Papa Don’t Preach

Spring has got to be my favorite season. The summer is too humid to enjoy, fall is the season of school (which is depressing enough on its own), and the winter is too cold to do anything. The spring is, as Goldilocks might say, just right. Flowers are in bloom, the weather is warm but not too hot, and it seems as though the student population on campus doubles overnight. But unfortunately, along with the perks of being able to lounge outside and enjoy the pleasantries of nice weather with our fellow students, comes the downfall of others who try to utilize it to their advantage in their own personal agendas. And by “others,” I mean “Christian enthusiasts.” I know you’ve all seen them around campus. How could you miss them? They practically jump every single student as is humanly possible. And there’s no way to avoid them either. iPod? They’ll politely tap you on the shoulder to get your attention. Phone call? They’ll wait their turn. Then there are the lobbyists who command the attention of large groups just so they can tell us all that we’re going to hell. Now, I don’t know about you, but that’s pretty much exactly what I like to hear on a sunny Tuesday afternoon.

I’m not saying these people have no right to free speech. I’d be a hypocrite if I said that. But, I mean, seriously. It’s one thing to respectfully express your opinion to the public, but it’s a completely different thing to harass students and threaten them with the fear of going to hell. All their efforts really seem to be doing is angering the student body. As one of probably the most liberal universities in America, I doubt many of the students here are partial to hearing religious conservatives screaming at the about the dangers of fornication outside of marriage, homosexuality and abortion. It’s not as though we’re not an open-minded population. I’m sure we all appreciate different religions and don’t mind learning what they have to offer. But there’s something strangely discouraging about having complete strangers point you out in a crowd and tell you that you’re headed straight for the underworld. Call me crazy, but I don’t personally find that to be highly appealing, no matter what it is that you’re trying to sell me.

My biggest concern with the whole situation is why these people are allowed on our campus. Yes, they are only exercising their right to free speech, but it seems to me that they’ve taken it to a completely different level. When it comes to the point that they are calling students out from their audience and warning them that what they are doing with their lives will most definitely send them to Satan, I believe that it is time for them to be asked to leave. That type of behavior is borderline harassment. No one wants to be bombarded with news like that on their way to class. So why do we continue to put up with it? Why does the administration at VCU continue to allow these people to stalk us? I mean, if Jessica Lee can get in trouble for campaigning for a university-sponsored program outside of the library, then why are we allowing people who have no affiliation with VCU whatsoever to lobby outside of it?

It’s not like I’m sacrilegious or anything. I enjoy hearing what people have to say. I respect others’ opinions. I consider myself to be pretty open-minded. But when you single me or any of my fellow students out in a crowd simply to inform us that we have just purchased a one-way ticket to hell, it tends to irritate me a little bit. Basically, what I’m trying to say is that I really don’t mind that you have something to tell me at 8:30 in the morning. Just wait until I have a cup of coffee first.