Going to a public university has many aspects that take some... Getting used to, lets say. One of these aspects is the fact that the university is, as the name suggests, open to the public. This means that you may run across very kind Mormons passing out flyers or annoying, politically-obsessed people who beg you not to vote for Hillary. While these may not be enjoyed, they are tolerable. One thing that is not, however, are street preachers.
Whenever there is a person or group who are sharing their opinions on campus, most students either take a flyer, politely say "no thanks", or keep their heads bent and keep walking. This is not the way things are handled when the street preachers set up their camp on campus. Students talk back, make snide remarks, and in some cases, insult them. Do I blame the students for acting this way? Absolutely not - and here's why:
The street preachers (most of them, anyway) are not the nicest people you'll meet while walking through McMicken Commons. Some of them are okay, simply reading aloud something from the Bible, not really bothering anyone - but you don't always get so lucky. Most of them bring microphones and stand up on a ledge to achieve optimal hatred from the students. Some of them may even yell at you. I had one guy tell me that I was going to hell for no apparent reason. He just pointed to a bunch of us and started screaming "YOU'RE GOING TO HELL! YOU'RE GOING TO HELL! AND YOU'RE GOING TO HELL, TOO!" It was like an Oprah episode, but much less pleasant.
The worst is when students get sucked in and yell back. It's like this super awkward, public argument that makes you wish you were wearing a turtle neck so you could pull it up over your head and never surface again.
I can understand why they do this - the Bible tells us to spread the word of God, but yelling at students, some of whom may be the furthest from God than they've ever been before, is definitely not the way to do it. I have an amazing friend who is a part of a Christian out-reach program here at UC. They go to the local schools and befriend kids who are interested in learning more about God. They become mentors, friends, and listening ears before they even mention God. That comes later, once the connection and friendship is there. This is the way it's supposed to be done, not standing on a ledge, telling students they're going to Hell. That's only going to piss us off.
The only other experience I had with a street preacher was at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. She was standing at an intersection in front of the mall, picking people out of the crowd and telling them exactly how they weren't following the word of God. I was one of these unlucky souls. She claimed my leggings were too revealing and that I should cover myself. Let it be known - it was an early-spring morning and very little of me was actually showing in the 45 degree weather. She also declared my cappuccino a "liquid diet" and that God would provide me with all the sustenance I would need. You can understand my concern at this point.
It's upsetting to think some people view all Christians this way. Believe me, friends, we dislike street preachers just as much as you do. Anyone can stand on a ledge and spew John 3:16 after condemning you to Hell. That is not Christianity. Christians are supposed to be loving and accepting of all, so unless the street preacher is telling us the truth about God - that he is forgiving and has the purest love for us - you can bet I'm going to give him dirty looks, too.
