Weirdest Way I've Been Religious Lately

In the course of mediating an ethically sticky and potentially explosive conflict about a project I'm working on, I ended up explaining what clearness is, because what I really wanted was for all of us to be clear before we move forward. (Faith and Practice of the New York Yearly Meeting, which is my yearly meeting, defines it as such: "A condition in which there are no perceived obstacles to a proposed course of action by an individual or meeting," but it is also a process used to help individuals or groups who are struggling with difficult issues to prayerfully find a way to work through their issues.)

Now I'm curious. Have any of you ever found yourself reaching for a term or framework or concept that's central to an ethical or religious system of yours, that you suddenly realize isn't one that's going to be collectively understood? Which ones?

Fic: Ravish Me (BBC Sherlock, Sherlock/John, NC-17)

Title: Ravish Me
Author: Amal Nahurriyeh (amalnahurriyeh/amalnahurriyeh)
Fandom: Sherlock (BBC)
Summary: Sherlock is experimenting with patterns of wear on lipstick in daily encounters. John is going to go insane.
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Rating: NC-17 (enough UST to explode a building; also some sex)
Warnings: None.
Timeline/Spoilers: Through 2.01
Disclaimer: Intellectual property is a capitalist fiction designed to oppress the working fic-writer. That said, I don't own them either.

A/N: Written from a prompt by amyhit, who wanted a fic about John having to cope with Sherlock wearing lipstick. I don't know precisely how I ended up writing ten thousand words for this prompt, but I do know that I enjoyed the process. Thanks to cityesm for the beta, Britpick, consultation about varieties of coffee cup lids, and making fun of me on tumblr by tagging this gif set with my name. Thanks also to my flist in general for being very helpful in telling me things about where makeup comes from in the UK, and my wife, leigh_nahurriyeh, for helping me choose the perfect prop for the last scene.

Oh, and, uh, people who are regular readers of my fic? This is, um, the tiniest bit dirtier than I usually write. Just, er, be forewarned.

Also available on the AO3.

( I don't know why you insist on asking for confirmation of your senses. )