I'm starting off by saying that everyone is free to believe in whatever they so choose.

However, where I draw the line is when people either force their beliefs onto others, use them to hurt others, or act in any violent way towards those they disagree with. I am also writing this from a religious perspective, and while I know that not all of you reading this are religious, I hope you can see my argument from a non-religious viewpoint too.

One of the most freeing aspects of living in America is the right to freedom of speech. We are given the ability to voice our opinions without any legal consequences whatsoever. Yes, I am in favor of the freedom of speech, but what I don't believe in is abusing this power.

An example of such occurred on my college campus a couple weeks ago. A religious extremist protestor decided that the best place to voice his violent, oppressive, and downright hurtful views was a college campus.

Right off the bat, this enraged me to no end, not only because I morally disagreed with everything he said, but because a college campus is a place where students are promised safety and made to feel welcomed. This man proved that my school indeed broke this promise and let many students down.

Yes, he was protected under the First Amendment to do so, but there honestly should be a rule that for places such as a college campus, where students pay to feel secure and welcome, people like this man who only want to cause harm should not be allowed to come and protest. He had no problem screaming his crude beliefs for all to hear either.

College is a very vulnerable place as is, and the students who felt personally victimized by this man only felt more vulnerable.

What further disgusted me is how this man preached that he was a follower of God and a true Christian. He is certainly not, for anyone who truly practices faith understands that God does not judge anyone and in fact, wants humankind to love one another.

Also, God did not write the Bible, Man did, so to say that the Bible reflects God's intentions is faulty.

Religion, to me, is following God's message of being a good human-being and caring deeply for others without judgment or hate.

Unfortunately, these "religious" extremists make those of us who are truly religious look bad. We all get painted as extremists, likely because not many of us speak out about what it truly means to be religious and what it truly means to be extremist and how the two are completely separate.

How people can use God as a way to hide behind their beliefs is deplorable.

Here is what I would have liked to say to this man if I had the chance:

"Mr. Protestor,

While I strongly believe in the First Amendment right to free speech, I do not believe that this right-this American privilege-should be used to cause pain and spread extreme hate about others, especially on a college campus where students expect to feel safe and accepted.

What did you hope to gain by chanting that God hates LGBT people or women who have had abortions, for instance? Are you proud of yourself for making hundreds of students feel vulnerable and scared?

I don't think you understand that using God and religion as your basis for such beliefs is actually against God, but I clearly am not surprised by this since you do have such a closed mind after all. Those of us with religious backgrounds are taught that God does not judge or hate.

It’s even in the 10 Commandments: “love thy neighbor.” Love thy neighbor means love your LGBT neighbor, female neighbor, Muslim neighbor, etc. God did not intend for us to spread words of hate to and about each other. Who are YOU to judge? Who are YOU to say who is loved and accepted by God?

You have no divine evidence to back up your beliefs, and I think you just used the concept of God and religion as an excuse to voice your hurtful opinions that are clearly your own and not God's at all.

I think you are a bully, and what you did was a sin-in religious terms. You actually went against God by being so aggressively judgmental and cruel through spreading such vengeful words. You thought you were speaking for Him, but you actually were speaking against Him.

Even if you are not religious you still should by all means "love thy neighbor." It's called being a good person, and you don't have to be religious to do so.

My heart goes out to everyone who felt targeted by this man that day; those in the LGBT community who may feel uncomfortable to be themselves, the women who have been made to feel like dirt for making personal decisions about their bodies, people of various races and religions who deal with stereotypes, profiling, and violence on a daily basis, and anyone else who has ever felt wrongfully judged or oppressed.

This is not the way God intended for us to live at all. He made us all equally, and in turn loves us all equally.

I understand that there are people out there who think the same way this protestor thinks. That's just the way it is. All I hope is that they can at least develop the decency to not use these beliefs to bring pain to others, but unfortunately, the First Amendment gives them the freedom to do so without any punishment.

As I stated earlier, everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and values, but the moment they start using such beliefs to tear others down or cause harm in any way, that's where they go wrong.

This is 2017, a time where there is no room for hate and violence of any kind. The fabric of our society hinges on the hopes that one day we’ll all learn to “love thy neighbor.” That’s what God-if you believe in such-intended for us to live by."