I don’t know about anyone else, but on my campus we often have people that show up, who call themselves “Christians”, and basically just yell at everyone. They tell us that we’re all going to hell, and that pretty much everything we do is a sin. As a Christian, seeing these people come and tear people down, instead of spreading God's love, it really pisses me off.

For one, these people are a terrible representation of Christianity. Jesus told us that the greatest commandment was to love. LOVE. First, to love the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul. Secondly, to love your neighbor as yourself. Spewing hateful messages at people because their life and beliefs are different from yours is not spreading Christ's message, and it makes the rest of us look bad. I just want it to be known that not all Christians are like this!!! These people claim to be teaching us God’s word, but instead they just upset people.

Secondly, I feel like these types of people turn others away from Christianity. Imagine someone’s first encounter with Christianity being someone telling them they’re going to hell because they do this or do that. Why would anyone want to be a part of something that seems so hateful? It turns people away before they’ve even had a chance to be open to the idea of faith.

It’s not just these individuals that make people resistant to Christianity, or more specifically Catholicism. The Catholic Church plays a part in this as well. I think over time there have been rules established that have lost sight of what Jesus’ true message was. For example, someone who has been divorced and remarried cannot receive communion at mass unless they annulled their marriage. I understand that divorce is wrong in the eyes of the church, but you’re dismissing people who are completely open to your faith. Instead of focusing on the fact that Jesus welcomed and accepted all people, the Church has made many feel excluded. I think this is one of the reasons I’ve struggled with religion growing up.

�I was raised Catholic; Baptized, First Communion, Confirmation, Catholic school from 4th - 12th grade, the whole shebang. I am incredibly lucky and grateful to have had the opportunity to attend Catholic school, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not an overly religious person. I skip Mass more frequently than I should, I curse God when things are going wrong, and I don't pray as often or as wholeheartedly as I should. But I believe in God, and his love for me, and I have faith in him. And for me, that is what Christianity is all about, my relationship with God. I don’t need to follow a bunch of human – made rules to know God. I don’t have to be a certain type of person to experience His love. I don’t have to go to church every Sunday to be able to pray. Anyone can have a relationship with Him. He doesn’t turn his back on you because you’re gay, because you’ve been divorced, or because you’ve made mistakes. Just like a parent He forgives you when you mess up; he accepts and loves all his children, no matter how they choose to live their life. These are the messages that should be spread. This is what someone should hear the first time they encounter Christianity; love, acceptance, forgiveness.

If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that faith is a journey. It doesn’t just happen, you have to be open to it, and you have to work at it. The best part, is that God isn’t going anywhere. He will always be there for you. Please, please don’t turn away from God or the possibility of forming a relationship with him because of people that hold up signs and scream, or because an institution has made a bunch of rules. Faith is so much more than that. God truly is love, and I hope that one day you open yourself up to receiving it.

“We must restore hope to young people, help the old, be open to the future, spread love. Be poor among the poor. We need to include the excluded and preach peace.” – Pope Francis