I live in America and am surrounded by Christians.
Whenever I talk about myself to religous people, I want to say ,"I am an atheist". Do you say that? Is there a better way?
I don't. I stress that I'm an agnostic. It works for me.
In real life you only discuss religion and politics if such a discussion is invited, and you're still free to opt out. In a quarter century outside of theism the topic has only arisen twice. Once one of my surviving older brothers asked if I no longer believed in god. I responded that I do not. He said that's too bad, and never brought it up again. The second time is when I was introduced to a new circle of guy friends where there was already an "outed" atheist, they sensed the same mindset in me and asked if I was atheist and said yes. I was accepted into the group anyway.
So in everyday life I don't meet theists or atheists, I meet neighbors, acquaintances, colleagues, and the like.
Online is a different story. People come to places like this specifically AS atheists, agnostics or whatever, often for the specific purpose of discussing and debating these matters. Special case.
When I want to go soft on them I say
"I am not religious"
Otherwise I just say I'm agnostic.
I have a similar thing over being gay and transgender. I want it to be 'out there.' I don't especally need it to be a regular topic of conversation, I just don't want to feel like I'm hiding it.
My solution is wristbands. I wear them pretty much 24/7/365. One for Pride, and one for Sparkle (basically a UK transgender pride.)
There is an atheist symbol. There are various jewellery items available that display it. My recommendation would be to get one of those and wear it the way a Christian might wear a crucifix.
Tell them youre a Jedi and the Metaclorians fired all of the gods.
When people start talking about their religion, I simply say "I don't believe in God" and walk away. I don't like debating with religious people, especially in groups because there's power in numbers, so I walk away.
When I tell anyone I am an atheist they argue with me. Try to convert me to their views. It's not going to happen. I have been thru too many religions on my search. Been baptised 3 times, in three different religions. It is impossible to believe their dogma.
I usually don't, it isn't any of their business.
Honestly, I think it depends on the setting, if it’s a stranger or a loved one, & if you’re in a situation where you could lose your job or something like that. If everything is in the right circumstance, sure! But if you could risk an important relationship or a job opportunity, I’d say no. But if you’re comfortable saying it, I would try to make it not sound like an attack. But don’t sound ashamed either. Make it sound like you’re talking about the weather. Their reaction is less likely to be over the top if you do it that way. & if they don’t like it, well. That sucks for them. You deserve to be happy, your lack of conviction of whether a god exists shouldn’t be a precursor to that.
I usually tell them that if I walked into their church, I would burst into flames. Of course, they are more likely to believe such rubbish than I am. Since I have not burst into flames in a church, I have deduced that there is no God or or I am not worthy of his attention. 99% of the time my beliefs or lack thereof don't constitute a problem with anyone, because they see that I life a good, moral life and treat people well.
I just say “I’m an Atheist” how they deal with it is not my problem. I am from a religious family, and my father was a Bishop, yet I didn’t have issues letting them know. I am sure it bothers them that my kids aren’t baptized though.