Why don't most Atheists come out into the public ? is it that hard?

It's difficult though. Religion is a touchy subject and especially in this country, where the VAST majority of people are theists, being an atheist or skeptic isn't always taken very well. I live in an extremely religious town, and if I made it known that I'm not a churchgoer or even worse, not a Christian, I would generate way more controversy than I need. It's not that I'm embarred or afraid, though; in fact I'm very proud of my spirituality. It's just that I like to keep my beliefs private. I find that that works best.