[vancouver]
the work of the devil
what i'm going to post about is actually something that happened to me a couple of weeks ago; i wanted to post about then, however i wasn't sure on what i should say or how i truly felt about it. actually, i'm still unsure, so i guess i'll just go ahead and recount what happened (according to me) and let it be a part of this blog's history.

anyways, on boxing day, a group of us, associated either by high school, university or where we grew up got together for a bit of a reunion (see this post for full details). anyways, i was talking to jane (that's not her name). i've known jane since high school, she was a year younger than me, however, in university, we became quite close as she dated a guy that lived on my floor in residence at ubc. anyways, our conversation began with her asking me how i was doing, and if i had a boyfriend. i proceeded to tell her what was going on in my life, on how it was difficult for me to meet men, etc. -- the regular randy stuff that i usually complain about. anyways, jane is a very spiritual person, and i've always admired that quality in her, and so, we began to have a discussion on gay issues/sexuality in how they relate to christianity. we talked about me feeling a bit guilty that i have be ignoring 'my spiritual side' which proceeded to me discussing my general beef with the catholic church (i'm baptized catholic), which is the lack of discourse with regards to homosexuality, or even just contemporary issues that christians face in our everyday 'modern' society.

the conversation was going well -- i dig talking about stuff like that. however, as the conversation progressed, jane became a bit silent, and seemed a bit uneasy with my ramblings -- then came the following (unfortunately not direct quotes, but just how i remember it).

randy: well, what do you think? what are you thinking?
jane: well...i believe that man shouldn't be with man. it's unnatural.
randy: (silent)
jane: maybe that is the reason why it is so hard for you as a gay man. i think those feelings are are the work of satan.
randy: you think i'm satan?
jane: ...no, satan is working in you.

...as i recount this story, i'm still in shock. i'm not in shock because of what she believes, everyone is definitely entitled to their own opinion for sure. but i guess what bothers me is basically how she went about it i.e. started the conversation by asking me if i had a boyfriend, especially when she probably could have guessed that it would be something contentious, and put both of us ultimately on the defensive.

in this world of 'will and grace', i sometimes wonder how many my friends could possibly feel the same. everyone seems to love the show, however do they really know what they're watching, and further, are they even laughing?