I’ve seen it happen numerous times. I’m taking in some sun, sitting outside the Madden Library reading the paper, when a booming voice makes me look up to see what’s going on. The booming voice is coming from a person, often with a Bible or a cross in his hand, yelling about God and the Bible to everyone in sight.

The most recent time I saw one was Tuesday afternoon. Dozens of students gathered around him. I joined the crowd, intrigued by what was drawing so much attention.

Before I continue, let me explain something. These speakers don’t bother me ”” not one bit. There’s a reason the area is called the Free Speech Area. The name says it all. It is the students’ comments toward them that bother me and make me wonder why they are often rude and discourteous.

So, let me continue. Some students were arguing with this man on Tuesday, others were laughing at him, and the rest were basically just there out of curiosity. I was probably the only one who was wondering why the students were ridiculing what this man was saying when probably the majority of them are members of churches where members of the clergy talk about the same things. Granted, the man was often saying that students were going to hell, and that seemed to be what was catching everyone’s attention, especially those mocking him.

One student asked repeatedly, “Am I going to hell?” After asking about 10 times, the man took a break from his speech to quickly tell the student that, yes, he was going to hell. The student shrugged his shoulders, smugly accepted the answer, said “f— you, too” to the man and left.

This got a few chuckles from several others. Similar things happened during the 10 minutes I was there. This heckling, mocking and laughing occur every time I have seen a speaker like this on campus. They are always accused by passers-by of being crazy.

Getting to the “anyway…” part, I always wonder if students react the same way when they go to church and listen to what the priest or pastor says. Do they heckle them, too? Or when people gather to pray, do these same students speak out and ridicule those gathering? I’m sure that God, the Bible and hell are often topics of conversation among people of faith, whatever faith it may be. Therefore, is anyone taking part in this crazy as well?

The CIA World Factbook says that more than three-fourths of the U.S. population is Christian. The man at the Free Speech Area on Tuesday must surely consider himself a Christian. Now, people often say things like “Everyone has his or her own interpretation of the Bible,” or “his or her own relationship with God.” Then why were students who are presumably Christian ridiculing this man?

I did not write this because I am on the man’s side or anyone else’s side. I understand that everyone has his or her own interpretation of faith ”” or none at all. I just think that the students’ comments towards this man were somewhat ironic. Call me crazy.

Sergio Robles is a multimedia journalist for The Collegian.