#paul was not though

[alpaca-clouds]

Something that irks me about religion

Let me talk about something, that irks me about religion. Mostly about Christianity, but I am rather sure that it is true for many others as well, though maybe not quite to the same degree as it is with Christians.

Now, if you follow me a bit longer, you know that I am all about accepting people of different religions and faiths and that I am annoyed by the general atheist movement acting all enlightened because they do not believe in any god.

But... at the same time there is also the tendency of religious people to just fucking cherry pick their religious texts, ignoring both the textual context and the historical context.

Again, speaking about the bible because I think it for one is one of the most extreme examples of this - and also because I know most about it. Oh, and also because it has been most used in terms of colonization and supressing other people.

A lot of the people preaching hate with the use of the bible will just ignore the core message of the thing. They will be all about Jesus, but just ignore Jesus's teachings. Because Jesus, the man, did not talk about the gays at all. But he was very big on the entire "love thy neighbour" thing - and on the "rich people are bad, actually" thing as well. He did defend prostitutes, adulterers, and yes, also people who were probably read as gay at the time. But he raised his hand against the rich people, who would not share. Yet, that context is completely ignored, when it comes to those people. Rather they will stick to the two mentions (one in the letters of Paul and one in the old testament) of gay being bad and ignore most of the things Jesus has said.

I grew up in a very, very sternly catholic environment. And I have read the bible. Several times. And even as a teenager I joked, that a lot of Christians should call themselves Paulians, because they sure give a lot more meaning to what Paul is writing in his letters, than what Jesus is actually saying in the gospels.

But especially with the bible, there is another thing that people keep ignoring:

The translation

The choice of books to be included

See, the bible was originally written in Hebrew (though of some parts we only have Greek manuscripts surviving). From which it was translated into Latin with the Latin version being the one that was around for the longest time. Modern translations in some cases build on the Hebrew original - in some cases on the Latin version, though.

So, even if you do unquestioningly believe that the bible is the Word of God... The translation ain't. And we do know that there are things that were mistranslated. Some probably accidentally, while others have probably been mistranslated to further a political agender.

One of those accidental mistranslations is the eagle that was mentioned several times, while it was originally a vulture.

One of the very non-accidental mistranslations is Eva being created out of Adam's rip. But in the Hebrew version it actually just says she was made of "a part" of Adam, with the word implying that she was mde of his half. Making her much more equal than the "rip" translation.

And stuff like that is very common. Especially with the old testament.

Meanwhile with the new testament... Well, if you have ever read Dan Brown or listened to any conspiracy theories at all, you will know that there are actually way more than four gospels. And while I do not necessarily think that this is a big conspiracy or anything... All the stuff that is in the new conspiracy - and all the stuff that was left out - was chosen as such by bishops in the 4th century. They were the ones who canonized what we know as the bible today. And yes, part of that happened for political reasons.

Let's come back to my entire thing about the Paulists. Paul played a large role in establishing Christianity in Rome and all of that, yes. But technically... He never met Jesus and he also was not a prophet or anything. For the most part he is a historical figure, not a religious one. Yet, not only are all his letters part of the New Testament, a lot of religious violence and persecution is justified through them, even though his words are not Words of God. Even Paul never claims that they are. They are just the words of some dude who converted to Christianity early after having a supposed encounter with Jesus' ghost.

And, you know, having all of that in there... it is most certainly a choice. And just refering to that, rather than what Jesus actually says, is too.

And there are many things like this. Things that get left out or ignored or are never questioned.

I mean, just look at the thing about pork. Christians still have the old testament saying that animals with parted hooves are impure. But in ONE of the four gospels Jesus says "Yeah, no, actually, go ahead, eat 'em pigs!" But, again, those gospels were just four of many. And it is not said in the other gospels. So... Did Jesus really say it or was it just put in there, because it made it easier in marketing the religion to Europeans, who sure loved their pork?

I know a lot of people are told how they are supposed to read their holy texts. And, heck, a lot of religions (not only Christianity) has a whole lot of issues going on about who gets to interpret those religious texts. But... I really wished a lot of people would interact with them more critically.

I do not have a problem with any religion per se. I think there are a lot of valuable lessons you can get from any holy text. And if the text to you is the Word of God, I am totally fine with that.

But I really do wish people would just see, that even if it is the Word of God, it got still delivered to us through human hands. Be it through those translators - or through those who taught it to us. And I feel we really need to do better with questioning their agenda.

Just a thought.

[ringosmistress]

[skogensro]

accidental post-war movie night sleepover

[theatre-apocalypse]

“And he gives me his number. Very smooth.”

[tomcriuse]

MIDNIGHT MASS Episode 3 - "Book III: Proverbs"

[imagine-too-many-books]

Imagine Annabeth and Percy have a kid early, unplanned and it kinda fucks with their finances so Percy drops out of school to get a job so he can care for the kid and support Annabeth in school. At first he gets a job teaching kids sword fighting but then he hears about underwater welding which pays well because it’s dangerous but Percy is a child of the sea so it’s much less so for him. His boss is even willing to give him flexible hours which means Annabeth doesn’t have to take their kid to class anymore and they can actually afford daycare (why does is it the price of a mortgage nowadays???). A huge financial burden is lifted and Percy doesn’t mind the work so it’s good all the way around.

Fast forward to when Annabeth is done her masters in architecture and lands a job at a top firm. They’ve got savings and have Annabeth’s income to rely on. Percy heads back to school and finishes a degree in marine biology, going on to research some really niche topics like how underwater welding impacts the environment and shifting from there until he’s a well known expert in the field.

Just them finding their way. Supporting each other and landing on their feet no matter what

[the-gom-jabbar]

[theoriginallittledarling]

Reminder that Ringo has seen Beatles fetish art (and he doesn’t recommend it)

[javelinbk]

Proof that Paul is only ever one wolf-whistle away from making it gay

Paul McCartney talks about the Beatles sandwich on Parkinson, 3rd December 1999

[abutterpie]

This is a letter Paul McCartney wrote to Heather’s teacher about her name change after legally adopting her. 1969.

Dear Miss England, Heather's name is now McCartney - soon to be official. apparently you need the note to be sure of what to call her. If this fails, try Rover!

Paul McCartney

and, wait for it,

Love, Heather

[mayasaura]

hey remember back when Tor had just chummed the water by dropping a few excerpts of Nona before the release, and we were coming up with all those fun name blenders for tagging the Palamedes-and-Camilla system. Calamedes Hextus. Sex Cam. (we can't call them "sex cam" we'll get the whole tag nuked)

And then the book came out. and fucking. PAUL?????????

[koheletgirl]

it's problematic to date your boss. circumcising him, however,

[the62ndbugsfan]

Small Beatles

[timotheecontent]

Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides and Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica Atreides in DUNE (2021) Dir. Denis Villeneuve

[exhausted-think-bucket]

[pondanimal]

in bed

@riddledem0n, @sleeper9