Chastity White Rose

Tag: bible

  • Chapter 15: Love the Sinner Hate the Sin

    So many times in my life, I have heard the phrase “Love the sinner, hate the sin”. On the surface, it sounds good because you are saying that you love someone but disagree with what they do, but this calls into question both the intent behind the person speaking it and who they are saying it to.

    Interestingly, the only time I can remember hearing “Love the sinner, hate the sin” is when Christians are judging people for being gay or transgender. It doesn’t really work very well in this context because the person doesn’t know what the “sin” is that they are talking about. Imagine if you said, “Love the black person but hate the sin”. This statement implies that you think someone born with black skin has somehow sinned or erred in some way, as if they could have done something different and been born with a different skin color.

    I know what you’ll say next: “But being gay is a choice!”

    First, it isn’t a choice in any meaningful sense. Second, if it were a choice, it would actually be a fine choice. Third, you know what is a choice? Shutting up when you don’t know what you’re talking about.

    I will use 2 examples to illustrate the point I am making.

    Judging the Gay Person

    A person finds out that someone they know is gay. Then they start talking about hating their sin or their sinful lifestyle. But the truth is, a straight person does not know what sin they are speaking about. Are they speaking about the sin of being attracted to the same sex, which is not an action? Are they talking about a specific sexual action the person is doing? Are they in their house watching them as they do this action by themself or with their partner and judging them for doing it wrong? What specifically are they even talking about?

    Judging the Transgender Person

    Suppose someone discovers that someone is transgender, or simply assumes it because they don’t look like what they think a man or woman should look like. Some thoughts they might have include

    • That person is too tall to be a woman! They must really be a man pretending to be a woman! Someone call the police!
    • That woman has a deep voice, I bet she is really a man!
    • That woman has small boobs, I bet it’s a man!
    • That woman has facial hair, it’s a man! Protect the children!
    • That man has boobs; it must have been a woman, but it has a beard. What the hell is it?
    • That man sounds like a woman. I bet she tried to act like a man because she was such an ugly woman!

    These are just a few examples of the things I have heard or read. Most of the time, these things are said on Facebook or YouTube comments on a news story about someone who was just trying to use the restroom or play a sport.

    But what I have noticed is that while gay people are judged for actions (whether real or imaginary), transgender people are judged for how their body looks. Whether they are being judged by how tall or short they are, the sound of their voice, or the size of their breasts (why are people staring at other people’s chests so much?), the point of all these sayings is to insult people for how they look. What is the sin they are hating as they claim to love the sinner? Wait, is a woman sinning if she grows facial hair due to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome? What about these thoughts or words about the size of their breasts? Is having a certain size of boobs a sin? What is the correct breast size, and how does someone make their boobs bigger or smaller?

    More context is needed even to know what the sin is that they are referring to. Most of the time, this person is very vague on what the sin is. That is because they don’t really know any information about the person they are judging. This phrase is used mostly to strangers whom they don’t know.

    When someone speaks of “sin”, the context usually implies that they think the person has made an error or is doing something morally wrong. These two definitions get mixed up. I will call these definitions A and B.

    Sin Version A: Making a wrong move, such as moving a chess piece that causes the loss of the game, or forgetting a semicolon in a C program that you are compiling. Or perhaps “missing the mark” when you throw a ball or shoot an arrow at a target.

    Sin Version B: Doing something that hurts someone, such as murder, lying, stealing, or committing adultery (having sex with someone other than your spouse).

    Sin versions A and B are not the same thing, and they are not compatible. Sin A refers to a mistake made when playing a game or doing some action that has no harmful consequences. Sin B means you did something that hurt a person, either permanently by killing them, or at least temporarily, such as stealing their money that you can theoretically pay back.

    Interestingly, when people say “Love the sinner, hate the sin”, they are not usually talking about a type B of sin. They don’t usually say it about murderers, rapists, thieves, or liars. No, instead they call the police, bring a lawsuit against them, or cut off contact with them. Do they talk about loving these people? No, they are too busy trying to protect themselves from this person who has hurt them or their friends/family.

    But more importantly, can you still love someone while you are posting on Facebook about how much you hate someone’s sin? It is kind of a hard thing to balance. Love and hate don’t usually go in the same sentence. How about just loving the sinner and leaving it at that?

    But once again, you are calling someone a sinner, as if somehow they are more in the wrong than you are. It is still hypocritical to speak of your neighbor as someone you love in spite of their being a sinner. When a person says this, they are implying that they are perfect and somehow not being a sinner, and this gives them the right to call someone else a sinner.

    Matthew 7:1 "Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2 For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive. 3 Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while there is a beam in your own? 5 You hypocrite! First, remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

    It’s also worth mentioning that the statement “Love the sinner, hate the sin” only applies in the context of Christianity. Rarely do non-Christians ever use the word “sin”. However, the culture, most of which has been raised in one of the denominations of Christianity, understands that you are judging them, even if they are not sure what they are being judged for.

    The only advice I can give here is to stop using this phrase unless you are prepared to be very specific in what way you love someone, and also what sin it is that you hate. And PLEASE CHOOSE A DIFFERENT SIN ONCE IN A WHILE. The LGBTQIA+ people are tired of being picked on as if we are the only sinners. You would be wise to look at what sins you and many other self-identified “Christians” are doing while distracting themselves with the sins of others, so that they don’t have to change their own behavior. Remove all the sin from your own life, then we will talk.

  • Chapter 11: What the Gay Marriage Debate is REALLY about

    When I was in my early twenties, I heard the occasional mention of gay marriage. At the time, I did not understand why it was a big deal, nor did I have a clue why gay people wanted so badly to be married. I figured that marriages were doomed from the start and that if gay people wanted to be as miserable as straight people, then let them have same sex marriage!

    But that was over 15 years ago, and since then, I have learned so much more in terms of what the debate over marriage equality is about. I can tell you with certainty that it is about money as well as other important rights and privileges that governments only give to married people.

    There are more than 1100 benefits that married couples receive that single people don’t have access to. The following links cover them in more detail than I could ever explain on my own.

    http://www.whymarriagematters.org/pages/protections-and-responsibilities-of-marriage

    https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/living-single/201804/unearned-privilege-1000-laws-benefit-only-married-people

    https://www.getlegal.com/legal-info-center/family-law-divorce/marriage/

    I must admit, I was very surprised to hear that there were so many laws that affect married people and that they pay less taxes than single people. I even remember hearing someone in a podcast mention that he only got married for the tax benefits.

    Silly me, I thought that marriage was just a contract of commitment and a ceremony to tell your other friends and family that: “Hey, this person is special to me and I want to spend the rest of my life with them. Anyone who hurts them will get a good old country ass wuppin.”

    I know that my opinion as a Confused Virgin doesn’t count for much on the topic of marriage. However, that raises other questions:

    • Why are married people respected more than single people
    • Why would the government and health insurance companies be so financially invested in making people get married just so that they get financial benefits?
    • Why have these same rights and privileges been denied to people of the same sex who basically live like straight married couples do?
    • And most importantly, shouldn’t marriage be between two people instead of the government and random strangers who get offended about other people’s marriages?

    It seems there is a lot more to this topic, and my thoughts have evolved a lot over the past 20 years. I naturally support gay marriage because I want my Rainbow people to experience these benefits the same way straight people do.

    But at the same time, a part of me says that maybe the idea of legal marriage should be abolished entirely. I think that having the entire legal and economic system forcing people to get married for financial reasons or just to give someone health insurance can lead to dishonesty. People may get married to the wrong person and then have a nasty divorce later, all because they got married for tax benefits.

    But the law is not the only problem. People also respect married people more than single people. If you happen to be a 38-year-old single virgin, people look at you and wonder what the hell is wrong with you that nobody wants to partner with you.

    Moreover, it draws suspicion. After a while, people who should be minding their own business start coming up with their own theories as to why certain people are single and never married.

    But I believe in living a life of honesty, and therefore, I am glad that I did not end up in the wrong marriage. If someone gets married to a person of the opposite sex just to gain legal benefits or to avoid judgment by society for being single, then they may face trouble.

    • A gay man may be having sex with his wife while he is really thinking about his secret gay partner that he would rather be with, if only it were legal.
    • An asexual person may not enjoy sex, but they are afraid to tell their spouse for fear that they will leave them, and they could potentially become homeless without their partner’s income and support.
    • A transgender person may wish to come out and be their true selves. Still, they know that their spouse would certainly divorce them if they did not approve of their transition, or they just could not take the criticism from society for being married to someone who is so hated by most of the population.

    I can tell you, being single gets lonely sometimes, but there are benefits to being single that people who got married at a young age will also never experience. I wish happiness to all the people: gay or straight, single or married.

    Everyone must do what is right for them. At no point should the government or anyone else be rewarding or punishing people for who their partner happens to be, or if they cannot find anyone at all who wants to be with them.

  • Chapter 6: Can someone be Gay and a Christian?

    Many people are told by their Christian friends, family, and church members that being a Christian and being gay are incompatible. This controversy has led many LGBTQIA+ people away from Christianity to seek out other religions or become atheists because they believe they have no choice.

    I know this because I was once in a similar situation. Although being an Asexual Transgender person has allowed me to effortlessly live a life of celibacy, as many religious people say is the only way for an LGBTQIA person to live, it does not allow me to be accepted by most Christians.

    And let’s be honest about one thing. Most non-LGBT people don’t even know the difference between being Transgender and Gay. Who can blame them? After all, we are all suspiciously fabulous.

    And although I am Asexual, many people believe it is just my denial of my homosexuality. But I don’t deny that I have gay moments 1 percent of the time like that one time I bought a loaf of sourdough bread at the Hy-Vee bakery just because the guy who worked there was cute.

    But the main point is I know I will never be accepted by most who call themselves Christians. However, I have come to my understanding with God over time and have learned to conveniently ignore the opinions of people who pretend they know about my “sinful lifestyle” when they don’t know anything about me because they haven’t spent time with me.

    I am not the most qualified to write about all the controversies between an LGBTQIA identity and what the Bible or church tradition says. However, I know some authors that have been a great help to me. I want to recommend 3 different books written by 3 different authors.

    Walking the Bridgeless Canyon: Repairing the Breach Between the Church and the LGBT Community by Kathy Baldock

    Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate by Justin Lee

    God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships by Matthew Vines

    All of these books contain historical context and differences in translation between different Bible versions. Justin Lee and Matthew Vines are both gay men who can speak from personal experience in reconciling their Christian beliefs with their gay reality. Kathy Baldock is not LGBT at all, but she started researching this topic because of her experiences with her gay friends.

    These books have been helpful to me, but before I found books like this to offer me a new perspective, I had a different way of handling the situation. Instead of seeing my identity as a sin and rebellion against God’s design, I think of the example of a butterfly. The following is a post I wrote about it.

    The Meaning of the Butterfly Hairclip

    Chastity stood before the mirror. She was fully ready for work. She had just put her hair in a ponytail using the butterfly hair clip she bought at Walmart, where she worked.

    She took a good look and realized how much she loved the way she looked. The sight of her always inspired people to ask her whether she was a boy or a girl. The truth that Honesty the Unicorn had given her was that it was complicated.

    And it is. Chastity did believe that there were two genders, but she knew that she was both of them. Just as the chessboard is half black and half white, so was she more than one thing. Her brother-in-law joked about how she was the best of both worlds. She was both and yet unmistakably felt that a female identity suited her better.

    After all, Chastity is known as a girl’s name. Of course, it was assumed that if someone vowed celibacy, it had to be a female. So, she knew she was a female Vegan Virgin.

    But if a man can also take the same vow. He would be Mister Chastity. It was true that Chandler and his experience would always be a part of Chastity.

    But of course, Chandler had transformed into Chastity just like a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. The symbolism of the transformation of the caterpillar is what her hair clip truly meant.

    People say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Chastity now knew this to be the truth. She had thousands of words to say. But humans say a lot of things that make no sense. Some say that God does not make mistakes. To those people, Chastity often joked that they would think differently if they ever looked in the mirror.

    But now, Chastity was standing in front of the mirror. She did not see a mistake at all. She was a hybrid of a man and a woman. Her mother was a writer and poet. Her father was a chess player and kept huge amounts of data on computers about his genealogy.

    Chastity stored gigabytes of data of a very different type. Chastity stored words and pictures on her computer and cell phone. Sometimes, she even used artificial intelligence to turn her words into songs. She wasn’t a musician like her mother was, but she definitely could sing.

    Chastity was the hybrid of her parents, but she was more than that. She had both the body and soul of a genderfuck, although she does not fuck anyone of any gender. Because she is Chastity White Rose, the Vegan Virgin, in this, God did not make a mistake.

    Some said that Chastity was sinning by transitioning to a new name and female identity because God had intended for Chastity to remain a man. But no one would tell a butterfly that it was wrong to transform because that was exactly how God planned it. Who are these humans who claim to know what God had intended for Chastity? She was like a butterfly, and when she wore her hair clip, only those who knew this secret meaning could understand how beautiful it was. Chastity finally had her wings.

    butterfly.png

  • Chapter 2: I Was Born This Way

    It is quite common to hear the phrase “I was born this way” from gay people. The reason we say this is because being gay is something you are born with and is not a choice, just like your sex or skin color, and as such, it cannot be a sin, nor can it be something used as a reason for discrimination.

    Or perhaps it would be accurate to say that we have in our DNA and brain chemistry something that makes us attracted to people of the same sex rather than a different sex. Most of us don’t notice this at birth but instead at puberty when people first have the physical capability for sexual activity and most likely are hearing about it in sex education at school.

    But some children start noticing people of the same sex at the same time as most people start noticing the opposite sex. It is hard for me to describe, especially since I did not go through this type of experience during puberty. However, I know from the stories of other people that people don’t choose who they are attracted to.

    Given a choice people would always choose to be heterosexual because that is what society demands of them; heterosexual people have always been able to get married. No one has been murdered or bullied specifically for being straight because the majority are never criticized.

    I think that the only reason that gay people are so misunderstood is because we are a minority. The people who make laws about whether gay people are allowed to marry each other or whether they are even allowed to adopt children are decided by straight people who don’t know the experience of gay people.

    But I completely agree that people are born in a way that wires them to be gay. It also comes as a spectrum. Some people are interested in both men and women simultaneously. In that case, they would be called bisexual. I would even go so far as to say that most people are neither completely gay nor straight but that there are a lot more people who are bisexual or pansexual.

    But let me be very clear about something: being gay does not actually mean you are having sex with anyone. In fact, many people are married and have sex with their spouse, who is the opposite sex. Others are celibate because there are people of various religions who believe that same-sex activity is a sin. Therefore, these people attempt to conform to the way their religion and the broader society expect them to be.

    But just because a gay man marries a woman and has sex with her doesn’t mean he isn’t thinking about men while he is doing it. A gay woman can still marry and have sex with a man, but it is questionable whether she is enjoying it.

    However, I have personally been studying celibate gay Christians because the idea is fascinating. If someone believes they will go to hell for having gay sex, then they may avoid it their whole life. However, the process is never reversed. No heterosexual person believes that it is a sin for them to have sex. Therefore, they might wait till marriage, but they never avoid it the same way gay people are expected to.

    Even when heterosexual people have sex with multiple people who are not their spouses, the Christians don’t seem to judge them at all. Somehow, every sexual sin can be forgiven if you are at least doing it with the opposite sex, but if you are doing it with a member of the same sex, then all of a sudden, you are told that you must go to hell because you cannot inherit the kingdom of God (based on 1 Corinthians 6:9 in the Christian Bible).

    I am not here to tell you what you should do if you are a gay person. I just wanted to highlight some of the ways that we are not treated the same as straight people. It seems that most of it stems from religious teaching. There are people more qualified to speak from that perspective than I am.

    But as soon as society understands that people are not choosing to be gay, then it no longer makes sense to treat them like criminals, especially when they have not done anything about their feelings.

    Although being gay is not the same as being transgender, both things are similar in that the person did not wake up and decide to one day turn themselves into the opposite sex. In the case of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual, all of them were literally born this way.

    That we are born this way is a fact that must be understood; otherwise, none of us would exist. We would choose to feel and be what the majority wants us to be so that they stop persecuting us about it.

    I was born this way, but really, I think we are this way before birth. I think we are conceived this way with the code that eventually gets run later in our lives.

  • Who is the sinner?

    Script created with Final Draft by Chastity White Rose.

                   EXT. PODUNK TOWN STADIUM - DAY

               Many people are gathered around the soccer field. The Podunk
               Unicorns are playing against the Applewood Dragons.

               A crowd of spectators are on the bleachers and watching. Some
               of them are cheering. Others watch as they drink cold drinks.

               Players kick the soccer ball around to each other. CHAD, 25,
               kicks the ball as it comes his way. He kicks it back and
               forth while dodging the opponent players. The opponents are
               also trying to kick it out of his control as he makes his way
               toward the goal.
               At 20 feet away from the goal, he kicks the ball as hard as
               he can into the goal net. While he kicks it, one of the
               members of the opponent team accidentally kicks Chad's right
               knee very hard.

               The soccer ball passes the goalie by 5 inches to the left and
               hits the net, scoring a goal.

               Chad falls to the ground and screams in pain; his teammate,
               LUKE, 25, runs towards him.

                                   LUKE
                         Chad, are you okay?

                                   CHAD
                         No, I got kicked directly in the
                         knee as I kicked the ball.

                                   LUKE
                         Coach, stop the game for a minute.
                         We need to get Chad to the doctor.
                         Chad, can you walk?

               Chad tries to lift himself but falls again because it hurts
               too much. A spectator, MATT, 23, in the bleachers, leaves his
               seat and runs to help Luke and the coach carry Chad to the
               local sports injury clinic close to the field.



               INT. CLINIC - MOMENTS LATER

               Luke and Matt carry Chad into the small building where
               DOCTOR, 50s, is writing something down on a clipboard.

                                   CHAD
                         Doctor, can you check out my knee?

                                   DOCTOR
                         Yes, let's do a quick x-ray to see
                         if anything is broken.

               Doctor X-rays Chad's knee. Matt grabs some ice while Luke
               exits.

                                   DOCTOR
                         It looks like a minor fracture. I
                         suggest you hold off from playing
                         soccer for at least six months, and
                         I will give you a tight compression
                         knee brace to help keep it in
                         place.

                                   CHAD
                         Thanks, doc. Do you have any
                         painkillers you can prescribe?

                                   DOCTOR
                         Sure, I will prescribe a strong
                         pain reliever for you. Get some
                         rest while the pharmacy gets it
                         ready.

                                   MATT
                         Sorry Chad, I know it must suck not
                         to play soccer for a while.

                                   CHAD
                         Yeah, but it's not the only thing
                         in life. There are plenty of other
                         things I can do while I heal.

                                   MATT
                         Maybe you should come over tomorrow
                         to my house, and we could play
                         video games?

                                   CHAD
                         Yeah, that will be fun. I can tell
                         you about plans I have for a new
                         career.

                                   MATT
                         New career? Are you quitting soccer
                         permanently?

                                   CHAD
                         No, I will still play for fun, but
                         I think this injury is a sign that
                         God wants me to find a new line of
                         work. Soccer is nice, but I want to
                         do something that will make a
                         difference for change in the world.

                                   MATT
                         What do you want to do for a new
                         career?

                                   CHAD
                         I want to be a writer who can write
                         about important topics like how to
                         be a follower of Jesus and also
                         write books about the different
                         sports in the world as being for
                         fun, even more than as a
                         competition for prize money or
                         scholarships. But what about you,
                         Matt? Do you have any plans for the
                         future?

                                   MATT
                         Honestly I don't really know about
                         my future. I would like to move to
                         a new state or maybe even country
                         and live a private life where I can
                         figure it out.

                                   CHAD
                         But you already have a private life
                         on your farm in this town. Why
                         would you need to go somewhere
                         else?

               Luke arrives with some lemonade for himself and Chad. While
               he is coming toward the room, he stops to listen in.

                                   MATT
                         Chad, I need to leave this town
                         because I can't be a Christian
                         anymore. I know I am a sinner,
                         doomed to hell no matter what I do,
                         so I am going to go live somewhere
                         else while I figure out if there is
                         any new religion or spiritual path
                         that I can really believe in.

                                   CHAD
                         What are you talking about? Why do
                         you think you're going to hell?

                                   MATT
                         Chad, I have heard the pastor
                         preach from 1 Corinthians about how
                         homosexuals can't inherit the
                         kingdom of God.

                                   CHAD
                         Wait, you mean to say you're gay? I
                         had no idea.

                                   MATT
                         Yes, I hope this doesn't mean we
                         can't be friends anymore.

                                   CHAD
                         Not at all. Look, Matt, I don't
                         know anything about being gay, but
                         I think the point is that Jesus has
                         forgiven us of all our sins,
                         including those we will do in the
                         future.

                                   MATT
                         But Chad, do you think being gay is
                         a sin? Am I always going to be
                         displeasing to God because of my
                         impure thoughts? I don't know if I
                         can take that.

                                   CHAD
                         I have some questions myself about
                         whether I believe everything in the
                         Bible. But in any case, we will
                         figure this all out together as
                         friends, okay?

               Luke walks into the room with cups and a gallon of lemonade.
               He pretends he didn't hear the conversation they were just
               having, but they quit talking as soon as Luke enters the room
               to finish the conversation in private later.



               INT. MATT'S HOUSE BASEMENT - THE NEXT DAY

               Matt is in his basement setting up his TV and Nintendo 64 to
               play Super Smash Bros. with Chad. While he is getting things
               plugged in, he notices a burning smell. He goes up the stairs
               to check where the smell is coming from but sees flames
               coming from the door. He is in the basement, where everything
               is concrete, so he is not in immediate danger, but he doesn't
               know where the fire could start.



               EXT. SIDEWALK LEADING TO MATT'S HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER

               Chad is rolling down the sidewalk with his electric
               wheelchair towards Matt's house. He sees the entire house in
               flames and worries about Matt. Just as Chad pulls out his
               cell phone to call Matt, he sees Luke running towards Matt's
               car, holding a blowtorch.
               Luke gets in the car and drives away as fast as possible.
               Chad proceeds to call Matt. Matt answers.

                                   CHAD
                         Matt, are you okay?! Your house is
                         burning down!

                                   MATT
                         I know! I am trapped in the
                         basement where nothing can burn,
                         but I wasn't cooking anything, so I
                         don't know how a fire would start.

                                   CHAD
                         I just saw Luke with a blowtorch
                         outside your house and he also
                         stole your car!

                                   MATT
                         Wait, why would Luke burn down my
                         house and steal my car?

                                   CHAD
                         I don't know, but clearly, he was
                         expecting you not to need the car.

                                   MATT
                         Chad, I think I may know what's
                         going on. I don't like to think
                         about this, but Luke may be trying
                         to kill me.

                                   CHAD
                         Why would he kill you? What did you
                         do to him?

                                   MATT
                         There is no time for that; I will
                         explain later. Just get me out of
                         here.

                                   CHAD
                         Have you called the fire
                         department, or should I call for
                         you?

                                   MATT
                         I haven't yet. Please call them but
                         don't tell them anything about
                         seeing Luke outside my house.

                                   CHAD
                         Wait, why would I not tell them? If
                         Luke is trying to kill you for some
                         reason we need to stop him?

                                   MATT
                         Chad, if God burns gay people in
                         hell, why should Luke be any
                         different?

                                   CHAD
                         I don't know what to think about
                         that, but I will talk with you
                         about it later. I will call the
                         fire department, and they will get
                         you out safely.

               A big fire truck arrives, and a group of firemen attaches a
               giant hose to the nearby fire hydrant. They spray the fire
               completely out. Then they open the basement door, and Matt
               walks out.

                                   MATT
                         I am so glad to be out of there. I
                         still want to talk with you
                         somewhere private. Can we use your
                         car and drive somewhere far away
                         where people like Luke can't hear
                         us?

                                   CHAD
                         You got it, bro. Here are my keys.
                         I want you to drive so I can rest
                         my knee. It hurts really bad from
                         yesterday's injury still. Drive
                         wherever you need to.



               EXT. COUNTRY ROAD - DAY

               Chad and Matt drive in the direction of Applewood, the
               nearest town to Podunk.

                                   CHAD
                         Matt, I need to know what you meant
                         about God burning gay people. What
                         does this have to do with Luke?

                                   MATT
                         I believe Luke may have heard me
                         tell you at the clinic that I am
                         gay.
                         When people in a small religious
                         town find something like that out,
                         they tend to react negatively. Now
                         that Luke knows my secret, he could
                         tell the police and they could
                         arrest me. That's why we can't
                         trust anyone in town, not even the
                         people of the fire department, to
                         know I am gay.

                                   CHAD
                         Arrest you for what? You haven't
                         done anything!

                                   MATT
                         It's not anything I have done. It's
                         about what they assume I will do if
                         I am allowed to live. They assume
                         that homosexuality is a worse crime
                         than other sins based on certain
                         bible verses.

                                   CHAD
                         But why would they act differently
                         for that sin than lying, stealing,
                         or adultery?

                                   MATT
                         Chad, you know as well as I do that
                         the Bible says in 1 Corinthians
                         Chapter 6 that homosexuals can't
                         inherit the kingdom of God. I
                         assume that means I am going to
                         hell because that's literally what
                         it sounds like and what many
                         preachers say.

                                   CHAD
                         So you think that Luke got the idea
                         that you should be burned because
                         you're gay? But you haven't even
                         done anything! How would he know
                         you're gay anyway? Have you told
                         anyone before?

                                   MATT
                         No, Chad, you're the first person I
                         have told. I need to know if you
                         can still love me.

                                   CHAD
                         Matt, you're just the friend I have
                         known my whole life.
                         Nothing changes just because you
                         told me you're gay. If a good guy
                         like you is damned to hell, then I
                         guess so am I!

                                   MATT
                         Wait, why would you go to hell? Are
                         you gay, too?

                                   CHAD
                         No, I am your straight best friend,
                         but I am no more or less a sinner
                         than you. We have all done things
                         we shouldn't have done before. I
                         just think Christianity is more
                         about God's forgiveness than
                         judgment.

                                   MATT
                         But do you believe that we suffer
                         eternal punishment for some sins?

                                   CHAD
                         I am not God, and it's not my place
                         to judge. It's also not Luke's
                         place to judge you or try to kill
                         you!

               They almost have left city limits when they notice they are
               being followed by Matt's car.

                                   CHAD
                         Matt, it looks like your car is
                         behind us, Luke must have followed
                         us driving your car. What do you
                         want to do?

                                   MATT
                         I don't know, Chad, I am scared!

                                   CHAD
                         Stop the car and let me get out. As
                         soon as Luke stops, you drive away,
                         and I will distract him while you
                         go somewhere he can't find you.

                                   MATT
                         But what will happen to you?

                                   CHAD
                         There is only one way to find out.

               Matt stops the car just long enough for Chad to get out. Luke
               stops Matt's car that he is driving and gets out to speak to
               them. Just as he does, Matt drives away, leaving Luke in
               shock.

                                   LUKE
                         He is escaping! Chad, you better
                         tell me where Matt is going!

                                   CHAD
                         Why, so you can try to kill him
                         again? What is wrong with you?!

                                   LUKE
                         I know he is a homosexual, and he
                         is going to burn in hell for his
                         sins anyway, so what difference
                         does it make to you?

                                   CHAD
                         If you really believe that, then
                         why not let God be the judge of
                         Matt instead of attacking him now?

                                   LUKE
                         Because I can't let other people be
                         corrupted by the homosexual
                         lifestyle, especially the children!

                                   CHAD
                         First, you don't know Matt's
                         lifestyle. Second, you have just
                         tried to murder a friend that we
                         have both known since childhood.
                         Aren't you a little bit concerned
                         about your act of murder? You
                         hypocrite, first take the log out
                         of your eye, and then you will see
                         clearly to take the speck out of
                         your brother's eye.

                                   LUKE
                         Don't quote scripture at me, Chad.
                         Get out of my way, or I will kill
                         you, too.

                                   CHAD
                         Go ahead, Luke, do what you want
                         with me, but I won't let you harm
                         Matt.

                                   LUKE
                         Why would you defend an abominable
                         sinner like Matt?

                                   CHAD
                         First, Matt hasn't actually done
                         anything wrong, and even if he had,
                         I forgive him just as Jesus would.
                         I think to myself: "What would
                         Jesus do?". Jesus died for us. It's
                         the least I can do for Matt.

                                   LUKE
                         You can't be serious! As
                         Christians, we need to condemn
                         wickedness and not justify or
                         accept it as valid in our society.

                                   CHAD
                         When did I accept or justify
                         wickedness? I only remain a friend
                         to Matt the same way I always was.
                         So go ahead and kill me. Take my
                         money, my car, and my house, and
                         replace me on the soccer team. I
                         quit.

               Luke drops to the ground, crying for a while. Finally, he
               speaks to Chad

                                   LUKE
                         Chad, I have never seen a human
                         love someone so much as you love
                         Matt. I am not going to kill you or
                         take your stuff. In fact, you've
                         given me a lot to think about. But
                         what am I going to do now? If the
                         police find out what I have done, I
                         will go to jail. How can I forgive
                         myself for what I have almost done?

                                   CHAD
                         With humans, this is impossible,
                         but with God, all things are
                         possible. We will cross that bridge
                         when we get there.

               Chad drives Luke back to town and drops him off near the
               church. Luke prays for a while, asking God for forgiveness.
               Chad goes back and continues to drive to Applewood. On the
               way, he calls Matt.

                                   CHAD
                         Matt, where are you?

                                   MATT
                         Chad, you're alive. I am at a hotel
                         on Main Street in Applewood. What
                         happened to Luke?

                                   CHAD
                         I had a conversation with him about
                         who is really the sinner in this
                         situation. As long as you're safe,
                         that's what counts. I will come to
                         find you at the hotel, and then we
                         can talk about everything.

                                   MATT
                         Thanks, Chad. If I didn't have a
                         friend like you, I don't think I
                         would have survived. How can I ever
                         repay you?

                                   CHAD
                         Don't worry about it. Every gay
                         dude should have a straight best
                         friend.