We were all unbelievers prior to becoming believers. If no one had cared about me enough to share, I wouldn't be a believer. If I had gone about pretending to believe, rather than questioning, no one would have known that I was insecure in my beliefs.

I'm not saying be honest so they can pray for you (though they probably do already) but be honest so that YOU can get all the information you need to make a sure decision about how and what you wish to believe.

As for the "how do I feel about atheists?" aspect... I still care about the person, no matter what they believe or what they do...