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

I'm pretty sure you are not required to bow your head. Get out of the closet and be strong enough to stand on your convictions.

Then change the first amendment. I feel for you. Maybe you should not attend these events.

I believe bowing your head during prayer in the modern military is more out of respect to tradition than anything else. also by refusing to bow, individualism is show, and uniformity is broken. most prayers in todays military are not directed to any one religion either, most chaplains pray as if they are confused and dont even know why, or to whom they are praying.

Looking at this again, I had a bit of an epiphany:

Most religions include some form of the "Golden rule" in their doctrine. "Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you."

So from that perspective, I suppose we people of faith have to ask ourselves "If a different religion were to instruct us all to bow our heads in prayer to *their* god, would I be offended?

I suppose the only people here with a leg to stand on IS the atheists... no doctrine to tell them otherwise, but also no god to pray to.

...Food for thought...

I can say that you should never have to stay in the closet about being a Atheist. As a Christian I have friends that are Atheist we agree to disagree on some matters and have a conversation on others. I think why Atheist get a bad wrap is because people put Atheist and bad things together. I met Atheist that lived a cleaner and purer life then Christians.

I honestly haven't seen it. I have so many friends that are atheists and they are very open about it. You talk about all kinds of things to talk about while pulling security for hours on end.

I would think you are welcome to share your opinions on your personal belief or disbelief, although they will likely not be welcome from those who do believe. As for bowing your head during group prayer, you should consider it being respectful of others beliefs and it isn't really a measure of your participation or beliefs. I suspect much like the respect you Erik be down when sharing your perspective on religion.

SPC Gonzales-Of the many discussions on this topic I've seen, yours is the first to approach it from this angle, and I have to admit that it certainly got my attention. I'll be up-front; I'm a Christian, and owing to our rapidly evolving society, I'm forced to add "Evangelical" to that...though I myself am not entirely sure what that is supposed to mean. I have close friends and peers who are atheists or agnostics, and I often hear their concerns. Answers are never simple or short.

I would ask that you consider this; religion is subjective-there's an "individual" and "community" aspect to it, and they don't often coincide. For this reason, there are some groups which attach religious views to extreme acts that often contravene the teachings of the very faiths they claim. However, there has been, is now, and always will be divergence between what 'faith' teaches...and society adopts.

I think most people of faith, and in the interest of brevity and accuracy, I'll focus on Christians, feel no direct "threat" from atheists or agnostics...Allowing for varying levels of maturity and social interaction. Obviously, if someone is using the words, "ignorant" or "backward" to describe one's most cherished personal convictions, it could be seen as aggressive.

The apparent resistance to other views, in particular, atheism, stems more from "indirect" consequences of society becoming less comfortable with core Christian principles and beliefs. Issues such as LGBT rights, abortion, education and sexuality all hinge upon a conflict between the secular and spiritual, and many people of faith are fearful these issues will eventually lead to legal means of enforcing "tolerance".

To (again, focusing on Christians) the believer, these issues are defined by divine instruction laid down in millennia-old doctrines accepted to be nothing short of the "Word of God"...it is impossible to redact, edit or reject them without foregoing to entire basis of those beliefs, which again, for a believer, bears eternal consequences. In short, some competing ideologies, atheism among them , truly seem to be driving for not only equal rights...but tacit approval.

Many of my atheist friends claim this is the LAST thing they want...and I'm inclined to believe them. However, when I ask the difficult questions such as, "Do you mind if I teach my child creationism?" or "Can I openly view LGBT lifestyles as immoral?"...they suddenly become reticent. I think there are subjects that belong within the heart, and some subjects that require compromise. Perhaps that compromise is as simple as understanding that a simple moment of prayer means a great deal to someone of faith...as does the non-believer's willingness to allow it.

If your in the closet about being an atheist then maybe your just not secure in your choice. Its a lot different between atheists and homosexuals, before homosexuals had no choice but to be in the closet.
If you firmly believe in your religion or non-religion then you have no reason to hide it. And you also have no right to force your views, again religious or non-religious on anyone.

Are you sure they are all atheists and not Agnostics? Atheists tend to be organized and seek each other out where agnostics don't. I do not believe in any religion, but I cannot call myself atheist, nor agnostic. I simply do not care, and would rather spend my Sunday my way. So many of these people who are not religious, who you think are atheists may just be like me, and want to leave everybody to it and be left the hell alone. Show them that you respect their right to practice as long as they respect your right not to.
This is what I do, and nobody tries to convert me when I'm polite about my declination.
You want to get "GOD" and prayer removed? If it means nothing to you, why does meaningless stuff offend you?
Perhaps I'm not atheist because they organize, once people organize I see danger.