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Thus Saith the Rose
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Thus Saith the Rose |
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fractal007 Senior Member
since 2000-06-01
Posts 1958 |
Interpret this as you may. But my hope is that it will instill a spirit of compassionate rage and enduring warrior strength in you to fight for morality, even if those who agree with you in your beliefs do not. I sat in the sanctuary, listening to the music and the talking. It didn't really seem to envigorate me as much as it did the others. But one thing did hit me as I sat in that pew, with my three friends: "You've heard people talk about how brutal God is," Our youth pastor said through the mic. "But I say he is a rose. He has thorns, but on top.... On top, He is the most beautiful thing!" There were a few amens in the audience, and even a few who clapped. I was given so much joy by that statement. We have a loving God. We have a compassionate God. We have a strong and disciplinary God. I went home that night, with a smile on my face. Lying in bed, I pondered over what my youth pastor had said. God was like a rose. God was love. God was a fair and just maker and preserver of His laws. God loved me. It was all so beautiful. Never before had I been so struck with the actual truth and awe of God's love. This was the moment in which I learned the true nature of God, after learning so much for so long, that God was a cruel taskmaster, who only let us get into Heaven by the skin of our teeth if we believed His doctrines to the dot and t. I slept like a baby that night. I dreamed nothing. When I awoke, I went about my regular chores, feeling very calm and refreshed. My day at school was very good. I did quite well, answering all the questions correctly on several pop quizzes. My teacher and class were very surprised at this, as I usually did not do so well on the tests. A few days passed, and I kept thanking God for the beautiful revelation of himself he'd given to me through my youth pastor. When I attended youth group, I was envigorated with joy. It was time to learn more about the Lord and his great love and forgiveness. And we did. We learned about the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son and finally the crucifixion and ressurection. We learned about the roles alotted to men and women, as written in the Bible. We learned of our responsibility to carry on the good Word. It was all quite beautiful. As I was about to leave, I overheard something. That girl - the one who seemed always to have some problem or another, was crying to the youth pastor. "He raped me," She sobbed quietly. I grabbed my coat, shocked at this, not realizing that this was happening in my community. Surely the youth pastor would have something nice and beautiful that would calm her right down. As I left, I overheard more. It was the youth pastor, in his response. "You will be fine. You are in the Lord. Remember your role as a woman. God loves you no matter what." I did not quite understand what was going on. I quickly tried to leave before I could hear any more of this response. I was becoming rather disturbed. But I was not fast enough, for I heard one last phrase come from his mouth: "Thus saith the rose." "If history is to change, let it change. If the world is to be destroyed, so be it. If my fate is to die, I must simply laugh" |
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Dusk Treader
Moderator
Senior Member
since 1999-06-18
Posts 1187St. Paul, MN |
Kevin (May I call you Kevin?), I really enjoy your prose work. God is a rose... I like that idea, and then you get to the end. I don't know if this is a true story or not, but saying "Remember your role as a woman" really ticked me off. Insinuating that her rape was just a thorn on the rose is nothing less than horrible... The pastor's response was irresponsible... My thoughts on this aren't really formed yet but it tickles my brain, nice write. "And every state of mind, left to itself, every shutting up of the creature within the dungeon of its own mind - is, in the end, Hell" - C.S. Lewis |
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fractal007 Senior Member
since 2000-06-01
Posts 1958 |
Dusk_Trader: Glad that this did this to you. It was intended to. I decided to write this story after I'd read a letter to a person who created a site on the more detrimental aspects of the Christian organization Focus on the Family. In the letter, a girl claimed that she'd been raised to have low self esteem, as she'd been raised according to the "family oriented" teachings of Focus on the Family. When she was eventually raped by her boyfriend, she recieved little sympathy from her youth pastor, but rather a heap of blame placed upon her. That ticked me off royally, so I decided to capture that in another of my dark satirical attacks on the less desirable aspects of my religion. I am glad that this worked out well. Thanks for the compliments. Oh, PS: U can feel free to call me Kevin. So can anybody else. "If history is to change, let it change. If the world is to be destroyed, so be it. If my fate is to die, I must simply laugh" -- Magus [This message has been edited by fractal007 (edited 05-07-2001).] |
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Irish Rose Member Patricius
since 2000-04-06
Posts 10263 |
This girl didn't need to hear platitudes, she needed medical and psych help pronto.....this is an outrage....I hope this wasn't a true story....Pastors are wonderful for counseling but not this way! I can guarantee you he had never been raped. Kathleen Blake |
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Interloper
since 2000-11-06
Posts 8369Deep in the heart |
I would be careful to take, with a very small grain of salt, what any non-professional would write with regard to the "more detrimental aspects of the Christian organization Focus on the Family." Other than that, a thought provoking read. Oh, and very glad this intercourse between youth pastor and church member was a fictional conception of your mind. Live for love. Without love, you don't live. |
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obscurity of cloud Member
since 2001-05-11
Posts 294....:::::******:::::.... |
This is a piece of work. I hope more people read it and that it produces enough joy and outrage. I appreciated your comments on Focus on the Family. Thanks for posting this. "so when at times the mob is swayed to carry praise or blame too far, we may choose something like a star" --Frost |
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