I read Jeff Bankers' Friday letter, "Jed's critic accomplished nothing," with some shock and astonishment. He referred to a "respectful" Brother Jed. I was amazed, for there must be two Brother Jeds on campus.
The one I know about is anything but respectful, or perhaps the definition of respect has changed dramatically since I went to sleep last night. The Brother Jed I have seen and heard periodically tells people that they will "go to hell," perhaps the worst place to go according to some. How this can be thought of as respectful is not known to me. Anyone who has listened to Brother Jed and his cronies have heard his myriad of racist, sexist and homophobic remarks. This is not respect. I know that for certain.
The young man who dressed up as Jesus offers some opportunity for thought about what is happening. There are some things that can be reflected upon.
Just as it was clear that the young man would not change Jed's opinion, it is clear that Jed's self-righteous blathering will not change anyone's opinion.
Both the young man's display and Jed's are mockeries of Christianity. But if I believed in Christ, I would be more offended by a fanatic condemning everyone in sight than I would be by light-hearted satire. Perhaps Mr. Bankers agrees with Jed's racist, sexist and homophobic preachings of intolerance and hatred. I could then understand how he could describe Brother Jed as respectful.