People of UF: In my first official column as the Friday columnist for the largest student-run newspaper in the country, I want to touch on a very important issue on campus — the provoking and condemning preachers. This isn’t a blanket statement for all preachers on campus, but only those who are hatefully insulting for the purpose of garnering attention.
Now, I understand that they’re here for a reason. They see young minds that can be molded into whatever they want you to believe. They see the future contributors to their congregations and the future believers of their true faiths.
But, what they also see is a rebellious nature in the students they preach to. Last week when I was waiting for a class to start on Turlington Plaza, I saw a semicircle gathering around a middle-aged man holding a Bible. Then something surreal happened. A student charged into him. The preacher, who somehow managed to stay on his feet during the confrontation, was saved by the student’s friend who pulled him off saying, “Dude, he’s like 50!”
Now, I can understand the student’s frustrations. Every day we are harassed by Turlington Plaza’s infamous preacher population who tell us that we’re evil, homosexual-loving fornicators damned to the fires of hell for everything we do.
Last semester I was privileged enough to be interrupted from studying for a quiz while eating Chick-fil-A by another born-again preacher. It was impossible to ignore him because he sat down at my bench outside to talk to me about a matter of utmost importance. So, I tried telling him that I was Catholic, hoping that would make him realize that I have a religion, and he should leave me alone.
Oh, how wrong I was. He proceeded to lecture me on how being a Catholic is an evil, evil thing, and that the Catholic Church doesn’t even follow the Bible. I mean, how could they be right when they don’t believe in every single word in the Bible, despite the scientific proof that the Earth is, indeed, much older than what Genesis has you believe?
Instead of ignoring him, though, I chose to argue and defend myself against his falsehoods about my religion.
This was a big mistake that all of us make. We try to talk and argue rationally with the irrational. The preachers on campus and the Dove World Outreach Center don’t know the first thing about being rational, and no matter what we say we will never convince them that tolerance and acceptance of others is a good thing. We will never convince them that Islam isn’t actually of the devil and that it truly is the religion of peace.
By stopping on Turlington Plaza to engage them in conversation, or simply just to listen, we give them the support they need to continue coming back to plague our beautiful campus. By not ignoring them when they confront us, we fuel their intolerant fires and invite them to lecture us. And they love that. By marching to the Dove World Outreach Center’s “church” we give them too much respect by letting them know that they bother us and that they have some sort of power over our lives.
Instead, we should ignore them. We will never change them, and they will never change us. But the difference is, if the status quo remains, they will never stop trying. They don’t believe good deeds get them into heaven. They believe converting others does, so they will stop at nothing. So, people of UF: Stop arguing, stop listening, stop marching and stop giving them the respect they don’t deserve. Perhaps then we can finally be free of their hatred-spouting on our beloved campus.
Paul Murty is an English sophomore. His column appears on Fridays
