A Broken Appointment

[poliphilo]

I wasn't ever going back to church, remember? Only I had to. We (Ailz and I) had arranged to meet someone in church this Sunday and Ailz (worn out from our trip to Stratford) wasn't up to it, so not only did I have to go- but I had to go alone. Once there I hooked up with Peter and Ourdert and dandled Fabrizio and had him throw up all over me.

And the guy I had arranged to meet DIDN'T SHOW UP.

Now that he seems to have fled the scene I can maybe explain a little about the guy who didn't show up. He's a Muslim boy who says/said he wants/wanted to convert to Christianity. It was on his behalf I contacted those evangelical clergymen who freaked me out so- and found myself attending a praise service in Urdu in South Manchester.  I was keeping quiet about him because he was putting himself in some danger- and it seemed the less said the better. I don't know what has happened to him- and I can't find out because I don't have any way of contacting him. Maybe he was poorly yesterday, maybe he's been shipped back to Pakistan, maybe he's very sensibly decided that he's better off remaining Muslim.  

I got involved because he asked me for help and I had contacts I could use. I only ever saw myself as the middle man, the enabler- which didn't stop others from projecting  things onto me. For starters they mistook me for a Christian.  This messed with my head not a little and I realised I had to get out as fast as I could.

But first I had promises to keep. I'm not sure if his non-appearance yesterday entirely lets me off the hook, but there's nothing I can do about the situation now except wait and see.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Is that boy as in non-adult?
Tom F

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

No, he's twenty. Anyone under thirty- maybe under forty- looks like a kid to me :)

[solar-diablo.livejournal.com]

Has to be hard for the guy - there's more than spiritual repercussions to dodge when converting from Islam to another faith, spiritual considerations notwithstanding. Here in the West, leaving Christianity (even if only temporarily) is almost de rigueur.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, he knows what could happen to him. He's brave.

[(Anonymous)]

Sounds medieval. Don't the people (the ones who could cause these happenings) realise how close Islam is to Christianity? It's not like he's becoming the Baby-Eating Bishop of Bath and Wells.
Tom F

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It's tribal, it's primitive- a lot of religion is like that.

[sovay]

For starters they mistook me for a Christian.

That really feels to me like the first line of something.

I hope everything is all right with this guy.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I hope so too. And I have no way of finding out...

[daisytells.livejournal.com]

It looks to me as if you have done what was needful, and therefore, you are now off the hook. You took the extra steps with this person. If he has decided to stay away, that is his choice.
I know you make no claim to being a Christian, but I cannot help but think of Jesus's admonition to His disciples when he sent them out to preach: "Be ye wise as serpents and gentle as doves." It seems to me that you fit that description very well. One does not have to be a Christian to adhere to a true premise.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

There are a lot of things about Christianity I like- including the ethics; I just can't swallow the whole package.

[daisytells.livejournal.com]

I hear you, friend.