Hey. You. Now that I've caught your attention with my safety tips for popped collars, motivated you to pick up the paper and showed flashbacks to the '90s with my magic time machine, I want to take you on another tour.

So please, put on your 3-D goggles and take a trip with me to a scenario you could encounter in the near future. Wait patiently as the machine boots up; it's running off Macintosh, so it'll take a while.

OK, so now you're walking up Allen Street toward the Pattee Library. It's a crisp autumn day with a slight breeze, so small freshmen are safe for today. Along the way, you pass by a table with a student group advertising information for a Muslim Student Association. A little bit farther up, there's another student group handing out info for Hillel.

But that's not the last one. There's one more group handing out information for their Christian Student Association. And then you roll your eyes.

OK, you can take off your goggles, because that was I wanted to show you. What you, as well as many others, just did is roll their eyes at the mere mention of a Christian group -- but not when a Muslim or Jewish group is mentioned.

Right now, you may be thinking, "oh no, not another Bible thumper telling me I'm wrong and trying to impose his beliefs on me."

But that's not what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to end stereotypes against Christians.

I can understand why you would think that, in general, Christians are narrow-minded or hypocrites. With all the scandals involving priests and some overbearing groups that may bother you at home, it's easy to see how you might negatively view this group. So to help you out, I'm going to tell you how it really is. The majority of Christians are hard-working men and women to get by. Most of us aren't trying to pick fights with non-Christians or proclaim that all non-believers are going to hell. But somehow, stereotypes exist and they hurt us all -- so let me address them.

First, let me clarify that "Christianity" encompasses both Catholics and Protestants.

Second, it seems like many people feel that Christians think of themselves as "perfect," which is certainly not the case. According to the dictionary, being Christian merely means that we profess belief in Jesus as Christ and God. Nowhere in the definition does it say that we are perfect. There is no such thing in my mind as a "good" or "bad" Christian. We still make mistakes just like anyone else and do the best we can with what we have.

Third, some of you may think of Christianity as some sort of cult. If it is, it may be the only cult in the world with membership requirements of love and compassion.

Lastly, being a Christian does not mean we know all the secrets of the universe. We know as much as non-Christians, depending on our degree and our life experiences. And we might never know, but that is where our faith comes in. Philosopher Soren Kierkegaard said, "There is thus ultimately no justification for ... the gap between the finiteness of our comprehension and the infinity of the justification is incommensurable. Only a leap of faith can surmount the gap. Religious belief must be just that -- a belief for which one cannot give rational justification."

Although we may not know all the answers to life's questions, we have something to rely on. And the importance of your own personal beliefs is just as important as our beliefs are to us.

But this isn't Sunday school. I'm merely here to tell you our side of the story. I agree that there are some "rotten apples" who may spoil your view of Christianity. The fact that priests, known for being strong, upstanding members of the community, have sexually abused kids is horrible, but the majority of priests in the world are still model citizens.

I'm not here to say whether or not my beliefs are right -- that's for another discussion. I just want everyone to realize that Christians have feelings too, and that more courtesy is necessary toward anyone with religious and/or spiritual beliefs, whether or not you agree with them.