Sympathy for the devil

According to Jim Gilles, you can either spend your life "running with the Devil" or "walking with Jesus." I would prefer a brisk jog with the Devil, since he seems to be promoting the more invigorating of the two exercises. I'm also not too keen on this whole "Stairway to Heaven" thing because the cruising the "Highway to Hell" sounds much more convenient, especially for the handicapped. \nJim Gilles has his own views, and although his gospel was ill received, as respectful students, we must allow him and evangelists like him to spit their game. I can't say that I agree with anything Gilles said, but I admire his courage to stand in front of hundreds of allegedly Hell-bound students and at least attempt to "save" us. What kept him from being beaten to a bloody pulp? Was it God? Maybe it was, but I think there were just too many witnesses.\nTo understand what Gilles is preaching, we must understand that in his own disrespectful way, he is trying to help us, or at least he thinks he is. Set aside your beliefs and look at it from his perspective. It is the Christian belief that all those who are non-Christian, or Pagan, are condemned to Hell. Gilles believes that by warning us of our sins, he can save us from eternal damnation. I imagine the system works somewhat like Kool-Aid points, where every soul saved gets you five points towards a neon color-changing halo or an electric lyre. As those of you present during his preaching could tell, Gilles sure wasn't winning many people over. Being told that your afterlife will consist of burning eternally because of your lifestyle, habits or religion (or the lack thereof) is not something most people want to hear.\nThe University's decision to move Gilles is unfortunate, but rules are rules. I hope the University decides to settle Gilles' lawsuit out of court. There's something about having Jesus Christ testify against you that can't be good. Gilles' crusade to preach where he wants shows how determined he is to save us; either that or the evangelism business is slow these days and Gilles needs the money. I think that Dunn Meadow is a great place for Gilles to preach safely and peacefully, but he's right, he's going to be preaching to birds and squirrels. My advice to Gilles and other evangelists is that if they want an audience, they should post a time when they are going to preach. Maybe make a few posters or something.\nHow should we approach evangelists and demonstrators? Well, if it's going to make you upset then you shouldn't approach them at all. Evangelists like Gilles will only stay as long as they have a crowd jeering or cheering them on. If they say something that gets your goat, just ignore it. I'll admit I got pretty riled up after I was condemned by Gilles, but then again, I don't know why I care. If he calls you a whore and you know you aren't, don't worry about it. If you smoke, look on the bright side, at least in Hell you'll never have trouble finding a light.\nNo matter what you think of Gilles and his words, he and people like him have the freedom of speech, which is oftentimes free and dumb.