Keep an open mind

Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, atheism, Judaism, deism. The beauty of the First Amendment is its provision for all forms of expression, including freedom of religion -- or, in some cases, freedom from religion. Here at IU, students have been presented with the opportunity to experience the richness of American religious toleration and denominationalism, and maybe even allow it to change our own perceptions about the world and the people in it.\nBut when evangelism comes into play, it takes away from the cultural opportunities this campus presents to us.\nLet it be understood I am not attacking Christianity (or any other religion, for that matter). I was raised in a Catholic-Lutheran household; my friends come from various sects of Christianity and even include Jews, atheists and Muslims. I wholeheartedly believe each individual has the right to follow whatever faith he or she decides upon without being persecuted for those beliefs. I also don't have a problem with groups sharing their beliefs; they have every right to do so. \nIt's people trying to shove their views down others' throats who irk me. Saying "I believe in God" is immensely different from saying "You're damned if you don't think like me." I am infuriated by those who tell me that I'm going to hell because I'm Catholic (and there have been a few). I don't agree with some of my former classmates who've made it their life mission to convert an atheist to Christianity. And I particularly don't understand televangelists who tell the world that some of my closest friends are damned because of their sexual preferences.\nA couple of years ago, I began wrestling with the following question: Assuming there is a heaven (in the Christian sense of the concept, as this is what I'm most familiar with), who has a better chance of getting in: the devout, intolerant Christian evangelist, or the affable atheist who keeps an open mind? So long as we remain in this life, we might never know the answer to that question. Still, I continue to turn it over in my mind, and I've decided if there really is a God who would turn away otherwise good people because of their atheism or homosexuality, I would be much happier spending eternity in hell with my friends -- avoiding, of course, the Osama bin Laden Bar and Grill.\nOne of the undeniable advantages of coming to IU for graduate school is that it is far more diverse than the medium-sized state school within a microscopic town where I did my undergraduate work, and I have the chance to meet more people of various backgrounds. It is an environment where I can learn firsthand about the diverse cultures of our world and, hopefully, eventually come to embrace them. In this setting, we all have the chance to become more knowledgeable and more accepting of one another, and, perhaps more importantly, to take a closer look at ourselves and why we embrace the beliefs we have.