House Editorial: Picked by God, protected by law

Posted on October 25, 2007

Matt Bourgault stood on the commons Monday afternoon, wearing a sandwich board with the names of those who were to be condemned for their actions. Potheads, lesbians, sodomites, liars, thieves, murderers, fornicators, adulterers and potty-mouths were all named for eternal damnation, among others.

Many people who walked past the spectacle disregarded what the zealot had to say. Others stopped for a few seconds to hear a part of his preaching. Most students were outraged at his inflammatory and impassioned words—rightfully so—some even questioned why he was granted permission to preach such a hateful message on campus.

Junior Alex Martin had clearly enough of his speech, and pushed through the crowd after an exchange with a JMU police officer to shove him. Her act of assault was a brash statement that encroached on the rights of free speech Bourgault has—however hated that speech might have been.

Monday’s events were reminiscent of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Columbia University just one month ago. Columbia students and faculty, as well as the nation were outraged that Columbia University President Lee Bollinger would extend an invitation to a man regarded as a cruel dictator and Holocaust denier. However, as a columnist pointed out a few weeks ago, everyone has a right to be heard, regardless if we agree with his or her statements.

The First Amendment protects speech—not certain kinds of speech, but all speech. Bourgault’s words were hateful and intolerant, but they are still protected by the Constitution. Some students expressed the desire that he be banned from campus and questioned why he was allowed to be on the commons at all.

We do not condone banning Bourgault from campus in the future, or any other controversial speaker. While his visit infuriated some passers-by, it also caused a group to gather around him to engage in a debate. College campuses should strive to be one of the freest places to engage in dialogue that makes you think—it should make you angry. It should make you question your beliefs.

Banning people whose viewpoints we don’t agree with makes us just as bad as Bourgault, who wants to convert every person on campus to a demented form of Christianity that preaches hate. We should be promoting controversial visitors so that we can argue our beliefs intelligently and rationally.

So next time you see one of these so-called evangelical extremists shaking a Bible at a crowd of college students, realize that they are there to rightfully voice their opinions, and we can do the same thing.