Jesus Christ Loves You by: Kevin Moran

Kevin Moran

                As I was walking to Penn Station to take the train home I passed this man holding a bright sign that read, “Jesus Christ Loves You JESUS”. He was shouting about the words of God and verses from the Bible, but I don’t think a single person paid much attention. In an area with such high foot traffic and diversity, a man acting outside of social norms and preaching his beliefs gets completely ignored. So many people walk around him all day and without thinking anything of it, other than how he is inconveniencing them by getting in their way. If it weren’t for this class, I wouldn’t have thought twice about this man, and probably wouldn’t even have really thought about religion at the sight of him.

That got me thinking how there must be so many things that we all pass throughout our daily routines and don’t think twice about, both religious and not. We become so numb to our repeated routines that we can ignore the small things that change everyday and only focus on the constants. However, with this assignment in mind this man stood out to me. He did not appear to be your stereotypical, clean-cut religious preacher. He was wearing baggy clothes with a hat that had “Jesus Swag” written on it. He also had a microphone set hooked up to some sort of amplifier that was attached to the sign. To me, that means he has put a lot of time and effort into this moment, and possibly does this often. The amplifier also signals that he is passionate about making sure that his voice and his message are heard by as many people as possible.  I wonder what the driving point of his message is, and what the outcome of him standing out there for however many hours was. Does anyone stop to have a conversation with him? Does anyone stop to listen? Does his message affect anyone’s evening? Is that even what he is looking for? Maybe he is just trying to promote belief in Jesus for his own personal satisfaction.

People in America are generally less religious then they were a hundred years ago. Many people no longer identify with a particular religion or even believe in a God. Pew Research Center conducted a study last year that found 23 percent of respondents identified as either atheist, agnostic, or religiously unaffiliated. It’s possible that the man just wants to instill at least a moment of Christian faith in to the day of New Yorkers. It is also possible that he is affiliated with a group or organization that shares this same goal. He could also be out there for an entirely different reason.

Rather than blocking them out, I will now make note of all the people I see around New York who are preaching a message. The sight of this man has raised so many questions for me that I would have otherwise never thought twice about. The questions are also ones that can never really be answered without knowing more about the man.

Freedman, Samuel G. "Evangelists Adapt to a New Era, Preaching the Gospel to Skeptics." The New York Times. The New York Times, 04 Mar. 2016. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.