In general whenever I've had to say or do anything religious it's always felt awkward or even hypocritical. So I've finally decided to stop doing it if I can help it -- though listening to the music is fine by me. It was the same saying that oath (that does include the "and to the Queen" that, oddly, I've never had a problem with). What meaning is there behind swearing to do your duty to something you do not believe in? And yet making the Scout Promise is something you have to do to become a Scout, so there's no choice about it. And there wasn't much choice about joining, either, because "mum said so", and let's face it, when you're young you are always going to lose the argument with parents. In this case the most "tragic" consequence of that was of feeling at times awkward and hypocritical, and as I've mentioned before there is a lot more to the Scouting (and Guiding) experience than just the promise you make on joining.
But the point is, you can't say "well don't join it then" because firstly that's not going to work for atheist children of Christian (or in general religious, but mainly Christian) parents who may be obliged to go. And secondly, again, it's a small part of the Movement and hardly vital or even central. Is it so hard to either drop the religious aspect or make it non-compulsory? In either case, saying that "oh this is just secularist persecution" is both to exaggerate wildly and to pretend that the "persecution" (itself exaggeration, and really the "making uncomfortable") of atheists doesn't matter.