Christians should not walk around condemning people to hell. I think we all know who I am referring to. You know, the fixated people who stand in the Student Union with their “soul-winning” signs that read, “Sinner, you deserve hell fire.”
As I was hurriedly walking to class the other day, I came upon a man handing out pamphlets. I can handle someone throwing their ideas at me or sharing what they believe in public. It was the aggressive yelling that caused me to forget I was already running late and had me stop in my tracks. The words “You’re going to hell,” sounded above the noisy walkway, piercing their way into my head. The man who shouted the phrase incessantly directed his rage at no particular individual. I assumed he was yelling at every one who wasn’t shouting damnation with him. After taking a moment to acknowledge what I was witnessing was in fact reality, I went along my way, stifling a laugh until I was past the chaos.
I wondered how someone could possibly believe a message filled with such bitterness would make anyone want to stop and listen. The way they went about their preaching made me think of a parent punishing a child with no explained reasoning. The harsh method these people implement as an attempt to recruit people into their religion is just like an authoritarian parenting style. This style of parenting uses a strict, set of rules with absolutely no explanation, resulting in unhappy, incompetent children. Ultimately, the effects of such an unforgiving and harsh technique are often negative and deconstructive.
Not only was this group of individuals being obnoxiously rude, they were giving Christians a bad name. While I do believe in both a heaven and a hell, the Bible I’ve read states that no one sin is greater than another. How could these people tell us we are going to hell when they are human just like you and me? No one on this Earth is perfect. We all sin, and if I remember correctly, judging others is an equal evil.
While I was both appalled and outraged by these people’s manner of preaching, I couldn’t help but notice the feeling of pity that bubbled up into my heart. Do these people actually believe what they are doing is right? Do they actually believe they are going to bring people to Christ by telling them they are horrible sinners and  going to burn for eternity? My guess is they do. Most, if not all of them, were probably born into this warped religion. It’s what they were taught, but that doesn’t rationalize their methodology. So instead of stooping to their level by judging them, I decided to let the matter go, and do the only thing I could: remember that each individual’s fate is determined by him/herself and their God, not the words of others.