It’s no secret that Michael Venyah is in Starkville this week trying to save us college students from eternal damnation. Every year he travels from campus to campus, trying to bring young people back to Christ. He says he and his wife have sacrificed their home, jobs and all of their worldly possessions, except for clothes, a motor home, and, obviously, a lot of Bibles. Venyah says he and his family travel hundreds of miles across the country “on faith” alone. However, last time I checked, RVs run on gasoline, not intangible beliefs.
There’s nothing wrong with verbalizing one’s faith, and the fact that we’re allowed to do so is part of why America is so great. It’s one thing to share your beliefs and encourage others to convert, but when you are verbally harassing young men and women, some of which are devout Christians, you’re crossing the line. This is what Michael Venyah and his followers do. They condemn us, saying that we’re full of sin and we’re destined for hell since we drink, smoke and have sex, which is not true of everyone.
When asked how Venyah and his followers know exactly who to yell at, one member of his posse answered, “If there were a Christian out in the group, a good Christian would go and rebuke this kind of behavior. They would not be complacent with it, when you’re complacent with it and laughing and joking with them, that means you are now are part of it and that is sin.”
The group she is speaking of is the usual crowd of students who gathers around Venyah to either debate his statements or to be entertained by the arguments that ensue. Unsurprisingly to anyone who has witnessed Venyah’s preaching in the past, he and his followers believe that anyone who disagrees with them is headed for hell.
Before I was interrupted by a guy in a rabbit suit (which I laughed at, so I guess I’m going to hell), I asked the woman who was with him why they gave up their lives to travel around the country and preach to college kids. Her answer: “[A] Christian does not just occupy a pew in a church. A Christian goes and defends truth. We have a responsibility.”
After having quite a few scripture verses thrown at me, I had the chance to talk to Mr. Venyah. I asked him if he filled out a student event form or something similar to have permission to speak on campus. When he told me that he didn’t, it made me wonder why the university doesn’t kick him off campus. It also made me wonder whether or not a gay rights group advocating equal marriage would be allowed to speak the way Venyah does without interference from the campus police. Sadly, I doubt this is true.
Since Venyah isn’t physically hurting anyone, the university doesn’t see him preaching on the drill field as a problem. However, some students disagree with the university’s lack of action. While what takes place on the Drill Field when the Venyah brigade comes to town is funny (to me at least), the things they accuse us of are harsh. He believes that we are all damaging God’s “temples” and for that, we have already been sentenced to hell. For some reason he thinks he’ll scare us into being religious fanatics like him and his disciples. When I asked one of the women who was with him why they are so confrontational when addressing students, she referred to a scripture in Isaiah that basically said it’s a Christian’s job to convert nonbelievers to their faith. Obviously, my question wasn’t exactly answered. It’s no news to anyone who’s interacted with these people that it’s nearly impossible to have a logic-based conversation with them since they just refer back to the Bible no matter what you ask.
It’s pretty ironic that they say churches are an abomination because they’re run by man instead of by God, when they obsessively read the Bible written by man which has been endlessly manipulated throughout past centuries.
Even though a lot of students here at MSU are religious, you don’t see them telling everyone who is smoking a cigarette or has a tattoo he or she is going to hell. Maybe that’s because the Bible also says we have no right to judge anyone else. Mr. Venyah, a popular line from the Bible I’d like to remind you of is a quote from Jesus saying, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”
Also, just because you can scream at unsuspecting college students that they’re horrible sinners and must repent, doesn’t mean you should.
Nora Donnelly is a sophomore majoring in communication. She can be contacted at [email protected].