Ruthie Kelly’s Portfolio

Photo credit: Arun Shah Masood

The tiny pamphlet informed me in a serious and supercilious tone that I was going to hell. To avoid confusion and make sure the message was as clear as possible, the cover label read, “HELL” in bolded red capital letters, and had an image of engulfing flames on a deep black background: “Suppose It’s True After All?”

I found this pamphlet on the ground. It wasn’t the only one. Another was titled “Repentance: A Godly Sorrow” and went on for eight miniature pages. A third implored me to seek out Jesus’ everlasting love. I’ve collected more than a half dozen pamphlets. All contain Bible bullet points, lists of verses and the address of the churches of origin - whether accusing, guilt inducing or welcoming in tone, all order repentance and prayer.

These pamphlets are annoying, presumptuous and slightly intrusive, but ultimately I can choose to throw them away, like any other flyer I find on the ground. Taken alone, these leaflets mean very little. But they aren’t alone. There has also recently been an increase in the number of preachy whackos bellowing their message of intolerance on the Free Speech Steps.

This is a disturbing indication that the level of intolerance on campus is increasing or at least becoming more vocalized and accepted. One older woman bellowed to the crowd of amused onlookers wasting time between classes that they were all “obedient children of the devil!” She went on to inform one brave girl who had identified herself as gay, that what she experienced wasn’t love and that she probably had an STD.

This amount of vitriol is unacceptable. We should not be tolerant of this intolerance.

That woman is not the only amateur preacher I have witnessed spewing fire and brimstone at the apparently irreverent student body. Now, I realize that this is a public campus and that despite rumors to the contrary, the First Amendment still applies and thus, anyone can stand on the Free Speech Steps and say anything they want.

But where does this kind of demonstration cross the line into hate speech? Self-proclaimed “missionaries” such as that woman certainly cross it.

Frankly, I wonder where people like this get the gall to stand up and condemn such a large swatch of students in one fell swoop of judgmental self-righteousness. It’s really quite offensive because their actions are far from the messages their words pretend to proclaim. It’s one thing when I’m interrupted on my way to lunch by a well-meaning evangelist, sincerely concerned that I might burn in hell for all eternity - annoying perhaps, but they’re only concerned about the well-being of my soul.

It’s another thing to be confronted by these crowd preachers whose only motivation seems to be to prove their superiority. How ironic that the woman spouting such hateful words can claim to know if love between two gay students is “real,” when she displays no knowledge of any kind of love herself.

Ultimately there is no way to make such sermonizers go away. Regardless of how heinous their message is, they have the right to speak. What they don’t have is the right to an audience.

Don’t give them one.

Read the original column online here.