Just because you shouldn't have to lie about it, doesn't make it good advice to never lie about it. ^^ This. I know many people in flyover country who are ath

Just because you shouldn't have to lie about it, doesn't make it good advice to never lie about it. ^^ This. I know many people in flyover country who are atheists, but who go to church every Sunday simply to avoid having them and their children not be ostracized from the majority of social activity. All decisions should, in part, be made in reference to your own happiness. If "coming out" as an atheist (or homosexual, or...) is going to make your life substantially worth with no real upside for you, "lying" about yourself is a reasonable, and possible necessary, alternative.