As someone living in a pretty conservative, religious state (Indiana, I'm moving to Cali in like a week.) I know how you feel, being non-religious myself.
The best thing to do, that I think anyway, is to basically ignore anyone who tries to talk down to you because of your beliefs... Or lack of belief.
Your friends care for you, and you'll probably meet new friends who will accept you as well. You'll never be able to please everyone in the world, no matter what you do.
So my advice is to ignore it, don't discuss religious matters when they shouldn't be discussed, and focus on what you think is right.
The important part is that you have that awesome group of friends :) It definitely helps to have people support you regardless of your personal choices. Congrats on having a fulfilling coming out as an atheist and for having good friends! My blunt advice (which isn't always realistic) would be to not worry about what other people think; your views are not wrong, so you don't need to change them. If possible, don't associate with people that make you uncomfortable.
Realistically, I'm not sure of the best way to handle this. I don't have any personal views concerning religion (some people prefer to call me an atheist, I prefer not to label myself as an -ist because I view that as a religion about not believing in a deity.) For me, the topic of my personal beliefs never comes up since I have no stake in the matter. I don't care what religion other people have, nor am I interested in discussing religious matters unless we're talking history, so I don't see a reason to talk about it. If a discussion about religion is started, I just opt to let people who have a religion take control of it. If other people are actively forcing you to speak about your views, there's nothing wrong with explaining yourself. The problem comes in when, as you mentioned, a religion is being forced on you. If that happens, I'd say to give them a gentle reminder that religion is a personal choice, not what others view as right.
There's really no way to control how people treat you (so long as it isn't dangerous! That would be a serious issue.) If people look at you funny, the only thing to do is act normal to remind them that you're a human, same as them, even without believing in a deity. This sounds like a recent step you took to come out as an atheist, so maybe it'll blow over when people get used to it. If you're still in high school, that can be a tough time in general socially. People are incredibly judgmental in high school. The people I've met in college are far more understanding than my high school peers were. Keep in mind that a lot of the people who are looking at you funny will learn acceptance as they get introduced to the real world in a few years. Knowing you're an atheist might help them be more accepting in the long run.
The unfortunate conclusion I've personally reached is that having a personal view different from the masses can need some tough skin. Even though it will probably be difficult now, I think being true to your beliefs is the best way to go.
That's pretty awesome. I remember some really creative customization with the invisible color, it was actually discussed on TDN. I don't remember what was the name of the pet though.
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