Fistfights with Flashlights

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Fistfights with Flashlights -- by EleCivil

Gee, I want a flashlight after reading that... to shine a bright light into the main character's world. EleCivil has written a dark and disturbing tale of how religion can be so misused, misinterpreted, mistranslated, into something poisonous to the very souls it claims to want to save.

Imagine what a surprise it is to find that maybe God has been fine with it all along, and it was just me, not understanding.

[Guest]

Intense and creepy. Well done.

[aj]

definitely intense, elecivil. pulled me in from the opening sentence.

[EleCivil]

Thanks for the comments. This was my first attempt at a first-person story (and incidentally, it ended up turning into the most personal thing I've ever written - go figue).

Writing it left a way-too-serious taste in my mouth, so to speak, so I ended up writing some of L&L just to lighten the mood.

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Nice to hear L&L is progressing.

I've known friends and a few relatives from evangelical or fundamentalist backgrounds, so I know just how tightly their lives can be controlled: by themselves, by their families, and by their churches. But I note that even folks like me from moderate to progressive mainline denominations can still grow up with the idea that being gay is wrong or sinful or unnatural. What a shame that so many of us don't learn that with better and more careful translation and interpretation, the Bible isn't as homophobic, and may not be at all, as we were brought up to believe.

Your story is especially timely, given the recent election results, and how many people based their votes on their ideas of "moral" or "Biblical" values.

I hope those relatives (at least their kids) and friends will learn there is a better way, that includes gays. -- I wonder how many of them are struggling with their hidden feelings right now, thinking wrongly that they are wrong?

Just IMHO, I hope that the difference, and the reactions of church or family, will not drive them away from their faith forever. There is a better way, a way to be both gay and Christian.

Please note, these happen to be my opinions. I believe it's each person's choice what he or she believes, especially about religion. -- Let me say plainly, I am grateful for my friends who have other beliefs, and I like discussing with them. Often, we both learn something important. I'll also say, one of the saddest, angriest moments I've had was when one person completely squashed a good discussion and a good friendship among several people, simply by being unwilling to see any other viewpoint and saying the rest were going to hell for not believing as she did.