fic: a humbled, contrite heart 2

[arthurmerlin]

Title: A Humbled, Contrite Heart Pt.2
Author: ArthurMerlin
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Rating: 15
Word Count: 1664
Warnings: Religious themes, angst
Summary:
Merlin and Arthur sit on a park bench and contemplate the past and the future.

Comments

[samara2187]

This story is so beautiful and painful and true. As was the first one you wrote in this 'verse. Your author's note is especially touching. It baffles and hurts me that people who purport to follow a man who said "let he who is without sin throw the first stone," who consorted with the outcasts of society, who welcomed everyone to his table, who considered anyone his neighbor, can do exactly the opposite. They exclude, they judge, they hate. How do they not see the irony? These horrible people say that being gay is a choice. No, the only choice is whether to embrace your true nature or to live a lie. By asking people to do the latter, these so-called "Christians" are only causing undue anguish. And isn't one of the tenets of Christianity (and Judaism) "thou shalt not bear false witness?" Another contradiction. Poor Arthur buying into that. Poor Merlin agonizing over it. It makes no sense. In my own Presbyterian Church (USA), we just won a major victory--gays and lesbians can now be ordained. (we're still working on marriage). Of course, now there are some congregations who want to break away. I say good riddance, we don't need their hatred and poison. But on the other hand, how can we make them see what's right and true? That's more important, really. No easy answers. But if you're interested in a theological support to gay rights in the church, I recommend www.wouldjesusdiscriminate.org. I got the link from another lj user on another mxa posting. It helped immensely when I led a Bible study on whether gays can be Presbyterians (short answer: duh, of course they can). The site looks at several Bible verses from a linguistic, historical, and sociological perspective. Very enlightening.

I love this series, even though it's painful to read. But that's how it is. I hope lots of people read it and take it to heart.

[arthurmerlin]

That was me :-) I'm glad you've found the website useful, and that you're sharing it with people! And praise God for that victory in the Presbyterian Church! There is always hope, and it's always good to hear stories of that hope bearing fruit.

You touch it with a needle when you point out the dilemma; let the 'schismatics' go (if I can use that term not in any emotionally charged sense, but just to mean people who break away), or try to teach them the truth as we understand it. It's something the Church has struggled with since the beginning; the early Fathers were all about trying to maintain unity whilst not compromising on the truths of the faith. And I do very much consider oppression of lgbt people to be a serious departure from the truths of the faith, so we're in the same boat as people like Eusebius and Athanasius :-(

There are times in history when the Holy Spirit blows in a particular way to lead the Church into a fuller expression of the truth, when people are finally ready for it (which is essentially what Jesus promised). We've seen that in the areas of slavery, and racism; which are now largely eradicated in the Church, thankfully. We've also seen it in the last century in the Catholic Church with the acceptance of Mass in the vernacular rather than just Latin... that's actually something which gives me immense hope! If the Catholic Church could make such a radical change, especially when it's an institution which doesn't believe it is capable of radical changes, in that regard, they can also make it in the area of sexual dogma. I really believe that; all we need is the right Pope :-)

I'm really glad you're finding the series so meaningful. I've already written part 3 (which is going to be very different indeed, as Arthur and Merlin are only mentioned briefly, but is crucial for where I want to go with this) ... I'll post that later today

[samara2187]

That was you?! Wow, I rarely comment at all, let alone a long, in-depth comment, and I responded to you twice! You must have touched something in me. But considering how important LGBT rights and LGBT rights in relation to religion are to me, and then considering the themes you write about, perhaps it's not so surprising.

I never told you how the Bible study went. It went great! We had a wonderful discussion, no one disagreed on the fundamentals (though there were varying opinions on the particulars), and I even got one person to sign my Maryland marriage equality petition (which passed this year, yay!). I was wearing my "I Support Equal Rights in America" t-shirt. I thought my "Legalize Gay" shirt might have been going a bit too far for that group... but I know now that there are many allies out there, even in my conservative neck of the woods.

Will comment on part 3. Happy Easter!