I usually keep my atheism to myself around my family for the reasons you have mentioned. If I’m around any one else, I’m happy to be open about it. I feel there would be some repercussions if I just told everyone in my family that I was an atheist, which, most likely, would include strained/awkward relationships. I know for sure that many religious folks, would happily cut ties for good with the atheist in there family (possibly thinking they were possessed by the devil), and in some cultures, put them to death.
Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.' -Isaac Asimov-
