#this is the most I've thought about christianity and the bible in a long time lol

[nepentheisms]

Volume 13 - Elendira's number, let's gooooo!

So I was pondering the significance of Livio's big throwdown fight being against Elendira, and it hit me once I looked at it in terms of their abilities: Elendira's weapon is nails; Livio's power is regeneration. This is the Crucifixion battling against the Resurrection - a very Christian metaphor being used to illustrate the conflict of ideas between Knives and Vash. Elendira acts to help carry out Knives' condemnation of humanity; she brings death and visions of death in the wake of Knives' crusade to punish those he sees as sinners. Livio, in contrast, is aligned with Vash's mission to save humanity; he's an agent for Vash's message of redemption and life persevering.

To delve into Christian soteriology for a bit, the significance of the crucifixion in the New Testament is that it is the act of Jesus taking on the punishment for all of humanity's sins. "The wages of sin is death," as Romans 6:23 says, so Jesus dies, but then Jesus rises again to complete the path to humanity's reconciliation with God. The idea is that in becoming followers of Christ, Christians spiritually share in the experience of crucifixion, death, and resurrection with Jesus. To love Jesus is to be changed as though one were raised from the dead. The passage below from Paul's letter to the Romans is an example of that perspective.

Romans 6:4-6 (NRSV):

(4) Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. (5) For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. (6) We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, so we might no longer be enslaved to sin.

It's very appropriate that Paul's words get brought up here, because I think Livio can be seen as something of a Paul figure. He's a powerful member of a religious order that opposes the followers of the Christ figure, he plays a big role in the death of a "disciple," and he undergoes an intense experience that changes him into one of the most devoted followers of the Christ figure. And the stuff Paul wrote about being crucified with Christ? Livio sure went through a crucifixion alright.

With all that said, when we bring Razlo into the equation, things get really interesting and a bit subversive when viewed through the lens of Paul's teachings in the Christian Bible. In stories that are more straightforwardly Christian in their messaging, a character like Razlo - a personality who acts as someone's darker half- would typically be treated as a force of evil to be overcome. This represents how the pre-salvation self is supposed to die so that a more Christ-like nature can take its place.

In Livio's case, however, Razlo is not extinguished after Livio chooses to live by Wolfwood's and Vash's example. Instead of being framed as the more sinful aspect of Livio that needed to be purified out of him, Razlo is portrayed as a powerful asset in preserving Livio's life, and that's something that really resonated with me - the way that Livio didn't need to erase his darker half but instead learned to work in harmony with it. In doing so, he found wholeness.

[didalexiabreakupwitholgayet]

are any of the Barca girls particularly religious? I am american (but am from a very catholic region of the country) and probably half of the uswnt are professed christians, and there was that whole thing with Korbin Albert being an idiot recently. is that the same in Spain? I know there is a bit of a difference because a majority of the uswnt players are protestant and that tends to lead to a more outward profession of faith compared to catholicism but I've seen some Barca girls cross themselves before entering the pitch.

this is a bit of a complicated answer because in my personal experience, religion in spain is just different than what it seems like to be in the united states. spain has this very long history (over a thousand years of catholicism), which has influenced the architecture, culture, history, food, and traditions. but most of my friends and relatives would be described as "cultural" catholic but not really true believers, if that makes sense? like crossing yourself or wearing a cross isn't that big a deal. it's almost like superstition or tradition.

similarly, semana santa (holy week) is a big deal in spain and you celebrate with your family and go to parades and events, but again, it seems more cultural and family tradition, rather than being super religious per se. in fact, this study from a few years ago says that 1/3 of spanish consider themselves atheists/agnostics now, with the youth being less religious than older generations.

when i see some american players, they have things like bible verses in their IG bios or will share religious quotes here and there. also, i was watching some of the american final four women's basketball clips on twitter and the coach started talking about god and god's plan! that is weird to me. i cannot imagine alexia, aitana, or the majority of spanish players reciting bible verses regularly or jona giving speeches about god.

alexia will cross herself before a match, but you are not going to find her at mass every sunday or counting rosary beads in her spare time or anything like that. oshoala also did a religious bow everytime she scored a goal, but i don't think she is super conservative muslim either.

i really cannot imagine a similar situation like korbin albert with the spanish players. maybe the closest will be athenea who seems like one of the most nationalistic players and has a problematic right-wing boyfriend. spain definitely has a problem with right wing, hyper nationalism fanatics and the misogynistic macho types, but i don't really see them using religion like donald trump or other american politicians do.

i guess it's all relative though because some of my scandi friends think spanish are way more religious than they are, so go figure! anyway, i think religion is very personal, so these are just my personal experiences and thoughts.

[dangerously-human]

I'm a little late on posting my celebration this year, though I did celebrate with writing Resurrected Hope. I've been reflecting on this anniversary quite a bit - coinciding with Holy Week had me thinking a lot about hope and resurrection and life conquering death and how our stories are echoes of The Story - and I ended up focusing on a slightly different angle of this part of my own history.

Thirteen years ago, I was the most suicidal I've ever been. I don't tend to talk about that part as much, because there's no nice neat bow to tie on it the way there is with the cutting - there wasn't a habit to quit, and it wasn't the last time, by a long shot. I knew the how and I was pretty much decided on the when. So you've got a pretty good idea of where my head was at, at the time.

I forget, often, that I got baptized around this time, too. I was born into a Christian tradition that believes in infant baptism, so I was sprinkled as a baby, but as a teenager actually studying the Bible for myself, digging into theology more, I decided that didn't sit right with me, and I should take the step of obedience on my own as a reflection of the spiritual rebirth and renewal I'd experienced years prior through the work of the Holy Spirit. My dad recently told me that was a time he heard most directly from God, praying for wisdom after I asked what he thought I should do: God told him to tell me to do it, basically. Increasingly, when I have the opportunity to share my testimony, that's a piece I mention, that even in the midst of the darkest season of my life, God was still working, and I was still growing, even though I didn't feel the faith he'd gifted me with.

But it wasn't just "around the same time." I'd forgotten, but it was two days later. I didn't really know at the time, but I cut myself for the last time, and then I was baptized into the fullness of belonging that comes from walking in the Way. Renewal. Rebirth. None of it the narrative I had planned, but the one my Maker ordained before time began.

That wasn't the end, for better or worse. Getting dunked in some water didn't magically take away the depression I pled with God for years to take from me. I still spent a lot of my teens and early twenties wanting to die. But on the self-injury front, at least, by the grace of God, I never went back, even when the temptation was very, very loud. And I am being constantly remade as a new creation in Christ - my identity in him is irrevocably sealed.

Partly because of what I've been studying in the Bible recently (especially Psalms), and partly because of my special interest in Lockwood & Co, I've been thinking a lot lately about the victory of life over death, and the way breaking the grip of depression is a picture of that. Celebrating Easter last week was a powerful reminder: Jesus submitted to the grave in order to put it under his feet. I remember last spring, just when I'd gotten to the climax of The Empty Grave, I had to put the book down to head out for a Coram Deo prayer and worship night at church; perhaps unsurprisingly, I was struck by the thought that night that my God has stolen me back from death many times over. Once when he pulled me out of the muck of my own sin; again when he said, "Not this time. That's not the way it's going to be" and pulled me back from the grave I was determined to throw myself in. However worthless I considered my own life (the last lie I wrote on my skin), God saw it as precious, worth redeeming, because he made it and claimed it - and this morning, taking Communion, that's what I repeated through tears: "It's yours, it's all yours." That's why I spend this time reflecting and remembering each year, in gratitude for the light that entered the darkness and made me new.

[koko-mochi]

I just finished the first season of The Chosen, here are my thoughts...

For context, I have a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard, and I am a United Church of Christ preacher and member-in-discernment.

Overall I am really enjoying the show, I've cried a few times, and it has made my faith feel deeper and made me feel more connected to Jesus. I can't wait to pick up season two from the library on Monday and keep watching.

Here's a list, in no particular order, of things on my mind as I finish season one:

I love the show's portrayal of Jesus. He is welcoming, friendly, funny, and sensitive. At the same time he can be strange and uncanny. Jonathan Roumie absolutely crushes it in this role, and it was easy to think "this is Jesus" instead of thinking it is an actor playing Jesus. I do sort of wish Jesus was a little bit scarier, a little more challenging, but I get the feeling that will come later.

Nicodemus as a POV character is an inspired choice. Much like many modern Christians, Nicodemus struggles to believe what he is seeing, yet he longs to believe anyways. It's easy for me to see myself in him, especially as a highly-educated theologian. Additionally, seeing things from Nicodemus' perspective adds nuance and depth to how we see the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin, instead of succumbing to the unambiguous (and grossly antisemitic) villain treatment so many Christians still gleefully participate in on Palm Sunday. And the astute viewer will remember that Nicodemus has a very important role to play at the end of the story, when we eventually get there.

On the other hand, the Romans are cartoonish villains for most of the first season. I started rolling my eyes whenever Quintus appears on screen, eyebrow cocked, wicked sneer on his lips. It sure drives home the point about the Romans being violent colonizers and oppressors, but in a story that presents everyone as redeemable--even tax collectors--the fact that Quintus doesn't seem redeemable stands out. Gaius seems to be quite a bit more nuanced, so I can't help but wonder if we'll continue to see development for him.

I liked the portrayal of Matthew as autistic-coded. To me he doesn't feel like a caricature, I can see myself in him, and I empathize with him. The scene when Jesus asks him to follow really hit me.

Much has been said about this show's portrayal of emotionally-vulnerable masculinity and I strongly agree with it. The men in this show are tender, they're affectionate, they're supportive. They laugh and cry and hug freely. It's probably the best portrayal of masculinity in media that I've seen since Lord of the Rings.

The theology of the show was more progressive than I was expecting, though I didn't agree with everything the writing posits. The show's framing of Jesus' healing miracles as him forgiving the sins of the sick/disabled person grates on me. At the same time, I love how the opening of most episodes present a scene from the Hebrew Bible. It grounds the show's theology and Jesus' ministry in the Jewish scriptures, a thing that I think Christians too often avoid. It also does so in a way that feels connected to the Hebrew Bible instead of being supersessionist.

"Get used to different." What a great line. I wanna use that in a sermon. That's what following Jesus is all about, isn't it? Amen.

[stagefoureddiediaz]

The birth and resurrection of Buck

Have a meta to tide you over until the episode airs!!!

The imagery that the writers and the crew (and cast but they’re doing what they’re directed to do so I'm not including them here) have been utilising in relation to Buck and Christian symbolism is pretty interesting - and especially in relation to the resurrection of Christ. 

We’ve seen so many references to it now that its almost like the universe is screaming at us or something! This is not fully comprehensive as I am sure there is more and I've not got time to do the level of in depth analysis I'd like to (I'm trying to get this out before 6x10 airs!), but this is the major points in relation to Buck and the resurrection. Putting it below the cut because its a bit long 😎

Buck is a saviour baby

We all know Buck was born to save his brother and that has had a profound impact on who he is and how he views himself - he has made saving people his entire personality. In Christianity Jesus was born to save the human race from sin and spent his life saving people through his preaching and miracles etc. Even Bucks name ties him to being a saviour - Evan means 'Gods gift' or 'Gods messenger' playing into the idea that God gave the Buckleys a gift (which they then didn't appreciate) and he then used Buck to spread his message (which we are only now truly getting to see the extent of) which leads me on to;

Travelling Buck

The bible details Jesus travelling preaching and spreading the word of God. These travels are an important part of the story and actually stem back to his birth - Mary and Joseph have to escape from Bethlehem and spend time in Egypt before returning to Nazareth

We see Buck escaping his parents and heading out on his own travels - sending postcards back to Maddie. Bucks travels are an important part of his own story - he didn't use his travels to preach etc in the way jesus did but he did use them to

St Christopher and the tsunami

I have a slightly unorthodox view of the st Christopher and the tsunami connection - but hear me out. So most people refer to Buck as being the embodiment of st Christopher in the tsunami arc because he carried Chris and got him to safety - all totally valid and definitely a legitimate way to read it. I However think there is a second way to view it because yes Buck saved Chris etc etc carrying him like St Christopher carried Jesus, but if you think about it metaphorically, things can look a little different.

Think about it this way - Eddie and Shannon have a baby and name him Christopher - then Shannon gives Eddie the St Christopher necklace - to protect him and remind him he has a family to come home to. Now Eddie carries that necklace around with him like a talisman.

Fast forward to the Tsunami and Christopher is dropped off with buck by Eddie to get him out of his loft - Buck is metaphorically drowning in his depression etc over not being able to return to work etc. The show was blatant in its use of the tsunami as a metaphor for the tidal wave of grief and depression both Buck and Christopher (and Eddie to a certain extent) were experiencing for differing reasons (Buck identifying himself through his job and feeling there is nothing else for him and Christopher the grief of losing his mother) - theres a reason he is they are the only two directly caught up in the wave! Buck directly refers to Christopher saving him - up on the fire truck "we saved each other" and then Eddie tells Buck its time for Christopher to "do the same [save him] for you" and then we get Bucks voiceover about the life raft that gets you home - implying that it is Christopher (and Eddie though his words) carrying Buck home (to safety.

We get to see it in action again in Eddie begins - Eddie is buried in rising water - yet the thought of Christopher (and Buck) leads him to safety - to saving himself. The story of St Christopher talks about the water swelling and rising - much like the Tsunami of course, but also like the rising water Eddie battles through to get back to safety - to his family.

It is this reason that I would argue Christopher is the embodiment of st Christopher, and not Buck, although they are in many respects interchangeable.

While we're on the subject of St Christopher, it is worth mentioning that he is not only the patron saint of travellers, but also of things related to travel and travellers—against lightning and pestilence in particular, obviously we had the pestilence shown through Covid - and the separation of Christopher from Eddie and Buck as a form of protection and now the lightning is coming out to play. I think the fact its Eddie connected to Buck on the ladder is more significant than it just being about Buddie - it also connects into the st Christopher of it all - Eddies necklace forms that direct connection to Christopher, and Eddie is going to be connected to Buck via a rope (I love layers connections like this!) thus connecting him to Christopher as well!

Maddie

Maddie as a name means 'from Magdala' - the place Mary Magdalene is from. Mary Magdalene has had a bad rap over the years - there is very little evidence that she was a prostitute - it is likely that another Mary (the most common name for women of the time) was conflated with Mary Magdalene and thus she becomes known as a prostitute. Mary was considered Jesus's most faithful follower, and the one who understood him best - she is considered to have taken care of him and financially supported his ministry. We could attribute all of these same characteristics to Maddie herself - she is the one who has taken care of Buck, she has supported him - one could say that giving him the Jeep and some cash so he could travel is that same as providing financial support (Bucks ministry being the fact that he needs to travel to find himself and end up in LA, so giving him the jeep sets everything in motion) and Maddie is also the one who understands him best (Eddie is on his way to superseding her but shared childhood trauma edges in her favour right now!) Mary Magdalene is the one who witnesses the empty tomb and the resurrection of Jesus - ergo Maddie being the one at Bucks bedside when he wakes isn’t that much of a reach for us to make.

A couple of other snippets before we get to the resurrection itself;

Jesus was 33 when he died - Buck is 33 (approximately) in Canon at the time of the lightning strike 👀

Jesus was resurrected on the 3rd day - we’ve been getting all the 3’s - literally all of them - this season and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Buck is in a coma for 3 days (and if I'm right about this i'll be flinging myself into the sun over it!)

Also we haven't talked about the Taylor of it all - Taylor is Judas! Let me explain, Judas became Jesus's closest apostle, but he is also separated from the other apostles, through his dislike of the way Jesus went about certain things - he's the only Apostle to question Jesus outright right and he betrayed Jesus - which lead to his crucifixion.

With Taylor she has always had this antagonistic side to her - she questions Buck (without understanding or reason), and she is technically the closest to him (by virtue of dating him not because she is actually the closest person to him) whilst also being separate from everyone else in the show. It is Taylor who betrays Buck and leads to the higher ups semi blacklisting Buck in the aftermath - similar to the way Judas's betrayal of Jesus allowed Pilate to arrest and ultimately kill him. In the same way that it was essentially predetermined that Judas would betray Jesus, it was predetermined on the show that Taylor would ultimately betray Buck (and the 118). Its important to remember that Buck feeling like he's been black listed etc as a result of Taylors actions is a key part of his spiral in season 6 - it is the catalyst for so much of what has happened thus far and part of why he was so determined to prove himself captain material and for his decision to try the age of absolutely and say yes to everything!

As an aside to this Judas is often depicted in Christian imagery with red hair - just like a certain reporter we all know and hate!!

The Resurrection

So we've all been screaming over the imagery of Buck hanging in the air and subsequently being lowered to the ground and into the arms of Bobby and how it fits into Christian imagery of Jesus being removed from the cross Like this one - 'Deposition' by Caravaggio

Deposition is one of the more famous paintings depicting this moment, but Christs removal from the cross is often depicted with the presence of ladders and the pose they have Buck in is also a commonly used one in the depiction of Christ's removal from the cross

such as this one by Rembrant;

or this one by Rubens

in both instances Christ is removed from the cross and into the arms of Joseph of Arimethea and we see the women of Christ (I hate that term but there we go!) both Mary Magdalene and his mother Mary in these paintings. Joseph was granted permission to bury Jesus - a feat normally undertaken by the father of the deceased. The fact that Joseph of Galilee wasn't present (when Mary was) suggests that he was already deceased.

you cannot convince me that this;

wasn't inspired by the above art! there are a couple of really interesting things about the fact we have Bobby very obviously in the position of Joesph of Arimethea. Joesph of Arimethea is taking on the role of father figure to Christ and we know Bobby has taken on the role of father figure to Buck. I'm also willing to put money on the person we can't see being Hen - thus representing the women. This will also likely be accompanied by Maddie being at Bucks bedside (and we might possibly see Margaret there as well in some capacity even if I start growling!!)

The thing with the crucifixion, deposition and subsequent resurrection is that they are the key turning point in the bible - they are the moment when the work Jesus has undertaken up to this point gains its importance and status - without his sacrifice at that moment, it is very possible Christianity (and Judaism and islam as well for that matter) may not exist!

If we break it down in 911 terms and look at where Buck is at right now and where he is headed it all ties in very interestingly with Jesus.

The pipeline is essentially the same

Jesus; betrayed - crucified - removed from the cross - resurrected.

Buck; Betrayed - crucified - removed from the ladder truck - resurrected (and in a coma before waking up)

We know Buck isn't going to actually die - that wouldn't serve the same purpose for the show that Christs death did in the bible. The outcome is the same though. Buck is going to die - temporarily and its going to land him in a coma, but hes going to die. and that is so important. Buck is at apoint where he needs to shed the 'Evan of it all. the saviour label is so firmly attached to Evan and at this point in time Buck cannot escape its clutches - he even leant into it with the sperm donation. Now though hes discovering leaning into hasn't actually helped or made him feel better.

Buck is still stuck with this saviour label attached to him - only the risk is that now its becoming attached to Buck as well - not just to Evan (Connor knows Buck from before - when he was still Evan remember). Bucks choice to become a sperm donor means the lines are becoming increasingly blurred between Evan and Buck. In order for Buck to learn and grow - for him to be able to move on and essentially become who he wants to be - who Buck is, he needs to not be Evan anymore, so that means some form of rebirth.

This is where the coma storyline is such a great narrative device as a representation of the resurrection - in his coma Buck will get to see who Evan would've been - without the Buck of it all. He'll discover that it's not all its cracked up to be in his head - that thats not who he is, who he wants to be or who he'll ever be and being that won't make him happy. It won't be straightforward, nor will he get there immediately (healing isn't linear but Buck is on that road finally), but he will be carrying that knowledge with him and that will help him figure out that Buck is loved and wanted in a way Evan never has been (with the exception of by Maddie), that he isn't spare parts in the way Evan is and he will be able to be resurrected as Buck.

We need to remember that Christ was resurrected 3 days after his death and then appeared to certain people (in particular the apostles but also to others) during the next 40 days. This is why I'm expecting Buck to be in a coma for 3 days.

This is in no way as coherent as I'd like it to be - I think I'll have to revisit when I'm not feeling quite so insane about the episode tonight!!

I don't think I've written this much on religion since I was in RE classes at school!! I find the use of religious imagery in modern media really interesting and 911 is really going all in with it! Anyway I hope you found it interesting and I'm sure I've left out a lot of stuff, but the important points are all there I think!

feel free to drop thoughts opinions etc in the tags or comments - I can't wait to read everyone else's good thoughts and ideas!

[kimyoonmiauthor]

Sections of the Terfs and "Gender Critical"

'cause the rule is "Know your enemy" and as soon as you make them into one amalgam, you've lost.

So I've been paying attention and they come in these categories...

The Religious Right

There is no such thing as gender.

But women have to be the most oppressed.

Gender and sex are the same thing.

The Religious Right

Usually they are Christians, I haven't really met any of any other religions.

They usually come with the Bible and Bible thumping.

While they are Bible thumping, the people they are most likely to quote, since people have narrowed them to not use Jewish texts... since Jews are not Anti-Trans by an large and people have soundly defeated them about Genesis and what Genesis was truly about--they are likely to quote Peter or Paul, Paul more likely than Peter.

I bothered to read the whole thing for context. And often the people that claim to have read the Bible, don't remember it. I, unfortunately, do and often pull the context from the quotes they pull from.

Paul was the OG incel, at least to me. He had all these opinions about women, but never had any relationships with women. He also was the least liked by his peers according to religious scholars and because of this went off the sulk (these are not my words, BTW, this comes from the mouth of Christian theologians from the Real Face of Jesus documentary, etc). He also never really quoted Jesus in any of his texts. He referred to various speeches in his letters of conversion, but he never really quoted or retold Jesus' stories in any of his work, rather this is more like what he thought Jesus' work meant.

Peter, the said-to-be-first Pope is less likely because the majority of the non-Catholics don't like him as the first Pope. They tend to see him as a sign of corruption of the church, etc. He also tends not to quote Jesus, but if you want the person who made the whole freaking list of long rules in Leviticus into the 10, this is Peter. Peter is also anti-women in many ways and also talks about things like submission—which is useful for a non-Trad Christian type. For the Trad Christian type, they are usually too far gone.

The next likely person they'll pull is Matthew. Matthew, for context did often quote Jesus, but if you read his text in full (for one, he reads like a Jew, at least to me, as a Jew...) He wrote in Hebrew, BTW, which the majority of the people don't read. The majority of the texts are about acceptance of the other. The whole of the ideas is to not limit who can join the Church. And, in fact, he refers to different genders that were outcast at the time, quoting and talking about Jesus accepting those genders. And in Judaism, there are 6 or 8, depending on if you go Torah or Talmud.

Poor Luke... I suppose they don't want to deal with him. The top three are always those three.

Jesus specifically said that all "Eunuchs" (which is a poor translation of the Hebrew, BTW, because it doesn't translate well) were welcome in his Church, though he recognized there were 2 sexes as defined in Genesis. This is probably better defined as men that voluntarily have their organs removed were considered unclean by the Jewish religion at the time. Later texts revised this. (So men who got castrated or vasectomies) And also under this was "men who are impotent" who were allowed in.

They are not considered genders now, because of mainly Thomas Aquinas, who worshiped Aristotle. And if you notice, Aristotle and the Greek Scholars that Thomas Acquinas took from were not Jesus.

Meaning Jesus, the real OG recognized all genders and said they were welcome, while a non-Jesus Christian who worshiped Pagans did not.

Thomas Aquinas also gave the world ideas of women being inferior in Christianity, and the ideas of ensoulment, which are not in the Bible, but taken from Greeks. Greeks who are not Christians, and people should really examine if they want to worship pagans as Christians.

In addition, God wears a Dress on the Sistine chapel several times over. He did not care.

Pink, was only a feminine color after about the 1950's, though it's a bit more complex than that.

But even so, it doesn't matter.

The reason they hate it is because they think it's Bible Tradition, when it's not Also in Matthew is the story of the Good Samaritan which is about a Sumerian traveler who helps a Jew regardless of religion.

They want justification for their feelings of disgust and because they engage so much, they think that the other side is "invading." But the rule is often their quoting is out of context and they didn't read the whole thing, which is the worst game of telephone I've ever seen.

Usually when you say then read me the books of Matthew and direct quotes from Jesus, they lose steam. Because often they haven't read the Bible, and only quoted from what they were given, and fail to see their arguments are really from pagan-lover Thomas Aquinas who was neck deep into agricultural thought at the time and needed to justify the subjugation of women, thus pounding on the idea of only two sexes and genders with women as inferior was useful to him.

Often, too, they are reliant on the English translation, rather than being able to pick up the words, which is why one can defeat their arguments about Genesis easily since Genesis is about the invention of language as gendered, as much as it is about the invention of the world. Thus a Jew can defeat a Christian because often a Christian doesn't know enough about Hebrew of Judaism to understand the full context from which Genesis was birthed. (Maybe intentional; pun). So they don't know the rib is a penis bone aka Baculum, for example. The man and woman part if you understand the Hebrew context is talking about the invention of gendered LANGUAGE and why the language has gender to it. But English lacks for the most part these genders, so the separation doesn't work this way.

Then they lean on Noah, 2 by 2, and then you have lizards that are mostly female and reproduce by Parthenogenesis. The Lesbian lizard, The almost all female Mourning Gecko, for example. There are males, but they are mostly infertile.

There are Christian websites that argue that Jews just don't know their own lore well enough, but most of those also refuse to cite the Hebrew words because if you look up the Hebrew words, the Jews and Hebrews flat out say there are more than 2 genders and then the Christian argument is sunk.

By here, they either rage block while you're having fun knowing the Bible more than them, or they start trying to empty preach at you because they got nothing else. The second you can acall them on because they got nothing and they can't accept what God really said, thus are they Christian or trying to use their religion for hate, which BTW, Paul, ironically had words for. But it also ignores the whole of Matthew's ideas that all should be accepted in their natural state. BTW, if they are conservative--there are always conservative white male politicians you can find who get into grooming scandals or are pro-child marriage recently and statics you can utilize from RAINN.

2. There is no such thing as Gender

This camp believes usually these things:

Sociology is useless because they don't agree with Sociology.

That biology proves their point. (though it doesn't)

Therefore gender doesn't exist. There is no male, not female, no woman no man.

What they want is hardcore proof of the existence of gender itself. Though going a few rounds teasing them they are sounding very agender, which is trans is entertaining. I won't lie, it's not helpful in the long run.

There are science articles about the make up of the brain to show that gender does exist and gets programmed in over time.

BTW, hormones can change a person's sexual orientation, but not their gender. More testosterone makes men more likely to be same-sex attracted.

Yes, the most masculine men are gay, yo. Haha. People will flip outtttt.

While they are claiming they don't like sociology, Sociology also designs the internet, road and most of civilization itself as researchers apply it to make roads better the internet more usable in UX models, etc.

Usually the people who claim to this argument are white men, and they have a poor ability to read the articles in question. So they will try to back behind not having any proof on their side at all by saying well they just don't believe in gender.

This is easily defeated by picking up on socialization cues and they will quit because they won't want to admit anything that might feminize them.

If you ask, did you play dolls and dress up wear pink frilly dresses, because your parents didn't care... you never were called "gay" as an insult as a child... this is about when they will quit because all of those things come from culture. And saying that gender is not socially constructed and doesn't give feedback to you on your behaviors is a path that fragile white man doesn't want to go down.

If they are in defense of Rowling, well, that's even better. Because Rowling is definitely not in this camp.

She's in the next camp.

3. But Women are the most oppressed.

So this camp believes there are men and there are women, and they ARE socialized differently. By and large this is mostly white women. They do not want the religious arguments because they think the Catholic Church are oppressors.

Often they argue things like Trans people are a threat to their well being because Trans people are lying about their gender.

But they also are often coming off the back of a trauma with get this... cis men (usually white). That's the case with Rowling also. She's deflecting her trauma with her ex-husband and father onto trans women because subconsciously they are easier to attack than cis men, because to her, trans women aren't women, but men as a threat.

And it's fair of me to talk about because look, I've gone through r***, and abuse that I probably shouldn't share because it'll trigger someone, but I don't think that her habit of displacing her anger and grief on minority groups is that healthy. She did it with adoption too (which I posted about already).

The core of this is the victim mentality which gets you a TON of attention, which feels *good* after a lot of abuse, but the thing I have to say having gone through it so many freaking times is that high doesn't last long when you're not looking at self-care and perpetuating hate, so you need a new supply of what might feel like schadenfreude, but it isn't.

They think they are being embraced for their traumas with cis men, but they aren't. And I'm here to say they need to reach for survivor because victimhood isn't a good mental space to be and launching yourself into hate campaigns against minorities won't help heal the hurt and pain when you can't take power from your true oppressors. Hate is isolating which is often why on the path of survivorship there is forgiveness asked for.

So, the argument here is to ask them why they won't go after white cis men who oppressed them in the first place and the core of the patriarchy which they are too afraid to fight.

4. Gender and Sex are the same thing.

Usually white again, but I've seen other races mixed in.

So the argument usually says that women are all female and then all men are male (and excuse this language) intersex [people--though this word isn't usually included either.] are mutants only worthy of scorn. (Even if they cover the same population as the population of Mexico as of 2024 in the entirety of the human pop proportionally. Though when facing this fact, they usually hesitate to say that Mexicans don't count in the world pop because they'd get marked for racism.)

This says it's a binary model. If you go test it it usually goes this pathway--you test mourning gecko, they say but that's in REPTILES and REPTILES don't count. Only mammals do.

Which is about time you counter with the Lions that turned masculine.

And the general weirdness of cats in this area.

And then they narrow it to humans.

So the argument goes the gender is the same across the board.

Around here, There is Thai, Native American/Indigenous American, Bugis of Indonesia, and historical articles. And Japanese men use questions which in English are gendered for women. If gender and sex are the same they should be the same internationally, but they aren't so the argument is racist.

Often they try to argue that this gender ideology thing is "new" which is why I usually pull Eleanor Rykener around this time and point out that they were ordered to dress female all their life.

The very gay James I. And also the whole of Shakespeare while we're at it.

Showing changing gender norms over time will often cinch it. Because do thy think wearing silk stockings, a dress, lace, etc is "appropriate" for a man?

Then they usually back into the "Well I don't think children should be groomed and have sex reassignment surgery."

And then there are PLENTY of articles disproving this to be the case and pointing out what puberty blockers are for and the process to get them.

Usually around here, you either get blocked or they try to call in reinforcements.... in which case you should argue that you want to know their opinions, not anyone else's. And then they fold.

The truth is they want to hate someone they think is weak. But if they find a strong opponent it won't be fun for them anymore which is why they usually slink off or try to hit that report button, etc.

BTW, avoid using the word "cis" and use "cys" on Twitter (deadname Twitter hard).

The thing with Terfs which isn't true about the trans community, is if they disagree or see someone taking an argument different from theirs, they abandon them.

The thing about the trans community, is though two people might not agree on what trans-ness is for them, and what it means to them, or how to describe the thing, there isn't abandonment, because there is no thrill or schadenfreude. There is more thrill in sharing stories of being trans itself and sharing the identity. Someone identifies with he/they. I'm not offended at someone who is open pronouns. Someone is a trans woman. I'm not offended as an NB.

But terfs and anti-trans, yo—they jump ship and scold their own fast. It's sharks out there. I've seen it in real time when you win an argument they will turn on that person and try to eat them alive.

[joyfulapostate]

Hey!

I was raised aetheist, and I never really realised how badly Christianity could screw people up. There were some people in my extended family who were religious, but it was always just this vague distant thing that existed on the periphary. The only times I entered churches were in a touristy way, and only then because my mum dragged me into them - I've always hated churches, they have bad vibes.

Then I met my best friend who was raised in a religious family, and they described a lot of the strange, disturbing rituals they would perform in church. Around the same time, I began watching a content creator who was raised in a religious family and was going through the process of reconciling their religious upbringing with their homosexuality.

Since then, I've been really fascinated by how this religion can screw people up and make people doubt their entire being. I think a lot about how on earth this one religion - or cult - from a city thousands of years ago became so persistent and all encompassing.

I was wondering, what do you know about the real-world history of the Christian religion and Jesus? One can assume that Jesus was a real person, but what are the details? Was he a cult leader? A rebel? Both? How did he make people believe he was a prohpet? Why did he make people believe he was a prophet? I'm fascinated by the real historical events that occurred to create such a long-lived ripple effect, but I'm cautious of researching "religious history" on my own because I don't know how to avoid the many dangerous people one would be likely to come across in that feild. Do you have any knowledge to share?

-🟪

My favorite biblical historian is Dr. Bart Ehrman (link to his website). He’s a former Christian, current agnostic which I think gives him a balanced view of biblical history. He talks about what it was like to believe in the Christian story, what it was like to figure out what is real and what isn’t, and what actual biblical scholarship should look like. His books helped me disentangle the complicated stories around Jesus and develop my own sense of scholarship.

Most historians believe that Jesus was a real person who existed around the same time and place as was claimed in the Bible. We have no eye witness testimony about anything Jesus said or did. All we have are copies of copies of legends that people wrote about him decades after his death. We have no real way of knowing what Jesus thought about himself or what he claimed to be.

That being said, we can try to understand the traditions of the stories told about Jesus. I’ve heard a lot of fundamentalists claim to be going back to the “early Christian church” but there were so, so many traditions that sprang up around the story of Jesus all believing different theologies. For example, early Christian mysticism is a weird, wild rabbit hole to go down if you’re ever curious. 

We can try to understand the man that Jesus was by looking at the stories told about him. These stories were based in apocalypticism under Roman rule: the belief that the end would come, but hey at least it would free people from Roman tyranny. Jesus was an apocalyptic preacher whose death caused shockwaves of grief among his followers. I do believe that he made promises about the coming kingdom and when those promises were suddenly impossible after he was killed by his government, his followers found a way to make those promises relevant again in their own minds.

I find this stuff interesting, but I really wish that this specific history didn’t affect people’s lives in the modern world. I wish it were just a weird history niche instead of a direct threat to people’s wellbeing. Being hesitant to research biblical history makes sense. There’s a lot of nonsense out there to dig through and it can be exhausting. Take care of yourself first. Biblical history is not as important as your wellbeing. But if you do enjoy researching, have at it! Find people that you respect, hold on to ideas loosely so you critically evaluate them, and be ready to take a break if you burn out. 

[rjmartin11]

I'm Aaron

Chapter Two

Pairing: Elvis & female!reader

Summary: You're a workaholic who decides to take a private mini vacation in Las Vegas. While there, you stumble into and befriend a handsome stranger at a bar. This handsome stranger is more than meets the eye. He wants to show you a great time... privately. It's an experience that you've never had before. You soon realize that you're in over your head, and your heart is falling fast.

Word Count: 2.7K

Warning: A bit sad. Mentioning of death. But the smut is here! I repeat, the smut has arrived! Sex, oral (f. receiving) slight fingering (f. receiving). Only for mature audiences. Viewer discretion is advised!

Author's Notes: Welcome to Chapter Two! I'm so pleased with all the re-posts, likes, and follows I've received! Y'all are the sweetest! It's all done for the love of E.P. That gorgeous talented man! Have mercy! If you'd like to be tagged in the next chapter, leave me a message. What happens in Vegas stays in the bedroom! 😉

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"Aaron. Were you also raised in a strict Christian home, Aaron?"

"Well, not as strict as you but yes. I was raised Penecostal, but my folks let me listen to old rock n roll all the time. But I love Gospel the most. Why do you ask?"

"Well, your name is Biblical. I find that most of the children with Biblical names grew up with strict parents. How do you spell it?"

"With two A's. My folks originally spelt it with one, but when I turn 25 I changed it legally after I came home from the service."

"You were in the military? For how long?"

"I spent two years in Germany."

"That's very noble, and how did you meet your boss?"

"My boss?" He said with a questionable look.

"Yes. Elvis."

"Oh yeah. He and I go back a ways. Childhood. I've seen him through it all and then some."

"Is he nice? Does he treat you well?" You pondered trying to understand why all these women loved him so much.

"He has his moments. He tries to remain good. Be the good boy his mama raised him to be. It seems like the world's closin' in on him and he's nervous about the show tomorrow. He wants everything to go right. What if they don't love...him...anymore."

"He's not too short on supply there. I was listening to his music on my drive here this afternoon, and the taxi driver told me that I needed to get tickets to see him. The receptionist at the front desk, too. They are head over heels for him. They describe him as a god."

"He knows better. There's only one God. One King."

"Amen." You say taking another sip of your drink.

"Enough about Elvis. What about you, Y/N? Where are from? And if you aren't here for the show tomorrow night, why are you here?"

You move your daiquiri away from you and think of the right words to say. "I'm on vacation. I've never really taken a vacation, and I thought it was about time. I'm originally from Florida. Deep in the Bible belt. My mother worked her hardest to try to get me free from my father's house. His boundaries. I turned 18, and I left. I moved to Atlanta, Georgia. I wanted my mama to be proud of me. She passed on two years later, and I plunged myself into work. I made friends, and we spent time together. But they have husbands, and I'm lonely. I'm the only one without a love. The only one without a significant other."

"You lost your mother? I'm so sorry. I lost mine too." Aaron spoke with unshed tears in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Aaron."

"Are you here alone, baby? No friends? They left you all alone?" He pondered.

You nodded your head at your new found friend with a tear trickling down your cheek.

"You know, you aren't alive if you aren't in love." He said grabbing your hand softly.

"Then I'm as good as dead." You said wiping the tear from your eye.

"No, you're not. I believe this is amazing grace. I believe you've been found." Aaron said placing his hand to his lips to kiss it. You feel goosebumps surge through your body and your face blush. You can't look him in the eyes now.

"You came to Vegas for a good time, right? Let me show you a good time." He asked lightly grabbing your chin to look you in the eye.

"I don't know."

"I won't hurt you. I just wanna hold you. Maybe steal a kiss or two. Or three. You're so beautiful."

"You're sweet, but I'm... inexperienced."

Aaron raises an eyebrow. "Meaning that you've never been touched? Ever?"

You look down defeated. In your mind, a man runs away from a virgin. Men want women with experience which you lacked. Surely, Aaron will run for the hills now.

"Your room or mine, baby?" He said with a sexy smirk on his lips. Your eyes shoot up to look at his hundred watt smile. "On second thought," he pauses considering his actions. "Let's go to your room. I'm not too sure about my boss and the guys would feel if I bought you up there."

"I don't want to get you into trouble."

"This is Vegas. If you're looking for trouble, you came to the right place." He laughed. Leading you away from the bar and to the elevator.

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He held your hand all the way up to your floor. You didn't look at the entire ride up, trying to slow down your heart rate.

"You know what my fear is?" Aaron says as you both enter the room. You look at him, waiting for his answer. "I'm afraid that I'll never be loved for me. I feel people love me because... b-b-because of who I know. I swear I get so lonely sometimes."

You grab his hand and lead him to sit on the bed. You look him in the eyes. "I see a beautiful soul with soulful eyes. I don't understand why any woman would not give you a chance. You have a great sense of humor, you're open about your life, handsome, and honest. I'm still confused as to why you want to spend time with me."

Aaron grabs both your hands and looks deep into your eyes and says, "Because I see you. You are a beautiful soul. You're a beautiful woman. I know what it's like to be alone and lost. Hoping someone can see you. When a lonely soul finds another, they make peace and find joy in each other's company."

You smile removing your eyes from his and bit your bottom lip. You feel you face heat up and your heart soars. He takes his hand and places it under your chin so he can look you in the eyes once more.

"Baby, have you ever been kissed?" He asks with wonder in his deep voice.

You scoff and roll your eyes at him. Then reply, "So, because I'm a virgin, that means I've never been kissed?"

"Yes and no. I want to know if you've been kissed properly. On the lips."

"Yes, I have."

He tilts his head at you and quints his eyes as if he doesn't believe you. Then he asks, "What was his name and where did he kiss you?"

You look down. Remember that one special time of your childhood. It was a special moment but it's also tainted with hurt. You take a breath and say, "His name was Gabriel. I was fifteen and..."

"You were at church."

You look at him with shock and disbelief. He finished your sentence like he saw it first hand.

"How did you know that?"

"Well, you told me that you were raised in a strict Christian home. I'm guessing your daddy didn't let you go out much, but to church where there were boys."

"Well, yes. I bet you don't know where though." You look at him with a smirk on his face changing him.

He placed his hand on his chin to play your little game. "Hmm. Let me guess. You two made a plan to sneak off. But to where? My guess is the bathroom."

"Nope. We snook off behind the church!" You laughed.

Aaron snaps his fingers and jolts his wrist. "Damn! That was my next guess! I swear that or the nearest cemetery!"

The two of you laugh at the thought. You shake your and and finish your story about your first kiss. "Yes, well, I was nice and innocent. He was sweet. It didn't work out cause my father didn't believe in me dating. He moved on to the next available girl."

"Was it a French kiss?"

You shook your head and answered no.

"Show me how he kissed you."

You move closer to him on the bed. You look into his blue eyes and notice they're darkening somehow. Then you glance at his pouty lips. He doesn't move. He wants you to come to him. You position yourself closer to him, solely focusing on his eyes as you place lips on his. Your eyes flutter close as you embrace the feeling of his soft, pouty lips. You almost lose your breath. You feel his magnetism it's almost overwhelming.

You pull away, you wait for his judgment on your kiss. He opens his eyes and says, "That was kind and sweet. The way a first kiss should be between kids. Truly innocent." He pauses.

"But?" You ask impatiently waiting for his response.

"I think we can do better than that. You deserve to be properly kissed and fucked."

You blink and advert your eyes for a moment. This is about to be your first time. You hear your father's voice in your head, "Fornicators go to hell and it's worse for women." But you believe differently. You like Aaron. Since you bummed into him at the bar, he has tried to make you comfortable. If he's only looking for a one night stand it may crush you but you'll risk it for a good time. Get it out your system now.

Aaron tilts your head up to him at him. "Ready to try a French kiss, baby?"

"Sure."

He grins slightly and tells you, "Open your mouth just a little bit and place the tip of your tongue at the bottom of your lower. Over your teeth."

You do as instructed feeling extra shy under the gaze of his ocean hues.

"Relax and close your eyes."

As soon as you do, you feel his soft lips against yours, and his tongue glides across your tongue. You aren't sure if you're doing it right, but you like the feeling. He has his hands gently holding you face, and you softly moan in his mouth. Your stomach drops, and you feel a sensation between your legs. It's all new to you.

He pulls away, and you chase him for another kiss, but he places his index finger lightly on your lips.

"You enjoyed that, didn't you, baby?" He speaks to you low hushed tone as his finger slides down your lips.

You are speechless. All you can do is nod your head. Aaron smirks and kisses the end of your nose. "Baby, have you ever been touched? I've asked you this once, but I want to be sure."

You take his hand and place it over your breast. He laughs at your gesture. "No, Y/N. I mean your special spot between yourself legs. Where your pussy lies."

You blink yourself into reality realizing what he's asking you. The way he says pussy makes that sensation come back between your legs. That word on his lips is the ultimate sin. You shake your head no.

He nods at you and slides his hand down from breast to your tummy and pauses. "May I touch you there?"

You nod your head and he quints at you. "Y/N, I need you to use you words, baby."

"Yes, please. Touch me." The excitement is too much. You feel that sensation between your legs begin throb and you start to breath heavy.

"Okay. Lay back."

As lay back on the bed, Aaron slips his hand under your dress and under your lace panties. The touch alone sends you sky high. You audibly inhale and moan at his touch. You feel his fingers explore your pussy.

"You are so wet. So needy. You've never touched yourself have you, baby?"

"N-no." You answer in a breathy tone.

Aaron grins at you and says, "Let me introduce you to your clit. Right here is your special friend. Your bud. Can you feel that?"

"I've been feeling that since you kissed me."

"Let me show you a real kiss." He said, removing his fingers from vagina. Licking the slick away from his fingers, he grabs your hands to sit you up in the bed. Aaron proceeds to remove your dress and toss it to the side, leaving you in your bra and panties. "I do love this dress."

He examines your body. Admiring your curves and ways as he lightly traces your thighs and hips with his hands. You feel quite shy under his gaze and cover your breasts with your hands and arms. He takes one of your hands and kisses it, cupping your hand to his face.

Aaron places your hand back to your chest and begins to work your curves once more. He eases his finger tips into the upper sides of your panties and carefully pulls them down your legs.

Your heart races because you believe this is the moment of truth. The moment he fills you up with his hard dick and fucks you into oblivion. But no. He humbles himself before you and kneels. Spreading your legs apart, he lightly plunges his head into your pussy and licks your clit. A delayed breath escapes your mouth and you gasp. This man is showing you things you never known existed. Blowing you mind lick by lick.

He needs you to be closer to him, so he roughly pulls you closer to him, placing your legs over his shoulders. "Look at me." He says before circling his tongue back to your clit. Your head jolts back at the sensation and you moan loudly. You feel him stop.

"I need you to look at me when do this, baby. Can you be a good girl and focus, Y/N?"

You prop yourself up on your elbows once more. "Yes, Aaron. I can." You speak nearly out of breath, rocking your hips slightly at him.

He grins at you and lightly kisses the top of your clit. His eyes never leaving yours. He sticks his tongue out and gets back to working on your clit.

You are absolutely hypnotized at this moment. Just focusing on him has you reeling and moaning. Then he surprises you by slipping two of his fingers inside of you. The surprise is too much, causing you to jolt your head back yelling loudly. "Oh my...fuck!"

You slowly feel yourself coming undone layer by layer. All those excuses of why you haven't done this before are out the window as you grind into his face. All your resolve, gone. Your virginity? It won't be long now.

As his fingers work furiously on your pussy and his tongue glides across your clit rapidly, you begin to combust from the inside out. The flame that ignited inside you is now quenched. Unable to hold yourself up any longer, you collapse on the bed. All your strength is gone. Your mind is blown. You place one hand on your face and rake your fingers through your hair with your other hand as you catch your breath.

"That's a real kiss, honey." Aaron says, pulling you back into reality with his deep Southern drawl. You feel giddy, and you begin to breathy giggle. He crawls on top of you, and you can see his lips drenched with your rain. You calm yourself as he glazes into your eyes. You see his eyes have completely darkened to a stormy black. As if it's the calm before the storm. He places his lips on yours, and you taste yourself. It's enough to drive you nuts! You wrap your legs around his waist to hold him in place. You then wrap your arms around his neck and head, grazing your hands into his hair. You never really touched his hair. You realize in this moment how soft and fine it actually is.

You lose yourself in his embrace. He moves away from your lips and kisses your cheek, and then down to your neck before looking at you once again. "Uh-oh, I think she likes it. How do you feel?" He says, tracing your lips with his fingers.

You blink trying to find your words, but nothing comes out. When they finally do all you can muster up is, "I'm ss-speechless. That was the best kiss I've ever had. Thank you."

He kisses your forehead and leans into you, resting his head between your neck and head. He's so warm. You take your hand rake it through his hair. You don't know it, but this comforts him. You're afraid to speak and ruin this next to perfect moment. "Aaron, this is a great way to end the night."

He moves his head to look at you and says, "End the night? Baby, the fun has just started. I'm not done playing with you yet." Your eyes widen at his words in surprise. "There's more?"

"Yes, baby much more." Aaron entices you, kissing your lips once more.

Taglist: @missmaywemeetagain @beeandheroddobsessions @headfullofpresley @everythingpresley @epforeverohyes @plasticfantasticl0ver @pianginferno @powerofelvis @ab4eva @foreverdolly @searchingforgravity @thatbanditqueen @daffieapple @18lkpeters @dkayfixates

#Elvis x Y/N #Elvis x reader #Elvis #ElvisPresley #ElvisinVegas #Vegas

[thecrusadercomrade]

on that character ask game: 1 for Alvin Senior, 25 for David Garcia, 19 for Clementine, 9 for Ben Paul

1 for Alvin: I honestly really like this guy, it's a shame he didn't get more to do in season two. He wants to help Clementine with her bite, even if Rebecca glares him down, and he offers her a juice box in addition to giving her medical supplies if she reaches out to him, which was really cool. Later on, we see clearly that Alvin dotes on his wife and his always looking out for her. He doesn't seem to hold it against Rebecca when the Carver reveal happens, maybe he understands that it might not have been fully consensual on her part.

Sure, Alvin wants to keep food hidden from the group, but it's only out of concern for Rebecca. All in all, I'd say Alvin is a really good guy who just happens to be a little weak-willed, and I'm really sad he went out the way he did. He deserved better.

25 for David: While I've grown to have a soft spot for David in recent years, I'm pretty sure that back when I was originally exposed to him I thought he was a pretty big jerk. He was presented as antagonistic towards Javi a lot of the time, and back then I didn't have a very nuanced view of people, so I just saw him as a jerk.

Nowadays, I like him a lot more. I still think he's very flawed, but he's basically the Kenny of A New Frontier. A deeply flawed man with anger issues, but who ultimately wants to do the right thing. I much prefer keeping him alive over any other ending for the game, and I think his relationship with Javi is the most compelling part of the story. It always breaks my heart whenever I see a youtuber break Javi's promise to his dad by fighting David.

19 for Clementine: To be honest, I can't really think of any relationships Clementine has in the games that I actively dislike all that much. In-universe, I guess I could say Clementine's relationship with Christa. Not because it's poorly written or bad for the story, but because Clementine is clearly miserable with her. I can't help but wonder if Clem wouldn't be quite as depressed as she is in season two if she'd spent the last few years with someone who actually loved and supported her, rather than resenting her.

9 for Ben Paul: I think I could get along pretty well with Ben as a roommate. I'm a very quiet person by nature, so I might not be socializing with him super often, but he seems like a decently considerate guy. He also mentions reading a Bible at one point, and I'm a Christian, so maybe we could talk about that or something. So long as we don't get into any life-or-death situations, I don't think I'd have any problems with him.

[blastlight]

#christian followers feel free to infodump in my inbox

☆hi beam!! okay i'm agnostic (spiritual and leaning hindu) now, but as a kid i used to be catholic (and also hindu at the same time. i was both simultaneously it's Complicated)

☆when i was little (before the Upsettings happened) god was sort of like my imaginary friend that i talked to all the time and demanded stuff from him constantly and i felt super upset whenever i did something to make him "angry". One time when i was 7 i prayed for about a week straight for him to turn me white. I was also convinced he would give me superpowers before i turned ten. I told all my friends about it. and then when it didnt happen i convinced myself it was because i was (vaguely) hindu too and God doesnt like it when i talk to other gods (???????) I won't get into the more traumatic aspect of the whole thing but the thought of someone always watching and the prospect of hell and dying forever messed me up for a good long while

☆surprisingly unrelated to that, i was obsessed with the bible as a kid (not really in a religious way so much as an autism way). My favourite book/section in the bible was leviticus and i just sat there for hours reading over and over what the ancient israelites were supposed to Not Do and the proper rituals that had to happen if they did those things anyway. My second favourite was the book of revelations but that was out of childish spite because at some point I remember the priest at my church saying that nobody understood what revelations meant or what was going on in there and i went "okay I'll just be the first then". I had Theories.

☆i was also going through my ancient history phase around the same time of my obsessive bible phase so every single week at church i bothered every single adult with questions about evolution and why the dinosaurs aren't in the bible until they made me feel too guilty to ask LOL (same thing happened when i asked stuff like why they eat shrimp or wear purple if leviticus says they can't)

☆tldr; i was obsessed with the bible in the way other kids at the time were obsessed with stuff like percy jackson, not because of religion but because i was fascinated by the Lore. But at the same time (and mostly unrelated to my bible interest??) i also believed in god fully and thought he would do stuff for me if i asked nice enough but be also scared me very much. Around age 12 I eventually reasoned myself out of christianity because, among other things, i decided the whole heaven/hell situation wasn't fair and unrealistic and also genesis made zero sense. The religious trauma that came later didn't help but was surprisingly not a driving factor for the most part. I still read the bible sometimes. I think it's fascinating

Oh wow that's way more than I thought anyone would send hahah

Definitely sounds interesting. I can see how you might end up like that but it sounds unusual. i don't know a whole lot about hinduism, but if you want, can you elaborate on how being hindu affected your catholic experience? just for curiosity :>

i relate with the "talking to G-d as if He's my imaginary friend" thing so much. i don't do that much now, but it's just way easier to speak directly than through very specific pre-written prayers sometimes...

hyperfixating on Bible Lore TM is kinda fascinating. i would not have chosen levitcus but i can see the hypothetical appeal of analyzing The Rules. (i was a child of chaos.) i don't know anything about revelations. what is going on in there?

bothering church adults with dinosaur questions is hysterical. also, where does it mention not wearing purple again? because religious jews do follow a lot of the commandments that originated from there, but that one's never come up. seems like a weird mistranslation/misinterpretation maybe?

makes sense why you'd leave based on that, i think that's more or less a common experience with ex-christians from what i've seen? good luck with the rest of that ♡ 👍 ♡

[jaeheewillalwaysbemyfav]

How Obey Me Shot Itself In the Foot: The Better Version of Obey Me That Lives In My Head

MASSIVE WARNING FOR DISCUSSION OF RELIGION. Specifically of Abrahamic religions (Islam, Christianity, and Judaism) and their shared God. I am doing this in a media analysis context, not to shame any particular religion or anyone’s particular beliefs. If that makes you uncomfortable, feel free to not read this post, stop reading at any point, and/or unfollow/block me. DO NOT try to start religious discourse on this post or in my askbox/DMs, I will clown on and block you.

Also spoiler warnings for a ton of different Obey Me lessons.

Intro (X), Michael (X)(X)(X)(X), Conclusion (X)(you're here)

aka The Part Where I Actually Talk About Why Raphael Should Kill MC

Why Raphael Should Kill MC

I've thought for a long time about how I'd handle writing Bible fanfic, so I have many ideas about how I'd portray Heaven and Hell. This section was originally going to be an in-depth deep dive into my Celestial Realm and Devildom worldbuilding, but that would take too long and potentially reveal some stuff I might use for my longfic that's in progress.

But the essence of it is:

The Celestial Realm is a militaristic and very protective/insular realm as a result of Father/God's paranoia over his loss of control over his creations. The Devildom and many parts of the human world are formed by rejected "imperfect" creations that were banished from the Celestial Realm. Only humans with "pure" souls are let into the CR, while the others are reincarnated or sent to the Devildom to face punishment.

There are three basic types of angels: the original extensions of God responsible for helping to create things, the warriors who fight off demons and protect the CR, and those who look after different aspects of creation, especially humans.

The Devildom is the product of a fucked up version of the island of misfit toys, as previously described. They are the rejected creations of the CR, sent to die in the void at the edge of existence. But they didn't die. However, adapting to this harsh environment created harsh and vicious creatures that came to be known as demons. The original Demon King earned his title by figuring out how to siphon power from CR and human-world beings, a practice that lead to most of the Devildom being divided into 7 courts of the 7 deadly sins.

Human souls that get sent to the Devildom don't face any organized punishment: they're fair game for any demons that find them though. If the human has a pact with one or more demons, that/those demon/s have dibs and can do with them what they wish.

There are many types of demons in terms of form, but nearly all are aligned to a sin. Only the very oldest ones are not, or aligned to multiple. They have a wide range of jobs much like any earthly civilization.

The Human World is largely unaware of the supernatural forces that shape it, but two primary groups who are aware are witches and sorcerers. Sorcerers are more organized: they have a strict code to follow vis a vis how they use their magic, are registered with the Sorcerer's Society, experience formal training, etc. Witches are more freelance and unstructured, though they may form covens who may occasionally meet up. Sorcerers tend to be more aligned with the CR, while witches tend to be more aligned with the Devildom. That being said, it's not unheard of for a sorcerer to deal with demons in the form of pacts.

Solomon is famously an exception to how sorcerers are expected to behave, having 72 pacts and a more experimental magic practice. But he's old as fuck and the best at what he does, so no one can really tell him not to.

Diavolo's exchange program is a genuine effort to unite the three realms, to bridge the gap that was created so long ago. The CR reads it as a front to gain better access to their magic, or even to attempt a takeover. But they refuse to truly strike first and restart the war, so they're at an uneasy stalemate.

Until the stuff with MC happens.

In the version of Obey Me that lives in my head, seasons 1 and 2 are largely unchanged. I'd probably remove/alter how our connection to Lilith works (and in fact Lilith's role would be very different overall), but the basic plot beats stand.

As I mentioned 800 posts ago, I lost my account at lesson 41, so I don't know much about how the human world arc goes, and honestly I don't really care. Because for me, if we're gonna put s3 in the human world, we're gonna learn about the human world's magic scene. Which means if MC's initiation into the sorcerer's society doesn't happen there in canon, that's where I want it to happen.

But I also want the Sorcerer's Society to be extremely suspicious of MC. Yes, they're Solomon's apprentice, but... they're Solomon's apprentice. They're a rogue element, and the beginnings of a legacy of rogue elements. A very powerful one too.

Something should be done about that.

S4 starts with the expanded roster of exchange students, Thirteen and Raphael. We were already introduced to Thirteen in s2 as a somewhat antagonistic force, but now we get to meet her in full. Yay! Unfortunately this isn't about her, so let's move onto Raphael.

Raphael was sent to the Devildom to kill MC. The CR was tipped off by someone in the Sorcerer's Society that they're too dangerous, too powerful, the cause of all the mess from s2, and they need to be iced. But the thing is, they're closely bonded with the demon prince, as well as the seven traitors lords, so he needs to make it look like an accident.

Throughout season 4, MC experiences a variety of strange and increasingly dangerous mishaps, culminating in an encounter where a group of hardline traditionalist demons accost them. MC has plot armour though, so they kick their assailants' asses, only to find out they were encouraged to action by none other than Raphael. MC is shocked to learn this, because other than being a weirdo, Raphael hasn't seemed all that threatening.

They're so shocked, they don't notice him behind them, spear in hand.

They're captured and taken to the Celestial Realm, alive but bound in manacles that restrict their access to their pacts and powers. They meet Michael, who exposits the trouble they've been causing him. He then lays out their choices for them:

Break their pacts, have their memory wiped, and return to the human world to live an ordinary life.

Break their pacts and be accepted as an honorary member of the Celestial Realm's ranks (read: get a pair of mind control bangles slapped on them forever)

Use their pacts to bring the brothers back to the CR so they can be "purified"

Die lol

So if I was straight up writing a game plot, this would be the point that the brothers and co. show up, there's a big showdown, maybe they resolve things peacefully in the end, maybe the war starts up, idk, but for the purposes of plot bunnies, I like leaving it here because there's a lot of things that could happen from this point.

(Bonus: after this is resolved the Demon King wakes up and then we have a whole 'nother problem to deal with)

[goldkirk]

Top 10 mental health/similar books you've read in the past year? (or documentaries, or podcasts, anything is cool!)

this is gonna be all over the place and way more than just 10, sorry, but i'd say my top most impactful things-of-any-type I've encountered in the past year are the following.

Books:

The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog

Reparenting the Child Who Hurts

Take Back Your Life

Zak George's Dog Training Revolution

When the Body Says No

Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents

The Case Against Conversion "Therapy": Evidence, Ethics, and Alternatives

On Tyranny

Random:

Plato's allegory of the cave

How Tax Brackets Actually Work

UV Camera Reveals The Best Way to Apply Sunscreen to Your Face

Rhett's story of his personal religious deconstruction timeline

This guy's gut wrenchingly honest, timeline-jumping, clearly articulated, and wryly humorous series explaining his long and truly wild journey to atheism

This 6 minute interview with Liz Hunter where she talks about growing up in a cult without realizing it

Church Services Are Designed to Influence You. Here's How.

Former Evangelical leader Josh Harris on renouncing Christianity

therapist talking about the lies purity culture tells women

a therapist's take on religions and emotional manipulation

Polygamist Cult Founder’s Daughter, Rachel Jeffs, Gives Her First TV Interview

Evangelical blinders/guarding your heart

Big Joel's video on anti-abortion propaganda (large focus on the movie Unplanned)

I fantasized about martyrdom too

Omnipotence paradox & laws of logic

"Cults Inside Out" with Rick Alan Ross

An analysis of the Christian martyr complex via the first three God's Not Dead movies

Raised in a cult and finding her voice (an interview with Liz Hunter)

No True Joy Outside the Church?

Pray Away: A Therapist's Take on Conversion Therapy

Nothing Fails Like Bible History - Episode 1

Personal Autonomy Post-Religion

WHAT do you do after LEAVING a cult? (life after the moonies) (this girl is SO FUNNY)

TheraminTrees's (therapist) YouTube videos, especially:

betting on infinity

rebuttals to 'betting on infinity'

false equivalence | qualiasoup and theramintrees

punishing doubt | religious condemnation of thought

'science' of the gaps

commanded to love | performing false emotions for tyrants

grooming minds | the abuse of child indoctrination

degrading love -- part one | how religions distort the meaning of 'love'

degrading love -- part two | how religions distort the meaning of 'love'

living with abusers

imaginary defects | when dogmas label us flawed

creating sickness | recovering from religion

Philosophy Tube's YouTube videos, especially:

Abortion & Ben Shapiro (you might need to pause this one a few times just to mull things over on your own time)

Ignorance & Censorship

Queer✨

Logic

Who's afraid of experts?

Identity: A Trans Coming Out Story

Social Constructs

The Hidden Rules of Modern Society

FundieFriday's YouTube videos, especially:

FOCUS ON THE FAMILY

THE CREATION MUSEUM & ARK ENCOUNTER

RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS

The post 9/11 Evangelical fever dream that is Jesus Camp

MICHAEL & DEBI PEARL

THE MARTYRS OF COLUMBINE

iilluminaughtii's youtube videos, especially:

The Abusive Practices of Focus on the Family

The IBLP & ATI

Ex-Fundie Diaries' YouTube videos, especially:

Christian Nationalist Child Indoctrination Cult: AWANA

Christian Nationalist Propaganda | Inside My Homeschool "Science" Binder

Christian fundamentalism doesn't always look like the Duggars

Anxiety & Anger Are a Sin in Christian Fundamentalism | Emotional Child Abuse

Child Abuse | Spanking, Neglect, & Psychological Punishments in Christian Fundamentalism

Documentaries:

Scientology and the Aftermath

Pray Away

Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult

Lots of others on YouTube and Netflix I'm sorry it's just hard to dig them all up lol, if I have energy some other time I will

Hope this helps someone!

[polyamwitchymom]

My personal beliefs on the matter of divinity

(this is a long post, if you want me to get to my point, scroll down for the purple text)

I grew up in the Bible belt, both my parents were/are members of the RLDS church (Reorganized Church of the Latter-Day Saints, or as I like to call it: diet Mormonism or Mormon lite), and when we weren't attending the RLDS church, we were going to a Baptist church. My parents homeschooled me and closely monitored who I made friends with. I grew up with a narrow, but common belief that big G is up in heaven, watching and knowing everything that happens and will happen, is all powerful but uses his power sparingly, has strict rules for how he wants humans to be, and requires sacrifice of some type to be appeased (in this case, Jesus was the sacrifice, but before him, they made animal sacrifices, and at one point God asked for a child sacrifice as a test).

But all of that was ok, because there was God in the flesh as Jesus. And to be fair, Jesus seemed like a pretty cool guy, he seemed to care less about The Rules, and more about people loving one another. And then Jesus brutally died because humans are evil and the only way God could tolerate us is if someone died.

While I was told that God is perfect, I kept seeing him contradict himself and act very... "Human" like (angry, jealous, needing praise, being violent, etc). I was told that there was no way to truly comprehend him, but also that he made himself comprehensible to us/he was now comprehensible to us because of the first sin (eating fruit from the forbidden tree, gaining knowledge of good and evil).

As I got older, other beliefs intrigued me, and I had plenty of experiences that the "Spiritual Leaders" around me either dismissed or just had no explanation for, along with feeling like I was evil for having same-sex attraction. I eventually delved into polytheism, at first believing that the Christian god is not real and never was, to then believing that he is real and is just a dick. Sure, there were other gods that were dicks too, but at least they didn't claim to be perfect like he did. But then I did research as to how monotheism came about and learned that the Christian god is most likely two gods that got morphed into one over time and tradition.

So where do I stand now on Divinity, gods, goddesses, monotheism, and polytheism?

Pardon me for how woo-woo this is about to get, but:

-Divinity, The Creator, "God", whatever you want to call it, I believe it is within all things. It is life itself. It is what animates us. A fragment of Divinity is inside you and me and is what is commonly known as a "soul."

-Divinity is also within the gods, spirits, etc., perhaps to some greater extent than us, even.

-The main source of Divinity is somewhere outside of all time and all space, and can hardly be comprehended as a person. It creates infinitely, and sends itself into its creations to experience it.

-Does it love? Does it have morals? Look around you. If you've been paying attention you've surely noticed by now that there is no One Human Experience. That even among our own species, so much can vary- from morals, sexuality, culture, empathy, wants, and needs to circumstances we were born into and what we choose to do with the gift of life. No, I don't think it truly has any morality or love, or at least any that I can comprehend. I think it's main objective/need is to experience all things.

Do I worship this thing? Well, no... Not exactly. But also, in a way, yes. I occasionally work with and devote myself to various gods and goddesses. I believe life is sacred and should be preserved. I give other humans respect, and in some ways love all humans for having the gift of existence. I do my best to take care of myself and learn so I can better myself and those around me. I don't directly worship this source of existence, but I respect existence itself as it is in all things.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has thought of all of this, but I've not heard anyone talk about the same thing and so I don't know what to call it. It seems kinda New-Age-y but not quite because I've not heard it expressed the same way. The closest I've heard is "You are the universe experiencing itself" which sums this up well but lacks nuance. Does anyone else believe this/know what this line of belief is called?

[mcondance]

Not to like blab but I was a pastor's kid (female pastor too which is kind of rare) at a smaller of an international megachurch. Anyway when I was 12 for certain reasons, but obviously when you live with a retired pastor and a church musician (my dad) you don't really leave the church. I think my sister got more of the trauma tbh, she had a lot of expectations placed on her to be a representation of the institution of family and how it plays a role in perpetuating the institution of the Christian church, whereas I was still young enough for it to go over my head. But there were a lot of issues going on in our family back then.

Anyway I think I've been deconstructing christianity since I was really young, but as I get older my scope of understanding grows too. It's deeply engrained in my childhood development, and even my cultural development because it was the one place I was surrounded by Filipino people and culture (which created a rather unfair correlation between enforcement of Christian morality and Filipino people, which took a really long time to work through). I'm still fascinated with the bible, and how to take these parables that don't really involve characters' emotions and thoughts and feeling, and humanizing them, I'm fascinated by the differences between Catholic guilt (which stems from a penance based religious practice i.e. I can pay for my sins so my sins are my fault, and it's gods graces which are inherent in humanity, they're a given), and evangelical lack and longing (sin is inherent in humanity, you're a sinner, you're awful, you're scum, and to be Christian is to reach for the unachievable light of emulating Christ. Try to be like him and you'll be saved), two denominations under the umbrella of Christianity with two opposing worldviews.

DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE DIFFERENCE IN THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING BORN INTO CHRISTIANITY VERSUS FINDING IT LATER IN LIFE. I COULD GO FOREVER

Sorry you just awakened one of my favourite things to talk about. I'd love to hear more about your journey with it!

-Donnie

this was crazy… and the difference between catholic guilt and evangelical lack and longing??? give me more???? don’t ever be afraid to blab especially abt this!

my journey was… a lot. a lot of it is very personal to me so i don’t rlly talk abt it but it’s a combination of my grandfather and uncle both dying in situations that were a hair away from them still being alive and having to hear people say “god kept me alive” every sunday at church and all the time at home. also the shared experience most deconstructers have of “so queer people r gonna burn but murderers have a chance at heaven? oh okay.”

but i remember being as young as 7 and wondering why god just doesn’t fix everything. why won’t he fix it? that question rung through my head for years until quarantine happened and i finally broke down.

[ragamuffin-ponies]

I have an idea for a music project called Wolf of Babylon.

It is far too ambitious and serious for anything I could make alone, that's for sure. And I don't know who care enough to help me.

The song would address two identities I feel at odds within myself, that being my queerness and my Christian faith. I have struggled with these two sides of my soul for a long, long time. There was a while where I thought I wasn't as queer as I am, and likewise there was a time in my life where my faith in Christ was shaken. I felt like I could never be welcome in one community while I was apart of the other, and so I feared I would be in neither.

For a while, this was the case. Even now I feel like a black sheep among the queer and christian communities.

I'm sure to most this would not come as a shock, but the queer community I found has been far more welcoming and accepting of my faith than any christian community has of my queerness. My christian friends have always been very accepting, especially as we have all grown and learned more about sexuality and gender. But with my family, I feel burdened and shackled by my identity. This has nothing to do with religion, I am definitely the most religious of my household by a longshot, it's not even close.

My point to make, is I feel as though I cannot express my faith to my queer friends without feeling shunned, belittled, and patronized. Worse yet, I cannot express my queerness to christians other than my close friends without being called a confused heretic.

I think it's definitely my privilege, though, it is my understanding that must queer people turn away from faith as an act of nessesity. And I think that is a terrible, terrible, deeply saddening thing. It breaks my heart seeing queer people shunned and abused into seeing faith as an antithesis to queerness. It genuinely makes me cry.

This would be what my song would be about. That the suffering of Christ can be shown in a queer narrative. That evangelicalism is the wolf that Jesus warns about throughout the bible.

My biggest question is to the world as much as it is to God. Does anyone even care about this? Am I the only one with this struggle? At a time in my life where all my problems have been being solved, I have become far more contemplative and reflective on who I am. I've never felt more alone in a struggle. I really feel like I have no one to turn to other than myself and prayer.

I do not like feeling shunned or at war with myself. I don't really know who I am at this point in my life.

[khlur]

hi!!!!

ok first thing: i was mentally screaming SAME at everything in ur recent posts—need to overexplain!! feeling so uncertain about faith because of *gestures at evangelical fundamentalist world* yet so incapable of leaving it!!

and feeling so fED UP & WEIRD at being a national minority + (supposedly) part of a global cultural imperialist majority. it is FUCKED UP sir

also omg i did not know u were not out at church aaaa. all this time i thought u had found a cool affirming and reasonable church outside home and u were being cool there. somehow this helps with my near constant crises of identity + struggling with The Church. anyway ilu i hope better things for us

HELLO i hope you don't mind me posting this publicly.

but yes to everything. it's such a strange sort of cognitive dissonance at best and actively endangering at worst! to have to come to terms with white ppl not wanting you till you subscribe to the racist ways they do religion, hindus not wanting you either bcs you're better dead to them or completely secularized, and our own community at large, rife w islamophobia and all sorts of incredibly right wing beliefs.

i don't have a proper analysis to offer wrt how to make sense of minority in the sheets hegemony in the streets, i'm sure many people who have come before me have already done that LMAO.

i like (love) this personal essay by a friend of mine:

also yea lmao i stopped going to church. i was going mostly out of compulsion and to maintain a sense of familiarity in a completely new place. but something about going to centuries-old churches that claim to be inclusive and welcoming made me laugh. like, come ON. no matter how political the pastors are or how inclusive the community is, i can't shake away feelings of discomfort and anger. and i suppose that's been my brain's cue to remember all of paul's letters regarding the body being people instead of a building blah and blah. but i can't be fussed atm.

i guess that juggling all this cognitive dissonance is a lifetime thing, very much mediated by the outside world. i've long reconciled that my faith cannot be amorphous immaterial faith that i learnt of in bible studies; it HAS to be a material faith (thinking of Ambedkar and mass conversions).

and it's like yea, we grow up being critical of christianity in all its forms but it refuses to let u go. and that can be incredibly stifling sometimes or incredibly comforting.