Technician recently published an opinion piece by Olivia Hille entitled “Religious groups and preachers on campus are more predatory than you think.” I found the claims and accusations within the article to be misleading beyond a point rectifiable by comments or private words, and as such, I felt obligated to write a formal response to clarify the matter at hand. Nevertheless, I respect Hille’s opinions alongside Technician’s right to publish them.
Hille begins her article with the claim that “the presence of religious institutions, especially evangelical Christian groups, is extremely inappropriate on college campuses,” which she supports with a preceding remark that she attended church for the vast majority of her life. While the status of one’s church attendance has absolutely nothing to do with a religious group’s aptness for college campuses, her assertion is weakened by suggesting that evangelical Christian institutions are by some measure more inappropriate than those of other denominations. Hille offers no further explanation for either part of the claim and, unfortunately, this trend continues.
The following trinity of paragraphs hold enough content to warrant individual responses, though in the interest of time I will address their main points in as concise a manner as possible. Hille’s belief that a religious group’s sole purpose is “gaining more membership” just isn’t the case. Religious groups of all denominations seek to promote community, learning, and deeper spirituality. Hillel, the prominent Jewish organization at NC State, offers learning fellowships and trips to Israel. Cru and CCM, the largest Christian groups on campus, host seminars and organize events, and the countless other religious organizations operate in similar manners.
Additionally, it is simply untrue that newcomers are “highly recommended” to monetarily support their organization or the church with which they are affiliated. Although many groups accept donations, these are always optional and rarely advertised. Considering that NC State, a public university, freely funds hundreds of student organizations, (the majority of which being non-religious and generating no revenue), it is illogical for Hille to cite taxable income as a factor in this conversation.
Recruiting members for campus clubs isn’t “inherently predatory;” religious groups don’t seek to gain validation by comparison to the “Brickyard preacher,” and I know of no attempts made by a Christian organization at NC State to trap its members in “possible monetary deprivation situations.” I respect Hille’s right to speak her mind, but it’s dangerous to allow an article like hers to spread misinformation to the “younger, impressionable generation” that Hille believes these religious groups prey on.
However, her article was not simply a collection of baseless claims and poor rhetoric. It is a very serious issue when anyone (especially the “preacher” in the context of this article) is able to hurl “sometimes sexually charged” insults at young adults simply walking to class. I sympathize with people like Hille who may have been at the receiving end of one of these disgusting tirades, and I urge anyone who may have been through similar experiences to speak out. Assault, verbal or otherwise, has no place on our campus, and it is every religious community’s duty to denounce hate and offer support to victims of it.
Groups of all religions strive to spread love and I encourage the reader not to reduce the apple tree to its rotten apples, so to speak. It would be a grave disappointment for those interested in the religious communities on campus to be turned away by Hille’s article, and I hope this response might have shed some light to her readers.
