"You're the kind of woman who will graduate from this college, marry some man and make him miserable." This statement and many others like it were yelled at a young woman in the Alumni Plaza Thursday afternoon. Hearing it, I sprang from my seat on a nearby bench; as a Christian, I was dismayed, not just by the vitriol of the words, but by the fact that they were yelled by one of the UA Mall preachers featured on the Arizona Daily Wildcat's front page last week.
As Jed Smock did last year, these men provoked much of the student population last week. Out of curiosity, I sat down in the Alumni Plaza on Thursday and listened for 15 minutes. In those 15 minutes, I heard the preachers hurl insults at passers-by, including that female student. The angry reaction she elicited from Bible Jim, the preachers' leader, was in response to her comment, "A Christian myself, you are a complete disgrace to the rest of us." That statement is something we should all take to heart.
As insulting as these men are, students need to remember that they are not representative of Christianity. In the short time I listened in, I heard at least three "Bible verses" either quoted incorrectly or completely misused by these self-proclaimed preachers.
Christians do not believe that only certain groups of people are sinners and condemned to hell. Rather, we believe that all people are sinners and that we all deserve hell. However, we believe that through trust in Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, people are forgiven of their sins and receive eternal life.
However, we know that there will always be those who misunderstand, and thus misrepresent, Christianity. The Mall preachers are prime examples. Unfortunately, because of these "Christians," many people harbor dislike for Christ and Christianity.
"(They) make people fearful of religion," said Robert Sullivan, an undeclared sophomore. "I'm not religious, but people like this give people of all religions a bad name."
Sadly, Sullivan is probably correct. Many take fringe-element fanatics - of many religions, not just Christianity - as an illustration of the belief system of the followers of that religion. Nothing could be further from the truth, both in this instance and in many situations involving other religions.
Of course, the same could be said of the aforementioned female student. By engaging these men in verbal sparring, she was guilty of provocation as well.
Pointing out the mistakes of people such as the Mall preachers - mistakes both in tactic and in doctrine - rarely accomplishes anything but heated and hateful argument. This, more than anything, can turn people off from Christianity. So in the end, it is not just the preachers but also their antagonists who contribute to misconceptions of the average Christian and the Christian religion in general.
People should challenge themselves not to take such fanatics as a measurement of Christianity as a whole, nor as a fair representation of Christians. It would be unjust to use a small minority faction to describe a whole ideology. Just as fundamentalist Muslims do not fairly represent the Islamic faith, these preachers are a poor illustration of the Christian faith.
The only good that comes out of situations such as these is the opportunity to learn. You may be surprised by the number of people around you who are Christians; perhaps you are one yourself. Everyone can learn from this situation, whether it be in the form of challenging previously held assumptions of others' religions or of learning more about your own.
In the end, we cannot control what others say or think. Just keep in mind the ruler you use when sizing up religion, Christian or otherwise.
Janne Perona is a criminal justice junior. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.