Visitor provokes students

Jeremy Sonnier is from Louisiana, but has travelled the country for the past year visiting college campuses and spreading his message. 

Brittany Galla
News Editor

On a sunny, 80-degree weather day, as students enjoyed the barbecue on the campus academic quad, many were surprised by one man who had a sign attached to him that read Sinners: God is Judging You.

Among the list of “sinners,” were ‘homos and lesbos, porno freaks, Roman Catholics, baby-killing women, Mormons, Muslims, unsubmissive wives, unloving husbands, liars, racists, drunkens and fornicators.’

The sign caused so much anger and raised so many questions from students who surrounded the man, that one student, Adrienne Gurge, who kept shouting “God hates people that hate” to him, walked up to him and spit directly into his face.

Although Southern police stood watching over the man, walking next to him as he walked across the quad, no action was taken at Gurge after she spit in his face outside of Engleman.

An unidentified police officer, who was told of the incident, took no action, and a police officer on a later shift, who wished to not be named, said action should have been taken and he was unsure of why it wasn’t.

“I’m not ashamed of what I did,” said Gurge, an English major. “I think I could have gotten arrested and would have gotten arrested. I would have gladly gotten arrested for what I did.”

The man with the sign, Jeremy Sonnier, is from Louisiana, and has been a born-again Christian for 17 years. He said he travels to college campuses every day to spread his message.

“I do this to preach the Gospel, and to promote thinking and questions,” he said. “I expect people to not like my message.”

According to Sonnier, although he is met by much anger at each campus, he thinks his message is working to affect students to change their lifestyle. He also said he was “not surprised” by the woman who spit in his face and said campus police usually only takes action if they see it happen.

Sonnier said that “sinners” should repent and look to their savior to be saved.

“Modern Christianity makes God sick,” he told students who had brought the Bible out to question him.

Other groups of students held hands and formed prayer circles around him, disputing what the sign was stating. Two students, Mallory Noonan and Sarah Holmes, went back to their dorm rooms and made T-shirts that argued with his statements after seeing the sign.

“I take personal offense to a lot of things on that, like referring to women as baby killers, but not specifying men, ” said sophomore English major Holmes, wearing a T-shirt that stated: ‘God makes judgment, not people’ and on the back ‘Christian and Gay.’ “It’s very surprising, I can’t believe Southern would allow this.”

“I was offended and shocked,” said Noonan, a sophomore education major wearing a T-shirt that said “Women’s Rights, Gay Rights and Religious Freedom.”

Gurge said the words were not acceptable for a college campus.

“This man had this hateful sign and he was spewing all this disgusting hate on campus,” said Gurge. “I know people have different points of view on sexuality, but certainly almost everybody on campus would agree that everybody’s religious beliefs should be respected. But I was very shocked to see what I saw. That kind of hate doesn’t belong on campus.”

“I think it’s a shame—people aren’t going to want a relationship with God when reading this sign—who would want it?,” asked Caitlin Clancy, a sophomore social work major. “This distorts what Christianity stands for.”

Although Sonnier is a born-again Christian, Southern’s Campus Crusade for Christ wanted to make sure they weren’t associated with his sign and his statements.

“He claims to be a born-again, but his message is about hate, and God is about love,” said Zackery Larry, president of Campus Crusade for Christ. “Hate is not effective.”

Gurge said the words and statements on Sonnier’s will always stick with her, and she is sure students walking past felt the pain as well.

“Nobody wants to walk by and see a sign and just feel bad, feel crappy, feel unworthy,” she said.

“Somebody is telling me I’m going to hell? Somebody is telling me my friends are going to hell? That’s not nice when we are having a nice day.”

Comments

[Jason Storms]

As a Christian student who tries to be sensitive to those around me, I am quite disturbed by the behavior of my fellow students. The hypocrisy of the "gay" community is astounding. Apparently Ms. Gurge's idea of "religous freedom" only includes those whom agree with her. A perosn peacefully exercising free speech is "hateful" but spitting in his face is "ok", simply because he makes you uncomfortable. What a joke!
I was ashamed that the Campus Crusade for Christ group sided with the "tolerant gays". I don't think I will be attending any more of their meetings. If someone who is talking about sinful behavior and Gods disapproval with it is "hateful" then Jesus and the Apostles were some of the most hateful people who ever lived! Please read your bible more closely Zachary

[Rodney]

Ms. Gurge had better take stock. Comes the day when a future employer really want to know how she deals with thoughts that create cognitively dissident feeling within. The actions of this Southern Reb are Constitutionaly protected. Spitting in his face is not. If I had to take a guess, I'd say you had a problem with anger and probably should seek help before you find yourself explaining yourself before a judge. Escalation is always a tell-tale sign of an immature and troubled mind. It's time to grow up, before it's too late.

[Linda]

Sadly, Gurge's reaction is very typical of people who claim to belong to the "love, peace, tolerance, open-mindedness and acceptance" crowd.

Gurge, try practicing what you preach for a change. Then and only then will people take you seriously.