#A Collection of Sermons for Supply

[perpetual-ash]

one end is one empire: monogamy in the nine houses

in Harrow The Ninth we are told the origins of lyctorhood lie in research conducted by john's disciples in the hopes of establishing how best to serve alongside their lord without needing him to confer immortality—those who became the first adepts and first cavaliers, then the first lyctors. we know that ultimately the design of lyctorhood was, in reality, a way for john to ensure his loved ones would be something he could touch, for them to become his hands and his fingers. the disciples' collective legacy lived on in two ways: the fruits of the lyctoral process, his saints, and the institution of the cavalier-necromancer bond throughout the nine houses.

as we see specifically highlighted in A Sermon on Cavaliers and Necromancers, this bond is a cultural fixture of house society and is emphasised not only as “one flesh, one end” but also as the essential equation of “the one binds to the other”; the sanctity of this bond lies in the framing of the two as being complementary halves, necromancer and cavalier forming one, and this sanctity being threatened by the disruption of the essential equation of one necromancer and one cavalier. a single cavalier paired with multiple adepts is placed under the logistical burden of supplying thanergy to, and protecting, multiple individuals whilst an abundance of cavaliers would leave the necromancer ill-equipped to perform necromantic feats that require intimate understanding of another's thanergy. the complementary difference of each is also their undoing as individuals: the necromancer's art is impossible without a swordswoman, and they are rejected by thalergy planets, while a lone cavalier without the care or craft of an adept is vulnerable “amid the bullet-filled barbarism of other planets”.

the bond is characterised as a joining of complementary halves, a union of the two incomplete to form a whole one. its nature is defind by each using “one flesh, one end” as a maxim for their passion for each other; the other is their ideal and their completeness. it is said to be the underpinning of house society—without the acknowledgement of the cavalier and necromancer's duties to each other, the sanctity of one binding to the other being upheld, and the continued reproduction of the bond the houses will fail in their mission to uphold the values of the god who became man and man who became god.

“Those who hold the sword must hold it for the necromancer. Those who were born with thanergetic nervous systems ply their art only by the grace of the sword. The necromancer is weak, and the sword is strong. The sword is weak, and the necromancer is strong. Our pleasure at the bond unbroken between necromancer and cavalier is a Nine Houses acknowledgement of the equality granted to us by God.” — Tamsyn Muir, A Sermon on Cavaliers and Necromancers

lyctorhood: the marriage of flesh and spirit

though it is made clear throughout the series that literal marriage of the two is considered to be taboo, grotesque and even traitorous to the ideals of the necrolord prime—in harrow the ninth, it is explicitly said that there are many strictures against a necromancer marrying their own cavalier—the bond between the necromancer and cavalier itself is an overt parallel to the christian concept of marriage: it is the joining of two incomplete, complementary halves to become one flesh in the name of god. house society is divided into adepts and non-adepts: those who bear necromantic characteristics that make them resemble the emperor, and those who do not, but can join with those that do and become as one flesh—one in his image, and one who can join with those that resemble him.

despite their supposed nature as complementary halves, incomplete as individuals, it is also made clear that the taboo against marriage and romantic entanglement is one born out of the necessity of keeping the bond a meeting of complementary forces united in the name of god rather than a codependent loss of self. the erasure of the difference between them violates the sanctity of their bond, diminishes each before society and god: the two are united as one flesh, but must remain unfused and defined as halves. the joining of necromancer and cavalier is one that necessitates their continued division.

She didn’t have to tell me in so many words what we both knew, that the relationship between cavalier and necromancer could so easily curdle into codependency . . . a loss of self on both sides. An obsessive fusion of halves, not two complementary forces. —Tamsyn Muir, As Yet Unsent

the reality of this, of course, is that the loss of self on both sides is an unequal one: the adept resembles john where her swordswoman doesn't, is the one to serve as her house's heir as opposed to the heir's bodyguard and representative in duels. the eighth—illustrated as the most devout and orthodox of the houses—is the one that best illustrates this imbalance through their use of soul siphoning, a temporary displacement of the cavaliers soul for the deriving of power through the ensuing void. the difference between necromancer and cavalier is their strength, and to forget it is to become diminished, their complementary forces lost to obsessive fusion.

the cavalier's role in the lyctoral model is to be consumed, to become the furnace of their necromancer's lyctorhood. the body of a cavalier is a means to an end, the swordhand that is discarded once a necromancer can take up the weapon in their own, and their soul is a source of perpetual thanergy and a securement of legacy, immortality. a cavalier is trained to follow a half-step behind and wait upon their adept, to die for them if needs must, and is conditioned to accept that their duty is a sacrificial one. the cavalier facilitates the art and legacy of the adept; the adept is born into the art, and the cavalier is born into service in the name of that art.

the necromancer's role in the lyctoral model is to consume, to ply the art with the aid of their cavalier and to burn the cavalier to fuel the formation of their legacy, a literal immortality of self. their necromantic characteristics are seen to make them more like the emperor, as per A Sermon on Necromancers and Cavaliers, and drives expectant parents to concern themselves with ensuring that their children are born on a thanergetic planet or in proximity to thanergetic grave dirt. each house is ruled by a necromantic scion. the equality of cavalier and necromancer may be spoken of at length, but the supremacy of the necromancer in society is clear; the adept knows the art, is closer to god, due to being born with a gift only found on thanergetic worlds, the emperor's dominion. it is the necromancer who becomes the lyctor, and the cavalier who serves as their furnace.

you cannot separate the concept of lyctorhood from john and alecto, nor the concept of necromancer and cavalier—both concepts originated with john and alecto. in fact, lyctorhood was conceived as an emulation of their bond: “You let us think we’d cracked it [...] You had already done it yourself. But you had done it perfectly!!” “Then, when the disciples come to you and say the word Lyctor, she does not understand that they want the thing you did to her—she watches as you watch … watch them misunderstand the process.”

when john created alecto—his cavalier, the first cavalier—he ate soil, wrenched a rib from his own body, and conjured a labyrinthe to house her in: partook in her flesh and imprisoned her in a body composed of a comminglement of hers and his, hid him in her and her in him. a marriage of flesh and spirit. similarly, the petty lysis we are familiar with requires the literal consumption of the cavalier's flesh and the integration of their soul with the necromancer.

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” — Genesis 2:18

those who hold the sword must hold it for the necromancer, just as the necromancer can only ply the art by the grace of the sword; a lyctor, a necromancer, can hold the sword for themselves, and ply the art by their own grace. a grace in the image of god.

john's saints invented the process that allowed them to go on to wield the sword and bring themselves closer to his image, but that process required the lives of their cavaliers. john ensured that it did. the echoes of this manipulation are what went on to form the basis for the necromancer-cavalier bond that permeates house society, and shaped the empire; just as he coerced his loved ones into becoming his fists and gestures, john instituted a societal binary composed of people in his image (necromancers) and a people who can live and die to serve them (cavaliers).

“But from the very beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.  ‘That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife and the two become one flesh.’ And so they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.” — Mark 10:6-Mark 10:9

the monogamous implication of one end

as we have explored, the bond of necromancer and cavalier is one modelled on that of the lyctors, itself modelled on that of john and alecto, and serves the twofold purpose of compensating for the physical infirmity of the necromancer and facilitating lyctorhood—the cavalier's duties are that of bodily service and sacrifice. it is a joining of complementary halves, inadequate in their individuality, the necromancer who resembles john and the cavalier who serves them and dies for them; it is defined by an essential equation, the one binding to the other—one flesh, one end, one empire.

in this way, it is a union that parallels the christian marriage in a number of respects: it is founded on the belief in an oppositional delineation of peoples into two immutable categories, benefits one of these to the detriment of the other in accordance with the will of god—specifically the category said to resemble him most closely, ensures that the beneficiary's legacy may continue through their union and the bodily labour of the other, and the arrangement is thought to be foundational to and uphold the godliness of the society. to sour the sanctity of marriage, of cavaliership, is to betray the ideals of god; the pursuit of true equality contradicts his design and is limited by societal strictures. their union is to each other, but they must not be codependent, must remain aligned with their roles, and must serve their emperor faithfully—to forget their difference and their roles is to diminish themselves.

“Monogamy is formed, then, not as a relationship between just two people, but rather as a complex system of obligations and social and moral impositions - mainly governed by christian morality, in which the family is legitimized only by sacred marriage and by the values of capitalism, of propagating wealth from family generation to family generation and the maintenance of private properties – which has, as its scope, the guarantee of monopoly and concentration of wealth and power of the nobles to the detriment of division of inheritance with “bastard” children. In this way, it is clear that, even before capitalism, monogamy is necessary for the management and maintenance of this system, serving as a support for the reproduction of power mechanisms in the social body - especially in the beginning and expansion of the capitalist formation - mainly through the family. Capitalism invests itself in the life, affections and sexualities of the population in order to use them as State apparatuses for the maintenance of relations of production and power through compulsory monogamy.” — @zapatism, Capitalism and monogamy

the exploitative nature of christian monogamous marriage, its role in ensuring the supremacy of the man, how it ensures the propagation of his legacy, marriage's contribution to the maintenance of other social institutions such as the nuclear family, and the institution's legacy of socially coercive mononormativity are all literalised by lyctorhood throughout the series. the necromancer is male and cavalier female, both in the societal sense and in the biblical sense, and this dynamic is made clearest by how lyctorhood is perfectly emblematic of patriarchal monogamy, a social arrangement that benefits the necromancer and wholly subsumes the cavalier.

“It is based on the supremacy of the man, the express purpose being to produce children of undisputed paternity; such paternity is demanded because these children are later to come into their father’s property as his natural heirs. It is distinguished from pairing marriage by the much greater strength of the marriage tie, which can no longer be dissolved at either partner’s wish. As a rule, it is now only the man who can dissolve it, and put away his wife [...] The Greeks themselves put the matter quite frankly: the sole exclusive aims of monogamous marriage were to make the man supreme in the family, and to propagate, as the future heirs to his wealth, children indisputably his own. Otherwise, marriage was a burden, a duty which had to be performed, whether one liked it or not, to gods, state, and one’s ancestors.” — Frederick Engels, Origins of the Family, Private Property, and the State

gideon, camilla, and naberius all demonstrate how the cavalier is pushed to sacrifice and conditioned to accept the supremacy of their necromancer while their respective necromancers showcase how the necromancer is bred and coerced into accepting the expendability of their cavalier. gideon justifies her own suicide, camilla pleads with pyrrha to lie to palamedes about how their incomplete lysis is steadily killing her, and naberius is murdered by his own necromancer; ianthe justifies the murder of her own cavalier from birth as an acceptable payment made with the life of a man born to die for her ambitions, palamedes is forced to pursue a 'truer' form of lyctorhood in the hopes of preserving camilla, and harrowhark's refusal to accept gideon's life results in her own incomplete lysis that is reponded to via corrective violence performed by g1deon at the behest of john.

the violence we see play out throughout the series overtly demonstrates the way societally enforced monogamy can foster and justify abusive dynamics, extreme levels of codependence, and corrective violence in response to abnormality. simultaneously, we see how the conditions necessary for normalising the necromancer-cavalier within society are, at their core, eerily familar systems of oppression and the construction of false homogenities such as monogamy itself;¹ the continued reproduction on the bond, like so many false homogenities, is reliant on societally instituted exploitation, coercion, and corrective violence that will hit close to home for a queer audience.

the union of necromancer and cavalier is descended from lyctorhood and is akin to marriage in a mononormative society, while lyctorhood itself represents the very height of how christian marriage functions to reify male supremacy and it and the ideals that reinforce it (delineation of the population into two supposedly indelibly distinct, complementary, oppositional groups that are coerced into the formation of supposedly equal unions that favour one that is a beneficiary of widespread societal privilege) aid in the maintenace of patriarchy and the reproduction of normative arrangements that contribute to the continued existence of the systems individuals live under. cavaliership maintains necromancer supremacy just as christian ideas of monogamy and marriage maintain male supremacy. john gaius' post-resurrection reconstruction of christianity does not stop at imagery and terminology: he has recreated a distinctly christian take on patriarchy and monogamy, based on thanergetic nervous systems instead of sex.

Malachi 2:10

those born on the houses think themselves to be fundamentally different to those born outside them; within house society necromancers reign supreme, and cavaliers' status is married to that of their necromancer's. the prejudice we see directed toward zombies and wizards is onscreen and blatant, horrific at times, but justified by the nine houses being known for their imperialism and brutal tactics. the discrimination toward those who lay outside the houses is much less overt, but nonetheless felt. we know from the beginning of Gideon the Ninth that the empire has enemies yet they are not characterised, humanised, or acknowledged in much capacity—and this remains consistent throughout the series until Nona the Ninth.

it is here we see, in detail, the treatment of non-house citizens: frequent planetary resettlement, bombarding, brutal violence that churns out waves of traumatised refugees, and a complete lack of acknowledgement of their plights. they are beneath notice. we do not see them until we, the readers, are placed on the ground of one such occupied planet and privy to ianthe's boredom as she rattles off a laundry list of horrific implications regarding how any individual or group who violates these conditions renders the entire agreement null and void, and the population will consequently represent a legal entity that has damaged property, acted unlawfully, committed or been accessory to murder, and performed a coup.

the people born outside the empire are subject to continual mass punishment for being born on thalergy planets, for being the descendants of those who turned their back on earth, for resisting resettlement and occupation, for the crime of their existence. they are cattle, to be herded and exterminated with little fanfare. they are fundamentally different to those born on thanergetic planets; the necromancy-cavalier binary is what separates house citizens from animals.

"One flesh" is the underpinning of our whole Empire. We are born necromancers, or we are not; yet we are one. The non-necromancer will still have necromantic children. The necromancer will have parents who lacked the aptitude. The possibility is within us. We live under the thanergenic light of Dominicus, are born, grow, and die in his thanergetic Houses; the Resurrection made us so. We are fundamentally different to those born on thalergy planets outside the Empire. Our anxiety drives the expectant parent to arrange to give birth back home, or concern themselves with the baby's proximity to grave dirt sourced from home. Our necromantic characteristics make us more like the Emperor. As he was once man, and became God, and was God and became man, so were we dead and became alive; so were we alive and became dead. — Tamsyn Muir, A Sermon on Cavaliers and Necromancers

john is a queer indigenous man who has created a neochristofascist empire, locked in a state of perpetual warfare and expansion, that is geared toward the mobilisation of violence against a population in diaspora, in the name of vengeance for an indelible sin committed by their ancestors. those within this empire differentiate themselves from the barbaric people their society subjects to constant displacing violence via a belief in their closeness to god, a closeness based on their position in a social arrangement that closely adheres to christian patriarchy and mononormativity. he has implemented the kind of violence wielded against indigenous people the world over throughout history in the name of punishment; john has taken up the tools of christian hegemony to oppress the descendants of the trillionaires.

the root of the problem with the nine houses is that it is an empire with concentrated theocratic power fueled by exploitation, and that theocratic power is explicitly modelled on christianity and the patriarchy that implies. cavaliership is one such example of where that leads. john's aims may have been supposedly noble, but the material results of his actions are the recreation of the same systems of oppression that have been used against those like him for all of history, and the ones we chafe under even now. nobody with truly noble aims and a firm stance against oppression would take up the exact oppressive systems he was subject to and turn them against another; is vengeance a truly noble cause when it hinges on the same oppressions that led to the conditions of the inciting incident?

similarly, we see the ways these false homogenities are indeed false: the enactor of corrective violence—g1deon—is himself an incomplete lyctor and was romantically entangled with both wake and pyrrha; john could be similarly said to be a subversion of this monogamy, but i would argue his case is instead an illustration of male/necromancer supremacy—his affairs with his saints come after he uses his power over alecto, gained through their ur-necromancer/cavalier bond, to 'put away his wife' in the name of maintaining the approval of his lyctors. i can't really elaborate on this anymore beyond recommending @familyabolisher's analysis of how the multiplicity of cavalierhood as a subject position casts the spectre of potential incest where Kiriona and Alecto are concerned as it is very much in the same vein as this

[lulu2992]

(This is a reply to this reblog because the post would have been way too long otherwise)

You’re right, @purplehairsecretlair; it would make so much more sense if the priest featured in the video was not Jerome! I was ready to accept this headcanon, but then I found the official description of the trailer:

This is about Joseph Seed's journey before he became the Father, before Pastor Jerome was forced to forfeit his status as shepherd of the County's souls.

So The Baptism is about Joseph “stealing” Jerome’s congregation… That said, I totally agree that this isn’t consistent with the game for several reasons (which you probably already know, but I want to use this opportunity to talk more about the trailer).

First, Joseph found John and Jacob before he started the Project, and they all arrived in Hope County together. In the trailer, however, as you pointed out, he’s alone. We see him creating Eden’s Gate, writing his own holy book, and recruiting his first followers. Also, this shot...

...looks like what the 2nd step of the Pilgrimage tells us in the game:

II. The Cleansing: Joseph Seed affirms his obedience to the Voice by cleansing himself with his own two hands, becoming born again.

Steps III and IV are about him getting his first followers and the Voice telling him about the Collapse, and he only “collects his blood family” at step V, which... I realize is not consistent with The Book of Joseph, unless that means he had already found his brothers and only “[anointed] them as his Heralds” at this point.

Regardless, the story told along the Pilgrimage path isn’t consistent with The Baptism either because he only brings his disciples to Hope County at step VII, but he’s clearly already there in the video. Plus, his Heralds don’t seem to be with him…

I tried looking for more information about the trailer, especially about the cast and characters but, aside from Greg Bryk, I couldn’t find the names of the other actors.

However, I found this. The website says the video has won 25 (in my opinion, well-deserved) awards and provides a synopsis, probably written by DDB Paris, the agency that created the two live-action trailers, The Baptism and The Sermon, for Ubisoft. It says that the little girl is “the daughter of the legitimate priest whose place [Joseph] took, ten years ago”. Far Cry 5 never implies Jerome ever had a child, so I don’t think that’s still canon, but I’m glad we finally know who she is!

I stumbled upon this other article (with a behind-the-scenes picture). It’s in French, so here’s a summary:

It was Ubisoft who “imposed” Greg Byrk on the agency, but the artistic director thought he was “perfect” even though they barely knew him. The copywriter comments he was “very immersed in his role” and “exuded something powerful”.

The video was shot in Canada, in Merritt BC. To help the team, Ubisoft sent them the “huge mood board” they made during their one-year trip to Montana.

Some shots were unscripted, such as the scene with the little girl on the swing.

About 150 people were involved in the project which also required dozens of supply trucks.

Finally, it says the trailer was released 14 months after the first briefing. Jerome and Joseph’s backstories had plenty of time to be rewritten...

I also remember reading this interview with the director on the now-offline UbiBlog years ago. So, in case anyone was wondering (I was), that string of saliva was, in fact, totally unplanned :’)

[edoro]

so hey. consider this. “everyone is regular humans in the modern world” au, right.

approximately 13 years ago, a Terrible And Unsolved ‘Accident’ befell Caleb and Evelyn Clawthorne, and their three year old child disappeared without a trace from the scene. the missing persons case is still open, but at this point, pretty much everyone assumes the kid is dead. the most likely suspect is Caleb’s brother Philip, who also disappeared after that night and hasn’t been seen since, and who Evelyn’s family report seemed to have some issues with the happy couple.

fast-forward 13 years, and Hunter is living with his beloved Uncle Philip on a two person commune in the woods of Connecticut. they live in an off-grid cabin where they make their own clothes, grow their own food, keep some livestock, hunt, and endeavor to be as self-sufficient as possible. once or twice a month, he drives into town to pick up supplies they can’t make themselves, like fuel for the generators and whatnot

Uncle Philip has some very particular beliefs about the degeneracy of these corrupt modern times, and releases sermons over YouTube (Hunter maintains the channel) to a small group of followers who send him money in order to buy themselves a place on his commune - you see, when the end times come and the sinners all descend into bloodshed and barbarism, he will make a safe haven for the believers to come together and live in peace and unity

their property adjoins a public park, and when he isn’t busy with chores - so many chores - Hunter likes to go walking along the fenceline, back in the woods where no one can really see him, and watch the Normal People Going About Their Sinful Lives

he starts to recognize some regulars. there’s a girl who often comes out to the woods to exercise or just be by herself. one day, though, she’s not alone - there’s a group of other girls there, and they’re obviously picking on her.

Hunter watches them verbally tear her to shreds and push her around, then finally leave. when they’re gone, she gets up and takes her anger out on a couple of branches nearby - breaking them, swinging them around, etc.

he creeps closer to the fence, clears his throat, and says, “hey, you seem pretty strong. wanna learn how to fight?” (his uncle has taught him hand-to-hand combat so he can be ready to Defend Their Property from The Unworthy when the End Times come)

and this is how he meets Willow, once he convinces her that he isn’t some kind of weird voyeur but that this is like, his yard technically, and he saw what happened and he wants to help

neither of her friends believe her about the boy in the woods who is teaching her how to fight - Gus’s going theory is a head injury, Luz 100% believes that he’s a ghost, neither of them thinks he’s a real boy until Willow drags them out to meet him, at which point they all collectively agree that he may be real but he’s also definitely some kind of weird prepper or like, Amish or something

Hunter, being a deeply isolated and fucked up little guy, is pathetically glad to have made friends and takes every possible opportunity to swing by and meet them and talk, or show them stuff, or join in their games when they invite him. he also, of course, tries to sell them on his uncle’s cult, because he’s been raised in it for most of his life and he is a True Believer

once he gives them his uncle’s YouTube channel, they go from making jokes about him being in a cult among themselves to realizing, oh, he is Legitimately For Real In A Fucking Cult, Yikes, but they’re kids and he seems fine, if a little weird, so what are they going to do?

(they all collectively agree that they are not going to show any of their parents Uncle Philip’s Video Sermons, because none of them are going to be allowed within 100 feet of this kid if they do)

one day, they’re all hanging out when a huge storm breaks suddenly. it’s a nasty one - wind, lightning, pouring rain, and then the tornado sirens start going off. tornadoes aren’t common in Connecticut, but Hunter lives his life by the adage that it’s better to be safe than sorry, so he grabs his new friends and drags them home to the shelter they have, pushes them all downstairs while he goes to help his elderly and frail uncle

so now they’re all just kind of sitting in there. here’s Philip, very surprised that his wayward nephew appeared with three random teenagers. here are Luz, Gus, and Willow, all kind of wondering if they’re ever going to LEAVE this bunker because, wow, there is a Vibe in here for sure.

and here’s Hunter, excitedly pointing out all the features of the bunker, like the beds and the shelves and the kitchenette and bathroom and separate generator from the house and supplies, because he is just so happy to have friends over and very proud of this little doomsday prepper homestead he and his uncle have made together

so from here on out, Hunter’s friendships aren’t quite so under-the-table, because Philip knows about them, but it also means that Philip is checking in on Hunter’s progress with converting his friends and a lot more vigilant about where he is and who he’s with and what sorts of ideas he’s being exposed to

[i-eat-deodorant]

< First || Next >

[BLEAT.]

You bleat.

And bleat again.

And again.

And again.

Nothing really happens, but did you really expect it to? Sometimes it’s just nice to hear the sound of your own voice. Who’s the cutest little mass murderer? You are! Yes, you are!

[RECALL.]

Well, you’re a cult leader.

Your recollection of the last few hours have been hazy at best. This is obviously your TEMPLE, one that you have lovingly built and modified with Big Round Window and Spires That Look Cool. But you don’t remember why you’re sitting alone on the ground, or whether you’re preparing to call everyone in for a SERMON.

[OBJECTIVE OBTAINED: Find what happened to your memories.]

Other than that, you remember what happened in the last week pretty clearly. You’ve collected all four CROWNS from the Bishops after you beat their butts on their own sacred grounds. Then you proceeded to get your own butt beat in a game of KNUCKLEBONES with RATAU in his bachelor pad mancave, the LONELY SHACK. You’ll have to rematch him sometime. Yes your finger bones already regenerated but that doesn’t mean you don’t want the ones he has back.

[OBJECTIVE OBTAINED: Beat RATAU in KNUCKLEBONES.]

Then there’s also the toothy GATEWAY that’s now open behind the monument the RED CROWN. Something about THE ONE WHO WAITS wanting to see you, get a good look at how the cult you’ve totally been running in his name has been doing. Well, he’s waited for a century. He can wait just a little bit longer.

Speaking of the RED CROWN, it is currently vibrating in irritation. It says your singing voice is terrible. Bold claims for something small enough to swirly in the outhouse.

[TAKE INVENTORY.]

Aside from your RED CROWN, your FLEECE CLOAK actually hides a secret interdimensional storage compartment. You’re holding quite a few COOKING SUPPLIES, CAMELLIAS, and GIFTS, as well as some MENTICIDE MUSHROOMS. Some of the caps seemed to be a little chewed. So that’s why your recent memory has more holes than the ground after your fight with LESHY.

[OBJECTIVE ACHIEVED: Find what happened to your memories.]

A CRAB hops out of your cloak and skitters away. It’s gone before you can catch it.

[Lost: x1 CRAB]

[dragonretirement]

"A Sermon on Cavaliers and Necromancers" Text

After searching around for this part of the Gideon the Ninth appendix online and not finding anything, I gave in and bought the kindle ebook to read it, and figured I'd share it for others. Full text under the read-more link, or on this google doc.

A SERMON ON CAVALIERS AND NECROMANCERS

taken from the collected works of M. Bias

I have heard critique of cultural depictions of necromancers as romanticising an essentially military bondage; it is hard not to see these critiques as ignoring the poignancy, the humanity, and the quintessentially Nine Houses qualities of the concept. Have we, as a civilisation, had a love affair with the idea? Yes! Has it been the keystone of all interstellar exploration and success in military conflict? Yes! Was Be My Cavalier VII six too many sequels for that worthy first novel? Yes; but be it ever so saccharinely depicted in poetry and prose, our concern with the relationship between a necromancer and their cavalier remains at its heart our pure ideal: that though as a people we are divided between those who are attuned to, and afflicted by, the aptitude, and those who are withdrawn from, and spared from, the aptitude, we two groups share a symbiotic relationship. Those who hold the sword must hold it for the necromancer. Those who were born with thanergetic nervous systems ply their art only by the grace of the sword. The necromancer is weak, and the sword is strong. The sword is weak, and the necromancer is strong. Our pleasure at the bond unbroken between necromancer and cavalier is a Nine Houses acknowledgement of the equality granted to us by God.

This is not to say that the relationship entered our consciousness fully formed, nor that we have not watched it change through the eras. Its application in military circumstances has changed just as much as its application in society and in fiction. Necromancer-cavalier pairs are never sent out without the backup of modern Cohort regiments: those soldiers who make up the frontline Cavalier units would be the first to differentiate their work from the work of the classic cavalier. The social cavaliers—attached to the premier necromancers of their house—are under fire from traditionalists for contributing to the "worrying trend" of granting the title of cavalier to people who go unranked in swordplay: the use of "cavalier" as a metaphor. But this argument is at least five thousand years old: we have reams of editorials criticising cavaliers primary who have failed to travel and gain fame and "at least captaincy." Society would consider this an unnecessarily harsh requirement of a cavalier primary nowadays: even Second House cavaliers primary most often begin their higher services as a lowly lieutenant.

What has not changed is the essential equation. A necromancer who must leave her House and fight requires a swordswoman. A swordswoman leaving her House to fight requires, amid the bullet-fuelled barbarism of other planets, a necromancer. Of course, it is the swordswoman who makes the necromancer's art possible: thalergy planets reject the necromancer, and require fresher death than we do in the Nine Houses to perform. But without the care and craft of the adept, would the first assault not be merely a suicide strike? Perhaps the swordswoman may survive alone where the necromancer would find it difficult or impossible: but this is the mathematics we come back to. The one binds to the other. More warriors, and the necromancer would be hard-pressed to perform the feats that come with intimate knowledge of another's thanergy; more necromancers, and the swordswoman's burden to supply thanergy would multiply with each adept, to say nothing of the difficulty of protecting more than one person. Both halves serve as sword and shield. The long-standing relationship is required for the heat of battle; unfamiliarity with the other's methods will lead to death.

Our concern with what the relationship should be is a long-standing one. The love between them should be centred on duty. No matter the House, the vow is short—

One flesh, one end.

The Emperor confirmed long ago that this oath was taken from the Lyctors themselves, in the early years of discipleship after the Resurrection. With this as our understanding, how beautiful an oath it is!

"One flesh" is the underpinning of our whole Empire. We are born necromancers, or we are not; yet we are one. The non-necromancer will still have necromantic children. The necromancer will have parents who lacked the aptitude. The possibility is within us. We live under the thanergenic light of Dominicus, are born, grow, and die in his thanergetic Houses; the Resurrection made us so. We are fundamentally different to those born on thalergy planets outside the Empire. Our anxiety drives the expectant parent to arrange to give birth back home, or concern themselves with the baby's proximity to grave dirt sourced from home. Our necromantic characteristics make us more like the Emperor. As he was once man, and became God, and was God and became man, so were we dead and became alive; so were we alive and became dead. The necromancer and the cavalier are no different. They are one flesh. And yet that is only one understanding of the mystery that characterises us as a society.

"One end" is necessarily martial. We may take "end" as in the sense of goal or desire; the necromancer and cavalier work toward the same thing, no matter their differences in personality or method. Both members of the pair must work together to secure whatever path has been marked for them by House or empire. One end is one Empire. Love between a necromancer and cavalier is vital to differentiate them from a soldier's love of the Emperor: they are carrying out a personal devotion that beautifies both types of adoration. If the cavalier and the necromancer do not take "one flesh, one end" as a maxim for their passion for each other, their bond is nonexistent. They must each take the other as their ideal. The necromancer must be a pure expression of their art to the cavalier. The cavalier must strive for perfection in theirs, to gain the necromancer's admiration and trust. They do not have to enjoy each other's society; they must simply take their togetherness as assumed. The cavalier who will not sleep in the same room as their necromancer must question themselves as to why. Their love is the love that fears only for the other: the love of service on both sides. Some have tried to characterise this relationship as the cavalier's obedience to the necromancer, but the necromancer must be in turn obedient to the needs of the cavalier without being asked or prompted: theirs is arguably the heavier burden.

As we are concerned with what the relationship is, so are we concerned with what it is not. The love of the cavalier for the necromancer, and the necromancer for the cavalier, is not the love of a spouse. It cannot be libidinous. "Sword-marriages" wherein a necromancer and their cavalier married to one outside party as dual spouses were almost certainly the invention of the fiction writer, or more likely, the pornographer who cannot see anything beautiful without wanting to make it lewd. This is proved in the fact that, after a myriad of thought about the matter, marrying your cavalier remains taboo at best. There have been those who have argued eloquently that it is traitorous to the ideals of the Necrolord Prime. There is still a precedent in the Fifth for spouses to become a cavalier at particular times, but this is regarded as a stubborn holdover that is characteristically Fifth to not remove from their practise. Neither can the love be familial love, which is why the necromancer and cavalier cannot be parent and child; sibling rules have relaxed, but only in times of unusual paucity. Many Houses still cleave to the idea that the best cavaliers are those who from the cradle know both what they are and at whose side they are destined to stand; the Second House has notably argued against this, stating that this results in a sibling relationship. History gives us successful and unsuccessful examples of both methods: of the cavaliers and necromancers trothed nearly at birth, or of the necromancer and the cavalier who join as strangers to each other.

It has gone out of fashion to have "pattern" marriages as a hard rule; for one reason that adhering to "pattern" marriages often led to blurring of traditional cavalier families and administrative families, leading to the need for new branches of both. Atrial marriages, of necromancer to necromancer, and of their cavalier to cavalier, worked only inside House lines; ventricular marriages, of necromancer to the other necromancer's cavalier, and vice versa, worked best with outsiders. "Swap" or "bruise" marriages are still common in this way—non-adepts sent in to marry necromancers on both sides—but are hardly done to "pattern." In this era of mixed Cohort regiments and long placements out in space, mixed-House marriages can occur by sheer accident, or—in the case of the Sixth—by hopeful design. The only "pattern" left is the Sixth's rigid adherence to set childbearing pairs, albeit this is acknowledged within the Library to often have little to do with love and everything to do with genetic scarcity. This fluctuation of style and whim has not touched the central tenet of cavalier and necromancer, nor what they represent to both each other and the children of the Resurrection.

As we approach the celebration of a myriad of years serving the Necromancer Divine, our King of the Nine Renewals, first and last among us, we may see the cavalier-necromancer bond as a gift to us in long standing. Like him, it has not changed; like him, although we may build altars and light candles, the fundamental substance beneath does not wear or tarnish with long years of worship. The necromancer stands with her cavalier. The cavalier stands with her necromancer. They are one flesh, and one end, and they are all of us.

A LYCTORAL NOTE ON CAVALIERS AND NECROMANCERS

NEARLY TEN THOUSAND YEARS OLD, KEPT IN SECRET IN A CHEMICAL FILE WITHIN THE LIBRARY OF THE SIXTH HOUSE TO GUARD AGAINST THE RAVAGES OF TIME

valancy says one flesh one end sounds like instructions for a sex toy. can't stop thinking about that so can someone stop cris and alfred before the sex toy phrase catches on, thanks

[celestialholz]

Oooo TM098 with either pair, but I’m leaning towards Vanillacupcakes—

... Oh jesus fucking christ lmao THANKS LITTLE BRO T_T You know, honestly... why not both? Cross-posted to AO3 here as chapter two, this is the madness that is:

TM98: Skill Swap

"... Sir?"

His own baffled student faced him on the Artazon court, brilliant grin liquid sunshine upon her.

"Ah, hello Miss Daisy!"

This was quite mad. He could see his own house from here.

The teenager wore an expression of utter horror.

"Sir, aren't you in the Elite Four?"

"Why yes, every other day, but, well..."

Geeta's latest 'innovation' flashed behind his eyes, a sermon on 'walking a mile in another's shoes' giving them greater perspective for battle - the League conference had collectively rolled their eyes and paired up, largely without any argument that wasn't harsh mutterings. It was only for the day, and disagreeing with the immovable force that was La Primera was never worthwhile. She had quite the streak of ruthlessness to her if questioned too much.

His own pairing was deeply obvious - he and his husband had reflexively grabbed one another's hands nevertheless, just on the remote chance that someone had tried to split them.

"... It wasn't our idea, my dear."

"I've got one gym badge!"

“Oh, you’ll be fine, I’m absolutely sure! Are you ready, Miss Daisy?”

“No! Hell no!”

“Language, dear girl,” he chastised, smiling as he released Noivern. The bat dragon glanced around at her whereabouts, took in the challenger, and glanced back at her father.

“Mm, yes,” Hassel told her, “your darling Papa and I have swapped roles my friend, just for today. Now, I’m going to need you to go nice and easy on our young companion here…”

“… Vern.” The dragon turned to her opponent with a steely gaze, and the teenager swallowed glass, mouth agape, hand quivering on her own Poke Ball.

“… Arceus,” she whispered. “I am so screwed.”

*-*-*-*-*-*

“Now, who can tell me about Kalosian movements in postmodern sculpture?”

Eighteen blank faces stared back at Brassius, who rose a brow as he glanced between them all.

“… No? Galarian art nouveau, perhaps?”

The youths exchanged glances.

“… Cubism?” Brassius asked in disbelief, before theatrically sighing at their continued confusion. “Good heavens, what does my husband teach you…”

“Mostly about creative freedom, Sir,” piped up an older boy at the back, who the sculptor automatically snapped to. “Professor Hassel says it’s important to create authentic work, even if it’s not the most skilled.”

“Yeah, he says you can get more skilled later!” Said another child.

“And one day, we can be as ‘aventguard’ as you!”

“Professor Hassel says you’re the best artist in the world, Sir!”

Soft, shocked silence reigned for a moment.

“… Yes, well – if I am, it’s because of him,” Brassius murmured tearfully, sunshine brushing against his heart, facing the class with a warm smile. “We shall forego the theory, therefore – everyone find some paper, I wish to see your best Sunfloras.”

There were grins, and a flurry of activity as art supplies were grabbed from numerous parts of the room.

Brassius glanced fondly around the classroom; he’d been expecting a call for the Elite Test by now, but this… he could deal with this, if this was as far as his day went.

“Mister Brassius Sir, can I draw a Sunflora in purple?”

“Oh yes,” he told the questioning girl, grinning. “I encourage it, in fact.”

*-*-*-*-*-*

Unbeknown to the artist just down the way, there was a very good reason indeed why he hadn’t yet been summoned to the League.

The reason was known as ‘Katy’, and she was having the time of her life.

“Heracross, Close Combat, there’s a dear!”

“Ursaring, Play Rough that dragon, won’t you?”

“Stone Edge, Forretress! Burning things is for Soapberry!”

She’d seen off three challengers solo, commanding excitedly and with utter precision as she did, all of whom had stared at her with open mouths.

“But, but you were easy before –”

“Yes well, child, we learn from our mistakes!” She trilled happily at her third victim, a cocky teenager whose ace had just been smashed to unconsciousness by shattering boulders. “Especially when our mistakes are not being allowed to cut loose…”

“Uncle Grushie,” Poppy murmured, tugging at his scarf, “is Aunt Katy okay?”

Grusha, who had swapped today with Rika, was looking at his fellow gym leader as though she’d grown an extra head.

“I, er… think so, kid? I mean, she can borrow my therapist, if she really needs to –”

“Oh Grusha dear, this is the therapy,” Katy answered, beaming a mile wide, peering towards the door. “Do we have anyone else lined up? Do I have to give my husband his job back? This is amazing!”

Safely ensconced in her office, the usually unshakeable La Primera, watching via CCTV, winced.

… Perhaps this hadn’t been her finest idea.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

“Larry,” asked his wife’s sous chef, halting in her pastry-making mid-fold as she cast him an amused glance, “did you just pop salt in that?”

He cast a bland gaze between his cake mix, shifting his eyes slowly to the bag of salt he’d just poured from.

“… Fuck.”

She laughed aloud. “Did you want to go and help serve, maybe…?”

“Who, me and my face for radio?”

“Hey, stop it,” she scolded lightly. “You’re lovely.”

He offered her a vague smile, standing in the doorway to the kitchen for a moment. He noted the busyness of the bakery, the squealing infants, the harried parents, how much the staff could do with a hand, and tracked a path around the space, as though building the perfect spreadsheet.

“Sally,” he said with determination, setting a route in his analytical mind, “pass me an apron.”

The sous chef grinned. “Yes sir…”

He would succeed at something today, even if it was only for Katy’s sake.

*-*-*-*-*-*

“How was it, dear?”

“… Curious. Lovely class you have, but no Elite Four matches, querido.”

“… Oh, truly? I know we had some scheduled for today, too…”

“Ah, well. How was the gym?”

“Everyone found me very intimidating, even though I told the darlings to go easy on the students.”

“… Mmm, imagine that. I’m sorry, dearest.”

“Oh, it’s no bother. It was nice to be involved in their journeys earlier! I… apologise in advance for the amount of challengers you’ll likely be receiving tomorrow…”

*-*-*-*-*-*

“Did you enjoy the Elite –”

“Yes. Darling, may I have your job?”

“Dear, I love you with all my heart, but absolutely not.”

“… Damn. Still, very entertaining day! I hope the bakery wasn’t too challenging…”

“I added salt to cake batter.”

“… Oh. Do you need a massage?”

“… That would be wonderful, thank you…”

Got a request for The Technical Festival, which celebrates Ephemeralart and Vanillacupcakes through the medium of TMs? Take a look here; my askbox is open!

[7-wonders]

how long did we know mad love!michael before the kidnapping? also how would you describe our first time meeting? 😭🤍

STFU I'VE BEEN WAITING YEARS FOR SOMEONE TO ASK ME THIS I'M SO EXCITED!

So you knew Michael for only a couple of months before the incident where the butcher was stabbed and he was taken to Hawthorne. After his abrupt disappearance, you don't see him for about five months. Three of those months are because you're back home for summer break (summer between your sophomore and junior year), but it was still odd to not see him at all in May or September when you had been seeing him weekly for two months straight.

Now for the meeting...

•••

God, you really hate grocery shopping at normal hours. Most of the time, you only go grocery shopping with your friends at random, late-night hours, where you can feel comfortable surrounded by all the other weirdos and college kids who are slightly nocturnal. Grocery shopping during the day, on the other hand, feels as though you're being hunted for sport. Dodging screaming kids and judgmental mothers, fitness influencers and senior citizens, is one of your worst nightmares.

But you just had to forget that you had enthusiastically said you were going to make cupcakes for your weekly get-together with your friends where you all watch the new episode of your collective favorite show. The weekly get-together that just so happens to be tonight. Considering you don't have the ingredients to make cupcakes or the frosting with which to top them, you're on a time crunch that necessitates a daytime visit to the grocery store.

Regardless of how much you hate it, your poor planning has led you here, so you have no choice but to suck it up and make it as quick of a trip as possible. A basket is clutched tightly in your hands as you anxiously dart out of the way of one of those carts configured to be a race car before they run you over. The carton of eggs slides precariously in the near-empty basket, but remains safe. Safe, that is, until you turn into the baking supplies aisle without looking and crash into someone's back.

"Oh shit, I'm so sorry!" you apologize profusely, shame heating your ears and making you wish the ground would swallow you whole. The poor person you nearly bowled over turns around, and you immediately relax when they do. "Ms. Mead!"

Ms. Mead is one of the weirdos that normally does her grocery shopping late at night. There's 'rumors' that she's a Satanist, though you don't know if you can call it a rumor said person the rumor is about wears a pentagram and regularly talks about the recent sermon at the Satanic Temple. Your friends like to steer clear of her when they see her, but you think she's badass, with her all-black wardrobe, dark lipstick, cropped hair, and 'fuck everybody' attitude.

"I wasn't watching where I was going, are you—" she waves off your concerns.

"Don't worry about me, I'm not some daisy that's blown over by a stiff breeze."

You grin, loving the way that she speaks. "Still, I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't be. Take pride in your actions! Don't apologize to anybody for anything!" You're surprised she doesn't launch into a sermon, something that she's done a couple times when talking to you before. "Where's your gaggle of friends? Hiding from me again?"

"It's just me here today. Forgot that I promised I was gonna make cupcakes for everyone tonight." She peeks into your basket, and you're sure that she's silently judging the Funfetti frosting that you had grabbed on the way in. "I'm surprised to see you here so early! Don't you always say that you get the best meat and produce by shopping late at night?"

"I do, but—" Her attention is drawn to someone over your shoulder. "There you are! Did you find it?"

You're not one to believe in cliches or stupid, cheesy romance. But when you turn around to see a tall, lanky boy around your age whose grunge wardrobe and Docs contrasts his golden curls, you think that you feel your heart skip a beat. His eyes, a pretty shade of light blue, nervously dart up from the ground to Ms. Mead.

"Uh, I think so?" He holds up a loaf of bread that Ms. Mead must have asked him to grab, and she nods approvingly.

"Good, toss it in the cart." Ms. Mead smirks when she notices how Michael stops in his tracks when he looks at you, his breath hitching in his throat as he tries to stand up straighter. "I don't think you two have met yet! Y/n, this is Michael. Michael's staying with me for a few months."

His eyes meet yours, and when they do, you can't help but smile. God, he's cute. "Hi, Michael. It's nice to meet you."

Michael bites his lip, raising an arm to run a hand through his hair. "N-nice to meet you too."

You both just stare at each other for a long moment, dopey grins on your faces. Finally, you snap out of it when your phone buzzes in your pocket. "Uh, I should get going. I don't wanna be late."

Ms. Mead places a hand on Michael's shoulder and squeezes gently. "You do that. It was good seeing you."

"Yeah, nice to see you too." You look at Michael one more time, eyes dropping to your basket when you see he's already looking at you. "Bye."

You turn on your heel and leave, not stopping until you're on the other side of the store. Once you are, you stop and place a hand over your racing heart. Get a grip, you tell yourself. You see one cute, shy guy with golden retriever energy and immediately crush on him? Ridiculous. It was one thirty-second interaction, after all.

Still, as you enjoy the fruits of your labor later that night sitting with your friends and dissecting what you just watched on TV, you can't help but think of the way a soft blush dusted his high cheekbones when you said his name, or how sweet he seemed to be. Maybe you'll start going grocery shopping during the day, after all.

[corkcitylibraries]

Echoes of our Past | February 3rd 1923

Librarian Richard Forrest takes a look at news highlights published in The Echo 100 years ago this week.

Attack at Dunkettle During the night there was an attack on the military guard at Dunkettle Station, three miles east of the city. It was beaten off without much difficulty. During the skirmish a bullet entered the signal cabin through a window and damaged some instruments. The wires on the line to Youghal were also cut during the night and, as a result, the down trains this morning were delayed for about three hours.

Cork District Sessions

This morning, before Mr. D.B. Sullivan B.L. Denis Leary, 4 James Street, was charged with having been drunk and disorderly in Parnell Place last night. The disorderly conduct was that he made use of bad language outside a public house door. Defendant said he had come out of hospital only that day and that his head “was not very good”. Cornelius Cooney, an ex-soldier, was charged by Patrolman Moore with having been drunk and incapable on Half Moon Street at 1 a.m. this morning. Cooney said he had been wounded in the head and that whenever he took a pint or two he staggered. Defendant was lying on the footpath asleep. Both defendants paid fines at once and were discharged.

A Deserving Charity

A appeal will be held next Sunday for St. Mary Magdalen’s charity and a charity sermon will be preached at the North Cathedral by the Rev. J. Aherne. This charity is worthy of the best support of the citizens. Collections will be held in all churches. It is to be hoped that a generous response will be forthcoming. There are over a hundred penitents to be maintained and funds are very scarce. Many subscriptions will be needed if it is to continue its magnificent work.

 Joint Hospitals Board

Three tenders were received for the supply of a motor van. The lowest was that of W.J. Thompson, Mallow for £179 and this was accepted. The others were £188 and £201. A letter was read from the County Technical Committee asking the Board that when it makes appointments in cases where Irish is essential to accept the certificate awarded by them. The application was accepted. On the motion of Mr. O’Connell T.C., seconded by Mr. Golden (Rural District Council), the salary of Miss O’Doherty was increased by £15 a year.

Cork I.D.A. Meeting

Arising out of communication with the Marine Investigation Department, the Secretary informed the meeting that the butter on board the ss. Duchess branded “Lismore Castle Brand” was tested by experts and found to be Irish. As its origin was in dispute the Secretary had communicated with Paxman & Co., Lismore and received the following response, “We received your letter of the 24th and in reply beg to inform you that the 24 keels of butter which were shipped from Liverpool on board the ss. Duchess were Irish butter packed by ourselves. They were in storage in Bootle Cold Stores and we are getting them back for our Irish trade. We have no agent in Liverpool”. In view of the fact that Paxman’s were obliged to ship their butter to Liverpool for cold storage purposes, it was decided to get in touch with the company again and recommend the facilities offered in Cork by the Cork Pure Ice Warehousing and Cold Storage Co.

News from Around the World

112 bodies have been recovered so far from the Heinitz Pit near Beuthen, Germany after a violent explosion last Wednesday. It is feared there are still 28 bodies in the mine. Three earthquake tremors have been recorded near Ottawa. The epicentre being 6.5 kilometres away. The third was the most severe and occurred around midnight. There was some excitement in the South African Union House of Assembly caused by the close voting on the Women’s Enfranchisement Bill. It was defeated by 56 votes to 55. Some blame a woman in the gallery for shouting at the Prime Minister. Lord Carnarvon has said at Luxor that the “Ushahtl”, or small image of King Tuttankhamen is probably the finest piece that the sepulchre contains. A dredger turned turtle in the river Humber shortly after leaving the dock at Hull yesterday morning resulting in the loss of six lives.

An Arcadian Cork Ballroom

On a glorious night of light and melody during the week it was my good fortune to breathe the Arcadian atmosphere of a Cork ballroom. The laughter, the beauty, the inspiration. The sylphs who hither and thither floated. All were there. Colour and beauty of form abounded, and the world called Earth seemed far away. The soft, close-clinging garments that wrapped those swaying, slow moving figures attracted only by the beauty of their wearer. The brilliance that shone on hair and throat and delicately draped arm drew only admiration unalloyed. Beneath those bright lights, within the magic region of that sweet music, only one thought was shared, only one aspiration actuated - beauty, happiness. No queryings there concerning wealth or birth. No contemplation upon rank, station, affluence or influence. One objective guided. One inspiration sufficed. Unity of effort completed the perfect whole: “Let joy be unconfined”, and joy was the portion of all.

St. Finbarrs vs. St. Marys

The clash between St. Finbarr’s and St. Mary’s in the Poor Children’s Excursion Fund last Sunday was a strenuous contest throughout. The first half was altogether in the champion’s favour but the second balanced out. St. Mary’s is now a combination of St. Mary’s and Fair Hill players and they finally pulled together in that half though their scoring line let them down rather badly. With more practice and polish the amalgamation will take some beating. The full-time whistle left the Barrs winners by a comfortable margin. W. Aherne, Cork County Board, acted as referee and gave general satisfaction.

[savsystem]

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[whatisonthemoon]

The Mainichi: Unification Church founder said savings of people in Japan were for followers

November 12, 2022

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20221112/p2a/00m/0na/033000c

The late Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon said during a sermon in South Korea in March 1998 that people's savings in Japan were "for all of you," referring to church members, the Mainichi Shimbun has found during its analysis of 615 volumes of remarks made by Moon over 53 years.

Seeing Japan as a 'source of funds'

The Unification Church, now formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, stresses that it currently views the relationship between Japan and South Korea as being "equal." Furthermore, Moon's sermons are "for reading, and are not used specifically as guidelines for followers," according to the group's public relations division in Japan. But the founder also made statements implying that the church's followers in Japan were to hand over their ancestors' bankbooks, suggesting that at the time he at least viewed the country as a source of income.

The statement regarding financial assets in Japan appeared in a volume of "The Sermons of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon," and was translated and confirmed by the Mainichi Shimbun.

The 615 volumes of sermons record Moon's remarks to followers in South Korea between 1956 and 2009. Each volume, now out of print and difficult to obtain, is 300 to 400 pages long. The Mainichi Shimbun confirmed Moon's remarks on a website that the Unification Church's public relations department in Japan accuses of "illegally reproducing" the entire collection.

Page 36 of volume 305 records Moon as asking followers during a sermon in South Korea on March 29, 1998, "I've heard that there are 1.2 quadrillion in savings in Japan. Do you want to use a thousandth of that? Do you want to use a hundredth? How much do you want to use?"

The unit for the "1.2 quadrillion" was not supplied, but it is believed to refer to the amount of personal financial assets held in Japan. According to the Bank of Japan, financial assets in the business year ending in March 1998 stood at 1.286 quadrillion yen. At the time, these assets were attracting a great deal of attention from investors in Japan and overseas interested in a shift from mainly savings to investment.

A trending phrase the previous year in Japan was the "Japanese big bang," referring to financial system reform. Then Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto proposed reviewing regulations to best make effective use of the country's 1.2 quadrillion yen in personal financial assets. Moon's statements hint at an interest in the investment-related "1.2 quadrillion yen in savings."

The religious group at the time referred to Japan as the "Eve nation." Using this term, Moon said, "The Eve nation has already saved money. Who is that for? It's for all of you, for all of the members of the Unification Church."

Unification Church denies Japan in subservient position

Observers have said that the religious group's doctrines formed the backdrop for its view of Japan as a source of funds. The doctrines compare the relationship between Japan and South Korea to Eve and Adam in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The church claimed that Japan was the "Eve nation" that invaded the "Adam nation" of South Korea, and that to atone for this, Japan had a responsibility to serve South Korea.

The current position of the Unification Church, however, is that this line of thinking has been revamped. Hideyuki Teshigawara, who heads the church's reform promotion headquarters, said at a news conference, "We now call South Korea the 'father nation' and Japan the 'mother nation.' The father and mother are basically in an equal relationship, and it's not a case of which one is higher and which is lower," denying that Japan was in a subservient position.

Moon does indeed state that the terminology of "Adam nation" (South Korea) and "Eve nation" (Japan) were changed to signify a "father" and "mother" relationship, but from the list of sermons, it appears there was no change in his view of Japan as subordinate.

On pages 170 and 171 of volume 370, Moon is quoted as saying on Feb. 19, 2002, "A long time ago we said 'Adam nation' and 'Eve nation,' but from 1978, we have recognized them as 'father nation' and 'mother nation.'" But after this, he suggested Japan needed to make sacrifices, saying, "The mother (Japan) must raise the sons and daughters (foreign countries). Accordingly, all Japanese women must reeducate the sons and daughters, even if they are all sacrificed. Then Japan will not perish."

He further said, "They are important members of the Unification Church," referring to Japanese people, at the same time he called for them to "shed sweat, tears and blood."

Masaki Nakamasa, a professor at Kanazawa University who used to follow the church, commented, "Since the religious group has few followers in South Korea, it had to flatter Japan as 'mother country' so that the followers here, who provide money and human resources, could keep their pride. It's rephrasing the terminology to somehow make people see it as positive."

‘If you don't pay you won't be able to save your ancestors'

In the March 29, 1998, sermon in which Moon said that savings in Japan were "for all of you," Moon also made statements suggesting that the church was making references to ancestors when soliciting donations from its followers in Japan.

On pages 46 and 47 of volume 305, Moon is quoted as saying, "Money cannot sleep a night in the teacher's (Moon's) pockets. I have nothing now, right? My pockets are this empty, so I ask anyone to fill them."

He is then quoted as saying, "But that doesn't mean I'm asking for a 10,000-yen bill. I want you to put in the savings passbooks you inherited from your ancestors. Women of Japan, are you willing to do that?"

This is followed with the word "yes." Then Moon says, "If you don't give your savings passbooks inherited from your ancestors, you won't be able to save them," and, "Your ancestors are thinking, 'Oh, I want my family to also be able to receive a blessing (through donations)."

The statement from the group's founder, which could be perceived as a call for donations to the group for the "salvation of ancestors" is reminiscent of "spiritual sales" -- a marketing tactic to stir anxiety among followers by telling them that the cause of their misfortune is "ancestral karma" to get them to purchase expensive vases and other items.

Criticism of the Unification Church's spiritual sales erupted in Japan in the 1980s, and the issue developed into a social problem. In 2009, the president of a company under the religious group and others were arrested.

The church came under scrutiny again in July this year in connection with large donations it had been receiving, following the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The man accused of assassinating Abe said he resented the group after his mother made large donations to it. He is suspected of targeting Abe after learning the former prime minister had given a video message to a group closely associated with the Unification Church.

(Japanese original by Hiroyuki Tanaka, Digital News Center; and Hirohiko Sakaguchi and Chiharu Shibue, Seoul Bureau)

[bllsbailey]

Greta Thunberg Gets (Even More) Radical: 'There Is No Going Back to Normal'

She's not American, she was born in Sweden. History tells during world war 2 Sweden swayed back and forth throughout the war and offered assistance to both sides of the conflict, meaning they also helped the Nazi. Before you listen to her think about that!

Nineteen-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg is at it again, scolding world leaders, predicting imminent doom for the planet and mankind, and shaming people who use too much energy. This time, however, she’s taking a more radical tone, calling for fundamental change in the way humans lead our lives.

On Sunday, while promoting her new tome, “The Climate Book,” a collection of essays by over 100 climate experts at the London Literature Festival at the Southbank Centre, she said:

My name is Greta Thunberg, I’m a climate activist from Sweden and I want to use my platform to share the truth about the climate crisis, to tell the full story. …I created the Climate Book. With over 100 contributors, it aims to tell the full story of the crisis we face. And I started it about two years ago when we were in the beginning of the pandemic, our societies were undergoing massive changes with the purpose of keeping people safe. At that time, many people were already talking about going [makes quotation marks with her fingers] “back to normal.” But we are never going back to normal again.

Oh great. I kind of liked the way things were before the pandemic, but maybe that’s just me. She continued:

Because “normal” was already a crisis. What we refer to as normal is an extreme system built on the exploitation of people and planets. It is a system defined by colonialism, imperialism, oppression, and genocide by the so-called Global North to accumulate wealth that still shapes our current world order.

Wait, I thought this was a speech about climate change, not a massive condemnation of the entire history of mankind and capitalism.

She also says the quiet part out loud about the world’s COVID response: it wasn’t about safety at all, it was about creating a New World Order:

During the Covid-19 pandemic, governments around the world launched unprecedented financial rescue packages. These recovery plans were described as huge opportunities to set humanity on a brand-new course for a more sustainable economic paradigm. They were called “our last change to avert a climate disaster,” as the enormous size of the investments would make it impossible for us to undo the consequences in the future.

This is terrifying stuff. She’s saying the pandemic relief funds had nothing to do with the virus at all, they were thinly-disguised Green New Deal policies. Note that if you had said that in 2021, you would have been roundly criticized as a conspiracy theorist and censored on every platform possible.

Although she did not snarl as she famously has in the past, the whole thing sounded more like a religious sermon than a scientific discussion. The talk was heavily populated by evil corporatists, cynical world leaders, and angelic climate activists who know better. Economic growth is a bad thing, she asserted.

We have created a society that is not just ruining our own lives, but also throwing everyone else, especially the most affected people and areas, under the bus and dooms future generations to unimaginable amounts of suffering. To quote the IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change], we need rapid, far-reaching unprecedented changes in all aspects of society.

I’m not going to personally criticize a 19-year-old, but I am going to criticize what she said—because what she says is extremely radical and frankly unrealistic. People are going to die this winter in Europe, and it’s because of an energy crisis brought on by the war in Ukraine and Europe’s own war on fossil fuels.

Thunberg can rail against energy use all she wants, but the fact is we need it to live. She doesn’t have a replacement yet—”green energy” is nowhere near being able to supply the world’s needs—and while she thinks we just need to stop using fossil fuels, she has no alternative to those who might want to heat their homes this winter.

She loses even more credibility when she seems to endorse radical, destructive protests by nutty climate activists. From the Unherd:

Asked to comment on recent protest actions by Just Stop Oil activists which saw them throw soup at Vincent van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ at London’s National Gallery, Thunberg said, “People are trying to find new methods because we realize that what we have been doing up until now has not done the trick. It’s only reasonable to expect these kinds of different actions.”

Her speech and the question-and-answer session go on for over an hour and a half, and the fawning interviewer and the adoring crowd seemed to eat it up. The problem with Greta Thunberg, however, is that she spends a lot of time complaining, shaming, and blaming, but offers little in the way of actual solutions. Her speech is more of a Marxist harangue than anything else.

[sacramentonewsjournal]

Stocktons Hispanic group involved after serial killings

STOCKTON, Calif. (KTXL) — It’s been every week since Stockton police introduced {that a} “sequence of killings” all through the town and Oakland have been linked by ballistic proof. Police additionally launched a video of an individual of curiosity strolling round an house advanced.  The sequence of shootings have occurred since April 2021 with six of them in Stockton and one other one in Oakland.  Out of the shootings in Stockton, solely one of many victims survived. As for the opposite six victims, 5 of them have been Hispanic males whereas the opposite was a white male. Though there’s no official phrase from legislation enforcement that the victims have been focused for his or her race or ethnicity, the variety of deaths of the 5 Hispanic males — 4 of who have been in Stockton — has led to concern locally. The priority has led metropolis leaders and legislation enforcement to tell the town’s Hispanic group and supply security suggestions. Not too long ago, Stockton Metropolis Councilmember Kimberly Warmsley and Stockton Police Officer Joe Silva did some outreach chatting with the congregation at Iglesia Luterana Santa Maria Peregina, an impartial Lutheran church in Stockton. The church’s congregation consists of Spanish audio system and its sermons are principally carried out in Spanish.   QR code offered concerning proof connection to Stockton ‘serial killings’ “There’s numerous nervousness and worry on the market,” Rev. Nelson Rabell-Gonzalez with the church informed FOX40 Information in a cellphone interview. “That is good for them to listen to all of the totally different companies which can be working collectively.”  “There are totally different companies working to unravel this in order that brings a measure of consolation to the group,” Rabell-Gonzalez continued.  The 4 Hispanic males who misplaced their lives in Stockton have been Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez, 21, Juan Cruz, 52, Lawerence Lopez Sr., 54, and Salvador Debudey, 43. The fifth Hispanic man was Juan Miguel Vasquez Serrano, who was recognized because the sufferer in Oakland. The opposite two victims are Paul Yaw and a 46-year-old Black girl who survived after being shot close to Park and Union Streets in Stockton.  The congregation on the church primarily consists of Spanish audio system who’re farm staff. They sometimes work both early within the morning or late-night hours, Rabell-Gonzalez stated. Stockton ‘sequence of killings’: That is what we all know concerning the victims Rabell-Gonzalez defined their issues about working throughout these hours, as its darkish outdoors and contemplating the string of homicides that occurred in the course of the early morning hours or late at night time.  Security suggestions from Warmsley and Silva included staying in teams, being conscious of your environment, and avoiding being alone when it’s darkish.  Primarily based on what Warmsley and Silva stated, the church put collectively security suggestions in Spanish in a flier, which is posted on its Fb.  In accordance with U.S. Census knowledge, Stockton’s Hispanic and Latino inhabitants is at 43.5%.  Rabell-Gonzalez hopes communication continues between officers and the Hispanic and Latino group in Stockton, which he says feels weak in the meanwhile.  “Significantly these communities that really feel extra at-risk due to the work they do due to the hours they work,” Rabell-Gonzalez stated. “That’s what I really feel must proceed to occur.” Shut Modal Recommend a Correction Recommend a Correction Originally published at Sacramento News Journal

[sanjosenewshq]

Extra Large Significant Leaps: Bishop T.D Jakes Broadcasts Religion-Based mostly Content material Launching Quickly on Amazon Streaming Channel

Bishop T.D. Jakes has introduced that for the first-time ever his inspiring messages will likely be out there to audiences worldwide to stream by Amazon companies. Jakes is the primary religion chief to have a devoted area on the streaming app that can make his ministry and his teachings out there free-of-charge to viewers. The T.D. Jakes FAST Channel will likely be out there for purchasers within the U.S. to stream on the Freevee app and inside Prime Video beginning in early 2023. The 2-year deal may also make Jakes’ content material out there in each the UK and Germany and it’ll enable viewers entry to 300 hours of content material.  “The launch of our channel with Amazon Freevee alerts a significant step ahead in offering a protected and trusted area for audiences’ emotional and non secular fortitude,” added Jakes. “As Amazon continues to innovate and supply audiences significant content material, I am proud as an example to the world how ministry and philanthropy will be finished in an ever-evolving tradition.” “Although what we have been in a position to obtain with this launch is unprecedented, our mission to positively have an effect on lives by decreasing limitations on how folks will be ministered to stays our North Star,” he continued. “I sit up for taking extra huge, significant leaps with Amazon.” Jakes is the founder and has served because the lead pastor over The Potter’s Home in Dallas, Texas for greater than 40 years. He’s recognized worldwide for his animated preaching type and in 2001 he was named “America’s Greatest Preacher” by TIME journal. Freevee prospects won’t solely have entry to a few of Jakes’ timeless sermons, however will be capable to view content material that addresses topics like emotional well-being, management, and enterprise.  “By his highly effective and dynamic sermons and wide-ranging group outreach, Bishop Jakes has been a supply of knowledge and steerage to tens of millions all over the world,” mentioned Lauren Anderson, head of AVOD Unique content material and programming at Amazon Studios. “At Freevee, our steadfast mission is to ship our broad viewers a various collection of compelling, personally resonant content material.  “As we construct our faith-based choices alongside our leisure choice, we’re honored to be the unique video streaming dwelling for Bishop Jakes’ decades-long ministry, and proud to be a vacation spot for viewers to search out an ongoing supply of non secular inspiration,” she continued.  Jakes introduced the launch of his channel in the course of the remaining “Ladies Thou Artwork Loosed’ convention Friday in Atlanta, Ga.  As CBN Information has reported, this 12 months’s assembly would be the remaining gathering of the premiere Christian ladies’s convention that launched in 1996. “Lady Thou Artwork Loosed has been a worldwide motion of empowerment for ladies for over two complete a long time. Our imaginative and prescient for this convention particularly, like others, is to create a platform for ladies to really feel seen, heard and to free themselves of no matter’s holding them again,” Frank Dyer, Chief Working Officer of T.D. Jakes Ministries advised CBN Information.  The lineup of audio system consists of Bishop T.D. Jakes, First Girl Serita Jakes, Pastor Cora Jakes, Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts, Carolyn D. Showell, and Priscilla Shirer. Roughly 20,000 ladies are anticipated to attend this weekend’s occasion. ***Please join CBN Newsletters and obtain the CBN Information app to make sure you hold receiving the most recent information from a distinctly Christian perspective.*** Originally published at San Jose News HQ

[rocklandhistoryblog]

"The Day We Celebrate," 1876 / engraving by John C. McRae, N.Y. after a painting by Frederic A. Chapman

The setting being Piermont.

One of the earliest known paintings of a July Fourth observance, it was the prototype for a highly popular 1875 lithograph distributed by John C. McRae in anticipation of the 1876 Centennial.

Image appeared (Courtesy of the Newington-Cropsey Foundation) in South of the Mountains Vol. 36, No. 4, 1992. It accompanied an article: "Life On and Off the Farm: Diaries of Helen Verbryck Clark, 1876 and 1877" by Firth Haring Fabend.

Two little diaries kept by Helen Verbryck Clark of Sparkill were located in the Special Collections of the New York State Historical Association at Cooperstown, New York.

The diaries, which cover the period from March 12, 1876 to the end of 1877, are a treasure of information not only about the inner workings of Helen’s well-run household and her husband’s efforts as a small farmer, but also about the social, cultural, and leisure-time pursuits of our forebears in Victorian southern Rockland County.

An excerpt from the article about the fourth of July and this image appears below:

"All holidays were observed with special church services, and the Fourth of July was no exception. The year 1876 was the Centennial of the nation’s independence, a state occasion with a strong religious component, and in the days leading up to it, Cornelius and the men raised a flagpole in the dooryard and all went to church on the Sunday preceding to hear Mr. Stitt preach a Centennial sermon. “Our nation’s birthday, one hundred years of liberty. Thanks to a kind Providence,” Helen writes. Solemnly she adds that the day “was more universally observed than usual.” In fact, we know from a painting by Frederic Chapman, recently dis­covered, that Piermont, that momentous day in 1876, was a scene of great “patriotic revelry,” and Helen supplies some details: a baseball game between the Sparkill Club and a Brooklyn club, the sending aloft of balloons, and a display of fireworks. Elisha Ruckman’s Tappan mansion (on the “upper road,” today’s Western Highway) was “grandly illuminated” on the night of the Fourth, and the huge celebratory bonfire at the south end of Ruckman’s lot could be seen for miles."

_____________________

To read the full article in the digitized issue of South of the Mountains, visit our archive at NYHeritage.org at link below (desktop viewing recommended).

On behalf of everyone at the HSRC, we hope you enjoy a safe and happy Independence Day!

www.RocklandHistory.org

[solatgif]

TGIF: Roundup for June 17, 2022

Hanley Liu and P. J. Tibayan were featured speakers at the 2022 SBC Pastors’ Conference! Preaching from Colossians, Hanley proclaimed The Supremacy of Christ Over All Things and P. J. exhorted us to Discern and Deny Christ-marginalizing Ideas.

Our Asian American Leadership Conference recap video is now on YouTube! Photos can be found on Instagram, and you can find more on the conference website. Videos of our main sessions and special interviews are coming soon.

Our monthly newsletter features our most popular resources. Read it now and join for free. Check out my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group and TGIF Playlist on Spotify. You can reach me on Twitter and Instagram.

We thank God for TGC, SOLA, KALI, and the inaugural Asian American Leadership Conference! Watch our recap video on YouTube.

Articles From Around The Web

Deborah Netburn: Q&A: Talking about the Southern Baptist sex abuse scandal with Pastor P.J. Tibayan

P. J. Tibayan was interviewed by the LA Times and linked to his SOLA article: An SBC Pastor’s Response to the SBC’s Sexual Abuse Task Force Report.

Faith Chang: Come, He Needs Nothing From You

“This is a tender, holy, freeing truth. That he who made all things, owns all things, and doesn’t use his creation to supply his needs. Rather, he is ever the gracious Giver, ever the joyful Benefactor in our relationship, the Source of life itself.”

Daniel K. Eng: Why and How I Preach Without Notes

“Remember, it’s not the lack of notes that counts. For sermon effectiveness, it’s the principles behind this practice that make a difference. Fellow preachers, let’s work at our craft so that God can change the lives of our hearers.”

Follow us on YouTube to stay connected with us! Interviews, podcasts, conference messages, and more. You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Books, Podcasts, Music, And More

9Marks: On the History and Usefulness of Puritan Paperbacks

The Puritan Paperback books from Banner of Truth are timeless classics. Listen to this new 9Marks Pastors Talk episode featuring Jonathan Leeman, Patrick Daly, Ligon Duncan, and Nick Roark.

Crossway: Full Audiobook: ‘Why Should We Love the Local Church?’ by Dustin Benge

Dustin Benge—an associate professor of biblical spirituality and historical theology at SBTS—urges Christians to embrace the church—the holy assembly of God’s redeemed people—exploring the many things that make the church “lovely” in God’s sight, despite its shortcomings.

Aaron Lee: Related Works

Book Reviews: The Air We Breathe by Glen Scrivener, 12 Things God Can’t Do by Nick Tucker, He Will Be Enough by Katie Faris. Listen to our TGIF playlist on Spotify. Join my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group.

Check out our Family and Relationships collection, featuring 9 of our most recent articles. Thank you for supporting our work at SOLA Network!

Featured This Week On SOLA Network

Daniel K. Eng: Choose For Yourself: Joshua’s Message for Dads

“God is calling those who influence their homes to lead with conviction and courage. The Heavenly Father, from whom every family derives its name (Ephesians 3:14), deserves all loyalty and worship.”

Tom Sugimura: Fathers, Lead the Way: Reflections Before Father’s Day

“Fathers, you will have no greater joy than leading your children to Jesus and bringing them up as his disciples. This is successful parenting: To dedicate your children to the Lord, then teaching, training, and guiding them on the path that they must walk.”

Karisa You: A New Year’s Love Story: Sharing Christ’s Love with International Students

“God calls us to play a beautiful role—teaching others about Christ and being His hands and feet to a world where He seems invisible. We share about Jesus and love people through generosity and sacrifice, but God alone has the power to change hearts.”

Hannah Chao: Addressing the Southern Baptist Sexual Abuse Scandal

“We encourage you to read both articles to get a better sense of what is happening in the SBC and how we can pray for our brothers and sisters in the faith.”

TGIF: Roundup for June 10, 2022

Like & Subscribe for a Chance at Eternal Life / Fighting Evil with Evil in the Multiverse of Madness / Letters from Lockdown: A Shanghai Pastor on Pandemics and Persecutions

General disclaimer: Our link roundups are not endorsements of the positions or lives of the authors.

[focusontheeasternlightning-blog]

21 An Immediate Necessity Is to Resolve Perfunctoriness and Deceit in Service

Jingxin    Zhengzhou City, Henan Province

During this period of time, the above constantly emphasized that all God’s chosen people should eat and drink God’s words around the seven corruptions and required that they resolve these seven corruptions as soon as possible so that people’s belief in God and service to God could be secured.

 But people have not attached great importance to the requirement from above. It is especially true of us leaders and workers. Though outwardly we also eat and drink and fellowship, we have not made a resolution to change our former old ways of service, and our perfunctoriness and deceit in work are still very serious. Whatever work we are to arrange, most often we just assign and explain it to the lower level and then are relieved and sit back and relax. Whatever work we do, we only scratch the surface and deal with it perfunctorily, having no aims, making no plans, paying no price, not making a detailed analysis or study, and much less striving to make progress, but just muddle along like a winter-wailing bird. As a result, none of the works we have done achieves the desired results. Nevertheless, we do not acknowledge that we have perfunctoriness and deceit. Sometimes, when others pointed them out to us, we did our utmost to justify and vindicate ourselves and shifted the responsibility. Even though sometimes we had some knowledge outwardly and admitted that we worked perfunctorily and deceivingly, we could not but admit it as we were confronted with the fact, seeing in God’s exposure that our perfunctoriness and deceit had caused losses to the work of God’s family. Though some people admit that they have worked perfunctorily and deceivingly, they neither feel anxious to change, nor feel that they are in danger, nor pay attention to how to resolve them, and much less intend to look for ways of practice to enter in so as to reduce their perfunctoriness and deceit. How can we, being like this, lead brothers and sisters to resolve the seven corruptions as soon as possible? So, we must first resolve our perfunctoriness and deceit in service.

In the following paragraph, we will list some states of our being perfunctory and deceitful in service to gain some knowledge.

When we resolved the problems or difficulties of the brothers and sisters, we treated them perfunctorily by giving just a rough fellowship or speaking of some doctrines. We did not ponder carefully what kind of states they were, what the substances of the problems were, where the roots lay, and which aspects of the truth we should fellowship about to achieve good results, nor did we seek to eat and drink and equip ourselves with the relevant truths afterward if they were not thoroughly resolved this time, so that we could resolve them thoroughly next time. When we treated the work arrangements from above, we did not diligently seek after the intentions and the requirements from above or ponder how to carry them out to achieve the best results, but simply acted blindly according to their literal meaning, and dealt with them perfunctorily by going through the motions and observing some regulations. In treating the work God’s family committed to us, we did not think of holding responsible for God and did not exert all our strength to do it according to God’s requirements. We only did it diligently when being urged, pressed, or supervised by the leaders, and if no one supervised us, we could not do it well, as if we were employees who worked for others. When we carried out the work arrangement from above concerning selecting the church leaders, outwardly we hastened to go to the lower level to make arrangements and asked brothers and sisters to vote, but in the process we did not supervise, and after the process, we paid no attention to checking the results. We did not check whether the selected church leaders were supported by the majority, whether they had the working of the Holy Spirit, whether they pursued the truth and had a sense of justice, whether they could resolve the actual difficulties of the brothers and sisters, and whether they could bring forth a good church life. When we carried out the work of purging the five kinds of people—those who were demon-possessed, those who often had the working of evil spirits, false christs, antichrists, and the wicked people, outwardly we were active in carrying this work out, but we did not carefully investigate or measure by truthful principles who fell into these five kinds, who just had bad humanity but did not fall into the kinds to be purged or expelled, who were just defiled with the working of evil spirits but were not the ones who often had the working of evil spirits, who were just arrogant by nature and disobedient to their leaders but were not antichrists, and so on. Besides, after the purging, we did not check whether those who did not fall into the kinds to be expelled were expelled, whether there were still people who fell into the five kinds left in the church, and so on. About all these we did not ask or inquire, but we just roughly counted up the number and wrote a guarantee and handed it in. When some false christs or antichrists appeared to deceive people in the church, though outwardly we fellowshipped with the brothers and sisters about the truths concerning how to discern false christs and antichrists, we paid no attention to the results of our fellowships. We did not know how many brothers and sisters had grasped these truths, how many brothers and sisters were still not clear about these truths and might be deceived by the false christs at any time, and how to water these people. We did not grasp or check these at all. As a result, still many brothers and sisters were deceived after we watered them for a period of time. In this period, the above required us to center our fellowships on knowing the substance of the seven corruptions so that all God’s chosen people could have true knowledge of them. Outwardly, we conveyed this work to the lower level and made arrangements, but as for the issues such as how to eat and drink to achieve the best results, whether the brothers and sisters knew how to eat and drink, whether they knew how to know the substance of their corruptions based on God’s words, we neither thought about them nor checked them. As for the gospel work, outwardly we also emphasized it and fellowshipped about it, also counted up and analyzed the useful clues for evangelizing and made arrangements for them, but afterward, we paid no attention to supervision and examination, with the result that some objects who could be evangelized have not been brought to God till now. When the above required us to write sermons, outwardly we also responded to it and wrote, but we did not care whether the articles we wrote were of value or whether they could edify others. We just wrote a few casually and perfunctorily and handed them in to let the leaders see we had written. When God’s family asked us to find some people to revise articles, outwardly we soon set up an article-revising team, but as to whether the people we found were competent to do this work, what the quality of the articles they revised was like, how many acceptable articles they could finish in a month, we attached no importance to them or took no notice of them, but only rested content with having people to revise. The above required that the leaders at all levels exert all their strength to do a good job of watering the new believers and find those who were fairly clear about the vision and who had a burden, to care for the new believers. Though outwardly we also found people according to the requirement from above, we did not check afterward whether the people we found were really clear about the vision, whether they had a burden, and what the actual results of their watering and sustaining the new believers were. As a result, very often the people we selected were not suitable and thus many new believers left due to lack of timely watering. The states listed above are only part of our manifestations and expressions in our work, but they are sufficient to show that our perfunctoriness and deceit are by no means occasional behavior but are our usual practices and the expressions of our nature.

In the man’s fellowship attached to Christ’s Talks with Church Leaders and Workers, it says: “In everyone’s nature, he puts ‘profit’ in the first place; his ‘conscientiousness’ can only be brought on by profit; and without profit, he does everything perfunctorily and deceitfully. This is man’s nature and is also a characteristic of corrupt mankind. People all seek nothing but profits, so they do everything perfunctorily and deceitfully and in a just-to-get-by manner.” “Take people’s performing duties for example. They clearly know that performing duties perfunctorily and deceitfully is cheating God, but they still do so; this is a matter of their nature and their disposition. Everyone takes ‘for the self and benefiting the self’ as his principle of living, but no one takes ‘for God and for the truth’ as his principle of living; therefore, people all resist and betray God by nature. Even though they believe in God or serve God, they are simply making bargains for the sake of their own interests and purposes. …” The fact is truly so. After we were corrupted by satan, our marrow and blood have been full of the poison of “for self.” “Everyone for himself and the devil take the hindmost,” this satanic philosophy has rooted deep within us; and “for self and benefit self” has long since become our principle of existence. We do everything for ourselves, put our profits above everything else, and are all profit-driven. We work vigorously for a big profit, work less vigorously for a small profit, and do not work or work perfunctorily for no profit. Driven by our selfish nature, we spontaneously consider our own profits, our own gain and loss, our own fame and position, future and destiny and the like in whatever we do. We do not give a bit of thought to how to do it to achieve the best results, how to do it to satisfy God, how to do it to be profitable to the brothers’ and sisters’ lives. Therefore, in our work, we are all perfunctory, deceitful, irresponsible, indolent, acting in a slick way without exerting all our strength. Unless we are so compelled as if a knife were at our throat, we will not pay any price or work conscientiously. This shows that we have not gained any transformation in our disposition after following God for so many years but are still living by satanic philosophy and serving God according to satanic philosophy. Such a service cannot be commended by God, but instead is condemned by God as a service of doing evil and resisting God. Today, we are uplifted by God and serve God in God’s family. God has done innumerable works on us, yet our service turns out to be like this and our states are so terrible. If things go on like this, what can we receive? How will God treat us who have received everything from him and yet fool him and cheat him everywhere? Therefore, to get rid of our perfunctoriness and deceit is a particularly important matter and cannot be ignored.

Besides, we should also be clear that as people who serve God, we are different from the common believers. If a common believer is perfunctory and deceitful and does not pursue, only he himself suffers loss. But if a leader or worker performs his duty perfunctorily and deceivingly, he will delay many brothers and sisters from being saved and cause tremendous losses to the interests of God’s family. For example, if we are perfunctory and deceitful in resolving the problems and difficulties of the brothers and sisters, then we cannot bring them real help in their life entering and cannot, through resolving their problems with the truth, make them understand the truth and enter into the reality of God’s word. Accordingly, we will become nominal leaders and will directly delay the brothers’ and sisters’ growth in life. In selecting leaders, if we are perfunctory and deceitful and select an unsuitable church leader, at least the lives of thirty to fifty of God’s chosen people will be delayed or forfeited. If we select an unsuitable small-district leader, the lives of hundreds of people will be forfeited. So many brothers and sisters will miss the opportunity to be saved, and the labor the brothers and sisters who preach the gospel have expended and the price they have paid will also be wasted. What a serious consequence this will be! In the work of purging and expelling people, if we are perfunctory and deceitful, neither conscientious nor meticulous, and purge and expel people arbitrarily without measuring them seriously according to the principles from above, we will not only harm many innocent brothers and sisters and forfeit some people’s opportunities to be saved, but we will also become thoroughgoing evil servants, satan’s accomplices, and God’s enemies who destroy and disturb God’s work. If we are perfunctory and deceitful and not conscientious in looking for the people to water the new believers and cannot select the suitable ones, as a direct result of it, a large number of new believers will leave due to lack of timely watering or will be deceived and taken away again by the people from the denominations, and these people’s lives will be forfeited. If we are perfunctory and deceitful in leading the brothers and sisters to eat and drink the words of God which resolve the seven corruptions, and do not consider how to lead them to eat and drink so as to help them know the substance and the root of their corruptions, then they will not achieve good results in knowing and resolving their corruptions in the seven aspects, and thus the great matter of their entering into the right track of belief in God to be saved and perfected will be affected and delayed. If we are perfunctory and deceitful in the security work and fail to fellowship what should be fellowshipped, to arrange what should be arranged, to take the measures that should be taken, and to remedy what should be remedied, then many loopholes and hidden dangers will be left in the various sectors of the work of God’s family. And, once a persecution arises, many brothers and sisters will be arrested and imprisoned, the property of God’s family will suffer loss, and even large areas of the church will be paralyzed. In a word, for us who serve God, none of the works we do is a trifling matter. It is related to the brothers’ and sisters’ growth in life and related to the carrying out of God’s will. If we treat God’s commissions to us unconcernedly and perfunctorily and deceivingly, it will eventually cause great disasters. God says: “If you cannot be responsible for my word and work, your outcome will be to be punished. And you will have no share in such things as grace, blessings, and the wonderful life in the kingdom. That will be the end you deserve, and it will be reaping what you have sown! Those unwise haughty ones not only do not exert all their effort or perform their duty, but instead they stretch out their hand to demand grace as if what they ask for is what they deserve.” “God lists all kinds of sins of the unfaithful false believers, false apostles, and false workers in their record book, and at the proper time, casts them among the unclean spirits, letting the unclean spirits defile their whole body at will, so that they can never be reincarnated and can never see the light again. …” God is faithful. Now that God says so, he will surely fulfill the words he says. This is God’s nature. Though we now treat God perfunctorily and deceivingly and he has not punished us, this does not mean God has forgotten. God has already written down all our sinful deeds in our records and is waiting to repay us at the proper time. So, we must not trust to luck that it does not matter to have some perfunctoriness and deceit. When the fact befalls us, it will be too late. Now is the time for God to determine our outcomes and also the time God gives us the last chance to repent and have ourselves transformed. If we can repent and be transformed and atone for our crimes by meritorious services, we will be able to escape the disasters and be saved by God. Otherwise, what awaits us will only be God’s righteous punishment and burning in his wrath.

We have known the serious consequence of being perfunctory and deceitful as well as the outcome it will bring us. Then, how should we resolve the corruption in this aspect? Let us read the words in man’s fellowship attached to Christ’s Talks with Church Leaders and Workers: “If man can truly regard the duty he performs as that which he does to God and which he should do for God, perhaps he will be less perfunctory and deceitful. If man truly has a heart that reveres God, he will not perform his duty perfunctorily and deceivingly. Most people have some transformation in performing their duties after going through pruning and dealing. Without being pruned and dealt with, nobody can perform his duty in a satisfactory way.” The man’s fellowship points out to us three ways to resolve our perfunctoriness and deceit: First, we should realize that the duties we perform are that which we do to God and which we should do for God; second, we should have a heart that reveres God; third, we must accept pruning and dealing. In the following paragraphs we will fellowship about them one by one.

First, we should realize the duties we perform are that which we do to God and which we should do for God. That is to say, when performing our duties, we should first have a right intent and viewpoint and should be able to see the matter of performing duty clearly. We ought to know that today when performing our duties, we are not doing things for any person but are doing things for the Creator; that we are performing our duties as a created being before the Creator and fulfilling a created being’s responsibility; that if we perform our duties well, we will receive God’s commendation, and if not, we cannot give an account to God. Only if we realize these will we have a better attitude toward performing our duties. Actually, we have so much perfunctoriness and deceit in our work mainly because we do not regard performing our duties as doing things for God but all engage in our own managements. For example, some people perform their duties for the sake of their fame and position and in order that others will have a good opinion of them and appreciate them; some people perform their duties for the sake of fleshly enjoyment and in order to eat well, dress well, and be well-treated; some people perform their duties just to satisfy their leaders and avoid being dealt with; more people are in order to receive blessings and avoid disasters; and so on. How can we not treat God perfunctorily and deceivingly when we perform our duties with such intents and viewpoints? How can we possibly consider carefully what to do to satisfy God’s heart’s desire and what to do to live up to God’s requirements? Naturally, we will be like employees without the sense of responsibility as a master, slacking off whenever we can and acting in a slick way whenever we can, and cannot exert all our strength willingly. This is inevitable. When performing our duties, we ought to ponder: What exactly do I perform my duty for? For whom do I perform my duty? If I do not perform my duty for God, and do not perform my duty as a created being but for obtaining some profits, what meaning does it have even if I spend to the end? What can I gain? In the end, instead of being commended by God, I will suffer God’s punishment because I serve God yet resist God. Why do I bother to do this? If we ponder these questions thoroughly, we will naturally know what attitude we should take toward performing our duties and how to practice and will be willing to exert all our strength. Thus, if we really set our intent right, find the right goal, and truly understand that when performing our duties we are not doing things for any person, are not ingratiating ourselves with the leaders, but are doing things to God and for God and for the sake of satisfying God and caring for God’s desire and are performing our duties as a created being, then we will be willing and glad to perform our duties, will take the initiative to seek, will analyze and investigate carefully, will conscientiously exert all our strength to do well according to God’s requirements and to achieve the best results, rather than having to be overseen or supervised by others. Consequently, our perfunctoriness and deceit will become less. For example, in the matter of selecting the leaders, if we intend to care for God’s intention and satisfy God, we will consider how to do it to meet God’s requirements, how to do it to make God set his mind at rest and be satisfied. Then, we will take the initiative to seek the principles of doing it, measure according to the conditions required by the above for selecting the leaders, and find out the manifestations of a person who pursues the truth, has the sense of justice, and has the working competence, and will practically go to inquire, implement, and investigate it. By doing so, we will make much fewer errors and have much less perfunctoriness and deceit. On the contrary, if our intent and purpose in selecting the leaders are not to satisfy God but to face leaders, we will not seek God’s intention or seek the principles of doing it, but will only observe a regulation and will convey the principles concerning selecting leaders to the lower level. Then, we will promote any person recommended by the lower level, not caring whether the recommended ones really meet the requirements from above, and not making detailed inquiries or careful investigations and examinations. We will just deal with it perfunctorily in the simplest way. As a result, some will select those who are good-natured and obedient and who try not to offend anyone; some will select those who can abandon and give up and run around doing the work; and some will even select those who are zealous outwardly yet often have the working of evil spirits, and will thus seriously frustrate the work of God’s family. Isn’t it because we have an incorrect intent and viewpoint, thinking that we perform our duties for the leaders, and do not accept God’s searching that we have such perfunctoriness and deceit? Therefore, if we want to perform our duties without being perfunctory and deceitful, we must have a right intent and viewpoint and regard performing our duties as doing things to God and for God and as the duties we should fulfill. In this way, our perfunctoriness and deceit will be gradually reduced.

Second, in the man’s fellowship, it says: “If man truly has a heart that reveres God, he will not perform his duty perfunctorily and deceivingly.” Then, how can we develop a heart that reveres God? God says: “If you do not know God’s disposition, you cannot possibly do for God what you should do. If you do not know God’s substance, you cannot possibly have fear and dread toward God, but only casual perfunctoriness and prevarication, and even more, irredeemable blasphemy.” So, to develop a heart that reveres God, we must know God’s nature and know God’s substance. How can we know God’s nature and know God’s substance? Firstly, we should know in God’s word God’s majestic, wrathful, holy disposition that does not tolerate offense, and know what kind of people God likes, what kind of people God hates, what kind of people God eliminates, and what kind of people God punishes and curses. When we realize in God’s word God’s attitudes toward various kinds of people, especially when we see how much God hates and loathes those who treat him perfunctorily and deceivingly and who are unfaithful to him, we will seriously treat the work God’s family commits to us and will fulfill our duties with all our heart and all our strength, not daring to be slightly negligent lest we infuriate God and be punished. Only then will our state of being perfunctory and deceitful be somewhat changed. Secondly, we can know God’s nature from the examples of failures around us. By looking at God’s attitude toward those who treated him perfunctorily and deceivingly, we can also have some knowledge of God’s nature and gradually develop a fearful heart. “Zhenxin” is one of the examples. Because she performed her duty perfunctorily and deceivingly and cheated God, she aroused God’s loathing and wrath, becoming an object detested and rejected by God, and was expelled from God’s family. Of course, there are many other examples of people around us who lost the working of the Holy Spirit and were detested and rejected by God because they performed their duties perfunctorily and deceivingly and cheated God. Since we have seen them with our own eyes, we will not cite them one by one. Furthermore, we can also know God’s disposition from our personal experiences in performing our duties. For example, when we perform our duties perfunctorily and deceivingly, either the chastisement and judgment of God’s words will come upon us and we will feel extremely accused and condemned in our heart, or more seriously, we will lose the working of the Holy Spirit and will be deserted by God and live in painful torment, feeling worse than death, or we will even have to receive God’s severe discipline, suffer from illnesses, or encounter greater calamities. From these we can realize God’s righteous and majestic disposition that does not tolerate man’s offense, see how much God hates and loathes man’s perfunctoriness and deceit and man’s cheating, and thereby develop a heart that reveres and fears God. Thus, we will perform our duties more honestly and do our work more conscientiously, no longer daring to be careless and treat God perfunctorily and deceivingly.

Third, in the man’s fellowship, it says: “Most people have some transformation in performing their duties after going through pruning and dealing. Without being pruned and dealt with, nobody can perform his duty in a satisfactory way.” Thus it can be seen that man must be dealt with and pruned in performing his duty. Without dealing and pruning, man cannot perform his duty in a satisfactory way and cannot be faithful to God. We are all arrogant and self-conceited by nature, love to act arbitrarily and go our own ways, and we all follow the “for self and benefit self” principle of doing things and like to be perfunctory and deceitful and calculating when doing things for others. So, without the chastisement and judgment of God, and without the dealing and pruning of God’s family, we will not exert all our strength to do well the work of God’s family strictly according to God’s requirements. We can see this in our experiences or on the brothers and sisters around us. When we just began to perform our duties, we all loved to follow our own will, act arbitrarily, and goof off; our perfunctoriness and deceit was very obvious. But after going through some dealings and pruning, we perform our duties more honestly and conscientiously than before, daring not to goof off obviously any more, and have some fear of God. All this is the transformation that dealing and pruning have brought us. Therefore, if we want to perform our duties faithfully and serve God after his heart’s desire, we have to accept dealing and pruning. However hard and painful it is to accept dealing and pruning, we should bravely accept them and know ourselves. The more severe the dealing and pruning are and the more they pain us, the more we should bear them, for this is most beneficial to us in that we can search deep within ourselves and have ourselves transformed and thereby perform our duties faithfully. To accept dealing and pruning is a required lesson for us to have our disposition transformed and is also a necessary pathway for us to perform our duties faithfully.

In conclusion, if we want to resolve our perfunctoriness and deceit and perform our duties faithfully, we need to regard every work we do as that which we do to God and which we should do for God, need to know God’s disposition and know God’s substance and develop a heart that reveres God, need to often measure whether we have performed our duties satisfactorily according to God’s requirements and our work responsibilities, and need to accept the dealing and pruning of God’s family and accept the supervision of brothers and sisters. At the same time, we also need to take measures and work out principles according to our nature and substance of treating God perfunctorily and deceivingly and cheating God. By pursuing in this way for a period of time, we will be able to resolve our perfunctoriness and deceit step by step and eventually perform our duties faithfully.