Colorado Daily/Zak Wood
Sara Storms, of the Faithful Soldier School of
Evangelism, left, talks with CU junior Nicole Meyer, right, about
religion Wednesday afternoon at the UMC fountain.
A group of traveling evangelists stirred up a lively debate among
students passing through the fountain area of the University Memorial Center
on Wednesday afternoon.
Holding up posters depicting the bloody limbs of aborted fetuses
alongside signs with slogans like "Sex is best in a marriage that's
blessed," members of Wisconsin-based evangelism institute Faithful Soldier
responded to questions, comments, and criticisms from the impromptu audience
of University of Colorado students.
"They have a right to be here and say what they want to say, but nobody
wants to see those pictures -- nobody's pro-abortion," said CU junior Katie
Zink. "It's not going to put a damper on any of my life experiences if I
choose to engage in sex before marriage, and the people who do wait might be
disappointed. Sex is a magical thing, but it takes practice."
Sako Kassabian, a member of Faithful Soldier, said that the group was
present at CU, the third campus they have visited in the last five days,
mainly to promote Amendment 48, an initiative that would legally declare
"personhood" for an organism in the state of Colorado at the moment of its
conception.
"We're here to engage in intellectual debate and discussion," said
Kassabian. "Take a look at any biology book and find out when life begins.
Everyone has the right to live -- and it shouldn't end because of their
location or developmental stage."
Kassabian also charged that loose views on the value of human life under
such criteria could eventually lead to the deeming of others as unfit to
live -- such as the elderly or mentally handicapped.
According to Kassabian, the success of these traveling debates is hard to
gauge from place to place, but often an exchange of e-mails between Faithful
Soldier members and students will lead to a more fruitful discussion --
though he admitted that, on the spot, it's very difficult to change people's
minds.
"I'm not willing to allow [Amendment 48] to be in my state's
constitution, especially when the Supreme Court has already decided on the
issue," said CU junior Bijan Bewley. "Amendment 48 is wrong. Its
implications are so broad that there could be a lot of revert in society --
and it's these kind of amendments that push us back."
Bewley, who engaged in direct debate with several Faithful Soldier
members during their presentation, said that he respected their fervor in
discussing an issue that is very important to society, even though he didn't
agree with them.
Media Credit: Dennis Mahan / Photo Editor
Robert Breaud, a member of Faithful Soldier
School of Evangelism, sings songs about
abstinence, abortion and homosexuality while
being heckled by CSUN students in the quad. The
children, Julia, 4, and Aliana Storms, 3, are
the daughters of the school's founder Jason
Storms.
[Click to enlarge]
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Media Credit: Dennis Mahan / Photo Editor
Eighteen-year-old Adam Davis, left, mocks Breaud
as he preaches to CSUN students in the quad
Tuesday. Davis thinks it's ridiculous for
members of Faithful Soldier School of Evangelism
to preach where members of the Jewish fraternity
Alpha Epsilon Pi congregate during breaks.
[Click to enlarge]
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Sierra Quad was the site of a hostile encounter between an
evangelical group preaching against homosexuality and the downfall
of Americans and CSUN students who oppose their views on Tuesday.
The group members, who were on a campus tour of southern California
colleges and universities, were holding signs displaying their
beliefs. The sign that received much criticism from students read,
"Thousands of homosexuals experience the life-changing love of Jesus
Christ," and had ex-homosexual testimonies at various websites
displayed on the sign.
Most students were opposed to the group being on campus, saying that
their predominant message was one of hate and intolerance.
"I support their right to be here…but I am appalled to see that, in
2008, there is this hate and homophobia and it is really upsetting
to be walking back from class and seeing that," said Robert Oliver,
junior biology major and public relations officer for the Lesbian
Gay Bisexual Transgender Alliance.
Robert Breaud, a "repentant homosexual" that was born-again at the
age of 34, came with the protestors to spread the message that
homosexuality is a perversion and realizing so changed his life. He
played a song that expressed his opinion on homosexuality as he
strummed on a guitar, with the second verse saying "It's not okay to
be gay, it's not okay to be perverted, it's not in your DNA, what
you need is to be converted."
But the evangelical group said that the problems they are trying to
address are beyond the "perversion" of homosexuality, sighting that
the lack of the true Christian faith in the United States is the
cause of this country's social ills.
Jason Storms, organizer of the campus tour and founder of the
Faithful Soldiers School of Evangelism, said, "It fits exactly what
we would expect. Our nation is in a moral and spiritual crisis, we
have become more progressive and secular, and while that has done
some good in this country, it has been overall very destructive to
our society."
Storms said that the animosity they were met with on campus is the
product of this generation's upbringing, sighting the decline of
family unity and an overload of media consumption as the reason for
the students' opposition to their message.
Erin Schneider, a junior psychology major, said that their message
promotes exclusivity and discrimination, which doesn't help their
cause or provide the proper environment for discussion.
"Their message is closed-minded. These Christian radicals who are
going to do anything they can to tell people what they are doing is
wrong, and now they are reverting to criticizing and saying very
rude things to people," said Schneider. "I can't believe that this
campus would tolerate people coming here and insulting their
students."
