Today I experienced kind of a social experiment. Evangelist Christians are fairly common on our campus, although I don't really know why, they're kind of preaching to the choir to that particular audience to be honest. They stand there with their big signs, and sometimes megaphones screaming about their beliefs at the casual passerby or the people who have the time to stop and listen. Today I was a person who stopped and listened.
The things he was saying completely baffled me, and I fully admit I didn't agree with anything he said. Everything he said sounded really judgmental and condescending. Declaring that ALL college students are promiscuous, and ALL college students smoke weed, and ALL college students are drunken sinners. It irritated me that he would just assume that about everybody there, even though he didn't know any of them at all. I was willing to listen to him, keeping in mind that he has a religion, past experiences, and a passion for what he does, but what does he know about me or my personal life? Absolutely nothing. He stood there declaring that all humans are sinners and we need to stop right now, but he is human too so what things on his list of sins has he done? What makes him think God has forgiven him but not us? Is it because he's standing there declaring his opinion to the world? Is that what it takes to be forgiven? If that's the case, here's me declaring my opinion, just in case I need forgiving.
I believe that a relationship with your God, or whatever you choose to believe in, is a personal relationship, and you shouldn't shove it down people's throats because it's just going to irritate them. You shouldn't assume anything about people until you know them. You shouldn't tell people they're going to Hell for loving somebody who is different from who you love, smoking a cigarette, or getting drunk at a frat party. And you definitely shouldn't make claims such as (and I quote) "Most of the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting went to Hellfire." You don't know that at all, and those victims lost their lives in a tragic event that should not be criticized. I suppose he's going to blame God for those unfair deaths too.
Honestly, I don't want to believe in his God. If his God is going to tell me that people with different ideas, opinions, sexualities, vices, and weaknesses are going to Hell, then I don't want any part of it. My imagined God is a caring and kind friend who isn't going to judge me based on the human mistakes I have made, and will make throughout my life. He isn't going to shun my friends who are gay because they happen to like members of the same sex. He isn't going to reject my friends who go to parties and happen to partake in drugs or alcohol. He isn't going to send to eternal hellfire my friends who have sex before they are married. Instead, being all powerful, he will see the kind of person they are as I see them. And if they have done their best to be a good person, then that will be enough to get them into an afterlife if there is one.
I don't want to only criticize the evangelist, who was really, in retrospect, just talking about what he believes, but the people watching were getting angry and shouting things as well. And I'll admit, I wanted to yell something too, and I even laughed at a few of the come backs. These people are also entitled an opinion, but again, it's all in how you present something and some of these people were plain rude.
One honorable guy came over with a sign, he taped it to the fence behind the evangelist, and it said "I disagree with everything this man says, but I will defend to the death his right to say it." I wanted to give this guy a hug. We can be angry at the things people say, but we have to take a step back and realize that even if they may be closed minded, they have every right to say what they are saying, and if you just get angry and rude, you're being just as close minded - fighting fire with fire.
So, all that being said, I guess I'll end with my own opinions and beliefs. A quote that best describes my religious ideals is this: “Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.”- Marcus Aurelius
 |
| He has a marble statue of himself and wears a toga, so... he obviously knows what he's talking about. |
I, like Mr. Aurelius, feel like the most important things in life are to love and accept one another. If we only get one life and no afterlife, what kind of impact do you want to make? Personally, I don't want that impact to be me screaming at people, trying to force them to believe what I believe. You only make enemies that way, and I'd rather leave this world knowing I left a memorable and good impact on my friends and family.
No comments:
Post a Comment