For about six months in college, I was a server for Bob Evans. Sundays were the worst days for anyone on wait staff because all we’d get were church people. Those were also the days we ended up with the lowest tips.

If a person came from a country where tipping wasn’t a thing, I would let it pass. But what made me sick to my stomach would be when there was a big tip on the table, I’d eye it warily.

Some of the church people would leave brochures for their churches that looked like a decent tip. You didn’t realize it was a brochure for your church until you picked it up to put in your apron. And then you were depressed.

I’d been fairly neutral on faith, but that time at Bob Evans gave me a negative view on Christians. It didn’t matter if they knew what it was like to be a server or not, the reaction was the same. The worst part was that particular restaurant got mad if you didn’t make a certain amount in tips. Michigan law states that a server has to claim 100% of their tips.

I’ve met people that’ve broken that Christian stereotype for me, but there are a lot of Christians out there that make borderline atheists like me want to go in full-on atheist mode after that.