gay. I just recently moved to Mount Pleasant from Summerville, Melissa brought me here with her tonight because I wanted to see what her church was like, although she warned me of this. I must, say—Pastor Morrison, is it?—do you really know what you’re talking about? If being gay is so detestable, here.” He walked over to Pastor Morrison and placed two rocks in each other his hands. “Hit me with them.”
“W-what is this nonsense?” Morrison asked, looking extremely confused. “I don’t get what you’re asking me to do.”
Melissa, who was catching on like all of us in the audience, smiled. “According to you, homosexuals should be killed, as it’s against capital laws. So go on, Morrison. Stone him to death. Right here, right now.”
The audience remained silent, watching in suspense, no one having a clue what to say. My heart raced, hoping this would end soon, and sure enough, a girl in the back, wearing all black, stood up. The next words out of her mouth shocked everyone: “I’m a lesbian. If it’s true what you believe, Pastor, why not stone me, too?”
This was not happening. The crowd remained silent as Goth walked toward the stage, looking completely confident with herself. With her long black hair and blue eyes, you could say she was pretty, and this didn’t seem to bother her one bit.
Avery, on the other hand, looked as if he was about to snap. His face was stone cold hard, not moving at all, and I could tell he was clenching his teeth in anger. Melissa, still having her arms crossed, welcomed the girl on stage.
And to make things even better, just then, Jake walked in, looking completely out of tune with what was going on right now. He gave me a questioning look, though I waved him off. He could hear about it later. Right now, there was a gut feeling inside of me that wouldn’t go away and I couldn’t shake it off. Right now my girlfriend—possibly ex soon, but I didn’t want to think about that—was on stage with a new guy I had befriended and was trying to earn back. Both of them knew I had messed up, and this could be the first step to redeeming myself.
But could I really go up there and embarrass myself?
They’re your friends, my conscience told me. You need to do this. Go up there. Show the world that you’re changing.
“Enough of this,” Morrison said, dropping the stones. “I will not stone you.”
“And why is that?” Avery asked with Goth standing at his side. “We’re gay. I like having sex with men—not that I have yet—but would like to one day.”
“Then how do you know you like it?” Morrison asked.
Melissa smirked. “How did you know you were straight before you had sex with a woman? It’s the same thing, Morrison, and you know it.”
Now’s my chance to stick up for him. I can do it.
I couldn’t do it.
Yes I can.
No I couldn’t. Just three days ago I was against homosexuality, and now here I was thinking about defending it? I thought back to my conversation with Lauren today and it brought me to my senses. Right as I was about to stand up, Lauren was walking toward the stage. She smiled as she got up there and said, “I agree with these children completely, Morrison. Practice what you preach.”
“’Thou shalt not kill,’” he quoted in his defense.
That’s when I did it. My nerves, all bundled up inside, exploded and I said, “But doesn’t the Bible say to kill homosexuals?”
All eyes fell on me, especially Melissa’s, whose were on fire from anger. Realizing how wrong that came out, I clarified, “One of the Ten Commandments is to not kill. So why would there be a reason to kill a gay person? Unless you're saying they're not human?” Walking up to the stage, shaking all over, I continued as I walked up the stairs and got a microphone of my own. “Don’t you get it? Melissa was right. Those laws no longer apply because killing is a sin, if homosexuality is a sin at all. I’ve come here most of my life and have gotten all
“W-what is this nonsense?” Morrison asked, looking extremely confused. “I don’t get what you’re asking me to do.”
Melissa, who was catching on like all of us in the audience, smiled. “According to you, homosexuals should be killed, as it’s against capital laws. So go on, Morrison. Stone him to death. Right here, right now.”
The audience remained silent, watching in suspense, no one having a clue what to say. My heart raced, hoping this would end soon, and sure enough, a girl in the back, wearing all black, stood up. The next words out of her mouth shocked everyone: “I’m a lesbian. If it’s true what you believe, Pastor, why not stone me, too?”
This was not happening. The crowd remained silent as Goth walked toward the stage, looking completely confident with herself. With her long black hair and blue eyes, you could say she was pretty, and this didn’t seem to bother her one bit.
Avery, on the other hand, looked as if he was about to snap. His face was stone cold hard, not moving at all, and I could tell he was clenching his teeth in anger. Melissa, still having her arms crossed, welcomed the girl on stage.
And to make things even better, just then, Jake walked in, looking completely out of tune with what was going on right now. He gave me a questioning look, though I waved him off. He could hear about it later. Right now, there was a gut feeling inside of me that wouldn’t go away and I couldn’t shake it off. Right now my girlfriend—possibly ex soon, but I didn’t want to think about that—was on stage with a new guy I had befriended and was trying to earn back. Both of them knew I had messed up, and this could be the first step to redeeming myself.
But could I really go up there and embarrass myself?
They’re your friends, my conscience told me. You need to do this. Go up there. Show the world that you’re changing.
“Enough of this,” Morrison said, dropping the stones. “I will not stone you.”
“And why is that?” Avery asked with Goth standing at his side. “We’re gay. I like having sex with men—not that I have yet—but would like to one day.”
“Then how do you know you like it?” Morrison asked.
Melissa smirked. “How did you know you were straight before you had sex with a woman? It’s the same thing, Morrison, and you know it.”
Now’s my chance to stick up for him. I can do it.
I couldn’t do it.
Yes I can.
No I couldn’t. Just three days ago I was against homosexuality, and now here I was thinking about defending it? I thought back to my conversation with Lauren today and it brought me to my senses. Right as I was about to stand up, Lauren was walking toward the stage. She smiled as she got up there and said, “I agree with these children completely, Morrison. Practice what you preach.”
“’Thou shalt not kill,’” he quoted in his defense.
That’s when I did it. My nerves, all bundled up inside, exploded and I said, “But doesn’t the Bible say to kill homosexuals?”
All eyes fell on me, especially Melissa’s, whose were on fire from anger. Realizing how wrong that came out, I clarified, “One of the Ten Commandments is to not kill. So why would there be a reason to kill a gay person? Unless you're saying they're not human?” Walking up to the stage, shaking all over, I continued as I walked up the stairs and got a microphone of my own. “Don’t you get it? Melissa was right. Those laws no longer apply because killing is a sin, if homosexuality is a sin at all. I’ve come here most of my life and have gotten all
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