The Bachelorette star Hannah Brown refuses to accept judgment and criticism from fellow Christians claiming she's giving them a bad name through her behavior on the show, and now she's firing back at those haters.
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"I refuse to not stand in the sun. I refuse to feel shame. I refuse to believe the lies and evil that flood my comments," Hannah wrote late Tuesday night on Instagram.
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Hannah, a self-declared religious woman from Alabama who has said multiple times, "Jesus loves me," is unapologetically herself on The Bachelorette's fifteenth season.
If Hannah is sexually attracted to a bachelor, she is unafraid to act on her feelings. So far this season, Hannah has straddled men in beds and chairs, and she has engaged in steamy makeout sessions on a pool table and in a sauna.
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And in the latest episode, Hannah went bungee jumping "naked" while holding on to Garrett Powell, who was also supposedly in the nude. (In an Instagram posting she made Monday, Hannah also clarified she was not actually completely naked during the jump.)
While some Christians have claimed to be ashamed of Hannah's actions and posted hateful messages on social media, Hannah says she isn't letting it effect her.
"I am standing firm in believing that maybe God wants to use a mess like me to point to His goodness and grace," Hannah wrote in her Instagram post.
"But dang, it's hard. The amount of hate I and the men on this journey with me receive... it's chilling to know so many people want to spread hurt so recklessly. We all fall short of the glory of God... we just happen to do it on national television."
Hannah continued, "I've realized that a lot of the things that Satan uses to hurt me, come in the form of many of your comments -- he uses a grain of truth to steer to evil lies. 'You're not enough, you're dirty, you're dumb, you're immature, you're not worthy...'. It's upsetting to get messages from Christians telling me I give Christians a bad name."
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Hannah insisted she's a good person even if she has made mistakes on national television.
"I've lived my life for the world to see and judge and absolutely, I'm hot mess on a stick, I blew it a few times... but I refuse to believe I give Christians a bad name," Hannah wrote Tuesday night.
"I'm an imperfect human. Who is yes, also a Christian. And God has a master plan for all the failures I continue to learn and grow from to work out for good, and for his glory."
The beauty pageant queen continued, "Thank you to those who continue to support me and my guys as we open our hearts to each other, and in turn... you! We appreciate you and your kindness!"
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On Monday night's episode, Christian bachelor Luke Parker expressed how Hannah's body is "a temple" and she should be saving it for her future husband.
Luke was therefore disappointed and pissed off that Hannah went bungee jumping in the nude with Garrett and shared that intimate experience with him.
When Hannah confronted Luke, however, about how he didn't have the right to tell her what to do, Luke changed his tune and told the Bachelorette he'd support her in all of her choices and would never try to control her.
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It appears many of Hannah's haters took Luke's side on the naked bungee jumping, whereas the rest of The Bachelorette star's remaining bachelors seemed to like the she was so brave and adventurous.
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Based on a preview for an upcoming episode of The Bachelorette, Luke will attempt to sex shame Hannah and the conversation will end with Hannah raging and standing up for herself.
Hannah currently has seven suitors remaining going into Episode 8 of The Bachelorette.
In addition to Luke and Garrett, the other men still in the running for Hannah's heart are Mike Johnson, Jed Wyatt, Peter Weber, Tyler Cameron, and Connor Saeli.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski