I think it's different for everyone, depending on circumstances.
For myself, I've always been an atheist and never had to defend my views against Christian family members. We were taught it wasn't polite to ask about these things, so I didn't. But that said, I never shied away from saying what was true if the issue was made a topic of discussion. Usually the fact of my atheism has been enough to discourage further discussion on the subject -- but not always. And if someone pushes, I am quite comfortable and well prepared to go to the mats over it.
For myself, I've always been an atheist and never had to defend my views against Christian family members. We were taught it wasn't polite to ask about these things, so I didn't. But that said, I never shied away from saying what was true if the issue was made a topic of discussion. Usually the fact of my atheism has been enough to discourage further discussion on the subject -- but not always. And if someone pushes, I am quite comfortable and well prepared to go to the mats over it.
