Words are all we have to verbally convey information.
A rose by any other name is still a rose and would smell just as sweet.

They are afraid of their peers judging them .

Most people probably do not even think about it. They are way too busy watching Big Brother or some other rubbish TV.

yeh. and I don't care. if they don't live their lives forcing superstitious beliefs down other people's throats, they can call themselves whatever they want.

Yes, I have met a lot of people (clients included) who say they don't believe in God, but they aren't atheists. (?!?) I think they know there is a stigma attached to the word atheist, so they feel better with a softer word, like agnostic, humanistic, spiritual, etc. I just smile to myself, as I know in some number of years they will acknowledge they are in fact atheists. Some of these people still go to church. It will take some time.

This phenomena is part of why I try to show an atheistic life as being honest toward just being good because it's the right thing to do, and is done by relying on one's integrity. No absolution of sins by confession, just be the best person you can be with what you know, and if unsure how to improve, learn!

That is very true and especially so here in Ireland. Letting go completely seems an impossibility for so many. I have had conversations with people who admit to having lost their faith. Yet at the end of it they will say something like "But there has to be something " etc.

There are huge numbers of people, i'm one, who don't feel the need ( in fact are quite bamboozled by it ) to self-identify in such a manner ?

There are a lot of people who are non-believers who don't want to be associated with the "New Atheists" movement, so they refrain from the label. I'm more or less in that camp. I don't believe in magic & mysticism, but I also have no interest in being associated with the likes of Hitchens, Dawkins, or Harris. They are not people who I would choose as role models. It's really not any different from people who don't eat animal products, but refrain from calling themselves vegans. The labels have a bad stigma for some.

Sam Harris has told us that he did not think of himself as an atheist until after he wrote, "Letter to a christian nation."

I believe that the Evangelicals being as loud and obnoxious as they are are causing a lot of people of sound mind to question their "faith"

I am an atheist with respect to the mythical pagan gods of old, and I am an atheist with respect to Yahweh, the God of the Bible. But I do not call myself an atheist or agnostic in general because I lean toward the idea of universal consciousness— something like Brahman or ultimate reality. I can’t see how labeling myself with respect to such a concept would be helpful or meaningful. The idea intrigues me greatly and makes me shiver in awe, but there is no rational proof—it is purely a subjective experience which requires no proof.

In a sense it seems kind of artificial to identify as either a believer or nonbeliever when no one can understand the thing to be believed or to be disbelieved. We can’t even understand what we ourselves are, and we have little idea about the nature of conscious awareness, which frames our every experience. Our perception of reality is merely symbolic. Why waste time stewing over belief when we could be basking in the overwhelming miracle of existence?

I'd have to agree with you there since I have know quite a large number over my years.
For centuries Atheists and Agnostics were persecuted, tortured and, more often that not, killed in the most horrifically imaginable ways and it's no wonder many still harbour fears that they too may suffer such should they reveal themselves publicly.
I have also noticed that the 'religious practioners' have a trait for 'adjusting' their system of believing to suit themselves or the situation, etc, they find themselves in.
For example,I have the dubious ' pleasure' of having one of those " New Age Evangelist" types as my next door neighbour, he is quite adeptly expert at adjusting his beliefs, etc, to suit his own needs and ends whilst insisting upon lecturing others as to precisely HOW they should believe and worship, etc, hypocrisy runs rife among the religious in my opinion.
But Atheists/Agnostics should no longer dwell in fear of the Churches/Religious, they should stand tall, stand together and proud of who they are and show the religious world that Logic, Reasoning and Reality not only free one from superstition and superstitious fears but also open the mind to the beauties of the Universe, Life and Free-thinking as well.

they might not know or be struggling letting go something that has given comfort, stability,purpose to their lives fear of losing family friends job community the list goes on i never went through it but seeing some of the people on heres experiences im pretty glad i didnt have to

I see that a lot. Many of my friends fall in that category. They just haven't taken that last step.

Definitely. Whole lot of atheists in denial in general and people who don't understand that the terms arent mutually exclusive. Most of us on this site are both if you go by what the word etymologically represents.

Being as how "out" atheists are among the most reviled and discriminated-against people in society, it is easy to see why someone would want to be pretty under the radar about their lack of belief.

Yes, I see this on dating apps quite often. People will list themselves as christian. Yet after some further discussion you hear things like, "I'm really unsure about the possibility of god" or "I'm not religious and I don't know what I believe in". That sounds more akin to agnosticism than belief. Or maybe I have a misperception of what belief actually means.

Just as I did not wear my religion on my sleeve when I was a young believer, I do not wear my atheism on my sleeve today. Just as you said, if you would ask me related questions,I am sure that you would quickly and easily ascertain that I an ab atheist.

I just posted this to a similar comment: The primary difference between most believers and all atheists is that atheists know they are not believers.

Love is of a person for who they are, for their character, not for what they believe, not for trivial things like religious beliefs.
I had to explain that to my religious friend, she said to me that we would be closer if I would come back to "god". I explained to her how religion divides.

It is really common. Religion is by nature outrageous. Many people do not in anyway buy into the claims made, but don't want the stigma that comes with unbelief. As it becomes more acceptable more people will claim the title.

Even though most of my intermediate family were indoctrinated at a very early age, I never really accepted the idea of a God, I always felt like it didn't make much sense and the bible sounded like something of a fantasy. Being a nonbeliever in my community is almost like you're from another planet or different reality

I think there are many more people today in the "West" who are questioning their religion, but do not want to abandon it altogether. They are becoming more like deists than Christians, which is a good thing.

Many of my friends are that way, unfortunately.

I think that once people start seeing atheism as a vague category that makes no claims and has no creed, it will cease to be a dirty word.