A Gay Christmas Carol (Revised) - 3. Chapter 3 – The Second Spirit

This time Franklin was awakened by a deep, throaty voice that was summoning him. “Franklin Phelps, come forward and get to know me better,” the voice roared.

Franklin got up and staggered into the living room where he spied a giant of a man dressed in a forest green robe. He also had a wreath of holy wrapped around his head and he was lounging in Franklin’s favorite chair in the living room.

“I am the Ghost of Christmas Present. Have you ever seen another like me before?”

“No, I’m afraid not. Why do you ask?”

“My brothers have roamed the earth in years past to spread seasonal cheer and good will to men, and I was wondering if you’d met any of them.”

“Not that I can remember. Do you have many brothers?”

“More than two thousand,” he answered before releasing a mighty roar of laughter. “There is one for every year since our savior was born.”

“That’s a very large family.”

“Indeed, but now you must come with me. Touch my robe and I shall show you many things.”

Although hesitant, Phelps did as requested. As soon as he touched the spirit’s robe, he found himself whisked away to another location.

“I remember this place,” Franklin announced as he looked up at the face of his new guide. “This house belongs to one of my congregants, the Connors, and I was here a short time ago with the Ghost of Christmas Past.”

“Indeed you were, and it might seem as if only a short time has passed since then, but it has been a couple of years since you stood outside this abode. Look inside and see what changes have taken place.”

When Phelps looked through the window, he recognized the blond haired youth he had seen earlier, although the spirit was correct. Riley was now at least two or three years older and the presents had already been opened, but there was no communication between Riley and his parents and no one looked happy.

“Spirit, what happened to this family? When I was last here, they seemed so happy and very close.”

The Ghost of Christmas Present did not respond and merely waved his arm, which caused the scene to change again. This time Riley and his parents were in a heated argument, which was very different from what he’d witnessed earlier.

“I’m telling you,” the father screamed at his son, “I will not allow a pervert to live in my house. You will give up these unnatural and unholy tendencies and conduct yourself as you’re supposed to. Boys don’t love other boys; they fall in love with girls and have families. If you don’t come to your senses, I’ll either beat those faggy feelings out of you or I’ll talk to Reverend Phelps about getting you placed in conversion therapy. Maybe that will help you come to your senses and start acting like a normal boy.”

“Do you really believe I can change who I am? I didn’t ask to be this way, but I am. Could you have chosen to NOT be attracted to girls and become gay instead?”

“No, and I wouldn’t have wanted to,” the father shouted back while glaring at his son. “You’ll go to hell if you keep this up.”

“That’s what you think, but I don’t believe God is so narrow-minded. Why would God have allowed me to be born this way if that’s how he felt? I’ve tried dating girls, but it never felt right. I’m not attracted to them and I don’t get excited when I kiss or touch them. It’s not like I have a choice and can change, it’s just who I am.”

“I don’t accept that and you DO have a choice, so you’d better make it soon if you know what’s good for you.”

Since Riley realized there was no way he was going to win the argument, he stopped speaking and stormed off to his room. He closed the door, hurled himself onto the bed, and cried softly into the pillow. Having witnessed this, Phelps turned to his guide and spoke.

“The father is correct and the boy DOES have a choice. He doesn’t have to choose to be gay.”

“Do you truly believe that? Did you choose to be heterosexual?”

“No! We’re all born that way because it’s what is right and natural. God doesn’t want us to be any other way.”

“Are you sure?” the ghost countered as he raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, the Bible condemns homosexuality.”

“Does it condemn the act itself, or was it merely the attitude of one of the first people to transcribe God’s message? Didn’t the Bible also condone slavery and advise women to be totally obedient to their husbands? Neither of those issues is acceptable any longer, because times have changed and so must we. When Jesus was born on this holy day, he ushered in a new way – one of love and understanding.”

“But homosexuality is condemned in the New Testament as well.”

“Is it, or once again was it merely the viewpoint of one of the earliest people to transcribe the text? Why do you and others condemn homosexuality so strongly when it’s only referenced in obscure verses in your Holy Book? You show more anger and hostility against homosexuals than you do against the people who have broken God’s commandments.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is, because you don’t hold adulterers, those who take the Lord’s name in vain, and those who fail to keep the Sabbath with the same contempt that you do homosexuals. Shouldn’t we hold liars, thieves, and murderers to a higher standard? Don’t they deserve your wrath and contempt more, because they’ve broken the laws of God? No matter what you say, a prohibition against homosexuality doesn’t appear in the laws that God gave to Moses, yet you spend much of your time and energy focusing on something as trivial as whom a person loves.”

“But God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of that very sin.”

“Did he destroy those cities because of homosexuality, or was it due to the fact that some of the inhabitants were trying to force sex upon an unwilling partner? Could it also have been that they didn’t offer a stranger hospitality or safe refuge, as required by Jewish law and custom?”

Phelps hesitated before he answered so he could think back upon the Bible verses that referenced those events. “No, it was because the inhabitants of those cities wanted to sleep with other men.”

“So you say, but I believe that is only one interpretation. Didn’t Jesus befriend a prostitute and forgive others who had committed worse sins?”

“Yes, but only on the condition that they didn’t repeat those sins.”

“Didn’t God tell us in Matthew 7:1 to ‘Judge not, that ye be not judged,’? Isn’t judging mankind God’s job, not ours? Even though he asks us to inform others about him and his love, doesn’t he also give each person a choice if he’s willing to follow him?”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“And what if the person chooses not to follow him? Are you told to harass that individual until he relents? No, he allows the person to make his own decision, although some day he will be required to answer to God about his choices, as will we all.”

“That is correct as well.”

“Then if God created each of us, would he love us any less because he created us differently than others? Do you think he would hate a person because of his race, the color of his hair or eyes, a disability, or any other aspect of his life that he has no control over?”

“No, I believe he loves everyone.”

“Then why would he hate someone merely because of whom they love. If they’re a decent person and follow God’s commandments, then why would he hate and condemn them to the pits of hell for the way he created them?”

Franklin still wasn’t convinced the spirit was right, but he said nothing more so his guide let the matter drop. Phelps now found himself standing before another house he’d seen before, but this time it was the home of the ebony haired youth that he’d visited with the Ghost of Christmas Past. Once again, the scene was dramatically different from the one he’d witnessed previously, and the happiness and goodwill of the season no longer seemed to reside there. This time Chase was hurriedly packing his clothes in a small nylon bag while his parents sat in the other room arguing.

“I won’t allow that type of behavior in my home,” the father advised his wife. “I can’t believe our son is a homo.”

“Dear, it may only be an experimental phase that he’s going through and he might outgrow it.”

“I doubt it. I told him he needed to change his behavior the first time I caught him with another boy, but that didn’t happen. From what I saw this time, it’s more than just a little experimentation.”

“Why? What did the father see?” Phelps wanted to know.

Without saying a word, the spirit waved an arm and Phelps was transported to the boy’s bedroom a few days earlier. Chase was sprawled out on the bed next to another young man approximately the same age, and they were both totally naked. They were kissing and fondling each other, and then Chase began to fellate his friend. As Phelps was watching, the bedroom door slowly opened and the father began to walk into the room, but he stopped short, totally unprepared for what he saw. Once the boys realized he was there, they quickly separated and attempted to cover themselves, but the damage was already done.

“What’s he doing here again?” the father demanded.

“I thought you and mom were visiting friends,” Chase responded.

“My friend wasn’t feeling well so we left, and now I’m not feeling very well either. I want this pervert to leave my house and he’s never to return.” He wasn’t exactly screaming, but his voice was louder than normal and very forceful.

“But, Dad, I love him. Don’t do this to me.” Chase’s eyes pleaded with his father for understanding, while he and his friend scrambled to get dressed.

“Love? How can you even say that? Love is between a man and a woman, not something as perverted as this. I don’t want to find him in my house ever again and I forbid you from seeing each other. If you can’t live with my rules, then you’ll have to find someplace else to live.” Having spoken his mind, he left the room and gave the boys a chance to get dressed.

“So the boy is running away now?” Phelps asked the spirit.

“Yes, the boy felt he couldn’t live under those restrictions or comply with his father’s ultimatum, so what else could he do? He’s leaving home and it’s a shame that this is happening on Christmas Day.”

“It sounds as if he was given a fair warning and didn’t comply, so whatever he endures will be of his own making. He should have listened to his father and heeded his warning, seeing his dad was merely making a reasonable request to protect him.”

“You can’t change the spots on a leopard or the stripes on a zebra, nor can you change whom a person is attracted to,” the Ghost of Christmas Present stated.

As Phelps looked at the Ghost of Christmas Present, he appeared much older now than when he first met him. “Is your life so short?”

“Yes, and I will be no more at midnight,” he replied, and then he waved his arm.

Phelps found himself back in his own living room again, but this time he was totally alone. Although Franklin was still considering the various situations he had witnessed with this spirit, he couldn’t help but wonder what visions the next apparition was going to conjure up.