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can't believe it's a controversial opinion to say 'i don't think any country should be bombed for any reason'

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do you ever see something and just. get hit with the most visceral and distilled emotions over the nature of humanity

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Thinking about Fray Bigotón (brother moustache), mascot of the Franciscan Monastery of Cochabamba in Bolivia who was adopted after being found as a stray

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God save Palestine and the Palestinian people. God save Iran and the Iranian people. God save all colonized peoples. Saint Michael please defend them from the snares of the American Government.

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The Madonna and Child

c. 1490, France

Keep reading

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The real christian Tumblr experience is laughing at a stupid shit post and than getting hit with the most soul crushing prayer request known to humanity right after

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please pray for everyone in Iran rn

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for Iran, the Iranian people, and all innocent people caught in the crossfire of the united state's and its genocidal proxy-state's bloodlust, find nothing but peace, safety, and security. may the united states and its proxy know God's justice. may They show them the consequence of needless bloodshed and disregard for human life

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Peace is a Practice

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~ Julian of Norwich, icon by Kara Gillette

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Bystander Intervention Training

so, the US just attacked Iran, and that is fucking terrible. Something we all need to think about right now is how we can stop the harassment and violence against Muslims and Arabs in the US that got so much worse in the early 2000s from happening again to people now.

To that end, I wanted to share some resources on Bystander Intervention. One of the biggest things I learned from training like this is that there are many ways to intervene, and they don't all involve putting yourself in front of the person who may harm you or others. It's ok if you feel intimidated by that because there are more ways to help! And once you do the training, it might not be so scary.

Right to Be has Bystander trainings based on the 5Ds of Bystander Intervention (Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay, and Direct). The trainings are free!! sign up here.

I took one of their trainings a few years ago (when the org was called Hollaback!) and it was really very good, they have trainings at multiple levels and focused on various topics. They also partner with other orgs to focus on specific issues (like anti-AAPI harassment and with CAIR Chicago for anti-Muslim harassment, etc.).

Here are a few more resources:

APA Bystander Intervention Tip Sheet

RAINN Practicing Bystander Intervention

I think I'll sign up for one as a refresher.

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anyway you should always remember that all those foreigners you see dying on the news are just as real people as you are who have just as much interiority as you do. there is nothing about you that makes you more important and it is by pure chance that you are not in their position. in fact, this holds for all of history. every person, no matter the horror of the fate that befell them, had just as much interiority as you do. i feel like some people haven't fully internalized this.

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A Litany For Peace In Troubled Times

God the Father, have mercy on us. God the Son, have mercy on us. God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us. Holy and blessed Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

In these days of trouble, fear and sorrow, have mercy on us. In our despair at the violence that seems to fill the world, have mercy on us. In the pain of lost life and shattered hopes, have mercy on us. In our grieving for those who have died, have mercy on us. In our compassion for all who are bereaved, have mercy on us.

From the history of violence that corrupts every society and our own, O Lord, deliver us. From the greed and injustice that divide the world into rich and poor, O Lord, deliver us. From the urge for revenge that adds to the cycle of violence, O Lord, deliver us. From the fear that grows into hatred for people who are different, O Lord, deliver us. From being too quick to attribute blame and demand retribution, O Lord, deliver us. From believing ourselves safe through anything other than your grace, O Lord, deliver us.

For those who plan and carry out acts of violence, Lord, hear our prayer. For all who seek justice and ensure the rule of law, Lord, hear our prayer. For the victims of war and terrorism everywhere on earth, Lord, hear our prayer. For all who live in fear, and for refugees from violent regimes, Lord, hear our prayer. For courage to resist demonising and dehumanising others, Lord, hear our prayer. For wisdom in choosing the paths of peace, Lord, hear our prayer. For solidarity with the suffering of the dispossessed, Lord, hear our prayer. For generosity in sharing fairly the world’s resources, Lord, hear our prayer. For respect in conversation with people of other faiths, and none, Lord, hear our prayer. For honesty in knowing and confessing the sin in our own hearts, Lord, hear our prayer. For grace to change and be changed as you forgive us, Lord, hear our prayer. For rescue workers and medical teams treating those injured in conflict zones, Lord, hear our prayer. For aid agencies and their workers, responding with practical care in dangerous places, Lord, hear our prayer. For the leaders of all the nations, looking for ways to work together beyond fear and suspicion, Lord, hear our prayer. For people of goodwill, responding generously to the needs of suffering communities, Lord, hear our prayer. For all who have friends and family involved in areas of conflict and disaster, Lord, hear our prayer. For communities that are terrified by missiles, snipers, vigilantes or death squads, Lord, hear our prayer. For the vulnerable and defenseless in conflict zones, for the children, the elderly, the disabled, the sick: Lord, hear our prayer.

For Christ to bring all the peoples of the world into one flock with one shepherd, we pray to you, O God. For Christ to bring healing and comfort for those we love who are sick or in mourning, we pray to you, O God. For Christ to lead us into the paths of peace, writing the law of love on our hearts, we pray to you, O God. For Christ to bring us, with all who have died in faith, to a joyful resurrection, we pray to you, O God.

God of all peace, have mercy on our broken and divided world, and on your people who cry out to you for healing, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

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there needs to be a revival of interest in Koine Greek

i started learning attic Greek before even becoming a Christian. it was in this class that i learned the NT was written in Koine Greek; i had no idea beforehand. after finding this out, i wondered why i frequently heard of Jews and Muslims learning the language of their respective books, but ive never heard of a Christian learning Koine before then. so, let's talk Koine

disclaimer: i know that Koine knowledge varies by denomination, particularly Orthodoxy tends to have more knowledge of it. this is speaking from my experience, a new Christian in America who's Christian friends are mainly Protestant

what is Koine?

"Koine" (κοινὴ) translates to "common" in ancient Greek. it was a dialect of ancient Greek that was most often spoken, and used day to day by average people. it contrasts the more formal attic/ancient Greek that you find in most other written sources (plays, hymns, etc). ancient Greek is harder to learn than Koine, but knowing ancient Greek makes Koine much easier (this is the route i went)

why Koine?

Christianity, from the start, has always been about reaching and including everyone. Koine was the best way to do this, as at that time it was the most common language. if someone were to learn a second language, it would be Koine. ive seen it compared to English of the modern era

i mainly see Christian material in Latin; why was there a switch?

Rome legalized Christianity in the 313 CE, because it was so popular it wouldve been impossible to persecute every Christian, not to mention it was starting to become popular for members of the government as well. Rome's main language was Latin, so as popularity in Rome grew, more and more Latin translations came up and became popular

as Catholicism has still stayed close to Rome in terms of history, Latin took over as the most popular language

how can i learn Koine?

now is the tricky part. because of Rome's vast influence both in religious and secular areas, Latin is still the popular ancient language choice (at least, in America), pushing ancient Greek to the side. in fact, my college has gotten rid of all their ancient Greek classes just recently; there was another level above what i was in, but i unfortunately can't take it now. so, we have a couple options

if you're lucky enough, you'll have a college near you that has ancient Greek classes, and if you're well off enough you can afford to take them. but this is not an option for most people. so, you'll have to self learn. there are books and resources online, here are some of my recommendations:

- Athenaze 1 + 2*: these are the textbooks used in my ancient Greek classes. i think they're really good for self learning, and any questions not covered in the book can be Googled

- Perseus Digital Library: as a classics student, this website is my best friend. it has every book of the NT in Koine. you can click on each word to see what it means (though this doesn't always work unfortunately), it's gender, number, case, tense, etc. this is better used once you have some more knowledge of Koine

- Greek-English Lexicon by Liddell and Scott: the biggest and most widely used dictionary of ancient Greek words. it won't teach you grammar, but if you need to find a word it's a great resource

- Wiktionary: another website i use frequently; it's my go to for looking up the meanings of words. not only that but it has all the conjugations for words, which helps when looking them up and for figuring out how to conjugate certain words

- greekbible.com: a website like Perseus, where it has the NT in Koine, and you can click on words for more details, but this website is focused on Koine specifically and has more Biblical centered resources

- r/Koine and r/AncientGreek*: both have plenty of resources and are available for questions if you have any

- children's books translated to ancient Greek*: because of the simplicity of children's books, they make for great starter material! because of this there's a handful of books either written in or translated to ancient Greek

- theologians who have studied ancient Greek: unfortunately, i don't know many theologians in general, so i can't really recommend any. checking out r/Koine would give you a better list. while they most likely wont teach you the language itself, they can help give better context of the world the NT takes place in

- @josbiblestudy : shameless self promo, here's my new account where I'll be posting about my Bible study adventures! it'll mainly be centered on Koine, translations and what certain words mean in context of the ancient world. im also available for questions over there!

* = ancient Greek, not Koine Greek

if you have more resources, please feel free to add them!

in conclusion:

Koine is an important language to Christianity, and i hope to see it treated as such more frequently. the more interest in the language, the more resources will become available, and the more widespread it can become

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Jesus inspired by those little tiny Jesus figures

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I really thought I'd never be the person referring to God as "she" (at first because I was weird about that, then later out of sheer habit), but it's actually so comforting?! God as Mother is blowing my mind.

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A blessed Juneteenth to all who celebrate! May every chain be broken, and may justice and peace reign on the earth.