Many SMU students filled the audience of a live magic show, the MAZE, last night in the theater of the Hughes-Trigg Student Center.
Jim Monroe, who travels all around the country performing magic tricks, brought amazement to the faces of his audience members.
With the help of some audience members, Monroe demonstrated rare tricks. In one of these illusions, he asked a participant to call his mother and communicate the following message to her: “grab some change worth less than a dollar and hold it in your hand and concentrate on it.”
The mother did exactly as her son told her to do. While the participant was conveying the message to his mother, Munroe wrote down a number of what he thought the value of the change the mother hand in her hand.
As the participant nodded along to his mother saying she had 50 cents in her palm, Monroe displayed that he had written “50 cents” on a piece of paper to the crowd. Audience members were astounded when Munroe ostensibily read someone out of view’s mind.
Rob Domencech, an audience member, was surprised by the show—finding that even his attempt to stump Munroe went unfulfilled.
“When he asked me to think of a number, the first number I thought was 31,” Domencech said, “and I wanted to trick him up so I changed it to 23 and he still got it.”
Munroe told the gathered crowd that the Maze is a metaphor for an illusion. He believes that people have been deceived about religion, more specifically, the Christian faith.
Munroe said that today, many people are deceived about the word of Jesus because of a lack of communication. His aim in his visit was set fire to the SMU campus and encourage them to discuss the misunderstandings people have with Christianity.
“My main goal in coming to SMU is have people start a conversation,” he said.
Monroe admitted that he still held his Christian faith, though he has questions: questions that he wishes to use to inspire others. The people that he did reach were encouraged to speak with him after the show.
As many students flooded out the doors, several students stayed behind to speak with Monroe. Some of the curious people were from the PULSE ministry and Campus Crusades, who helped put the show together.
