Post by Jesse Morrell on Sept 20, 2007 8:56:00 GMT -5
Here is a newspaper write up from UCONN where my wife and I went to yesterday.
media.www.dailycampus.com/media/storage/paper340/news/2007/09/20/News/Preacher.To.Uconn.Students.youre.All.Gonna.Burn-2981183.shtml
NOTE FROM JESSE:
I don't think I even said "Your All Gonna Burn". I haven't ever said that. I may have said to specific individuals that they were on their way to hell if they didn't repent, but I didn't say to everyone that they would all inevitably burn.
And please remember, UCONN is as liberal a campus as you can get. Campus papers almost never accurately represent the real situation and often give mis-quotes. For example the quote "homosexuals are a threat" was actually, "homosexuals are a threat to national security. Remember Sodom and Gomorrah."
Preacher To UConn Students: 'You're All Gonna Burn'
d**nation Met With Mixed Reactions
Evangelist Jesse Morrell preached to numerous students on Fairfield Way Wednesday.
Self-proclaimed evangelist Jesse Morrell returned to campus Wednesday and attracted crowds of students to Fairfield Way as he preached his extremely conservative Christian beliefs.
Morrell stood to the side of the Student Union, yelling and calling students sinners as they circled around, and in most cases, towered over him.
While he was dressed in khakis and a sweater vest and heatedly debated with students on this sunny afternoon, his forehead showed no signs of sweating.
He wore a sandwich board that said, "God is angry with the wicked every day" and "Peace with God is only in Jesus Christ." His ranting said the same thing - except he also accused certain groups of being wicked and said that homosexuals were a threat.
The crowd called Morrell "ignorant" and "narrow-minded."
"You're all gonna burn," Morrell told the crowd.
Morrell travels around the nation to preach to college students as part of his "Open Air Outreach" program. His Web site asks for donations and shows a Cheshire address.
Morrell was last seen on campus in January. That time, he brought fellow preacher Jeff Olver and instigated anger when he insulted homosexuals as well as a girl who fought for women's equality, according to an article in the Jan. 21 issue of The Daily Campus.
Morrell said he was preaching because Christianity changed his life.
"I used to be a drug dealer, a gangster rapper and a street fighter," Morrell said. "I didn't start selling drugs until I listened to 2pac."
While some students asked questions, others stopped only to see what was going on. One sat on the ground at the edge of the circle and ate his lunch. Most stayed for only a little while before losing interest and walking away - causing the crowd to fluctuate in size as Morrell continued yelling.
In response to one student who asked a question about Morrell's beliefs, Morrell said, "You're pointing a big finger at God - God is pointing a big finger at you."
Another student, pulling a Koran from his backpack, asked if Morrell considered his beliefs in the Koran wrong. Morrell said the Koran preaches certain kinds of hate and punishment. Other students argued that the Bible preaches unjust punishment.
Many students were angry at the things Morrell was saying.
"This guy does not represent true Christianity," said Joseph DiTullio, a 1st-semester civil engineering major.
"He doesn't break the Ten Commandments so he's not a sinner, but he's being offensive to the entire UConn campus," said Kristin Cabaniss, a 3rd-semester genetics major.
Some students mocked Morrell and tried to bring humor to the situation.
David Rubin, a 1st-semester exploratory major who made it a point to say he was Jewish, said he was offended when he first saw Morrell.
"He [Morrell] brought out a skull and said 'This is Jimmy the homosexual,'" Rubin said. "I'm not homosexual, and I thought that was offensive."
Rubin made a poster that read, "I [heart] Drunk Virgins."
A few moments later, as Morrell continued to read Bible passages and tell students that they were going to hell, Rubin interrupted.
"Oh no," Rubin said. "I don't love drunk virgins anymore."
He than ran away, receiving laughter from many students in the circle. Later, he came back and said that he had tried to bring some humor to the situation.
"You've got to counteract with humor," Rubin said.
Police officers took shifts to make sure one of them was always on the scene.
Some students questioned Morrell's right to be on campus, but religious preachers have been allowed on campus in the past. University officials have defended that right, calling it a free speech and free assembly issue.
Contact Freesia
Singngam at Freesia.
Singngam@UConn.edu
media.www.dailycampus.com/media/storage/paper340/news/2007/09/20/News/Preacher.To.Uconn.Students.youre.All.Gonna.Burn-2981183.shtml
NOTE FROM JESSE:
I don't think I even said "Your All Gonna Burn". I haven't ever said that. I may have said to specific individuals that they were on their way to hell if they didn't repent, but I didn't say to everyone that they would all inevitably burn.
And please remember, UCONN is as liberal a campus as you can get. Campus papers almost never accurately represent the real situation and often give mis-quotes. For example the quote "homosexuals are a threat" was actually, "homosexuals are a threat to national security. Remember Sodom and Gomorrah."
Preacher To UConn Students: 'You're All Gonna Burn'
d**nation Met With Mixed Reactions
Evangelist Jesse Morrell preached to numerous students on Fairfield Way Wednesday.
Self-proclaimed evangelist Jesse Morrell returned to campus Wednesday and attracted crowds of students to Fairfield Way as he preached his extremely conservative Christian beliefs.
Morrell stood to the side of the Student Union, yelling and calling students sinners as they circled around, and in most cases, towered over him.
While he was dressed in khakis and a sweater vest and heatedly debated with students on this sunny afternoon, his forehead showed no signs of sweating.
He wore a sandwich board that said, "God is angry with the wicked every day" and "Peace with God is only in Jesus Christ." His ranting said the same thing - except he also accused certain groups of being wicked and said that homosexuals were a threat.
The crowd called Morrell "ignorant" and "narrow-minded."
"You're all gonna burn," Morrell told the crowd.
Morrell travels around the nation to preach to college students as part of his "Open Air Outreach" program. His Web site asks for donations and shows a Cheshire address.
Morrell was last seen on campus in January. That time, he brought fellow preacher Jeff Olver and instigated anger when he insulted homosexuals as well as a girl who fought for women's equality, according to an article in the Jan. 21 issue of The Daily Campus.
Morrell said he was preaching because Christianity changed his life.
"I used to be a drug dealer, a gangster rapper and a street fighter," Morrell said. "I didn't start selling drugs until I listened to 2pac."
While some students asked questions, others stopped only to see what was going on. One sat on the ground at the edge of the circle and ate his lunch. Most stayed for only a little while before losing interest and walking away - causing the crowd to fluctuate in size as Morrell continued yelling.
In response to one student who asked a question about Morrell's beliefs, Morrell said, "You're pointing a big finger at God - God is pointing a big finger at you."
Another student, pulling a Koran from his backpack, asked if Morrell considered his beliefs in the Koran wrong. Morrell said the Koran preaches certain kinds of hate and punishment. Other students argued that the Bible preaches unjust punishment.
Many students were angry at the things Morrell was saying.
"This guy does not represent true Christianity," said Joseph DiTullio, a 1st-semester civil engineering major.
"He doesn't break the Ten Commandments so he's not a sinner, but he's being offensive to the entire UConn campus," said Kristin Cabaniss, a 3rd-semester genetics major.
Some students mocked Morrell and tried to bring humor to the situation.
David Rubin, a 1st-semester exploratory major who made it a point to say he was Jewish, said he was offended when he first saw Morrell.
"He [Morrell] brought out a skull and said 'This is Jimmy the homosexual,'" Rubin said. "I'm not homosexual, and I thought that was offensive."
Rubin made a poster that read, "I [heart] Drunk Virgins."
A few moments later, as Morrell continued to read Bible passages and tell students that they were going to hell, Rubin interrupted.
"Oh no," Rubin said. "I don't love drunk virgins anymore."
He than ran away, receiving laughter from many students in the circle. Later, he came back and said that he had tried to bring some humor to the situation.
"You've got to counteract with humor," Rubin said.
Police officers took shifts to make sure one of them was always on the scene.
Some students questioned Morrell's right to be on campus, but religious preachers have been allowed on campus in the past. University officials have defended that right, calling it a free speech and free assembly issue.
Contact Freesia
Singngam at Freesia.
Singngam@UConn.edu