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News Religious Debate That Happened On Campus That Triggered Me. They Attacked Ptsd And Rape.

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ashdawn8287

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First off Freedom of Speech is great if used appropriately if not it is a *itch. You should never verbally attack someone's opinion, in my experience that does not get you anywhere. I believe there is a fine line between that right and hate speech.

A couple of days ago I was on campus talking with the disability concerns office. When walking through campus there was a guy who claimed he was a priest. Apparently, he goes around to different campuses and debates with students. Frankly, I think he mentally terrorizes students and instills fear. He was claiming that he was Methodist (which is what I am and know for sure that is not what he is). He had no proof of his ministries or anything. No offense, but this guy was insane and I am using that term lightly so please do not pick out this one sentence and attack me on it and focus on the story. Thanks.

He had a big walking stick with a cross on it. With him was another guy and his wife, who was wearing a shirt that said, "YOU ALL ARE GOING TO HELL."

The reason I walked over there was in hopes to make new friends, because it was a big commotion and lots of students surrounding this guy yelling. I did indeed finally make some new friends on campus, because of this. Also, I was curious as I heard him yelling and wanted to know what was going on. I was hearing laughter too, so I thought it was positive. Oh, how wrong I was.

I sat down next to some girls and they explained all of the above to me.

The "priest" preceded to point me out in the crowd. He pointed at me and said, "Young lady you are going to hell, because of the way you are dressed and it is your fault if you get raped by these college boys."

I was wearing a regular t-shirt and yoga pants by the way. I don't wear tight or revealing clothes.

I stood up, got right in his face and said, "F**K YOU! GET THE HELL OFF OF OUR CAMPUS WHAT YOU ARE PREACHING IS EVIL AND I WILL NOT TOLERATE IT. IF YOU POINT AT ME ONE MORE TIME I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL SMACK THE F**CK RIGHT OUT OF YOU." I said more than that, but that is just the jest of it.

It took everything I had not to smack him. Yes, it is my fault for engaging in that, I get that, but somebody had to stand up to him. The students clapped and cheered. I am angry I let him bring out those evil words in me, but at the same time I prayed to God afterwards and apologized for cussing like that.

After that was said he went on about mental illness and how people with PTSD deserve it. I did not tell him I had PTSD either. I was still shaking from cussing at him and finding and battle the peace within me to stand up to that, but the girl next to me defended PTSD. He went on about how women like me are evil, he did not point this time and that women should shut up. Again, I was still shaking, grounding myself so I didn't smack him or punch him.

Also, he was pointing at other students calling them names like queer, whores, and blah blah blah.

He took a break after calling me evil. Then his wife got up and got into my face and hissed at me as I was sitting down. Yeah, she hissed at me. It was the evilest hiss in the world too. Right in my face. She said worms are going to fall on me. I got the bad chills and I walked away after flipping her off and yelled "I'LL SEE YOU IN HELL."

I had a panic attack afterwards. I had to drive to the YWCA for a emergency meeting with my group therapist. The YWCA said they were going to report this guy to my university. Also, I told my psychiatrist at my university and asked if he could help me get him banned or how to go about doing that.

He instilled fear into a lot of the students. These students, it's there first time away from home, they aren't from the area and he was mentally terrorizing them.

Other students had to join together and write signs of positivity and a lot of side walk chalk with positive messages saying, "YOU ARE SAFE", because of this guy.
 
I really sorry this happened to you and the other students on your campus. Good for you for standing up for yourself and seeking help in getting this guy banned, because he definitely shouldn't be there. Or anywhere else, for that matter, if that's what he wants to do. Evangelism should be kind, gentle and polite, if it's conducted in public at all, and no one has the right to blame victims for the traumas they've experienced or the PTSD that came from those traumas.
 
Sounds like he was intentionally triggering anyone he could - he deserved some verbal abuse and I don't think you should feel guilty. Some people can't comprehend kindness, only anger. It speaks more to your character that you do feel you should have been kinder. I'm not as evolved as you are and might have decked him.
 
Its easy in hindsight to say you coulda/shoulda done it different, fact is you didn't take his crap :) Good for you! Sadly people like that thrive on that type of attention >:( Made me think about the protest here fairly recently to protest westboro at a military funeral>:( Religious debate when kept as debate can be educational to both parties, using religion to instill fear or hatred/anger is deplorable.

I am very glad yoy stood your ground and didn't let them bait you into physical confrontation ad hard as I'm sure that was...they enjoy turning the legal system loose on those they goad into violence .

You said what you felt! Don't minimize that with the "coulda done it differents" :D
 
I'm like you where I want to say things in the kindest way. But honestly there are some people who are so abusive they will walk all over you if you do that. I wouldn't change anything you said. Remember what Jesus did in the temple when he was angry at the money changers? He knew they wouldn't respond to a firm but gentle, "Stop selling those things here. We have people who are coming here to pray, and we don't want your business." No, he overturned the tables and yelled at them. Jesus was like us in all things but sin, but even he broke into rage.
 
Yes, it is my fault for engaging in that, I get that,

I'm going to have to disagree with you on that one. In general people are responsible for their actions but everyone also has their breaking point. Once we get to that point we can't be held responsible, not even legally. Personally I think you were already exceptionally kind to the man. He deserves so much worse.

There's a big difference between free speech and what these people were doing. They were engaging in slander and hate speech. The slander is because they were singling out individuals and assigning them derogatory names. That's illegal in the States as well as many other places around the world. The hate speech is illegal in many European countries. It should not be protected under the first amendment as it is used to incite violence, sometimes it takes many days to years for the actions to surface.

Good for you for standing up for not only yourself but for your fellow students. This group should be banned from the school and the local police should also be aware of their presence. Someone will take them too seriously and act on the hate they spread.

Good luck. This could be a difficult road to travel but you are strong and can do it.
 
Good on you for standing up to this freak. Impressionable minds are 'turned' by idiots like this. Don't be sorry you got angry, I totally agree with radicalegratitude. And also is a open common area of a University the right place to be yelling out a load of rubbish?...Who gave him permission to be there...if you have a student union I would start there. You took action when many would have just listened to his ravings, You probably did a great deal of good that day by facing him down.

As for your clothing, even if you were wearing a mini-shirt and tight top his statement is not true and this is born out by statistics. Someone should have grabbed his cross and run to the first bin they could find and thrown it in and the defense would be that he was waving it around and being aggressive with it. Of course he would have salvaged it but maybe he might have moved on.

As for his wife hissing at you, well she is a crank too. A forgiving God and his preachers does not behave in this way. You are also right to have him banned from campus. Good grief it sounds like they escaped from a house of horrors lol.

Yes freedom of speech is important, but so are the minds and self--esteem of young students. I say you did well.
 
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