#this is so long I’m sorry lol

[dairedara]

I found your account just for by that I follow the "Christianity" tag and you seem neat and cool; I have a question, what on Earth is the story behind you having such a complex and novel belief system? It's just, really kinda rare for people to "do their own research" to an extent of coming away with spiritual practices that look like a fancy salad with a bajillion different parts, y'know?

Hi!! Thank you for this question, this is a story I’ve been wanting to tell for a while now :)

I was raised in lukewarm Christianity— baptized Lutheran, went to church usually just for events or with non-denominational friends. Because I didn’t go to church regularly, my faith developed in a very individual sense. I have always felt connected to nature and seen it as divine in some sense, which I think influenced my pantheism later in life.

I had a crisis of faith very young. I went to an ultra-Christian summer camp with a friend, which was a lot of fun, but also basically my introduction to modern fundamentalist Christianity. There were sermons twice a day, between the swimming and the flag football, and I distinctly remember borrowing my friends’ “kid’s Bible” which had a bright pink cover because for some reason my dad’s KJV from the 70s was unfit. (I didn’t think much of that at the time, but now I do think that kind of radicalized me. I think that so many modern Christians are only ever exposed to the Bible through a specific lens, and therefore can only possibly come away with the interpretation of their pastor/denomination/youth group leader/translation instead of developing their own genuine, unadulterated view of the Bible.)

But anyway, our camp counselor took turns interviewing us, and when it came to me she asked me this question: when did you know you were saved?

I was nine years old, had absolutely zero life changing experiences under my belt, and was also incredibly devout. I answered: I always knew, because I was raised with the fact that Jesus loves me and he died for me. She wasn’t satisfied with this answer and kept pushing me until she gave up. The question greatly confused me, and when I came home, it triggered a chain reaction. I realized I couldn’t pinpoint a specific moment in my life that would explain my religiosity. I prayed for some sort of sign that I was doing the right thing and received nothing in response. I became, in essence, an atheist.

In middle school, I got my first tumblr account, and I learned about Wicca through that. I’ve always been interested in world mythology and I thought it was insanely cool and insanely right that people still worshiped the gods from those stories, although at this point the only pagan faith I knew of was Wicca, and for some reason I thought you could only pick two gods, one male and one female. Since I liked Celtic myth, I picked Cerridwen (Welsh) and Lugh (Irish). This lasted for like one week, and then I found out about Hellenic (Greek) polytheism, which felt much more right to me. I started doing a lot of research into reconstructionism (basically, using the tools available to us to replicate, as accurately as possible, the religion and religious practice of a person from one of these ancient polytheistic societies). Recon tumblr was very dramatic in the early ‘10s, it probably still is, and I was intimidated and amazed at the same time. Around this time I also got introduced to the theological debate scene and was really interested in the mechanics of belief.

A year or so into this, I had what was probably the most intense religious experience of my life. A whole-ass vision, during a time where I was awful mentally, and in the middle of a crazy thunderstorm. I won’t go into the details here, but it pivoted my path a little and I became interested in Roman polytheism. I built a relationship with the Roman gods Juno, Mars, Venus, Apollo, Jupiter, Minerva, and others. I also got super interested in the idea of religious syncretism that is pretty much exemplified by mid-to-late Empire religion, and encountered deities like Mithras, the Egyptian Isis and Osiris, and Etruscan deities. At this point I was a baby Latinist and experimented with composing my own prayers outside of the very proscriptive rituals in Roman tradition. It was a very comfortable and beautiful practice for that time in my life, and it grew into a very easy rhythm.

My shift to Celtic paganism was pretty sudden and intense. I felt very lost in my identity and began exploring the religious practices of cultures through my genealogical research. I always that Braucherei (Pennsylvania Dutch magic) was cool, as a PA Dutch person, but I couldn’t wrap my head around using the Bible for that kind of mystical practice. I explored Welsh paganism because I have some Welsh roots, and read the Welsh epic Mabinogion. This is a really fascinating work because it seamlessly incorporates indigenous tradition with a Christian framework. Unlike the Irish cycles, it’s not set in pre-Christian Europe. The characters believe in God, they make Christian oaths, and yet they have supernatural abilities and lifespans. The first branch is particularly of interest to me because the character of Pwyll is put into the medieval archetype of the God-honoring feudal lord, and yet he’s relatively unconcenered when he meets Arawn, the king of the Otherworld (also known as Faerieland, etc.). I then read the Irish Cycles, which do lean a bit more Christian-y because of the very strong monastic tradition in Ireland, but they’re no less cool and definitely struck a cord with me.

Meanwhile, in my academic life, I was graduating high school and trying to figure out what the hell I wanted to do in college. I’ve always wanted to do Classics, but I began to become super obsessed with Medieval Latin and the early church. My best friend’s family had recently converted to conservative Catholicism, of all things (this was incredibly weird for her), and asked me to go to Christmas Eve mass with her because her parents wanted her to go with them. I readily accepted because it was a Latin Mass, and it was a lot of fun for me because church Latin is very easy and I got to translate something other than Virgil and Livy.

I became really interested in trying to reconstruct what someone in the early British or Irish church might have believed. Christianity in Western Europe was not introduced in a particularly violent manner, unlike what we see outside of Europe or even just in Slavic nations. Indigenous traditions were not systematically erased. Instead, Christianity diffused throughout the culture. It is very likely that my Gaelic and Brythonic ancestors at some point worshiped pagan gods at the same time they honored Christian Saints. St. Brighid, after all, was either syncretized with or is a development of the Irish goddess of the same name– I, personally, treat them as a single entity and she has done so, so much for me. In modern pagan (and Christian!) spaces, Christianity and Pre-Christian traditions are treated as two completely separate, incompatible worldviews, but if that were really true, this transitional period wouldn’t exist. We wouldn’t have religions that draw from both like folk Catholicism or Haitain Voudoun.

My journey to pantheism was pretty easy, all things considered. While I was worshiping Celtic gods alongside venerating Saints and the Archangels, I was coming to terms with the fact that I did really and honestly believe in fate. In neopaganism or modern spiritual spaces in general, you sometimes see this idea of “the universe.” As in, everything happens for a reason, and the “universe” is bringing you certain things or taking them away. I kind of organically combined this notion of the universe with my belief that nature is divine (which I suppose could be called animism) and came out with what I think could be called Spinoza’s pantheist god. I never felt a moment that drove me to God because God is everywhere, and there is no separation, in my mind, between the mundane and the divine. Gods and Saints and Angels and even our deceased ancestors are intermediaries between it and us.

Here’s a list of some beliefs of mine that I didn’t mention specifically mention but I think are important nonetheless:

I believe God(s) exist because every single culture in the world has religious traditions of some sort and similar ideas of religious experience, even if those cultures did not ever interact. If we can trust our physical senses to determine reality (ex. I am touching my laptop so I believe it exists physically) then our spiritual experiences are real and valid.

The God of Abraham specifically made a covenent with the Jewish people and so “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” only applies to that tradition– I also do believe that Adonai/YHWH, based on anthropological evidence, is a member of the Canaanite pantheon and therefore no more or less “powerful” than any other little-g god. YHWH, in my opinion, is not the same entity as the pantheistic God, which encompasses him and then literally everything else ever.

The Bible is not inerrent but everything in there is in there for a divinely inspired reason, even if that reason is so we can understand past cultures and historical context.

Religion tumblr is very weird for me because I can’t tell if I fit into the Christian or the Pagan space more. Christo-pagans are not that accepted in the pagan community and the idea of fate or “everything happens for a reason” is very controversial. Obviously it’s confusing for most Christians, too. Feel free to ask about literally anything– my faith is definitely a Frankenstein’s Monster situation!

[itsaprosthetic]

we are so back

We are so back

[yourlocalabomination]

Tick Tock, Teddy-Bear.

[ghxstoll]

[wigglebox]

Found you ☀️

[bugeyedfreaks]

POV youre jjust a little hater

And?

[xx-sketchy-xx]

Cause he’s a phantom

[lazzarella]

Small TanFang details I love Pt 3: Fang sleeping soundly (with a little smile on his face) while his boyfriend’s snoring has chased off not one, but two of their friends

Pt 1 | Pt 2 | Pt 3 | Pt 4 | Pt 5 | Pt 6

[crybaby-bkg]

Bakugou loves you, he really does, but he can’t help but be a little prickly sometimes. it’s not because he’s mad at you or anything that’s actively your fault, no. Sometimes he just likes to pick and be an ass to you because he finds your reactions funny, likes how your lip pouts, and how you huff at him whenever he pokes at you.

But it always irks you whenever he rejects your physical affection. It’s playful, the way he softly taps your fingers away from him when you wrap your arms around his middle while he cooks. You bite at his shoulder blade and he wiggles in your grasp, grumbles for you to stop fucking with him while he makes your damn soup.

And that irks you to no end, more than usual, for some reason. Chalk it up to pms or the weather or whatever the fuck, but you’re sick of it. You step beside him, turning until your butt hits the counter, folding your arms as you glare up at him.

“Well, if I can’t touch you, then you can’t touch me.” You declare childishly, and it makes Bakugou smirk at your petulance. He stirs the soup a few more times in silence, adding in more seasoning with a shake of his head while you stare him down.

After what feels like forever, he lays the spoon beside the pot and faces you with a hand resting on the counter and the other on his hip. He cocks his head at you, grinning now when he meets your frowning face.

“My poor baby,” he coos to you condescendingly, reaching out to grip your hip but you lightly smack his fingers away, same as he did you earlier. He expects that, and the next one, and the next. However, he doesn’t expect for it to last for the rest of the night, being unable to touch you.

At this point, he thinks he might be going stir crazy. He’s so used to the casual touches; squeezing your butt when you walk past, patting your cheek when you eat, rubbing your shoulders, massaging your calf on the couch. But he’s been rejected every time, and goddamn you, it’s not funny anymore.

So he blocks you in where you stand trying to leave the bathroom. To anyone else, he would look menacing, but to you, he just looks like an overstuffed teddy bear as he hunches his shoulders to his ears. He doesn’t look you in the eye, instead at your mouth, as he grumbles,

“M’sorry for being stupid. Now lemme touch you. Please.” He tacks on when he sees your eyes narrow. You stand there with your arms crossed for a few seconds, before humming and placing your hands on your hips.

“I’ll forgive you if you let me hold your boobs.” You counteroffer. His face scrunches up for a second at that.

“They’re not—you know what? Go ahead, have at it.” He tells you with a dramatic sigh, mirroring your position as he looks up to the ceiling. But as you cup his chest in your hands and squeeze his pecs and bury your face in it, Bakugou can’t help but smile a little. As long as he gets to do it back to you, he doesn’t mind one bit.

[artiificiial]

could you draw odysseus and penelope ?

the bride and the ugly ass groom

[zipora666]

I know I said welcome home but-..I add some fandoms they be happy to be with it!

my happy energetic girls!!!✨💖🧡❤️

Pinkie pie Mabel and Julie just fitting so well! My fav girls!!!

[marybatson]

the only reason I hc billy as an emancipated minor is literally just so that mary can still live with the bromfields and freddy can be fostered by the vasquez family. so rosa and nora have no actual relation to each other or have the rights to tell billy what to do but theyll pick him up for school and have extra bedding and a toothbrush saved for sleepovers and knuckle down his head (rosa) and fix his collar (nora) and. will pick up a household object and swing harder than any mlb player could trying to protect him faster than he can blink

[nuppu-nuppu]

I love you

[concreteburialplot]

happy //late// valentine’s day ♥️

(ft. every pink/red noah pic i could find lol) 💗

[psychonauts2000]

Prologue: Who’s chasing who? 1/3

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Master List 🧠

[ink-the-artist]

I’ve been thinking back to artist stuff in high school and man people are really weird about furry stuff in a way that seems like they’re super afraid to be associated with it at all. I don’t/didn’t consider myself a furry but I recognize my art is obviously furry-adjacent at times and I don’t mind that.

I’d almost always bring my sketch book to school with me so I can draw during breaks and stuff and the amount of times people (sometimes complete strangers!) would randomly insult me for drawing “furry shit” (once this happened bc I was drawing bojack horseman characters LMAO) like ppl are usually polite when they see me (or others from what I’ve seen) drawing in public, will either ignore it or say something nice or funny if they do comment on it, unless it’s something they think is furry art.

It’s baffling to me like this is so obviously not how these people would normally behave but it feels like they’re so afraid of being seen as cringe they feel they have to point out any cringe they see so that no one thinks they’re cringe. Grown adults can do this stuff too but it was obv much more common for me in high school.

And it was so shitty how it made me actually somewhat ashamed of drawing anything that could be perceived as furry, even though I’ve loved drawing animals my whole life since I was a child, and I never had anything against furries and had both irl and online friends who were furries.

I don’t feel any of that shame anymore and just draw whatever I want (it helps that I’m no longer getting strangers commenting on my art like this irl, and that I’m not as insecure a person as I was in high school) it’s just so fucking weird that people feel comfortable acting like this