Mississippi is in the Bible Belt, and it is well known most people identify as Christian, even if they do not attend church, read the Bible or take part in any religious ceremonies other than major Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter.
I identify as Christian. I read my Bible, but I do not go to church anymore. I have gotten to a point in my life where I have stepped back and realized church has become more of a social gathering place than a place of solace and worship.
According to Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry for The Week, more and more Americans have similar religious views as mine. They are leaving affiliations and gravitating toward a “DIY” religion. The reasons for this vary, but there seems to be a repeating pattern. 
Pastors and elders of churches are hypocritical and judgmental, which not only baffles me but saddens me.
In the same breath, they preach about tolerance and love, then turn away anyone who is not their idea of a perfect Christian. They then use the word of God to try to justify their hate. However, Christianity is not now, nor has it ever been, about hating anyone.
Christianity is supposed to be about love and any judgment should be reserved for God to pass. Pastors cannot choose who is or is not worthy according to the words of Jesus.
The fact of the matter is we live with a very Americanized version of Christianity, used for people’s personal gain and as a justification of their hatred.
The most basic explanation of Christianity is this: Jesus died on the cross to pay for humanity’s sins. This happens in the New Testament—which means all the sins in the Old Testament are forgiven in the eyes of the Lord.
In the New Testament, Jesus welcomes foreigners, children, the uneducated, prostitutes, the disabled and many more imperfect people. If we are supposed to live Christ-like as Christians, are we not supposed to love these people in the same way Jesus did? We are not the people to decide whether someone is unworthy of love or life.
However, many Americans love to put their own ideals into what Christianity is supposed to be. An example of an argument many have is, “God hates gays.” However, people will say this just a few sentences before they say, “God makes no mistakes.”
I believe only one of these statements is true: God makes no mistakes. God does not hate.
Americans twist God into what they want His words to say in order to fit their own agenda. Many politicians use God as backing for their policies and beliefs, which end up being hateful and hurtful toward certain groups of people.
President Donald Trump claims to be a Christian. However, he has lied, falsely accused, taken the Lord’s name in vain, and hurt and sexually assaulted people. This does not stop people from believing he is a good, Christian president simply because he has policies against the LGBT community, immigrants and abortion.
Dallas First Baptist Church’s choir wrote a song idolizing Trump called “Make America Great Again.” They are so blind by this sense of American Christianity they believe Trump stands for they do not see this as idolization.
It is fine to use God as a source to back yourself and your beliefs, but twisting God’s words into words of hate and bigotry is the opposite of how God intended his word to be used. Christianity is about loving and accepting people, and knowing judgment will be left to God.