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The Voyage
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"Yes."
Jason's surprise turned to disgust. "But Christianity is narrow-minded and intolerant and repressive and archaic and -- You deceived me, and tricked me into thinking it was something beautiful!"
"Jason, have you ever heard Plato's allegory of the cave?"
"No."
"Plato made an allegory, which was more or less as follows:
"Imagine that there is a cave. In this cave are prisoners who have been there from birth. They are shackled, and held in place.
"Behind the prisoners is a wall, and behind the wall a fire.
"People carry things back and forth, above the wall, so that they cast great, flickering shadows on the wall. And as these prisoners grow up, they will never see what a chair, or a book, or a sword looks like. They will only see the shadows on the wall.
"And they will become very good at identifying and recognizing the shadows, and think that they are the realities themselves. They won't think that a pot is a pot. They will think that the shadow is a pot.
"Now imagine that one of these prisoners is brought out of the cave, into the world. He will first be blinded by the light, and then only slowly be able to see. He will see nothing he will recognize, and he will curse those who brought him out.
"But, eventually, he will learn to see -- and he will see things infinitely fuller, and richer, and more real than ever before. He will see the realities that cast the shadows.
"Now imagine that he is taken back in the cave again. At first, he won't be able to see anything in the darkness; the others in the cave will believe that he is blind. When he does adjust, he will begin to speak of realities beyond the shadows, which are far greater than what is seen -- and the other people will think him mad as well as blind. They will vow to kill anyone who should take anyone else up out of what they believe is reality, into the light."
Senex paused a moment, and then continued.
"There are two things which I would like to say.
"The first is that there are a lot of evil Christians, and Christians have done a lot of bad things. I have been bored by a lot of dull Christians, and hurt by a lot of hypocritical Christians. And I am ashamed of a great deal of what has been done in the name of Christ."
"The second is that what you have seen called 'Christianity' is only a shadow cast in bad light. What I have been doing is helping you to see the reality itself, in the light of the sun."
"But why didn't you tell me it was Christianity to begin with? Wasn't that deceptive?"
"I did not tell you for a reason. I wanted to un-deceive you, and show you the reality itself. If I told you that I wanted to show you Christianity, you would have thought I meant the ugly shadow that is called Christianity -- and would you have wanted to know anything about it?"
Jason begrudgingly said, "No."
After a time, Senex said, "I can see by your face that you have more questions. What are they?"
"They are questions you won't like."
"Ask them."
"What about the Inquisition? What about the intolerance? What about saying that all those other people's religions are wrong? What about saying that everyone else is damned to Hell?"
"The Inquisition was one of the darkest moments in Christian history, and it has done damage that hurts people down to this day. It, along with the Crusades has fractured the relationships Christians have with Muslims and Jews to this day. And it does another, even deeper damage. It makes people believe that standing for the truth is evil."
"But what about not accepting other religions? What about Hell?"
"Jason, do you know the worm inside your heart?"
"Yes."
"The worm is inside my heart, too. It is in everybody's heart. And it needs to be killed again and again and again. And, if you do not fight it to the death, it will kill you."
"But... I still don't see why you have to be so intolerant."
"Jason, if I am shot in the arm, can a doctor help me?"
"Yes. He can help stitch you up, so your body can heal."
"What if I refuse to be stitched up? What if I shoot myself again and again, and insist that the doctor heal me without stitching me up or stopping me from shooting myself?"
"But... the doctor can't help you because you won't let him."
"That's right, Jason. A doctor can't help you if you choose injury over medicine. And Jesus is a doctor with the only medicine that works.
"I don't believe in Hell because I want to think about people dying. I believe in Hell for the same reason I believe that shooting yourself is bad for your health -- because that's the way it is. I know that other religions are things people put a lot of work into, and take very seriously. But they are not the doctor's medicine, and the cold, harsh reality is that taking the medicine -- all of it -- is the only way to be healed."
"What about homosexuals? Can't they be Christians like everyone else?"
"Homosexuals can be Christians just like everyone else, the exact same way that everyone else is a Christian. Namely, by letting the doctor heal all of their injuries. All of us have different wounds, and they all need to be healed. I have wounds that most homosexuals don't. I am a recovering alcoholic. I haven't had a drink for sixteen years now, but I spent twenty years of my life as a drunkard. Whatever wounds we have, be they homosexual lust, or drinking too much alcohol, or pride, or any of ten thousand other sins, we need to have them to be healed. All of them."
Jason thought for a while, and then said, "This is the most difficult thing that anyone has ever asked me. I don't know if I can do it."
Senex said, "I know it's difficult, and I can't do it by myself. But there is help. It is a difficult path, but the Light will give you the strength, and give me the strength. And remember the community in the story? They will help you, as they help me."
Jason leaned back, and thought for a time. Then he closed his eyes, trembled, and prayed,
"Lord Jesus, come into my heart.
Forgive my sins.
Draw me into your Light.
Fill me with your Life.
Make me your own.
I give myself to you,
And accept you giving yourself to me."
And angels rejoiced.
And Jason entered another world.
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The Voyage
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