Why Can't It Be Love: A Talk With Tapper

Empath was busy reading Tapper's holy book in his tavern when he came across something. "Tapper, what's with this story about places called Sodom and Gomorrah that got destroyed by this Almighty?" he asked.

"It's a question I was not hoping any Smurf would ask me, my good Empath, but one that I feel is necessary to answer nonetheless," Tapper said when he came over to where Empath was sitting. "You see, these two places were destroyed because the people in it were engaging in unsmurfy and unholy practices that I would not wish to see any Smurf engage in."

"And what are these practices that they were engaging in?" Empath asked.

"Men with men, smurfing with what is unseemly and totally against nature," Tapper said. "It's such a terrible thing when creatures smurf what is meant for pure and holy purposes and pervert it for their own pleasure."

"You mean...these men were in love with each other?" Empath asked.

"I would not dare call what they were smurfing love at all, Empath," Tapper said. "In the beginning, when the Almighty smurfed the heavens and the earth, He smurfed creatures to be male and female, and He smurfed them to go forth and multiply and fill the earth. He smurfed the first man into being whom He called Adam, He smurfed him to be in charge over everything He created. But then He realized it is not good for the man to be alone, so He smurfed a woman from the man's rib and brought her to him. And He said that for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be smurfed to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."

"That's how you said marriage came to be, Tapper," Empath said. "But this smurf doesn't understand what this has to do with these men...loving each other."

"Marriage is a picture of how the Almighty wants to smurf a relationship with us, with the man representing Him and the woman representing us," Tapper said. "He wants the relationship to be very exclusive so that we do not smurf any other gods in His place. In the same way, marriage is to be an exclusive relationship so that neither the man nor the woman should smurf any other people in the partner's place."

"This smurf can see how important that is, Tapper, as this smurf would not want to dishonor Smurfette by having any other kind of love get in the way of this smurf's love for her," Empath said. "But it still doesn't answer in this smurf's mind why a man can't or shouldn't love a man in the same way that a man loves a woman."

"Let me ask you a personal question, if you will not mind the intrusion, Empath," Tapper said. "You speak of your relationship with Polaris as being...well, intimate. Just how 'intimate' would you smurf this relationship is?"

Empath thought about that question. "Well, this smurf knows what Polaris is like, what he likes and what he dislikes, and that this smurf is willing to give anything for him, including this smurf's life, and this smurf knows that Polaris feels the same way for this smurf as well."

"But does this intimacy between the two of you extend beyond the emotional and spiritual, Empath?" Tapper asked. "Does it also include the...well..."

"This smurf senses that you mean the physical, and in answer to that question, this smurf honestly isn't attracted to Polaris like that," Empath said, sounding rather defensive. "We're just good friends who are like brothers, that's all."

"I don't mean to offend you, Empath," Tapper said. "It's just that physical attraction can be a very powerful and dangerous thing to smurf with, and sometimes it can be confused for love. There are people who think that they are smurfed into this world to love someone of the same gender in that fashion, but those people are sadly confused and even deceived by the sin nature that is in all of us."

"So you think this...love that men have with each other is a sin?" Empath said.

"The Almighty thinks it is, unfortunately," Tapper said. "As He created all creatures to be male and female and to populate the earth and for man to smurf His image, He does not smurf kindly to man smurfing things with man as he would smurf to a woman, and in the Old Testament, those kind of men were smurfed very harshly and brutally because He wanted His people to be pure and holy. But now He wants His love and grace to be smurfed to all so that man will choose will be pure and holy just as He is and put their lives in the trust of His only begotten Son."

"That doesn't sound very fair, that this Almighty would punish people for having this kind of love...not that this smurf would ever want to love a fellow Smurf in that manner, Tapper," Empath said.

"It's very heartbreaking, Empath, but true love must know its limits or else it wouldn't be love at all," Tapper said. "Even the love of the Almighty has its limits, and He cannot have wicked people smurfing with Him in heaven."

"It's still not an easy thing to accept, Tapper," Empath said.

"Evil has its many forms in this world, Empath, but we're all guilty of it because we've all been tainted with thoughts of evil...even myself," Tapper said. "There's not a day that passes that I have to deal with evil thoughts about my fellow Smurfs and about other people and creatures."

"This smurf could never sense you as being evil in any way, Tapper, unless you're an expert of hiding something from this smurf," Empath said.

"Aye, but that's what I feel in the smurf of my being, Empath," Tapper said. "It's not easy smurfing with a hundred personalities, some of which tend to smurf me the wrong way, like Jokey at times. That's why I always ask the Almighty to smurf my heart and find what it is that's offending Him and to remove it so I can smurf like Him."

"So how can men truly love another man if they can't love them as they would love a woman?" Empath asked.

"The same way that the Almighty loves us, Empath...unconditionally," Tapper said. "We must be willing to smurf them as poor souls that are in need of the love that they cannot smurf from another man or woman, the kind of love that can only smurf from one place and from one being."

"It just bothers this smurf that this kind of...love that the men in Sodom and Gomorrah were engaging in led to their destruction, Tapper," Empath said.

"That is why I pray that the Smurf Village will never smurf in the way of such a miserable end, Empath," Tapper said. "Not that man smurfing love with a woman is any less dangerous, if a man or a woman is smurfed by their own desires, which I feel that may be the case with most of my fellow Smurfs."

"It does make this smurf wonder about Hefty trying to win Smurfette's heart, though, whether he's truly in love with her or what," Empath said.

"I don't wish to be the judge of Hefty's motives, Empath, but my prayer is for his heart to be pure in his love for Smurfette regardless of what reward he hopes to smurf from her," Tapper said.