Obviously, religion or lack thereof is something that people have a right to. They have the right to practice as they want. They have the right to believe as they want. And they have the right to speak out about what they believe or don't believe.
But sometimes, people can take it a little too far.
Micah Armstrong, a preacher from the southern United States, travels around the country to college campuses, teaching the Gospel. Or rather, telling people about the things they do that will send them to hell.
According to Armstrong, you will go to hell if you:
-Drink beer.
-Cure.
-Smoke dope.
-Masturbate.
-Fornicate.
-Watch a Hollywood movie.
-Listen to rap.
-Read Harry Potter books.
-Attend most Protestant churches.
-Are gay.
-Are a woman with low-cut tops, short hair, pants, or a job.
(According to Armstrong, women only belong behind the vacuum and in front of the sink)
Plenty of people stop to listen to these sermons. But not a lot of people agree or even take Armstrong seriously.
STUDENT 1: Brother Micah, can God microwave a burrito so hot he can't eat it?
STUDENT 2: Chuck Norris can!
(laughter)
On a more serious note, though, this man clearly does not have the time of day to respect other people's beliefs. Not every person in this world is Christian, and people like Armstrong need to learn respect for other's beliefs, even if they aren't his. And while I can bend on a lot of things, I cannot bend on his opinions about women. Women are free to wear want they want, style their hair as they want, and work along with men. In this day in age, I find it very sad that anyone would have such narrow views on anyone.
Hopefully, someday, all people will be treated the same.
Please, feel free to comment with your views on the subject.
~Alexandra Darke
Ok, first off as a God-follower, I see what that pastor is trying to do. However, he's doing it all wrong. Are all the students personally invited? What I mean was this sermon advertised, or were many student forced to hear this? The reason I ask is because if he's preaching to those who don't believe in what HE believes and he's saying "you will go to hell if you...." , then he's wrong, without a doubt. You can't judge people, especiall if they have no idea what you're talking about. That surely does not encourage people to follow you. Hell there are things on that I do all the time, so I'm going to hell? hmmm
Jasmin Muniz
He walks onto the campus grounds and does open air sermons.
People are people, even though people are strange.
Everyone has their own unique take on religion, and some people just have a (much) more conservative take. I don't really agree with any of that, as not only do I not believe in hell, but I don't believe in god. I actually think most of those things on that list are positive, and definately not morally wrong.
This reminds me of a similar (and possibly related) group of young men who came to my campus last fall and not only preached the same ideas, but insulted many of the students in the crowd, especially the females.
I am of the opinion that a person can believe whatever they want, but under the condition that it does not inflict harm or infringe upon the choices of others. To me, this is exactly what this outrageous proselytizing is doing: it infringes upon the rights of others to choose their own beliefs but using hellfire-and-brimstone scare tactics.
Last I checked, Jesus preached a message of love and compassion for your fellow neighbors. Browbeating on people's actions and beliefs does not seem to be what these sort of people do at all. Also, last time I checked--and correct me if I'm wrong--God doesn't give out brownie points or shiny robes depending on the number of people you convert. So why does conversion have to be such an obnoxious competition?
Ugh, this is the sort of thing that really makes me all twitchy. . .
This happens on our campus every spring quarter. I don't know if it's the same extent as reading Harry Potter books or watching a Hollywood movie, but they would preach about people who masturbate or are gay will go to hell. (There are probably more, but I try to avoid that area when they are around).
Anyways, living in America, there is a freedom on speech, but I don't think it's right to condemn people because of their beliefs of lifestyle. I think everyone has the right to believe what they want to believe, whether it's in God, in Budda, or in nothing. No one has the right to say you can't believe in something.
It is people like that that makes a bad name for Christians. In the Bible, Jesus teached on love and compassion. To love your enemies as yourself, to have compassion on one another, and forgiveness. In the Bible, there are things that are sins and we shouldn't do. But if we do end up sinning, it doesn't mean that we are going to hell, God gives us grace and forgiveness.
To sum it up, I don't think anyone should go around condemning anyone else because of what they believe or what they do. We should all try to be nice to one another even if we don't agree on their lifestyle, not put them down and say they are going to hell.
You hit the nail on the head daydreamz!
Jasmin Muniz
heh. If you think Micah's bad (is he the one with the pretty Golden retriever?), just wait until Brother Jed visits your campus. :-P It's best to just ignore them, unless you like to listen to the group of people gathered around to argue and throw out insults...
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/sawaboof
"...There is a crushing guilt that comes with being a Catholic. Whether things are good or bad or you're simply... eating tacos in the park, there is always the crushing guilt."
-30 Rock-