"I am morally without sin"
“I am morally without sin,” he said, looking down on a group of 50 or so students.
He also said he was a “Christian,” and he “has to listen to loud-mouthed women every day.” That was Wednesday.
Today, he was shouting back at Auburn University students who were traveling between classes or ones that simply had nothing better to do than listen. He stood on his two-foot high wall just past the concourse (a place for hanging out and club recruitment and other stuff for you non-Auburn students). I would argue that he had more than a hundred students at several points during the day.
They were shouting back at him.
The highlight of the day? The The Gay Song (It’s Not Okay To Be Gay).
He is Micah Armstrong. He is the “Open Air Bible Thumper,” according to his website. He is radical. He is in your face.
He’s been on campus all week long, every day from around 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. He’s been preaching the “Word.” He’s been preaching against homosexuality, masturbation, and sex. Those are apparently our only sins.
Today, just after 2 p.m., he was escorted off the campus by police.
The crowd was riled up. Some were merely taunting the preacher bearing dark news (I like to think of him as the Dark Preacher). Others were preaching back at him. He was telling them about hell. Others were telling him about Jesus’ compassion, freely masturbating, and being openly gay.
“Every girl that has premarital sex with a guy is a W-H-O-R-E,” he shouted at the laughing young adults. “Every masturbator is a potential homosexual” because it is sex with the same sex.
He was there today to make sure we knew we were going to hell for the things we’re doing. He was there to tell us that Martin Luther King Jr. is in hell. That Ghandi and Mother Teresa were burning too. And, about the only person on campus today that wouldn’t burn would be himself.
The students took that message well.
Of course, there were a few opposers to stand on the wall with him.
This student reads an issue of Cosmopolitan. The story was something about how to gratify your partner sexually. “You can’t get your own audience,” Armstrong responds. The student then goes on to lead a group of students to another spot to read the issue, but they were few.
This is not an uncommon event. We usually get one radical preacher every semester who tries to scare the student body into religion, which is entirely the wrong approach. He was preaching against the Christians there that were trying to go with the Jesus’ love angle. No. That’s not allowed, that kind of preaching. It’s all fire and brimstone. That’s the only way to preach it.
My favorite person to take a stand against Armstrong is this guy, sporting a shirt that reads “Plays Well With Self” and an arrow pointed toward the man. This fit so well with Armstrong’s rampage against masturbation that you could not help but laugh. Well, and the t-shirt guy just looked funny.
“Your problem is not your testosterone or gender. You got a wicked, perverted heart. You’ve masturbated one too many times, you’ve watched one too many porno movies, you’ve had premarital sex,” continued Armstrong.
He never let up until the police arrived. I guess he was lucky he didn’t make a scene about “freedom of speech” at that moment. He was clearly harrassing those students who were gay, Muslim, Christian, women, and well…every one else. One seemingly devout Christian was near tears arguing back at him. This was what he was doing to his brothers in Christ.
Aside from the t-shirt guy and The Gay Song, the funniest scene of the day was when a student poked Armstrong in the butt with a stick. “Don’t turn your back on this guy,” Armstrong fired.
I’m not condoning this kind of childishness from grown people, but what Armstrong said incited an uproar of laughter.
It’s been a war all week. Christians vs. Armstrong. Muslims vs. Armstrong. Athiests vs. Armstrong. Students and Faculty vs. Armstrong.
I should make a Facebook group. I wonder what I’ll call it…
This in no way is an anti-Christian or anti-religion post. It is simply a post about a man who made a scene.
Here are some files I’ve uploaded for your viewing and listening pleasure. I would’ve uploaded the hour worth of recorded audio I got today, but it’s hard to hear since there was so much noise. Enjoy.
“I am morally without sin.â€
Oh dear…that’s just craziness. Spirituality should be inward, IMO. I’m kind of back!
I don’t think someone should go around harassing people about their beliefs and their lifestyles. I don’t mind preaching, or even trying to bring people into the church, but there’s a line.
WOW! It’s Christians like that, that give Christianity a bad name. They end up pushing people away instead of reaching out to them. Very sad.
I just ate a baby
I agree Lady G (hey, that rhymed). For those who believe Christianity is a bad thing, only had their beliefs reaffirmed because of him. You can’t shout to people that they’re going to hell if you want to have them repent. You at least have to bring them in first.
I can’t believe there are really people like that. Someone needs to get him a copy of “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” I’m sure he’d burn it though.
Yes Esther, it’s a shame that there are people like him. I just searched Amazon for How to Win Friends & Influence People. I wasn’t sure if it was an actual book. The review there makes it sound like an interesting.
I’m not sure if that’s on his list of books that are okay to read though.
I don’t think Christians like him give the others a bad name. He’s basically what happens when you finally get a Christian who believes the literal truth of the stuff in that old dusty Tome. If you believe all that stuff, it will make you stark raving crazy, as the whole world around you is going to hell in a handbasket, and it’s on your shoulders to save them.
You should’ve thrown in the video link of “It’s not okay to be gay”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iPPmtId6fc
Oh yeah, I meant to edit the post and add the link to the video. I’ll do that when I get home. Thanks for providing the link.
“He’s basically what happens when you finally get a Christian who believes the literal truth of the stuff in that old dusty Tome.”
That is a good point Daniel. Nevertheless, the religion that he represents gets a bad rep because of it.
I go to school in Upstate NY and I’ve only seen one preacher come on my campus, he talked about how you’re not a good person if you don’t follow the 10 commandments verbatim, using an intelligence quiz to draw people in. He was a wacko, but wasn’t screaming fire and brimstone. I hope this guy never makes his way up into the northern US, though if he did come to my campus I would just laugh at him.
Hey this guy comes to FSU also. He has on many an occasion pointed at my roommate and myself and called us whores when we were bundled up in the winter. This man is hurting christianity throw this 1 at him matthew 7:1 “Judge not,that ye not be judged.”
Elizabeth, he spent most of his time going after women while he was here. If it wasn’t them, he was harassing gay people.
Micah Armstrong is one of the reasons people are turning away from Christianity. There is that other quote that goes something like, “Let he who is without sin, throw the first stone.” Something like that.
Alex, I’m interested in taking that intelligence quiz now. Sounds interesting.
[...] Read the article: Micah Armstrong: I am morally without sin. [...]
[...] "I am morally without sin" I am morally without sin, he said, looking down on a group of 50 or so students. He also said he was a Christian, and he has to listen to loud-mouthed women every day. [...]
I had the pleasure of yelling at Brother Micah’s lil’ accomplice, as well as his wife, when they were concluding their week-long show at Ohio University yesterday.
Several people who stopped by to watch remarked that it was pointless and that we would all have been better off ingnoring Brother M.’s hatred, but I really believe that the worthless causes are the ones most important to fight for, and that his loudness should be met with equal loudness. It’s a shame that he preaches what he does, but it’d be an even bigger shame if no one came out to yell at him and mock his craziness.
Liv, I also believe it is a bigger shame to not do anything at all. We can’t sit idly by while people like Brother Micah shout nonsense at our schools. What he “preaches” most would call harassment.
I go to UNC Charlotte and “Brother” Micah was on our campus today. He told me that I was going to hell based on what I was wearing, called me a whore (then spelled out the word referencing me several times because I took offense to it the first time–go figure). He didn’t stop there; he told me i was “putting crackwhores out of business because I give it away for free” and called the Muslim friend I was with a “terrorist”. What’s ironic about the whole thing is he told US that WE were the ignorant ones.
Oh yeah, his “crackwhore” line. I don’t know if that one will ever get old. I think it’s the funniest thing he says. Of course, I know it’s offensive to some people, but I can’t help cracking a smile when he tells the girls that they’re “putting the crackwhores out of business.”
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2214654109
this is hilarious.
Thanks Maggie. I have now joined the group. We should all work together to try and take Brother Micah down to be honest.
The whole thing is that the act is tired.
9 years ago the U of Montevallo had a guy who called himself Brother Jim, who did the same thing. And the response was predictable.
This guy is the Carlos Mencia of street preachers. Just sayin’.
There are some days I wish I were not a Christian. To those at Auburn, I am working on a degree in Biblical Studies-this moron hasn’t even read the book. The idea of Christianity is not that we have cleaned ourselves up, that we have gotten all moral and now Jesus likes and accepts us. What happened was that we were drunkards, adulterers, thieves, liars, idolaters, pagan as they come, and in the middle of all of that, the Holy Spirit of God, by the sovereign will of God, whispered into the deepest places of our dead hearts…’I love you’…’What?! Me?! How can you love me? Me, a drunk? Me, in the middle of my perversion? Me, a reviler? Me, an idolater? Me, a liar? Me, a thief? Me, a religious bigot? How can you love ME?!’ In that moment where He loves us, all the sudden we say I will love and pursue you all the rest of my days with all of my breath, all my strength, with every cell in my body. We don’t celebrate that we’re clean, but while we weren’t He loved us! While we were sinners Christ died for us. Thats why the Cross is so important. Thats why we love the Cross so much. We didn’t do anything…While we were-He died for us
Sar, “the act is tired.”
Adam, first off, this guy has read the book. Heck, most of what he said and is still preaching is what the majority of the Christian faith believe. They just don’t say it out loud and continuously harass people. What’s wrong with this picture is that he preaches in the wrong way. You can’t make people believe in God by calling them whores.
I do think your comment has gotten a bit off-topic though. This isn’t a religious debate. It is simply about a fundamentalist Christian that is going to far. He’s pushing the limits of what “free speech” means.
Back to what I was saying earlier — he’s definitely read the book. He just doesn’t understand what that book means, who wrote and translated and tinkered with it, and its true history. I’ve taken religion courses, studied on my own, and was brought up in a religious family. I feel I have a solid religious background and believe that this man has read the Bible, but read it too much.
The problem is that he’s mixing religion, faith/spirituality, and the Bible together. These are three separate entities. Don’t get me wrong; the Bible would not exist without religion because it was written long after religion began. But, these three things have to be separate in their own ways. Sure, they compliment each other, but someone can take the Bible too literally (not just the metaphors, but the way of life during the 1000 years or so that it took to write). This creates problems for religion as a whole. It weakens faith. It weakens religious institutions. It weakens what authority the Bible may or may not have had.
Now, I’m getting off-topic too. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Hi,
Many people in their own zeal can misunderstand, misrepresent or malign the truth, lets face it, we’re all human, falible and with sin. We can spend all day ripping someone apart or debating ideas but check this out.
When one can differenciate without a doubt the realities of the exsistance of God, first of all it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks and second if they don’t shout it from a rooftop, frankly I don’t believe they’ve found Him.
For those who havent sought the spiritual relm which has always exsisted, how then can one possibly understand what it’s about.
History speaks for itself and the bible documents it and continues to be proved as valid. People simply deny it since it’s easier to live by your their own truths or hear-say then to actually seek to know the truth for themselves.
Prior to my own experience which resulted in my conversion as a “born again” witness of God, I would have also laughed, scoffed and chewed on the fat.
However I hoped that there was more than this world had to offer, which lead me to seek the spiritual side of life, the undeniable truth.
Man’s fluctuating and changing truths didn’t cut it for me…frankly, “man” doesn’t know jack.
After approaching this quest from different angles and perspectives, our very own history demanded that I look at the bible and the God to which it speaks of.
Simply “reading” the bible does nothing but give someone head knowledge. Cutting and pasting together ideas about god from every periodical and opinion read or heard doesnt work either since there’s no power in a paper mache’ god crafted by speculation, fantasies, rules etc.. “My god” is a fairly known “deity” these days who’s resembles that of a cameleon depending on whose lapel he sits.
Ask people who they think God is. The responses will be individualized….self customed with a hint of society and a dash of political correctness.
“Have it your way” is a worldly mantra but it won’t get ANYONE into Heaven.
Just as our civilization has a set of laws or rules, so do the heavenlies, don’t be mistaken.
We were created (I have no monkeys in my ancestory lineage, I checked) with an obvious indicator so NO MAN can fool us, nor even you fool yourself.
Our very conscience (conscience=with knowledge) continually bears witness for us of moral rights and wrongs. However, society is quickly moving towards dulling and permantently desensitizing this for us.
Making all vial things acceptable, hardening hearts and creating puppets easily manipulated by media. Its a slow and progressive deterioration of anything that’s moral and good.
God gave us each a concscience to rely on in this chaotic, boundless and confusing society.
To deny it is average and it’s “running with the pack.”
Then there are those who choose to go deeper (way over “mans” head)and really seek God. Not just out of curiosity to prove a point, but to know if there is ONE truth behind all this madness. To know if theres ONE love greater than anything we could know and ONE God to which all of life is actually due.
In doing so, one must lose all preconceived ideas about God and the shackels of society and seek Him whole heartedly. It is’t mindless or weak but infact a deliberate and willfull act with the expectations of learning the truth and being set free. Awesome clique’.
Just as someone living in L.A. who doesn’t realize the dense fog that surrounds them until they get up in a airplane, is the reality of our ability to know the truth about God unless we choose to remove ourselves from from the fog of our own dilussions.
The very cure of life is free, it’s supply is endless,it’s immeasurable, limitless and it’s depths are rich and mind blowing. What kind of person would anyone be to keep it to themselves? Not a Christian.
I wouldn’t waste anyones time if it was just “my” truth, “my” experience, “my” view or unnecessary, I’d be a politican then.
God is more than a book, a perception, a religion, any type or group of people. To know God is individual to you and me just as any relationship is.
I learned quickly that the bible is a reliable map and a reliable source which ties flawlessly into history.
The truths that are meant to be known are hidden and are waiting for seekers only. All others take a seat in the hecklers section and await you strings next pull.
More than the world wars we are forced to experience are the spiritual warfares over our souls that we also experience, whether you realize it or not.
Sadly we choose to neglect our souls, nor link the two together.
There IS more than meets the eye.
Look up, bend a humble knee and ask. But my friend be ready to accept the truth.
sorry about my spelling
I should have spell checked….
Brother Micah is total douchebag by telling everyone who is listening to him that they are going to hell. Some people might be going to heaven, but choosing to listen to him just for a good laugh by watching him look like a total a*******. By the way he is bashing other religious at Florida Atlantic University as I post this.
Linda
So, do you have anything to say about Brother Micah’s harrassment?
Sure, I believe it’s great to shout that you’ve found Him from a rooftop, but it’s also wrong to go around telling women “they’re putting whores out of business because they’re giving it away for free,” calling people that listen to hip-hop “soon-to-be drug addicts and/or murderers,” and those that masturbate “on the path to homosexuality.”
Please try to stay on topic.
Scott
Brother Micah is a sight to see. There’s some video on YouTube where a guy splashed him with a bucket of water or something. It was great!
Well, the reason for the police was not brother Micah. He obtains permits from the university to speak between certain times specified in the permit. This is the same reason while the protest of the Westboro Baptist protest ended around 4 p.m. their permit had expired. The police came to escort him away safely, because I had to help restrain one guy hell-bent on pounding Micah’s face in for calling his girlfriend a whore. My personal favorite bit of brother Micah’s schtick is the Camelbak of “Holy Water” that he drinks out of all day. He just entertains me to no end because he AND his wife fervently believe all of his crap.
If anyone would like to know where he is now… Micah has been at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, AR for the last two days and he says he will be back again today. He’s gone through the same ridiculous messages to us also. He called my boyfriend a “masturbating, child molesting, perverted rapist”. He refuses to listen to what anyone has to say. I recorded yesterday when he turned to a youth pastor and said “shut up and stop masturbating.” Micah has said several times that Billy Graham is a false prophet, and he has also talked about T.D. “Fakes”. If anything new and exciting happens today, I’ll be back to tell you guys all about it.
I go Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, Arkansas. The Dark Preacher, or the “Evangelist” as I call him, just left our campus last week. His style hasn’t changed. I found out exactly what he’s doing though.
He goes from college to college “preaching.” While doing so he purposefully twists religious, political, and other views in order to make people angry. His plan is to cause enough of a problem to be kicked off campus or get assaulted so he can sue the school or the person for either infringement on freedom of speech or for an assault respectivly.
He came here 4 years ago wearing khakis, a polo, and a baseball cap. He came back with three very nice suits. He has obviously got a lawsuit to work out for him.
Keep your eye out for him, and keep in mind that you have freedom of speech too. Vulgarity, violent speech, and threats aren’t protected though. Keep your cool. Laugh at him (he HATES that… it’s like his kryptonite). Don’t touch him.