faith, secularism and literature

Two years ago last fall, I met with a professor who I hoped at the time might serve as the director of my work at another university than the one I currently attend. As I introduced my subject interests to him, I saw a look across his face that seemed to indicate that he thought I was very much off-base. I heard later in that semester from a fellow person of faith and clergyperson that this same professor appeared to evaluate work on the basis of his feelings about faith rather than the merits of a given student's work. I, of course, do not know if the professor actually graded that unfairly and I am making no accusation of any kind. I did sense from my conversation with the professor, however, an antipathy toward faith perspectives in terms of reading, understanding and analyzing literature.
Fortunately, I have not had similar experiences from my professors since beginning my work at Southern Illinois University. Whether the given professor has specific faith inclinations or not, each of them to a person has honored my perspective and the search for integrative intepretation that I bring to my work. I have very much appreciated their grace and decency.
What continues to disappoint me, however, rests on the manner in which some of my fellow graduate students seem to interpret both my faith and how I use it in various classes. Naturally, I am accusing no one of anything in particular and my "inklings" may well be wrong. I do sense, however, various levels of either impatience or even sometimes outright hostility that any rationally thinking person could profess any sort of religious faith (other than the secular materialism that seems to be embraced by folks here and there among these same grad students--without them realizing that what they embrace is a "religious faith" as well). I partly realize that trying to counter their lumping of me with one form or another of, as a grad student said some months ago, "fundies" is pointless. These folks have their "demon" and won't give an inch since it helps to form their weltanschaung. In other words, they are as averse to ambiguity as any of the fundamentalists they so easily disparage.
On the other hand, I have reached the point in life where I am unwilling to submit to silly comments by people who are unwilling to consider that Judeo-Christian tradition is complex, rich and varied with ample room for people, such as myself, who do not believe homosexuality is a choice (neither is my being a heterosexual) or that the Bible is "the infallible, inerrant word of God" or that, since I believe Jesus is Lord, that I am going to try and impose that profession on people who do not (since this is being sent to many of my relatives, I'll refrain from using an expletive that comes to mind). In various ways and in various levels of voice, I have increasingly raised objections to that type of "anti-faith" bias and, somewhat hesitantly, but firmly nonetheless, will continue to do so. I maintain the hope that we as Grad students can live up to our vaunted ideals of open inquiry, free exchange and respect for other viewpoints. Thankfully, I have found some of that, but sadly, not as much as I perhaps I expected.
Your comments are, as always, welcome.