One thing America is known for is the freedom granted to every person who is lucky enough to be a citizen. This freedom allows people to do many things that are strongly discouraged in other cultures. One of the first rights granted to Americans is the right to protest. Unfortunately, many people take this right for granted.
Last week in the small town of Weston, Mo., a Baptist preacher, Fred Phelps, gathered some followers to protest the American government. There is nothing wrong with this from a law standpoint, but the venue proves the lack of morals held by the preacher.
Phelps and his posse planned to conduct their protest at the funeral of Sgt. First Class C.J. Sadell, an American soldier who had recently died from injuries he suffered as a result of a surprise attack in Afghanistan. This same group has been known to crash funerals, because they see funerals as available public platforms that allow Phelps and his people to inform people there is a consequence for sin.
Weston is a town of less than 2,000 residents, nearly half of whom showed up in an effort to block Phelps’ protest. The town people arrived early and took up every parking spot close to the corner where the protestors were scheduled to assemble so they would have nowhere to park.
These people showed up with American flags, American music and the desire to preserve the soldier’s family’s right to a peaceful memorial service. They even brought a flag large enough to block the sight of any protestors who might show up. It is good to know there are some people in the world who have their heads on right.
Being a Christian, I am strongly supportive of people getting out of their comfort zones and witnessing to others. Phelps did not do this. In fact, if I were a nonbeliever and heard this story, I would be repulsed and would never give Christianity a chance.
In my hometown, one of the only forms of entertainment available is a four-screen movie theater. This sounds normal, but the real entertainment does not even take place inside the theater. Rather, it is outside in front of the theater where a group from a church — the denomination of which will remain unnamed — assembles most Friday nights to protest movies. These people yell at innocent patrons of the dangers of watching movies and then go on to chastise people for the way they dress.
In both of these instances, a group of people decided to bring people down rather than to lift them up, even though the latter should be the goal of Christians. A family that has just lost a loved one is usually in a very depressed state, and the last thing it needs is someone telling them they are doing something wrong. Movies are a chance to disregard the real world for close to two hours. No harm comes from movies unless viewers are foolish enough to put themselves into the movie.
All of these people bring a bad name to Christianity. Their attempts to bring people to God ultimately push those same people further and further away. There must be something wrong when a person cannot feel comfortable and supported by members, let alone the preacher, of a so-called Christian church.
Jay Ballard is a freshman majoring in chemistry. He can be contacted at [email protected].