Every year, we receive a visit from a group of Christian evangelical preachers, Soulwinners Ministries International. Rather than offer more free publicity for the group, I will only mention its name so that if spare time and curiosity brings you to Google its Web site, more power to you. Though I am opposed to promoting them, it is important that students understand the basis upon which the group decided to begin touring college campuses, thus beginning Soulwinners’ journey to curse every student to hell.
According to the ministry, "Every time that you: acted selfishly, hated others, were jealous of others, were prejudiced against others, harbored sexual desire towards anyone that you were not married to, disobeyed your parents or guardians… desired anything or anyone that did not belong to you, masturbated, looked at pornography, engaged in homosexual or lesbian sex … lived for pleasure, desired, worked, prayed, for monetary wealth, spent more time working for money than studying the Bible and praying, participated in Buddhism, Islam… patriotism, or any belief system besides the Bible belief in Jesus Christ as the only Lord, God and Savior of mankind, drank alcohol, smoked cigarettes… spent more time playing or watching sports… becoming physically fit, attempting to lose weight, listening to music… attending a building called a church, doing school work, sleeping, eating, cooking, cleaning, working, walking, talking on the phone, working on the computer, surfing the Internet, spending time with family, or anything else, than loving, obeying, praying to, studying the Bible about, telling others about, the Lord Jesus Christ, you have sinned against God, broken His Laws, and will be cast into the Lake of Fire as punishment for your selfish and rebellious choice to live to please yourself, instead of living to Biblically love, obey and please Christ, and serve your fellow human beings."
It should be safe to say that any group that chooses to impose its ideals on the masses comes off as too aggressive and most will shy away from it. Why do we have such a hateful group on our peaceful UH campus? A group trying to not only scare, but persecute people into "living to Biblically love, obey, and please Christ, and serve (their) fellow human beings." A group whose purpose hardly seems to be to convert non-believers – which is bad enough – but rather wants people to begin a lifetime of self-loathing.
Last March, I witnessed firsthand God’s supposedly disapproving finger wagged at me in the form of shouting preachers. Unashamed of our affection for one another, my girlfriend from Berkeley, Calif. and I held hands as I gave her a tour of campus. Soulwinners Ministries was back with a vengeance, encircled by passers-by, near the University Center. Preacher Michael Venyah and his other evangelical tag-team partner hollered at full volume how "homo-sex" is wrong and that lesbianism is unnatural and a sin.
A preacher pointed to several students in a row, including myself, while declaring us all "wicked!" He zeroed in on our linked hands and asked me, "Are you a… homo?" All I could do was laugh, be proud and lean over to kiss my girl. Many other students threw in their two-cents at him, but it was obviously hard to know whether ignoring them or fueling the flame would make them go away. I have yet to meet a student who fully agrees with the group’s arguments.
It almost makes you wonder if they truly believe their teachings, if they solely exist to bond students together out of repulsed feelings for Soulwinners. It truly is beautiful to see people of all religions, races and orientations coming to each other’s defense.
Soulwinners’ message is not educational or helpful to our academic lives, so is it truly censorship if simply not welcome on the grounds of an institution of higher learning?
Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, but where do we draw the line on what is acceptable on our campus? Is it not disruptive to my education, even my own emotional health, to be called a heathen for who I am and whom I love as I walk to class? Although I don’t choose to dedicate my life to traversing the world and passing judgment, it shouldn’t mean that I have to be subjected to it.
Pang, a communication senior, can be reached via opinion@thedaily?cougar.com
