"Bible Girl". "Goody-two-shoes". "Prude". "Naïve". "Religious". "Better than us". "Boring".

Being a stereotype is difficult for anyone, especially when that stereotype says nothing about who you truly are but what society assumes without a valid reason. This is why I hesitate to tell people up front that I am a Christian. That I believe in a God who is just yet merciful, vengeful yet loving, all-knowing while allowing free will. A God who is knowable and personal, but at the same time a complete paradox which prevents human beings from fully comprehending His true nature.

Going to a non-Christian school as a Bible-believing Christian is not easy. When you don't drink, swear, party, or experience at least one hook-up you regret, people start to notice and notice you—usually not for the best reasons.

Of course, while complaining about being stereotyped, I just stereotyped my own peers. This world is an odd place.

In all truthfulness, many of the typical "college student" things I choose not to do have nothing to do with my actual faith and more to do with my own personality and beliefs. I don't drink because 1, I'm underage, and 2, I've tried alcohol before and I just don't enjoy it. I'm a bookish introvert at heart, so one of the last places you'll find me is turning up with a rambunctious crowd late at night. I know plenty of Christians who have no problem with doing things I wouldn't do. It all comes down to what your convictions and preferences are.

What I am trying to say is that I don't want to drive people away by saying I believe in God.

I won't deny that Christians have more than earned the hatred and negative criticism the faith has garnered over the past centuries. Fundamentalist groups like Westboro Baptist have done nothing but spit hellfire on God's name in the eyes of non-Christians. One of the most horrifying articles I have ever read went viral this past summer. It was written by a legalistic housewife professing Christianity, who was appallingly unapologetic and sincere about her twisted words. And, as a girl who grew up in a Christian family and church, I can honestly say that Christians are the most judgmental and narcissistic people I know. Harsh, but there you have it.

I cannot possibly describe how evil this is.

Here are my two cents: all of these things have nothing to do with the faith, but with people. There are evil people in every group, people who cast a bad light on the rest of those who are doing good in the world. Our human natures are ultimately self-centered. Whether we care to admit it or not, we treat ourselves as gods to some extent.

I am grateful, so incredibly grateful, to live in a country that wrote liberty and freedom of speech into its birth. It pains me when people take advantage of their freedoms and use their American rights to hate and target people they don't agree with, all while invoking the sacred name of God. That is not Christianity. Christianity is not angry conservatives, "God hates fags" signs, cult-like tradition, anti-science brigades, or "holier than thou" attitudes. Perhaps that is what it has become, but this is not what it was meant to be. In my eyes, Christianity is loving people even if I don't agree with them or their lifestyle. It's knowing I serve a God who has a purpose for my life, a God who loves me and wanted a relationship with me so badly that He gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Some might think it all a fairy story, a story as mythical as the gods on Mount Olympus. So be it. I cannot and will not force my convictions down anyone's throat. I do not know what your story is, and I do not pretend to. Everyone has a good reason for believing what they believe, or, at least, I hope they do.

While I look forward to the day when the Bible is no longer a brand for hatred, I realize that it will probably never come to pass. I don't want my non-Christian friends and peers to think they need to act differently when they're around me, but they do. I have accepted this, and am doing my best to represent my faith in a way that leaves a positive impression on those around me. I have made mistakes and will continue to make them because just like anyone else I am only a human, a human who relies on the support of other humans to keep me in check.