Stereotypes are formed through our parents, friends and social media. Plenty of stereotypes exist about practically any kind of ethnicity, religion or social group. As a Christian, I recognize that there's plenty of stereotypes out there about Christians, and plenty of ideas of what a Christian should look like. While some of those stereotypes may be true, or have some truth to them, many of them are just ridiculous. Based on real experiences and real stories from real people, here's a list of five assumptions that people make about Christians.

1. Christians don't have fun.

"Christians are boring." "Christians just go to church and read the Bible all day." "Don't you ever do anything fun?"

I spent my Friday night of spring break at a concert and not just any concert, but a Christian rap concert. It was probably the highlight of my entire spring break. The energy was crazy, the music was loud, the crowd was hyped, it was LIT. And yet somehow there's the idea that Christians just don't like to have fun. Well, my advice for those people is try spending a week with me and my friends. We'll redefine "fun" for you. There are plenty of ways to have fun and enjoy yourself without compromising your faith.

2. We all have the Bible memorized cover to cover, and we're armed and ready with a Bible verse for every situation.

The Bible is not meant to be used as a weapon. Bible verses are not meant to be thrown around as insults or used to slam people. I'll be the first to admit that I haven't read the entire Bible, and I definitely don't have Bible verses lined up and ready to be used as ammunition. But that's not even what the Bible is intended for. The Bible is intended to be a guide for how to live Christ-like lives. It is supposed to be our instructions on how to be more like God. This means that it's supposed to be used lovingly. Bible verses are meant to be shared, yes, but not thrown around. The way in which you use them and the way in which they are delivered matters greatly. When sharing Bible verses, especially with someone who either is not a Christian or practices another religion, make sure your intentions come from a place of love, not hate, shame or guilt.

3. We can only be friends with other Christians.

God created all people in His own image. So who are we to judge who is or isn't worthy to be friends with us?

I have plenty of Muslim friends, Jewish friends, Atheist friends, non-denominational friends, friends who just choose not to think about religion at all. If anything, I find having these friends makes my life better. It leads to more interesting conversations and discussions, often giving me a chance to really question and consider what I believe. It challenges my faith and allows me to challenge others. I don't want to deny the possibility of someone making a difference in my life just because they don't practice the same religion as me.

4. Christians are perfect. They have their lives all perfectly together.

"It's a common misconception that our goal is perfection - instead of humility in recognizing our own sinfulness." - Mia Rickenbach

We are not perfect. No one is. So where did the stereotype or mentality come from that Christians are perfect? I don't want anyone thinking I'm perfect, and I know for myself that I am definitely not. As Christians, we strive to be like Christ, and that requires us recognizing how much we fall short of the glory of God. We try to be the best we can and live good lives, but it is not for our own sake. By bettering ourselves, we begin to look more like Christ in our words and actions.

Going along with this is the assumption that as a Christian, all of my problems disappear and I can live a happy and carefree life, without worry or fear of anything going wrong. This is the complete opposite of the truth. As a Christian, I am not excused from having issues. What I benefit from in Christianity is that Jesus is there to share the burden with me. God is not a magician; He's not going to make all my problems disappear. But what He is going to do is be there for me through the good and the bad times, and I will worship and love Him through it all.

5. I'm going to judge you because you think something different than me.

A Christian may have different values than a non-Christian. For example, I'm in college. Kids drink and party. That's no secret. While I personally have chosen not to drink and party, it is not my place to judge someone who believes drinking is okay. Same thing goes for things like cursing. Just because I don't curse, doesn't mean you need to apologize for cursing in front of me. You shouldn't have to change who you are just because of who you are interacting with. We live in a country where we are lucky enough to have freedom of speech. Use it. Say what you want to. Your words are not going to "corrupt me"; trust me, I've heard them all before. So stop assuming you need to act a certain way around your Christian friends or change how you act because of them.

And similarly, Christians need to understand that everyone has different values and beliefs, even other Christians. But you are not God; you are not meant to judge someone for their actions. As cliche as it sounds, this world would be a much nicer place if we didn't judge each other.

So I hope that this article can kind of dissect some of these annoying stereotypes. I know no one is perfect, and these stereotypes will still exist for a while, but it is worth acknowledging them and taking steps to try and correct them - something both Christians and non-Christians can be working on.

Spread love.