“Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 21:31)

As a Christian, I focus on sharing love, respect, and kindness to those around me. I try to find joy in everything, even the small things, and to spread positivity. We are only given one, beautiful life and I want to live it as fully and with as much love that I can. I believe that is God’s purpose for us.

Christianity has gotten a bit of a bad reputation. Stereotyping is a societal norm that everyone does whether they realize it or not. It’s our mind’s way of putting people into categories. Christians are often labeled as judgmental, old fashioned, and hypocritical. And while these stereotypes may be fitting for some Christians, they are not for all. I think the reason that Christians are labeled this way is that the ones who in fact are this way are the ones who “speak the loudest” and are therefore heard the most by the public.

So here I am, breaking away from the stereotype and raising my voice. I am a Christian and I am open-minded to other people and cultures, despite the differences in faith. I am a Christian and I am respectful to people with different beliefs. I am a Christian and I listen to the opinions of others. I am a Christian and I don’t hate someone for being different than me.

I can only speak for myself, but I strongly believe that when it comes down to it, God doesn’t care about how many Bible verses you have memorized or how much money you have donated to your church, he cares about how you treat people. How we choose to treat others is a reflection of ourselves and if we treat people badly, our reflection doesn’t show a Christian.

No matter the differences in our cultures, in our beliefs, and in our ways of living, we are all human and we all deserve respect. There is so much more to life than disliking someone over different beliefs. We are all able to have different outlooks on life and that’s what makes it beautiful. We have to be kind and share our love with all kinds of people. I have learned to be open-minded to people’s opinions, even if I don’t agree with them.

I’d like to take a moment to get specific. There has been a long, ongoing “battle” between some Christians and the LGBTQ community. I’d really like to emphasize the “some Christians” part because it is obviously not the case for all Christians, like myself. The idea of all Christians hating the LGBTQ community is not a fact – it is a stereotype.

It is not my place to judge someone based upon whom they love, and I am sorry for those who have done such a thing in the name of God. I know that being gay is not a choice, because who would choose to be treated as awfully as they are? Who would choose to be denied basic rights, such as the right to marry the person they love? To be looked down upon and hated for being so “different?” No one would willingly choose that.

And the thing is, you don’t have to support gay rights. Everyone has a right to have their own opinion and belief about anything and everything. You can have a different belief. That is 100 percent okay. What is not okay is using that different belief to discriminate against people.

As a Christian, I am not supposed to hate or to discriminate. To do so to anyone, including the LGBTQ community, would go against my beliefs and my values as a Christian. I do not just “tolerate” the LGBTQ community, I support them and I cheer for them. I stand with them. Because they deserve the right to love as freely and as openly as I can. God says to love your neighbor and I intend to do just that. If you are using the Bible to hurt other people, then you are using it wrong.

Because I am Christian, I support the LGBTQ community.