The day was cold and dreary, the roads a bit slick from the past weather of sleet and frozen rain. Many were wary driving through the commute, it was a part of life, to fear the roads and its hazards. But, it did not hold back the daily sermon of church that Sunday.

Pastor Johnson was heading to do a sermon to the people who attended. It was one filled with words of anger and madness, the man reading from the old testament bible, cherry-picking the words that best fit his agenda. He had an irrational dislike for homosexual people, and he wanted to spread that to others. To the elderly and the children, to the mothers and fathers, he would shake his fist, eyes seeming to bulge from his skull as he ranted and raved.

“Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind.” the man said, his face turning red with every word. The people gazed up, silent at his speech, some shifting uncomfortably as if staring down the face of a tiger. He continued on “It is an abomination. It's a sin against God, and if our society was anything like it should be, these heathens would be stoned to death! Repent! Repent now! The only way to salvation is through our Lord and Jesus Christ!”

There were some quiet murmurs among the people there, and a few nods. No one wanted to disagree, they felt that their faith was most important, and through the pastor they could be saved. This went on for almost an hour, and when the people left they found a rekindled hatred for their fellow man. The pastor went out, wiping away some beads of sweat from his heated face, and heading out to the car. As he was about to turn the key he felt a searing pain in his head, almost a throbbing, and falling over.

The parking lot rang with the beep of the horn as his head fell down, attracting the attention of others around. He was dipping in and out of consciousness, his vision blurred into dark tunnels. He could barely see, and he couldn't hear, unable to comprehend what was happening. His anger within was so great, a vessel popped, and from inside his head he was bleeding to death. It was too much, no one could save him from what was happening in time, and soon he found himself engulfed in darkness.

His senses were numbed, and he found himself standing as an incorporeal form above his body, covered in a sheet. He could barely tell what was going on, but a voice soon boomed around him.

“Tom Johnson! Step forward! Your time of judgment has come.” it said- the voice seemed androgynous, he couldn't tell if a man or woman was speaking to him. He took a few steps and the scene faded, coming to a featureless form, the outline of a human shape standing before him. He paused for a  moment, eyes wide.

“Are you God?” he asked, blinking a bit and trying to reach out.

“No, I am Fate, I am Judgment, I control the ferry, the one who traverses to the land of the dead, but I only do so for those who have earned the afterlife. You, you have lived a miserable despicable life, spreading ignorance and hatred. Because of that, you will need to go through life again, but not as a human. You'll have the lowly form of an insect- a house fly, and will need to reincarnate several times to get back to being a human again. Maybe by then you'll have learned your lesson, and be a better man.”

“No! This isn't right! I believed in Christ, I should be in Heaven!” protested Tom, fearful “Was my faith not strong enough?”

“Faith in itself, is not a terrible thing. You would not be condemned for believing in the wrong afterlife. However, your actions, are what brought you to your early grave, and into the life of a lowly insect.” he said, the man looking down.

He noticed his form fading, his colors disappearing, and another lapse in consciousness. When he woke, he found himself as a white wriggling larvae, living within the decaying flesh of a carcass, condemned to a life of filth.

Let this be a lesson to any people of faith, no matter what you believe in, actions speak louder than thoughts. Be the best person you can be, and don't let religion turn you into a hateful bigot.