When I chose to apply for the position of a viewpoint writer for the East Tennessean I knew that I would face many criticisms. I knew that I would not always be in accord with the popular consensus. I didn’t take this job to make friends — or enemies, for that matter, but to discuss and analyze our outlook on important issues.
What I want to discuss today is the degrading protest that took place in front of Sherrod Library on Monday.
This is my first semester at ETSU and I have spent four semesters at two other state universities. I have never, in my entire life, felt as heavy-hearted and displeased amongst my peers. I witnessed something that afternoon that would be a disgrace to even categorize as a protest.
What I saw was a select group of people martyring an evangelist whose only concern was salvation. What did he say? Something along the lines of, “If you continue to sin, without repentance, your path of ungodliness will result in an eternity in hell.”
But I don’t believe anyone could hear the evangelist’s message over the mockery coming from a small group of individuals, led by one person in particular, who annihilated the respect of anyone attempting to propose a legitimate argument.
You can thank the passive onlookers who allowed him to continue making the flamboyant comments. This was obviously a ploy to gain attention, and everyone in attendence bought into it.
The messages of those in protest of the evangelist were well heard throughout the crowd. One even made demeaning references to the popular children’s church song “Jesus loves me” changing the words to conclude something about a man having oral sex with another man. Screaming obscenities and condemning the speaker all in the name of God. But all I could hear was, “Look at me! I’m gay.”
As the mob grew because of the commotion, more and more people gathered to laugh and do nothing. I wept inside. All the while telling myself to fight back at those who were casting the verbal stones.
With my blood boiling, sorrow and grief shot through my veins from my fingertips to my toes until my breaking point and yet I said nothing.
Why? Because then I would have lowered myself to their standards. I would have been just as unorthodox as those in favor of the protest who decided not to quiet their spokesperson.
I won’t condemn them, they do that to themselves through their own actions. We are all human beings and no one on this planet is flawless, including myself.
It is our duty, as human beings, to try our absolute hardest to amend these mistakes and do everything in our power to prevent them from reoccurring in the future.
Now that the mob has silenced and everyone is listening, I will let the true authority speak.
“. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.” (Romans 1:27, NIV)
“Do you know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders. Nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, NIV)

Author