The Daily Pennsylvanian :: Simeon McMillan

If like many a Penn student, your weekend ritual begins with communion from a shot glass and ends on your knees at the porcelain alter of your toilet, I've got news for you - you just might need Jesus.

But even if he isn't your "homeboy", as per the gospel of Urban Outfitters, there's nothing wrong with engaging someone in a polite dialogue on religious issues.

For this year's Jesus Week, members of Penn for Jesus have decided to take a more evangelical approach, by asking students for prayer requests.

Despite the outcry, though, students shouldn't feel offended by this practice. If we Penn students are truly as open-minded as we proclaim, let's not shy away from opportunities to engage in respectful dialogue on matters of the mind, body, and soul.

Understandably, this issue is a little sensitive for some students. "In the right context [being offered a prayer], can be flattering . but if it was to point out a flaw in yourself, I could take it as condescending," said Wharton and Engineering sophomore Daniel Irwin.

Given the cloak of anonymity, many individuals didn't explain their discomfort as eloquently as Irwin.

On last week's article about Jesus Week, several online comments called the practice "arrogant," "fake" and tantamount to "being propositioned by a prostitute."

To corroborate whether receiving a prayer solicitation was as abhorrent as my disgraced former New York governor, I decided to seek out my Christian comrades. Posing as an undercover heathen (your typical aspiring banker), I stood outside Houston Hall waiting for divine intervention.

Immediately, I spotted two students standing near the doors to the facility, armed with pens and index cards at their sides. Calm and unassuming, they were not at all as intimidating as Obama's spirited pastor.

The moment we made eye contact was straight from a middle-school dance. We were like awkward adolescents in a dark-lit gymnasium - each recognizing the other's presence, but seemingly too nervous to make the first move.

Nursing sophomore Zach Ferris ultimately broke the ice, asking me if there was anything I wanted him to pray for.

I offered a prayer of strength for the half dozen freshman pledges I had just passed who were holding lunchboxes and wearing absurd costumes.

I had no idea what those girls could have done to deserve such public embarrassment, but I was certain Jesus loved them no less.

After sharing my other - albeit more serious and personal - prayer request, I asked him for his thoughts on the overall experience.

"What'd probably surprise people to know is that when I approach them, I'm probably just as scared [to ask for prayer requests] as they may be [to give them]," he explained.

After seeing some of the outlandish responses on the Internet, Ferris and his friends explained how they had preemptively discussed ways to be less daunting to nonbelievers.

"It was a bit of a surprise seeing the reaction people had," Ferris. "We're doing this out of love and not because we think we're better than anybody."

"We found that if you say, 'Can I pray for you?' some would find it much more offensive than if we said, 'Is there something you'd like me to pray for?'" explained College senior Christina Lordeman.

Despite the increased sensitivity, some students still weren't completely at ease.

"I feel a bit guilty asking for help . asking someone to deal with my problems for me," said a senior who had been approached by one of the volunteers during the course of the week.

I fully recognize that issues of faith are personal matters, and we each have the right to respond in a way we see fit.

But college is a time for growth - and not just academically.

May we not become so lost in our quest to feed our curiosity that we forget to feed our souls.

That's a prayer we can all live with.

Simeon McMillan is a Wharton senior from Long Island, NY. His e-mail is mcmillan@dailypennsylvanian.com. Common $ense appears Thursdays.

Comments (9)

Simeon, I really enjoyed this article, as much, if not the best, as any you have written. As I read it, I heard the voice of Andy Rooney in your writing.

I pray that people will finally recognize all religion as the anachronism that it really is.

Can you blame people's reticence, when impromptu sidewalk conversations on religion rarely result in "polite, respectful dialogue"? What would the reaction be if Muslims were out accosting students for verbal contributions to their daily religious practices? Wharton seniors have souls? If Jesus had been aborted would he have had a really small cross?

If you think religion is an anachronism, why are you praying??? Are these Christians "accosting students"??? I think it should be pretty clear that the reaction to any group of religious students approaching other students would depend on how respectful those students were, not on what religion they were representing. What makes you think Wharton seniors don't have souls??? (I'm in the College, btw.)

[QUOTE id="827bab72-c78d-4c61-af77-c7d0664122f3"]If you think religion is an anachronism, why are you praying??? Are these Christians "accosting students"??? I think it should be pretty clear that the reaction to any group of religious students approaching other students would depend on how respectful those students were, not on what religion they were representing. What makes you think Wharton seniors don't have souls??? (I'm in the College, btw.)[/QUOTE] 1) The anachronism poster was clearly being sarcastic about praying . . . I hope your humorless rhetorical response was also sarcastic (though merely a regurgitation of the original point) and that it didn't actually go right over your head. 2) That sounds all swell and dandy that people's reactions would be based on their politeness and presentation, but put some Islamic students out there asking people for their prayers and you will see in retrospect how foolish the reaction you anticipate in your mind sounds. 3) The Wharton/soul jab was obviously just an unfair cheap shot based on the perceived paradox that someone who directs their life's education around money would find that conflicting with spiritual matters. We all know that surely there are no business folk checking their Blackberries on a Sunday, as Jesus would come over and flip over their table if they were conducting business on a Sunday. We also know that when it came to matters of people's jobs, their life savings, their children's educations, treating their workers with dignity, being conscientious with the people's financial futures in their hands, companies like Wal-Mart and Enron consult their soul before making the right decision. So clearly that possibility that some Whartonites may not have souls is just silly and unfair.

Yes, I still have a sense of humor, and no, the sarcasm didn't go over my head. In response to the "religion-anachronism" comment though, I was trying to hint at the fact that a lot of people are a lot more "religious"/"spiritual"/"believing" than you might think - even some who would say religion is anachronistic. You can call me naive, but I do think respect matters a lot. How many of you ever stop for a moment to listen to the guy preaching eternal damnation every Wednesday on College Green? I bet he has a much lower success rate than students in Penn for Jesus. And while the American population as a whole might very well respond obnoxiously to well-intending Muslims approaching (not accosting) strangers, pretty every Penn student I've ever met at least CLAIMS to be much more open-minded than the rest of the world... Nice comeback on the Wharton jab, but the original comment referred to all Wharton seniors, not just some... :)

Loved this one, brilliant!

Zach Ferris is the MAN.

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