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Speaking as an atheist with an atheist upbringing...
Are you proselytizing or being at all pushy about your religion on others, even slightly? If so, stopping that will likely solve the problem. If not, then up theirs. Tell them how irrelevant they and their inane jokes are.
You do you. I don't know where you're located, but if it's in the US, you are exercising the very first amendment. Mention that next time your teachers give you any grief.
I am an atheist too, but I respect anyone who chooses to go against the grain.
I think this is not really about your religion. It is the herd hating on anyone who is different from them and who has different and clearly defined objectives in life. It would be happening the same way if you were, say, gay, or a part of some subculture. Most teenagers have not yet learned to keep their herd instinct in check. Just stay strong. It will be over right after you leave high school.
I think the problem is that everyone knows about all your devotion. Stop talking about. That's weird. It's not normal to walk around all day telling everyone how much you love Mary and how devoted you are to religion. It's not normal not to be able to write about anything else. It does sound obsessive.
I'm not saying bullying is OK - if you are being bullied, then you need to speak to the administrators of your school about that. That is wrong and you should definitely report it, and it does sound like that is the case. Definitely the picture thing and the comment from the teacher should be reported immediately. (although I don't believe any of this is real)
But as far as people thinking you are weird because of your religion- no one likes it when people talk about their religion unless they share that religion. So don't talk about it. No one wants to hear it. Join a bible study group or talk about it with the priest or other church members, but leave your classmates alone.
If you are here very long you will discover that any faith toward God is going to draw conflict regardless of age.
In time you may learn how to deal with this issue , but it's not going to be getting any better in the future . settle with that.
OP, If you're ligit, I'll say you will get razzed about your choices all your life if you do become a nun.
More people are turning away from religions and deities.
To me, it's as personal as being gay or straight but if you open that "can of worms", expect some fall out and definitely some abuse and ridicule. Especially with all the abuse that's come out from under the rug it's been swept under.
If you're sure that's what you want to do, you'll grow a thick skin in time. I hope you do anyway.
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Nancy God commands us to be a light to the world and show our love for others . however Jesus also faced ridicule and most chrisitans were put to death in Jesus' s time . I would say also grow a thick skin and you do what you want . Why the biology teacher thought he could get away with that is beyond me , but in response I think I would have come back and told him , I will pray for you because you are lost or of this world . nancy all I can say is God bless you and I hope becoming a nun is really what you want to do . All chrisitians face difficulties .In fact I was wearing my cross one day and this young man told me to my face " you hollier than thous make me sick you hate gays and anything different ". We cannot change anyone so I just said to him , I will pray for you which made him just walk off . I will indeed pray for you .
Ever since I was young I have dreamed of being nun or serving the lord in a positive way. I work hard in school( I am currently a senior in high school) and attend sunday school/dutifully every week. I also volunteer for my church to help with various of volunteer projects often. Anyways I wanted to mention all above so you can get the sense of how devoted I am to my faith.
However I guess the problem is that everyone seems to look down upon me because of faith. Now before you think I am being a drama queen let me recount some incidents that have happened to me a lot every time I am asked about my faith:
1. My biology teacher asked my classmates and I what we wanted to do when we get older, I mentioned the possibility of being a nun. My biology teacher gave me a weird look and then snickered. He then preceded to say," Well you always did strike me as being a bit of a prude Nancy," which of course caused the whole class in burst into laughter.
2. This one girl in my English class has this annoying habit of referring to me as "Sister Nancy," I have repeatedly told her to stop do that but she ignored me. She does it on purpose and in a very condescending way.
3. One boy, who knew how I much I love The Virgin Mary, thought it would funny to photoshop the The Virgin Mary's head onto the body of Nicki Manaji in a provocative pose and post it on my locker. I wasn't amuse but apparently every other person in my grade thought it was funny. This boy also wrote Mary is a wh*re on the paper, which I guess was in an attempt to anger me.
4. My English teacher forced me to attend a counseling session at school because she worried about how "obsessive" I was about religion since most of papers I tried to relate to religion. I tried telling her I was not obsessed but religion is the thing I know best compared to other subjects which is why I naturally try to relate it to my papers. She still thinks I am crazy .
5. Another guy who is an atheist(I have nothing against them) straight up told me I was delusional nut because I still believed in God. He also went on say that deep down I was probably a sl*t of will become one in the future(for some reason he doesn't believe that I am a virgin?!). I was honestly so shocked by how nasty he was to me I didn't know how to respond. This another classmate of mine.
I have tons of stories similar to these. People honestly seem to hate me because of my devotion to my religion. I have been picked on since the ninth grade and I am getting tired of it. When did people start to openly hate those who chose to devote their lives to God? Wasn't that once an honorable position? Please help me, I don't think I can take this anymore.
Sorry to hear all this as they say "This too shall pass". HS can be a difficult time for anyone who looks or acts differently than others around them - think about some of the unpopular kids in your school. It is not religion per se but just being different.
As others have said your religious beliefs are no business of anyone but yourself. However it may serve you well to have some outside interests in common with others your own age so you can find some basis for friendships beyond religious circles - think art, photography, nature, sports or activities (cycling, walking), caring for pets or volunteering, etc. There are lots of things you can do which should help take your mind off the weekly ridicule heaped on you by your peers. Also do not react to the taunts of others - that just tells them they are getting you to. Stand-up for yourself; don't be afraid to complain to the head office if you feel you are being singled out (If you were my daughter, the Biology teacher would have been made to apologize)
HS is only a small part of your life and you will be surprised how different things can be when you are done. You may also come to realize that when people make fun of others it is most often an expression of their own insecurities.
Thank you King of the South for your advice. I already informed my school counselor about my Biology's teacher's behavior, nothing was done. I suspect because my school counselor is friends with my Biology teacher( I have seen them eat lunch together often) which is why nothing was done about it. I will try again though.
As a retired teacher, I can tell that that something was probably done regarding your biology teachers inappropriate comment to you in class. However, personnel issues are confidential so you will never know what was done. He may have been yelled at by the principal (his boss) or there may have been a letter of reprimand put in his file or he may have been required to attend sensitivity training or something else. Just because you did not "see" something happen did not mean that nothing was done. And, why did you even think that you would ever find out what happened to him?
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