I hate driving to my Intro to Folklore class every Tuesday afternoon. Don't get me wrong, I adore the class itself. In fact, I've been recommending it to many of my friends. No, the problem lies with the people who are outside of the building my class is in. You see, every Tuesday from 10 AM until 5 PM, these so-called "Christians" are in North Plaza spreading ignorance, bigotry, and hate. They're part of a non-profit group called D.C. for Jesus, which is ironic because I'm fairly sure Jesus wouldn't agree with anything these people are saying.
Whenever I roll by that area, I try to tune out their hurtful words as much as I can. I hum to myself, sing in my head, anything that might help. Nevertheless, the destructive message often breaks through my attempt at a calm reverie. No matter how hard I try, I can still hear them screeching about the immorality of masturbation, gay marriage, and tank tops. (Sadly, this is only a fraction of supposedly "immoral" activities and outfits). The more I'm forced to listen, the more I feel my hand clench into a fist around my joystick. I know fighting hate with more hate isn't the right course of action, but still, the urge to ram my 300-pound wheelchair into them like a bowling ball into a bunch of infuriating human bowling pins is often very strong.
Last week, one student who had had enough kicked over the stack of bibles next to the preacher. In response, the police were called and he was subsequently arrested. At first, I felt a deep, dark sense of glee. Then, I was confused. How on earth does one get arrested for kicking a bible? A closer look at the video posted on Facebook shows that he most likely was not arrested for merely kicking the bibles, but for being insubordinate to the officer who responded to the call. Many of my friends have suggested, and I agree, that the purpose of these preachers isn't to "preach the word of God," but to incite enough to cause some sort of riot, which could then lead to a lawsuit. These people want money, not redemption. Giving into the rage only feeds the desired result.
Given my lack of spirituality, it would be easy to show how extremists like these are what's wrong with organized religion. But I won't do that. You see, even though I myself am not religious, I have plenty of friends and family who are. Anytime hateful people use religion as a justification for their ignorance and prejudice, the good people I know who are also members of that faith feel ashamed. Some of my Christian friends have mentioned that they avoid talking about their beliefs for fear of being lumped in with Evangelical extremists. Given the high rate of Islamophobia in this country right now due to radical "Islam," several of my Muslim friends feel the same way.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: a few extremists are not indicative of any religion as a whole. If an atheist came to campus and set up a bible-fueled bonfire in front of the Johnson Center, I wouldn't agree with that. I don't care whether you believe in God, a goddess, Jesus, Allah, Mohamed, Krishna, Buddha, or anyone else. As long as you use your beliefs to make the world a better place, I'm fine. But the second you use those beliefs to hurt someone else or to tell them they're going to hell, we have a problem.
As for me, I'm a 20-year-old disabled woman who is pro-choice, pro-equal (gay) marriage, and overall, pro-love. I don't need to be "healed" or "saved." Through therapy, medication, and a healthy dose of disability theory, I'm starting to be okay with the body I was born in. When I was young and still Catholic, I used to pray that God would make me normal (read: able-bodied). Now, I hope that I can use my academic knowledge to change cultural perceptions of disabled existence. I'm living proof that you don't have to be typical to be happy.
And if anything I just wrote means I'm doomed to hellfire, then so be it. I don't believe in such a place, so don't waste your breath. Even if I'm wrong and that intolerant version of heaven exists, I wouldn't want to spend eternity there, anyway.
