I'm an Atheist with mostly Christian Friends

[Thumpalumpacus]

Bowing your head isn't really participating, I do the same thing, unless I feel like looking around to see if there's anyone else looking around.

Right, this is what I do too. This is with people who know I'm atheist. To quote the great Dr Seuss, "Those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."

[brewer]

I get your point but it's not important to me.   When I'm with them and they choose to pray before a meal or pray for a person who is sick I participate out of respect.  There's noting I can do or say to change their beliefs nor do I want to.  So, I put my head down and wait for them to finish their prayers and life goes on.  No harm is being done to me or my ego.  In my mind it's no different than when I play with my 4 year old niece and her imaginary friends.  I'm not camouflaging my identity because it's more important to me to show respect to others unless it's doing harm to myself or someone else.  My identity is that of someone who doesn't do or say things to unnecessarily hurt or discredit others and being an Athiest simply means that I don't believe in God.  I'm not sure what I expected from posting this but thank you for your feedback and for the welcome.

Welcome Woof.

If your friends (and their beliefs) are so fragile that simply letting them know you don't believe will 'unnecessarily hurt or discredit' them it sounds to me like they're not actually very good friends. I'd coin at as 'conditional' friends. Sounds like very one sided relationships. You may be doing yourself an injustice.

Most of my interactions are with the religious, my wife is a catholic. They all know I'm a non believer/atheist and not an anti-theist. It hasn't hurt any of the relationships.

My thoughts only, you do you.

[arewethereyet]

I grew up in the Midwest surrounded by, and related to, Catholics.  Moving south introduced me to evangelicals.  I make an exception for her (old friend and neighbor).  All other evangelicals are not people I want to be around.

[Mr Greene]

I suspect most of know what it's like to grow up surrounded by believers.
To go through the motions not to cause offence.
At some point you have to be honest with yourself and find somewhere you can just be yourself because pretending to be someone you're not will cause all sorts of problems.

[MR. Macabre 666]

I was born catholic, but have been a lifetime Atheist, and I'm surrounded by a family of devout believers. My wife, both of our adult kids and their spouses, and our 4 grandkids are all active members of their churches. I'm basically on my own, and when we have family gatherings, I either stand off to the side, or leave the room when they have to say grace before a meal.
I don't ever pretend to participate in any of their BS, and they know why I do this.

It's up to you how to handle it.

[arewethereyet]

I think I lucked out a little. My mother was not Catholic. We were raised Catholic but it was more about going through the motions than anything else. By my teens, dad was playing golf on Sunday mornings and the only thing really forced on me was attending Catholic schools. Mostly that was a business decision and they were also the only schools in town which took any transportation needs off my parents. By the time dad died, he was atheist, my sister is atheist, my oldest and youngest are atheist. Brother belongs to a parish mostly because it kept tuition prices down for my nephew. Niece is atheist. Oldest grandchild also atheist. It just didn't take with most of the immediate family.