As the preacher infiltrated the front lawn of our sanctuary, The Union, he undoubtedly failed at his “born” task of drawing people-ones who are already living in the buckle of the Bible belt-to Christ.
However, this invader did manage to accomplish another fascinating task. As the scene played out before me, I saw students who would not so much as glance at each other under normal circumstances not only exchange looks but also sentiments at the atrocity of this guy invading our space. Students were disgusted with him judging our religion and condemning students to hell based only on their sporty apparel and if a cigarette was in their mouth. As student after student walked within the preacher’s perimeter, trying to make it to class, he proceeded to attack them with questions about their faith, religious habits and their sexual history.
There is no doubt in my mind that those students who chose to spend their free time outside The Union on the benches, or playing hacky-sac by the steps, were extremely thankful that the wonderful people who keep our campus looking its best decided that the middle of the day was the perfect time to mow the grass in front of The Union. After all, it is so much better to hear the sound of campus betterment than to be judged by someone that doesn’t know anything about you other than you enjoy Pantera, dating the opposite sex or smoking the occasional cigarette. Students were also thankful to those brave souls who approached the preacher to talk, since that quieted him down to a normal volume. And “Pantera Man” (you know who you are), thank you for giving us on-lookers a nice chuckle.
I am a Christian. I believe in the Bible. I also personally believe in Matthew 7:1: “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”
I have friends who are Christians, but different denominations. I also have friends who are atheist, Buddhist and Wiccan. I do not judge them because it is not my place. I am not God, and he is the only one who has the right to judge, according to the Bible.
I cannot speak for every student, but, to me, choice of religion is a private matter and not one that can be decided by screaming and condemning. Everyone on this campus is an adult, and they are fully capable of deciding on a religion or even if religion is for them or not. We no longer need to be spoon-fed what to decide. We are intelligent enough to make our own choices. It is within each person to make that choice themselves and it is a choice that must be free and felt to be true, not forced and made out of fear.
So, I urge all people to hold on to their existing beliefs, whatever they might be.
Samantha Pannell is a junior seconday education major.