#message of Jesus and all the prophets

[drchucktingle]

DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS #4

here we are again talkin on camp damascus and unwrapping every little secret and hidden layer of this book. think of this time together like an old time ENGLISH CLASS where the dang teacher says 'well by THIS SYMBOLISM the author was actually commenting on how good chocolate milk is' only this time we get to talk on TINGLERS and your teacher is the buckaroo himself, chuck tingle.

as man name of chuck i have a lot of easter eggs in my books, and this post is just ONE OF MANY where we pull apart every layer. if you have a reading club for this book it might be a fun companion to trot through once you are all finished. if that is the case you should start with the first deconstructing damascus post. i will leave links to them all here IN ORDER

DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS #1

DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS #2

DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS #3

HOWEVER these deconstructing damascus posts SHOULD NOT BE READ UNLESS YOU ARE DONE WITH THE BOOK. there are heckin spoilers EVERYWHERE in these posts so do not peek at them until you are ready.

alright below this line the dang spoilers begin. BIG TIME SPOILER WARNING. lets trot

DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS #4: BIBLICAL CAPITALISM

we have taken lots of time to discuss the various layers of symbolism in this book, but for FINAL POST of deconstructing damascus i would like to talk about the literal layer, specifically ONE BIG THEME that weaves throughout the story of rose, saul, willow and kingdom of the pine.

that theme is CAPITALISM.

kingdom of the pine, the church in this story, is intentionally NOT THAT STRANGE in their beliefs. it would be very easy for me to write a book where the christian sect are revealed as some twisted monsters performing all kinds of dark rituals in the name of evil itself, but when the big reveal comes it is something much more HORRIFIC and unexpected.

kindgom of the pine members are not snarling, oozing, otherworldly, creatures. the members are just people, and their beliefs are horrifically STANDARD. kingdom of the pine worships CAPITALISM.

these church members believe in the traditional tenants of CHRISTIANITY along with the traditional tenants of BUSINESS. what makes them scary is that they whole heartedly believe that 'the ends justify the means'

lets start with prophet cobel, the founder of the church. his visions came during THE INDUSTREAL REVOLUTION, occuring when he was injured by a manufacturing machine and lost his hand. the coma from prophet cobels accident is where he received his message from god. he realized that, for a church to succeed, it needed to act like a BUSINESS.

many buckaroos have asked 'WHY is the church called kingdom of the pine?' and this is EXACTLY WHY. many churches are named for spiritual aspects. this sect could have easily been 'kingdom of the holy word' 'kingdom of the spirit' 'kingdom of HIS name' EXCEPT prophet cobel knew the importance of MATERIAL and CURRENCY and GOODS. he is not just worshipping JESUS, he is worshipping THE CROSS ITSELF. so 'the pine' in kingdom of the pine is symbolic of worshipping through a PRODUCT, in this case the little wooden cross that you might sell during a fundraiser. not kingdom of the son, the father, or the holy spirit, but kingdom of the PINE. THE WOOD ITSELF. THE PRODUCT.

by combining christianity and capitalism, prophet cobel created a monster, but not one that creeps through a dark swamp with sharp teeth and red eyes. he created something much more existentially dangerous AND not all that unheard of in reality. this isnt an imaginary monster that lurks under your bed. IT IS A MONSTER THAT IS ALREADY HERE.

capitalism is the answer for ANOTHER big question regarding camp damascus: why are the demons wearing red polos?

demons in this story are dressed like minimum wave workers at a big box story because THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE. yes they spend their time torturing unfortunate folks in their dungeon, but NOBODY IS FREE FROM THE CAPITALISTIC SYSTEM NOT EVEN ON OTHER TIMELINES LIKE HECK ITSELF. the demons are AT WORK. some buckaroos do not notice that kingdom of the pine counselors are always in green and white (the pine material GREEN and the holy spirit WHITE, like we talked on earlier). meanwhile demons are in RED because they are contracted out. THEY HAVE BEEN HIRED IN THEIR OWN WAY and when you consider the collars around their necks, THEY ARE NOT TREATED FAIRLY BY THEIR EMPLOYERS. THEY ARE CONTROLLED IN A SYSTEM OF THEIR OWN AND COMPELLED TO WORK.

this is why they have name tags. THEY ARE AT WORK.

this is why they are constantly smiling until the collars come off. THEY HAVE CUSTOMER SERVICE SMILES.

okay buds. thank you for reading the deconstructing damascus series it was very fun for me to go deep on this book for anyone who enjoys this kind of analysis. i hope it puts a little more joy into your trot, and now if someone says 'this part of camp damascus didnt make sense to me' you can said 'LETS TALK BUD'. i am very much looking forward to doing this again when my next horror novel BURY YOUR GAYS comes out. keep a dang eye out for that one.

i will end with one more thing that did not really fit into the other catagories.

question of: is there any meaning behind willow being a big wu tang fan?

you mean besides her being the crocodile (which has ticking clock in mouth in peter pan) so rhythm itself is a very important part of her character? (as shown in her steady clicking camera shutter and the steady beat of her musical preferences?)

WHY YES CHUCK BESIDES THAT.

well now that we've discussed the theme of INFANTILIZATION in deconstructing damascus part one, and how all the young people in kingdom of the pine are kept childlike as long as possible as the FOREVER CHILDREN of never never land, i will point you towards this iconic quote from the wu tang clans ODB at the 1998 grammy awards:

LOVE IS REAL thank you for reading buckaroos - chuck

[nepentheisms]

You ever find yourself down and out, going through a real dark night of the soul? Well if your name's Vash, then fortunately for you, you've got a Meryl Stryfe on your side.

She came in clutch, and I'm proud of her. Nightow even conveys the moment Meryl's words of resolve reach Vash as a burst of light in the dark. After Vash kills Legato, we see his soul teetering on the brink. He feels truly lost, boxed inside an all-black space, wondering what reason he has to go on living, "What's there left to see?"

And as if in answer to prayer, sparks of light begin to appear around him. As our eyes follow the flow of panels down to the lower left, we're then hit with the impact of the space around Vash brightening dramatically as he hears Meryl's words. Her faith calls him out of the void, and he gets the answer to his question: Here are the people fighting to realize your dream. Here's the woman who declares that she's among those who will share your burden because it doesn't matter if you broke the vow that defined you for so long - you're still worth believing in. And here, right in front of you is a fragment of your sisters' memories - the key to finally bridging the gap between them and humanity. There's so much left to see.

I love how in every version of Trigun, it's the sheer persistence of Meryl's faith that pulls Vash out of his lowest points (I know Stampede hasn't reached this climax in Vash's emotional journey yet, but I think what we've seen with Meryl helping him break Knives' control is a foretaste of bigger things to come). That tenacity and refusal to give up are so central to her character. Once her convictions are set, she's incredibly steadfast in them, and it's this steadfastness that makes the Mary Magdalene comparisons even more fitting.

In Thomas Aquinas' reflection on Mary Magdalene, he calls her devotion "constant," and says "it deserves praise" as a quality that "made her fit to see the angels." Aquinas remarks that while the other disciples left when Jesus was buried, Mary Magdalene stayed because of her "stronger and more burning affection." Thus, she is privileged among the saints as the chosen witness and messenger:

"Notice the three privileges given to Mary Magdalene. First, she had the privilege of being a prophet because she was worthy enough to see the angels, for a prophet is an intermediary between angels and the people. Secondly, she had the dignity or rank of an angel insofar as she looked upon Christ, on whom the angels desire to look. Thirdly, she had the office of an apostle; indeed, she was an apostle to the apostles insofar as it was her task to announce our Lord's resurrection to the disciples."

So how fitting is it that Meryl ends the story as a news reporter and thereby having even more power to tell Vash's story? She has witnessed the most hidden aspects of him (a fact that makes a great point of comparison to the characterization of Mary Magdalene in the extracanonical Gnostic Gospels), and there's so much she could say to help the rest of the world learn to understand him. She now has the resources to share his message on a much greater scale, and in those last few pages we see that the people Vash met in his travels, people like Lina and her grandmother and Badwick's family, are among those watching the broadcast. Meryl gets the word out to others who came to know him directly: He is risen.

"Mary answered and said, What is hidden from you I will proclaim to you. And she began to speak to them these words: I, she said, I saw the Lord in a vision and I said to Him, Lord I saw you today in a vision. He answered and said to me, Blessed are you that you did not waver at the sight of Me. For where the mind is there is the treasure." -Gospel of Mary (extracanonical)

[thewordfortheday]

Jesus said, "By their fruit you will recognize them." (Matthew 7:16 NIV) The Saviour knew that many false prophets and teachers would try to deceive us, and that's why He warned us to put people to the test by examining their actions. He told us not to just pay attention to their words, but to look at how they live. He said: "Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you apart. You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit." (Matthew 7:15-16 ) Jesus goes on to say: "Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to Me as 'Lord,' but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey My Father in heaven." (Matthew 7:21)

No matter how good or convincing someone sounds, if he is bearing bad fruit, his message should be rejected. Godly teachers will display good “fruit”.

While we can never know anyone else’s heart, we can make wise assessments by observing the fruit of their lives. . We can definitely identify those whose hearts have been redeemed, by the fruit we see in their lives.

[catwouthats]

I want to preface this by saying I have a really good pattern recognition and took a film class before .

I NEVER WANTED TO LEARN THIS INFORMATION OR HAVE THIS THEORY!!

Anyways, because people are confused about the theory of Gabriel somehow having the second coming of Christ (and also why I think some of the book of Revelation will be included in Good Omens 3), I thought I’d put my evidence here.

Once again I’d like to formally apologize and this is your last warning.

You will lose all sanity past this point just like i did.

(TLDR; only read what’s in bold and look at the pictures)

When it comes to why I think season 3 might be based off of Revelation slightly, there isn’t that much evidence. (Unfortunately there is more evidence for the other part.)

First of all we have Metatron mentioning the second coming of Christ before they get on the elevator. Now for those of you who don’t know the second Coming of Christ is part of Revelation! (Also, Metatron did not bother to try and stop Gabriel from leaving… which I find suspicious…)

Where “Christ 2.0” is mentioned in Revelation? Well the Revelation is not straight forward. Some think of the Second Coming of Christ as whom was mentioned in Revelation 14:14-16 (in this chapter he comes down from the heavens and chops off heads) and some think of The Second Coming of Christ as who was mentioned in Revelation 19:11-16 (in this chapter he comes down from the heavens and helps put two of the false prophets in hellfire). For Chapter 14, they call the being “the son of man”, which is the same title people use for Jesus. For chapter 19, there is “King of Kings, Lord of Lords” tattooed on his thigh, which is what some people call God.

Luckily, considering the main point of Good Omens is to show that love and life matters most, I don’t think they will do exactly what those chapters say.

Neil also said that he got inspiration from Genesis and Revelation here: https://www.tumblr.com/neil-gaiman/728173029401788416/hi-neil-gaiman-i-would-like-to-know-if-good-omens

Side note, another reason I feel they will use some of Revelation:

Now on to the Unfortunate truth. Proof/foreshadowing that Gabriel will have the Second Coming of Christ. (Again I want to formerly apologize to both the fandom and Neil Gaiman.)

So what started this is Chapter 12 of Revelation. In chapter 12 someone is pregnant in the sky/heavens/space and gives birth to a special child. Before that child is eaten by a monster, an Angel comes in and takes the Baby away and brings the baby to God. This is why I think this is the same being as the second coming mentioned before. He was taken care of by God and raised in Heaven.

But he was also born in space…

And unfortunately for us ineffable bureaucracy is in space. And although they aren’t human, there are actually a lot of references throughout Good Omens 1 and 2 that associate Gabriel with birth and sex.

But before i get into that, I want to preface all this. I know this might upset some of you all because you might also have had the head cannon of them being asexual. To that I say, don’t worry I don’t think anything sexual will actually happen. They are kind of dumb (when it comes to human affairs) supernatural beings whom can perform miracles. A lot of this is just dramatic irony used to make us laugh and to possibly hint at the future.

So here is all the evidence of Gabriel having a kid so far (I will edit it if more comes up):

1) When he says he was there for the creation/birth of Eve in the garden. Why in the world would that be an important thing to mention? For what reason did God want him there? Why did God want him to see how to make a human?

2) The fact he is the same Angel who delivered the message to Mary that she was pregnant with Jesus. You can see this in Luke 1:26. While, this is not mentioning Good Omens I feel it is important to point out. Also, I think it would be funny if Mary was able to pull an Uno reverse card (and a +2 card because it would be the 2nd coming) and tell GABRIEL that he was gonna have the child.

Not to mention there are even more similarities between the two of them (which I mention later.) I think it shows them as having something more in common rather than just being in eachother a story…

3) The fact he was also there for the “birth” of 3 of Lot’s kids. Yet another moment of human creation that God insisted he’d be a part of.

6) The tomatoes falling in front of him as he walked to Aziraphale’s Bookshop (they did a close up which usually is a “pay attention” sign) because apparently tomatoes are a sign of fertility. (Also if you look at the extended edition of Gabriel’s arrival you will see that the tomato pile seeming bubbled up like it was multiply as he walked by.)

Not only that, but some studies show that tomatoes can cure infertility. And considering we know that angels do not at first have any reproductive organs, I think it’s safe to say that this symbolism could show how he is no longer infertile. (Link: https://www.nicswell.co.uk/health-news/tomatoes-and-fertility )

7) Everyone assumed he was a stripper that Aziraphale hired. Nina thought it was Aziraphale’s ”naked man friend” he hired. And the people around him even took pictures of him nude. They didn’t even bother to call the police they were in such awe.

The fact that they didn’t call the police or weren’t really disgusted (but rather many were quite turned on if you look at the symbolism) is very interesting to me. It reminds me of the story of Lot in the Bible. Two Angels visit Lot (in sodom and Gomorrah) and a huge crowd of people forms outside his house. The angels were so charismatic and hot that everybody wanted to do them, and that is why they were crowding around Lot’s house. I wish I was joking, but I’m not!

8) All the people that flirted with him at the ball to which he said something along the lines of “I learned something new about this body last night in bed” and also “want me to show you?”

As my friend on tiktok (cloverthegrand) said “something something Gabriel was [probably] purposefully made to be very attractive to attract a partner to fulfill the second coming requirements.”

9) He likes hot cocoa and chocolate is sort of an aphrodisiac, which is something that supposedly “turns you on”. And yes, chocolate is still a symbol of love even without it’s aphrodisiac qualities.

(Link: https://www.simplychocolate.com/learn-chocolate-aphrodisiac )

10) When they have sushi (fish), Gabriel is always(?) there. When they are in he restaurant in season 1 and at the Ball in season 2. Fish is a sign of fertility in a couple cultures like in judaism, some Native American tribes, and Celtic culture. 

(Links: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/an-abundance-of-fish/ and https://www.atshq.org/fish-symbolism/ )

11) This is quite controversial, but the fact that Gabriel planned basically to show up to beelzebub completely naked is quite… odd. He probably doesn’t understand the complexities of this and what it means (or would mean to humans), yet it is still an odd flag that I feel could show us a hint. And once again, I would like to remind you all that this is not me saying that they aren’t asexual. I still firmly believe that they are both aroace spec because they are/were Angels!

12) The “I’m in the fly” on the bottom of the box that Gabriel brought is also quite funny to me. Gabriel and Beelzebub sure did not get the joke, but I know some of the audience (including me) had one Hell of a time laughing at that dramatic irony/pun! And once again it is another this that associates Gabriel with the creation of kids.

13) “Everyday” being beelzebub and Gabriels song -despite also being described by Terry and Neil as an apocalyptic song- is also interesting to me. I feel it could show that somehow their love and their romance is the start of this second apocalypse or maybe even the center of it. It’s slightly scary to me that Neil didn’t wait to use Everyday for season three, yet instead started using it here for a romance.

14) All the good luck symbolism for Gabriel.  Gabriel got really lucky the season. Whether with a Aziraphale and Crowley and his memory or how everything around him went. It was as if it was perfectly planned. And it was! There were a lot of symbols for good luck, always surrounding Gabriel to make sure no harm came his way (such as the Garlic, onions, cabbage, and plum tree at Gabriel’s arrival. Also the color blue, hearts, and lions.) I feel this shows just how important and essential Gabriel is to SOMETHING. Something probably bigger than he knows.

Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure I remember Neil Gaiman once saying on Tumblr that he made Gabriel more of a character in season one of good omens because he was important to the next part of the story. This season definitely showed us just how important Gabriel really is (to my unfortunate mental decline.)

15) Cows. This one isn’t that big considering it is just two framed images of cows in the background while Beelzebub and Gabriel order at the bar, but I included it anyways. Cows represent fertility and strength (yippee 😐)

16) Gabriel is wearing the same blue at the Ball as Sitis(kind of) and as The Virgin Mary! They all have big blue thingy. This shows they are similar… somehow (*cough* miraculous births/“births” *cough*)

Bonus: The Proof is in the Pudding!… or at least the side dish. Here is some evidence from the extended editions/cut scenes:

A) In the extended edition of Gabriel’s arrival:

Aa) Lemon symbolism. In the extended edition, you can see an old man holding a lemon, while standing in front of a pile of tomatoes on the table. The pile of tomatoes then later, bubbles up, as if multiplying, and falls down on the floor, overtaking him and his lemon.  lemons can symbolize loyalty to one other person in a sexual or romantic relationship and they were also used as a form of birth control, but consider the tomatoes -what fixes infertility- went past that man I think it’s safe to say that is no longer a thing.



Ab) Flowers. Honestly this is not that important because flowers have many different meanings (I mainly did this for fun; not all of the flowers support this theory). But mainly people use flowers to give to someone they love. Also, flowers in General (specifically Lilies and Roses) are commonly associated with the Virgin Mary. Let me quickly go over the flowers/plants in this shot that I could identify.

Black eyed Susans - encouragement, motivation, endurance, and justice

White Roses - purity, youthfulness, innocence, eternal loyalty, and new beginnings

Yellow Roses - friendship and joy

Pink Roses - elegance, refinement, sweetness, and femininity

Green Roses or Green Chrysanthemum? (I can’t tell which it is from a distance) - chrysanthemum-good fortune, rebirth, renew, and good health. Rose-renewal, fertility, growth, abundance, and rejuvenation

Eucalyptus - strength, protection, abundance, and the division between Heaven and Earth

Wreaths - not a flower I know, but they do symbolize some important things. Fertility, life after death, life, and Jesus dying and coming back

(Links (This is not all of them because I got tired): https://fiftyflowers.com/blogs/flowers/rose-color-meanings#:~:text=White%20roses%20symbolize%20purity%2C%20youthfulness,for%20weddings%20and%20romantic%20occasions. And https://blossmcart.com/blog/chrysanthemum-meaning-and-symbolism/#:~:text=Green%20chrysanthemums%20symbolize%20good%20fortune,love%2C%20longevity%2C%20and%20joy. )

Ac) THE HOSE POORING WATER INTO THE PURSE! OH MY GOSH DID THIS SHOT SURPRISE ME IN THE EXTENDED EDITION! Also they even did a close up of it so you know it’s important! This is on the nose fornication. The hose representing a pp, the purse representing somethings that “purrs”, and the water representing… human male milk. The hose fills up the purse and makes it wet in these shots.

This could just be them showing more of how everyone is thirsting after Gabriel, but than again… why specifically Gabriel? And why something so specifically representing conception?

B) In the cut scene at The Ball

Ba) The nut allergy. In one of the cut scenes Justine has a nut allergy and asks Gabriel if any of the appetizers have nuts in them. I love to interpret this as them saying they are a lesbian because of their emphasis on all nuts. I especially love this because (assumingly) the people before them were flirting with him and they weren’t (probably because he looks like a male human.)

Bb) The fact Gabriel has no idea what nuts are and asks what they taste like. It seems very innocent in the scene, but if I saw that scene back to back of the “I learned something new in bed last night” I would definitely assume that was on purpose for many reasons. And considering all the other times Gabriel is associated with sex, I think I am gonna interpret it this way. He is a very innocent Angel though (literally).

[EDITS: The bit on the side (more evidence that I unfortunately can’t add imagery for because I’ve reached my limit on this Tumblr post):

-the pornography bit in s1

-the fact Gabriel is sort of fixated on having a nice body (exercising, looking at the statue of himself)

-the way his statue holds a cross the similar to how The Virgin Mary holds a cross in images (at least at times where she is holding one)

-The fact that there is also a lot of imagery of the Virgin Mary putting her hands cross over her chest, which is similar to how Gabriel does when Aziraphale and Crowley ask to hold his hands in s2

-him “being a Virgin” being the butt of a lot of the sexual jokes. I put being a virgin in quotes because I actually have a very depressing theory about this. He most definitely did not just miracle genitals right before seeing Beelzebub, otherwise the Angels would’ve gotten a notification as he was leaving that he did that considering they were looking at his file. That means he’s had that for a while. We know he has something down there because of the crowds reaction to him being naked after he puts down the box. 

-Neil said “we will never know” when asked if Gabriel made “the effort” down there… this isn’t evidence I just find this hilarious (Link https://www.tumblr.com/neil-gaiman/725238480054239232/hey-neil-i-dont-know-if-this-question-has )

-Neil offered the name Gabriel to someone that was naming an incubator in their lab https://www.tumblr.com/neil-gaiman/727942479466430464/i-need-help-naming-lab-equipment-i-work-in-a-lab

-

Do I think all of this evidence means Gabriel will give BIRTH? Not exactly, I mean he could just miracle a child by pulling of one of his ribs and gathering Star dust around it to shape the body. However, I do think there is a high possibility that Gabriel will somehow raise or make The Second coming of Christ (or just any child) in Good Omens 3.

And on the contrary, to all of what I said, some of the other angels and demons could also be associated with fertility (ex: stars, sand and fish as symbolism for fertility. Aziraphale has scenes with stars, sand and fish). However, in my opinion, it is not to the degree that Gabriel is associated with things like sex, birth and the Virgin Mary. He is CONSTANTLY being associated with it (even if it’s not on purpose) throughout the series. They could just be making sex jokes with Gabriel because it’s funny (and because it’s John Hamm who is/was apparently a sex symbol), but we’ll never know until season 3 I guess!

I doubt this all will help in my plea to be not weird on tumblr, considering I shared the evidence now, but it’s better than sounding like somebody who just said “archangel Gabriel mpreg” just for the fuck all.

[appraisedtiktoks]

Closed Captions:

This caption ended up being really long, so I apologize for the divider.

Taking place in a classroom, this video is from a show called Midnight Mass. Numerous parents are seated in small desks for children and the topic is about how some kids came home with bibles that were handed out. A conversation is cut off as this clip begins.

(What is missing from the clip: the Teacher begins, “I understand given your religious affiliation, you might find the fact that your son is interested in the Bible offensive-“)

“Not at all” the parent, played by Rahul Kohli, cuts off.

The teacher continues, “I suppose, but I would say that if he’s interested in Jesus, why not allow him to learn a little about it?”

He cuts her off once more, “That’s so not the issue and thank you for this opportunity to clarify, uh he knows all about Jesus.”

She cuts him off this time, “Imagine not quite all.”

He ignores her and continues, “Muslims believe that Jesus is a prophet of God and that the Angel, the Bible, was revealed to him as the Torah was revealed to Moses before that. See, we- we love Jesus and we love the message that was revealed to him.”

“Well, I suppose we learn something new everyday, don’t we?” the teacher announces, trying to stop the conversation there.

“But we also believe after the time of Jesus. Thanks to the interference of men, there are deviations of Christianity. People altered the message, Priests, Popes, Kings. That’s why there’s so so many versions of the Bible.”

“People got in there, made their changes-“ “I don’t think this is relevant.” The teacher cuts in again.

“We do though believe that the Bible contains some of the original word of God.”

“That’s very generous, isn’t it?” The teacher begins again to try and shut down the conversation.

He begins again, “But we also believe that God revealed the Quran as the final message. Never to be altered, to reasset the original revelations of the previous prophets.”

She curtly stops him, “I don’t think that this is the place to discuss where our beliefs about scripture might divert.”

Remaining calm, he reiterates, “Exactly.”

Pausing to look around for a moment before continuing, “There it is. That’s the issue. And that’s why I think some of the people in this room including myself are a little concerned. See Muslims encourage everyone to seek knowledge. So I am more than comfortable with my son studying a Bible. Thrilled actually. I’ve done it myself.”

After pausing to look around the room once more he continues, “But where I think there’s an issue is that this is a public school. That’s the thing. And I think what’s concerning some of us is not the Bible itself. But that it was handed out. Distributed to the kids here. I just ask you to consider how you’d feel if you sent your child to a public school-“

“Sure” the teacher sighs, shaking her head.

“And they came home with a copy of the Quran. Asking about the (Prophet Mohammad). You’d feel it was an issue. If I went around handing out copies of the Quran to the children on this island purely in the interest of the pursuit of knowledge. Well, I’d expect you to chase me out of town Miss King.”

And the video is cut off and ends there.

[ktempestbradford]

Prophets don't create religions. Prophets reform their own religions.

Jesus did not create Christianity, he was a Jew reforming Judaism. The Buddha was not a Buddhist, the Buddha was a Hindu reforming Hinduism. The prophet Mohammed (PBUH) did not create Islam. Over and over again in the Quran he's constantly saying: this is not a new message, this is not a new religion, this is the exact same message that was given to every prophet that came before. Their god and your god are the same. It's the prophet's followers, regardless of what religion you're talking about, who are then tasked with creating some kind of institutionalized Thing out of the prophet's words and deeds. All religions were created by followers of the prophet, not by the prophet themself.

—Reza Aslan

I was listening to this interview with Aslan and very struck by this idea. From what I know, I agree with the statement about Jesus, but don't know enough to know if he's right about the Buddha and Mohammed (PBUH).

Very interested on thoughts about this from people in the know.

[givemearmstopraywith]

This may be a bit of a dump question but I've always wondered about this and I thought I could ask this from you since you seem to know more about it. I hope that's okay! Are the translations of the bible and their differences very important? Are the messages that the writings send us that different from each other depending on the translation?

it's very important. translation is an art, like anything else. from a semitic language like hebrew or arabic, it's difficult and often impossible to fully capture the meaning of a word in the original text using english (or any other language). in judaism every stroke of every letter is thought to be an emanation of God: he is the words themselves. the quran is the word of God exactly as it was transmitted to the prophet. so abrahamic religions, bar christianity, place extraordinary important in literal meaning, because you encounter God not only in the meaning of the words but in their very essence, their form and shape.

scriptural translation has always, always been fraught with problems. for instance jerome, developing the vulgate, encountered exodus 34, where moses encounters God face to face and is transformed with rays of light. the hebrew word for this transformation is קָרַ֛ן, and jerome translate it to "cornuta," horns: for centuries afterward moses is depicted in art as having horns, like a goat, because of this mistranslation. it may be that jerome meant "glorified" rather than "horned," based off his later commentaries and use of the term by previous exegetes, but the fact remains that outside of the theological sphere this single word, translated to a western language, stripped back meaning tragically. even to the extent that it propagated harmful stereotypes about jews.

or consider the use of the word "atonement" in english translations of the new testament: katallage, used in romans 5:11, is translated as atonement, but it actually means "reconciliation" or "restitution." in fact, jesus never speaks of atonement. in the old testament the word translated to atonement is כָּפַר, "kaphar", which means "covering." in 1 peter 4:8 we are told, "love covers over a great number of sins." how different would christian understandings of atonement be if we translated "kaphar" as "covering" and not atonement? forgiveness for wrongdoing becomes not something we offer to or beg from God, but something to which we submit, because the action is removed from us, humble as we are, to the great forgiver- the great lover.

i say all this to contextualize the difficulty of translation to begin with. but in the sense of critical pedagogy, every translation of any religious text is subject to the bias of the translator. a good translator is conscious of their bias and seeks to remove it from their work. but christian scripture has an agenda. it is not only something we read for a personal relationship to God but something that is used to dictate right behaviour, as a means of social control, something that develops culture. if a person translating a text has this in mind, they can construct the meaning of the text towards what version of a society or culture they feel is "right," based on their personal and invariably biased understanding of a text. this is why i dislike the kjv translation and never recommend it. the kjv is a product of its time. it is not a good translation of the bible: it is old, but it is not the oldest english translation, and its meaning is absolutely skewed. this is difficult, because many evangelical christians believe the kjv is the absolute word of God, and they are already wrong, because no translation will ever be absolute truth: it is only translation.

words are a limiting system. when we try to capture the essence of something like a god, we are limiting him to our vocabulary.

i always recommend the nrsv because it is version i use for scholarly work. it isn't beautiful but it is as close to a "correct" translation as you can get. but i always supplement my reading with other tools: the jewish annotated new testament is wonderful, for instance, and biblehub has detailed interlinear translations of different translations and the original text. but i am also aware i will never be able to fully comprehend the depth and beautiful of scripture until i learn hebrew and greek, at minimum. but this should not discourage anyone: scripture is meant to be read. but it has to be read actively, critically. God wants you to swallow his words, but he needs you to chew them first.

[sulfies]

ight I need you to write a fic with that desmond/ezio drabble you made rn

Best I can do is another small blurb for the poor hungy orphans🫡 CostumeChange desmond part1 here

——

”So…”

They were seated across from one another, Desmond's foot tapping on the floor rhythmically.

”So?”

Ezio’s arms were crossed, posture relaxed now that he knew he didn't have an enemy spy ready to butcher his disciples. Since he could take in the other person and the situation properly, It was hard to not find it funny.

”How long did you, really, think you could pull this…”

Desmond sucked in an amused breath “Lets just say, knock on wood, If you were to die, they wouldn't have missed you.”

Ezio’s hand hit his knee “Bah, Not recognising your own mentor! If this wasn't a special issue that most likely won't repeat ever again, I'd say our brotherhood is in shambles.” He leans back more in his seat. “Surely you could have gotten supplies elsewhere or even gone to the merchants I go to, since I am assuming you know about them too. Why come here to parade around as… me?”

His tone still on friendly side, Desmond flinched a bit at the last question. “I didn't plan on acting as you… I needed assassin gear, so I came here to steal some. Right as I was gearing up some novice walked in and my hood was up, then they asked for some advice, then some others shoved up and you really need to be here more often Ezio…”

”Not talking about my schedules right now, Desmond”

”Right…” Desmond clasped his hands together foot still tapping “It's not like I sent them to missions or ordered around, I was just giving tips and tricks that you would have given anyway and-“

Hearing a throat clear Desmond looked at Ezio to get back on topic “Okay okay, but I finally got to be in THE Tiber Island hideout filled with people… so I got carried away a bit, give a man a break I wasn’t thinking the best. This is like seeing…. I don't know… Jesus’s house?”

Ezio could only roll his eyes fondly at the weird comparison. “Getting compared to Jesus is weird. Especially by you.”

Desmond chuckled “Ah yes… Especially since-”

“I am your prophet…”

The silence hung in the air for a few seconds. “Are you here related to that? Do I have to decipher some godly riddles again?”

Desmond shook his head so fast “No! No god no, It's not that. Y-you already did all you had to Ezio.” He swallowed a lump. “I had to get the message through you to save the world, I’m sorry they never explained anything to you.”

”And did you? save the world, I mean?”

Ezio’s hands were on his lap now, almost as shy as his younger 17 year old self rubbing his palms nervously.

“Yeah, I did… thanks to you”

“Bené” then he repeated it again, to himself.

[pommedepersephone]

Have you watched "Jesus Christ Superstar"? If so, what did you think of it?

Jesus Christ Superstar is in my top three favorite musicals - and I lettered in theatre and choir in high school so my list of favorite musicals is hilariously long.

Setting aside any discussion of the music and lyrics first, let's talk about the narrative. The story is very much about the humanity of it all - and how society treats their heroes. The tension between Jesus, Judas and Mary is a debate about how we balance (or fail to balance) our dedication to a movement over our devotion for individuals. And it features table flipping Jesus!!

Mary is devoted to Jesus as a person. "He's a man, he's just a man" she tells us. She focuses on comforting and caring for him. But in her concern for him individually, she has little demonstrated interest in his work to better the world.

Judas is dedicated to the movement. He is (justifiably) concerned that people are losing sight of Jesus as a prophet, making him into an idol instead of a visionary leader. But in his fervor for the movement, he forgets the individual. He seems unaware just how weighed down Jesus is, and likewise disparages Mary asking why Jesus would "waste his time on women of her kind."

As for Jesus? Poor Messiah is conflicted. He is overwhelmed by what is asked of him by both his followers and his detractors. He is reduced by The People to what he can provide to them, and by The Man to how he can give them influence. And he is resigned because he knows that he has obtained a level of notoriety without authority where he has few options left - his death is pretty inevitable for the sake of the movement.

You know who NEVER makes an appearance? God. God is absolutely silent and absent. Because in the end, Jesus Christ Superstar is not about God at all. It's about how the black and white thinking - devotion to individuals OR dedication to movements - both fail to actually provide us with the society we need.

Now, is the musical itself a bit clunky and cheesey? Oh yeah, definitely. But that is the charm of it. Rock opera just has an inherent kitsch to it that I adore. But it's also clever. Outraged religious leaders so often miss the actual point of the story which is also amusing. And I love the 1973 movie version, but I have loved every live performance I've ever seen. The message remains extremely relevant. And our family watches the movie every December.

And yes, in case anyone is curious, I am certain Aziraphale and Crowley saw JCS live. I bet Crowley loved it and spent weeks afterwards humming "Damned For All Time" to himself. Aziraphale probably refused to comment on the content, just being a snide bastard about the quality of the lyrics, then went home and cried over "I Don't Know How to Love Him."

[sgiandubh]

Sunday sounds: First Advent Sunday -Hope

Starting today and until Christmas' Eve, this page is observing the Four Sundays of Advent. Even if you are not Catholic like me, you are all more than welcome to join in this Celebration of Light.

Three purple and one pink (more on this, on the Third Week) wreath candles are lit, one by one, on each Advent Sunday. And each have a particular meaning, preparing us to welcome Him in our houses and in our hearts, as we would welcome a Guest. You don't have to go the whole nine yards and 'meditate' or whatnot. You just have to try and give at least an honest thought to what the message of each candle personally means to you. That would be really nice and you will get Brownie points for it. Pinky promise.

This week we light the Prophet Candle. If this makes you think about Hanukkah or the Shabbat candles, well - it's only fair and normal. All the things once told in prophecy by people like Isaiah were true, and this Sunday is all about renewed, enduring Hope:

 'For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.' (King James' Bible - Isaiah, 9:6).

I have chosen this particular interpretation of Haendel's Messiah (Jesus, always in a hurry and have to edit all the time!) for its irresistible energy. These Ghanaian people have no budget for a proper orchestra, so they had to be creative and use synthesizers and some percussions, instead. It does not matter, because nothing else matters when talent meets grace.

All the music I have chosen for this particular moment in time is choral. Because as the Frenchmen say, 'chanter, c'est prier deux fois' - 'singing is praying twice'.

[talonabraxas]

Christ with Three Faces (The Trinity), ca. 1500

Netherlandish School Three Forces Create

This is an important aspect to understand because at the base of all creation is this Solar Logos, or in other words the Cosmic Christ. This force, this energy, is three in one. It is the top triangle of the Tree of Life, also known as the Kabbalah. And this supernal triangle has three spheres in the shape of a triangle. These three are the holy trinity or tri-unity, which are three aspects of one thing. In Kabbalah, or in Hebrew, we know them as Kether, Chokmah and Binah. In Christianity they are called Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And in Hinduism they are Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

The Holy Trinity: Kether, Chokmah, Binah with the Holy Duality or any Holy Family that engenders the True Messiah, who is always Jesus (יהשוה or יהושה), the savior, on the lap of truth; on the ground (Malkuth) is always Moses (the body of willpower or body of Tiphereth, the human soul, מי משה) the faithful shepperd, in the pineal (פניאל) gland of the heavens (HaShemim השמים) of any prophet, by William Blake.

Study the lecture:

[nepentheisms]

This is it; this is the Big 'Un that's been knocking around in my head since the bookclub's inception.

When it comes to mentions of the biblical parallels in Trigun, I've seen that Wolfwood is most frequently discussed as a Judas figure. I think it's important, though, to note that carrying out the Judas role to Vash's Jesus was a job he was ordered to take, and it's one he went through the motions of following while having the ulterior motive of killing the one who gave him the order in the first place. In fact, when Wolfwood does turn traitor, it's actually Knives and the GHG he chooses to betray. He ends up Judas-ing the guys who assigned him to the Judas mission - that's some sweet irony!

And as Wolfwood's time in the story draws to an end, he takes the path completely contrary to Judas' ignominious end by suicide. He instead takes a leap of faith and dares to place his trust in Vash's vision for humanity's future. His faith remains imperfect, but in the midst of all his doubt and uncertainty, he persists anyway.

This last stand of his becomes Wolfwood's ultimate affirmation of his devotion to Vash's ideals, and he effectively becomes a martyr, which places him far outside the image of Judas. In fact, I think that when we look back on his character arc as a whole, we can see how it more neatly lines up in trajectory with the story of another apostle: Peter.

Like Peter in the gospel narratives, Wolfwood finds it difficult to have the kind of faith that is asked of him. Vash goes into his battle with Rai Dei insisting to Wolfwood that he can finish the conflict without taking a life, but Wolfwood intervenes against Vash's wishes because he was worried about Rai Dei's next move. Peter sees Jesus walking on water and goes out to join him, but with the rough winds blowing around him, Peter becomes overwhelmed by fear and begins to sink. After these failures of faith in their respective stories, Peter and Wolfwood are then chastised by the men they follow.

Matthew 14:31 (NRSV) - Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

And it's these struggles with doubt, these moments of fear and cynicism overtaking faith that are so instrumental to the Christian perspective on salvation with its message of "You are flawed by nature, but you are loved beyond all comprehension nonetheless. Accept this love that it may save you and change you."

In Peter's case, although he is singled out multiple times for his failures (e.g. denying Jesus three times), he still holds a special place of prominence among Jesus' disciples. The 21st chapter of John features a conversation between Peter and the resurrected Jesus in which Peter affirms his love for Jesus three times (a reversal of the three times he denied Jesus), and Jesus responds by instructing Peter to care for his flock. After Jesus ascends to Heaven, Peter continues the work set out for him in building the early church until his eventual martyrdom, which, according to church tradition, occurs via upside-down crucifixion (see Caravaggio's rendition here). Interestingly, Wolfwood's martyrdom also involves lots of grievous bodily harm being dealt by crosses.

So the saint gets brought to death's doorstep, and that brings us to the infamous whiskey bottle

Others have already pointed out that "The Bride" likely refers to the Bride of Christ. This excerpt from the Catechism of the Catholic Church sums up the concept:

The unity of Christ and the Church, head and members of one Body, also implies the distinction of the two within a personal relationship. This aspect is often expressed by the image of bridegroom and bride. The theme of Christ as Bridegroom of the Church was prepared for by the prophets and announced by John the Baptist. The Lord referred to himself as the "bridegroom." The Apostle speaks of the whole Church and of each of the faithful, members of his Body, as a bride "betrothed" to Christ the Lord so as to become but one spirit with him. The Church is the spotless bride of the spotless Lamb.

Now Peter is of particular importance when talking about the Church as an institution, because in the Catholic tradition, Peter is believed to have been granted a distinguished position of authority as the very foundation of Jesus' church, and every Pope is considered a successor to Peter in their occupation of the Church's highest office.

So Peter = Pope = the head of the Bride of Christ. And if we take the reading of Wolfwood as a Peter analogue.... you see where we're going. The Bride of Christ has been sanctified through a powerful demonstration of sacrificial love and prepared for the wedding to the bridegroom, but right here Yasuhiro Nightow subverts the biblical metaphor to devastating effect. The wedding doesn't come to fruition, because Vash can't bring himself to step into the role of the heavenly bridegroom. In this moment, he just feels all too painfully human in his grief. Wolfwood ascends - celebrated across the sky by those he saved with his selfless love, but Vash descends - acting as an ordinary person mourning the loss of a loved one.

John 13:36 (NRSV) - Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now...."

[godslove]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐲

The spiritual gift of prophecy is an extraordinary and unique gift. Paul says:

¹ “Make love your aim, but strive earnestly after the spiritual gifts, especially for that of prophecy.”

—1 Corinthians 14:1, Seek the Gifts That Build Up the Community

The Greek word for the gift of prophecy is propheteia which is the ability to receive a divinely inspired message and deliver it to others in the church. These messages can take the form of exhortation, correction, disclosure of secret sins, prediction of future events, comfort, inspiration, or other revelations given to equip and edify the body of Christ.

³ “On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to men for their building up, their encouragement, and their consolation. ⁴ Whoever speaks in a tongue builds himself up, but whoever prophesies builds up the Church.”

—1 Corinthians 14:3-4

This gift is a blessing to the church and should not be quenched or despised.

²⁰ “Do not despise prophecies.”

—1 Thessalonians 5:20

In the New Testament the Apostles, not the prophets, took over the role of Scriptural proclamation from the Old Testament Prophets.

Those who have the gift of prophecy differ from the Old Testament Prophets who spoke the authoritative Word of God directly. Their words were recorded as Scripture as they proclaimed, “Thus says The Lord,” whereas the messages from those with the spiritual gift of prophecy must be tested.

²⁹ “As for the prophets, let two or three speak, and let the rest weigh their words. ³⁰ Should a revelation be made to someone else who is sitting there, let the one who is speaking stop. ³¹ You can all prophesy, but one at a time, so that all may receive instruction and encouragement. ³² Indeed, the spirits of the prophets are subject to their prophets’ control, ³³ for God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the Churches of the saints,”

—1 Corinthians 14:29-33

¹ Beloved, do not trust every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ and every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the Antichrist, about whose coming you have been told, and that it is already in the world.

—1 John 4:1-3, The Spirit of the Antichrist in the World

Again, the prophecies do not constitute the authoritative Word of God, but are the human interpretation of the revelation that was received. They are spoken in human words through a human mind which is why they must be tested against the Scriptures.

²⁰ Do not despise prophecies. ²¹ Test everything, and hold fast to what is good.

—1 Thessalonians 5:20-21

The Holy Spirit gives the gift of prophecy to some believers to make God’s heart known and to edify the church. This gift is for the benefit of both believers and unbelievers and is a sign that God is truly among His church.

²⁴ However, if everyone is prophesying and an unbeliever or uninstructed person should enter, he would be reproved by all and judged by all, ²⁵ and the secrets of his heart would be revealed. Then he would fall down and worship God, declaring, “God is truly in your midst.”

—1 Corinthians 14:24-25

Those with this gift are sensitive to both the prompting of the Holy Spirit and the needs of the church body. They should be humble and continually study the Scriptures in order to test these revelations before speaking them. When they do speak, they should allow and even expect others to weigh what is said against the Scriptures and interpret the message accordingly. In this way the church may be continually built up together in unity.

⁴ “Whoever speaks in a tongue builds himself up, but whoever prophesies builds up the Church.”

—1 Corinthians 14:4

²² Clearly, then, tongues are intended as a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is designed not for unbelievers but for believers. ²³ Therefore, if the whole Church has assembled and everyone is speaking in tongues, would not any uninstructed person or any unbeliever on entering conclude that you are all out of your minds? ²⁴ However, if everyone is prophesying and an unbeliever or uninstructed person should enter, he would be reproved by all and judged by all, ²⁵ and the secrets of his heart would be revealed. Then he would fall down and worship God, declaring, “God is truly in your midst.”

²⁶ “And so, what then should be done, brethren? When you assemble, each of you should bring a psalm or some lesson or a revelation, or speak in a tongue, or offer an interpretation. Everything should be done with the goal in mind of building up.”

—1 Corinthians 14:22-26

⁶ “We all have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If it is a gift of prophecy, we should exercise it in proportion to our faith.”

—Romans 12:6

¹⁰ “To one, is granted the gift of mighty deeds; to another, the gift of prophecy; and to yet another, the gift to discern spirits. One receives the gift of tongues and another the ability to interpret them.”

—1 Corinthians 12:10

¹ “Make love your aim, but strive earnestly after the spiritual gifts, especially for that of prophecy. ² If anyone speaks in tongues, he is speaking not to men but to God, and no one understands him, for he is speaking mysteries in the Spirit. ³ On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to men for their building up, their encouragement, and their consolation. ⁴ Whoever speaks in a tongue builds himself up, but whoever prophesies builds up the Church. ⁵ I wish that all of you could speak in tongues, but I would much prefer that you could prophesy. For the one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless the latter can interpret what he is saying so that the Church may be built up.”

—1 Corinthians 14:1-5, Seek the Gifts That Build Up the Community

¹¹ “It was he who established some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry in building up the body of Christ,”

—Ephesians 4:11-12

¹⁰ “Like good stewards of the varied graces of God, use whatever gift each one of you has received to serve one another. ¹¹ Whoever speaks should do so as one who is speaking the very words of God. Whoever serves should do so with the strength that God provides. In all things, let God be glorified through Jesus Christ, for to him belong all glory and power forever and ever. Amen.”

—1 Peter 4:10-11

[bylerconfessions]

Byler's like a religion we've all been converted to. We got denominations (bi mike/gay mike), heretics (those who preach fanon doctrines that go against canon), prophets (kaypeace, hawkins school counselor), controversial but influential televangelists (spicy byler polls) and those who oppose them ("puritans"), statements of faith (some adhere to the Byler Bible, others develop their own statements of faith like will80sbyers, others believe we should simplify our doctrine and just believe Mike loves Will), literal Confessions (you), wars (everything that happened in 2022), church history (everything that happened before 2022), scandalous religious leaders (everything re: noah), an enemy religion (Milevens), a gospel message (Byler endgame), a mission field (Reddit), missionaries (Bylers on Reddit), chapels/synagogues/temples (Byler Tumblr/Byler Twitter), religious art creators (Byler fan artists), lay theologians (smaller accounts that come up with new theories), famous theologians (big Byler blogs like pinkeoni), apostates (those who have left the Byler faith), idolaters (multishippers), religious films on the life of Jesus Will Byers (Byler fan edits), religious holidays (Will's birthday), saints (ancient Bylers), contested verses (gates), a literal advent calendar (the lead-up to volume II), mantras ("Mike Wheeler I Know What You Are"), new converts (baby Bylers), and more.

anon please go on with the examples. also i think my head just exploded reading this like i can just imagine someone on screen preaching at a stand "WHO GIVES THE BETTER HANDJOBS"

[teecupangel]

An AU idea where, after Ezio fist fights the pope and enters the vault, there is no Minerva waiting for the prophet with a message, just a naked Desmond, unconscious on the floor, lined like an Apple of Eden with no memory of what happened after he touched the eye, and very little memory of what happened before that. He knows his name, he knows he's an assassin, and he knows he died to save the world. But he doesn't know when or where that happened or how he ended up in the vault.

This makes me think about how everyone would react to the mostly used plot point that Desmond and Altaïr share too many similar facial features.

Without Ezio hearing about Desmond’s name from Minerva, all the information he has about Desmond is the following:

His name is Desmond (from Desmond)

He’s an Assassin (from Desmond)

He believes he died saving the world (from Desmond)

Everything else is foggy (implied from Desmond’s ‘I’m not sure’ answers to most of Ezio’s questions)

This vault is meant to hold something very powerful (from Mario)

Only the prophet (him) may open the vault (from Altaïr’s Codex)

God dwells in the vault (from Rodrigo)

Now, a funny conclusion to make would that Ezio’s religious upbringing makes him think Desmond is Jesus (died to save the world + ‘god’ dwells in the vault). XD

Another idea that Ezio could potentially get to using mental gymnastics is that Desmond is related to Altaïr in some way.

Now, the Codex doesn’t specifically say who Altaïr’s sons are. To be more specific, what his son’s names are sooooo…

Ezio could believe that Desmond is Altaïr’s son.

This would make sense in his mind on why Altaïr seemed to know about the vault and why he’s invested in it but hid it in his Codex. Desmond looking a lot like Altaïr also points to this.

His working theory is that Desmond had sacrificed his life to save the world (perhaps it is connected to Genghis Khan in some way? It wasn’t like they had a lot of records about the Levantine Brotherhood anyway) and Altaïr, a father grieving the death of his son, used an unknown Piece of Eden to revive him.

Maybe the revival process took too much time and Altaïr knew he would be dead before his son would wake up.

Maybe Altaïr thought he had failed.

Whatever the reason may be, the revival process happened in the Vault underneath Vatican and Altaïr sealed it off with Desmond either sleeping or healing inside.

And Altaïr left the hidden message to guide a prophet to the vault.

To wake his son and give him another chance of life.

Now, at this point, Machiavelli and Claudia would most certainly think that it’s a stretch. Mario would be more on Ezio’s side since old Assassin family have, at this point, pretty much exaggerated Altaïr’s skills and contributions with hero worshipping that can rival Kadar’s very common among them.

But they would all agree that Desmond needs to be protected and helped.

Also, Desmond could easily wield the Apple and command it without any problems but they are concerned of the way the glowing lines on his body became brighter whenever he uses the Apple so they let Ezio keep it for now.

Now, may I suggest more complication?

Desmond retains all the skills he got from the Bleeding Effect and he also feels a painful ache whenever he looked at Altaïr’s statue, describing it as ‘grief’ or the sense of ‘longing’.

Ezio believes this is another indication of Desmond being Altaïr’s son.

Desmond also says ‘He taught me… my… brother?’ whenever someone asked how he performed a specific Assassin movement or skill that they may or may not know.

Ezio believes Desmond is talking about Altaïr’s other son (maybe even sons) as Altaïr’s Codex did say ‘our sons’, not ‘our son’.

But both of these are actually because of Desmond’s Bleeding Effect. He feels the same grief and longing for both Altaïr and Ratonhnhaké:ton, it just shows more because Altaïr’s statue is right there, knocking in his head the closed stuck door holding all his memories. Calling them ‘brothers’ is more of Desmond’s mind screwing up the idea of ‘ancestors’ with a ‘Brotherhood’ because his Assassin ancestors are all his brothers in the Brotherhood after all.

And, to further screw up Desmond, his memories come in flashes.

But not his memories of Desmond Miles.

His memories of reliving the memories of Ezio Auditore.

For example, the day the Papal Army is about to lay siege to their town, Desmond sees a vision of the town in shambles, of Ezio getting hit and Mario dying.

He doesn’t know the context of any of these.

He doesn’t even know when it will happen.

But Ezio gets everyone to take it seriously because this is a man they found sleeping in a vault that supposedly never been opened before (“Altaïr opened it.” “We don’t know that for certain.”)

Monteriggioni suffered heavy damages but it stood the attack and Desmond’s mastery over the Apple made the Papal Army fight one another.

That’s when Desmond gets another vision.

He has a vision of Ezio with many Assassins behind him… in Rome.

And that is how we kick Ezio to AC Brotherhood’s storyline while keeping Monteriggioni sorta intact and Mario alive… with Desmond acting as his seer but he has to stay with Ezio because he only has visions if Ezio is nearby (although it is pretty random).

[heldinhishands]

Are you still a Christian?

No, I don't think so. I still pray, and Jesus is Lord, not just a prophet from our history. When this is trained to you from the womb, it is in your blood. It is truth, it is reality, it is as real and close as the clothes on my back, there is no question about it. It's actually kind of torturous. It's like my mind is caged. How do people have a voice in their head that a perfect Creator can't hear? Who do you talk too? Every thought goes to God, and is directed at God, even though I asked for space. The self-awareness is punishment, not enlightenment, how am I acting, am I being good, is God liking what He's seeing, but wait, I don't care anymore, what will hell be like, after all those years of devotion He'd send me to hell?, wait I don't believe in hell. It's inescapable. So I gave up on that. I found a peace to allow us to be who we are. A woman who is trapped to believe in a God who may or may not be who she was trained to think He is. I'm at peace. We are something undefined. I guess while I am stuck on this side of the spiritual plane, I can accept that.

My digital footprint is hard to face. My Christian writing always received more attention than my other work. I still have strangers messaging me about my first poetry book about God. My mom bought 40 copies when it first published. How am I supposed to show my newer work?

And what am I supposed to do, trash a book that touches other people? I'm so thankful readers support the work, even if it wasn't written by my current self. I have to find a love for my past selves, to accept what is out there with my name on it that I can never remove.