Why are so many atheists in the military "in the closet"?

I didn't read through all the comments, but here's my take...
Most (and I do stress MOST) people could really care less if you believe or don't believe in God. I have never in my 20 years seen a person's career impacted because they were atheist. Sure, you have those rare breeds that will try and "save" everyone, but they are few and far between.

As for the prayer at official ceremonies...It is a military tradition, but no one can force you to participate...when everyone else bows thier head in prayer, just stand there and wait for them to be done.

Kinda like at a hockey game in the US when they are playing a Canadian team... They sing the Canadian National Anthem first and then our's... Now, I'm not Canadian, but I stand and am respectful of the Canadian fans and players while thier Anthem plays...

SPC(P) AnnMarie Gonzales, Until about 2011/2012, I was pretty much an "in the closet" atheist. I had subscribed to the Freedom From Religion Newsletter, and it came to me in the mail while I was deployed to FOB Sharana, Afghanistan. Since it was in "newspaper" format, its content was pretty readily apparent, and my supervisor intercepted one of the issues. For the next several weeks he and many of my co-workers asked me questions about my beliefs (or lack of) when they were in good moods, and harassed me about them when they were bored.

Since then, I have been more out of the closet...mostly so I can engage the issue on my own terms and timeline. I still don't, other than here on RallyPoint, bring it up unless either someone directly asks, or the atmosphere is such that the "other side" needs representation.

That said, once the can is open, it does NOT close. :)

I absolutely agree with you. I know that might seem odd coming from someone in my job field, but it is the chaplain's job to protect EVERYONE'S free expression of religion, to include atheists. If there is pressure on you to go against your beliefs, go see him.

Atheists are all over in the open but the problem is that majority of people who so call them selfs Christians just look forward and don't check side to side. If religion is a test or requirement then we have a problem due to falling away from the constitution to which we swor to uphold and defend

Sometimes it is easier to just stay in the closet than to put up with the tidal wave of well-meaning people who believe that somehow you have managed to skate through decades of life in America without ever once hearing about Jesus. It rarely happens in person but in online forums it can sometimes feel like a fire hose.

Unfortunately, many SMs do not have superiors who support them. It's a matter of choice between keeping it to oneself or risking the wrath of those in leadership who could make or break a SMs career.

I think that there could be consequences by coming out of the closet. I had a senior chief disrespect me in public because of my atheism while I was in.

Come out of the closet.

You don't have to bow your head. I'm religious, but I don't participate in communal invocations like that either on the off chance that they'll end in "Jesus' name." It's not even because I personally have a problem with that, but because it's at odds with my own faith tradition.

These end up being loaded questions, and I argued with someone vehemently about the acceptance of non-Christian faiths and their more outward observances with regards to the uniform. But the fact is, I do respect the long-established fact that the majority of troops who have served and will serve are of the Christian faith. So long as atheists and non-Christians, even some other varieties of Christians that are not from mainstream branches, have our space, we're okay. And I really do believe we are afforded those spaces.

I remind myself constantly that I am honored to serve with the people next to me, and we honor each other by respecting and reconciling old tradition with emerging traditions. E pluribus unum.

Someone should just go to the archive and copy and paste one of the 100 other atheist, christian, religion in the military, is there a god, my feelings get hurt because of any of the above threads.

I never hid it, never had any troubles except for one time an Evangelical went off on me. I was reading an article about multiverses and talking to one of my guys and he popped his cork. Just nodded and waited for him to leave. Never for a second felt it hindered my career.