Free speech for all ya'll

IU, just like most other institutions of higher learning, has had a long history of activism and free speech. From student demonstrations against the Vietnam War to the more recent Black Student Union forums about the mural in Woodburn Hall, controversial issues have been confronted and discussed in and around these halls and pathways.\nIn that continuance, we now must deal with the evangelists.\nI too have been heckled by various preachers trying to spread their truth on campus. These zealots use tactics that are often invasive and offensive, speaking from their single-minded devotion to their own versions of religious texts. Many times these evangelists have called passing students "sinners, whores, drug addicts," and so on. \nSpouting verses from their holy books, they tell students why they are going to damnation, that being a college student is the first step on the stairway to hell and that every well-dressed young male is a homosexual with a one-way ticket to the brimstone.\nSpeaking as a Christian, I question these preachers, because Jesus taught people to love and correct wrongs with wisdom, not alienate people and make them feel worthless. Ministry would be much more effective if you gave people a reason to listen instead of a reason to turn away. Yes, Jesus rebuked people. He told them they were wrong, but he did so in a loving manner, and he taught them how to fix the problem. This is what our friendly neighborhood proselytizers lack.\nSpeaking as a journalist, I am glad these preachers have their opportunity to show the world how ignorant they are. Free speech is the most essential element to a free society. Without it, democracy would not exist, nor would most of the scientific and ideological innovations that have changed the world. Without free speech, we would not have to deal with the preachers telling us what to think, but instead the state would make us think a certain way or face punishment for doing otherwise. Without free speech, I could not write this column in this newspaper telling the readers how much I disagree with the tactics of the campus preach teams.\nFree speech allows the people, students, citizens, etc. to read and hear different points of view and decide who to believe for themselves. The preachers themselves will probably not agree with my words, and some of you readers may not either, for different reasons. But this is what free speech is all about -- the freedom to disagree. \nLegally, I am thankful that people can say what they want. Morally, I wish more people would think about what they say before they say it, but words work for all sides. If you don't like what someone is saying, speak out. If no one opposes an idea, its truth will never be tested.