I think your point that you are new to Java is the key point in your post.
The SCJA exam is for just that - people who are new to Java, and people who will be using Java, but don't need the in depth, technical knowledge of intricate syntax and fairly advanced concepts.
The SCJA does cover a large range of topics - from J2ME to EJBs, but it does it at a high level - you don't need to do a JNDI lookup on an EJBHome to pass the SCJA exam - but you do need to know when to use EJBs, and when
Servlets or Swing applications make the most sense. That's key knowledge that anyone using Java should have, and that's why it's part of the exam.
I think your friends may have been going too in depth on the extended topics the SCJA covers. Again, you do need to know a broad range of topics, but the coverage isn't too deep. On the other hand, SJCP, the Java Programmers Exam, requires a very, very deep knowledge of something very specific - namely the syntax.
You'll find SCJA requires much less time to prepare for than SCJP.
A few more plusses for the Sun Certified Java Associate exam:
it looks great on a resume
it's great confidence builder before taking SCJP
it costs less than SCJP (50 bucks less last time I checked, but that may have changed)
it covers Java 5 features, so you can claim a Java 5 certification on your resume
Best of luck on your Sun Certifications!
-Cameron McKenzie