#The Confused Christian

[paularoseauthor]

The Confused Christian.

John 16 All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell…

[ttsuxx]

Raf Simons 'Riot Riot Riot' Autumn/Winter 2001 Bomber In Another Magazine

Another Magazine Premiere Issue Autumn/Winter 2001

The Collections: Celebrate This Season In Sartorial Style

Featuring Raf Simons and Balenciaga

Photography by Phil Poynter

[notaplaceofhonour]

I was raised in the People of Destiny cult (later renamed, and more well-known as, Sovereign Grace Ministries, now Sovereign Grace Churches).

The valorization of martyrdom and The End Times was so ubiquitous it was ambient noise. We stood in the church lobby theorizing about who the antichrist would be, we argued about whether Jesus would rapture us all before, after, or during the Tribulation Period where Satan would be given free reign over the earth. There was a strong Christian Zionist fixation on Israel as the final battleground and capital of the coming Messianic Age. But the one thing we were all certain of was is that we were in the End Times, that we were not of this world and couldn’t get too attached to our lives here.

We were raised to believe our sin nature made us undeserving of life, that we deserved death and eternal conscious torture.

My parents read us the Jesus Freaks books (a series by Christian Rap group DC Talk about martyrs). I spent “devotional time” reading Fox’s Book of Martyrs. We had guest speakers from Voice of the Martyrs, their pamphlets were often stocked in our church’s information center. We grew up with our dad listening to right wing talk radio and making us listen to songs about how the Godless atheists were outlawing Christianity in America, that we could all become martyrs soon.

The group’s theology was damaging & traumatic in a lot of other ways that contributed to the suicidality I have continued to struggle with for the rest of my life. For a long time I did not believe I would live past 20. There are times when the idea of giving my death meaning by using public suicide to make a political statement has appealed to me.

So now, seeing so many social media posts glorifying the suicide of a US Airman this week, I have been furious. Reading his social media posts, I recognize so much about the way I was raised in his all-or-nothing, black-or-white mindset, the valorization of death-seeking & martyrdom, and the apocalyptic fire-and-brimstone imagery of self-immolation. The moment I saw people I followed celebrating his self-immolation, I said to myself “this feels like a cult”

So when I learned he was raised in a cult too, nothing could have made more sense to me. His political orientation may have changed, but his mindset did not—it was no less extreme or cult-like.

I’ve talked about so many of the reasons this response from the broader left scares me, including how it’s laundering that airman’s antisemitic beliefs, but I cannot think of anything that would hit me in a more personal place than this specific response to this specific situation has.

When I see the images, I think: that could have been me. That scares me, and what scares me more is that so many prominent people are overwhelmingly sending the message to people like me that there is nothing else we can do that would have a more meaningful impact than killing ourselves for the cause.

I do not believe that. I will not even entertain it. And having to see his death over and over and over again, to argue against people who are treating this like an intellectual/moral exercise or a valid debate we all have to consider has been immensely triggering and fills me with a rage I rarely feel. It’s unconscionable that we are even putting self-harm on the table, and that pushing back against that is somehow controversial.

There is hope. Our lives do have meaning. There are far more effective means of fighting injustice. And the world is a better place for having you in it. Don’t fall into believing this is a way to give life purpose.

[moghedien]

I feel so bad for all the christians that think the olympics opening ceremony was anti-christian. wait until they learn that the olympics is a pagan religious festival that honors gods older than their religion by thousands of years

[ranminfan]

His name is Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone or St. Francis of Assisi.

I didn't knew he was named "Francis" by his father, who he did not have the best relationship with. Despite that, he rose above it and responded charitably.

[bebemoon]

look for the name: CAMILLA

selkie "the raven duchess" sugarfrill dress w/ three-tiered ruffled skirt and lace trim detail

jean paul gaultier black leg warmer stockings, a/w 2oo2

nocturnalgardenhca (on etsy) "tulip" black lace and mesh beaded headdress

a. jacobi baltimore sterling repousse chatelaine purse, c. 188o

christian dior "origine" crinkled leather heeled ankle boot in black

[saturnerens]

WHY THE FUCK IS CHRISTIAN BORLE IN TAMMY FAYE IS THIS A JOKE

[girlinthetardis04]

Being in multiple fandoms where the characters are based off biblical figures is so funny.

Like

These are all the same person

[cevansbrat0007]

Would you say growing pains Andy is dark or is he more Grey? I LOVEEEE HIM

If I had to choose, I'd have to say that Andrew Barber is gray. Afterall, his world is all about navigating through shades of gray. While he doesn't necessarily believe in doing everything by the book, he does like rules.

Especially his own.

Andy craves order. He needs discipline. And, most of all, he desires your submission.

He doesn't make friends easily because he doesn't always play well with others. But once that man lets you in, the moment he deems you worthy of belonging in his circle, he is loyal to a fault.

Andrew thought his life was over until he met you. He'd lost everything - his son, his ex-wife, his only shot at happiness. But then he saw you from across the bar, laughing with your friend. For a moment he was convinced that you were too beautiful to be real.

He knew right then that you were going to be his - that he would be willing to do anything to keep you. To hold on to the woman who single-handedly brought color back into his life.

Which also means that he can occasionally be a little...overprotective. He's also got a quick temper, which rounds out his jealous and territorial streak rather well.

But at the end of the day, he loves you - the one woman who colors his entire goddamned world.

[the-real-google]

WHAT DOES TUMBLR THINK I'VE DONE

ACTUALLY NO BETTER QUESTION DOES THIS AD THINK SEX IS A SIN OR NOT

[your-fave-is-christian]

This blog is pretty self explanatory, there are plenty of blogs like this, but I did want to clarify a few things:

Yes, we are unironically Christian. This isn't a joke blog mocking Christians or Christianity, since a few people have been confused about if we're serious or not.

It's also not claiming that all of the characters sent in are canonically Christian. They can be, but they don't have to be! Canonically Christian characters are perfectly welcome, but otherwise it's for Christian character headcanons. Send in characters who you feel like are Christian-coded!

Submission guidelines:

Fictional characters, not real people.

One character per ask, preferably. Sometimes a few from the same fandom make sense to go together, and that's fine on occasion, but ideally do one at a time.

One fandom per ask. If you're going to send multiple characters, they should at least be from the same fandom!

Please specify character names!! Sometimes people ask "characters from" or "main characters from" or something along that variety, and I don't know who they mean. I don't want to miss a character someone wants to see because of this. It's probably safest to assume I don't know the media you're talking about and which characters you're referring to!

You can send as many characters as you want! :)

Tagging system:

#your fave is christian - character posts

#ask - asks that are not character posts

#mod post - for original posts we may make about the blog or updates, not characters or asks

[ttsuxx]

CP Company Full-Zip Hoodie 2000

Advertisements in I-D The Drenched Issue March 2000

[painfullyprickedandticked]

question for the VoxVal enthusiasts: where the fuck did the German/Austrian Vox headcanon come from and why did 90% of us all agree on it

[leqclerc]

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Drive to Survive S05E03 “Matter of Principal”: a summary

[asphyxiatedredherring]

Ok, so the Stone triplets, I have a lot to say.

Jacob Stone was raised by their biological father Isaac Stone. Stone being all of their original last names (I'll get to the name changes later). I think their biological mom died which is what caused the separation of the brothers. I'd say this happened at an age in which they remember their mom and growing up together, but still young enough to have spent some of their childhood apart. Isaac Stone is known to be an alcoholic and deadbeat, I'd also argue abusive so he separated the twins, keeping only Jacob, the most agreeable of the three who he thinks he can make carry on the family business.

Alex was taken in by his uncle Danny as stated in s1e7. Danny says his folks couldn't take care of him anymore and left Alex with him. Alex was subsequently raised in a life of crime, lying, cheating, and stealing. I think Danny is their mom's brother and Isaac dumped Alex off onto him and Alex changed his last name to Walker to match Uncle Danny's.

Although Eliot says he was dropped at a hopital as a baby and then adopted by Billy, I think this is a lie and Eliot came to them when he was older after the death of his biological mother. I believe the Spencer's found Eliot in the hospital in Oklahoma, where both the Stones and Billy lived and took him in from there. Eliot then changed his name to his adoptive parents. We can assume the house in Oklahoma City that Eliot visits and doesn't get an answer at in The Low Low Price Job is Billy's. In The Bucket Job, Eliot has a contact in his phone labeled Dad (Billy) and "J." He is shown to text J so it can be assumed that Eliot and Jacob have had a little bit of contact, but Eliot says that he hasn't had contact with his Dad since he was 18. Now we don't actually know that Spencer is Billy's last name. It could be an alias Eliot used after leaving the military and becomes a little less than legal in his activities. Billy's last name could be Carson (Eliot is seen wearing a Carson Hardware shirt, and we know Billy had a hardware store). This could make Eliot's legal last name Carson.

(Sorry, there is a lot more)

When Eliot was 18, he enlisted in the military and left. I think this is what stopped the contact between him and Jacob, and contact between Alex and the other two decreased and eventually stopped as Alex was with Uncle Danny.

In the Miracle Job Eliot mentions having a nephew. This could imply another sibling whither biological or adoptive, or that Evelyn Walker is trans and Eliot didn't know.

Eliot goes through his time in the military, then as a hitter and retrieval expert, his time with Moreau, and then eventually with Leverage. Alex gets married and has a daughter, becomes a well known DEA agent and eventually divorced and ends up in the Philippines. Alex works for Isaac Stone for a bit while amassing secret degrees eventually leaving the family business under the guise of working a similar job somewhere else when he is working for The Library.

Eliot hears about Alex's DEA fame through the crime grapevine and Alex catches wind of the notorious Eliot Spencer whom he suspects is his brother but can't seem to ever find enough information on to confirm. They however do not have contact. Eliot finds out about Jacob working for the Metropolitan Library as an art historian after Jacob gains the confidence to publish under his own name through Sophie who admires his work and would love to con him. This prompts the first contact since they were 18 from Eliot (with the help of Hardison's computer skills but Eliot asked Hardison not to ask questions). Eliot also establishes Jacob off limits as a mark for Sophie with no context.

Eve Baird knows about DEA legend Alex Walker. As previously mentioned, Sophie knows about Jacob Stone as an art historian. Sophie and Maggie die and pester Eliot once they find out he knows thee Jacob Stone, Dr Oliver Thompson, and all the other aliases Jacob has published under. Read more in another wonderful Stone Triplets post here.

Now, there are options about how this reconnection could go. A combo of a con and clippings book quest in the Philippines leading to Alex. Or a vacation in Portland for our Filipino friends where they and the LITs end up in the Portland brew pub (since that's where the annex is). Or they finally decide to reach out to each other.

I'm team Eliot decides he wants to reach out, especially after reconnecting with Billy and texting a bit with Jacob. So they all meet in a neutral location. Obviously, they bring their found families with them. And oh dear, it's Bisexual Disaster Polycule³. Kai and Ernesto are terrified to find out there are two more Alex's but they are actually cool, they are however trying to actively ignore the not quite legal business Alex's gruff looking brother Eliot seems to have going on. They've heard stories about The Eliot Spencer, but Alex trusts him, so they will too. Mostly. Ezekiel can not believe he is meeting THE Parker. And it's stealing for a good cause! He wants to work with Leverage immediately. Cassandra is so excited to meet Jacob's family (especially since meeting Isaac didn't go very well). She and Hardison are stoked to pick each other's brains. Jacob assures Eve that it's ok to tell his brothers the truth. Parker, Breanna, and Hardison both die a little upon finding out about the existence of magic. They all three have a billion and one questions and Breanna practically begs for an apprenticeship under Jenkins, wanting to learn more about the back door and his other inventions. (Jenkins decided best not to share his true identity for avoidance of the endless questions bound to erupt). The Filipino trio try not to think too hard about the magic stuff. Jacob is lightly concerned about the art theft, but he Sophie and Maggie immediately set up a brunch. Jacob and Ernesto talk martial arts, and Eliot compliments both of their styles. Alex and Parker talk about being raised in crime. Alex is amazed that he's the one who was raised in lying and stealing, but it's the other two brothers who do that now. Jacob is very offended and insists he is not a thief and that retrieving dangerous artifacts is not theft. When they part ways and Alex goes back to his gift shop, he is surprised to find out from Corey that rent has been paid for several months in advance. Also, upon meeting, it was noted of the stark similarity between Harry and Flynn only to find out that Flynn is Harry's estranged, eccentric cousin. What a small world.

They chat, they catch up on eachothers lives, and they agree to keep in touch. For real this time. They plan to spend holidays together, combining the three found families into a chaotic but loving mess.

It should also be noted that I haven't seen Angel yet, but Lindsay is a cousin. They also have a weird cousin from Texas named Lee Webb. Back to when I mentioned that we don't know that Spender is Billy's last name. Eliot could have taken inspiration from a family member with the last name Spencer. (It could be his mom if she and her brother Danny Walker have different last names or another family member). Thereby connecting Shawn Spencer to be a cousin. The thought of him at a family reunion with Eliot, Jacob, and Alex is too funny to ignore. Especially when you remember Parker's thing about psychics and how much Sophie would absolutely adore the long con game on the SBPD.

[christian-culture-is]

Christian culture is knowing if it’s a monkey or a ape

if it doesn’t have a tail it’s not a monkey even if it has a monkey kind of shape if it doesn’t have a tail it’s not a monkey it’s an ape — a wise cucumber