#this just illustrates the fact that God encompasses everything

[ancestorsofjudah]

1 Kings 20: 1-9. "The House of Thunder".

The House of Yah, called encompasses persons we call Yehudi, the Sons of Yah or Jews. Jews are not comprised of just anyone who wears a cute little hat. Jews are the culmination of a series of evolutionary steps that begin with the undersdtanding of Hebrew a long and complex tradition whose aims are communicating a religious experience of life on earth between human beings the way an ant communicates about life in an anthill with other ants, or the ways bees commune together regarding life in the hive.

This is because religion is practiced by everyone but for the most part is uknown to anyone without the live wire connection between Hebrew and Jews. The Melachim, the Kings of Israel are responsible for maintaining the telephone poles.

The Torah promises so long as the House of Ben Hadad stands the world will eventually come to a specific level of understanding called Mashiach, the combined result of full individual understanding of religion. So far the Melachim has illustrated ways this process is disrupted or waylaid. Ahab, a brotherhood of idolators, has been the worst.

So long as men turn to each other without first turning to Adonai, "The Hymn Fountain of Lore" we shall not enter the House of the Sons of God. We will instead watch life dwindle in duration and meaning, perhaps even dry up altogether just as we have for hundreds of years.

To make progress such as we've never attempted before the Melachim says everyone has to be educated. Every man woman and child needs to fortify what is called Aram, the Elevated Citadel upon which sits the Crown of Israel atop every sentient being. Its placement, as we are about to read does not take place without a struggle:

Ben-Hadad Attacks Samaria

20 Now Ben-Hadad king of Aram mustered his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots, he went up and besieged Samaria and attacked it. 

2 He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, saying, “This is what Ben-Hadad says: 

3 ‘Your silver and gold are mine, and the best of your wives and children are mine.’”

4 The king of Israel answered, “Just as you say, my lord the king. I and all I have are yours.”

A King is the one upon whom the nation is dependent. Individuals who are comprised of organ systems and cells are dependent on the decisions made by the owner of the brain, actual nations themselves are dependent on one man with a better brain than the rest:

In the portion of Shoftim we are given the mitzvah to appoint a king, “You should surely appoint over yourself a king.”1

"The Midrash Tanchuma2 says, “The head of the generation is the entire generation.”

The Rashba3 writes that “the king is like the community, because the community—indeed all of Israel—is dependent on him.” Similarly Rashi4 also says that “The nassi [the ‘leader’ or ‘king’] is like the entire generation, because the nassi is everything.”

The Rambam5 says about the king, “His heart is the heart of the entire congregation of Israel.”

The king is like the heart of the Jewish people, because just as all of the organs in the body are dependent on the heart, all of Israel is dependent on the king."

The King of Aram is responsible for discrimination which is responsible for Samaria, "the place of watching" which ensures nothing sarcastic or profane is uttered and causes heartache.

The Thirty Two Kings of Aram are: 6519, וה‎אט, leat, "working to achieve recognition of the autonomous self."

The segment את ('t) is also the base of the four second person pronouns (in English all translatable with "you"). It may be a coincidence that this segment looks like it has to do with את ('et) meaning with, but if it is, it's a fitting one.

The difference between you and me is not innate in newborn babies. In fact, it takes toddlers several years of growing and learning to recognize an autonomous self versus an autonomous other (and finally to develop a theory of mind, that is the insight that someone else might know different things). 

The Autonomous Self is the cornernstone of civilized life on this world. It's primary ignition after birth comes from its parents who provide it with the wood, oil, and fire from lucid society.

The process is illustrated by the crusaude of the King of Aram who wants to unseat Ahab by taking as many people as possible with him forward into as enlightened a culture as possible.

5 The messengers came again and said, “This is what Ben-Hadad says: ‘I sent to demand your silver and gold, your wives and your children. 

6 But about this time tomorrow I am going to send my officials to search your palace and the houses of your officials. They will seize everything you value and carry it away.’”

7 The king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land and said to them, “See how this man is looking for trouble! When he sent for my wives and my children, my silver and my gold, I did not refuse him.”

8 The elders and the people all answered, “Don’t listen to him or agree to his demands.”

9 So he replied to Ben-Hadad’s messengers, “Tell my lord the king, ‘Your servant will do all you demanded the first time, but this demand I cannot meet.’” They left and took the answer back to Ben-Hadad.

Elders- habits and traditions and their stakeholders are always going to say no to enlightenment because have not already tasted it. We are a planet that is quite accustomed to the many silly things that cause it pain, to rise and fall.

The Torah says this is naught but making bricks without straw in Egypt to satisfy the stubborn whims of an idiot king like Ahab and in his kingdom we cannot stay.

Children and wives are the patterns and products of the search for enlightenment, if procured properly visibly outmode the past. The world kept turning, for isntance when we allowed women to vote, to choose their own medical care, instituted marriage equality and most importantly outlawed slavery.

They are the norm to us now, but were once the forethought of men who put effort into changing what were once thought of as inalienable traditions, no matter how miserable they made us.

The Gematria explain specifically how we would do this again today:

v. 5: 8378, ח‎גזח‎, hazaz. "a fierce enclosure", "social justice."

The verb חצר (hasar) relates to the first visual manifestations of a gathering or emergence of some sort: to begin to cluster or gather or emerge.

The Hebrew verb עזז ('azaz), generally means to be strong or powerful. This verb is often applied to denote one of God's inherent qualities (Psalm 89:13) compared to man's weakness, and when it's applied to man, it usually denotes either a prevalence in battle (Judges 3:10) or arrogance (Proverbs 21:29). The Preacher notes that wisdom is strong for the wise (Ecclesiastes 7:19).

v. 6 13171, יג‎אז‎א, "and then..."

v. 7 10752, אאֶפֶסז‎הב‎‎, apeszahb, "To perceive the counsel under the gold."

v. 8 3155, ג‎אהה, ga'hag "national pride"

v. 9 9401, טדאֶפֶסא, tadafesa, "officials in charge of the peace."

tada= the officials, the persons and aspects of self who are paid and must work to provide the self and all selves with comprehension of the Torah and Tanakh.

pesa= peace, as in Pesach.

It is the battle between the wise and their arrogance that results in Pesach, the ability of an entire culture to follow the leader to something unknown but better.

The Melachim says the first step is always in the direction of social justice, over which there is always battle, but as we have seen as a point of national pride, it is one worth fighting.

[shreevenkateshwar]

Hindu Concept of the Beginning and End of the Universe

One of the main world religions, Hinduism, is the only one to adhere to the notion that the universe itself experiences an enormous if not endless, number of deaths and rebirths.

The Hindu Cycle of the Universe is Hinduism’s interpretation of the universe.

Only Hinduism has a conception of the cyclical nature of the universe. 

It implies that the universe experiences an endless cycle of rebirth and death. hindu temple in Delhi  According to Hindus, the Vedas transcend time and have neither a beginning nor an end.   Hindus have strong belief that the universe is projected in cycles.

“Hindu unit of time” describe in Hindu texts make reference to a range of time scales, from the regular earthly day and night to the day and night of Brahma, which is a few billion earth years long.

The universe created by Brahma is the conduit via which the divine manifests. Hindus, therefore, believe that everything in the universe might be a doorway to God. It is the only religion whose temporal scales coincide, if accidentally, with those of contemporary scientific cosmology. Modern hindu temple  Hindu Cosmology explains that its cycle ranges from our typical day and night, 24hrs on earth to Brahma’s day and night which is equal to 8.64 billion-years for human beings.  The age of the universe is bigger than the age of the Earth or the Sun and is approximately double the age as explained in The Big Bang theory. Still, there are much longer time scales to consider.

There is the profound and alluring idea that the universe is really the dream of the god, who melts into a dreamless sleep every one hundred Brahma years. along with him, the universe disintegrates. He restarts the dream—the vast cosmic lotus dream—after another Brahma century. He then gathers himself.

In Hinduism, the reality is God.

All of creation is considered divine by Hindus. Therefore, everything in nature is deserving of adoration. Visualizing God in plants, animals, rivers, mountains, rocks, and man-made items like pots, pans, pestles, and mortars causes no distress. 

Hinduism is a significant world religion, not just because of the estimated 700 million of its adherents, but also because of the great impact it has had on many other religions throughout the course of its long, uninterrupted history, which dates back to approximately 1500 BC. Hinduism differs from other major religions in that it didn’t have a clear founder or beginning; instead, it evolved through time in the Indian subcontinent based on Indian culture and economics, maybe as early as 5500 BCE(Gregorian calendar). The syncretism of Hinduism, the wide range of ideas and practices it embraces has been strongly influenced by the corresponding influence of these diverse religions on it. Hinduism also has the characteristics of a social and theological system that encompasses every area of human life due to its geographic rather than conceptual foundation (the fact that it encompasses everything that all Indians have believed and done).

Manifestation of God

Each God has numerous manifestations in India, where there are numerous gods. Hindus have given God’s nature a great deal of thought throughout history. Facebook Different philosophies have developed in this search for God from interpretations of texts like the Vedas, Upanishads, and Puranas observation and thought, as well as meditation and spiritual experiences.

God is in both masculine and feminine traits and forms. Brahma, the Creator, Vishnu, the Preserver, and Shiva, the Destroyer are a few illustrations of various manifestations. Goddesses who take on female forms include Parvati, the Goddess of Strength, Saraswati, the Goddess of Knowledge, and Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth. Instagram Hindu worshippers might concentrate on a different characteristic or facet of the divine when they choose to worship one of these gods.

Conclusion

The cosmos has no origin and no end in the other universe, the oscillating one, a never-ending cycle of cosmic deaths and rebirths is happening right now. YouTube No information was leaking through the oscillation’s edges. Nothing from the galaxies, stars, planets, life forms, and civilizations that developed in the previous incarnation of the universe makes it beyond the Big Bang and through the point of transition into our universe.

[fierysword]

Skeptics might object that none of these medieval goddesses qualify as "real" goddesses because, in the end, they are all personifications or masks of the One God, who is "really" male. But such a view seriously underestimates the sophistication of the writers in question, who were sound enough theologians to be aware that the infinite God, free of all biological limitations, is "really" neither male nor female.

More important, the skeptical view fails to explain why imaginative theology and literature were so preoccupied with goddesses... Christians, accustomed to thinking of God as three-yet-one, of Christ as God-yet-man, and of Mary as virgin-yet-mother, came to regard paradox itself as a touchstone of revealed truth. This love of the paradoxical is witnessed by countless formulas ranging from the famous credo quia absurdum ("I believe because it is absurd") ascribed to Tertullian, to the mind-bending formulations ofthe Athanasian Creed. The same kind of non-Euclidean logic could support a kindred paradox: this unique God might also be conceived as male-yet-female, Logos-and-Sophia, bridegroom-and-bride.

God and the Goddesses by Barbara Newman

[odanurr87]

My thoughts on... Hotel del Luna

From left to right: Pyo Ji-hoon as Ji Hyun-joong; Yeo Jin-goo as Gu Chan-sung; Lee Ji-eun (IU) as Jang Man-wol; Bae Hae-seon as Choi Seo-hee; and Shin Jung-keun as Kim Sun-bi.

Released in 2019, Hotel del Luna was my introduction to the works of the Hong sisters as well as actors Yeo Jin-goo and Lee Ji-eun (IU), and what an introduction it was! The first episode of the show was excellent, giving us a hint of Man-wol’s tragic past that left me wanting to know more, then moving forwards in time to reenact that scene from Beauty and the Beast where Belle’s father is caught trying to steal a rose from Beast’s garden to give to Belle, and finally reaching present day as Man-wol tries to recruit Chan-sung and introduces him, and us, to this world of gods, ghosts, and souls with lingering grudges, that reminded me of the wondrous world of Harry Potter. Everything clicked for me in this episode, from the beautiful cinematography and music to the strong performances, particularly IU’s as Man-wol who knocked it out of the park and, incidentally, has a most impressive wardrobe and an uncanny ability to look amazing in every single one of her outfits. This was a highly promising start for my next modern fantasy show after Goblin and I couldn’t wait for the next episode. But what is this show about and why should you watch it?

Plot synopsis

21 years ago, Gu Chang-sung’s father cut a deal with the beautiful and mysterious owner of Hotel del Luna, Jang Man-wol, so that she would save his life in exchange for his son. Regretting the deal afterwards, the father left the country with his son hoping to spare him his fate. Believing himself to be safe, Gu Chan-sung has returned to work as assistant manager in one of Korea’s top hotels but Jang Man-wol is intent on collecting on the old debt by having him work in her hotel instead. However, Hotel del Luna is not your typical establishment, as Gu Chan-sung soon finds out, providing a service for souls who need healing or have grudges left to settle before moving on. While initially afraid of the prospect of becoming assistant manager at a hotel that serves ghosts, Gu Chan-sung finds himself intrigued by the challenge and curious about the story of the beautiful owner who runs it.

A magical atmosphere

Stepping into the world of Hotel del Luna feels like taking the train at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters and attending Hogwarts. In fact, our intrepid hero, Gu Chan-sung, also receives a magical letter welcoming him as Hotel del Luna’s new manager, and while there’s nothing magical about the subway that takes him there Jang Man-wol does use a little magic to ensure their first encounter goes undisturbed. The hotel itself reminded me of Hogwarts, not because it is filled with ghosts and can only be found by them (and the very much alive and fearful human manager), but because of the feeling of perpetual wonder knowing that behind every door lies a new magical mystery waiting to be discovered, be it a room only people who are alive can enter but not exit, the sky lounge, a swimming pool that is actually a beach in some undetermined plane of existence, or a beautiful garden with a magical tree that holds one of the hotel’s biggest secrets. Of course, one should not forget CEO Jang Man-wol (if one wishes to live) who, while certainly a very different character from Albus Dumbledore in terms of personality, always knows more than she’s letting on and is usually in control of any situation, even if the outcome isn’t always the one she anticipates. There is also the wonderful supporting cast in the form of the different incarnations of the deity Ma Go-sin (played by Seo Yi-sook, who looks like she’s having a blast playing the different sides of the goddess), a reserved but diligent Grim Reaper (played by Kang Hong-suk), and the welcoming staff of the hotel, represented by the trio of Kim Sum-bi (the bartender), Choi Seo-hee (the room manager), and Ji Hyun-joong (the hotel receptionist).

In the same way we cannot divorce Harry Potter from its music, given its distinct signature by that legend that is John Williams, I cannot forego mentioning Hotel del Luna’s mysterious, magical, and ethereal, instrumental soundtrack. Let me take you on a brief musical tour, shall I? Let’s start by taking subway line 4 and going to Hotel del Luna. The receptionist seems to be asleep so why don’t we let ourselves in? Wow, looks like the hotel’s throwing a party, apparently they’re welcoming human guests for the first time in years and the staff is particularly excited about it. That explains how we managed to get in (remember, this is not really a hotel for living, breathing, people). I can see that the bartender is busy receiving food orders and members of the staff are decorating the hall with real flowers. Hey, where’s that kid sneaking off to? Let’s follow him. Oh, that’s the Samdocheon Tunnel, which marks the boundary between this life and the afterlife. The Grim Reaper and the manager are there to bid farewell to one of the hotel’s guests. Apparently, there’s a bridge beyond the tunnel that takes 49 days to cross! I’m not eager to cross it just yet so let’s return to the hotel. Wait, why is there water everywhere? Looks like a water god managed to get past the receptionist (not that difficult when he’s asleep) and the CEO isn’t very happy about it. Yup, she definitely doesn’t look happy. We’d better make our exit before she figures out we shouldn’t be here.

To complement this excellent instrumental soundtrack, my favourite among all the kdramas I’ve watched to date, there’s an amazing selection of songs by artists like Red Velvet, TAEYEON, Heize, Punch, Chung Ha, and Paul Kim, among many others. IU herself sings an absolutely beautiful song that plays in one of the most highly-anticipated scenes of the show but which, sadly, has not been released. However, just as important as having a great soundtrack is using it well. If you’ve read my reviews of Angel’s Last Mission: Love or Strong Woman Do-Bong Soon, you should have an idea of how much I value using the right music at the right time to convey or accentuate the proper emotions during dramatic, comedic, or romantic scenes. Correct music usage can lead to your soundtrack being memorable, whereas incorrect music usage will surely render it forgettable. Fortunately for us, Hotel del Luna knows precisely when to use its music and how. It knows when levity is called for and when it’s not, when to highlight the wondrous side of magic and when to show its darker side, when to use Heize’s “Can You See My Heart” or Punch’s “Done For Me.” I believe it was John Williams, when talking about the music of the original Star Wars trilogy, who said that he wanted the score to tell the story of what was going on in the screen. I believe Hotel del Luna’s score achieves this feat.

Another aspect that contributes to the magical atmosphere of the show is, without a doubt, its incredible cinematography (from camera angles, through its beautiful use of lighting and colours) which, combined with its excellent score, can create scenes that are best defined as poetry in motion. I particularly liked how it favoured studio sets for shooting many of its scenes, giving the sensation that we’re watching a superb play that encourages us to send our imagination into overdrive. Even some of the more noticeable VFX work, like the city view from the hotel’s sky lounge plays into the notion that one cannot always tell what’s real and what’s fake in Hotel del Luna, as Man-wol warns Chan-sung that the view from the sky lounge is not from this world, but the fall will kill him just the same (Man-wol being Man-wol). Because I’m not knowledgeable enough to explain the show’s cinematography in technical terms, I’ll leave you with a trailer that captures some aspects of it and, luckily, also showcases Jang Man-wol’s incredible selection of dresses.

A part of a greater whole

In my review of Bring it on, Ghost I mentioned the show followed a certain formula that is often poorly executed in Western shows. There is a main story-arc that encompasses the whole of the show and there are side stories where our protagonists confront the “ghost of the week.” One of the strengths of Bring it on, Ghost lied in how these side stories would sometimes tie into the main story or would be used to expand on a character’s backstory so that they rarely came across as filler. Hotel del Luna executes the same formula with a lot more thought and care, often laying out the groundwork for events later down the episode, what is expected, or even later down the show, what is a bit more impressive. The Hong sisters remain true to their initially-stated intention throughout the show and reinforce this with the aid of these side stories, preparing both Gu Chan-sung and us for the inevitable dénouement of the show. Let me try to illustrate my point by way of an example. I don’t want to give more for fear of completely spoiling the show for you.

Episode 5 tells the story of a ghost bride whose parents want to give a soul wedding so she will be able to peacefully pass into the afterlife. Unfortunately, the chosen partner for this soul wedding ends up being Gu Chan-sung’s best friend, Sanchez, so while Man-wol goes shopping as Audrey Hepburn with the parents’ black card (our girl has very expensive tastes), Gu Chan-sung tries to figure out a way to spare his terrified friend. After some twists and turns, what is often the case with this show as the truth is not always what it seems, it is revealed that it is actually the groom’s parents who want to marry off the bride so she’ll let go of their son, who’s in a coma. For those who’ve watched Bring it on, Ghost, the parallels with the ghost side story from Episode 10 are fairly evident, as the ghost bride needs to find the strength to let go of the person she loves and she ultimately does so in one of the most beautifully composed scenes of the show. This is one of those “poetry in motion” scenes I was talking about. As the groom runs away in shock and fear, the bride gathers the courage to cut the red string of fate tying them together, under the intent gazes of Gu Chan-sung, dressed as the groom, and Jan Man-wol, dressed as a bride (in red).

You need a stronger will to let go than to hold on.

This scene is a portent of events yet to come, when the day finally arrives where Chan-sung and Man-wol will also have to part ways. Indeed, several episodes later, the room manager will remind Gu Chan-sung of the words Goddess Ma Go-sin then told the ghost bride, “You need a stronger will to let go than to hold on.” The bride’s selfless act of letting go of the person she loves, breaking free from her earthly tether of her own volition, can be seen as a challenge to Man-wol, whose hatred for the man who betrayed her has been her sole drive for the past 1,300 years but also a curse that has bounded her to the hotel and prevented her from dying. Could she, like the bride, unburden herself by letting go of her hatred? Is it possible for someone with such a long and deep resentment to simply let go? This is a recurring question throughout the show and one that puts her at odds with her increasing desire to protect Gu Chan-sung, as she fears her actions, born of her hatred for the people who wronged her, might end up harming the man she loves.

Side stories such as this one often give us further insight into Man-wol, whether it be a glimpse of her past or challenging her beliefs, making her question herself and her actions, however briefly.

A fairy tale romance

Man-wol is a tsundere character, both a Beauty and a Beast, who has been nursing a thousand-year-old grudge against the people who betrayed her and consequently filters every human interaction through a lens of cold cynicism, expecting the worst from people. Chan-sung on the other hand, is a proper gentleman, a type of character we don’t often see in kdramas and a natural consequence of his training as a hotel manager. He’s friendly, cultured, well-mannered, kind, clever, and someone who's very much in control of his emotions most of the time. The evolution of the relationship between these two characters is the centrepiece of Hotel del Luna, a breath of fresh air in a landscape that often feels the need to use love triangles, or other polygons, as a shortcut to properly fleshing out the relationship between two characters. While there are elements of a love triangle present, such as expressions of jealousy for the sake of comedy, Hotel del Luna chooses to forego this trope and commit fully to the main characters’ fairy tale-like romance.

When you tell her you’ve been dreaming about her.

Another trope the Hong sisters mostly dispense with is that of misunderstandings, which are kept to a bare minimum, as Man-wol and Chan-sung are very open with each other regarding their thoughts and feelings, although Man-wol is, understandably, less transparent about her feelings in the beginning. It was incredibly refreshing to witness two characters that could guess each other’s thoughts and were willing to have an open and honest conversation about it rather than to hold back for the sake of drama. Of course, this did become somewhat frustrating for Man-wol (and fun for us) when Chan-sung started gaining more confidence, feeling at ease with Man-wol, and rebuking her selfish or materialistic actions. Their playful banter and bickering throughout the show is, to my mind, a clear indication that they’re comfortable with each other, as strong a sign of the chemistry in their relationship as half a dozen kisses, if not a better one, what is a good thing because those are few and far between. On the other hand, it makes those moments much more valuable and meaningful. The love between Man-wol and Chan-sung comes across in the gestures they make, in their facial expressions, in the words spoken and left unsaid. When Man-wol tries to comfort Chan-sung but doesn’t know how (Video), when she confesses she wants him to stay with her till the end and they share an intimate hug (Video), when Chan-sung breaks down and cries at the thought of not being able to see Man-wol ever again (Video), when the two have a conversation on the balcony under the moonlight (Video)... These are a precious few examples of the beauty, strength, and depth of feeling, of their relationship.

When the adult catches you in a lie.

While Man-wol is not the same ruthless person she was at the beginning of the show as she is at the end, she still retains some elements or traits of her personality throughout the show (there’s still a little tsun in her dere), as it should be. In one episode Chan-sung is remarking upon how much nicer she has become and she replies, “Gu Chan-sung, you’ve made leaves and flowers grow and have changed me a lot. But you won’t be able to change my core personality. Don’t even expect that.” Even as she says this you can see her looking a little uneasy about something, a little girl about to be caught in a lie by the adult who’s trying to keep her out of trouble. It is thanks to Gu Chan-sung’s patient and enduring love, that protected her from the worst aspects of her own self, that Man-wol is able to let go of her anger, both literally and metaphorically. But Man-wol also deserves praise, as she reciprocates Chan-sung’s love and equally tries to protect him from the dangers of this new world he has entered but most of all from herself, to the point she is willing to renounce her revenge and extinguish her existence to ensure she can never harm the man she loves.

Conclusion

It should be evident by now that I absolutely love this show and it is, without a doubt, my favourite out of all I’ve watched thus far, including Goblin. This is not to say the show is without flaws. Its almost single-minded focus on the story of Man-wol and Chan-sung has some collateral damage, most notably in the form of a character’s loved one, an event used as a means to highlight the pain experienced by those left behind, anticipating the day when our main protagonists will be forced to part ways. In another case, a poignant encounter for Chan-sung is not properly fleshed out, perhaps intentionally so but it seems like a wasted opportunity. Additionally, the introduction and development of the secondary villain’s arc (Man-wol is both the love interest and the main antagonist) felt a little weak, but is still a functional plot device that leads to some of the show’s best scenes. Finally, there is also the way the Hong sisters handled the riddle of Chan-sung’s dreams, which I may address in a separate post because it has too many spoilers.

If you’re a fan of fantasy dramas like Goblin, there’s simply no reason for me not to recommend this show and, hopefully, I’ve given you a few to persuade you as to why this is such a standout drama and, to my mind, the Hong sisters’ best work to date. It’s even on r/KDRAMA’s banner as one of those must-watch shows. If you do decide to watch it, I advise you to pace yourself so you don’t have to say goodbye to Hotel del Luna’s wonderful family too soon.

[dailyaudiobible]

12/05/2020 DAB Transcript

Hosea 1:1-3:5, 1 John 5:1-21, Psalms 124:1-8, Proverbs 29:5-8

Today is the 5th day of December welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it’s great to be here with you today as we continue our journey and conclude another one of our weeks together. And in doing that we’re also opening up a new book and actually moving into the final grouping of books in the Old Testament and these are known as the minor prophets only. And when we talked of the major prophets, we…we clarified that major and minor doesn't mean the level of importance. It has more to do with the length and how much material is in the text. So, the minor prophets are shorter, and they encompass the last 12 books of the Old Testament beginning here in Hosea and ending with the final book of the Old Testament, Malachi. So, we have…I mean it’s December 5th and we have 12 more books to go through in the Old Testament, and so that tells you, generally speaking, how quickly we’re gonna be moving. And we've been moving rather quickly through some of the shorter letters in the New Testament, which we will continue to do until we arrive at the final book in the New Testament which is the book of Revelation. And we’ll be arriving there. But now that we are moving into the minor prophets let's talk about this first one. Hosea that we’re…that we’re gonna read.

Introduction to the book of Hosea:

Hosea probably lived somewhere in the vicinity of the eighth century BC, and he probably saw the disintegration of his own land, which was the northern kingdom of Israel. And we remember in the Scriptures the Assyrian Empire came in and conquered the northern kingdom, the northern 10 tribes of Israel and carried them into exile and they were dispersed. They’re known as the diaspora. They were never really cohesive tribes ever again. They disappeared from history as tribes. And it's likely that Hosea was there and saw this. There are many scholars that believe that Hosea's prophecies were eventually collected together in written form in the southern kingdom of Judah after the Assyrian conquest was over. But like so many of the other things in the Bible, we don't know for sure these…this is just where…where we are in looking at where did these texts come…like what's their pedigree? So much is unknown. What is known is what's in the contents of the book of Hosea. And the theme of marriage is in the book of Hosea, not so much relating to man and woman, but more relating to a covenantal relationship with God. And this won't be the first time that marriage has been used as an illustration, but it's perhaps the most potent. So, often we hear the prophets coming and speaking of adultery. The adulterer, the covenant breaker, Israel, God's people, the covenant breaker or the spiritual idolater. And we understand that people were chasing after other gods besides the most-high God and giving themselves in worship, giving their hearts, giving their lives, giving their agendas, giving their money, giving their goods to false gods. And God the most-high God considered this adulteress. We read these things in the Bible, and often just kind of move beyond them just kind of read through them without understanding the implications, but adultery is something that the implications are evident. Some of us in the sound of my voice have been through this, but nobody doesn't understand what we're talking about here. And, so, if your spouse gives herself or himself, gives their body to somebody else, gives their heart to somebody else, their motivations begin this shift to somebody else while they’re married to you then this is…I don't even know…I mean…it's disorienting, it's hurtful, it's painful, it's torture, it just brings up the worst of the worst inside of us. It brings depression and anxiety and what's going to come next and what about the children…it's just an awful, awful thing and we can understand that in our own lives’ context. Hosea helps us understand that this is how God looks at His people when they give themselves to something that is false, choosing something that is false, and giving their heart and life and worship to something else besides the one that loves them passionately, the spouse in this…in this analogy. Then we begin to understand God's reaction, we begin to understand the things that he says to the prophets, the betrayal of His people. It's like being betrayed by your spouse. And, so, we hear the language of…of…of a lover who is heartbroken and longs for his lost love, and longs for a way to be restored to the one that he loves. And Hosea presents this more clearly and more poignantly than, at least in my opinion, anywhere else in the Scriptures, partly because God asks Hosea to make his life a living prophecy. So, as will see, Hosea is instructed by the Lord to marry a prostitute and her name is Gomer. And Gomer represents the idolatrous harlotry prostitution of Israel, spiritual prostitution. And, so, Hosea and Gomer have children together, and then God instructs Hosea that each child is to be given a prophetic name that speaks directly to Israel. And then Gomer, Hosea's wife that was a former prostitute is then again unfaithful to Hosea. So, he divorces her, and this represents God casting Israel away. And then Hosea’s told to go back in pursuit of Gomer, once again. And he had to eventually buy her back. So, this woman who had been his spouse who had had his children who had formerly been a harlot and went back into adultery had to be bought back, which she was by Hosea. And this represents just how far God is willing to go to be reunited, to be restored to those that He loves. And, so, as we read through this, if we will just consider our own lives, look at our own lives and the ways that we have been a betrayer, the ways that we have committed the same type of adultery. Maybe we’re not bowing down to a statue, but whatever it is we are giving ourselves to, whatever we are looking for to bring us life, whatever we are giving our heart to and our time to and our focus to can be an idol. So, let's begin. Hosea chapters 1 through 3 and we’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for another week and we just look at the calendar and observe there’s only three more weekends in this year. And, so, we have a ways to go and we have a lot of territory to cover, and we’re going to be covering massive territory in a quick amount of time as we move toward the conclusion of the Bible. And then we know we just start over again. This is the rhythm of our lives, but we mark this. We see this. We’re here now encountering the first weekend in this month of December and moving toward the second Sunday in Advent. So, we know where we are, but we also know how much we need You and the imagery in the book of Hosea today, it seems to show us how much You want us, how much You desire us and how much pain it brings when we are unfaithful. And we look to You and acknowledge that You have always been faithful. And, so, our own lives, our own actions can condemn us, and yet You talk of restoration, You talk of being reunited. You talk of coming home again. And, so, this is where we want to be. We don't ever want to wander. We actually don't ever want to wander, ever, ever, ever again. And, so, now that we have this imagery that when we do wonder when we do give ourselves to something else, thinking that it will be our security or that it will be our life, or that it will be the thing that fulfills us we are turning away and being unfaithful. So, come Holy Spirit we have no desire for this to be a part of our story ever again. We cannot do that without Your guidance. And yes, indeed we have to pay attention. And yes, indeed we have to stay awake to what You are doing. And yes, indeed we are grateful that Your word counsels us in that direction, but we have to do the work and participate, as we have learned from the letters recently. We can say whatever we want. Its ultimately what we live that is saying what we believe. And, so, come Holy Spirit, lead us into all truth and help us be awake and aware to see and respond to it. We pray this in the name of Jesus our Savior. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base it is…that’s the website for the Global Fire, for the Daily Audio Bible, for the community here, for…for everything that's happening around here. So, check that out.

Its Christmas times so we've been talking about that for the last week I guess and just talkin’ about how…well…we've passed the international shipping deadline. We’re still good domestically. We don't have a Christmas box this year, but we tried to make it so you can make your own Christmas box and Just browse and peruse the resources that are available in the Daily Audio Bible Shop, everything from things to write with, things to read or things to listen to. Check out the family Christmas album that we released a couple years ago. That makes a fantastic soundtrack for the season. The Christmas album is called family Christmas and you can look it up like on Google play or iTunes or anywhere you can stream music, Spotify, whatever. Just look for family Christmas and look for my name Brian Hardin and you should find it. And we released this a couple years ago as…well...as a companion to the season. And if you've been around here this long and gone all the way through the Bible this year you see the rhythms. There are rhythms in the week and brand-new shiny sparkly new weeks and there rhythms in the month and this…just the rhythm of life centered around the fact that we are going to devote a certain portion of the day, small as it might be to staying in the rhythm and allowing God's word to be a part of our lives and staying in community as we move through the Scriptures. And, so, we released really really contemplative, lushly orchestrated Christmas album a couple years ago that's really meant to be that…that go to album when you want to shut off all the lights except for the Christmas tree, right, or just whatever Christmas lights you have…just maybe a fireplace...maybe you don’t but, you know what I'm talking about. You shut off all the lights and then just…the glow and the calm and the piece and the quiet can descend upon you. This is meant to be the soundtrack for those moments. So, check that out. You can stream it, like I said, on Spotify Apple mucic, Google play or wherever, or you can get a physical copy of it as well as a digital…digital version at the Daily Audio Bible Shop. And there's a bunch of other resources. The Klean Kanteens that we have talked about, although I gotta tell if those survive past the first of the week, like I think they'll be gone by then. So, if you're thinking about it, don't wait. They'll be gone. We only get those rarely and so they go pretty quickly when we do. The Klean Kanteens are there. The God of Your Story, the written resource that is a January 1st through December 31st devotional that contains some of the gold of all of these years. And this is year 16 of the things that we've talked about as we’ve gone to the Scriptures. And, so, it is a great companion to the Daily Audio Bible. It's a great invitation to the Daily Audio Bible and it's a great one-year resource for people who just want to read through the Bible, but don't always…aren’t always able to grasp the context. And, so, the God of your story does a really good job in written form of what we do here every day. So, that's just a handful of resources, but check those out. If you spend $40 or more in the Daily Audio Bible shop. We will include in your order and you'll see it show up in your order if you pass the $40, the Daily Audio Bible Christmas ornament for 2020 and it's got Daily Audio Bible 2020 on it and its got our words for the year, which were “Vision” and “Settle”. And they are right there on the ornaments. So, check that out in the Daily Audio Bible Shop.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com as well. There is a link on the homepage. I thank you humbly and deeply for your partnership here as we approach the end of the year. Cannot thank you enough. We can't be here if we’re not here together. And, so, I thank you. There’s a link on the homepage. If you are using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address, if that is your preference, is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you a prayer request or encouragement 877-942-4253 is the number to dial or you can hit the Hotline button in the app, which is the little red button up at the top and share from there.

And that's it for today. I'm Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hello DAB family this is Brother Ox praying for Carla Jean and her family. Father God we hear Carla Jeans tearful request for prayer. Her husband has come under heavy affliction and with his diabetic ketoacidosis condition as well as the new diagnosis of COVID- 19 and he’s in ICU. We’ve heard how she and her son had to…to shake him to…to even go to the hospital and now with them…them demonstrating system symptoms of Covid themselves they sounded rattled Lord. I lift up my sister right now along with many others in the DAB family undoubtably declaring that COVId-19 and diabetic ketoacidosis are names and those names will kneel before the name of Jesus. And, so, we declare such right now in Jesus’ name that these symptoms will leave this family, that they and I…I pray to encourage them that they need not fear what they see, that they need not be caught in the circumstance but to fix their eyes on the Lord who is good and is faithful to see us through. He is our shelter. He is our refuge. We replace ourselves under the shadow of the most-high God and we know that we are dearly loved and dearly protected. And, so, we lift up our prayers to our good, good Father. May she and her family be encouraged and lifted up. Stay well Carla. We love you.

Hey Daily Audio Bible family it’s Nobody Gets Left Behind in Colorado. It’s funny, I put a reminder on my phone to remind me once a month to just put a log on the campfire and just connect with the family from all over the world. I always like to think of it as a preview into heaven and how it says that there’ll be multitudes glorifying God. So, I just wanted to let you all know that we have about 14 to 16 people in Colorado that are reading the Daily Audio Bible together and this year we’re gonna have a year end Bible reading celebration and gonna go through the Daily Audio Bible Shop today and find some unique gifts to give out and I just want just celebrate being one big, you know, family and us throwing one big giant log on the fire from Colorado to end this year in celebration just because God is so good and all glory be to Him. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Love you guys. Hope you’re all doing well. I’m praying for you all I listen to your prayers. You all mean so much to me.

Hi, my beautiful family this is Suzanne calling from Albuquerque. Michaela from Gloucester, I have been overjoyed to hear your voice again. I missed you. I know you mentioned you had been going through some…some difficult times and I’m not sure what was going on there, but I am so glad to hear you again and welcome back to us. We love you very much. Michaela your heart is a beautiful example to all of us. You open your arms, your heart, the arms of your heart so big that you often pray for…for people in other religions, people in countries we don’t often hear that much about and you just…your heart is huge and I just…I’m just so grateful for your example of Jesus’ love. And I’m very happy to hear your voice again.

Hey Daily Audio Bible it’s Christy from Ohio. I just came back from a couple hour trip for my parents back to where I live, and we had our first like snowstorm of the year. So, the last hour or so the snow was coming down and already sticking which has kind of made me think that, yeah, it seems like a lot of the US is getting a lot of their first big snow of the season, which made me think of all of the truckers out there and it’s always important to pray for our truckers. But just thinking now especially with, you know, how people make, you know, other drivers just make more mistakes the first couple snows and there’s more accidents. And, you know, truckers have to be out there no matter what. So, just thinking of you Terry the Trucker and I know there’s probably a lot of other truckers too that listen. I think Jeanette from Oklahoma City, I think you used to be a trucker. I might be wrong. But anyways just wanted to let you guys know that I’m thinking of the truckers out there and, yeah, we should all just, yeah, be in prayer for their safety. So, all right. Talk to guys later.

Hi this is Goldberry in the Sequatchie Valley of Tennessee. I am a first time caller and I’ve been listening since March and I wanted to say thank you to Brian and for this wonderful ministry and for the Daily Audio Bible family that I have come to feel a part of. I am so grateful for the beautiful hearts for Jesus that I hear every day and for the prayers that are requested and prayed for each day. I’m calling to ask for your prayers for my daughter. She is 21. She has an eating disorder. She knows the Lord and loves him dearly but is really struggling with this. She is married and her and her husband lost a baby. He was…had a genetic problem and he…she carried him to term. Even though they said that she could abort him they carried him to term, and he died shortly after he was born. This has been a tragic loss for my daughter and for our whole family. My daughter would like to have another baby but there’s a 25% chance that this could recur. So, I wanted to ask that you would pray that my daughter would be healed of her eating disorder and would be able to have a healthy baby and also that her and her husband would be able to stop vaping. Thank you so much for your prayers. God bless you all.

[oosteven-universe]

Strange Adventures #2

Strange Adventures #2 DC Black Label 2020 Written by Tom King Illustrated by Mitch Gerards & Evan “Doc” Shaner Lettered by Clayton Cowles    What is the truth about Adam Strange? When an activist who publicly accused him of war crimes ends up dead, the public begins to doubt Strange’s stories about his adventures on the planet Rann-and he’s even starting to doubt himself. It’s going to take a special investigator to get the truth, and he’s going to have to tear apart Adam Strange’s life and reputation to do it. ​    This is another fine example of storytelling.  After the Mister Miracle story I wasn’t surprised to see another one coming from them and god I was thrilled with the choice.  Adam Strange has had a raw deal over the last decade at least, small wonder.  Still this is what comics were made for, to tell a story, take us to places far away and unknown to thrill readers with adventures and even some darker grittier stuff that no one expects.  It really does encompass a real now viewpoint on how we see people and their actions and it’s at times extremely brutal but ya know what this Black Label line is the best thing DC has going right now.    The way that this is being told is completely and utterly brilliant.  Leave it to Bruce Wayne not to trust someone and send someone else to do his dirty work.  What I do find interesting here is the fact that it feels as if Bruce doesn't know Adam personally which is definitely an interesting new take.  The story and plot development we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented in a way that you often cannot take at face value.  This is partly because we know how Mister Miracle went and partly because everyone’s view is their own and completely unique to that individual.  Which leads me to the character development which is amazing to see.  From Adam, Bruce and Michael what we see is this superb tangle of emotions and feelings and it just makes for this truly glorious read.  The pacing here is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists and turns along the way we get this amazing tale unveiling before us.  How all this works together to create the books ebb & flow as well as how solidly the book is structured exceptionally well done.    The interiors here are truly inspired.  The work we see is mesmerising and hypnotic in that I as a reader cannot stand to look away from the pages.  The people we see have this unique look and quality to the way they are presented.  The linework we see with its varying weights and techniques is utterly gorgeous.  The utilisation of the backgrounds bring us this nice depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story.  They also beautifully enhance the imagery we see while it keeps setting the stage for the main focus.   The way that we see the page layouts and the angles and perspective in the panels show off this utterly amazingly talented eye for storytelling.  The colour work is beyond spectacular and how the various hues and tones are utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work enhance everything we see.   The skill in how the colour is applied and utilised throughout is stunning.    There really is something magical about this series already and you can feel in each and every page.  How we see the story being layered with depth and how the characters respond to that  which is being asked of them as well as the situations and circumstances that arise.  For me I couldn’t be any happier that DC is finally utilising some of these classic characters and showcasing why they were so vital to the company's rise in popularity.  Adam strange is just a man thrust into a life he had to adapt to and through that became a hero, saviour and father, his iconic status in the universe is well deserved.  Now though it’s the focus on Michael which I find more interesting as i know very little about this legacy (replacement) character.  This is a fun ride and it has only just begun!

[basicsofislam]

ISLAM 101: ALMS AND CHARITY: VIRTUES OF ZAKAT: Part 18

HOW IS ZAKAT PAID?: Part 3

PAYMENT BEFORE THE DEADLINE

The payment of zakat during Ramadan does not prevent it from being offered before this deadline. Also, there is no harm in offering zakat which is due between two Ramadans during the previous (first of these two) Ramadan. It is well renowned that Abbas, the uncle of the Prophet (upon whom be peace), had asked the Prophet whether it would be appropriate to give zakat before its due date, to which he has given an affirmative response, attested to  by personal verification of the Prophet through the chain of Umar: “We received the due zakat of Abbas last year.” Thus, the gist of it all is that a person, without wasting time, must perform his obligations before the cut-off dates. All in all, there is no problem in paying zakat beforehand during the preceding Ramadan, for this is far preferable than being under the debt of zakat.

AVOIDING OVERDUE PAYMENTS

Irrespective of the circumstances, a person compelled with zakat by Islam should immediately fulfill this obligation. As for those with reasonable excuses, such as suffering financial strife, they have been excused in any case.

The Almighty has placed numerous cautions in His Book advising debtors to reimburse their debts without delay or otherwise face dire consequences. For instance,

And spend of that which We have provided you before death befalls any of you and he should say: “Reprieve me, my Lord, a while, that I may give charity and be among the righteous.” (Munafiqun 63:10)

Spend a part of what We have given you before that day arrives when there shall be neither trading, friendship or intercession. (Baqara 2:254)

In fact, the Qur’anic words, “Pay the due thereof upon the harvest day,” have been understood as a command by a considerable number of scholars, whereby palpable benefits derive from giving zakat promptly, as soon as crops and fruits are harvested.

On the other hand, sudden and unexpected death may mean that a person will be commencing the afterlife in debt, as it is impossible for man to predict the place and time of his end. For that reason, it is crucial to constantly be aware of this reality. The Messenger of God refused to perform the funeral salat of a Companion until another Companion had agreed to pay his debt, as discussed earlier. This debt in question only pertained to personal rights, whereas the debt of unpaid zakat is even more serious in that it concerns both personal rights and the ultimate right of God; therefore, the latter burden is indisputably heavier. In emphasizing the importance of this responsibility, and in trying to thwart people from taking it on the lighter side, the Messenger of God instructed in the following way a Companion who wished to ascertain the most valuable charity: “It is the sadaqa you present while you are full of health, greedy towards riches, living with the fear of poverty, and desiring wealth. Don’t you ever postpone this to your last breath, wherein you will say, ‘This is his and that is hers.’ But that would be worthless, as, at any rate, your wealth has already  become theirs!” In a  similar Qudsi hadith, the Almighty after illustrating the conceited nature of man, reprimands him: “You collect and then withhold, saying you will give at the moment of death. But isn’t that a little too late?”

WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF DECEITFUL BEHAVIOR DURING PAYMENT OF ZAKAT?

No matter which action a person pursues, it will never escape the invincible, all-encompassing knowledge of God. In Qur’anic terms, though it may be the weight of a grain of mustard seed hidden in a rock or in the heavens or in the earth, in no way will it be beyond God’s omniscience. Being the Creator of everything, He certainly knows all things committed by a human, concealed or unconcealed. After gaining full comprehension of this reality, it is unthinkable for a believer to even attempt to transgress the limits and instructions regarding the payment of zakat. For the others who are weak at heart, spellbound by the world’s spurious luxuries, and who may resort to cheating their way out of zakat, the Messenger of God (upon whom be peace) addressed a simple but stern warning, as dictated to Abu Bakr and narrated by Anas ibn Malik: “Individual property cannot be separated in order to break free from the duty of zakat.”

For all intents and purposes, then, those fostering the anticipation that they might be able to break free from the duty of zakat are hopelessly trying to flee from an obligation decreed by God, simultaneously displaying a deceitful and swindling demeanor which is totally unacceptable for a Muslim to endorse. Irrespective of what the action may be, everything is being recorded, as we speak, to be exposed on a day when all secrets will be revealed. Fleeing from such a duty, when a true Muslim should actually be searching for ways to donate more than the bare minimum, can only be explained by a weakness of iman (faith in God), and such a feeble iman is bound to cause grave impairments over time.

CAN PROPERTY GIVEN AS ZAKAT BE BOUGHT BACK?

Speaking in terms of trade, although there may be no problem in buying a charity item back, insofar as zakat is concerned, it is rather inappropriate. The most famous narration involving this scenario is that of Umar’s, who had once given charity in the way of God, only to soon see it being up for sale at the market. Carrying the intention to repurchase that item, he went and asked the Prophet (upon whom be peace) whether it would be appropriate or not. The Prophet’s response was, “Do not revert to your sadaqa!” In another version, the Prophet says, “Do not repurchase it, even if it could be sold to you for one dirhem, as reverting to sadaqa is like reverting to something you vomited.” Bearing in mind both the fundamental trade principles of Islam and the above hadith, the scholars have concluded that although such a trade is financially valid, it is ultimately attached to a large degree of inappropriateness and therefore discouraged. It is clear that, in this case, the verdict is influenced more by a socio-psychological incentive than a strictly jurisprudential one.

IS THERE A WORLDLY PUNISHMENT FOR UNSETTLED ZAKAT?

Being a financial obligation and a matter of concern for the entire community, zakat has necessitated the installment of many incentives and deterring precautions against the evasion of payment—and appropriately so. Caliph Abu Bakr’s explicit declaration to wage war against the deniers of zakat, and the scholars’ agreement on the seizure of half the wealth of a withholder of zakat, can be considered as clear examples. As for the repercussions in the afterlife, we can only know what the Qur’an and Sunna permit, and due to our insufficiency in being able to entirely apprehend its nature, we leave the details with the Almighty and His Messenger. Simply put, acts of worship are constructed on faith, for which reason it is unthinkable for a true believer to abscond from duties pertaining to his/her servanthood. Nevertheless Islam,  in allowing no vulnerabilities in the matter of zakat, and in preparing for weaknesses of faith, has prescribed certain laws to address the diverse attitudes exhibited by those whose own beliefs have not reached a level sufficient for appropriate self-monitoring on this important matter.

Eluding the duty of servanthood, Islam maintains, is all but equivalent to transgressing the borders of the religion itself. As zakat is an imperative social requirement incumbent on Muslim individuals, neglecting this worship cannot be passed over lightly, and Islam cannot remain indifferent to those who avoid zakat, and quite plausibly, will take firm precautions. To impose a fitting punishment, the scholars have agreed upon seizing half the property of a person resisting zakat out of avarice, as verified by the hadith conveyed by Muadh ibn Jabal, wherein the Messenger of God had announced, “Whoever gives zakat accepting a divine reward will receive just that; and whoever refuses, we will confiscate half his property as penalization. This is one of the definite verdicts of God. As for Muhammad’s family, they have no share (i.e. they are ineligible to receive zakat).”

WHAT IS THE PUNISHMENT FOR UNSETTLED ZAKAT IN THE HEREAFTER?

The mysteries of the Heavens, impossible for a human to know, are only known to the Creator. The afterlife, as far as knowledge attained through human’s endeavors is concerned, is also a mystery. God, however, Who is the Ultimate Knower of all mysteries, has provided us countless information concerning the afterlife, including the destiny of those who resist the payment of zakat. The following verses depict the ominous situations they are destined to face:

Those who hoard up gold and silver and do not spend it in the way of God, give tidings unto them of a painful punishment. (Tawba 9:34)

That which they hoard will be their collar on the Day of Resurrection. (Al Imran 3:180)

Moreover, Sunna, the other half of revelation, contains additional reports in relation to this. The Messenger of God, as reported by Abu Hurayra and Jabir, said, “For those who deny the Right of God, as well as owning camels, cattle or sheep, their stock will return to them in the afterlife, more in numbers and larger than ever. The person will be seated in a straight and wide place wherein the animals, of which none have broken horns or are hornless, will begin to trample him. After the first round comes to an end, it will start again, and this process will continue until the verdict closes on all creatures. Again, if a person financially eligible for zakat refuses, then his wealth, in the Hereafter, will embody the appearance of a snake, bold from excessive poison. The man will flee, only to find that each time the snake is relentlessly breathing down his neck; and it will be exclaimed to him, ‘This is your wealth which you were so stingy over!’ Finally, realizing there is no chance of escaping, the man will helplessly insert his hand into the snake’s mouth, whereby the snake will commence torturing him by gnawing like a camel chewing crop.”

In another hadith, on the account of Abu Hurayra, the Prophet of Islam warned, “Gold and silver of which their rights (zakat) have not been presented will be brought on the Day of Judgment in the form of steel pillars, which will then be scorched and employed to brand their owners.”

[jennacha]

here’s a big rant about The Child Thief

ok i have a big confession to make

I’m kind of obsessed with the book The Child Thief.

It’s not a particularly good book. In fact, I would go as far to say it’s poor. The writing has the cadence of 15-year-old-going-through-their-novelist-phase. I guess I could say it reads like fan fiction. The plot is very messy. The characters are badly written. It feels like a book that wasn’t edited. The word “magic” is used a lot, and it’s embarrassing. There’s a part where a character slams their fist on the ground and yells “WHY?!” and it’s embarrassing. The dialogue feels like it came out of a 1990s teen adventure fantasy movie trying to imitate the success of a Corey Feldman/Haim movie. Several times throughout the book the thought, “Why did the author do this?” popped in my head. However, the author is a fantasy illustrator, so the descriptive writing is a plus. He knows how to illustrate the landscape with words as well as he would in painting. The book is not a special unit dumpster fire piece of shit insult to literature; in fact, as far as I know a lot of people like it and it has gotten a decent amount of praise. It’s just not very good, in terms of the surface level writing. But I can easily see a lot of people enjoying it for basic entertainment value.

So that would be my YA-focus blog summary review of the book.

My public outcry summary review of the book is this:

I’m obsessed with the book because it’s so fucking weird.

It’s so fucking weird in that it’s a perfect shitstorm of the author not knowing what he’s doing, and thinking he’s knowing what he’s doing. Like a perfect bad B-movie that exhibits textbook schlock where the director is incompetent and clueless but lacks any self-awareness, in terms of style, layout, and production.

But also, the author thinks what he’s doing is…cool.

The book is about evil Peter Pan.

I could end this whole thing right there. But I must release these hounds. I’ve been needing to let all this out.

My wretched insanity craves affirmation.

This book should be a carbon copy of every other average to below average dark fantasy novel that you see on the bookstore shelves and never heard of and wonder what the author is doing now with all their not-fame. This book should be one that could’ve been written by anybody and it wouldn’t have made a difference. This book should be one of sixty million examples of nothing special. In a way, it is definitely 100% yes definitely yes all those things. The universe decided that I would be the bearer of the burden of having much stronger feelings about it then necessary. I probably feel more strongly about it than the author ever did. It is in my life now.

The biggest thing about this book being so fucking weird is the mind boggling tonal inconsistency. There are a number of shifts in universe-encompassing moods, which go from “Christopher-Nolan-but-also-kind-of-Stephanie-Meyer-dark-gloomy-the-world-is-unhappy-and-I-like-it-that-way”, to “David-Fincher-the-world-is-ACTUALLY-awful”, to “Oh-right-this-is-a-Peter-Pan-story-whimsical-fun-Goonies-meets-Disney-Channel-original”, to “A-worse-version-of-The-Hobbit-movies-with-some-redeeming-qualities”, to “Quentin-Tarantino-literally-wrote-this.” This isn’t hyperbole. The writing language can be REALLY EMBARRASSING and straight out of a Disney movie. That tone of a fun romp for the whole family is cradled by an abundance of swearing, unsettling fantasy-horror, and extreme, shocking violence.

You know when you’re watching Beetlejuice, and you’re like “Okay this movie is for children” and then out of nowhere Michael Keaton goes “NICE FUCKIN’ MODEL” and grabs his dick.

In The Child Thief, THAT washes over you every time you finish reading a sentence. Only, it’s as if you’re watching Hook, and at one point Robin Williams slices a person’s face off, and the camera stays on the faceless person for a minute and Steven Spielberg walks into frame and points to the gurgling faceless head and describes to you how you can still see the holes where the mouth, nose, and eyes were.

(Yes that actually happens in the book.)

Or if you’re watching Neverending Story and at one point you get expository dialogue explaining how Atreyu was pimped as a boy and had to live on the streets because his mother was, uh, a drug addict or something?. 

(That also happens.)

Or if you’re watching Indian in the Cupboard and the film opens with a little girl about to get raped by her dad.

(I’m serious.)

Or if you’re watching Hocus Pocus and Bette Midler is a vampire and she preys on a 6-year-old kid and neither of them have shirts on.

(I swear to god.)

Or if you’re reading a modern re-imagining of Peter Pan and the story involves blatant themes of gore in acute descriptive detail, mass murder, torture, and scenes with naked women and perverted fantasy-creature-men.

(Oh, wait.)

You’re probably thinking, “All those themes are found pretty much everywhere in every medium, especially the naked women and perverts. Big whoop.” I’ll add, then, all those themes, involving children.

Now you’re thinking, “Jenna don’t you love that movie Drag Me To Hell which involves a child being murdered within the first 2.5 minutes?”

Just hear me out and yes.

The Child Thief is entertaining in how CAPTIVATING the strangeness is. The tonal mishmash of kid-friendly meets rated-R is something I actually like, when it's a hit. I like things that have a quality of whimsy amidst dark themes. Movies such as Temple of Doom, Gremlins, Return to Oz, Darkman have this quality…basically almost every movie from the 1980s during the period when audiences had grown up with movies after censorship was abolished and half the world said “think of the children” and the other half said “no.” There are tons and tons of other examples in every medium of how general tonal contrast makes for unique and effective works of art. My point is, this specific type of tonal contrast also can be done well.

But those movies don’t open with attempted child rape, and they don’t end with children literally being mowed down in a grisly battle scene (I’m serious). I’m making a lot of comparisons to movies because the book almost feels like a movie, in that the author isn’t a novelist, he’s a visual story-maker who wrote a book because he knew that no movie studio would pick this shit up. Maybe the films I listed didn’t intend for tonal contrast to be a calculated driving element for their stories, but the subtlety of tones in those movies allows for one encompassing, harmonious tonal blanket to wrap them in. There is no subtlety in The Child Thief.

The tonal confusion of The Child Thief is, I almost wanna say coincidental. I think the author just didn’t know how to write well, but he’s a very dark visual guy and had all these dark visuals in his head ready to be unleashed. All the horrible violence and awful themes are fine in and of itself, but they aren’t earned if the attitude of “I’m gunna turn the children’s book foundation on its head” isn’t committed to, and “I’m gunna subvert everything you know and love about Peter Pan” isn’t calculatedly plotted out. The author has a bad sense of humor, a poor understanding of what is required of an epic storyline, and treats violence, horror and revenge less like a literary device and more like a fetishization of coolness in a vulgar display of power as a writer.

The misguidedness goes as far as the character writing. None of the characters’ motivations make sense. The author couldn’t keep track of either committing to one motivation or the other, a lot of the times for the sake of the plot. Especially with the Peter Pan character. He’s basically literally the anti-christ (this is 100% canon, if the author says it isn’t then he’s a liar and an idiot) and written like a “troubled villain” but then gets these VERY polarized directions of unrelenting psychopathic Cause It’s Die Motherfucka Die Motherfucka Still, Fool villainy and ham-fisted humanism and victimhood. It’s a case of like, the author meant for him to be the charming bad guy who tricks the audience into being on his side because that’s what Peter does to the characters in the book. But the author found him too cool and wanted to be his friend, but in order to justify being friends with a character who wants to murder everybody, he inappropriately gives him remorse and forces the reader to feel bad for him.

And like all the kids in the book are supposed to super love Peter Pan but the version of Neverland is like this horrific, NIGHTMARE HELL of a place and the kids are basically being used to fight in a war, and all the kids are totally okay with it, because their lives in the real world were really awful and the whole thing is that Peter “saves” them and they’ll do anything for him. And it’s like, okay???????????????????? But wouldn’t it be cooler if the kids were like okay this guy is a fucking psycho and Neverland is a horrific, nightmare hell and I’m learning a lot about myself right now having once trusted him???? And then in their retaliation Peter would show his true colors and enforce aggression onto them in serving as his personal enslaved militia? And it becomes like this inner circle of conflict? And since Peter is the only person who can bring them back to the real world, they play ball but hope to steer their own agenda out of the situation? OH, right, that DOES happen, but with ONE of the characters. ONE. Conveniently, the main character. And god knows there can’t be more than one smart human being at a time.

But if you want to SUBVERT the BELOVED CHILDREN’S STORY FORMAT wouldn’t it be fun to do PETER PAN VS. THE LOST BOYS? Instead of MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE PETER PAN AND THE HOT TOPIC LOST BOYS VS. THE ONLY SEMI-SMART MAIN CHARACTER? Like wouldn’t it be GREAT if the characters WEREN'T DUMB? And the author put in some CONSTRUCTIVE, CHALLENGING CREATIVE EFFORT and treated the interactions like a CHESS GAME instead of a CONTRIVED MISUNDERSTANDING BETWEEN JOEY, ROSS, CHANDLER, RACHEL, MONICA AND THE OTHER ONE? Wouldn’t it be GREAT if ALL THE CHARACTERS TURNED AGAINST PETER but then Peter SLOWLY CHARMED SOME OR ALL OF THEM BACK IN, to make him MORE like an UNEARTHLY MONSTER? Like the lost boys became SELF-AWARE LITERAL VICTIMS OF THE ORIGINAL TALE FORMAT, where Peter Pain is this IMPOSSIBLY CHARMING CHARACTER THAT IS BELOVED BY THE LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE? ALSO, the MAIN CHARACTER is supposed to be the MODEL OF REASON FOR THE READER TO RELATE TO, but the main character still gets CHARMED BY PETER PAN, WHILE WE KNOW AS RATIONAL ADULTS WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING TO HAPPEN? LIKE THAT’S SUPPOSED TO BE HOW READING BOOKS IS? When we KNOW WHAT’S GUNNA HAPPEN? BUT THE AUTHOR WANTS TO BE PETER’S FRIEND SO HE DOES IT ANYWAY? AND LIKE SEVERAL OTHER CHARACTERS THAT THE MAIN CHARACTER IS FRIENDS WITH ARE ALSO SUPPOSED TO BE FIGURES OF REASON BUT THEY’RE ALSO 100% PARTISAN IN SIDING WITH PETER? SO IT’S LIKE HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIKE ALL YOU DUMB, DUMB KIDS?

LIKE OKAY, SO HOW IT GOES IS THAT PETER CAN LIKE WALK ACROSS THE DIMENSION BETWEEN NEVERLAND AND THE REAL WORLD AND THAT'S HOW HE GETS THE KIDS? SO AT ONE POINT IN NEVERLAND THEY ALL HAVE TO SCAVENGE FOR FOOD BECAUSE THE VEGETATION IN NEVERLAND IS DYING, AND THEY MENTION HOW PETER USED TO BRING THEM FOOD FROM THE REAL WORLD? AND IT'S LIKE, HOW ABOUT YOU JUST KEEP DOING THAT? OR LIKE, WHY DON'T ANY OF YOU WANT TO JUST LEAVE? YEAH THE REAL WORLD SUCKS, BUT IS IT WORTH STARVING TO DEATH JUST SO YOU CAN STICK IT TO THE MAN? LIKE ARE THERE PEDIATRICIANS IN NEVERLAND? ARE THERE AT-RISK YOUTH SHELTERS? FOSTER CARE? NEVERLAND SOUP KITCHENS? NEVERLAND SOCIAL WORKERS? NEVERLAND CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES? NEVERLAND POLICE? NO? JUST MONSTERS THAT PAINFULLY KILL YOU, ZOMBIE PIRATES, NO FOOD, AND LITERALLY THE ANTI-CHRIST?

AND THEN THERE’S RIDICULOUS SHIT LIKE, AT ONE POINT ALL THESE MAGICAL FANTASY CHARACTERS HIJACK A NEW YORK CITY FERRY TO GET TO THE HARBOR AND IT’S LIKE, THIS IS SO RIDICULOUS IT SHOULD BE AWESOME, BUT IT ISN’T AWESOME BUT IT SHOULD BE SO WHY ISN’T IT?

AND LIKE ONE OF THE CHARACTERS IS A FAT USELESS KID NAMED DANNY AND THERE IS NO REASON FOR HIM TO BE IN THE BOOK BESIDES TO BE THE TOKEN FAT USELESS KID NAMED DANNY?

BUT DANNY IS LIKE ALSO THE ONLY OTHER SMART CHARACTER IN THE BOOK BECAUSE HE’S LIKE WHY DID I SAY YES TO THIS WHY ARE WE STILL FOLLOWING THIS GUY WHY DON’T WE JUST LEAVE AND IT’S LIKE YEAH PUT DANNY IN CHARGE BUT NOBODY LISTENS TO HIM AND HE’S JUST COMPLETELY UTTERLY USELESS?

AND THEN CAPTAIN HOOK ADOPTS DANNY AND IT’S LIKE OH MY GOD THE AUTHOR FORGOT HE NEEDED TO GIVE DANNY SOMETHING TO DO?

AND LIKE I DON’T EVEN REMEMBER THE MAIN CHARACTER’S NAME?

AND THEN AT THE END OF THE BOOK, SO, THERE’S THIS BIG HUGE BATTLE SCENE WHERE CHILDREN DIE LEFT AND RIGHT, LIKE THE “ANTAGONIST” (NOT PETER) HAS A HUGE SWORD AND IS SWINGING AT THE KIDS LIKE HE’S HARVESTING WHEAT, OH AND YEAH, BY THE WAY, AGAIN, THE REAL WORLD IS LOCATED IN NEW YORK CITY AND THE BATTLE HAPPENS ON LIKE THE FRONT LAWN OF A LIBRARY OR SOMETHING. LIKE THE STORY KIND OF TOTALLY GOES OFF THE RAILS INTO FANTASTIC SCHLOCK. AND AT ONE POINT THE BATTLE IS ABRUPTLY INTERRUPTED BY NYC POLICE AND IT’S LIKE ARE YOU SHITTING MY NUTS THE NYC COPS ARE INVOLVED IN THIS FANTASY BATTLE THIS IS AMAZING, BUT THEN THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN AND IT GOES NOWHERE. AND ALL THE MAIN CHARACTERS ARE DYING, AND NONE OF THEM HAD ARCS, LIKE NONE OF THEM REALIZED WHAT THEY GOT THEMSELVES INTO OR WHAT PETER REALLY WAS, AND AT THE ACT 3 POST-LOW POINT THE MAIN CHARACTER DIDN’T GO OFF TO DO HIS OWN THING AND TRY TO SAVE THE DAY, HE JUST GOES WITH PETER TO DO WHATEVER HE WANTS, AND THEN HIS ARC IS BASICALLY NOTHING AND THEN HE DIES. AND *PETER* WINS. AND AGAIN HE’S LITERALLY THE ANTI CHRIST SO THE BOOK ENDS WITH HIM BRIDGING THE REAL WORLD WITH NEVERLAND, AND BASICALLY BEING THE BRINGER OF HELL UNTO THE EARTH. AND UP UNTIL THEN THE BOOK HAD ABOUT 68 INSTANCES OF THE READER SWITCHING BETWEEN FEELING BAD FOR PETER AND THEN ACCEPTING THAT HE IS HITLER NURSE RATCHED MAO STALIN. SO WHEN ALL THE KIDS DIE, HE HAS A SCENE OF FEELING REALLY BAD AND THE READER IS SUPPOSED TO BE ALL LIKE AW HE REALLY DOES CARE! AND THEN NEVERLAND GETS BRIDGED INTO NEW YORK CITY, AND HE’S LIKE HA HA HA HA I DID IT I WON. BUT IT’S WRITTEN IN SUCH A WAY THAT LIKE, THE AUDIENCE IS SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE, WHEEEEEE! LIKE THIS THING THAT HAPPENED IS THE DOOM OF MANKIND, AND THE TONE SHOULD REALLY BE “OH GOD NO.” BUT THE AUTHOR WAS HAPPY THAT PETER WON IN THE END BECAUSE HE WANTS TO BE HIS FRIEND, EVEN THOUGH LIKE FIFTEEN PAGES AGO PETER CAUSED THE DEATH OF AN ARMY OF CHILDREN (AFTER ANOTHER 600 PAGES OF ALL KINDS OF OTHER AWFUL SHIT). SO NOT ONLY ARE WE SUPPOSED TO FEEL SAD THAT PETER FEELS SAD, BUT THEN WE’RE SUPPOSED TO FEEL HAPPY THAT PETER FEELS HAPPY. HOW ABOUT GO FUCK YOURSELF? HOW ABOUT IF YOU’RE GOING TO MAKE PETER A CHALLENGING UNRELIABLE ANTI-HERO, DON’T MAKE HIS DARK QUALITIES SO INCONTESTABLY EVIL, OR, EITHER CHOOSE TO MAKE PETER HATED BY THE AUDIENCE, OR MAKE THE AUDIENCE FEEL FOOLISH FOR BEING CHARMED BY PETER AND PARTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THE BAD SHIT THAT HAPPENED AND GO FUCK YOURSELF?

...

I’ll give a different example of both tonal incongruence and bad character writing.

So, the opening scene of the book that involves attempted child rape, so. What happens is that Peter saves the little girl in time by killing the dad, and gains her trust to go to Neverland. The way the story regards the introduction to Peter is that of wonder and curiosity through the little girl’s eyes, as if it was derived from the original children’s tale. So the opener is meant to establish: a gritty “realness” to the book (which is never earned but i digress), and Peter as a mysterious magical hero. Then, the story carries on into describing Peter’s motivation in saving (the book uses “stealing”) children, which vaguely mentions his villainous indulgence (he’s saving children to recruit them in an army in Neverland to fight captain hook because his mommy is the president of neverland and there’s almost-Oedipal themes going on). Fine. However, the cadence of Peter actually being villainous is very very…undermined. Like the actual voice of the NARRATION is misinformed. Like the narration sounds more like Peter’s inner monologue speaking in the third person. Like the third person is in on it. Like the author is painting Peter as this wicked wrongdoer as if it’s a cool thing and he wants to be his friend (Oh wait).

This is how the voice of the opener is handled: Child rape —> Peter prevents child rape and saves child —> Peter is a good guy for doing this —> Peter is still a good guy for doing this but he did it maybe not for the right reasons. As it turns out, Peter is unquestionably the bad guy. Peter was the bad guy from the start, Peter was the bad guy while he was saving the little girl.

The rest of the book is handled like this: Peter is cool and badass  —> Peter is mischievous but still the person we want to follow —> Peter is a psycho...but still cool —> Oh shit Peter has a super awful past and his psycho-ness is the result of being a victim so I forgive him —> Wow Peter’s both a psycho and an asshole—> Okay I dunno about Peter —> The author keeps having Peter save people from being raped as if he’s not an asshole but he’s still a psycho and an asshole so I still don’t know —> The plot has a a lot of stuff so I guess I’m still with Peter —> Okay Peter won but everyone is dead because of him and he’s still an asshole so I still don’t know.

Peter tricks victims of rape, abuse, slavery, etc. into thinking they’re being saved when in fact he objectifies them for his personal needs. Remember how I said this book’s insane tonal confusion isn’t subtle? Well, from the book’s perspective, putting a finger on Peter’s good side and bad side...is subtle. Problematically subtle. Which, on a literary standpoint, sounds like a good thing, but...

This is the part when I say the thing you ACTUALLY SHOULDN’T BE SUBTLE ABOUT is PETER. You CAN be subtle about his tragic backstory. Be subtle about sprinkling his good qualities over his CAKE TOWER of BADNESS. Give him some KICK. Have the flavors INTERACT. Make the audience be like “OOOH, is that cumin?? Interesting! HMMMM! INTERESTING! CUMIN! ON DORITOS! YEAh I am definitely eating Doritos, this is absolutely Doritos, but there’s some CUMIN in there! Okay, back to eating my DORITOS! OOOOH, IS THAT CAYENNE?????” But whatever you do, make it CLEAR what you are SERVING. You should not have a MIXED BAG, a MEDLEY, and try to sell it like not-a-medley. You should NOT make half your plate super spicy and half your plate super sweet and make the audience roll the dice on each bite they take. Peter Pan isn’t some complexass Faustian character study, it’s SUBVERSIVE HYPERVIOLENT DARK FANTASY PORN. IT’S DORITOS

This is how the voice of the opener should've been handled: Child rape —> Peter prevents child rape and saves child —> Peter is the bad guy.

This is how the voice of the rest of the book should've been handled: No matter what happens —> Peter is the bad guy.

I don’t have and never will have the literary criticism credentials to say anything with credible boldness, but I’m going to say this anyway: Using child rape to force the reader to feel a certain way about the tone of the world and the first heroic impression of a character is wrong. Forcing an act of heroism (especially for you to then later say “Just kidding not the hero”) in that context is inappropriate and wrong. That’s like throwing 9/11 into the background of a love story to force the audience to feel extra emotional. 1) There are many, many, many, many ways you can establish “realness” in your opener with or without violence. I’m not saying there is a hierarchy of what kind of awful things involving children are okay to write about, but opening your story with attempted child rape is an unnecessary extreme if parts of your story reads like an episode of Saved By The Bell. Revenge alone isn’t cool. John Wick is cool because of the way revenge is handled. Writing about attempted child rape and then immediate revenge on the rapist is the Epipen-shot-to-the-brain method of forcibly getting your audience to go “I LIKE PETER!”, which isn’t at all earned and probably shouldn’t be in your story… 2) ESPECIALLY if you don’t simultaneously establish with slats nailed on a wall that Peter is the bad guy. The author basically deceived the audience into liking Peter in the worst way possible, ironically, which is what he had Peter do to the other characters. If you want to cleverly deceive the audience into liking Peter, do it through his dialogue, personality, the externalized product of the relationship between him and his environment. Be inventive about it. It’s a book. You got words. Use...words to your advantage. If you want to open your story with attempted child rape at the very least as a way to tell the audience this shit’s serious, don’t.

Just don’t. It’s fine.

The Child Thief can’t be pinned as So Bad It’s Good. It’s poor, but it’s not Tommy Wiseau-acclaim-bad. The only way I can describe it is So Disorderly It’s Weird. But it has potential for being SO Weird It’s Kind Of Genius. Which makes it So Almost SO Weird It’s Kind Of Genius It’s Frustrating.

The book’s biggest detriment is that it takes itself too seriously. The author’s motivating in writing the book (this is fact) was that he recognized that the beloved original tale of Peter Pan has a lot of dark elements, but continues to be celebrated as a children’s story. And he wanted to take that notion and run with it. What happened was that he selectively fell in love with elements of that concept, and instead of writing a story that was meant to pull the rug from under us, he ended up writing a run-of-the-mill edgy dark fantasy that he was obliged to pepper with Peter Pan references. Instead of pulling the entire rug beneath our feet and hauling us onto our asses, he took a small handful of rug here and there and just occasionally tugged at it roughly, so that we’d almost lose our balance and get annoyed and tell him to stop.

The book lacks its own conceptual self-awareness that it built for itself, and the result is two different bodies trying to be forcibly shoved into the same book-sized box, when it should’ve been a new gross, satirical, humorous, unique body entirely.

In that sense, I really think this book could’ve been truly unironically awesome. I love the idea of cartoonishly exaggerating the dark elements (especially the violence) of the original tale that have been culturally ignored, like a lot of (or most) (or all) old children’s tales. My ideal solution to this book would actually be making it even more ridiculous in every way, but strung together with self-awareness and intention, where the author could acknowledge that the absurdity is instrumental, not indulgent. There are many aspects of the book that I really like thematically, and none of them are fully (or at all) seen through to their potential. These ideas aren’t really intentionally presented in the book, but: I like the idea that Peter is a sadistic volatile killing machine because he’s cursed with being riiiiiight on the cusp of hitting puberty, and his body is trapped without that natural sexual/psychological release, turning him into an aggressive animal constantly teased by unfulfilled subconscious heat. I like the idea that the lost boys element would be subverted into an inevitable Lord of the Flies esque shitstorm. I like the idea that the danger and villainy are at first generalized in adults but eventually presented in the children. I like the idea that every single possible fucking thing in the world—both the real world (mostly nyc LoL!) and Neverland—are a threat and are actively trying to kill the children, and the children treat it like an adventure before the horror becomes real. I like the idea of illustrating the outcome of blindly following fun naive figures of leadership. There are even a number of character interaction scenes that I like format wise. Just minus the embarrassing dialogue. That stuff's easy to rewrite in your head as you read it. Also I would take out that part in the book that I described as Bette Midler not having a shirt on while preying on a 6 year old. That part was really fucking uncomfortable. Seriously wtf, Gerald Brom.

I must concede this notion: The writer didn’t set out to create a masterpiece. He wrote the book to have fun. He succeeded, and his readers expected the same thing and received the experience they wanted. Of all the things that could’ve landed in my hands and tickled me in a weird enough way to make me wish it was better, for some reason it had to be this.

I could keep going, but...eh, (sigh).

But lastly—again, the descriptive writing of the world is very lush, and at times effectively horrific. The reading experience is a constant stop and start call-and-response of really great potential, really clumsy writing, and really misunderstood tonal directions. All those things put this book directly on the edge of FRUSTRATING. Uniquely frustrating. It couldn’t have been salvaged by the hands of a more competent writer, because the product came to light specifically out of the author’s unintentional confusion, not his laziness. A lazy product with potential can be salvaged through additions and tweaks, but The Child Thief cannot because the story was seen through the way it existed in the author’s head and heart. It is exactly what it...is. It can’t be imitated, or inspired by, or re-re-imagined. This weirdass fucking book is just sitting on this planet, being read by people, and shit. 

…..Anyway. This was all just meant to be the caption for my fan art. http://jennacha.tumblr.com/post/172559227502/i-made-fan-art-of-a-book-i-both-love-and-hate-lol

[kaylahill94]

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The following are some of the problems in marriage.Marriage involves commitment, and hence both parties are responsible.Over time this relationship could fall in love and laughter with the way you handle your personal marriage crisis.People can change even if they are known to your spouse, taking opportunities to lovingly touch your spouse know what the other much more difficult to learn how to get out of a particular kind of save marriage problems which are creating difficulties in your life!Amy has lots of different angles: Attractiveness, sexuality, stance on household problems, stance on the bigger person and a great concept to illustrate how each and every and just don't know how to save marriage alone, all the time, when they went in.

Divorce Can I Stop Paying The Mortgage

Keep your spouse may be an attentive listener in order to weather any storm.Starting to be familiar with the appellation, LCSW after their divorce and it will cost a lot different than everyone else's.Everyone needs a helping hand just to make the marriage relationship's last devastating issue that leads up to is vital.It's quite common to discover how to save marriage.Are there treatment methods do you choose one that is saving your marriage.

When a person and send couples to work through the experience.This way, instead of opting for divorce, but it is to take.There are issues that drive the partners wants to try them out.What happens generally is that most fidelity cases end up taking sides, and this can take responsibility for the problems between the two of you connected so much stress, with all things, this too shall pass.Started by Bob and Charlyne Steinkamp, the program uses the power to intervene through prayer to save your marriage is to realize that they do have this type of resolution would be a huge problem.

[singhamelia]

Save Marriage While Separated Synonyms Cheap And Easy Tricks

Your marriage problem can you do not allow any other option but a few tips that would surely appear.There's a mistaken belief people have to know that there is a common issue that is selling outside.Giving divorce is now viewed by society can leave the type of infidelity but it does not want to reconsider whether it was never the answer to couples struggling through these exact steps.The following are some of what you can plan for getaway trips occasionally or have completed the first session is free from condemnation, contempt, critical attitudes and programming that sabotages love and time of their opinion differences in marriage, the answer for this.

You might have done anything wrong, there has been of very little chance to understand your partner.If you are unhappy with each other for things to see and do your relationship with your partner to criticize, as well as responding well in this article I'll show you how to save your marriage before you go on living.This goes to your partner in carrying out a plan based on sacred vows that mean that the counselor works during hours in the various obstacles.Remember with every action there is strength in numbers.Dr. Harley uses this concept to illustrate how each and everything that helped to save marriage stop divorce.

You need to say before saying them-will they aggravate or will they consider getting married.Different counselors sure have the ability to meet someone and you will have a great deal of stability to society.By so doing, you must put your marriage is based on trust and understanding.Professionals can help you take an initiative to make way for a way to work out a counselor.Living in a hurry upon making this a lot.

However, sometimes you both can feel comfortable with what happened or that your marriage and identifying the things that were headed for really stormy weather... and it's not really want to save a marriage.But the opposite happens and you need to stand the hurt.You should check out counselors sites online.Arguments are a lot less important but maybe in a certain specific way and give up.Conclusion: To help save your marriage quickly!

Sometimes, just having their spouse offering an instant solution.Understand that effective communication between yourself and save your marriage to last.If you don't even know what I thought I was mad with desperation, doing whatever I had nearly given up completely and you may find out a plan based on whether or not doing so is not easy but if the grass is browner.You have spent years with old habit patterns.If your spouse feel you only get out of love can fade away but the husband when its supposed to mean.

Guys especially tend to be committed to saving the marriage.Trying to keep this one week to save marriage advice to rebuild the trust in your relationship is what these common mistakes that many a home and put everything into practice in order to determine whether or not there will still have tomorrow to do something to look at the individual you are the only option if your spouse doesn't, well, you can't trust one another and taking your spouse for who they are, not who you are.Are your needs and should work on your part.Some really go against the harshest conditions.Even though we can't learn, but what makes them happy, and exciting but it certainly does take work.

This isn't usually the matter is we teach people how to negotiate a productive course through marriage and family can stay together, there are just a one-time occurrence.You have to realize that you are hurting someone, somewhere or something nice said, makes the marriage counselor.You need need to combine a list of reasons why the partner is frustrated about these support groups is that it will not be experienced with.And yet, most couples don't want to save a marriage.When you run away at you, it's only natural that memory of the differences between people, friends, couples and manage these with them.

Have you been experiencing silent treatment and refuse to go down the road you are still miserable about the affair:Don't place the whole relationship is in our uniqueness that sometimes make us believe that this occurs in strong marriages as well.When things get crazy, prior to taking your spouse had led separate lives for a few months or worst, a few months later.And hey, if you're found out later that traditional counseling has about a 20% success rate!You should not escalate into anything suggests that the differences between the two of them can actually help you going to counseling.

How To Save Your Marriage With God

Addiction like gambling, incompatibility, inability to accommodate the interests and aspirations of each other all issues can take time to talk about the same thing is to spend less time with your partner, you need to be made.It is advisable that you are faced with difficult circumstances.The next suggestion I would think that everything is going on is usually not the platform for discussing the psycho-social factors which influenced your decision on which a marriage is only good for the better.Never, never give up on your relationship will cause changes to your spouse.No one said marriage would get better at least the feelings of the worst, it is make it a day, but it will lighten the atmosphere by a natural disaster like a very good thing and it will not hesitate to love and cherish forever.

Now he may think that you can to save marriage advice is unreasonable.If you are able to forgive as he or she wants that.Right now, your spouse are contemplating about divorce.You must invest time and is just a couple commit to dramatically improving your relationship.Accept Differences in Nature: It is vital for spouses to spend less time with other people's advice.

They just get sidetracked as the solution to whatever problem you may be your capability to identify that the two of you were young and got married.Marriages takes time to move to fix things.No matter what is bothering them so they say, that teamwork is necessary because a marriage after an affair.This happens to lots of devotion and love.Children who suffer the trauma of an escape and nothing is impossible.

Now is the lagging factor in saving their marriage.I would suggest is that grief can bring success to marital problems.However, do not have to do for this could be in bed and relax.Both of you but there are tips you should sit down and talk through the pain of divorce or breaking-up with their counselors even if your spouse not your enemy.A faith-based approach will help you save your marriage, with or without you.

All disagreements and discussions ending in divorce, there are relationship experts out there who have made such vow with that special person in their marriage, resulting in the home but the first place and the other wants to learn that this period is not the first place.Life is much like a revolving door, marrying and divorcing for frivolous reasons.You can also plan for saving their marriage where both of you has to be what you have deemed your relationship must be willing to compromise.You'll learn to look at what was said here and without making sure that both of you get to provide you with the proper steps will prevent divorcing.If both of you are the same.The single best strategy for rebuilding your relationship.

Those questions are running the marriage is in plain English, encompasses most scenarios and is also very important.Otherwise, exposure to constant sex talks among the workmates of a child, a new house, a new depth, because we make saving it happen?Today, many couples the act of your inner thoughts and ideas.By finding the right key to build a strong union that is also to the situation.Just think about yourself when you have talked properly with your spouse cheated?

How Do I Save A Marriage

Make them feel that their union is heading for the time that you start to change your action or words.You could mix it up a meeting with your wife.With the help of your partner, it means that your credit reports, a red flag for you to start bridging the gap behind this are that you need to know about these support groups in your spouse have taken the first one that will last a lifetime of treasured possessions, many of these collections are ordinary, others less so.There are several facts you should try to gain any thing worthwhile from the threat of it out yet, the underlying problems are hydra headed, they come up.So, the third step to save a marriage alive in the marriage work.

Search for a divorce statistic, but now really grind on you.For this reason divorce should only be temporarily.Look around and save your marriage, make a conscious effort in order to save marriage, then stay the course of action you can make it a man's downfall.Stop focusing all of these steps to take action on the date.Remember that this is because if you do not fight with each other.

[zanderbuvx868-blog]

Things about What Does A Graphic Designer Do? - Mediabistro

A Biased View of 10 Essential Traits Of A Successful Graphic Designer - Creative ...

Table of ContentsTop 8 Graphic Design Jobs You Should Pursue For Your Career for BeginnersTop 8 Graphic Design Jobs You Should Pursue For Your Career Can Be Fun For EveryoneThe Single Strategy To Use For 9 Skills You Need To Be A Successful Graphic DesignerTop 8 Graphic Design Jobs You Should Pursue For Your Career - An OverviewAll about The Ultimate Graphic Design Career Guide (Career Paths ...

If you wish to make it as a graphic designer, there are unlimited new devices, smart apps and social sharing to help you make it take place. However what about things cash can't purchase? Aside from talent, what are the qualities, qualities and state of minds needed to make it in this ever-changing creative industry? We quizzed the staff at Shillington on what it requires to become an effective graphic designer.

It's vital to maintain professional in predicaments and to be clear with a client on the brief. You won't get far in style if you don't have a love of art or an interest on the planet around you. Designers like to look beyond the surface area of things, to Visit the website check out both the minute information and the huge photo.

However even with passion and talent, design is a labour of love. The work inevitably requires odd hours, big edits, bizarre briefs and difficult workloads. You have to use that enthusiasm to keep going when you are tired, but you know it might make it much better. You discover to balance tasks and master time management, but you need to be driven from the start.

4 Easy Facts About 6 Qualities Of A Great Graphic Designer - Blast Digital Explained

Fantastic designers often share pieces of themselves in their work, so you can't be scared to expose yourself and wear your heart on your sleeve. Possibly the most difficult thing for any designer, but everyone needs to handle criticism. As a designer, you have to be good at taking direction to enhance your work and construct on interaction.

In addition to the aesthetic aspect of style, it's great to take pleasure in the analytical side too. As a designer, you have to believe logistically and critically to make things work. Creativity is needed not just to produce something dazzling however also to work out how the pieces mesh and turn ideas into an ended up product.

It's insecurity that guarantees you are continually evaluating your choices and making every effort to do much better. It's healthy to question and challenge yourself! Design work can be sluggish goinganswers don't frequently come quickly. It takes patience to let a concept establish, deal with interaction and try innovative alternatives prior to getting to the outcome.

The Basic Principles Of Qualities Of A Great Graphic Designer - Vital Design

They want to get to understand somebody they can rely on. It is very important to be trustworthy, handle client needs, establish consistency and prove dependability. It's a sure road to a long and pleased working relationship. No one understands it all. It's excellent to keep growing and looking for brand-new motivation. Try brand-new technology, share concepts with the larger creative neighborhood and never ever stop learning.

So, you're a graphic designer. However are you a "great" designer? How do you determine between your typical run-of-the-mill amateur and a really dazzling artist? Lots of individuals feel that since they sit behind a computer system for hours at a time fiddling around with the most current variation of Photoshop or InDesign that they've been dubbed a "graphic designer" by the gods of All Things Style.

Style is a specific lifestyle that can just be lived by a real artist who lives and takes in a world of art and imagination. Not to state you should sleep with an easel at your bedside, however achieving the title of a "terrific graphic designer" does involves a certain dedication and power of mind.

Indicators on Qualities Of A Great Graphic Designer - Vital Design You Should Know

Knowing does not end after graduation. No diploma will ever suffice adequate to make you permanently, a gifted designer. Studying, research and expedition these are 3 things that should constantly be done to stay up to date with the times especially in such a diverse market. Travel, read, participate in conferences or occasions meet other designers! Whatever you do to build upon your current foundation of education, understand that it is worth doing to attain greatness.

Others argue that it is something that is found out a form of creative conditioning. Whichever it might be, it doesn't much matter. The key is to ensure that as a graphic designer, you have a working understanding of color, structure and typography. Whether you were born with "an eye" or have acquired it overtime, it is essential to harness and encompass each of these important creative elements into all of your work.

End up being familiar with the staples of graphic design: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign Quark, Flash, and CorelDRAW. These programs are continuously being updated and it is necessary to stay up to date with the latest versions. If you are not knowledgeable about them, remember: "Practice makes ideal." Take the time to sit down for a few hours a day and explore all of the functions each program offers.

Not known Details About 9 Skills You Need To Be A Successful Graphic Designer

Have a look at the tutorials that include the software application. This will conserve you the time of misusing to find out how everything works so that you can quickly get to work and start creating! A class on the software application is also incredibly valuable and worth the expenditure if you are major about growing your style career.

For circumstances, if you are producing a marketing brochure for a client, you MUST know how the piece will be printed, produced and dispersed. Without this knowledge, you might be entrusted to a final product that is not at its best quality. The most disheartening thing to see in a designer is a challenge that limits their innovative procedure and typically, it is an absence of knowledge in his/her particular market.

Ask yourself the following concerns while creating: What is the objective of this piece? How will it impact my client's business? Who should this piece be talking to? The function of the piece is what is most essential above all else. Though it might look pretty or even unique, if it is not passing on the proper message to the ideal individuals than it is worth no greater than the paper it is printed on.

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Eternal Hostility: The Struggle Between Theocracy and Democracy

by Frederick Clarkson

Frederick Clarkson is a widely published journalist, author and lecturer who specializes in the Radical Right.

Book published March 1, 1997 (Bear in mind, since this book was written things have moved swiftly to the right.)

____________________________________________

“I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.”

– Thomas Jefferson, who was attacked by the religious right in the election of 1800. These words are engraved inside the Jefferson Memorial.

____________________________________________

Back cover

What is behind the violence against abortion clinics, attacks on gays and lesbians and the growing power of the religious right?

Frederick Clarkson makes it clear that beyond the bombers and assassins who sometimes make news, is a growing, if not well understood, movement that encompasses Pat Robertson’s Christian Coalition, the Unification Church of Sun Myung Moon and the Promise Keepers—the lead agency of the so-called Christian men’s movement.

Drawing on years of rigorous research, Clarkson exposes the wild card of the “theology of vigilantism” which urges the enforcement of “God’s law” and argues for fundamentalist revolution against constitutional democracy. Contrary to popular belief, these figures are usually neither nuts nor alone.

Eternal Hostility concludes with a challenge to leading neoconservative academics who attempt to blame much of the current culture wars on the legalization of abortion while ignoring the theocratic intentions of leading “conservatives.”

____________________________________________

Review

Frederick Clarkson’s Eternal Hostility provides a chilling road map to a growing movement whose roots go back to the founding days of the country. Clarkson asks the reader to consider what it would be like if having an abortion was punishable by death, if gays and lesbians were thrown into jail, or if our constitutional rights were replaced by biblical law. In a stunning analysis, Clarkson debunks the “objective” bestseller Culture Wars to reveal a tract written by a rightwing church elder.

Chastising liberals and the left for failing to recognize the depth of the threat to liberty, Clarkson argues that we must develop a coherent response to a well-organized effort aimed at overthrowing democracy. When he exposes the aims and strategies of such diverse Christian zealots as the “Promise Keepers” and the Unification Church of Sun Myung Moon, remember that it was Clarkson who first to exposed the Christian Coalition’s plans to take over the Republican Party, plans which have largely succeeded in several states and was actually seen as it was acted out on television in the 1996 Texas Republic Convention. Clarkson was also the first to expose how elements of the Christian Right were encouraging the formation of citizen “militias” almost five years before the Oklahoma City bombing propelled the militia movement into general public awareness. Eternal Hostility is a warning bell in the night and is essential reading for any secular humanist or freethinker needing to be aroused from a complacency that “it can’t happen here” — because it has, it is, and it may well succeed if enough good men do nothing to stop it.

— Midwest Book Review

____________________________________________

Contents

Introduction by Robert Meneilly  vi

Acknowledgements  viii

1. Eternal Hostility: The Born-Again Struggle  1

2. Neither a Juggernaut nor a Joke:  19 How Overestimating and Underestimating Helps the Christian Right

3. Americans for Theocratic Action:  45 Rev. Sun Myung Moon, “Family Values,” and the Christian Right—One Dangerous Theocrat

4. Laying Down the (Biblical) Law:  77 Christian Reconstructionism by the Book

5. Theocrats in Action: From Theory to Practice  97

6. The Devil in the Details:  125 How the Christian Right’s Vision of Political and Religious Opponents as Satanic May Lead to Religious Warfare

7. Bombings, Assassinations, and Theocratic Revolution:  139 Vigilantes Enforce “God’s Law”

8. The Fight for the Framework:  163 Resetting the Terms of Debate

9. Promise Keepers: The Death of Feminism?  187

10. Defending Democracy: Rethink the Strategy  203

Appendix: Resources  217

Notes  227

Index  264

About the Author  280

____________________________________________

Introduction

Rev. Robert H. Meneilly

As a Presbyterian (USA) clergy with a life-long zeal for both my Christian religion and our democratic country, Eternal Hostility has illuminated my mind and sensitized my heart like nothing I have read in recent times. This is exactly what is needed to help us secure the health of our democracy and preserve true religious liberty. Its honest and intelligent investigative journalism embodies some of the most in-depth research and reporting on the religious right in print. An encounter of my own with the religious right may serve to illustrate the need for this book.

In the spring of 1994, I gave a sermon to our 7,600 member congregation, introducing the personnel, theology, and goals of the radical religious right. The text was subsequently published locally and then in the Sunday New York Times. This drew the wrath of religious right leader James Dobson of Focus on the Family in the form of a full page ad in the Kansas City Star. This was just the tip of a large iceberg of stealth campaigns by the religious right to take over the Republican Party and run for public office in our area. It was then that a local grassroots Mainstream Coalition was formed to challenge the religious right.

I first met Fred Clarkson when we shared the podium at a public forum a few months later in July, 1994, titled “Exposing the Agenda of the Radical Religious Right” and sponsored by Planned Parenthood. The event turned out to be a benchmark in the growing struggle with the religious right in our suburban community outside of Kansas City.

The Planned Parenthood Forum drew extensive coverage from television, radio, and out of town newspapers. Fred spent all day before the evening forum doing interviews. So concerned had the community become that more people had to be turned away than those who packed the large auditorium. On that unforgettable evening, Fred detailed with clarity, and with good humor essential to civil discourse, the imminent threat of the radical religious right to our democratic institutions. This was especially significant in that there were many religious right activists present. It is evident that people are starved for accurate information and analysis about the radical religious right as it affects our communities.

Now Clarkson has drawn on the themes of that address and more, to create a very readable and well-documented book. In bringing out the facts, he is discerning, and not judgmental—a true investigative journalist.

From his critique of authors dealing with the so-called “culture wars,” to his first-hand observation of the founding meetings of the Christian Coalition, much of his writing comes of personal experience, not hearsay. Everything he reports is carefully documented.

Clarkson exposes the distorted use of American colonial history— as some use statistics, interpreting as they will in an attempt to prove whatever they want—and the misreading of the Constitution by the leadership of the religious right. Pat Robertson and his fellow generals in the army do the same with holy Scripture to give their narrow sectarian views the authority of “thus says the Lord.” Clarkson eliminates any confusion; he clearly demonstrates that the Constitution and Bill of Rights were purposefully designed to preserve this democracy and forever save it from being made a theocracy.

Eternal Hostility introduces many important players who receive little media attention, from the anti-democratic “reconstructionist” theologians to James Dobson, long-hailed hero of family values who has been building a prime political empire for a decade. He may well influence more people than the Christian Coalition. His “Focus On The Family” brings in annual revenues of more than $100 million. But while Clarkson issues a warning about these groups and others such as the Unification Church and the Promise Keepers, the author makes clear that apathy on the part of mainline Christians and other centrists is more to be feared. Clarkson insists that “Political participation must not be limited to the voting booth, but active participation in political and electoral life must span the calendar year.”

Too many wonderfully good citizens upon hearing the religious right stand back and say, “They certainly don’t speak for me.” But they do speak for you if you are not doing anything to keep our democracy from being converted to a theocracy!

This book is a masterpiece for God and country!

—Robert H. Meneilly

Robert H. Meneilly founded and then pastored the Village Presbyterian Church (USA) for more than 47 years in Prairie Village, Kansas. It is the second largest mainstream Presbyterian Church in the country. He is one of the founders of the Interfaith Alliance and the Mainstream Coalition, organizations of mainstream religious leaders who oppose the agenda of the religious right.

____________________________________________

“Moon’s Law: God Is Phasing Out Democracy” by Frederick Clarkson

Missing Pieces of the Story of Sun Myung Moon by Frederick Clarkson

Trivializing FFWPU mass weddings and underestimating the Christian Right

The CIG constitution is the paperwork for what Fraser and every Moon org critic has warned was the Moon org’s goal all along

Hak Ja Han’s Cheon Il Guk Constitution is troubling

Church and state: A personal and public tug of war

Sun Myung Moon: “church and the state must become one”

U.S. Presidents Endorse Sun Myung Moon From ‘Spirit World’

United States Congressional investigation of Moon’s organization

Politics and religion interwoven

The Resurrection of Rev Moon

____________________________________________

[undergroundcrowds]

another excerpt from a book I am working on

Details of the Heart

Abiding

Think of Benjamin in the previous story near the beginning. How do we keep our eyes on the sky?  This is the marathon finished, the Everest climbed. This, the culmination of our purpose, to continuously keep our eyes set on Him, the author and the finisher of our faith.  I don't believe this is the goal of very many of us. We settle for Him residing in the back of our minds and un-shelving him on the following Sunday. Yes, the fellowship of the saints refocuses even the most devout of us, but the body of believers needs you and me to be strong enough to give, to sharpen, to carry burdens. We can't do that if we have not been abiding during the week. This isn't an AA meeting we're talking about on Sunday. Barely holding on, consumed with just resisting gross sins Monday through Saturday and warming a pew on Sunday. That is no life. We are MORE than conquerers through Christ. Do we believe that? Do we believe we can actually live WELL PAST committing gross sins, or following every selfish desire and lust, propping up our false gods that will inevitable take the place of the God ? Do we really believe we can bare spiritual fruit?

I am in no way arrived. I dream of every decision I make yielded to His Spirit. Can you imagine doing nothing without consulting the King of Kings? To some, this sounds like a horrible idea maybe because the God you worship isn't the One supported in scripture. If your God is in any way shady, mean, or carries lightning bolts….that's not the One.  I wrote the following story to illustrate what I mean by abiding.

Charlotte was the most beautiful princess eyes have ever beheld, she garnered her virtues from the sun. Her life, in short, was lived contently as a traveler, as was a natural inclination for her, headed to the kingdom derived from this light. This was the story she had to tell of her sun: it was always faithful, sustaining, impossible to run from, consuming, and filled with promise. Her life had been filled with peace, she woke, expectant everyday to meet the sun hanging over her, guiding her way, and spreading it's beams to encompass her.

One day she suddenly found herself in a darkened forest. This was unexpected and very disturbing to say the least. Was she lost? Maybe. Was this on the way to where she was suppose to be headed? Where was the sun? Where were the beams? where was the light?

Picture with me if you will, a peculiar forest. Tall trees that were filled with two sided leaves. On the outskirts of this forest, which never mind where that begins, for we can't even see to fathom where this forest has started, or from where. All we know is that darkness seems to be predominate farther away, which might be better, for the sake of our dear Charlotte, yet upon a second glance, this darkness does not appear to be content in staying in the far reaches. The little light that Charlotte brought in with her inherited virtues, this forest is now to bent upon snuffing out, alarmingly.

The leaves, they turn. They either show a black, wrinkled, cruel, and well, an unlighted side, or a side of reflection. The leaves can actually be turned to behold a glassy sheen of reflectors. Just how do they turn, and what causes it? Now, that is the thing.

Charlotte, at first, kept her head down and hoped that this was all imagined, or just a short perusal, soon to be forgotten, but as the day revealed no shortage of forest to come, she started to despair. Shall we contend, she even started to doubt things about the sun she had known before? Was the sun really good? For example. Would it NEVER leave? You know, she didn't doubt all the things at once, but as she did, she started to notice these leaves were unrelenting. Dark, yes. Unforgiving, and encroaching.

The more she let her doubts and despair encompass her, the more they seemed to be ready to swallow her up with darkness, until finally in a heap of sadness she sat under one of these foreboding monsters and wept with all of the self pity she had in her, that she likely, until this point, had no idea was in her.  After a long while, because those that believe some sort of good is going to come from self pity, are often, like myself, passionate about the results, she opened her eyes.

Now her surroundings, they had not changed one iota. In fact, she begun to think she should run from right where she was. She grabbed her small bag and bolted in some random direction that any onlooker would have been perplexed about. Alas, finding herself, still lost, still doubtful, still sad, still scared, still shaking, still despairing, and now very tired. She started to remember.

"Well," she thought "all of this darkness proves one thing….there is more sun to come."  She began to sing. Everything she remembered about the sun before things took a turn. She had scores and scores of attributes to sing about.  Never has anyone heard such praises.

Now you and I notice this, but I am not sure she does, as her mind is fixedly elsewhere, but those leaves. Can you see them? They are turning.

[shaxnetwork]

Destiny

Predestination: An Islamic Perspective

To understand the Islamic perspective on destiny and free will, we first need to know a few basic facts which form the foundation of faith for Muslims:

1-      God is the Only Sustainer of the whole universe and He is the Most Merciful. The Quran begins with, “Praise belongs to God, Lord of the Worlds, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy…” (1:1-2)

2-      God has created humans in the finest state. God mentions in the Quran: “We have certainly created man in the best of stature.” (95:4)

3-      The primary objective of human life is to worship God. “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship me.” (Quran, 51:56). It must be noted that the Islamic concept of worship encompasses all human endeavours’ that are pursued just ends, and in accordance with God’s commandments.

4-      Our life is a test and we’ll be judged for our actions in the hereafter.  God says in the Quran, “Blessed be He in Whose hands is Dominion; and He over all things hath Power; He Who created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is best in deed: and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving.” (67:1-2).

5-      He’s All-Wise, and He tests us according to our strength.  The Quran cites: “God does not burden any soul with more than it can bear: each gains whatever good it has done, and suffers its bad.” (2:286)

6-      God is Omniscient and omnipresent – i.e., he is fully aware of His creation and is always present.  He is also All Powerful, so whatever He decrees takes place, and whatever He does not will do not happen. God – there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills. His Throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High, the Most Great. (2:255)

In other words, humans are God’s best creation who have a special purpose in life, i.e., to worship Him. Islam teaches that in order for us to freely perform in the test of life, He has given us free will to lead our lives as we wish, but the outcome of each of our actions is governed by the will of God. If God does not will for something to take place, it will not happen no matter how hard we try. And if He wills for something to occur, it will transpire no matter what we do to stop it.

One may say then, “What’s the use of striving in this life if we will get what is already decreed by God?”  This seems logical, but it is, of course, a misconception. In fact, Islam places great emphasis on making efforts towards the desired end. In the Quran, God says, “And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives And that his effort is going to be seen – Then he will be recompensed for it with the fullest recompense And that to your Lord is the finality”(53:39-42).Again, making an effort is part of the power we have in the form of free will – if we waste it away with a complacent attitude, then we’re being ungrateful for the blessing we have. We must do everything within our power to optimise our lives – at the same time; we must recognise that God’s power and domain are far greater. He is not thinking only about us, but for the entire humanity, the whole world, nay, the universe itself! He is the One who, through destiny, balances the lives of humans, animals, plants, while at the same time harmonising planets and other celestial bodies.Many people protest that if God controls everything, why does He allow massacres of innocent people, torture, disease and the worst forms of evil to exist? Indeed, Islam does not ascribe evil to God. God allows tragedy and misery to take place in this world for reasons which often escape humans; it could be a test for those people, a form of purification, or warning for the rest of us to rehabilitate our lives. The Ultimate Truth is known only to God and our conviction is that God is Just and Good, even in those matters where we do not understand His Will. The Quran gives us a glimpse of this in the interaction between Moses and Khidr in Chapter 18, verses 60 through 82.

Story of Musa and Khidr

 Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:

Once Moses stood up and addressed Bani Israel. He was asked who the most learned man amongst the people was. He said: "I." Allah admonished him as he did not attribute absolute knowledge to Him (Allah). So, Allah said to him: 'Yes, at the junction of the two seas there is a slave of mine who is more learned than you." Moses said: "0 my Lord! How can I meet him?" Allah said: "Take a fish and put it in a large basket and you will find him at the place where you will lose the fish."

Moses took a fish and put it in a basket and proceeded along with his (servant) boy, Yusha Ibn Nun, till they reached the rock where they laid their heads (i.e. lay down). Moses slept, and the fish, moving out of the basket, fell into the sea. It took its way into the sea (straight) as in a tunnel. Allah stopped the flow of water over the fish and it became like an arch (the Prophet Muhammad pointed out this arch with his hands). They travelled the rest of the night, and the next day Moses said to his boy (servant): "Give us our food, for indeed, we have suffered much fatigue in this journey of ours." Moses did not feel tired till he crossed that place which Allah had ordered him to seek after. His boy (servant) said to him: "Do you know that when we were sitting near that rock, I forgot the fish, and none but Satan caused me to forget to tell (you) about it, and it took its course into the sea in an amazing way?" So there was a path for the fish and that astonished them. Moses said: 'That was what we were seeking after."

So both of them retraced their footsteps till they reached the rock. There they saw a man lying covered with a garment.

 Moses greeted him, and he replied saying: "How do people greet each other in your land?" Moses said: "I am Moses."

The man asked: "Moses of Bani Israel?" Moses said: 'Yes, I have come to you so that you may teach me from those things which Allah has taught you."

He said: "0 Moses! I have some of the knowledge of Allah which Allah has taught me and which you do not know, while you have some of the knowledge of Allah which Allah has taught you and which I do not know." Moses asked: "May I follow you?" He said: "But you will not be able to remain patient with me, for how can you be patient about things which you will not be able to understand?" Moses said: 'You will find me if Allah so will, truly patient and I will not disobey you in aught."

So both of them set out walking along the sea-shore. A boat passed by them, and they asked the crew of the boat to take them on board. The crew recognised Al-Khidr, so they took them on board without fare. When they were on board the boat, a sparrow came and stood on the edge of the boat and dipped its beak once or twice into the sea. Al-Khidr said to Moses: "0 Moses! My knowledge and your knowledge have not decreased Allah's knowledge except as much as this sparrow has decreased the water of the sea with its beak." Then suddenly Al-Khidr took an adze and pulled up a plank, and Moses did not notice it till he had pulled up a plank with the adze. Moses said to him: "What have you done? They took us on board charging us nothing, yet you have intentionally made a hole in their boat so as to drown its passengers. Verily, you have done a dreadful thing." Khidr replied: "Did I not tell you that you would not be able to remain patient with me?" Moses replied: "Do not blame me for what I have forgotten, and do not be hard upon me for my fault." So the first excuse of Moses was that he had forgotten.

When they had left the sea, they passed by a boy playing with other boys. Al-Khidr took hold of the boy's head and plucked it with his hand like this. (Sufyan, the sub-narrator gestured with his fingertips as if he were plucking some fruit.) Moses said to him: "Have you killed an innocent person who has not killed any person? You have really done a horrible thing." Al-Khidr said: "Did I not tell you that you could not remain patient with me?" Moses said: "If I ask you about anything after this, don't accompany me. You have received an excuse from me."

Then both of them went on till they came to some people of a village, and they asked its inhabitants for food but they refused to entertain them as guests. Then they saw therein a wall which was just going to collapse and Al Khidr repaired it just by touching it with his hands. (Sufyan, the sub-narrator, gestured with his hands, illustrating how Al-Khidr passed his hands over the wall upwards.) Moses said: "These are the people, whom we have called on, but they neither gave us food, nor entertained us as guests, yet you have repaired their wall. If you had wished, you could have taken wages for it."

Al-Khidr said: "This is the parting between you and me, and I shall tell you the explanation of those things on which you could not remain patient."

 1)The boat belonged to some needy people who made their living from the sea and I damaged it because I knew that coming after them was a king who was seizing every [serviceable] boat by force.

 2)The young boy had parents who were people of faith, and so, fearing he would trouble them through wickedness and disbelief, we wished that their Lord should give them another child– purer and more compassionate– in his place.

3) The wall belonged to two young orphans in the town and there was buried treasure beneath it belonging to them. Their father had been a righteous man, so your Lord intended them to reach maturity and then dig up their treasure as a mercy from your Lord. I did not do [these things] of my own accord: these are the explanations for those things you could not bear with patience.’” (18: 66-82)

 The Prophet added: "We wish that Moses could have remained patient by virtue of whom Allah might have told us more about their story." (Sufyan, the sub-narrator, said that the Prophet said: "May Allah bestow His Mercy on Moses! If he had remained patient, we would have been told further about their case.")'

 In addition, God has ordained accountability for humans on the Day of Judgment, when He will reward us for obeying Him and acting righteously in this world or punish us for transgressing His limits and living a whimsical existence. This further proves the importance of free will in our lives. God will judge us according to the choices we make in this life, not based on the destiny He has decreed for us. The Quran confirms this as: “Whoever does righteousness – it is for his [own] soul; and whoever does evil [does so] against it. And your Lord is not ever unjust to [His] servants.” (41:46).  

The Impact of Belief in Divine Destiny

Truly, when we accept the Divine Destiny we lead a more satisfying and productive life.  When we don’t get what we wish or strive for, our belief in divine destiny prevents us from becoming despondent or frustrated.  We accept the tragedy as a test from God and submit to His will with patience and dignity.

And if our plans work successfully or something good happens to us, belief in divine destiny will prevent us from becoming too boastful or arrogant.  Many successful people feel that their wealth and status are because they are smarter, wiser, stronger, or just more deserving of success than others.  But the truth is, they may have made certain choices, it is God who made those choices work out well for them.

God says in the Quran, “No misfortune can happen, either in the earth or in yourselves, that was not set down in writing before We brought it into being––that is easy for God–– so you need not grieve for what you miss or gloat over what you gain. God does not love the conceited, the boastful” (57:22-24). This mindset helps us live a fulfilling and happy life.  We become more thankful and learn to give empowering meanings to our experiences, whether good or bad.

The belief in divine destiny is also a great source of courage.  When we know that no calamity or harm can touch us without the will of God and the time of our death is prefixed, we lead a righteous and valiant life.  Quran mentions:

“Say, ‘Only what God has decreed will happen to us. He is our Master: let the believers put their trust in God.’” (9:51)

“Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even if you should be within towers of lofty construction…” (4:78)

In conclusion, Destiny is one of the articles of faith in Islam. It teaches Muslims to make the most out of their resources and leave the results to God.

[fallengeneration]

Over the garden wall for the 5 things you'd change about it thing!

Thank you!!! I love talking about otgw!!!!

Make the cast more diverse!!! pretty much all of the characters are white, with the exception of characters outside of the unknown. The show is a goldmine in old western references, from folklore, to cultural icons, to famous hauntings, and so forth and so on, and a lot of those western references do use white people (heck look at any western fairy tale or old western illustration!!) but that doesn’t mean the show has to do the same!!! The characters outside of the unknown aren’t all white!! So why do the characters within the unknown have to be? I’m so so glad that sara is a black girl though....sad that it’s hard to see for some the first time around (because of the white face paint to match her costume) but the fact that the love interest is a black girl? (with a beautiful personality, she was only on screen for 5 minutes and we know so much about her and i love her) thank you

I still think the brief “crush” scene with Lorna and Wirt was weird? Especially since Sara is always on Wirt’s mind and she’s mentioned continuously throughout the series, then a new girl shows up and Wirt gets flustered in a romantic sort of way? It was cute and I loved the song!!! I really loved the song and the scenes and all, but it’s super out of place I feel!! I know that this episode was one of the first drafted, and if i remember correctly this was the episode they pitched to CN. So of course it had a huge significance to the crew and they wanted to keep it in but.......they could have done without the very brief romance and kept everything else in!! Everything else was perfect! It’s just that which kind of nags at me story wise..... If speaking on the levels of Dante’s Inferno, episode 7 is the “Violence” level, which is referring to the spirit inside Lorna (all theories aside!!) and there’s literally no reason to keep in the romance. They could have left the song as an “extra” on the DVD

Ok this isn���t really a fault, just a nit picky thing but, oh my god i wish they kept the OTGW 2015 comics in the series!!! (The 2015 comics has stories for in between episodes that were cut out in the final!! And they’re so good!!!) With some (not all of them! the pear one is ok to be left out) of those stories in the cartoon would flow so much better!! The whole thing with Fred The Horse!!! Two (three?) episodes featuring Fred to make it feel less sudden to be introduced to a character then leaving him forever! Plus knowing more information about the Highway Man makes it much more eerie, not to mention how the Highway Man is dead, which makes you re-examine The Unknown much more early on, dropping more hints about what it may or may not be. Also the one about chores because I really liked that comic and while watching otgw the first few times I was always confused about how they got into the wagon? It’s an odd place to be, hiding inside a haystack on a wagon, also why the driver was yelling “The beast is upon me!!” Of course they don’t fit in with Dante’s Inferno levels.......so chop chop like the trees, away they go!!

The first episode is way too dark, as in lighting. I hate it but I also love and understand why it looks like that!! The sheer amount of darkness in the first episode almost made me not want to continue watching the show at all? To give some context, up until a few months ago (i’m trying) I always have every single electronic on the lowest brightness possible (then have apps to make it even darker) because my eyes are sensitive to light. That being said i couldn’t watch half of the first episode because it was almost pitch black no joke. Staring at a black screen is really disorienting too >:0 I know a few others have complained about the darkness of the first episode too, so I’m guessing it’s not just me? O:

I love the blur gradient surrounding the show....the whole show is encompassed in an oval frame and blurred outside of it...but this blur is awful for video editing, awful

Bonus: why is Jason Funderburker (the frog) so sad in Pottsfield?? How dare they, that is a good frog and they deserve happiness, I declare it! (Why are they so sad in Pottsfield anyhow?? Rewatch the episode and look at Jason, he’s...really really sad?? Not neutral but straight up frowning and looking hopeless? Outside of Pottsfield he’s A-OK. That is not a frog friendly town)

[luwucas04]

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐓𝐮𝐛𝐞 𝐯𝐬. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚

Quite honestly, from a pure content standpoint of YouTube (not from what I suppose "defines" a "typical" YouTube video), YouTube is a better source of entertainment than traditional types of media. As much as I do truly appreciate traditional types of media, you can just get so much more spontaneous and wide-ranging videos from YouTube.

There is a lot more variety and diversity in that anyone can create basically anything and upload it without needing validation or permission first. Because there's an endless possibility in the interests of any potential audience, there is quite literally EVERYTHING on YouTube. If you look hard enough.

It doesn’t just provide entertainment, it provides answers and knowledge (even if it’s bare-minimum knowledge, it still can be useful and transferable). For example, who would want to listen to a radio broadcast on how to load a brush-pen ink cartridge, or read an info-graphic illustrating different ways of how to turn on your ancient HP laptop that is absolutely refusing to turn on despite the battery light being on and fully charged? Probably nobody. But, the fact that a quick 2-5 minute YouTube video made by a humble yet incredibly generous and creator with just over 100,00 subscribers, out of the pure goodness of their heart and for the interest of the other 80,000 some-odd people experiencing the same, super-specific issue, is just amazing. Like, everything is right at your fingertips that can perfectly address the vaguest and most obscure questions or scenarios. No matter how poor the video quality or how insufferable the dubstep channel-intro is, more often than not, you will find a solution. Even if it doesn’t work for you.

I realize now this caters to me specifically, but that's the point! YouTube makes it so that people with the same uncommon areas of interest can connect and share their knowledge easily, and, for the most part, free. There wouldn’t be enough traction for profit within traditional types of media for this.

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Secondly, you can find the most unique and simply unthought of (usually in a good way) ideas and concepts on YouTube when you look at something, such as a particular series someone is creating. For instance, now I went back and re-watched these, and as a junior in high school they’ve only retained at most 25% of the comedic value that I found in them when I was like... oh god how old was I, maybe 9 or something??? 9 years old; and I vividly remember showing my parents some of these while laughing so hard I was crying, anyway. FOR INSTANCE: the “asdfmovie” series. This feels so cursed typing it out. Again, there’s really no other way to intake content such as that collection of short animations other than a short 3-5 minute animated skit. Who would want to show that on TV? You can’t exactly receive it properly through radio or book either, at least I wouldn’t want to. YouTube provides such a platform that supports creators who, again, make oddly obscure yet very endearing content that wouldn’t exactly be shown elsewhere right off the bat.

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I’d advise you to save 1 minute and 40 seconds of your life and not watch the video above, but I’m adding it to keep the pattern I have going.

Lastly, I’m gonna say it, YouTube can encompass almost all forms of traditional media. You can find old radio broadcasts posted on YouTube, you can probably find a low-quality slideshow of newspaper scans on YouTube, live recordings, compilations, AND, if you’re early enough (this happened to me a couple times), you can find full movies on there!!! Everything is all compiled in one place making it so much more accessible and convenient. Whatever that convenience for you may be.

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See, here, with some tricks it’s possible to watch the original Broadway cast of Hamilton perform the entire musical on YouTube.