Student silently opposes Brother Jed

Brother Jed, whose real name is George Edward Smock, rolls into town at least once a year, and Southeast Missouri State University students can hardly miss him. He's loud, occasionally obnoxious and undeniably controversial with his extreme religious rhetoric. But whenever Jed shows up, another man comes forth.

Anyone watching Jed has probably seen him, standing there quietly with his signs, a stark contrast to Brother Jed. He does nothing more than go through his 52 signs, each with a quote from men such as Gandhi or Carl Sagan. His name is Eric Ralfs, and he is not simply a protester.

Ralfs is a student at Southeast, and for the past two years, he has been out there holding his signs. He is a self-confessed atheist. In fact, he's the president of the Secular Student Association. Ralfs said he does not dislike Brother Jed, he simply disagrees with him.

"Jed has a very narrow view of the world. There's one path to being right. If you go anywhere off of that, you're totally and completely wrong," Ralfs said. "I'm hoping to show people that there is more than one view."

To that end, Ralfs holds his signs. The quotes on them range from excessively long, to exceptionally short, some being as simple as "Sometimes silence says more." He says they're less of a protest, and more of a discussion tool.

"A lot of people see him come here, and they hate his guts," Ralfs said. "He really makes them stop and think: why do I disagree so strongly? Why am I so angry right now that I'm practically shaking from what this man says?"

As most students know, Brother Jed will berate nearly anything in his sight as a sign of people going to hell. Whether it be pierced ears, necklaces, or perhaps even socks with sandals, he will use it as a point to expound upon his ideals.

Ralfs said that Brother Jed attracts people from many different ideologies, and that creates a unique atmosphere, one ripe for discussion. With that in mind, Ralfs has a new idea for Brother Jed. He intends to sit near Jed and invite people to join him in a discussion about God. This is not a novel experience for him. He makes an effort to be involved with every religious organization he can, simply to broaden his horizons.

"They know that I don't agree with them on a lot of things." Ralfs said. "But they still welcome me with open arms. I want to encourage that behavior."

John Mclain, Southeast student and president of Campus Catholic Ministries, agrees.

"No matter their views, they're always welcome," Mclain said. "No matter what somebody's views, that doesn't demean them as a person."

Mclain admits he doesn't know Ralfs very well, but he has spoken to him.

"We've talked briefly, and he's always curious," Mclain said. "He's always willing to have a conversation. He's very open and curious. He usually asks more questions than anything. He asks questions about Catholicism, and I try to steer him in the right direction."

Ralfs also brings that attitude to all of his conversations, and with Brother Jed as a catalyst, he hopes to find an atmosphere of open-minded discussion.

"People start talking to each other," Ralfs said. "Suddenly you see the Islamic girl that you had a number of classes with that you never thought to talk to before. And it proves this is an opportunity to express your religious beliefs, and have her express hers.There's very few opportunities on campus where that actually comes about."

In this sort of environment, Ralfs hopes to achieve an open and honest discussion of religion and politics.

"Southeast is kind of a bubble, in a sense," Ralfs said. "It's a bubble in the middle of the Bible Belt. The values of the university are still largely conservative, but it's one of the few places in this area where people can be openly gay, and not terribly persecuted, for example. It's a place where people can announce they're atheist and not worry about losing their jobs."