Social Commentary I: "Still In Rome"

"Still in Rome"

The sweat on his face, the dissonance of his voice, and the message he spoke is still etched into my memory. His message, although deemed invalid by most, spoke volumes more than what he intended it to do. Two years ago, I began my freshman year at Auburn University. I chose to go there because I felt that I needed to explore the world outside of my hometown. I am from Trussville, Alabama, which is comparable to the town of Mayberry in The Andy Griffith Show. The community I grew up in was small and harmonious. Sometimes it felt like people felt safe there because there were no major controversies, no major events, and everybody was happy living their lives without worry.

All these things eventually changed, and life sped up once I entered college. Everyday after class, I would walk over to the dining hall to buy a deli sandwich. On this particular day in the Spring, I spotted a crowd of nearly fifty students gathered close to Cater Lawn across from Foy Student Union. In the past, I had witnessed verbal clashes between the College Republicans and Democrats-- also throw in also the Gay and Lesbian Alliance for good measure. I had seen all of that before. It was all old news to me, and when I saw them arguing it reminded me of programs broadcasted on CNN. This crowd I approached had a single man atop a small brick wall speaking in a harsh voice. At the time, it felt like a guilty pleasure, and it was irresistible to join the commotion.

He called himself “Brother” Micah Armstrong. He dressed in long slacks that were held by suspenders, a long-sleeved dress shirt, and had a worn golf hat on top of his head. At his feet, a gallon jug of water, from which he would take a swig out of every few minutes. I found a friend of mine in the crowd of people, and we both listened closely to his words. He preached a scornful message that was filled with hatred and violence. He would curse the homosexuals, denounce the Jewish, and harass female students that he deemed whores. I thought he was gravely mistaken because the Christian God is a God of love and forgiveness, which was quite the opposite from what he was preaching. I also felt a certain respect for the man because he truly was doing what he felt God led him to do. There are times where I am too nervous to answer a question in class, and in front of me was Armstrong sharing his faith to a disapproving audience.
Throughout his message, I felt like he was telling us that there was absolutely no hope for us from God. Multiple times, he told us we were going to go to hell. It was frustrating because he was smearing Christianity. Inside, I felt a sort of resentment towards the man. I can’t say for sure, but I think it was because of his misinterpretation of the Bible. My emotions were completely divided, and because of this, it made me question if there was any connection between the conflicting feelings. It reminded me of a cartoon I once watched long ago as a child. The character had an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other telling him what choices to make. I certainly feel that way all of the time-- even when I am trying to decide whether or not to eat just one more cookie for lunch. Then it made me think that our emotions are conflicting all the time. It seemed that it is a constant struggle between the heart and the mind.

The crowd cheered, taunted, and laughed in bliss once Brother Micah started speaking about sexual sin. I have always heard how much my generation is obsessed with sex. Being in that crowd reminded me that it is mostly true. Everybody there, whether they were telling the truth or not, admitted in a humorous fashion that they had committed some form of sexual sin. Everybody there seemed to be proud of that fact. I can remember reading a book titled The Scarlet Letter back in high school. The entire book was devoted to a Puritan woman in the 1700s who lived in shame because of sexual sin. She was forced to wear a red “A” which stood for adultery. And then I thought about how moral values have changed over the course of time to present day. People that lived back then were shamed by these sins, and they were usually ostracized by society. I thought about this, and it seemed that while in the crowd, sexual sin is imperative to be “cool.” The old phrase “When in Rome” was dusted off after pondering about the subject.

I watched as he grew thirsty for water. He would take a moment, grab the jug, and take a huge gulp. A student in the crowd approached him, snatched the jug from his hands, and then poured the water onto the ground. Watching that water roll down the concrete made me wonder why this person would hold so much hate for Armstrong. It made me think about how far we will take things when somebody has a different opinion. Brother Micah never did anything to that student except offer his sermon. That man had wronged Brother Micah, but it was refreshing to see another student grab the jug and fill it with fresh water. The crowd had grown to over sixty people by now, and it was comforting knowing there was at least one person willing to have sympathy for him.

Then I felt guilty after watching the student refill his water jug. I think I felt that way because of my participation in the crowd. Moments later, another student stood on the wall next to him and flashed a nude magazine towards the crowd. He said he wanted to start his own church of pornography. Brother Micah did his best to ignore the man, all the while the crowd’s intensity grew. Things seemed to get worse for him once he started explaining how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. went to hell. The crowd started to verbally abuse him more than ever at this claim. I thought it was ironic that King, who once preached peace, was now being used as fuel for hate.
The assumptions by Brother Micah about Dr. King only reinforced my idea that he was a false prophet. Any Christian would agree that God’s judgment is not something humans can pass. The students behind him started hurling rocks at him as he stood on the wall. One of the rocks struck him in the face as he turned around to talk with them.

If you believe in the Christian doctrine, you will also agree that no man is comparable to Jesus Christ. But watching Micah Armstrong made me realize that he wasn’t being treated any better than Jesus was by the Romans in the final hours of his life. It took me back thousands of years to the days of Rome. I felt like a horrible person. Perhaps I should have been dressed in Roman garments along with everybody else taunting Armstrong. Again, not to say that his suffering was exactly equal to Jesus’, but I think the analogy says a lot about our society.

There finally came a time where I could not stand it anymore. I had to leave the crowd because I didn’t want to continue to be apart of the travesty. There is a passage I learned long ago from the Bible in the chapter of John. Its simple meaning explains, “Be in the world, not of the world.” Although I was silent the whole time I was there, I felt torn. My mind wanted me to stay and witness the chaos outside, but my heart told me otherwise. Maybe I was curious, or maybe it was my human nature to want to ridicule another person for my own pleasure. After I purchased my sandwich at the dining hall, I could still see the circus going on outside. I hung my head, for I was shamed that I participated in the crowd. The most important lesson I learned that day reinforces that old passage in John. I learned that regardless of religious affiliation or opinion, we should be in the world, but not of the world.