Some people wince when they see public displays of affection. Maybe it’s the little kid inside of us that says ‘ew’ at the sappy parts of movies. I dare say this feeling is so well-known that it influences what society deems acceptable behavior.

Personally, I get anxious when I see public displays of personal faith.

I’m talking about the influx of green shirts circulating around campus – the ones that read, ‘I agree with Craig.’ Well I don’t agree with Craig, and I take issue with his message.

Just to be clear, it’s not his religion I disagree with, it’s the proselytizing. In Craig’s manifesto, published both in paid advertising space in The Daily Orange, as well as on Facebook, he states his belief that the only way to salvation is to know God and to accept that Jesus Christ was his son.

‘Heaven and hell are very real,’ reads his statement of faith, and it continues, ‘…we will never be good enough to get into heaven on our own.’

My problem: The Campus Crusade for Christ, a group whose name warrants a debate unto itself, is exporting this message very publicly. And while they’re not explicitly saying that this message must be adopted by all people, reading between the lines reveals a posture of ‘this is right.’

And there’s the binary. If Craig’s message is right, aren’t other religions wrong? Does this message have to be right? The Campus Crusade for Christ doesn’t need to tell people that this is what they believe, when no one seemed to have been assuming otherwise.

Personally, I see arrogance with these kinds of spectacles. I believe that when a religious group makes these proclamations, they invite debate and therefore put themselves in a position to claim, ‘We believe our way is correct.’

I think discussions of faith and religion should stay away from universal declarations of right faith versus wrong faith, even if it is unintentional. Just because one group may enjoy defending their religion doesn’t mean I, or anybody else, should have to.

If your beliefs are synonymous with Craig’s, I think that’s fabulous. And even if you don’t, but still feel the need to pray every day, good for you. But please, understand that it’s not that I think your religion or message is wrong, I just don’t believe it’s right.

And hearkening back to my early public display of affection metaphor, making a T-shirt campaign with a unilateral religious message is like rolling around nude on the quad making-out – some of us just don’t want to see that.

Ben Peskin is a featured columnist whose columns appear Thursdays in The Daily Orange. Email him at [email protected].

Published on March 28, 2007 at 12:00 pm