struggle with the concept.
Or on the other hand just tell them, why should we live in a world where idiocy rules and we feel it is unfair to point out the emporer is in fact naked!
Don't worry what is the worst that can happen you don't have to speak to idiots again? Will you really miss them?

Start out with I'm not religious and work up to 'no god.' My Christian friends I like very much and am leery of telling them. Maybe I'll get caught on camera at a Skepticon or something. Let them react apart from me.

I found that it is enogh just to say..... I do not go to church!..... It says everything.... and I do not have a NEED to explain myself any further

I just tell them.

I don't unless I am asked, its no one else business, if they say something like 'oh thats a shame! I just walk away .