#Learning from scriptures

[itsmadhvi]

5 Timeless Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita for Today's World

The Bhagavad Gita is a treasure house of wisdom. The lessons from Bhagavad Gita are just as relevant today as they were thousands of years ago. Whether you’re seeking inner peace, clarity in life’s challenges, or just a different perspective, the teachings of the Gita provide a blueprint for living a fulfilling and balanced life. Here are five key lessons from the Bhagavad Gita, their meanings,…

[theinwardlight]

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30

[booabug]

Ladybug (episode) was such a great character episode for Ladybug just for the way her giving sentibeing Ladybug her amok to gain autonomy showed her main interest and motivation for any being is always their liberation.

It also speaks to the show's sense of morality & values overall. It's not as stark and black & white as a lot of people expect.

It's something that's reinforced in FR dub with, "I free you from evil," instead of, "Time to de-evilize," being heard every episode.

And probably a nod to the kind of philosophy the Miraculous Guardians would have. They're probably canonically secular monks, but ofc irl Tibetan monks are Buddhist, and Buddhism is about the liberation of all beings.

Since I've not been keeping up with the show, idk if there's anything in Thomas's tweets or other deuterocanon confirming this, but it seems like a natural fit. The whole show is encoded with yin-yang symbolism, no way Eastern/Buddhist ideas aren't an influence. I don't know formal teachings so I can't comment much on it, but it does make for a much more complex sense of morality in a superhero series than we're used to, given that there's the three poisons of ignorance, greed/sensual attachment, and hatred/aversion perpetuating suffering, and the cosmological tension being between suffering & liberation rather than evil & good.

The three poisons or negative states are illusion/delusion and summarizing it that way makes it clear how this Buddhist/Hindu worldview is so influential on the show. Look at how illusion/delusion sums up the antagonists' actions, lying being Lila's entire MO, Gabriel/HM making his victims look at their situations in worst terms so they'll suffer enough to be taken advantage of without thinking for themselves while being motivated by his idea that one wish can fix everything he's unhappy about, and overall how much the show talks about the importance of not lying.

Man. No wonder differences between the FR and EN dubs feels so stark.

The difference between, "Go forth, my little akuma, and darken their heart," and, "Go forth, my little akuma, and evilize them," kinda exemplifies the different approaches to the show. Kids' show that knows it's a kids' show but working on very complex ideas in the bg vs. just another good vs evil kids' superhero media.

[lettersfromgod]

"Begin again in Me, says The Lord, for I have not left you. Behold, I am with you, even to the end of this age.

Beloved, you are forgiven. And in true forgiveness, there is no remembrance of past offenses; behold, even your sins of tomorrow are washed away. Therefore fix your gaze upon Me, focus not on your sin; give temptation no power, and to the accuser turn a deaf ear.

Indeed, come all who struggle and are Heavy-laden, and I will give you rest…

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, For I am gentle and lowly in heart, And in Me you will find rest for your souls…

For My yoke is easy, and My burden light,[34] For all those who trust in Me…

Says The Lord."

[34] ⬆️ https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+11%3A28-30&version=NKJV

📖 Source: https://www.thevolumesoftruth.com/Words_To_Live_By:_Part_Two#True_Forgiveness

▶️ Video/Playlist: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_9H3jONwdxU&list=PLE8FlkxQPQkPHgZ2CISXAJx3vpxyJ9MCr&index=26

[asinglesock]

cw Joy being a hater about other people's readings of biblical texts

this is making me cringe so much

[justajsworkshop]

i owe this guy my life lmao. ugh. he's changed everything for me. i love the answer of "because i've always been/it's always been that way." it really activates that use of memory!

[justana0kguy]

2023 JULY 19 Wednesday

"I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike."

~ Matthew 11:25

[beardedmrbean]

What part of the bible is Leviticus in again?

Would it be the part where people are told they need to keep kosher and do circumcisions and not mix two types of fabric for their clothing on top of all of the instructions for the various sacrifices and offerings where a lamb must be slaughtered or maybe a dove if you don't have the money for a whole lamb?

These people do a horrible job with all of this because they always go and pull up shit that doesn't apply to Christians.

If we had to follow all those rules than the US wouldn't be a Christian nation because Christians couldn't have cheeseburgers.

[lizardho]

Before I knew I was bisexual I was just insanely dramatic and weird around guys I liked. I had a crush on this guy in my ward - he was older than me, he played bagpipes and had a cheerful dog and an old Volkswagen bus that he worked on all the time. He also had nice scruff and unnaturally attractive hands and a good sense of humor, so I was like FULLY smitten.

I talked about him a lot and about how he was just so dang COOL, dang it, because he was so frickin’ cool. And I really liked him. I thought he was funny and smart and interesting and cool and fascinating and a bunch of other weird feelings I barely had the attention span to think about (I think my ADHD may have prevented me from coming out for a while tbh).

One day, I’m like 14-15, his dad is called to be my Sunday School teacher. His dad is this ex-military hardass with a chip on his shoulder for absolutely no reason and unattainable standards for his children. He spent most of Sunday School talking shit about his eldest boy and how he was rebellious and didn’t listen to him and how that was going to make him a bad adult and a bad son forever. How his son was too lazy and unmotivated to be successful because he didn’t listen to his advice on how to read the scriptures. He complained about how our generation was too weak to do things right and that our generation would surely be the one that brought the world’s downfall because of our laziness and sin.

And like, first of all, that guy can already go fuck himself for that. To clarify, that’s already stupid. BUT. He was talking about the man I had uncomfortable dreams about at least once a month. I couldn’t stand it. I’d get so mad I’d go home shaking sometimes because how fucking DARE he insult his hardworking stunning son by calling him lazy? For not reading the Bible the way his dad wants? When he’s already spending his time learning bagpipes? And fixing cars? And being cool? And cute? Who the fuck even cares if he uses the footnotes in the Book of Mormon? Who gives a rotten rat’s ass if he doesn’t use the scripture study manual his dad uses? He’s so cool he doesn’t even need it? So fuck off?

And eventually I got fucking Sick Of It and decided to mutiny. And by mutiny, I mean skip class. I’d just not go. And after a bit, adults started noticing and bugging me about it. At first, this was put off by small talk and excuses, but as my absence from Sunday School became more well-known, my excuses began to be rejected.

“Oh, Lizard, why aren’t you in class?” Uhm idk because my Sunday School teacher is mean to his kid and that makes me so mad wtf do you want from me? 🫠🤔

“Where’s your class, I’ll go with you!” Oh no ty I’d rather peel my own eyes than have my taste in men critiqued tyty 🩷

“Lizard, you should go to class, I’m sure they miss you!” And I miss the innocent days where my stomach didn’t hurt when a cool boy I knew was being belittled but unfortunately for us both those days are LONG gone and all that’s left is a budding psychosexual clusterfuck that will render me almost fully incapable of functioning for the better part of a decade so Bye Bye, sister Smith 🙂‍↕️

It had gotten to the point that ward leadership was involved. I was being approached by members of the Young Men’s presidency and the Bishopric to try and make me to back to class. They were telling me God had told them to find me and instruct me on my rebelliousness. This is where I implemented my secret weapon - women. Mormons are weird as hell about a lot of things, but especially about women. And I was GREAT with women. So to combat the leadership’s attention, I started helping women.

Our ward had a lot of new moms with babies who were, as babies tend to be, fussy. But for Mormon women the church is often their only social outlet, so they try to power through as long as they can even if it means enduring the exhausting ordeal of taking care of a fussy baby at church.

For what it’s worth, I have a lot of sway with babies. I got baby street cred. Me and babies have a rapport. I have always known this. I have always loved this. And in this crucial gay time in my faggot life my baby mind powers came in clutch - Every time I saw a member of the bishopric getting close, or a young men’s leader giving me side-eye, I’d start walking slowly towards class, passing by relief society. I’d wait until a mom’s baby had gotten too fussy and needed to leave the room, and I’d swoop in like a knight. “Oh, don’t you worry sister, I’ll bounce him a bit. You go back and hang out with your friends in class. You deserve a break.”

If it was a diaper change or something they’d tell me no. But if it was just some good old-fashioned baby fusses, I mean, they’d be moved almost to tears. They just got their social time back AND a free babysitter who is renowned as the Baby Whisperer. And because I was holding a baby as a favor for someone else, I of course could not reasonably be bothered to return to class.

So just like that, I was out of everyone’s sights. This went on for about a month before the straw that broke the camel’s back, which was that without my class participation the classes were quiet and awkward. I’d often take the brunt of Sunday school lectures by answering questions impulsively and over explaining myself enough that the clock could run out without anyone needing to do or say much. My absence meant everyone else was getting hit with the full unpleasantness of this guy’s bullshit. And so slowly, one-by-one, I had a group of about 8 kids on baby-holding duty. These new moms were so overjoyed, they and their husbands were both so actively in our corner that now chastising us was untenable. Now we had bargaining power. So the Bishopric approached us, confused beyond confused and uncomfortable beyond uncomfortable, and said,

“What’s it gonna take to get you back to class?”

The POWER I possessed in that moment was addictive. By being kind to the women of the ward and ignoring the Mormon de facto Rule of Law of following rules en-masse so the rule breakers feel left out, there were now so many people breaking ranks that we had effectively enacted a church boy labor strike. And they crumbled so fast it was almost like we had swayed God himself to our cause.

“I want brother assholedad gone. He sucks at teaching.”

I didn’t even have to say it. One of my rebels said it for me. I just nodded sagely and said “Yes, his class is not edifying. It’s better to not go and hold babies.”

And just like that, with a snap of my limp-wristed, Christ-wounding, bottom-brained fingers my faggot will was enacted. God’s revelation that brother shitdad was his chosen Sunday school teacher flipped on a dime. Suddenly brother shitdad was asked to be an usher and the fun dad of another one of my crushes was called in to teach us. I still stayed to hold babies a lot, but the rest of the class returned and all was well again.

Although I didn’t recognize it then, I think that was a formative moment for me in a lot of ways. I learned that being really persistently annoying will get me what I want from authority eventually. I learned that God’s will can be swayed by going in strike. I learned that ignoring men’s made up authority forces them to level with you as a person. I learned that caring for women, especially vulnerable women, can make a whole world happier. I learned that letting women rest can help them feel more love for the things that matter in their life. I learned that social bonds make everyone stronger and happier. And I learned that loving others in a gay way can change the world.

Be gayer. Read Terry Pratchett. I love y’all 💕

[pastorhogg]

When Justice Takes Too Long

 Life Lessons LearnedIsaiah 26 There are few things more frustrating in life than injustice. It has a way of stealing our peace, undermining our sense of stability, and challenging our faith. Whether it happens in a courtroom, a classroom, or a corporate boardroom, injustice stings—especially when we feel powerless to stop it. And sometimes, despite our best efforts to speak up, to protest, to…

[mw00nie]

before you and nanami started dating, you thought you had him all figured out.

quiet. composed. polite to a fault. the kind of man who holds the door open for strangers and tips too well. the kind of man who never interrupts, never forgets birthdays, never texts past ten unless it’s an emergency.

you thought you knew what kind of lover he’d be. careful. respectful. maybe even a little restrained.

you were so wrong.

because nanami kento is the definition of “gentleman in the streets and freak in the sheets.” not the loud kind. not the messy, aggressive kind. he doesn’t degrade. doesn’t spit unless you ask. doesn’t choke unless you beg. and even then, he makes you say please.

but he knows how to ruin you. with quiet control. with devastating precision.

he learns you like a language. reads you like scripture. he notices the smallest things. the shift in your breathing when his hand rests on your thigh, the way your hips tilt slightly when you want more. he catalogs it all. stores it away. and when you’re under him, you feel it. every inch of that studied, focused attention.

he fucks like he’s solving a problem he already knows the answer to. his fingers are experts. his mouth is lethal.

and the worst part? he says the filthiest things in the gentlest tone, like he’s giving a lecture. like it’s all just matter-of-fact.

“you’re soaking,” he’ll murmur, two fingers teasing your entrance. “i’ve barely touched you.”

“there it is,” he’ll say when he finds that spot inside you, the one that makes your back arch and your thighs tremble. “i thought so.” “you can take more, can’t you? i know you can.”

he never loses composure. he doesn’t need to. he’s in control, always. he’ll have you shaking, begging, gripping the sheets like you’re drowning, and he’ll still be fully clothed, sleeves rolled up, watch ticking on his wrist.

he praises you like it’s a prayer. “good girl. just like that.” “you’re being so patient for me.” “look at you. you’re so gorgeous when you fall apart.”

and when he finally fucks you, it’s deep and slow and ruthless in its restraint. like he’s savoring every drag, every clench, every sound you make. he doesn’t just chase his own pleasure. he chases yours. insists on it. he’ll edge you until you’re crying, then kiss the tears from your cheeks and ask, softly, “do you want to cum now?” as if he hasn’t earned the right to decide for you. as if it’s still your choice.

he’ll hold your face in one hand while he pushes into you, thumb resting at your jaw. not to grip. not to control. just to feel you. to anchor you.

you’ve never been so exposed. so undone. and he never rushes. never gets sloppy. even when he’s close, even when he’s quiet and tense and thrusting just a little harder, a little deeper. he still holds your gaze. still whispers, “breathe.” “you’re okay.” “i’ve got you.”

and when it’s over, when you’re limp and dazed and boneless beneath him, he pulls you into his chest and strokes your spine like you’re something delicate. something treasured. he doesn’t gloat. doesn’t tease. he just kisses your forehead and says, “you needed that.” like he planned it. like he’s known for days.

you thought you knew him. but the truth is, nanami’s the kind of man who thanks you after eating you out for half an hour, who ruins you with his hands and then helps you into the shower. he’ll say “may i?” like he’s asking permission to wreck your entire evening. and when you say yes, he will. completely. beautifully. quietly.a freak. but always polite. always in control. always him.

[trberman]

Doctrine and Covenants 3:1–22 | Trusting God’s Wisdom for Personal Revelation and Faith

When Joseph Smith lost the 116 pages of the Book of Mormon manuscript, it wasn’t just a personal failure—it was a turning point. Doctrine and Covenants 3:1–22 reveals how God responded with both rebuke and reassurance, teaching that His work cannot be stopped by human mistakes. These verses are a reminder that trusting God’s wisdom, even in moments of failure, brings unexpected strength and…

[mindfulldsliving]

Understanding the Restoration of the Fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Access following Resources for personal study: Come Follow Me: Doctrine and Covenants 2025 – December 30 – January 5, 2025 Doctrine and Covenants Online Be sure to download the PDF that is at the end of this article for personal study and resource for this week’s Come Follow Me What does it mean to live in a world where the heavens are open, and truth is restored? For Latter-day Saints, the…

[subhashdagar123]

[xmo-rmon]

“Inseminary”

or “Lockpick to the Priesthood” or “Come Unto Me” or “Pearl Necklace of Great Price” or “Faith is Like a Little Seed”

Authentic stolen holy text, Near Clear silicone, gold pigment.

I went to the mormon church’s website, looked up their views on homosexuality, noted the scriptures they referenced, ripped them by hand out of the bible and book of mormon I stole from their chapel, and then mixed them into a silicone dildo of my own design like confetti. A dildo which will of course be used for homosexual purposes (with non-lubricated condoms and water based lube, for safety).

I’ve wanted to try dildo making for literally over a decade. I don’t have any fancy equipment like a 3D printer or a vacuum chamber, I made the sculpt by hand, and I fucked up a lot along the way, but all that being said I’m proud of what I was able to accomplish and I learned a lot. I put in more gold than I meant to, but honestly, it was meant to represent scripture’s gilded edges, and as it turned out, it looks really beautiful or quite filthy depending on the lighting, which feels entirely appropriate for scripture.

It was hard to read all of those verses. But as I tore them up I bathed them in the intention to take words that were meant to inflict queer pain wherever they go, and say “Actually, I pull those words out when I want some queer pleasure.” Build joy where they want you to have it the least.

Read about/donate to the Timpanogos tribe, for whom brigham young sent out an “extermination order”

LandBack

[sugarcherris]

Headcanon: Ghost Watches You Sleep (But It’s… not in a cute way)

Gn reader x ghost, ghost is a creep…but what’s new? Suggestive themes. 18+ mdni. You threatened to lick Simon’s eyeballs. You’re just so done with him.

You’ve gotten used to a lot of things in this relationship.

The tactical gear dumped at the foot of the bed like a body.

The skull balaclava dangling from the coat rack like a cursed relic.

The knives tucked beneath your shared pillows like bedtime buddies.So many knives. Tucked in your underwear drawer, one time in the freezer for reasons you’ll never ask.

But what you haven’t—cannot—adjust to… is waking up to the deranged, soul-penetrating gaze of one Simon “Ghost” Riley.

He doesn’t sleep when you’re around.

Not because you snore.

Not because you sprawl.

(Though you’ve absolutely elbowed him in the chest and groin, and once, mid-dream, dug two fingers so deep into his nostrils he gagged.)

No—he doesn’t sleep because he’s watching you.

Studying you.

Memorizing every twitch of your eyelid like it’s scripture.

Like full-on, creepy Victorian ghost-in-the-corner style.

You’ll be deep asleep, drooling slightly into the pillow, limbs tangled in the blanket like a noodle in a colander, and this man is just hovering.

Perched—elbows on his knees, hands together, forehead slightly tilted down, dead silent, just drilling holes into your face. He’s doesn’t breathe. Possibly not even alive. He looks like a victorian ghost who learned about love from taxidermy.

He just squatting there.

Besides your bed.

Like a gargoyle.

Mask still on.

Half-dressed.

His eyes are unblinking under that damn skull balaclava. Eyes locked on your sleeping face like he’s decoding the coordinates of your dreams. Like if he stares long enough, he’ll enter your dreams.

Join you in them. Colonize them.

It’s the third time this week.

You stir awake from your dreams of jellybeans and explosions, but you feel something in your spine first—the primal sixth sense. The “there’s a large man-shaped entity breathing in sync with your REM cycle” kind of dread.

Your eyes cracking open to find… yep.

And there he is.

Staring.

Lovingly?

Motionless.

British.

You blink. He doesn’t.

You blink again. Still no reaction.

“…Hi,” you whisper, voice croaky. Trying to register if this was another dream, or a sleep paralysis demon.

He nods solemnly like he’s been expecting you to wake and holds steady eye contact.

“You muttered something about cheese. I was intrigued.”

You groan. Slide towards him.

In a dramatic act of love and exasperation. You cup his masked face and smoosh a loud kiss right where his stupid cold nose should be. Mwah.

“Go sleep, you’re scaring off the spirits.”

“Wanted to make sure you weren’t kidnapped in your sleep.”

You blink. “By who? Bed bugs?”

He shrugs. “Could be sleeper agents.”

“You are the sleeper agent and possibly the cause of my kidnapping.”

Then, like a fed-up grandparent tucking in an unruly toddler, you reach up. And manually push his heavy, stubborn eyelids closed with 2 of your fingers like you’re powering down a weird haunted animatronic possess by an eldritch demon from Manchester.

“There. Did you know normal people usually do this when it’s bedtime?”

…

POP. Open again. No hesitation.

You pause. Try again. Shut those brown eyes like elevator doors.

He lets you close them this time. You start to relax—

POP.

His eye widening as if to mock you.

“…I swear to God,” you mutter, grabbing a pillow and hurling it at his head. It hits him with a dull thud, and he doesn’t even flinch.

“Keep it up, Riley,” you threaten, voice dry, “and I’m gonna lick your eyeballs. Unmask you and tongue your corneas. One by one. Slow. Wet. ”

You expect horror. Maybe act offended.

Instead—

He beams.

“Fffuckin’ hell.”

His hand twitches toward his crotch.

This sick bastard lighting up. Like you just proposed. Like you just whispered the filthiest fantasy known to man. His shoulders tensing. You can feel the arousal radiating off him like a dirty microwave.

You’ve never seen someone perk up at the threat of eyeball licking.

“…How thorough we talkin’?” he purrs under his mask, voice rough, low, and so horribly interested it should be illegal.

“What—”

“Go on then,” he murmurs, voice wrecked. “Do it. Lick ‘em. Left one’s sensitive. Right one’s for dessert.”

“You’re disgusting,” you hiss.

He leans in closer—breath hitching, a raw, frayed rasp sliding from behind the mask, voice barely human.

“Use tongue,” he breathes, soft . “Nice n’ slow.”

You throw another pillow at him so hard it knocks the lamp off the table.

He doesn’t even flinch.

Pupils blown wide.

Cock likely leaking beneath his jeans. Probably been hard since the moment you stirred awake.

He is pervertedly euphoric

This man has no boundaries. None. You threaten ocular assault and he’s ready to write his will and hand you the deed to his soul.

He calls it “foreplay.”

You call it “psychological warfare.”

Eventually you flop back onto the mattress, defeated. Curling up tight. Trying to sleep again, knowing full well he’s still staring.

Plotting.

Daydreaming.

Probably imagining if your eyeballs would taste like strawberries…

…or sin.

You shut your eyes tight just in case he decides to lick first.