For the past few weeks, a group of monks has been traveling through multiple states as part of a Walk for Peace. Wherever they went, people gathered to watch and support them as they passed through local communities. For most of the journey, the monks were able to walk without incident.
That changed recently in Georgia, where members of a Baptist church began harassing them. Several individuals deliberately disrupted the walk, holding signs with hostile messages like “Hell Awaits.” In a video capturing the confrontation, one church member can be seen aggressively targeting a monk, berating him solely for holding different beliefs.
The Georgia church member began urging the monk to convert to Christianity, telling him to turn to Christ. “Your soul is on the line,” he said. The monk calmly tried to explain that they were simply walking and not bothering anyone. Instead of accepting this, the man accused them of spreading their “little ritual.” He went on to argue that since the event was called the Walk for Peace, any peace not rooted in Christ was false. What was especially disturbing was his claim that the monks were walking toward hell, a statement he made immediately after saying that he loved them. Despite the aggressive language, the monk remained peaceful throughout the exchange.
Rather than dwelling on being told he was going to hell, the monk responded by telling the man that he loved him and that everyone has their own journey. When the monk said they would meet at the end of their respective paths, the man replied with an even more offensive remark. “We have no fellowship with the unclean,” he said. At that point, a woman who had been watching the confrontation asked the man to let the monks continue their walk. He ignored her and repeated once again that they were headed for hell. “You guys are deceiving people,” he added. The monk remained composed and ended the exchange by saying, “May you do well happy and peaceful.”
By the end of the video, the monks were finally able to continue their walk. It was unfortunate that they had to endure such treatment while doing nothing that could reasonably upset anyone. The one positive note was that several bystanders clearly did not agree with the behavior of the Georgia church member.
People Reacting to the Georgia Church Members Harassing the Monks
A lot of people were upset by what happened. Many believed that what the church members did wasn’t necessary, as one person wrote, “this is disrespectful.” When another person claimed that what happened wasn’t disrespectful, people were quick to disagree with them. “It is, they’re walking across the country for peace tell me when your church will be doing this instead of harassing people on the streets?” someone responded. Another person said, “It is incredibly disrespectful. Anyone who wants God knows to find him in church. Leave people alone and stop soliciting!” A third person then added, “Yes it is forcing your religion on someone bc you think your religion is the only true religion is disrespectful [expletive].”
More people expressed their outrage at what the Georgia church member told the monks. Unfortunately, what he did and the way he addressed the monks made a lot of people critical of Christians. “Christians are so bothered by everyone but their own demons,” one person wrote. Another person said, “There’s no hate like Christian love.” Someone else applauded how the monk reacted to being harassed. “I love the way the monk handled that situation. He said, you have your own journey and we have our own journey so let us each walk on our own paths. But, at the end we always come together. Amen‼ #WalkOfPeace,” they wrote. Hopefully, this situation won’t be repeated while the monks are on their peaceful walk.
