#christian substance abuse treatment for men

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Madison Pauly and Henry Carnell at Mother Jones:

The conversion therapists met last November at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip. Behind the closed doors and drawn blinds of a Hampton Inn conference room, a middle-aged woman wearing white stockings and a Virgin Mary blue dress issued a call to arms to the 20-some people in attendance. “In our current culture, in which children are being indoctrinated with transgender belief from the moment they’re out of the womb, if we are confronted with a gender-confused child, you must help,” declared Michelle Cretella, a board member of the Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity. “We must do something.” Cretella was delivering a keynote speech at the first in-person conference in four years of the Alliance, which describes itself as a “professional and scientific organization” with “Judeo-Christian values.” Its purpose: to defend and promote the practice of conversion therapy by licensed counselors.

Not that they’d call what they do “conversion therapy.” That term lacks a precise definition, but it is used colloquially to describe attempts to shift a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. In the 1960s, some psychologists tried to make gay men straight by pairing aversive stimuli, like electric shocks or chemically induced nausea, with images of gay porn—techniques that ran the risk of causing serious psychological damage even as they failed to change participants’ sexual orientation, researchers eventually concluded. Today, “conversion therapy” generally takes the form of verbal counseling. Participants are typically conservative Christians who engage voluntarily—motivated by internalized stigma, family pressure, and the belief that their feelings are incompatible with their faith. Others are children, brought into therapy by their parents.

The American Psychological Association (APA) has concluded that conversion therapy lacks “sufficient bases in scientific principles” and that people who have undergone it are “significantly more likely to experience suicidality and depression.” Similarly, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), part of the Department of Health and Human Services, published a report concluding that “none of the existing research supports the premise that mental or behavioral health interventions can alter gender identity or sexual orientation. Interventions aimed at a fixed outcome, such as gender conformity or heterosexual orientation…are coercive, can be harmful, and should not be part of behavioral health treatment.”

Accordingly, the Alliance and the ideas it promotes have been relegated to the scientific and political fringes. In the 2010s, as acceptance of gay rights grew rapidly, 18 states and dozens of local governments passed laws forbidding mental health professionals from attempting conversion therapy on minors. Yet by 2020, a new front had opened in the war against LGBTQ people. Republican state legislatures started passing laws targeting transgender and nonbinary children at school—restricting their access to bathrooms, barring them from participating in sports, and stopping educators from teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity. The most intense attacks have banned doctors from providing the treatments for gender dysphoria backed by all major US medical associations. Nearly 114,000 trans youth live in states where access to puberty blockers and hormone therapy has been wiped out.

Last year, I received leaked emails illustrating how these laws are crafted and pushed by a network of anti-trans activists and powerful Christian-right organizations. The Alliance is deeply enmeshed in this constellation of actors. Although small, with an annual budget of under $200,000, it provides both unsubstantiated arguments suggesting LGBTQ identities are changeable and a network of licensed counselors to lend their credibility to these efforts. Among the collaborators were David Pickup, the Alliance’s president-elect; Laura Haynes, an Alliance advocate; and Cretella, the former executive director of an anti-trans pediatrics group who described gender-affirming medical care at the Las Vegas conference as “evil” and part of a “New World Order.” (“I’m not a conspiracy theorist,” she assured attendees. “I’m just someone who has been in the battle of the culture of life versus the culture of death long enough to see the big picture.”) All three have testified before state legislatures against gender-affirming care. When a US senator introduced a pair of bills to restrict trans youth health care in 2021, his press release quoted Cretella calling gender-affirming treatments “eugenics.”

[...]

If the Las Vegas conference made one thing clear, it’s that conversion therapy is alive and well, even in places where it’s been banned. One counselor told me he makes it a habit not to document his treatment plans in writing to avoid getting in trouble and simply treats “family dynamics” in states with conversion therapy bans. In a 2015 survey of more than 27,000 trans adults, nearly 1 in 7 said that a professional, such as a therapist, doctor, or religious adviser, had tried to make them not transgender; about half of respondents said they were minors at the time. By applying this rate to population estimates, the Williams Institute at UCLA projects that more than 135,000 trans adults nationwide have experienced some form of conversion therapy.

Despite the data, lawmakers frequently don’t believe that conversion therapy is still happening in their community, says Casey Pick, director of law and policy at the Trevor Project, the LGBTQ suicide prevention group. “We’re constantly running up against this misconception that this is an artifact of the past,” she says. So, five years ago, the Trevor Project began scouring psychologists’ websites and books, records of public testimony, and known conversion therapy referral services, looking for counselors who said they could alter someone’s gender identity or sexual orientation. As the research stretched on, Pick noticed webpages being revised to reflect changing times. “We saw many folks who seemed to leave the industry entirely,” she says. “But others changed their website, changed their keywords, [from] talking about creating ex-gays to talking about ex-trans.” Last December, Pick’s team published their report documenting active conversion therapists. They found more than 600 were licensed health care professionals and an additional 716 were clergy, lay ministers, or other unlicensed religious counselors.

According to Pick, some conversion therapists have embraced a new label for what they do: “gender exploratory therapy.” It’s a term that Cretella used to describe the approach she recommended, and unlike the other euphemisms thrown around at the conference, this has gained traction. In 2021, a group of therapists, who ranged from conflicted about medical interventions for kids with gender dysphoria to skeptical of the very concept of transgender identity, formed the Gender Exploratory Therapy Association (GETA) to promote an approach they characterize as neither conversion nor affirmation.

Some current and former leaders of the group, which claims a membership of 300 mental health providers, have been involved in influential organizations lobbying against gender-affirming care across the world, such as the Ireland-based Genspect and the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine, a nonprofit registered in Idaho. They’ve notched some big wins: In November 2023, the UK Council for Psychotherapy—the nation’s top professional association—declared that it was fine for counselors to take GETA’s “exploratory” approach to gender. This April, a long-awaited review of gender-related care for youth in England’s National Health Service endorsed exploratory therapy, according to Alex Keuroghlian, an associate psychiatry professor at Harvard Medical School. And in the United States, in cases in which families of trans children have sued states for banning gender-affirming care, the state often calls expert witnesses who endorse “exploratory” psychotherapy as their preferred alternative treatment.

After all, the idea of “exploring” one’s gender identity sounds benign. The World Professional Association for Transgender Health, which issues guidelines on gender-­affirming treatment, recommends that clinicians working with teens “facilitate the exploration and expression of gender openly and respectfully so that no one particular identity is favored.” Yet, as with mindfulness, “that term has now been hijacked by folks on the other side,” says Judith Glassgold, a clinical psychologist who chaired the APA task force that in 2009 documented the lack of science behind conversion therapy.

GETA’s guidelines instruct therapists to dig deep into “the entire landscape of the young person’s life and subjective experience,” probing all possible reasons they might identify as transgender. The catch, says Glassgold, is that “exploration” means “trying to find negative reasons why someone’s diverse.” Last year, SAMHSA issued a report saying that “approaches that discourage youth from identifying as transgender or gender-diverse, and/or from expressing their gender identity” are sometimes “misleadingly referred to as ‘exploratory therapy.’” These approaches are “harmful and never appropriate,” the report concluded.

Mother Jones has a detailed report on a new form of the medically discredited practice known as conversion therapy called gender exploratory therapy. Gender exploratory therapy is the practice of making a person revert to their gender assigned at birth, which is essentially forced detransition by another name.

Read the full story at Mother Jones.

[trustparking]

Gpass philadelphia pa

Gpass philadelphia pa free#

Provides GED testing two Saturdays a month. Provides computer classes, career trainings, job readiness workshops, life skills workshops, GED classes, adult basic literacy classes. Provides job training, education and related programs and services to help people get the skills and experience necessary to get a job. Provides GED/ABE prep classes and ESL classes. Oxford Circle Christian Community Development Association Provides cost-effective classes to prepare for the GED test.

Gpass philadelphia pa free#

Offers free internet access, computer classes, and workforce development. The education and workforce services division provides ESL, GED and work readiness components. Provides a free, intensive program designed for adults who need to work and are not sure what kind of job or training they need. Offers a wide range of literacy services, including reading, writing, math, life, technology and work skills. Offers comprehensive outpatient drug and alcohol program for men and women. Provides an atmosphere of hope, striving to help all members in their personal ongoing recovery. SouthWest Nu-Stop Recovery and Education Center (SWNSREC) Offers recovery houses for men and women no insurance necessary.Ī drug and alcohol treatment facility for male, 17 years or older. Offers outpatient and intensive outpatient services for persons 18 years of age and older with an alcohol or other drug abuse/dependence problem.Ī network of 136 agencies providing a wide range of services. PeerNet – The Mental Health Association of Southeastern PennsylvaniaĪ peer to peer support program for adults in Philadelphia with Behavioral Health challenges or both Behavioral health and Drug/Alcohol challenges. In-Patient Drug and Alcohol Community Corrections. Provides a spectrum of both addiction services and acute major psychiatric and dual-diagnosis disorders. Provides intensive substance abuse treatment program, which is a 12-week long program, and Narcotic Addiction Rehabilitation Program (NARP). Jefferson University Hospital: Substance Abuse Programs Provides a continuum of comprehensive services to women with substance abuse and mental related issues. Offers a variety of services, including residential programs for men and women with substance abuse problems, counseling, outpatient treatment, case management and programs for persons with mental health problems. Provides general outpatient, intensive outpatient treatment, and medication assisted treatment on substance abuse and addiction. Greater Philadelphia Asian Social Service Center (GPASS) Helps people affected by chemical dependency, mental illness and related conditions to achieve a better quality of life. The largest freestanding behavioral health hospital in southeastern Pennsylvania. Has an in-patient detox and rehab program for men and women. Provides treatment for addiction, eating disorders, mental & behavioral health and co-occurring disorders. Provides substance abuse treatment services and dual diagnosis addiction treatment. Offers personal solutions and supports to adults seeking medication-assisted treatment for opiate abuse. Achievement through Counseling and Treatment (ACT)

[counselorsandtherapists]

christian drug rehab centers for boys: Get yourself a rehab session when an addiction dominates you

Addiction is no more an unheard jargon:

With a number of stress-evolving issues going all around along with the tough pandemic today, a lot of people are knowingly choosing some sort of harmful habits thinking it will end their tension one day. Despite a lot of campaigning, awareness programs on addiction recovery, in some corners of the society you will see addiction growing with no trace of ending. Now that is the point, where our substance abuse treatment Florida comes into action.

Any habit that goes beyond the limit becomes an addiction and addiction is nowhere a healthy activity for a person, So, we better work on eradicating those habits instead of justifying its timely effect on our lives. As addictions like alcohol, drugs, some terrible injections biologically react with human brain cells and give an instant happy feeling, so many people feel that addiction is the best way to achieve happiness in life.

It is amazing, when we know what triggers you for addiction:

Knowing about the reasons promoting an addiction is very much essential as with this we get some idea what to add in the rehabilitation program. As addiction is not a social disease hampering one particular gender of the society, it is better we have an overall knowledge on the reasons behind an addiction so that we can help ourselves as well as someone dearer to us. So the reasons could be:

Many people start a habit with no aim of making it an addiction, but over time it becomes an addiction. So, substance abuse addiction rehab Florida says it never takes a lot of time for a habit to transform into addiction, especially in cases of consuming abusive substances.  So, make sure, you watch yourself if your habit is becoming an addiction. Dealing with mental illness, some people get addicted with drug-composed opioids. Though those are doctors prescribed, because of the instant state of relaxation they become the subject addiction and the person becomes bound to take those medicines thinking it is healthy. Family surrounding matters a lot for a person, especially for growing teens. When they see family members being indulged in some sort of detrimental addiction, they get the courage to opt for addictions with no guilt. In such cases, the generation gets affected and it continues for the next generation too. To root out this addiction, we suggest addicts go for inpatient rehab Florida, where we give personal and very focussed attention to our inhabitants with a pleasing surrounding.

There are many other reasons tripping addiction among young adults and teens but the above ones are quite popular ones to know for everyone who wants to help themselves as well as their loved ones.

At American Rehab Centers, we are a team of expert healers at drug treatment Florida, who use experiences to help the inhabitants to inculcate healthy coping mechanisms, a meaningful life and an example-worthy lifestyle. With this we assist addicts to get real happiness in their lives. Call us to learn more about our rehab sessions! For more details Visit us @ https://americanrehabcenters.com/

[sixofpomegranates]

Rain in California - Act 1 - California

🥀Mini Series “Rain in California” Act 1 - Part 1 - California🥀

✨My Main Masterlist✨ | 18+ | AO3 | Wattpad

🥀Soundtrack🥀 | ✨Aestethic Trailer✨ |  🥀Masterlist🥀 | Words: 9.4k

A/N: The music used in this story is not owned by me (obviously) & I used it in the same style that 'Rock of ages' and 'Mamma Mia' used songs. I gave them a different meaning and context. The meaning and context are NOT representing the one that the ORIGINAL ARTIST had.

TW: ANGST, mention of loss/death/addiction/sobriety/murder, suicidal thoughts/tendencies, depression, addiction, substance abuse, drugs, alcohol, ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP, stalking, death by overdose, mentions of OD, passive aggressiveness, arguing,

Songs in this Chapter: La di die – Nessa Berrett Going to Hell | My Medicine | Heaven Knows – The Pretty Reckless

“Spence?”

 Spencer looked up from his book.

Oh, so now he was allowed to talk with them about the case.

Since the briefing they hadn’t talked to him about anything. Spencer had to beg them, to let him work on this case.

He had really felt left out and why?

Because the stalking victim was a famous Rockstar with addiction issues. Spencer was hurt about his team not wanting him to be on the case because of this. Yes, he had struggled with addiction in the past, but he had been clean for over ten years now.

Was this unfair treatment…this distrust in his sobriety, ever going to stop?

It wasn’t like they had cared much about it when Emily had faked her death or when Maeve died, but this, for them, looked like a too high risk? Because there was a pretty girl involved?

He tried his best not to sound passive aggressive when responding.

 “Yeah, JJ?”, with success.

“I asked if everything´s okay.”

“Sure. Why should anything be wrong?”, the blonde shrugged a little, an apologetic look on her face.

“Well the case-“ “It´s just a stalking case. Nothing we haven’t already seen. I actually wonder why we even need to come. The stalker isn’t aggressive and hasn´t hurt anybody. Right now he´s just importunate. The police should be able to catch this unsub themselves.”, he had accidently let a little of his passive aggressiveness slip and Emily, who was sitting next to JJ, looked at him.

“The record label convinced the police to contact us. They seem worried about their artist.”

“From what I know…this girl can take care of herself.”, Luke snickered, earning himself a ‘Come on, really?’-look from Emily. “Sorry, but have you seen or listened to her music? She could probably beat Reid in a fist fight.”

“Just because she´s making rock music, doesn’t mean she´s tough. But we should talk a little about the case, Reid if you ever feel unco-“, he quickly interrupted her with a snappy tone.

“Why, because she´s an addict? I don’t care about that.”, Emily lifted her hands in a calming manner.

“Okay, jeez. Just the way you´re on edge, since the briefing, doesn’t look like you are okay.”, Spencer took a deep breath, trying to talk calmer this time, now almost pleading in tone.

“I-I know. But I´m clean since was twenty-six. I never touched anything again and I don’t feel the need to. I even regulate my alcohol intake, never drinking more than a beer, maybe two glasses of whiskey. Which means, that statistically all of you are at a higher risk, of becoming addicted, during this case, then I am. You guys need to trust me.”, the dark haired woman sighed and nodded.

“You´re right. I´m- We´re just worried. You´re our friend, Spencer.”, she handed him a file. “Just promise me you talk to one of us, if something changes.”

 He nodded opening the file. A picture of [y/n] looked at him. Dark heavy make-up, dark clothing and jet black hair with colorful streaks.

His younger self would´ve been as attracted as terrified of her.

He flipped through the pages. [y/n] [y/l/n]. Twenty-six years old. Stalker since approximately two years. Nothing extremely outstanding for a stalking case…which was kinda outstanding. No letters, no calls, no pictures, no break in, no threats…sometimes she would get random, expensive present delivered to her mansion, but that was it. Given that she was famous, this presents did not even have to be from a stalker.

 “Are we sure there´s even is a stalker?”, Spencer frowned at his own question, Emily shrugged as a response.

“According to the manager, Philip Schuyler, since the first time she played his concerns down, he gets these calls of a man asking for [y/n] and how she is doing. The label didn’t take it serious after he told them, but then the unsub stole the last finished album from [y/n]´s band ‘Shot Monarch’, before it could get released and distributed, also erasing every digitally existing copy. He then called the manager and send the owner of the record label a letter; typed on a computer, no fingerprints; stating that he wanted to be taken serious. Later [y/n] got the USB, containing all her songs, with a dozen white lilies, her favorite, back per mail with an apology letter; stating that she had done nothing wrong and didn’t need to worry, since he could never harm her or her carrier. That´s when the label pushed the police to contact us.”

“Because they are worried about the music…not the woman.”, JJ sighed, shaking her head.

“Well, that´s the industry. At least her manager is worried. Police states that he got himself a gun license after that and tries to be everywhere [y/n] is.”, Luke added.

“Something about that is off.”, Spencer whispered, rubbing his stubbles, before looking at JJ, Emily and Luke again. “There is nothing that indicates a stalker, but every time somebody doubts his existence, he does something noticeable. I know she is famous and that comes with the stigma of having crazed fans as stalkers, but most stalking in general is committed by someone known to the victim, such as an ex-partner or acquaintance. We should check that out.”, JJ nodded.

“It would also be smart if one of us stays by her site.”, Luke quickly raised his hand.

“I volunteer. I- Like- Really! If necessary I´ll sleep in the SUV.”, Emily raised an eyebrow.

“Can it be that you´re a fan? I heard you and Penelope freak out a little over the case earlier.”, a shy smirk appeared on his lips.

“‘Shot Monarch’ has really good music. Since my road trip a year ago, I love their stuff. Penelope actually tol-”, Spencer interrupted him determined.

“I´ll do it.”, Emily quickly shook her head.

“Reid, no.” “Why not?”, his voice got high, making him quickly cleared his throat. “Because-“ “Because she is taking drugs. Do you trust me that little, Emily?”, Spencer snapped at her and she leaned back into her seat. Sure the others from the team were older than him, but he was in his late thirties, and yet was treated like a child.

 “Fine. If you think you can handle it, do it. But stop being so sassy, I hate that.”, Emily looked at look in defeat. “Luke tell him what you know about [y/n] and the band.”, he nodded pulling out his phone.

“Okay so, [y/n] is the lead singer of ‘Shot Monarch’. She´s from a small town in Ohio and came to LA when she was eighteen, to become a singer after going viral. They are a band since five years, the name never really got explained by them, but it has something to do with the butterfly; at least that’s a fan theory I now from Penelope. Plus it makes sense, because [y/n] has a tattoo of one on the back of her hand.”, Luke flipped through some pictures of older man, reminding Spencer of bikers and insurance agents at the same time. Like middle-aged fathers that liked rock but still had a nine-to-five job.

“Hank, the guitarist, was a lawyer before and in a cover band with his high school friends Tom, the bassist, who worked for an insurance company, and Leroy, the drummer, who was history teacher and is also married to Hank. They met [y/n] at an open mic night and even though she´s twenty-six and they are in their late forties, early fifties, they got along so well, that they became a band. That´s ‘Going to Hell’ by the way. One of the more controversial songs.”, Luke pressed play on the video and already moved the lips to the lyrics.

  “Father did you miss me,

Been locked up a while.

I got caught for what I did but took it all in style.

Laid to rest all my confessions I gave way back when.

Now I'm versed in so much worse,

So I am back again, and he said

For the lives that I take, I'm going to hell!

For the love that I make, I'm going to hell!

Gettin' heavy with the devil, you can hear the wedding bells.”

  “The guitar you´re hearing is a classic Hank. That guy knows what he´s doing.”, Luke added, seemingly in his element, reminding Spencer a lot of Garcia when she was excited.

 Spencer nodded and watched the music video, the overall theme was dark and heavy. [y/n] voice was nice, a little smoky and strong, but everything just sounded so angry. Not really his style, although he preferred older, classical music in general over the ‘normal’ things ‘normal’ people liked. [y/n] wore tightfitting latex, while the men from her band mostly just wore black jeans and shirts, sometimes leather jackets. At one time, she was surrounded by snakes, only wearing white lingerie. She was really pretty, red lipstick making her look like a biting version of Snow White. Like a princess that would rather save herself, becoming the villain along the way, before letting someone else save her.

  “Father did you miss me,

Don't ask me where I've been.

You know I know, yes, I've been told I redefine a sin.

I don't know what's driving me to put this in my head.

Maybe I wish I could die, maybe I am dead!

And he said

For the lives that I fake, I'm going to hell!

For the vows that I break, I'm going to hell!

For the ways that I hurt, when I'm hiking up my skirt.

I am sitting on a throne while they're buried in the dirt.

For the man that I hate, I'm going to hell!

Gettin' heavy with the devil, you can hear the wedding bells.”

  The lyrics and symbolistic in the video mocked parts of the Christian belief system. Such as the bite Eve had taken from the apple, showing [y/n] taking a bite from the forbitten fruit. The last supper and the crucifixion were shown with a dark twist too. This could be a hint of rebellion, to cope with religious trauma, or simply be a way to cause controversy.

“Please forgive me father,

I didn't mean to bother you.

The devil's in me father.

He's inside of everything I do.

For the lives that I take, I'm going to hell!

For the laws that I break, I'm going to hell!

For the love that I hate, I'm going to hell!

For the lies that I make, I'm going to hell!

For the way I condescend and never lend a hand.

My arrogance is making this head buried in the sand.

For the souls I forsake, I'm going to hell!

Gettin' married to the devil, you can hear the wedding bells.”

As the video ended Luke took his phone and put it back into his pocket.

“Their earlier stuff had a little more emotion to it, was about heartbreak, suffering and made you feel. This is one of the more recent ones and you can hear that it´s now mostly just stuff like sex, drugs and anger. Most people think that´s because [y/n] writes all of their music and she´s…seen better days…”, Luke sighed, trying to make it sound as polite as possible.

“Because she started taking drugs?”, Spencer raised his eyebrows, but Luke shook his head. “Oh, no. She, according to many rumors and an interview with her father, has taken drugs since she was a teen. But at this point…she just simply seems to have given up, having chosen to not go deeper with her songs anymore. I mean, they still slap. They just don’t slap your heart anymore, you know?”

“Not so nice, when your father talks to the press about your addiction. Could her father be a suspect?”, JJ asked, making Luke shrug and shake his head at the same time.

“Most likely not. He said in that interview that he wishes her the best, but doesn’t want to speak to her again.”, Emily mouthed a silent ‘ouch’, the whole talk about the rockstars private life making Spencer think.

“Maybe that´s part why she´s taking drugs? Often people use them to cope with-“, Emily interrupted him, profiling [y/n] and her substance abuse, quickly.

“Reid. We´re not going there to fix her, just the stalking situation.”, he nodded, knowing that he had a savior complex, always trying to help and save everybody.

“Exes?”, Spencer asked and Luke shook his head.

“Just one is known, Dean Lennox, singer, now married with kids. He and [y/n] were together for two years and according to him it was toxic. Like, always fighting, jealousy, distrust, fear of being left but she still didn’t want him close at the same time, lying. After their last breakup, he told a gossip magazine, he just couldn’t watch her destroy herself anymore. She never commented on it.”, JJ looked at Spencer worried.

“She seems like a handful, are you sure you can handle her alone?”, he chuckled while nodding.

“I´ve been through worse. How hard can it be to watch a twenty-six year old? When she, like Luke said, really doesn’t want anyone close, I´ll just sit on her couch and let her do her thing.”

*****

After landing in Los Angeles and checking into their hotel, the team drove to police station. There already waited a massage for them with an address. It was from the manager, he wrote that he was terribly sorry, but they needed to come to the recording studio, since the band was on a tight schedule all morning. Luke had tried his best, but Spencer could see his excitement through his tough-guy-façade. He, JJ, Luke and Emily took one of the SUV´s and drove to the address.

 The building they entered was large and with great security. Expensive, white marble flooring in the entire entrance hall. They showed their batches to the lady at the front desk and the security, she called somebody and soon a short, pudgy man, dressed in a designer suit walked out of the elevator and up to them. He smiled at them friendly and shook everyone’s hand.

 “Ah, the agents. I am so glad that you´re here. Hi. Hello. I´m Philip Schuyler, the manager of ‘Shot Monarch’.”, Emily shook his hand and pointed at the team.

“Nice to meet you. I´m unit chief SSA Prentiss, those are SSA Jareau, Alvez and that´s Dr. Spencer Reid. He will take on the job as bodyguard for Miss [y/l/n].”, the man scratched his brown hair, avoiding the bald spot on top.

“Yes, uhm, please just call her [y/n]. She really dislikes being called Miss [y/l/n]. We also already have police and security around her house, so I don’t know how important a personal bodyguard is. I really want this case solved and it would be terrible if we would hinder your work.”, Spencer lifted a finger.

“Actually, it would be better if I´m able to stay close to [y/n]. Normal police and security could probably oversee minor details about the stalker, Mr. Schuyler.”, the man waved off.

“Please, Mr. Schuyler was my father. Philip is completely fine. Everybody calls me that.”, he started walking to the elevator and the agents followed him. “Right now the band´s having a little break. After that, we need to record one more song for the ‘live in the studio’-version of their new album, that just came out. Are you familiar with their music?”, they got into the elevator and Luke already nodded.

“Yeah. Really great. Big fan.”, Emily lifted her hand, silencing Luke.

“I´m sorry. If that´s a problem we can-“, Philip laughed, interrupting her.

“Oh, no, no. [y/n] will love that. She likes meeting fans and showing off her music.”

 They got out of the elevator, walked through the little hallway and entered the large double door in front of them. There was the recording studio. A lot of technical things, Spencer didn’t know much of, and a large glass wall in front of it, showing another room.

 The recording room was large, with a black leather couch and beanbags in it and nice, warm, wooden flooring. A drum set was placed on an vintage looking, red carpet and the overall lighting was warm and inviting as well. The door to the room was open and he could hear the three men, from the band, talking and laughing inside.

 “Guys, can you come out for a bit?”, Philip asked them and they looked up, walking up to them. “Okay, uhm, guys, those are the agents from the FBI. You know? The once coming because of [y/n]´s stalker.”, the largest man, a head taller than Spencer, smiled through his long grey beard that contrasted his bald head.

“Nice to meet you then, I´m Hank. That my husband Leroy,”, they shook hands with the dark skinned, skinny man, who in contrast to his husband was cleanshaven, with short black hair and glasses, “and that´s our friend Tom.”, the chubby, white, blond waved at them friendly.

“Why would like to talk with each of you individually, later at the police station, if that is possible.”, Emily said before introducing her team again, also mentioning Spencer´s duty as bodyguard. Leroy grimaced his face.

“Uh, [y/n] will hate that. The girl does not like being babysat.” “I´m not going to babysit her.”, Spencer answered, making Leroy chuckle. “That´s not how she will see it though.”, Hank sighed and put a hand on Spencer´s shoulder.

“Our girl is going through a lot right now. So it would be nice of you, to not take everything she´s saying personally, okay?”

“Personally?”

 Spencer raised his eyebrows. He desperately hoped [y/n] wouldn’t be a bitch the entire time, since he couldn’t promise to not give her a piece of his mind, if so.

“[y/n]´s a little belligerent…Easy to get triggered and then she blows up like a bomb.”, Tom said and JJ cocked her head. “Is the stalking getting at her?”, Leroy shook his head. “Not really. But her mother died a few months ago and since then…little rough patch. She´ll get better. We all hit rock bottom once.”

“Is she going to therapy?”, Emily asked straight forward, making Tom, the chubby one chuckle. “Not since she hit the last therapist a few years ago. We paid his medical expenses and he was nice enough to not sue her. But we are here to help her, once she´s ready to let us.” “Must be exhausting, for you.”, JJ said empathetic and all the men waved off.

“Because of the drugs? No, it´s not that bad. She´ll collect herself. I have seven kids. Four of them are going through puberty right now. Phil has a toddler and Leroy and Hank have three rescue dogs and a couple of snakes. We can handle her.”, Tom laughed and the rest of the men started too.

“And that little stalker…Imma just say, I´m gonna rip him a new one, should I ever get the chance of meeting him. Counts for all of us.”, Hank added with everyone nodding in agreement.

“[y/n]´s a really nice girl and she´s been through a lot. If you´re nice to her, chances are high she´ll warm up to you and you won´t have any problems.”, Tom said to Spencer making him nod.

“And if she doesn’t?”, the tall doctor didn’t get an answer and just witnessed the rockers share a look.

 Nice girl. Drug issues not so bad. Be nice and maybe she´s nice to you. For Spencer all of that sounded like he would have to walk around on eggshells, while she would blast through walls like a wrecking ball. The manager, Philip, checked his watch and looked around.

 “So, where´s [y/n]? One more song and we´re done. Would be great not to hold up the investigation for too long.”

“She went to the toilet thirty minutes ago. We just ate our sandwiches. She said she wasn’t hungry.”, Leroy answered and at the same moment [y/n] walked in.

 Spencer looked at her and for a moment forgot how to breathe. Short, high waisted, leather skirt, low cut, tank top and biker boots, all black, rounded off with fishnet stockings.  [y/n] looked like she had climbed out of a teenagers wet dream. The perfect, little goth-girlfriend. She stretched a little and Philip looked at her.

 “Bonjour, Philly.”, she said with a sassy undertone, while walking up to him and leaning on his shoulder. He was the same high as her, which wasn’t really tall, about 5,4, if Spencer had to guess.

“Hey, where were you?”, the pudgy man asked her.

“Took a nap in my car.”, she booped his nose and gave him a sheepish little smile. Spencer knew she was high. In fact the whole room knew it.

“You drove here?”, Tom asked shocked and [y/n] grinned sarcastically.

“I guess so, else somebody explain to me why my car´s here.”, Phillip patted her shoulder, looking worried as she took four pills out of an orange pillbox from her bag. He gave her a glass of water and she swallowed them. The men from her band looked at her concerned, making her give them a pearly white smile.

“Headache.”, she explained and they only nodded. Spencer couldn’t help but think, that she wasn’t having a headache and even if she had, it was probably a withdrawal symptom.

“You know that I don’t want you to drive when you´re…”, her manager looked at the agents and stopped talking, making her look at them as well.

“What? Why´d you stop talking? That the fun police?”, she started giggling at her own joke, making the band chuckle, since she clearly didn’t know how accurate she was with her joke.

“That´s the FBI, Princess.”, Hank told her and she made a fake shocked face and then laughed again.

“Officer- No wait, agents, right? I swear I did nothing wrong. Weed´s legal in Cali.”

 The team shared some looks and Spencer couldn’t help but roll his eyes. [y/n] was not just on weed. Most definitely not just on weed.

 “They are here because of your stalker.”, Philip explained and she shrugged almost disappointed.

“Oh, that guy. Well, then hello. Nice to meet you. I´m [y/n].”

 She shook hands with JJ and Emily as they introduced themselves. Luke couldn’t help but breathe in sharply, as he shook her hand and almost choked on his own spit as an aftereffect. She started patting his back with wide opened eyes.

 “Shit, you okay? Asthma?”, [y/n] reached into her black, designer handbag and gave him a bottle with clear liquid. Luke took a sip, quickly grimaced his face and began coughing harder.

“Vodka.”, he stated through his coughing. [y/n] quickly took the bottle from him and took a sip too, without flinching. She then started cracking up at her mistake.

“Whoops. Mixed up the bottles, the other´s probably in my car. Philly, can you bring him…?”, Philip nodded and gave Luke a fresh water bottle from the mini fridge.

 Wow. Vodka hidden in a water bottle. Spencer licked his lips, taking in the view of her bandmates looking at each other. ‘Not that bad’ looked different. ‘Not that bad’ would not have her sleeping in her car, midday, with a bottle of ‘water’ and coming back high as a kite. Luke, by now, had stopped coughing and [y/n] stepped away from him again.

 “You good?”, she asked him, watching him wipe away his tears.

“Y-Yeah. Sorry.”, the black haired girl waved him off.

“Nah, don’t worry. I had asthma till I was twelve.”, he shook his head.

“I- I- No asthma. Just a really big fan.”, she started laughing again and although the light was dimmed, Reid could clearly see Luke´s cheeks turning red.

“Oh, that´s cute. But ‘Take My Breath Away’ is by Berlin.”, that sentence actually made the whole room laugh except for Spencer, who didn’t understand the reference. “What´s your name?”

“Luke Alvez.”, she shook his hand again, this time he didn’t almost choke.

“Well, nice to meet you, Luke. What´s your favorite song of ours?”

“25, no doubt. Really amazing. Like a James Bond song.”, the bandmates chuckled.

“We said that too.”, Leroy snickered, patting Luke´s shoulder and [y/n] nodded.

“It´s also my favorite. Excited to hear one of the new songs?”, Luke nodded excited and she turned her head to Spencer. “We both don’t know each other yet. Hi, I´m [y/n] and you are?”

 She sounded quite collected. Clearly high, but able to think straight if necessary. [y/n] must´ve been doing this for a while now, seeming to have figured out, how much she could handle while working. Spencer had been at that point too once. You wanted to do your work and be good at it, but needed to be high, to make it through the day. So you just tried over a period of time, bit by bit, how much you were able to take before doing a shitty job. ‘Not that bad’ didn’t make you figuring out a system to be high all the time.

 “Dr. Spencer Reid.”, he shook her hand.

“Dr. Reid will be your bodyguard, [y/n].”, Philip explained and quickly earned an angry look, as she let go of Spencer´s hand instantly.

“What? I don’t need a bodyguard, we talked about this.”, she hissed at her manager, but then started laughing after looking Spencer up and down. “And then that guy?”, Philip nodded as she rolled her eyes at him. ‘Do not take it personally’, Spencer told himself.

“I am more than capable of protecting you.”, he stated as friendly as possible, making her giggle.

“From what? A difficult math question?”

 [y/n] mocking tone started to piss him off, but as Spencer felt Emily´s look on him, he played it cool. After all, he had to proof himself able to handle her.

 “Your stalker.”, he corrected her and she licked her lips, pulling out a pack of cigarettes, looking at Luke.

“Since you don’t have asthma, would you mind if I…?”, Luke shook his head and she smiled. “Nice.”, she looked back at Spencer, at his gun. “Philip has a gun too.” “But Philip isn’t an FBI agent.”, Hank told her, making her shake her head in protest, like a little child.

“That´s ridiculous. And all of that just because a stranger sends me stuff, people send me stuff all the time.”

“You should be more worried about this guy.”, Leroy said and Tom nodded in agreement. “Yeah, what if he´s dangerous?”

“What´s the worst that could happen, like honestly, Doctor?”, she cocked her head at Spencer, looking up at him with an almost flirty smile.

“He could kill you.”, he gave back objectively, making the rockers obviously worried. “Geez. You make that sound like it´s a bad thing.”, she snickered and looked over to Luke. “Luke, wanna hear some music?”, he nodded.

“It would be an honor.”, his sentence made her giggle as she walked past him.

“You´re really cute.”

 [y/n] walked into the recording room, Tom, Leroy and Hank following her. She put on her headphones and lit a cigarette, putting the package on the little table next to her mic. Philip closed the door and started pushing some buttons on the sound mixer in front of him. JJ whistled impressed.

 “You do the technical stuff too?”, he nodded, chuckling.

“Since the stalking started, I try having as little people near [y/n] as possible. Thought it might just be a little crush from a weirdo and when he doesn’t get to see her, he gets over it.” “We need a list of the people that worked here though.”, Emily told him and he nodded.

“Of course.”, then he pushed a button and started talking into his microphone. “You guys, ready? Last song. ‘My Medicine’, then we can go home.”

 They all approved of his words and started to playing. [y/n] relighting her cigarette and clearing her throat. Spencer couldn’t tell if that was her simply not caring or doing it for the feeling of the song. However, it seemed to fit the style.

“Somebody mixed my medicine

Somebody mixed my medicine”

“I love this already.”, Luke whispered and JJ chuckled.

“You haven’t even heard anything yet.”, she snickered.

“Doesn’t matter, the feeling is there.”, he lifted his arms, showing her his goosebumps.

“Well you hurt where you sleep and you sleep where you lie

Now you're in deep and now you're gonna cry

Got a woman to your left

And a boy to your right

You start to sweat so

Hold me tight 'cause

Somebody mixed my medicine

I don't know what I'm on

Somebody mixed my medicine

Now baby it’s all gone

Somebody mixed my medicine

And somebody's in my head again

And somebody mixed my medicine again, again”

Spencer watched [y/n] starting to move to the rhythm, swaying her hips and tapping her left foot to the beat, then looked to Philip pressing some buttons.

 “She´s gonna be happy with that one.”, he whispered almost to himself and the next time Spencer looked at the band again, it almost felt like she was attentionally singing in his direction.

“Well I drink what you leak and I smoke what you sigh

See you cross the room with that look in your eye

Got a man to his left and a girl to his right

You start to sweat so

Hold me tight 'cause

Somebody mixed my medicine

I don't know what I'm on

Somebody mixed my medicine

Now baby it’s all gone

Somebody mixed my medicine

Somebody's in my head again

And somebody mixed my medicine again, again”

She started moving her head in a way that made her long black hair fall in her face, framing her features almost delicately. While Spencer starred and earned some grins from [y/n], he could hear Luke whisper with Emily, who actually seemed to like the music too.

“There's a tiger in the room and a baby in the closet”

The room laughed and Spencer looked confused, having JJ tell him, that it was a movie reference. Sometime he felt like an alien, having such simple references fly over his head. Star Trek or Book references would´ve been easier for him…although he still didn’t know what that ‘Twilight’ book was Penelope and JJ talked about a couple of times. Or that other book all the women had talked about in their break….what was it called, ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’? They had told him it was a romance novel, so he just assumed it was like ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen.

“Pour another drink mom I don't even want it

Then I turn around and think I see someone that looks like you”

Philip pressed some buttons again, [y/n] now harmonizing with herself.

“Well you hurt where you sleep and you sleep where you lie

Now you're in deep and now you're gonna cry

Got a woman to your left

And a boy to your right

You start to sweat so

Hold me tight 'cause

Somebody mixed my medicine

I don't know what I'm on

Somebody mixed my medicine

Now baby it’s all gone

Somebody mixed my medicine

Somebody's in my head again again

And somebody mixed my medicine

Again, again, again

Again, again, again

Again, again, again”

The music started to slow down again, just like [y/n] movements, making Luke whisper words in awe.

“Somebody mixed my medicine

Somebody mixed my medicine

Somebody mixed my medicine”

Philip and the team applauded as [y/n] took her headphones off and the men put their instruments away.

 “I´m happy with that.”, she said looking at Philip. “You, Philly?”

“Sounded great to me.”, he gave back, happy to answer.

“What about my new favorite fan. Luke?”, Luke quickly pushed Spencer aside to get to the microphone.

“Loved every second of it! Like- Amazing! Really!”, she giggled, throwing her head back and came through the door.

“What about my new guard dog?”, Spencer pointed at himself, not knowing if she was talking about him. “Of course you. So, what do you think, Doctor?”

“I- I don’t really know.”, she raised her eyebrows at his answer.

“Okay? Was it the drugs or just the music in general?”, he felt himself go pale. “Ah, okay. You´re prude, get it. I mean you already have that whole tutor-thing about you, so…Bach or Chopin?”

“Pardon?” “Which one? Or is it Mozart, or the deaf bitch, Beethoven?”, she grinned snarky.

 [y/n] had a mocking tone in her voice, making Spencer feel embarrassed and like he was in school again, when the other kids in high school were making fun of him for not being cool enough. But he was too old to be bullied by a little junkie, who thought she was better than him.

 “I´m surprised somebody like you would even know them.”, her smile vanished.

“Little bitch.”, she snapped at him, stepping closer as he cocked his eyebrows at her. Philip quickly walked between the two of them and smiled.

“So, what are we doing next? The albums done. Taken care of. [y/n] have you eaten something today? You wanna go out for dinner?”

“No, I haven’t and no, I don’t want to, when THAT is around.”, with ‘that’ she clearly meant Spencer.

“Now don’t be grumpy, Princess. You started it.”, Hank told her and she started to pout, shoulders relaxing.

“Wasn’t worth my time anyways.”, she murmured and Spencer felt himself getting proud. This was the first person, trying to bully him, he had stand a chance against.

“So, we´re gonna need you at the police station, if that´s okay?”, Emily asked Leroy, Hank and Tom, who nodded. “And Spencer, you should take [y/n] home and check out her house.” “Mansion.”, [y/n] corrected Emily. “I have a mansion. Worked too hard to have it being called a house.”, Emily only nodded, not letting herself get bothered by her words. Philip nodded, completely ignoring his clients snappiness too.

“I follow you in my car.”, he told Spencer. “[y/n] give Dr. Reid your keys, please.”, she shook her head indignant.

“No. That guy is not driving my car. I´ll drive.”, the whole band now started saying no.

“[y/n], you´re not driving.”, Tom ordered and Leroy nodded. “You´ll get an DUI so quick, it´s not even funny.”, Spencer lifted his hand, waiting for the key. “Oh, come on.”, she groaned, looking at her bandmates like her childish behavior would change their mind.

 A nice sound. An annoying person, not getting what they want. Almost as beautiful as her [y/e/c] eyes, that actually were rather bloodshot, when Spencer thought about it.

 “Should the police pull you over and see that you´re high, they´ll look through your car and I don’t think you want be taking in custody for drug possession, right?”, she handed him her keys and Spencer couldn’t help it and whispered “Thank you”, in the most mocking tone he was able to.

“Fucking cunt.”, she whispered back at him and he just chuckled.

“I´ve been called worse. So your little words don’t hurt me…sorry.”, she then grinned.

“Things like Spencer?”, [y/n] asked him, spitting his name like poison.

 Spencer took a deep breath and watched her go out the door, telling himself to not answer her.

 “Hey, kid.”, Spencer looked at Hank and he just lifted his thumb.

“You held yourself better than we thought you would.”, Leroy added, Emily looking at Spencer concerned.

“You sure you can handle her?”

 He nodded, walking out the door and to the elevator which doors [y/n] was holding open for him.

 “Hurry up, bitch boy! I wanna go home.”

 *****

 Of course the rich, spoiled brat drove an imported sportscar. When Spencer got in, he firstly had to push back the seat, not having enough room for his legs and then tried getting [y/n] to tell him where she lived.

 “Try google, smart ass.”, was her answer and he sighed.

 [y/n] then rolled down her window and grabbed a joint from her glove compartment. Spencer quickly leaned over and snatched it from her hand, making her whine as she tried getting it back.

 “You´re such a bitch. Give me-“, he interrupted her whining.

“No. First tell me you´re address.”, she sat back into her seat.

“Fine. I´ll lead you there.”, [y/n] said, making grabbing motions with her hand and he handed her the joint back. She lit it and smoked out of the window.

 Spencer knew he should have questioned why she gave up and let him win so easily. After ten minutes they weren’t at her mansion, they were at a McDonald´s.

 “You´re fucking kidding me, right?”, he snapped at her and she began to giggle.

“You´re kina hot when you´re angry.”, her flirty grin and the way she bit her lip made him furious, because it was hot.

“What is wrong with you?”, Spencer almost yelled and she leaned back and pointed somewhere. “I´m hungry. Drive-Through. Over there.”

“No.” “Come on. Don’t be a bitch, dog.”, she snickered, resting her feet on the dashboard.

 He looked at her, for a second thinking about simply getting out of the car and leaving, before he could hurt her. Maybe she was really too much for him to handle, the drugs were manageable, but it was her personality that drove him mad, yet he wasn’t someone to give up easily. Cars started to honk behind them.

 “You´re holding up the traffic. I just wanted something to eat.”, [y/n] said, now almost annoyed because she wasn’t getting what she wanted. Spencer took a deep breath.

“Okay.”, she looked at him confused.

“Okay?”, he nodded, pulling into the Drive-Through. He was above this. ‘Give her what she wants, so she´s at least quiet.’

“You win.”

 She started clapping and hugged him, smelling like marijuana and something he couldn’t quite make out. When they came up to the microphone box, [y/n] crawled over Spencer´s lap, forcing him to look and think respectfully. She ordering a bunch of stuff and then looked at him.

 “What do you want? I only have booze at home, so…”, he looked at her a little startled. Was she trying to be nice to him?

“You wanna buy me something?”, she nodded like this behavior was normal to her. “Sure.”

“Surprise me. I never eat fast food, I don’t know what´s good.”

 She nodded and then told the voice from the box to double her order. Sitting back into her seat, [y/n] took out a hundred dollar bill from her purse, handing it to Spencer. When they pulled up by the window, taking their things, the woman in the window nearly lost it when she saw the rockstar, starting to cry. [y/n] was really nice to her and asked her if she wanted to take a photo in the parking lot. Of course the woman said yes and after paying, where [y/n] had left almost fifty bucks as a tip, Spencer had to park and wait till they had made the photo and given an autograph.

 “Okay, now drive before it goes viral. I wanna eat that stuff before it gets cold.”, she told him, taking a sip of one of the milkshakes.

“That was nice.”, she shrugged and then told him her address, telling him she´d scream when they reached it.

 *****

 Lo and behold, no twenty minutes later they parked in front of [y/n] mansion, next to another, more run down car, belonging to Philip. The mansion would´ve made Rossi´s mansion cry. At least twice as big and the property was enormous. In contrast to [y/n], it was very light and minimalistic from the outside and the inside.

 “Most rooms are empty. Too big.”, she explained walking straight into the open living area, that had a large terrace with pool and a view over the Hollywood hills. She put the paper bags filled with food on the large kitchen island and sat on a barstool.

“You could sell it and buy a smaller one.”, [y/n] shrugged and took out a burger, starting to eat it.

“Philip says I´m gonna grow into it.”, she answered, mocking the tone of voice her manager had probably had.

 Spencer watched her type something on her phone and a minute later Philip came into the room.

 “Hey, where were you? I got worried.”, he asked them and [y/n] handed him a salad.

“It´s the one you always have.”, he smiled at her.

“Thank you. You´re so nice.”, she shrugged at his words, not really caring.

“Yours is in here too, dog.”, she now told spencer.

 Ah, yes. She was being bitchy again. Spencer had only waited for it to happen. He said nothing, but walked up to the white kitchen isle and took the bag she pointed at.

 “Milkshake, burger, fries. Fast food essentials.”, she stated, finishing her small cheeseburger and getting up to her fridge, taking out a beer. She held it to Spencer who declined and then to Philip who did the same. “Lame asses.”, she chuckled, opening it and standing at the counter, watching Spencer eat. “So you´re here for…?”

“Technically it would be the easiest for all of us, if I just stayed.”, she raised her brows.

“Staying like, in my house staying?”, he nodded and she shook her head. “No chance. I enjoy my solitude.”

“[y/n]. If it´s easier for the agent and better for you…”, she sighed, opening a drawer and taking out some pills, swallowing them with her beer. “Fucking hell. But don´t expect me to be considerate of you.”, the rockstar told him.

“Should you consume them with alcohol?”, Spencer asked, taking a bite of his burger and she shrugged.

“I´m going to sleep…you guys…do what you want, I don’t care…”

“Do you need me to do your laundry?”, Philip asked and [y/n] shrugged again, it seemed to be her favorite motion. As she walked down the hallways and Phillip yelled after her. “Don’t forget that you have a gig tonight, [y/n]!”

“THAT`S WHY I`M GOING TO SLEEP NOW, DUMB ASS! WAKE ME UP WHEN WE NEED TO GO!”, she yelled back, followed by the smashing of a door.

 “She´s a nice girl.”, Philip said in the middle of the silence, as Spencer took place on one of the barstools.

“Like a car crash.”, the man in his fifties chuckled.

“I know she´s difficult, but in here she´s good.”, he pointed at his heart. “She has suffered a lot of losses in her life.”

“Then, just as a random thought, you should get into therapy before she OD´s.”, Spencer answered sassy.

“I know what you mean. But as long as she doesn’t want help or overdoes it…she has a system.”, Spencer let his head fall back and groaned.

“You know about that fucking thing?” “You too?”, Philip asked back in surprise. “Profiler. Took me no longer than the nap in her car, to figure that out.”

 Yes, a small lie from Spencer, but it sounded better then: Oh yes, I was addicted to dilaudid once. I had a system too!

 “Tell me, how does that train wreck of a system work?”, Philip leaned back from his salad.

“Well, she takes her painkillers in the morning and smokes some cannabis to get out of bed. When we´re touring or she has to be at shootings, interviews or anything else that needs her to focus, she only smokes and takes the pills all day, alcohol in water bottles is a new one though.”, Spencer sighed and thought if he even wanted to know more.

“And when she´s alone or not busy?” “Then she does the harder stuff.” “Harder stuff like cocaine, LSD…?”, Philip nodded. “Nothing with needles though…she´s scared of them.”

“She will not always be, if she continues like that.” “I know. That´s why I do my best to keep her busy. She even has her own recording studio here, knows how to handle everything herself. I thought it might make her spend more time making music than getting high. I also go out with her a lot, to a point where my wife starts to get jealous.”, he laughed bittersweetly. “Have you ever been to Disney World, agent?”, Spencer shook his head. “I take [y/n] there once a week, because she likes it there. I spend more time with her there then with my own daughter.”, [y/n] was famous, no chance people wouldn’t notice her.

“Does she even get to do anything there?”

“Not often. She mostly meets her fans there, but she loves that a lot. She is really sweet to them too, they mean everything to her.”

 That was the first time Philip had said something that was true about [y/n]. She had, not once been mean to a fan. The complete opposite actually. She had been nice and thoughtful, going out of her way to make the woman at the Drive-Through happy and was nice to Luke.

 “I know she was a little mean to you today, but she also bought us food, seeing it as a matter of course. There are two sides to every person, like a coin.”, Like a coin, just that [y/n] sides flipped as quickly like one too. Philip sighed and got up from his barstool. “I´ll show you around a little, if you want to.”

 Spencer nodded, getting up, following the short man around the house.

 *****

 [y/n] had been right.

It was way too big and many of the rooms were empty. When Spencer asked Philip about the necessity of such a big mansion, he told him, that he had hoped to motivate [y/n] to have a family one day. But now the only rooms in use were her bedroom, one of the five guest bedrooms, which Spencer got to stay in, the open living area with kitchen and living room, the recording studio and a little library. The latter made Spencer a little jealous. In the middle of the room even stood a white piano with notes on it. [y/n] also had a lot of books, all dusty, because she never read anymore. He would´ve killed to have his own library…she probably didn’t even value what she had.

 When they returned into the living area, Philip gave Spencer some spare keys, beginning to clean up a little and putting the food in the fridge. [y/n] didn’t lie, when she said, she only had alcohol at home. JJ came over and brought Spencer his go bag, asking him how it was going. Of course he said he was doing great, but couldn’t help but rant to her about [y/n]´s behavior.

 “Well, she is an addict, Spence. You know how erratic some drugs can make you.”, he nodded.

“Yeah, but she really tries pushing me and then, one second to the other, she´s nice and polite. Have you talked to her bandmates?”, JJ laughed.

“Way too long. We had interviews with them and then Luke just couldn’t stop talking to them, he has also taken about a million pictures with them and facetimed Penelope so she could meet them too.”, Spencer chuckled.

“Sounds like they had a good time. Anything else happened? Found out something?”

“[y/n]´s mother was an addict and left the family when she was younger. When she found out her daughter was famous, she got back in touch with her, to borrow money. [y/n] didn’t care and even got her to live with her, in one of the guest bedrooms. She overdosed a few months ago, since then [y/n]´s addiction got worse.”, Spencer´s eyes got wide.

“She didn’t die in the guest bedroom though, right?”

 Just as JJ wanted to answer, [y/n] walked in. Philip walking behind her with a duffle bag.

 “She died in the bathroom and she didn’t overdose perse, she drowned after falling unconscious in the bathtub, while being high.”, she answered cold, seeming to have overheard their conversation. [y/n] grabbed a beer from the fridge and continued calmly while taking some colorful pills. “I found her. The bathroom that it happened in is always locked. Don´t worry.”, Philip fidgeted a little with his hands, looking for his keys.

“Uh-Uhm. Agents? We need to go. The concert…”

“You coming too?”, [y/n] asked, looking at JJ and she shrugged. “We could also invite the cute one…Luke. It´s about 20.000 people so two more won´t hurt…right Philly?”, Phillip nodded.

“You´re all invited. SSA Prentiss as well.”, he said and JJ smiled at them.

“Thank you. That´s very nice, but I´ll have to talk to them first.”, [y/n] shrugged at that and drank her beer.

“You have my number, just call when you know. We start half past eight.”, Philip then took the empty beer bottle from [y/n] and threw it away. “Show time.”

 *****

 Half an hour into the concert Luke had shown up, completely hyped.

 “What did I miss? We had some ex-staff members to talk to. Did they already play ‘Going to Hell’?”, Spencer nodded. “Argh, dammit. Doesn’t matter, that song´s amazing too.”

 During the whole concert Spencer watched [y/n]. The music wasn’t that bad, a little harsh, but it was mix of hard and alternative rock after all. At least that´s what Penelope said, when Luke started facetiming her. After the last costume change, Spencer pulled [y/n] aside. He asked her to not be so ‘touchy’ with her fans. Since she would kneel down and hold their hands. He tried telling her about the risks of having the unsub in the audience, but she only laughed.

 “I´ll be as touchy as I want, bitch.”, he started to frown.

“At least don’t stagedive. Luke says you always do that and the risk of the unsub use-“, she interrupted him, wanting to go on stage.

“Fuck off, dog.”, he held her arm, trying to reason with her.

“Can you ple-“, she tried pulling away, like an angry child.

“No.” “Stop being so fuck-“, [y/n] interrupted him again.

“Stop trying to fucking babysit me.”

“I just want to hel-“, she ripped her arm away. “Yeah, fuck you too.”, the rockstar answered, not letting him finish and walked back on stage.

 Philip walked up to Spencer, having seem the ordeal of him trying to talk to [y/n] and him now  driving the heel of his palm into his eyes. This girl gave him migraines.

 “What happened?”, Philip asked and Luke answered for Spencer.

“He told her not to stagedive.”, Philip laughed a little and shook his head.

“Oh yeah. Never tell her what to do. She hates that and then does it out of spite.”

“You don’t say?”, Spencer answered sarcastically.

 On stage [y/n] took her microphone, saying something to her bandmates and then smiling sweetly, while talking to her fans.

 “This next song is for my lovely new babysitter, who thinks he can tell me what to do.”, the crowd started booing and she laughed. “I know, I know. But it looks like he doesn’t know how things work around here…So I think we have to help him out a little.”

 The music started to play and Luke patted Spencer´s arm.

“She dedicates ‘Heaven Knows’ to you! Penny have you heard? She sings ‘Heaven Knows’ for Reid!”

“NO! SHUT UP!”, the blonde on the phone squeaked.

 He and Garcia started to freak out while Spencer watched [y/n] clapping her thigh and stomping to the beat.

“Jimmy's in the back with a pocket of high

If you listen close, you can hear him cry

Oh Lord, heaven knows, we belong way down below

Sing it!”

She lifted the mic to her audience she started to sing for her.

Oh Lord, heaven knows, we belong way down below, way down below, way down below

“Judy's in the front seat picking up trash

Livin' on the dole, gotta make that cash

Won't be pretty, won't be sweet

She's just sittin' here on her feet singin'

Oh, Lord, heaven knows, we belong way down below

Go!”

Again her fans obeyed her, Luke and Penelope freaking out next to Spencer. If it wouldn’t have been a moment, were he had to fear which move she had planned next to unnerve him, he might have even enjoyed this song and the involvement of her fans in it.

Oh Lord, heaven knows, we belong way down below

“Sing, oh Lord, tell us so, we belong way down below”

She now looked at him for a moment, while her audience sang. Before, again, walking around the stage, touching her fans hands.

Oh Lord, tell us so, we belong way down below

Way down below, way down below, way down below, way down below

“I've had better days, man, I've seen better days

I've had better ways, man, I know better ways

One, two, three and four, the devil's knocking at your door

Caught in the eye of a dead man's lie

Show your life with your head held high

Now you're on your knees with a head on low

Big man tells you where to go

Tell them it's good, tell 'em ok

Don't do a goddamn thing they say”

Spencer was surprised how well her fans knew her lyrics. She would just have to point at them or lift her mic and they would instantly sing were she stopped. Not missing a beat.

Oh Lord, heaven knows, we belong way down below

Oh Lord, tell us so, we belong way down below

Way down below, way down below, way down below, way down below

“I've seen better ways, and I know better ways

I've seen better days, man, I've got better days”

[y/n] now stood at the edge of the stage, back turned to her audience. She smiled directly at Spencer, fingers held like a gun to her head.

“Gina's in the back with a pocket of high

If you listen close you can hear the cryin'”

At the last word she mimicked shooting herself and let herself fall back into the crowd. Her fans got wild and continued her song, while Spencer certainly not in a long time, if ever, felt so much spite and frustration against a woman, other than Cat Adams.

Oh Lord, heaven knows, we belong way down below

Oh Lord, tell us so, we belong way down below

Singin' oh, Lord, heaven knows, we belong way down below

Oh, Lord, tell us so, we belong way down below

The crown placed [y/n] back on her stage, where she walked up to her bandmates again, waving at Spencer and Luke with the sweetest smile.

Way down below, way down below, way down below, way down below, way down below

Way down below, way down below, way down below, way down below, way down below

 *****

 After the concert and the encores she and the band got behind stage, where Spencer for the least thirty minutes had waited to give her a piece of his mind. As [y/n] giggled and walked up to him and Luke. He grabbed her arm, a little harsher than planned.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”, she blinked at his yelling, answering with her innocent eyes blinking and a mocking tone.

“What´s the prob, dog?”

“What´s- Do you really care so little for your own safety?”, Hank came up to them, having seen Spencer´s grip on the girls arm.

���Hey! What´s going on here? [y/n], are you okay?”, Spencer quickly let go of her.

“Yeah, the dog is just pissing himself because I stage dived.”, he quickly took a deep breath.

“I´m not pissing myself, [y/n], but I told you not to do it. What would you have done when your stalker would´ve been in the crowd and lost it? Nobody would´ve been able to get to you fast enough and help!”, Hank looked at her in disappointed shock.

“Is that true, [y/n]?”, the black haired girl ignored her friend and just continued arguing with Spencer.

“Well, maybe I don’t want anybody’s help!”, she hissed at Spencer.

“Then why are we even here?”, Spencer hissed back. “BECAUSE I BRING MONEY! Else the label would let me rot in a fucking corner! GOD! You are ruining my after-show-high. I hate you!”, [y/n] yelled and Spencer tried not to yell back, tried to be the bigger person, only hissing back at her.

“Oh, trust me. That feeling is mutual.”, she swallowed hard and then turned around, stomping away.

 *****

After half an hour waiting, Spencer got a call from Philip, telling him that [y/n] refused to see him again and would be sleeping at his house tonight. He told him, that he should just let himself into the mansion and eat what´s in the fridge. It wasn’t from use, to try talking to [y/n], when she was that angry. Tomorrow Philip would call him and bring her back into Spencer´s care.

Spencer did as told, Luke driving him to the mansion, telling him that it wasn’t his fault. He then got into the large, empty mansion and grabbed himself a well-deserved beer. Being alone in this big house was depressing. After his third beer he stopped, walking into his room.

He pulled his blue and gold sobriety token, he had gotten for being clean ten years, out of his bag. Thumb rubbing over the golden X in the middle of it. He actually had deserved a twelve year token by now, but since prison didn’t actively attended the meetings anymore, having grown past it. Yet, he still kept the tokens he had, close to him.

They reminded him of his achievement, reminded him to be proud at himself.

Spencer never wanted to fall back into the dark hole he was in, when he was addicted, and even when [y/n] would throw tantrum after childish tantrum, she wouldn’t cause him to relapse. He was stronger than this. Stronger than her.

To be continued...

.

Give me your feedback [also anonymous!]

.

.

Taglist (lmk if you want to be added/removed)

[unwelcome-ozian]

May I ask for a bit more details on the Salvation Army?

2012 — The Salvation Army of Burlington, Vermont allegedly  fired case worker, Danielle Morantez immediately after discovering she was bisexual. The church’s employee handbook reads, in part, “The Salvation Army does reserve the right to make employment decisions on the basis of an employee’s conduct or behavior that is incompatible with the principles of The Salvation Army.”

Later that year, Salvation Army spokesperson Major George Hood reaffirmed the church’s anti-gay beliefs, saying:

A relationship between same-sex individuals is a personal choice that people have the right to make. But from a church viewpoint, we see that going against the will of God.

In the US, the Salvation Army lobbies hard to shut down anti-discrimination laws. On their website, they claim to abide by such laws, but they don’t mention that they often do so by shutting down services in areas where equal-rights mandates apply.

In Scotland, the Salvation Army recently fought to keep references to LGBTQ people out of school curricula.

In New Zealand, the Salvation Army led efforts to keep sexual relations between adult men a criminal offense.

The Salvation Army promoted the debunked and dangerous practice of conversion therapy for years on its websites all over the world, featuring links to “ex-gay” programs. While the links began to be removed in 2013, the Church still privately refers young people to such toxic “therapy.”

In the US, the Church fought for the right to withhold health-care coverage to same-sex spouses of their employees.

The Salvation has a long history of firing employees upon discovering that they are lesbian, gay, or transgender.

In 2016, the Salvation Army refused to back a Safe Schools initiative to combat anti-LGBTI bullying, characterizing it as “toxic” and “pro-homosexual.”

In just one example of many, the Salvation Army let trans woman Jennifer Gale freeze to death outside one of their homeless shelters rather than shelter her with other women.

While the Salvation Army touts the tiny number of dedicated shelters they’ve opened for LGBTQ people, they fail to mention that they don’t provide equal services to LGBTQ people in their other shelters.

The Salvation Army was caught in a sting operation in New York City in 2017, subjecting transgender people to humiliating physical examinations and discrimination in housing at a substance-abuse treatment center — in violation of their public service contracts.

This incident occurred in 2018:

“The Hell’s Angels Northwest Indiana Region Motorcycle Club manned the kettles over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and a social media post about it went viral on Facebook before being taken down.

The post showed members of the group ringing bells while wearing patches that read “Aryan” and “WAR” (White Aryan Resistance). The man wearing the WAR patch has been identified as “former” skinhead Jeremy Robinson, the founder of the now-defunct Outlaw Hammerskins.”

“As soon as this was brought to our attention we asked the Salvation Army Bell Ringers to leave. We made the Salvation Army aware and they apologized,” the representative said. “The Salvation Army is responsible for screening its volunteers stationed outside our stores. We’ve had a long history of supporting the Salvation Army and regret this isolated incident. We will direct further questions to the Salvation Army.”

The Salvation Army has a anti-semetic stance:

 “In a statement titled “Reaching Jews With the Gospel,” the Salvation Army declares that “Israel has largely forsaken its place within the care and special purposes of God.” The text goes on to state:

It is the privilege and responsibility of the Christian Church and Christians everywhere to ‘go and make disciples of ALL nations’. In the face of ready acceptance or of stubborn obduracy the Christian Church must continue to fulfill its mission. The Jews are part of this mission, and we recognize that the Great Commission is not fulfilled before the gospel has been presented in a meaningful way also to the Jews.”

Ironically, in the same document, the Salvation Army encourages its members to share the Gospel with Jews by reminding them “of the continued place of the Jewish people in the divine plan of redemption,” and by fighting antisemitism “in society in general” and “in the Church specifically.”

If the Salvation Army truly believes that the Jewish people have a “continued place” in the divine plan of redemption,” then why does it declare that “Israel has largely forsaken its place within the care and special purposes of God”?

And if the Salvation Army is truly interested in fighting antisemitism, why does the church hold up the Jews as in singular and special need of conversion?

The Salvation Army has removed the document. LINK  

12 Reasons to Reject the Salvation Army LINK

Oz

[khutbahs]

Islam 101: Understanding the misunderstood religion

Currently, the Islamic faith is under tremendous scrutiny from all sides. I often suspect that pundits who deliver their ideological quips regarding my faith do not have much in the way of direct experience nor understanding when it comes to this tender subject. The purpose of this column is to communicate information on the needlessly enigmatic subject of Islam.

Islam is a popular religion. The faith has nearly 1.6 billion practitioners — thus making it the second most practiced religion behind Christianity. Nearly 23 percent of the world is Muslim. The faith is currently growing at a rate that is believed to be the fastest among all major belief systems. Unfortunately, the previous sentence might give some readers cause for alarm. However, these impulses might be neutralized with increased exposure to Muslims and knowledge of the Islamic faith.

The word "Islam" in Arabic means submission. Muslims are those who submit to Allah (“God”). The faith is not named after a particular people, like Judaism, or a particular individual, like Christianity.

Interesting side note: the word “God” is derived from the old Germanic word “Gott” or “Gud," meaning “to invoke or sacrifice to.” Knowing as much as we know about Jesus, or "Isa" in Arabic, he most likely never referred to his deity as “God.” However, there is ample evidence that the namesake he used for his deity had a pronunciation closer to “AaLaH” or “AlaHa," a generic root word for “God” in Aramaic.

The necessary beliefs in Islam are of Allah, the angels, the Quran (Islamic holy scripture), the prophets, the Last Day (day of judgement) and the afterlife. A pivotal belief in Islam is that there is an inherent separation between the Creator and the creation. In Islam, Allah is the one creator and deity, and his creations possess no holiness or supreme powers. This logic is extended to all of the prophets. We believe that the prophets were humans of the highest character and piety, yet they were not worthy of worship.

Also, since no humans hold holiness, we see no need to confess our sins to men, or to seek spiritual endowment from anyone other than Allah. Allah states in the Quran that He rewards good behaviors, among the most frequently mentioned of these are speaking the truth, being kind to family, honoring parents, giving charity, feeding the poor, freeing slaves and studying. Allah also states in the Quran that He punishes bad behaviors; among these are the worship of idols, stealing from orphans, disobeying one’s parents, cheating on one’s spouse, giving false testimony, committing murder or suicide, or enslaving a free person.

Interesting fact: the words "heaven" and "hell" are both repeated in the Quran exactly 77 times.

There is a profound degree of weight in Islam’s messages and, like all powerful messages, they can be used for depravity in the wrong hands. Many men, as we have seen throughout history, exploit feelings of fear, passion and awe to achieve the same old patriarchal end goals: autocracy, the subjugation of women and the suppression of freedom. This has happened with other faiths and other cultures, although Islam does not necessarily promote a single culture. The fault is not in the faith itself, but in the individual practitioners and the misguided outsiders.

This assertion is shared by top United States security officials. Current United States National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster states that terrorists are “un-Islamic” and that we should avoid the term “radical Islamic terrorism” because it is inaccurate.

In my opinion, the best way to neuter terrorism by self-proclaimed Muslims is to ensure that the majority of Muslims around the world have ensured human dignity and fair treatment. When groups of people feel that they are under attack, they tend to lose objectivity and are more prone to radicalization. When Muslims see the injustices being carried out in places like Syria, Palestine and Iraq, it causes many of them — us — to feel demoralized, threatened or resentful.

Under these conditions, the most brutal and archaic of voices in the Muslim world are granted credibility. This phenomenon is present across all societies, including the United States. The brutality here perhaps is not on the level of the Middle East, but neither is the perceived threat among the citizenry. Canada, in the minds of radicals, has issued the Muslim world few sleights, and as a result, their nation has experienced considerably fewer terror attacks than other western nations. Terrorism is unacceptable under any circumstance, but we would be wise to understand and limit its causes.

Back to discussing the faith itself — in Islam, practice is based upon five essential pillars:

Shahada: to declare one's belief in Allah and the prophetic role of Muhammad.

Salah: to pray five times a day (dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset and evening).

Zakat: to give charity to those in need.

Sawn: to fast from food, liquids and other bodily pleasures during daylight hours in the month of Ramadan.

Hajj: to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime if it is physically and financially feasible.

Some other interesting nuggets pertaining to the practice of Islam:

Abstinence is to be practiced until marriage.

Mind-altering substances are prohibited.

The consumption of swine is prohibited.

While Islam is a strict faith compared to many other belief systems, an often under-communicated aspect of our faith is the great mercy of our Creator. Two epithets that we regularly use for Allah are “Al Rahman” and “Al Raheem," which translate to “the most compassionate” and “the most merciful.” Human beings sin, naturally — Allah understands, and He rewards our struggle and attempts at self-improvement. In fact, it could be said that Allah grades on a curve. The more difficult our fight to righteousness, the greater our reward with Him in the end.

A source of grave misunderstanding regarding the Islamic faith concerns the word "jihad," which literally means “struggle.” The concept of jihad revolves around a struggle for the greater good and the study, practice and preaching of Islam. Unfortunately, in the term’s original usage, there was a lot of room left for interpretation. While both suicide and murder are explicitly listed as some of the worst sins in our entire faith, many people imagine that some gruesome combination of the two ensures paradise and 72 virgins — I can assure you quite the contrary.

There are many ways to fight for the greater good; in fact, I hope I am enacting jihad right now.

Also, many people assume that the Islamic faith is hostile toward the world’s other religions. This is not so. Our Quran reads, “Rest assured that Believers (Muslims), Jews, Christians and Sabians — whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and performs good deeds — will be rewarded by their Lord; they will have nothing to fear or to regret (22.40).” The Prophet’s life mission, endowed upon him by his Creator, was to spread the word of Islam. Yet, when it came to the sizable Jewish community right in Madinah, he established a peace agreement with them and allowed them to continue practicing their religion in peace.

In a letter to the Christian king of Abyssinia, he ends, "I have conveyed the message and now it is up to you to accept it. Once again, peace be upon him who follows the true guidance.” He employed no harassment — and he was the Prophet. Muslims believe that they know the truth, when people believe they know a truth that others do not, they like to get others up to speed. However, many Muslims around the world today would be wise to remember the Prophet’s gentle and earnest ways.

Another source of misunderstanding regarding the Islamic faith revolves around the female usage of hijab — a garment often worn to cover hair. Many in the West have made the argument that the hijab and the burka, a garment that covers nearly the full female body, are instruments of female subjugation. While it is true that some men, like in all societies, attempt to levy control over what the women in their proximity wear, I would argue that the original and true purpose of these garments was to conduce female humility and equality.

Last time I checked, men like to see what women look like — and as candidly as possible. This ogling can have adverse effects for women, including the inciting of passions in unwanted onlookers and the disregard for female cognitive and personal abilities. Islamic scholar Muhammad al-Bukhari states that “a woman is married for her deen (piety), her wealth or her beauty. You must go for the one with deen.” This quote expresses that the quality of a woman should be determined by her character, rather than her beauty or wealth. Martin Luther King Jr. expressed his view on the very meaning of human equality when he stated that his children should “not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Humility is an essential value in our faith, and it is not only mandated in the dress of females. Males must stay covered from their shoulders to their knees and refrain from accessorizing with gold or silk.

Contrary to the beliefs of many, Islam since the beginning has mandated women’s rights. In Islam, women have a right to property, education, lawsuit initiation, divorce initiation, alimony and suffrage. Also, falsely slandering a woman’s reputation is a grave sin — as well as spousal abuse and forced marriage. Our beloved Prophet’s own wife, Khadija, could arguably be seen as an original proponent of feminism. She was a reputable businesswoman who traded goods from Mecca to Yemen, had a history of turning down marriage proposals, asked the Prophet to marry her, gave charitably and was the very first person to accept Islam after our Prophet. We revere her.

Interesting fact: the words “man” and “woman” are both repeated in the Quran exactly 23 times.

I will end this article with 

Translations of some popular Muslim phrases:

Assalam Alaikom — “Peace be upon you.” — This phrase is a common greeting.

Allahu Akbar — “Allah is great.” — This phrase can be said out loud or simply thought of on a regular basis.

Alhamdulillah — “Praise be to Allah.” — This phrase is commonly used to express satisfaction with life.

Inshallah — “If Allah wills.” — This phrase is commonly used when Muslims plan or ponder future events.

Bismillah — “In the name of Allah.” — This phrase is commonly used before a Muslim starts something.

Subhanallah — “Glory to Allah.” — This phrase is commonly used to express amazement in regard to things.

Mashallah — “God has willed.” — This phrase is commonly used to express amazement in regard to human achievement.

La ilaha illa Allah — “There is no god but Allah.” — This phrase can used at any time.

[uh-velkommen]

A Speech About Skam for my Public Speaking Class

*note: has been dumbed down for disinterested americans and a 5 minute time limit*

When was the last time you’ve seen an accurate portrayal of Ramadan being celebrated in the media? Or an latina casually slipping spanish words into english conversations? When was the last time you’ve seen teenagers in t.v. shows look and act like actual teenagers? Most of the time when people are facing hardships in life, they look for solace in television shows or youtube videos. We as humans like to know that we are not alone in what we feel and go through. However, turning towards the media for such things has proven to be useless for marginalized people. Movies and television often fail to give the underrepresented a proper voice. When I was in highschool, struggling to understand why a love interest constantly wandered in and out of my life without remorse, I never thought that I would see a character from a web-series deal with the exact same experience. I never thought that I would come to understand said love interest because of something I had seen online. Something of which they knew nothing about. When I came across a Norwegian web series/tv show called Skam, I realized that I haven’t been giving enough attention to what I would see on t.v. I never gave thought to the possibility of seeing people I could relate to, deal with issues that I have dealt with. Skam was a show that had the realism and representation that a lot of media lacks nowadays. It showed me characters who used modern slang and celebrated cultural occasions. It showed me a diverse cast of African Americans, Middle Easterners, Latinx and Hispanic people, Every letter in LGBT including P. It showed me Muslims and Christians co-existing. I saw women and men of all shapes and sizes. It was eye opening.

Skam is created by Screenwriter, Julie Andem. Andem wrote, produced, and directed the show which aired season one of four in September of 2015. The show is basically a drama centering around a group of kids who go to the same high school. Andem's goal when coming up with this show was to give teenagers an accurate portrayal of what it is like growing up in the center of Norway. She had students who actually attended Hartvig Nissen High School (grades 11-13) audition regardless of their previous acting experience and then proceeded to use the school as a set location. Skam talked about many real topics that teenagers deal with such as, Relationships (Sexual, Romantic, Friendships, Family), Substance abuse, Eating disorders, Sexual assault, Feminist ideology, Religion, Intersectionality, Homosexuality, and Mental illness.

The way the show was presented was very different from what Norwegians were used to. Andem made the show as interactive as possible to allow viewers to fully immerse into the stories even to the point where normal people would mistake the actors for their characters on the street. Each of the characters had actual social media pages that were updated frequently either to progress the story or to add more depth to a character. The show would also release screenshots of conversations and group chats the characters would have with each other as a way to give the viewers access to the characters’ phones. Lastly, rather than making the viewers wait until the end of each week for a new episode, we would get clips throughout the week. The clips would correlate with real time so if something important were to happen to a character at 1 o’clock p.m. we would get a clip at 1 o’clock p.m. Usually the monday through thursday clips would act as build up to something dramatic that would happen on friday. Weekend clips were rare but whenever they were released, they wouldn’t contain plot altering details. The point of all this was to allow the viewers to coexist with the characters and it gave us a sense that we were part of the story.

The show became internationally popular during the third season in mid 2016. It was about a 16 year old boy’s struggle with religion and his sexuality. Because the show was only targeted towards norwegians, non-norwegian viewers could not get access to the show as easily. This led to people finding ways to save the episodes and photo releases, translate them to english or add english subtitles, and then re-release them through hard to find websites to avoid copyrights. After the show blew up all over the world, Andem, unable to keep up with such fame, decided to release one more season as a finale to the show in 2017. However, that was not the last time we would hear of Skam. In early 2018 there had been talk of making the show more accessible to it’s international viewers. This was done by creating carbon copies of Skam, set in different countries. The characters and plot lines would stay the same and the new show-writers, with Andem’s permission, attempted to maintain the essence of the original Skam and it’s realism. The best part of these remakes, is that they were adjusted to fit their countries’ cultures. Season one of the Skam remakes all aired throughout 2018, taking place in Austin, Texas. Paris, France. Rome, Italy. Madrid, Spain. Berlin, Germany. Antwerp, Belgium. And Utrecht, The Netherlands. Funnily enough, each of the remakes have become subject to the Skam treatment in which the episodes were all taken and translated by random polylingual citizens of said countries.

Skam and it’s counter parts have been excellent at displaying what it is like to be a teenager in today’s culture and society. Even if you find that you have aged out of its target audience you can still find comfort in the episodes. Older people have mentioned the nostalgia they feel from watching. The overall message that Skam has pushed to convey is Alt Er Love. Norwegian for, Everything is love. The show has taught us to accept everyone for their differences. It has shown us how to overcome our struggles and to seek help in others. Skam was truly created for everyone and that is why it will always have a place in my heart.

[hartmanncabrera26-blog]

What Medicines Are Used To Help In Addiction Treatment?

There are lots of treatment options available for folks struggling with an addiction to drugs or alcohol. In response to SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 22.5 million people (eight.5 percent of the U.S. inhabitants) aged 12 or older needed therapy for a bootleg drug or alcohol use downside in 2014. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Knowledge on Substance Abuse Remedy Facilities. Therapy drugs, resembling methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone (including a brand new long-performing formulation), can be found for individuals addicted to opioids, whereas nicotine preparations (patches, gum, lozenges, and nasal spray) and the drugs varenicline and bupropion are available for people addicted to tobacco. Medicines are available for remedy of opioid (heroin, prescription pain relievers), tobacco (nicotine), and alcohol habit. Treatment Approaches for Drug Habit. The help of these closest to you may assist guarantee profitable treatment of alcoholism. TCU (Texas Christian College) Mapping-Enhanced Counseling is a communication and determination-making technique designed to help delivery of treatment companies by improving shopper and counselor interactions via graphic visualization instruments that focus on vital points and restoration strategies.

substance abuse treatment programs"/> After completing intensive remedy, sufferers transition to regular outpatient remedy, which meets less typically and for fewer hours per week to help sustain their recovery. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Psychological Health Providers Administration; 2015. Mapping-Enhanced Counseling is the cognitive centerpiece for an adaptive approach to habit remedy that comes with shopper assessments of needs and progress with the planning and delivery of interventions focused to consumer readiness, engagement, and life-abilities building phases of restoration. Treatments for prescription drug abuse are typically just like those for illicit medication that have an effect on the same brain systems. Treatment ought to embody development of particular cognitive expertise to help the offender adjust attitudes and beliefs that result in drug abuse and crime, such as feeling entitled to have things one's personal approach or not understanding the implications of one's behavior. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; 2014. Together, our workers can help with restoring health and dignity to people and households affected by alcoholism and substance abuse. This software is meant for use with outpatient treatment to deal with alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, and stimulant substance use issues. Psychoactive drugs, corresponding to antidepressants, anti-anxiety agents, mood stabilizers, and antipsychotic medicines, could also be critical for remedy success when sufferers have co-occurring psychological problems such as depression, anxiety problems (together with publish-traumatic stress dysfunction), bipolar dysfunction, or schizophrenia. Drug addiction, typically known as substance use dysfunction, is if you become depending on a drug or drugs. Nationwide Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Providers (N-SSATS): 2013. Group counseling for women and men dealing with substance abuse and mental health points. The Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment features authentic evaluations, training and educational articles, particular commentary, and especially analysis articles that are meaningful to the treatment of nicotine, alcohol, and other medicine of dependence. If you happen to're in search of treatment, you'll be able to name the Substance Abuse and Psychological Well being Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (1-800-662-4357) or go to for information on hotlines, counseling providers, or treatment choices in your state. A spread of care with a tailor-made therapy program and follow-up options can be essential to success.

[dunkerliciousness]

Reading between the Lines: The Bible as a product of its authors’ time

Author's Note: An English B.A. means I went to college to do a lot of reading. All I've done in the past four years is learn how to read and interpret text. Turns out, I'm not so bad at it. I graduated summa cum laude, so I didn't just "pass.” With that out of the way, let's dive in. This lesson is for Christians and non-Christians. There's actually classes on Bible as Literature offered at multiple universities and colleges. The Bible is no longer for the high courts to interpret and pass down on to the “common folk.” The Bible is for everyone. Like any text, it can be read and interpreted differently by everyone, but it’s important to understand the main points and how what we read affects us as the reader.

From a Christian point of view, as believers, we understand the Bible is representative as the Word of God. We also know that God did not physically write the Bible. The only text the Bible says God "wrote" are the Ten Commandments, and Moses broke them. Arguably, the Ten Commandments are the only "rules" that are plausibly God's actual Word. As for the rest of the Bible, it wasn't written by God; it was written by man, inspired by God. The problem with man writing the Bible is that man isn't God. Humanity is flawed, imperfect, and causal for human error. Subjectivity is man’s best and worst trait. I say man, because the only books in the Bible we have today were originally written (and then translated) by men. More on that later.

People are the products of their generations and their times. The values instilled into people by society can be shaken, but often times, people reflect what they believe, how they act, and what they write. When men wrote the Bible, they were products of their time. Notice that the entire Old Testament sounds pretty archaic: sacrifices, rituals, weird rules, and a bunch of men's names to show genealogy. It's the stories of old, the beginnings of the Christian faith that are important to understand, and the New Testament was written to show how the faith has changed with Jesus’ coming and going.

Today we face racism, sexism, and homophobia. Many Christians cite the Old Testament when it comes to why they believe this and that: Why people should still own slaves, why women should still be subservant to men, why queer people are wrong in their sexuality. Now that it’s the 21st century, explaining why racism and sexism are wrong sounds like a chore and a redundant thing to say, but I will focus on sexuality, because that’s arguably one of the main issues people face in the collective movement for furthering human rights.

The Bible verses that mention sexuality are commonly referenced from the Old Testament, but there are a few references of sexuality in the New Testament. The favored verse against homosexuality is Leviticus 18: 22, which states, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” Let’s unpack that.

What the Old Testament denotes is a heavily patriarchal influenced society. The Old Testament mentions homosexuality a couple of times, though homosexuality is not the main argument of the Old Testament. Homosexuality is mentioned briefly while many other concepts are focused upon. To understand the Old Testament, we have to read it with the cultural and social perspective of the times. The Bible was written 2,000+ years ago, and like any society during that time (and today), society was substantially patriarchal in its values concerning gender and power. Men were the heads of their families and homes, and the only ones with power in government, church, and society.

Lev. 18:22, among many other quotes from the Bible, lies within the rules that guided their patriarchal society. Note the other rules about relationships between men and women (men are the heads and women should submit), the entire genealogy that excluded women’s names (since women’s names were invaluable in the grand scheme of a man’s value to the family), and how the women depicted in the Bible were seen as prizes to be won by men, gifts to be given by fathers, concubines (sexual servants), and valued by how many children (particularly sons) they could produce. The few women mentioned in the Bible were heroines in their own right, but considering the problems they faced, many of the problems they faced were direct results of patriarchal values of women’s worth and independence. That’s a separate topic for another time though.

When Lev. 18:22 said men shouldn’t “lie” with men, a patriarchal perspective of two men engaging in intercourse like they would with women denotes one partner’s submissiveness to the other. For one man to give up his power to another in a patriarchal society, where toxic masculinity defines worth based on men’s power, would be considered an abhorrent error, an “abomination” if you will. What made a man during this time was the power he held. To say a man’s power was lost because he had consented his power to another, to be vulnerable with another man, is damaging in relations to both men and women. If having sex with a man (or more specifically, being the submissive partner during intercourse), is seen as weakness and denotes inferiority, then women’s worth and power is nonexistent. Defining sex with a man, or being a submissive partner, as an “abomination” disregards our concept of love and consensual sex, where both parties are equal.

If we take what the Bible says literally, without regard to the cultural and social values of that age, we aren’t comprehending the full substance of the text. If you’ve ever heard the phrase “Read between the lines,” it’s because our teachers are trying to instill in us that more is being said than just what’s written. There’s several levels that go into written form, including social values and cultural understandings of communication. If we read the Bible with the same mind frame as when it was written, we can understand why certain rules were held above others, and why other sins weren’t mentioned altogether. 

There are many sins the Bible doesn’t list, not because other sins are less important, but because during those times, the authors of the Bible didn’t think to mention what we now understand as sinful. Sins that aren’t listed include slavery, domestic violence, pedophilia, poison, animal abuse, unethical treatment of patients by doctors, bullying, sexual harassment, battery assault, child abuse, etc. These are modern issues we face today; these weren’t issues that Biblical times faced because their social focus was different from ours.

Ask yourself this: How would the Bible be different if women wrote all the books, or if women had written some of the books? How would the Bible be read if we had all of the books available to us, not the ones the Christian Church hand-selected when it was translated into English centuries ago? When we read the Bible, the spiritual advice available to us still applies, but what other pieces of information seems out of place in our modern society? What can we learn from the history of Christianity, and how the faith has changed in thousand years? 

As a fundamental rule, Christians should read the Bible as a guide to understanding the history of Christianity and how their faith has been and can be shaped from reading the Bible. Despite how the Bible’s authors expressed their culture through a patriarchal lens, readers in this current era need to see past the perspective the authors are applying and understand the fundamental message of the Bible: Spread the love.

[clefnapkin2-blog]

Substance Abuse Treatment Plan 2019

If you're fighting with chemical abuse or you know a person who is, discovering information Discovering If you're fighting if you understand someone who is or with chemical abuse, finding information about drug abuse disorders and treatment choices can be very helpful. No matter substance abuse can be quite hazardous, and it can be problematic for family members and associates of abusers. It's a hard roadway to journey and the best help in kicking drug Substance Abuse originates from the help of professionals that know what they're currently doing. It's curable, and decrease the medical and social issues, improve their capacity to function and the proper treatment is a must for drug abusers to decrease their drug use. While it does not lead to violence, say the experts, there is a statistical correlation between the two issues. Substance Abuse Treatment Long Island Substance misuse of any kind is not an issue that could go away by itself. Selecting Substance Abuse Treatment means Back to Life Early recognition of chemical abuse symptoms has caused the constant development of the market for substance abuse therapy. Suffering in the substance abuse problem is a significant problem that demands focus. Issues can be connected to the type of program, but additionally this program's doctrine. It is likely to find information on all sorts of services there, including experts and facilities which deal with substance abuse and addiction difficulties. Individualized therapy programs are designed with the results of the whole evaluation. Online Substance Abuse Treatment's handy treatment programs make it easier to acquire the tools that you would like to regain control of your own life. Therapy programs are 28 to 30 days to get a remain having a more extreme sort of therapy in contrast to inpatient treatment. Substance Abuse Treatment Plan are made for individuals that have. Substance abuse programs make it possible for people to remain in close proximity with their nearest and dearest and support network whilst getting the drug or alcohol dependence treatment they need. Price of Substance Abuse Therapy Coverage There are not many studies on the excess price of health insurance policy coverage for drug and alcohol misuse therapy. In USA you locate treatment and Substance abuse treatment centers if you're currently living in new york Ascendant ny is just one of the trusted place to find therapy. When it has to do with therapy, you many choices. Obtaining treatment on an inpatient basis is an alternative and is typically not as expensive. In New York, you can find trusted and reputed treatment center inline just one click away. It is essential as it is required by you to find therapy for so long. Whenever you have opted to pursue inpatient treatment, it's important to locate a neighborhood treatment centre that aligns with your requirements. Behavioral treatment comprises a choice of applications for patients who see with a health adviser on a schedule. Addiction therapy that is christian is the very best possible treatment methods. Some patients would have a payment schedule, and a few rehabilitation has other choices. All patients are evaluated before entrance. Patients that don't receive any additional treatment after detoxification usually resume their medication usage. Medication-assisted treatment has changed a good deal over the prior several decades. Unfortunately, though there are lots of drugs marketed to medically assist withdrawal symptoms and help with the treatment process, you can find people abusing them. Some drugs seem to be more prone to cause uncontrolled usage than others. Not all drugs need detox, it is therefore crucial that you talk with your doctor or with the detox facility you would like to get into, all of the substances which you are using, the quantities and period of time of usage so they can best advise you on the suitable course of activity. Women and men using more than one medication, which can be common, require treatment for the materials they use. Sometimes, it can be harmful to abruptly quit using a drug. Individuals who abuse alcohol and drugs may permit the substance to impact every area of their lives, and also may not have the capacity to maintain work. Treatment is given at an assortment of complexes and units. Substance abuse treatment may fluctuate depending on the type of drugs utilized, patient's requirements, the seriousness of this circumstance and prior therapy methods (if any). The therapy of substance abuse is one of the most complicated behaviours to cause a lasting and powerful shift. People in denial that do not want to get better will never gain from substance abuse treatment. Substance abuse treatment is an arduous undertaking due to the hurdles. Treatment for a batterer using a substance abuse problem may be more challenging than the treatment for someone.

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Hak Ja Han cancelled donations to Zimbabwe war veterans after poor turnout at her festival

Photos from the Harare, Zimbabwe November 21, 2018 event

.

.

.

The expected thousands of couples did not come.

https://bulawayo24.com/index-id-news-sc-national-byo-151072.html

News / National

Korean cult leader donates $50,000 to American war veterans

by Mandla Ndlovu                     05 Dec 2018

Korean cult leader of The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, Hak Ja Han Moon, recently donated over $50,000 to four American organizations that serve war veterans and their families.

The Korean cult was in the country in November where Mrs Moon was supposed to address a crowd of 100 000 people at the National sports stadium in a bid to expand the wings of her cult.

The media put much pressure on the church and the political leadership and the event was snubbed even by the President Emmerson Mnangagwa who was supposed to be the guest of honour.

Sources who were in the organising team revealed to us that Moon was supposed to donate money to Zimbabwe war veterans, church institutions and other charity organisations but ended up not doing so after Zimbabweans snubbed her event.

In America, Moon donated $13,000 each at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York to the following four veteran organizations:  

Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Department of New York, a nonprofit veterans service organization comprised of eligible veterans and military service members from the active, guard and reserve forces.

Union Cyber, a national nonprofit network for veterans that prepares men and women for careers in cybersecurity.

Headstrong, a non-profit in the NY area that offers free, and confidential treatment for post-9/11 military veterans. They provide support and services by veterans, for veterans facing mental illness, PTSD, substance abuse, etc.

Black Veterans For Social Justice, a nonprofit that assists military personnel in making a smooth transition from active duty to civilian life. They are dedicated to servicing military personnel, veterans and their families in the areas of social readjustment, housing, employment, compensation, disability, substance abuse, medical treatment, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, family intervention, prison counseling and relocation into the community, legal advocacy, discharge up-grade and redress of grievances within and outside the military.

In Zimbabwe Moon was welcomed by Minister of Defence Opah Muchinguri-Kashiri and Deputy Minister of Information Energy Mutodi.

Local Churches under the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) discouraged the Christian community against attending the highly publicized Peace and Family Festival saying they do not identify with the teachings of the movement.

President Mnangagwa and Gospel Musicians pulled out of Hak Ja Han’s Zimbabwe fiesta

Korean FFWPU cult leader gives journalists $20 each

Speaker at FFWPU Festival in Harare, Bishop Johannes Ndanga, being probed for fraud

What is the real agenda of the Family Federation for World Peace?

Hak Ja Han’s Cheon Il Guk Constitution is troubling

The Fall of the House of Moon

On a mission from God: South Korea’s many cults

Sun Myung Moon jailed for two years in Seoul in 1955 during the Ewha University sex scandal

Japan High Court judge upholds “FFWPU used members for profit, not religious purposes”. This has serious ramifications.

Japan looted for the benefit of the Moons. Complaints reach over $1billion

The six ‘wives’ of Sun Myung Moon

“Ancestor Liberation must be done” Hak Ja Han 2015

Nansook Hong – In the Shadow of the Moons book, part 1

The Unification Church and shamanism. At its heart the UC is not Christian; but it presents a Christian facade.

Peace Starts with Me • Family Federation for World Peace and Unification • FFWPU • Only Begotten Daughter of God • Hak Ja Han • True Mother • True Parents of Mankind • Sun Myung Moon • True Father • Lord of the Second Advent • Messiah • Second Coming of Jesus • Unification Church • Moonies • Shamanism • President Emmerson Mnangagwa

Hak Ja Han Moon’s $1billion white marble palace in Korea

[counselorsandtherapists]

christian teen challenge for boys: Time to take expert suggestions

Addiction is not an issue for a specific age:

  When there are a lot of things to handle in life, at one time managing a lot of things altogether becomes terribly tough and then the human needs a bit of relaxation or sort of distraction. When there are many ways to get distracted from timely stresses, like yoga, dancing, working out, partying, etc., some choose consuming abusive substances like alcohol, drugs, etc. And over time, it turns into an addiction, says addiction treatment rehab for adults. There is no specific age to fall in this habit, as many teens, adults irrespective of genders in our society are getting indulged in this awful addiction and despite a lot of campaigns, awareness programs, it has been really tough to root out the habit from the society.

 Reasons that trigger a person to go for addiction:

  At our rehab centre we are specially trained to assist addicts to get rid of their habits completely. Our healers are the ones who have already gone through such experiences and made themselves understand their true-selves. So, we are now trying to use those approaches to help other addicts to get an addiction-free life, says alcohol rehab for women. Going through a lot of cases, we came up with a big list of reasons promoting addiction and some are furnished here:

Peer pressure is the one that motivates a     person in a group to opt for some habit which other people in the group     are enjoying. Getting motivated by school friends, office colleagues, and     other random groups, many people start practicing alcohol, drugs, etc. So,     being choosy while picking a group to hang out with is not a bad idea!

Dealing with stress, anxiety, mental illnesses     has been tougher these days with a lot of responsibilities like exam,     career, relationship, financial crunches, past life traumas, etc. Christian     addiction treatment centres for men say that during such confusing situations, many people opt for     addictions as a way to get distracted and as it instantly reacts with     brain cells giving a state of relaxation to mind, they feel it is the only     remedy for all mental stresses.

Like these, there are a lot of other provoking reasons behind addiction and we want all of them to be showcased to everyone so that they can understand when to consult an expert and how to. Rehabilitation when done properly can drastically transform a life completely giving an addict a life with no addiction. At our Christian addiction treatment centres for teens, we train inhabitants to live a meaningful and positive life inculcating healthier activities like good food, exercise, fun, etc. We at the American Rehab Centres wish to get a call from you and discuss more about your issues, so that we can help you better! For more details Visit us @ https://americanrehabcenters.com/

[retiredtayo]

Why did you decide to leave the church??

Short(ish) answer: after 8 years (all through high school, 2 years of college and a mission) of studying the scriptures and praying and begging god for confirmation of the truthfulness of the church I decided to take the silence as an answer. I’ve since come to learn for myself that the church isn’t true. The moment I decided to leave, I felt something exactly like what I’ve called the spirit, except far stronger than anything I’ve ever felt before.

Leaving is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s negatively impacted my relationship with my family. It has straight up destroyed many friendships. I wouldn’t have left if I didn’t really believe it was right for me.

Long answer:

The version of Mormonism I’ve been living and loving for years is a bizarre brand of liberal mormomism where service was the most important thing you could ever do, and all of the controversial things about the church were the errors of men, not actually of god because I cannot ever believe in a god that makes some of the decisions the church has made that hurt people.

Then I realized that’s standard Christianity (minus the trinity) not Mormonism.

General authorities rarely talk about actual service, Just temple work. Since it’s taught that all the left over temple work will be done during the millennium, I refuse to put that as a higher priority than helping people who need my help now and may not be around to be helped later. My ancestors can wait a little longer. People who are starving to death or who are in other harmful situations can’t.

The church is a multi billion dollar organization and yet very little of that goes into humanitarian efforts. You have to jump through hoops to get financial assistance, and even the poorest members who cannot afford to feed their children as it is have to pay tithing. The church refuses to do background checks or spend money on training bishops and primary workers to project against sexual abuse, but will spend thousands of dollars paying people off so they don’t talk about the abuse that happened. Missionaries can’t ever spend mission funds on something deemed non-essential, and are discouraged from seeking medical treatment and all but forbidden from seeking proper mental health care (beyond 3 visits with a mission therapist who rarely provides real mental health care, mostly tells you to read your scriptures more) BUT mission presidents have all expenses paid for including non essentials like presents for their family’s birthdays etc and pay no tithing on that income. Btw this is what tithing used to be-after all your expenses, what was left you paid tithing on. So if you’re living pay check to pay check you didn’t pay tithing.

The church refuses to ever apologize for mistakes they have made and has gone out of its way to leave clear that the November 2015 policy was revelation from god. Sounds fake but ok.

The church has seriously whitewashed their history and the idea that any non-church source is inherently antimormon is laughable. If reading neutral sources stating historical facts destroys people’s testimonies, that doesn’t lend itself to the church’s truthfulness. There is evidence to show that Sidney rigdon knew Joseph well before the publication of the Book of Mormon. Joseph Fielding Smith hid the 1832 account of the first vision (which doesn’t mention 2 beings appearing, only one). The real reason the early saints were driven out of their homes was polygamy. Joseph didn’t tell people about the first vision until years after the formation of the church. Same with the “restoration” of the priesthood by Peter/James/John. Many of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon said they only saw it with “spiritual eyes” and there’s reason to suspect drinking or other substances were involved in many spiritual experiences/visions.

The “most correct book on earth” has been edited many times, not just for punctuation errors but content as well, but they never admit to doing so, so we don’t really notice. Many changes were made from the original manuscript.

There are tons of things in the Book of Mormon that shouldn’t be there. DNA evidence says native Americans come from Asia, not the Middle East. An enormous civilization would leave traces. Steel didn’t exist yet. Cows and horses and half the animals listed didn’t either. The Book of Isaiah wasn’t written until after Lehi left Jerusalem.

They gaslight us all the time when it comes to gender equality. “Separate but equal” they say, and yet when I go to the temple I have to cover my face. I have to give myself to/promise to obey my husband as he obeys the lord. Polygamy totally still exists in the after life, and female general leaders are nothing but a puppethead. They cannot make any decisions for their designated organizations and are often left out of important decisions.

The idea of marrying a man low key makes me want to die. My sexual orientation seems to be a moving target, but it’s always moving between straight up aroace and gay. If one day I settle down with someone, I’m fairly certain it’ll be a woman. There’s no place in this church for single people, and there’s no place for me if I pursue a relationship because I do not like men.

If you want to know more about the historical issues, check out CESletter.org.

For more about the ways in which the Mormon church behaves a lot like a cult, do a quick read of the BITE model on freedomofmind.com (not a Mormon centric source) or listen to No Man Knows My Herstory’s episodes on the BITE model applied to the church.

To anyone who reads this and feels the same way or has doubts or is feeling the soul crushing anxiety and depression that I felt as a part of my rapid crisis of faith, I’m here for you. I’m still working through things myself, but we can work it out together ❤️

[automatismoateo]

[Seeking support] I have been Christian my whole life, I grew up in a Christian family, and my relationship/life has been tied into christianity, but I really don't think I beleive in it anymore, and I'm scared of what that means for me. [VERY long post] via /r/atheism

Submitted August 26, 2021 at 07:21AM by odna_ona (Via reddit https://ift.tt/3ytHBQB) [Seeking support] I have been Christian my whole life, I grew up in a Christian family, and my relationship/life has been tied into christianity, but I really don't think I beleive in it anymore, and I'm scared of what that means for me. [VERY long post]

Hello Reddit,

I am a young woman, I grew up surrounded by the kumbaya Christianity from the Republican conservative Evangelical block in the U.S.A., and as I grew up, I started to question things. This is going to be a long post, so I apologize in advance, as this is really a difficult subject for me, that I have had a hard time confronting, but I really think it is time.

I don't want to get too sappy, but both of my parents are immigrants from a country where Christianity was genuinely prosecuted, and I do grieve this unfair treatment, but they both moved, and here we have a small tight knit monoethnic community, I grew up with these people, but I always felt like an outsider with them. My parents were both severely abusive, and abused substances.

When I was a teenager, I developed an eating disorder and mental issues I struggle with to this day, and after wrestling with them in their worst for 2 years, I became afraid, and decided to seek help. My family told me to turn to God, instead of seek therapy or medical help, so I did just that.

I threw myself into the religion, I sobbed at the altar during prayer nights until 2 in the morning, came home tear streaked, and felt momentarily better, only to realize, I did not feel better at all, I thought it was just me. I thought it was me who is demonically possessed, so that God cannot come into me, and I'm the weird one because I don't experience God like everyone else does. So, I was ashamed to tell anyone, and instead ordered a exorcism.

During the "exorcism", I was put in a room, with my pastor, and several other men, and a woman who was supposedly a prophet. The doors were locked, it was quiet, and then they all began to shout at me, making odd noises. I was extremely afraid, because I suffer noise sensitivity issues, and C-PTSD, and this fear led to a panic attack. I was trembling and sobbing and I kept whispering and begging them to stop. They kept going, put a hand on me, and prayed for me. And when I left, I convinced myself I was better, but in a day or two, I realized nothing had changed.

When I took my first job, I was sexually abused and stalked by two men. My christian family was furious with me, and I was punished. I declined therapy because they told me to keep my whore mouth shut.

I grew up, started seeing doctors myself, and took prescribed medications. My family members found out and ridiculed me for it, saying only God could heal me. This sort of disgusted me, and was the first time I felt like everything I believed was sort of twisted.

I started to question God, I started to question my faith, when homophobia was rampant, when people became saying blatantly racist things (because somehow that is justified by God), when people ostracized me for the fact that I did not want to have biological children. I thought, if God is so omnipresent, then why the fuck does he care about you singing your solos in sunday church service. Surely, God would not be impressed, and surely, if God was, then there would be no way to appease him.

I sought education, and realized the flaws in my beliefs, and in the people who I had looked up to as Christian role models.

This brings me to my conclusion, my dilemma. I met my partner, and we built a relationship on Christian standards, and I love him, and am building a life with him. I love my other family, my siblings, my aunts, uncles, my partners family, with my whole heart, and I feel like I have a home with them. I've never felt more loved/accepted, generally, in my entire life.

But I don't think I can leave. I don't want to throw away everything I have, and I don't want to lose my partner or family, those who I love more than anything on this planet. At the same time, I dont know if I can tolerate another preacher preaching about how everything I ever experienced is because I'm a whore or because I'm possessed.

I feel really torn, empty, and as always, alone.

Any words help, thank you for skimming through at least part of this ♡ much love to everyone.

[stevienitram]

I made a list of every vertical I’ve ever written about as an SEO person/copywriter.

And I’m probably missing some, too . . .It’s kinda wild. I wish I wrote more fiction but I’ve never realized how extensive my range was over the last two and a half years. This is excluding one-offs for random shit too, this is just what I’ve done for my own clients.

·         Medical

o   Dentistry (Extensive)

o   Podiatry

o   Men’s Sexual Health (Extensive)

o   Maternity/Breastfeeding

o   Medical Imaging – Open MRI/Ultrasound/CT Scans/X-rays (Extensive)

o   Pain Management/Treatment

o   Elder Care/Home Care/Nursing

o   Surgical Equipment (Urology Lasers, BPH, Kidney/Gall Stones)

o   Vitamins/Alternative Medicine

o   Medical Marijuana

o   Fitness

·         Law

o   Family Law (Divorce, Child Custody, Alimony, Child Support, etc.) (Extensive)

o   Criminal/DUI/Traffic

o   SSI/Disability

o   Estate/Probate

o   Real Estate

o   Business

o   Personal Injury

o   Expert Witnessing (Specifically for Theme Parks/Amusement)

o   Depositions/Stenographers/Transcription

·         Contractors/Home Improvement

o   Home remodeling (Extensive)

o   Roofing (Extensive)

o   Decks/Sunrooms/Screen Rooms

o   Additions

o   Fencing (Extensive)

o   Landscaping (Extensive)

o   Flooring (Extensive)

o   Architecture/Interior Design (including churches and custom homes)

o   Fueling Stations/Carwash (construction, engineering, maintenance, alternative fuels, equipment, testing)

o   Conveyors/Warehouse Automation/Mezzanines

o   Appliance repair (Extensive – SUBZERO brand specifically)

o   HVAC (Commercial and Residential) (Extensive)

o   Bathtub Refinishing

o   Walk-In Tubs

o   ADA-Compliant Restrooms

o   Industrial Doors/Gate Openers

o   Plumbing

o   Water Treatment

o   Pool Repair

·         Finance

o   Wealth Management (Taxes, Retirement Planning, Estate, Investing, etc.)

o   Loans

o   Payroll (ASO/PEO)

o   CFO/Accounting

·         Insurance

o   Auto, Home, Business, Life, Liability, Renters’, Flood, etc. (just about any type of insurance you can think of) (Extensive)

·         Marketing

o   Email Marketing and Social Media specifically for salespeople/real estate

·         Sales/Ecommerce

o   Jewelry Supplies (Extensive)

o   Kids’ Games/Educational Kids’ Products/Kids’ Restaurant Toys

o   Lighting (High End, and Party Supply Lighting) (Extensive)

o   Wireless Routers/Tech

o   Milling machine Parts/Industrial Equipment

o   Bison Meat

o   Appliances

o   Cornhole Equipment (Extensive)

o   Pool Supplies

o   Software (contract management, security)

o   Apparel (Motorcycle Gear)

o   Model Trains

o   Renaissance Costumes

o   Wholesale Art Supplies

o   Wooden Objects

o   Essential Oils/Incense

·         Education

o   Private Christian School

o   Court Ordered Education (Anger Management, Domestic Violence, Substance Abuse) (Extensive)

o   Brain Games

·         Religious

o   Women’s Ministry

o   Church Architecture (remodeling and new buildings)

·         B2B

o   Email Marketing for Sales/Real Estate

o   Mail Forwarding

o   Shipping Fulfillment

o   Sales Training Courses

o   Office Furniture/Supplies/Printers/Etc. (Extensive)

o   Printing (Apparel, Promotional Products, Team Jerseys, Brochures) (Extensive)

o   Wholesale Jewelry Supplies (for craft stores) (Extensive)

o   Commercial Cleaning Services

o   Hotel Bedding

o   Staffing/Recruiting (Temp, Job Search, Creative Staffing)

o   PEO/ASO/Outsourced HR

o   Laundromat Equipment

·         Food

o   Bakery (Extensive)

o   Bison Farm

·         Travel

o   Luxury Transportation (Limo, Airport Pickup, Executive Car Service, etc.)

o   Vacation Rental Homes

o   Historical Tours/Auto Tours

o   Event Tent Rental

Like what the fuck? That’s a lot of stuff. I’m kinda proud of it tbh, because I never thought I’d be able to write authoritative and informative content about most of these things. 

[honestlyannoyingperfection]

Mindfulness and Non-12 Step Recovery

Traditional perceptions of substance abuse recovery usually involve some sort of 12-step process, also known as Alcoholics Anonymous or AA for short. This approach was founded and first tried out in 1935 by a few men in search of a way to cope with an addiction to alcohol that aligned with their beliefs. As Christians, they modeled the 12 steps around a higher power and admitting yourself powerless to your addiction. Since its creation in 1935, there have been other alternative approaches to recovery that do not use this much of a strict method. One that was made popular in 2002 was Smart recovery. The use of cognitive based therapies (CBT) and psychology-based applications of recovery have led to some really useful remedies. Before smart recovery however, there was mindfulness-based relapse prevention brought to light by Jon Kabat Zinn (MBRP). This was the first documented use of mindfulness to practice in recovery, and it has become a really useful approach to treating substance abuse, mental health, and other diagnosed mental issues.

           Since its creation, mindfulness has become the forefront for many therapy remedies and treatments. The way people use this approach is for relapse prevention, and practical uses in recovery. Different implementations of mindfulness can lead to many holistic recovery practices. One of those includes heavy yoga and meditation to become more aware of your body and the healing it can bring if the attention is brought to it. By brining your attention to your body, you inherit a good understanding of what your body needs throughout the day if you just listen to it. Yoga can bring your attention to the present moment by the sensations brought on during a stretch or other methods. Meditation does this to, but instead of body awareness you inherit this deep sense of self-awareness. To be self-aware, you must understand what the self is. The self is the voice in your head that is dominating your experience as a human, and really this explanation really down sells the self’s true capability. The self is also the emotions felt in reality, that come to fruition through attachments. When you are in traffic, and this unpleasant intense frustration comes, that is the self literally creating friction within the body, because it is preferring reality to be different than it is in the current moment. This is a small example of how the self is experienced in the mind and body, but there are countless amounts of instances like this that happen daily, affecting our lifestyle, yet it can be so hard to take a step back and just notice this is going on. It is the noticing of the process that stops it, and mindfulness is a way of taking the first step in being self-aware.

           Mindfulness is practice of being in the present, but in a way that does not create so much friction in the body. The ‘friction’ or unpleasant feeling I am mentioning are the same feelings that also contribute to deep suffering and depression. Instead of being surprised or caught of guard by these intense feelings you can have more patience and start to make ground in recovery. It can be looked at as more of an introspective approach to healing. This holistic experience has been helping people heal and even stay sober flawlessly. The benefits of mindfulness are exponential in nature, especially for those using it for substance abuse, sobriety is not the only good thing that can come from it. There is more patience, forgiveness, and space to be yourself instead of having to suffer from your mental health issue. Mindfulness based therapies treat the individual as the solution, instead of being a problem that needs to be fixed.