Religious protesters spark debate among students

Consuming Fire Fellowship brought hellfire and brimstone to the Ole Miss Student Union Wednesday, but not everyone was buying it.

Men and women wore t-shirts, held signs and attempted to inform students about their eternal salvation situation.

While some students engaged civilly in discussion with the evangelical protestors about women in the workplace and the pulpit, others laughed at and taunted them.

Two women dressed in Cobra Security uniforms joined in the discussion as well.

One protestor spoke with a small group of students about premarital sex, the male student responded, “But that girl’s ass (is) finer than hell.”

The student then pointed toward a female student who walked past the rally without hearing him.

At one point, a member of the crowd handed a toy lightsaber to a protester, raising a few laughs from the crowd.

Philosophy and political science major KJ Eaton said he was frustrated with the event.

“I’ve been sitting out in the front of the Union listening to what is supposed to be a religious call to action, but these people have been condemning Ole Miss students without informing them there is salvation for them,” Eaton said. “Find someone that is going to teach you whatever it is you want to know. Coming up here and just telling people reasons that they will not get into heaven is not how you teach anyone anything. That’s how you scare them and push them away.”

David Taylor, a freshman mechanical engineering major, said the rally was “a load of baloney.”

“They say that they believe in Jesus, they want all of us to be saved, but then turn around and say that we’re already damned to hell and there is no hope us,” Taylor said.

As students and protesters around him kept shouting over each other, Taylor said he was staying calm, trying not to raise his voice and ask questions. When asked why the Fellowship member wouldn’t answer his questions, Taylor said he “had the audacity to say it was because my hair was weird.”

“Why won’t you just answer our questions?” one student yelled.

The main protestor replied that as long as people were asking politely, he would.
The crowd began shouting questions immediately and kept him from finishing his sentence.

“Would you shut up?” he asked aloud.

Later, when Taylor was trying to speak to him, the protester yelled, “Why don’t you stop stealing from your grandmother?”

When the activists said they did not believe in interracial relationships, the crowd became indignant and another male student said someone should throw a punch.

“Everyone should just walk away,” one female student said near the outskirts of the crowd. And, eventually, they did.