Christianity is a complex religion that has been developing and changing for thousands of years. Today’s Christianity is a world away from the Christianity of one hundred, five hundred, or a thousand years ago, and whether this is a good or bad thing is impossible to tell. One thing hasn’t changed — followers of Christianity still do not fully understand their own religion.

1. Everything in the Bible should be taken literally

Taking the Bible word-for-word is often an issue associated with radical “Christians” (the Westboro Baptist Church, cults, etc.). People that take the Bible at face value tend to use it specifically for their own personal agenda, such as protesting against homosexuality and abortions and condemning those who don’t fit their ideal model of how people should live. These people also tend to forget the actual themes of Christianity that matter most: loving your neighbor as yourself, remembering we are all sinners and remembering that no matter how bad we mess up, God loves us and has forgiven us anyway.

2. All Christians believe the same things

Yes, to be a Christian, you must accept Jesus as your savior and believe in the word of God. That part is cut-and-dry. However, there are many things that Christians disagree on, hence the separation of the first church into the many denominations we have today. Not all Christians agree on the appropriate time to be baptized (some denominations say it is a choice, some baptize babies as soon as 10 weeks), how literally the Bible should be followed and how frequently communion should be held.

3. You have to align your politics with your religion

Christians have a bad reputation for being pretty far-right Republicans who want to make the laws of their country align with their religion. Although for a minority, this may be true, not all Christians agree. As for myself, I’m pretty neutral politically, but I’ve known Christians who are as liberal as it gets and Christians with more “Make America Great Again” gear than you would believe. Religion may have a heavy influence on your personal beliefs, but most people can agree that keeping the separation of church and state is a good idea.

4. Christians should be held more accountable for their sins because they “know better”

Believe it or not, I’ve seen this argument on the Internet, and it is wrong, wrong, wrong. Yes, Christians who were born and raised in the church are more familiar with what constitutes as sin and what is wrong in God’s eyes. However, this does not mean that we are perfect humans. All humans were born sinners, and just because Christians may have an outlined list of “no-no’s," doesn’t mean we sin any less than non-Christians.

5. Becoming a Christian will make your life easier

As much as I wish this was true, I know it isn’t. People may assume that, as a Christian, having God on your side will immediately absolve any struggles or hardships in your life. Unfortunately, this is so far from the truth it’s almost funny. There are homeless Christians, financially unstable Christians, Christians with cancer and Christians who just can’t catch a break. Having a support system in God, the Bible and the church may make it easier to face these hardships and get through them, but it sure doesn’t stop them from coming. This isn’t to say that bad things happen to Christians because of their religion, it just means we definitely don’t have a one-up on the rest of the population when it comes to bad happenings.

Many Christians, including myself, like Christianity so much because it’s a religion that’s open to personal interpretation. However, there are definitely problematic interpretations of Christianity in the world. Understanding your religion fully can keep you from viewing Christianity in a light that is harmful to you, your faith and those around you.