Not to Pick and Choose
Two sisters discuss faith.
The sisters sat on a park bench in Newark, Delaware. The wintry mix remained light and the cold didn’t chill them to much at all. Their laughter was like hearty peals of glee lifting upward…until the idea of ghosts came up again.
“You can’t do any of that,” Anilia remarked.
Desona choked then chuckled. “And why not?”
“You can’t believe in some parts of a mystical book and not others. You have to be consistent and thorough with the Word,” Anilia admonished lightly.
“Says you, the atheist. If I don’t want to believe in ghosts, I can still believe in the holy scriptures.”
“So all of the scenarios, a talking snake, people being turned to salt, whole armies washed away after a sea was parted, people rising from the dead…all of this you believe? Especially that last part. They may not be depicted as ghosts, but they’re like the walking dead.”
“I don’t have to say what I think is proper or not when it comes to books that have sustained the world for millennia. I just don’t believe in ghosts. That’s all.”
“Then you’re not a believer,” Anilia replied.
Desona looked indignant. She looked like a scorpion had just crawled out of one of her sister’s nostrils.
“Oh my God!”
“Is He your God?”
“Of course. I don’t have to believe everything, just the sacrifice for my life!” Desona shot back.
“Yes, that personal relationship with someone who in your own ‘selfishness’ is going to save you but not your enemies. They’re going to be your footstools…even as you love them.”
The cold wind soon bit into their skin. The two sisters grew silent as walkers, joggers, and runners moved past them.
Anilia sighed. “You’re more than that, Des’. I just think you’ve got to decide definitely.”
“I know.”
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Skyler Saunders
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Comments (1)
This was a very interesting conversation on a sometimes controversial topic. I really liked it. I will mention that there are a couple of typos in your first paragraph. Great job!!