Being a resident of the U.S. there is much I have no exposure to. There is no oppression, or worse, towards people for their belief systems here. Indeed, this country was built upon freedoms to speak openly and worship as one chooses to.

While there is a form of social rejection to be considered it does not carry the fear of reprisals many other countries would inflict upon their citizenry for expressing personal choice in deference to State established norms.

I have to appreciate that atheism, in its simplest form, is but a declaration and need not be anything more. Outwardly conforming to State established norms should make life very easy, whether that adherence is inwardly accepted or rejected, because open rejection is not a tenet of atheism. In other words, anyone who holds to atheism need not tell anyone else about it and that shouldn't be a problem. It's no one's business. The great thing about atheism is it places no demands on a person.

I think anyone can read into my posts that I am an atheist. I take it no further than simple declaration and I travel the atheist circles to say so. There is no such thing as a pacifist atheist because they are basically one in the same by their very natures. There is, however, a militant atheist evidenced by those who take it beyond a private personal declaration to outwardly promoting it as some sort of organization, when it's nothing of the kind.

I do appreciate the various belief systems people embrace because they need them. Atheists don't but most people need to know there's some kind of purpose to their lives and Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs theory is not it. They need a god looking over them. Fair enough, they dream one up and he comes to them in those very dreams. We know that's the way of it and an atheist shouldn't care what metaphysical conjuring other people need to draw comfort from. It just doesn't matter.

It's sad that you found it necessary to relocate to finish out your life in a manner that better suits who you are. That's important to avoid reprisals. But, had you kept your atheism to yourself you would not suffer such risk, anyway.

I find it odd that the majority of atheists feel a need to take up the books, swords and amulets of Don Quixote and shout out their declarations.