I'll just say "I'm an atheist". If they have trouble handling that, that's their problem, not mine.

At some point the conversation gets to some mention of heaven or god or something along those lines and I say that we should be talking about things that are real and not imaginary.

I don't hide the fact, but I don't advertise it, either. I live in the bible belt. Self preservation.

I tell them I'm not a religious person, and tell them why.

I say I don't know what is true and until then I wonder. That is what I say.

Generally, the brainwashed have a hard time with anyone who does not share their delusion and will most likely become offended regardless. If I know the person I try to be courteous but any stranger knocking at my door is told that I'm an adult in the 21st century and have no reason to believe in any superstitious nonsense.

I don't !

This is a tough one for me. I try to avoid such conversation if possible, but if I'm pressed i will be honest. By default, our position as atheists is saying that religion is delusional. Its hard to soften that blow, but I honestly don't think it matters what anyone believes. In the end, we all suffer the same fate. If someone is happy with some form of faith, fine. I can respect that as much as my lack of faith. The question is, can they equally respect me.

I tell theists, I don't think there is a God, but if there is, he knows I'm telling the truth. And I am perfectly willing to listen to God, but not hearsay about God ! Did God tell you he authorized a book, or do you normally go around talking crap about the creator of the universe ?

Religion (or lack of religion) is personal. I do not generally talk about it. If someone specifically asks I say I am non religious and then drop the subject.

I think being upfront is the way to go. Just tell em you are not willing to believe something without evidence.

If they ask me what religion I am or what I believe, I say that I’m atheist. I might add that I live in a small extremely religious town and at the present time I'm about the only nonbeliever here that I know of. I haven't had much blow-back.

I tend not to say "I'm an atheist," because there's a lot of misguided religious people that think atheism is a religion. I have no problem simply saying I don't believe in god. Sometimes that leads to a disappointed look on their face. Other times it leads to questions. But the best is when they've been speaking to me for an extended amount of time and I drop the atheist thing on them. The look of confusion on their face as their mind tries to understand how someone could be both a good person and an atheist is wonderfully satisfying. But be careful if you try this as their heads do sometimes explode.

It's not so much that people ask about my beliefs, but that they assume I believe. And with that assumption they feel perfectly free to speak to me like a comrad, seeking a nod of agreement to whatever they are saying. I usually allow them to go on for a while before I say, "Excuse me # but I'm an atheist and I disagree with everything you've said so far and probably with whatever you continue to say."

If they question me about it with the to learn more, I'll continue speaking to them. If they start the next sentence with but, I end the conversation.

I just tell Christians that if they think some Jewish guy died 2000 years ago so asshole like us can spend eternity in paradise they really have thought this thru.

I usually don't tell them unless they ask. If they do ask I just tell them I am not a believer and I explain why.

Coming from a very Catholic Italian family I think I first realized I was and atheist at the age of 12. In my mind’s eye I always felt wrong but new I was right. Crazy!!! It is what gays have had to deal with their entire lives. I had to many questions and all the answer I received didn’t make sense. To be trite, more fake news.
I am out, and I love it. I am proud to be an atheist and I love that too. If Christian can knock on my door to spread their veil form of love, then I can certainty tell them I don’t buy it. I am not aggressive I just ask them questions. I have stopped hiding in the shadows like a criminal. Just say and own it. It feels great. Freedom at last.

Normally, I don't. I try to stay away from magical thinking people as much as possible. For instance, I have friends who much later I found were Jehovah's Witnesses. Now I stay away from them as much as possible because they have to mention Kingdom Hall and talk about how great their religion is in every conversation. In reality, I don't say I'm an atheist unless a religious zealot pisses me off, or I'm very comfortable w/someone who I've found to be logical and sensible. Don't give a crap about these played out holidays anymore.

Depending of the type of the believer, I mean type of their character, I'll let them know belief or not. Sometimes hiding in the shadows some times shining like a rockstar it all depends the environment I am in.

It depends on the situation. When I was younger, I was loud and proud about it. I'm still proud and can be loud but I don't have as much interest in fighting about it, as I used to. "As an Atheist, I ..."

I generally don't unless asked directly. If I do tell someone, I'll use something like "I'm between religions right now", and let them figure that one out for themselves.

I don't mention it around people I'm around briefly unless they are trying to "convert" me or something, at which point I just say, "I'm an atheist and I think all of that is completely ridiculous." For people that I am around regularly (coworkers, extended family etc.), I say pretty much the same thing.

I don’t try to hide it. Any time that beliefs are brought up I just simply tell I’m not religious. Most will dive deeper to then as to what I believe in and I simply tell them that I am an atheist and believe in science. I have lost people in my life that used to be friends but I feel that is a sacrifice that needed to be made to have more like minded people in my life.

It depends on the situation. Do you just want them to know? Are they pushing their voodoo on you? I have no qualms telling anybody who I am, it just depends on the context of the conversation and your goal.

If the subject comes up, I just say that I am an atheist. I live in what is referred to as the South Bay, about 50 miles from San Francisco. People are pretty cool with it here. I don't know how I would be in, say, Virginia, where a friend of mine was hounded out of a job because her coworkers found out that she was an atheist.