In our society today, there's a lot of stereotyping everywhere you look. People are given labels and lumped into groups based on things that they notice about you within moments of meeting you. We're constantly making assumptions about people without getting to know them. As a Christian, I've experienced a lot of this. We've gotten a bad name based on the things that a few opinionated Christians do. So, I'm trying to set the record straight. Here's a few things that people wrongly assume about Christians.

1. That we completely deny science.

I mean come on, just because I believe that the earth was created by God instead of being the product of some kind of “big bang” doesn’t mean that I don’t believe in science and medicine. I just believe that God is the one that gave us those things through the minds of great scientists.

2. We hate gays.

This is the one that gets me the most. We most definitely do not hate gay people. Christians are not supposed to hate anyone. We are supposed to love all people. Yes, the Bible says homosexuality is a sin. However, we are to hate the sin, not the sinner. Also, all sin is equal. “Christians” that don’t get this need to read their Bible a little deeper and stop the hate.

3. We're small-minded or uneducated.

No, I didn't just decide to be a Christian because it was the easy thing to do or because it's what my family pressured me into. It took a lot of soul searching, deep thinking and doubting to get to the place where I was secure in my faith. The decision to follow Jesus was not one I made lightly without thinking about it or because it seemed like the simple answer.

4. We want to shove the Bible down your throat.

There's a few Christians out there that try to do this, believe me. However, most of us aren't like that. We know that criticizing you while reciting Bible verses telling you why you're wrong isn't the best way to turn you on to Jesus Christ.

5. We’re all completely against abortion in all situations.

I’m sure there’s plenty of Christians out there that disagree with me on this one, but there are some cases when I think abortion is acceptable. If an 11 year old gets molested by her stepfather or whoever, she should not be forced to give birth to his baby. If a woman is raped, I personally think it should be her choice if she wants to carry her rapist's baby inside of her for nine months and then possibly resent the child that comes from it. There’s also medical reasons for abortion. The point is, there are extenuating circumstances where a tough call needs to be made and there are a few Christians that think it should be left to the one with the baby inside her body in these cases. Though I'll admit that these Christians may be few and far between.

6. We want Donald Trump to be president.

I don't really even know where this came from. I guess it's the misconception that Christian equals Republican. However, not all Christians are Republicans, and not all Republicans want Donald Trump to be president. I for one am terrified of Trump being president. I'm also terrified of Hillary Clinton being president, but that's neither here nor there.

7. We constantly judge you.

It says right there in the bible (Matthew 7 to name one of many verses about this) that we are not to judge. God will judge you just like God will judge me, but it's not my place to judge you for anything you do. I sin just as much as anyone, judging you for it is hypocritical.

8. We are self-righteous.

This goes right along with what I said in number seven. Christians sin too. We are no better than anyone else. We sin all the time. I think that Christians that act like they're better than everyone are the number one reason people get turned off to God. Please don't let these self-righteous "Christians" make you think that we all think we're perfect and better than everyone.

9. Christianity is all about rules.

Don't drink, don't have premarital sex, don't be gay, don't get divorced, don't lie, etc. Totally not the point of Christianity. If it was we would all be in trouble because everyone breaks the rules all the time. It's because of this constant rule-breaking that we needed a savior. Jesus came to die for our sins and Jesus is what Christianity is all about.

10. It's all about church.

You don't have to go to church to be a Christian and just because you sit in church every Sunday does not make you saved. Also, let me clarify that in this point I'm talking about church the building. Church is actually any place where two or more people are gathered, which is way more important than the building. Loving Jesus honestly has nothing to do with going to a church. It's all about your heart.

11. Everyone that says they're a Christian is saved.

I guarantee you they are not. There are people that will hide behind religion, there are people that will share Facebook posts about God, but not pray to him, and there are people that will sit in church every single Sunday but haven't surrendered their life to Christ. It's most likely these kinds of "Christians" that will contradict everything on this list. Don't let them fool you.