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howwelldoyouknowyourmoon · 4 years ago

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How Far Down the QAnon Rabbit Hole Did Your Loved One Fall?

What to do when someone you love becomes obsessed with QAnon, part 2.

Psychology Today

Joe Pierre M.D. August 21, 2020

“Who knows what this means, but it sounds good to me.”

—President Trump, retweeting a QAnon-related meme

This is part 2 of a series on “What to do When Someone You Love Becomes Obsessed with QAnon.”

In the first installment, "The Psychological Needs That QAnon Feeds," I discussed the psychological needs that QAnon may fulfill for its followers. Understanding those needs is a vital first step in order to understand why those who have fallen down the QAnon rabbit hole may be loathe to climb out. In this installment, I’ll set the stage to understand how the chances of rescuing our loved ones from the QAnon rabbit hole—and how to go about trying—may depend on just how far they’ve fallen.

Are Conspiracy Theorists “Crazy?”

To begin with, let’s differentiate belief in conspiracy theories like QAnon from the kind of delusional beliefs that are used to define mental illness and psychosis. Generally speaking, delusions are false and unshared beliefs that are often based on subjective “inner” experience and whose content is often “self-referential,” involving the believer. In contrast, conspiracy theories are usually shared beliefs that don’t explicitly involve the believer and are based on external evidence that one finds “out there,” such as on the internet. Unlike delusions, conspiracy theories may or may not turn out to be true. After all, they’re “theories.”

Based on this distinction, people who believe in conspiracy theories, however “crazy” they might sound, are no more delusional than those who believe in literal interpretations of religious texts like the Bible or the Quran. And so QAnon—the increasingly popular “right-wing” belief about the secret nefarious machinations of the Satan-worshipping, child-trafficking “Deep State” and President Trump’s destiny to thwart them—is a classic conspiracy theory, not a delusion. Now, if someone were to believe not only in QAnon dogma, but also in the false and unshared belief that they are Q, that would suggest a delusion. Note that it’s possible to believe in both conspiracy theories and delusions at the same time, with some overlap.

Conspiracy Theory Belief: Particle and Wave

Another way to understand whether beliefs might be considered “pathological” is to model them quantitatively as a continuous phenomenon—in other words, within a kind of scale that measures intensity or severity. For example, a cognitive model of delusional beliefs quantifies them along “dimensions” that include strength of conviction (how strongly one believes a delusion), preoccupation (how much one thinks about the delusion), extension (how much the delusion “bleeds into” or affects one's life), and distress (how much one is upset by the belief). Applying this model to non-delusional beliefs like conspiracy theories can help to understand when a belief is likely to disrupt people’s lives with a negative impact on their jobs, relationships, and mental well-being.1

Moving along a continuum of conspiracy theory belief, dimensions like conviction, preoccupation, extension, and distress would be expected to increase across it, along with mistrust in authoritative and mainstream sources of information.2 As believers go deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole, more and more time is spent “researching” conspiracy theories and immersing oneself in online discussions with other conspiracy theory believers, with less and less time spent on work, relationships, or other recreational pursuits. As this happens, believers increasingly turn their back on previous friends and family who don’t agree with their beliefs and don’t “inhabit” their new world.

Similar to how physicists understand light as both “particle” and “wave,” it can also be helpful to conceptualize belief intensity as discrete points along a continuum, like colors in the visible light “spectrum.” Conspiracy theory researcher Dr. Bradley Franks and his colleagues have proposed just such a spectrum model, with 5 “types” or stages of conspiracy theory belief.3 Their model goes something like this (with additional comments added by me):

Type/stage 1: People feel like “something isn’t right,” but keep an open mind as they seek answers to questions.

Type/stage 2: People feel as if “there’s more to reality than meets the eye,” are skeptical about official explanations, and start to seek out alternative sources of information.

Type/stage 3: Mistrust of authoritative sources of information increases to the point of definitive belief that some official narratives are untrue. As a result, people continue to seek information and engage with like-minded people from whom they gain a sense of belonging and group membership. They’re also more likely to get involved in “political action.”

Type/stage 4: At this point, nearly all official and mainstream accounts are rejected so that people turn away from the mainstream in favor of affiliation with an “enlightened” community of conspiracy theory believers. Non-believers are dismissed as “sheep” who are “asleep.”

Type/stage 5: In the final stage, authoritative and mainstream accounts are rejected to such an extent as to embrace belief in not only improbable, but frankly supernatural explanations for events (e.g. aliens, lizard people, etc.). At this stage, conspiracy theories and delusions may begin to overlap with self-referential aspects.

Dr. Franks’ proposed spectrum of conspiracy theory believers is a novel framework to help understand just how far down the rabbit hole conspiracy theory believers have gone. But for the purpose of deciding how to intervene within that continuum, it may be more useful to more simply divide conspiracy theory believers into two stages: “fence-sitters” and “true believers.”

Fence-Sitters and True Believers

The mentally healthy way to hold most of our beliefs is with “cognitive flexibility,” acknowledging that we might be wrong and remaining open to other people’s perspectives. It’s likewise a good idea to maintain a healthy level of skepticism about new information that we encounter lest we succumb to our cognitive biases and merely reinforce preexisting beliefs. This is especially true when we’re talking about theories where supporting evidence is modest or preliminary, and in the case of religious or political beliefs, where a lack of objective evidence often leads to many equivocal perspectives, such that faith becomes necessary to sustain belief.

In the early stages of conspiracy theory belief, people are “fence-sitters” who are looking for answers and haven’t yet made up their minds. Cognitive flexibility and open-mindedness may be intact, but skepticism is already closely linked with mistrust of authoritative sources of information. At this stage, conspiracy theories are appealing as expressions of, or even metaphors for, that mistrust—for the idea that both information and informants are unreliable—without necessarily having a significant degree of belief conviction. This preliminary stage explains why some people might endorse Flat Earth conspiracy theories without actually believing the Earth is flat.

Farther down the rabbit hole, conspiracy theories are embraced with greater belief conviction and become entwined with a new group affiliation and personal identity (e.g. within QAnon, adherents identify as “anons,” “bakers,” and “Q-patriots”) that makes it increasingly difficult to maintain previously established social ties. As such “true believers” move away from the mainstream and in turn are estranged because of their fringe beliefs, they often feel increasingly marginalized and under threat.

In order to protect themselves and resolve cognitive dissonance, they often “double down,” ramping up belief conviction further and diving even farther into a new ideological world. Many will increasingly feel the need to take action, whether spending more time posting on social media in order to “spread the word” or at the extreme, through more drastic and potentially dangerous measures like arming themselves in order to “self-investigate” a child pornography ring at a pizza parlor.

When people’s beliefs become so enmeshed with their identities, giving them up can be viewed as an existential threat akin to death. Needless to say, that's a bad prognostic sign.

In Part 3 of this series on “What to do when someone you love becomes obsessed with QAnon,” we’ll conclude by discussing what kind of interventions might be helpful, depending on just how far down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theory belief someone has gone.

References

1. Pierre JM. Faith or delusion? At the crossroads of religion and psychosis. Journal of Psychiatric Practice 2001; 7:163-172.

2. Pierre JM. Mistrust and misinformation: a two-component, socio-epistemic model of belief in conspiracy theories. Journal of Social and Political Psychology 2020 (in press). [Available as a PsyArXic preprint at https://psyarxiv.com/xhw52]

3. Franks B, Bangerter A, Bauer MW, Hall M, Noort MC. Beyond “monologicality”? Exploring conspiracist worldviews. Frontiers in Psychology 2017; 8, 861.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/psych-unseen/202008/how-far-down-the-qanon-rabbit-hole-did-your-loved-one-fall

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part 1 Psychology Today

The Psychological Needs That QAnon Feeds

Joe Pierre M.D. August 12, 2020

https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/psych-unseen/202008/the-psychological-needs-qanon-feeds

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part 3 Psychology Today

What to do when someone you love becomes obsessed with QAnon

4 Keys to Help Someone Climb Out of the QAnon Rabbit Hole

Joe Pierre M.D. September 1, 2020

https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/psych-unseen/202009/4-keys-help-someone-climb-out-the-qanon-rabbit-hole

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Rolling Stone

It took years for the cracks to emerge for Jadeja, who slowly started to realize that Q drops were laden with logical inconsistencies. A turning point for him was a follower asking Q to get Trump to say the term “tippy top” as proof of Trump’s knowledge of the conspiracy; when Trump did say the phrase during a 2018 Easter egg roll speech, Q believers rejoiced, believing it to be confirmation that Q was real. Jadeja did some research and saw that Trump had said the phrase many times before. “That’s when I realized this was all a very slick con,” he says.

Former QAnon Followers Explain What Drew Them In — And Got Them Out

Like those leaving cults, some people who believe in conspiracy theories like QAnon and Pizzagate can break free from their beliefs

by EJ Dickson September 23, 2020 9:00AM ET

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/ex-qanon-followers-cult-conspiracy-theory-pizzagate-1064076/

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West Point

The QAnon Conspiracy Theory: A Security Threat in the Making?

July 2020

https://ctc.usma.edu/the-qanon-conspiracy-theory-a-security-threat-in-the-making/

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Why it’s important to see QAnon as a ‘hyper-real’ religion

May 28, 2020

https://religiondispatches.org/in-the-name-of-the-father-son-and-q-why-its-important-to-see-qanon-as-a-hyper-real-religion/

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The Birth of QAmom

Parenting influencers have embraced sex-trafficking conspiracy theories — and it’s taking QAnon from the internet into the streets

by EJ Dickson

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/qanon-mom-conspiracy-theory-parents-sex-trafficking-qamom-1048921/

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CNN: Born on the dark fringes of the internet, QAnon is now infiltrating mainstream American life and politics

CNN July 3, 2020

by Paul P. Murphy

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The thin line between conspiracy theories and cult worship is dissolving

An information war is being waged.

bigthink.com May 18, 2020

by Derek Beres

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The Prophecies of Q American conspiracy theories are entering a dangerous new phase.

The Atlantic June 2020

The Women Making Conspiracy Theories Beautiful

The Atlantic August 18, 2020

I Was a Teenage Conspiracy Theorist

The Atlantic May 13, 2020

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I’m dating a conspiracy theorist. But it feels like I’m the one going crazy.

Washington Post August 16, 2020

By Trent Kay Maverick

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Coronavirus: How do I recognize a conspiracy theory?

DW Deutsche Welle May 19, 2020

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Reddit community QAnon Casualties share stories of conspiracy cult

Herald Sun August 11, 2020

by Jack Gramenz, news.com.au

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Christian Groups That Resist Public-Health Guidelines Are Forgetting a Key Part of the Religion’s History

TIME April 20, 2020

by Matthew Gabriele

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Childcare in the Unification Church of Oakland

Sun Myung Moon’s Sex-based Adam and Eve story is just another conspiracy theory

#Joe Pierre M.D.#QAnon #Conspiracy Theories #Psychology Today

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inxbreakableheaven · 5 years ago

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How does your character think of their father? What do they hate and love about him? What influence - literal or imagined - did the father have?: Marlo loves her father, but at the moment, they’re butting heads over the war and the fact she blames him for the fact she had to come home. Ordinarily they’re very close.

Their mother? How do they think of her? What do they hate? Love? What influence - literal or imagined - did the mother have?: Marlo is also on tense terms with her mother for the same reasons.

Brothers, sisters? Who do they like? Why? What do they despise about their siblings?: Marlo doesn’t despise any of her siblings. She has three brothers and two sisters.

What type of discipline was your character subjected to at home? Strict? Lenient?: Her parents are strict, but not abusive.

Were they overprotected as a child? Sheltered?: Very much overprotected. After she triggered her gene, she was kept close to home save for university.

Did they feel rejection or affection as a child?: Affection, but approval didn’t come easily.

What was the economic status of their family?: Upper-middle. The Averys are a humble family who live well-within their means, however.

How does your character feel about religion?: Marlo is indifferent towards religion.

What about political beliefs?: She prefers to stay out of it.

Is your character street-smart, book-smart, intelligent, intellectual, slow-witted?: Marlo is a very book-smart/educated/intellectual young woman who loves books and learning.

How do they see themselves: as smart, as intelligent, uneducated?: She views herself as at least smart, if not a little impulsive.

How does their education and intelligence – or lack thereof - reflect in their speech pattern, vocabulary, and pronunciations?: Marlo’s learned to dumb down her vocabulary so people can “understand” her, but she loves any chance she has to show it off.

Did they like school? Teachers? Schoolmates?: Marlo was neutral on school, for the most part, but was a good student.

Were they involved at school? Sports? Clubs? Debate? Were they unconnected?: She was involved in soccer growing up.

Did they graduate? High-School? College? Do they have a PHD? A GED?: Marlo graduated high school and has an undergraduate degree in psychology from Yale.

What does your character do for a living? How do they see their profession? What do they like about it? Dislike?: She wants to eventually go back to school for her graduate degree in psychology so she can fulfill her dream of helping at-risk supernatural youth cope with their abilities.

Did they travel? Where? Why? When?: She doesn’t travel often.

What did they find abroad, and what did they remember?: She has never been outside the country

Who are their friends? Lovers? ‘Type’ or 'ideal’ partner?: Marlo casually dated here and there, but when she imprinted on Adam, it all kind of molded together. Her friends are people she feels she can depend on and can depend on her. She’s very loyal.

What do they want from a partner? What do they think and feel of sex?: Marlo wants an equal above all. She doesn’t want a leader and she doesn’t want to lead. And she very, very much enjoys sex.

What social groups and activities does your character attend? What role do they like to play? What role do they actually play, usually?: Marlo still loves to hunt, but she also loves playing games and stuff with her family. Anything to flex her brain.

What are their hobbies and interests?: Hunting, reading, writing, cooking.

What does your character’s home look like? Personal taste? Clothing? Hair? Appearance?: Marlo’s room is generally pretty tidy, save for clothes that miss the hamper and her bed is a little rumpled. Her appearance is generally very casual: jeans, button-down shirt or T-shirts. Sometimes tank tops. Her hair is usually brushed and up in a ponytail.

How do they relate to their appearance? How do they wear their clothing? Style? Quality?: Her clothes are generally fitted, but as of late, they’ve been looser to hide the rapidly-forming bump growing.

Who is your character’s mate? How do they relate to him or her? How did they make their choice?: Adam Blackstone is Marlo’s mate. They’re both headstrong, snarky, but both very caring about the other. Both of them would do anything for the other, but they would both choose their packs/families over anything. Neither of them chose the other, but neither of them would complain about it.

What is your character’s weaknesses? Hubris? Pride? Controlling?: Marlo is incredibly impulsive and has little self-control when it counts. She’s also very impatient and short-tempered.

Are they holding on to something in the past? Can he or she forgive?: Marlo does not forgive easily. At all.

Does your character have children? How do they feel about their parental role? About the children? How do the children relate?: Marlo is currently pregnant with her first baby and already, she would kill to protect it.

How does your character react to stress situations? Defensively? Aggressively? Evasively?: Defensively. Very defensively.

Do they drink? Take drugs? What about their health?: Before her pregnancy, she drank occasionally, but never drugs.

Does your character feel self-righteous? Revengeful? Contemptuous?: The only revenge she wants is for Natallia Wright to pay for killing her brother, Levi.

Do they always rationalize errors? How do they accept disasters and failures?: Marlo does not do well with failure at all and is often very hard on herself when it occurs.

Do they like to suffer? Like to see other people suffering?: Marlo hates seeing people suffer.

How is your character’s imagination? Daydreaming a lot? Worried most of the time? Living in memories?: She now lives very firmly on the ground.

Are they basically negative when facing new things? Suspicious? Hostile? Scared? Enthusiastic?: She’s very negative and very cautious more than anything.

What do they like to ridicule? What do they find stupid?: People who dress up their dogs like humans

How is their sense of humor? Do they have one?: Very dark, somewhat twisted. She also loves puns and has a very dry sense of humor.

What does your character want most? What do they need really badly, compulsively? What are they willing to do, to sacrifice, to obtain?: She wants peace so she could find happiness, even if it isn’t with Adam.

Does your character have any secrets? If so, are they holding them back?: Her only secret is her pregnancy.

How badly do they want to obtain their life objectives? How do they pursue them?: Right now, Marlo wants peace and it doesn’t matter how it’s achieved.

Is your character pragmatic? Think first? Responsible? All action? A visionary? Passionate? Quixotic?: She is very impulsive and passionate. She tends to not think things through before she does them.

Is your character tall? Short? What about size? Weight? Posture? How do they feel about their physical body?: Marlo is about 5′8″, 125 pounds or so, and has excellent posture. Her body’s changing at the moment and while she’s trying to revel in the fact that it is changing, she’s scared.

Do they want to project an image of a younger, older, more important person? Do they want to be visible or invisible?: At the moment, invisible.

How are your character’s gestures? Vigorous? Weak? Controlled? Compulsive? Energetic? Sluggish?: Controlled, normally.

What about voice? Pitch? Strength? Tempo and rhythm of speech? Pronunciation? Accent?: She has a more of a medium range in voice. Very soft, but she’s willing to make herself known if need be. Slight New York accent.

What are the prevailing facial expressions? Sour? Cheerful? Dominating?: Neutral, mostly. People often thought her intimidating in college because of “resting bitch face”.

#tmw.task #task001 #&&( they wanna break me and wash away my colors ) → marlo's musings

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savedfromsalvation · 7 years ago

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The 12 Worst Ideas Organized Religion Has Unleashed On the World

These dubious concepts advocate conflict, cruelty and suffering.

By Valerie Tarico / AlterNet

April 30, 2018, 10:34 PM GMT

Some of humanity’s technological innovations are things we would have been better off without: the medieval rack, the atomic bomb and powdered lead potions come to mind. Religions tend to invent ideas or concepts rather than technologies, but like every other creative human enterprise, they produce some really bad ones along with the good.

I've previously highlighted some of humanity’s best moral and spiritual concepts, our shared moral core. Here, by way of contrast, are some of the worst. These twelve dubious concepts promote conflict, cruelty, suffering and death rather than love and peace. To paraphrase Christopher Hitchens, they belong in the dustbin of history just as soon as we can get them there.

1. Chosen People –The term “Chosen People” typically refers to the Hebrew Bible and the ugly idea that God has given certain tribes a Promised Land (even though it is already occupied by other people). But in reality many sects endorse some version of this concept. The New Testament identifies Christians as the chosen ones. Calvinists talk about “God’s elect,” believing that they themselves are the special few who were chosen before the beginning of time. Jehovah’s witnesses believe that 144,000 souls will get a special place in the afterlife. In many cultures certain privileged and powerful bloodlines were thought to be descended directly from gods (in contrast to everyone else).

Religious sects are inherently tribal and divisive because they compete by making mutually exclusive truth claims and by promising blessings or afterlife rewards that no competing sect can offer. “Gang symbols” like special haircuts, attire, hand signals and jargon differentiate insiders from outsiders and subtly (or not so subtly) convey to both that insiders are inherently superior.

Islam teaches the concept of “dhimmitude” and provides special rules for the subjugation of religious minorities, with monotheists getting better treatment than polytheists. Christianity blurs together the concepts of unbeliever and evildoer. Ultimately, heretics are a threat that needs to be neutralized by conversion, conquest, isolation, domination, or—in worst cases—mass murder.

3. Holy War – If war can be holy, anything goes. The medieval Roman Catholic Church conducted a twenty year campaign of extermination against heretical Cathar Christians in the south of France, promising their land and possessions to real Christians who signed on as crusaders. Sunni and Shia Muslims have slaughtered each other for centuries. The Hebrew scriptures recount battle after battle in which their war God, Yahweh, helps them to not only defeat but also exterminate the shepherding cultures that occupy their “Promised Land.” As in later holy wars, like the modern rise of ISIS, divine sanction let them kill the elderly and children, burn orchards, and take virgin females as sexual slaves—all while retaining a sense of moral superiority.

The idea that blasphemy must be prevented or avenged has caused millions of murders over the centuries and countless other horrors. As I write, blogger Raif Badawi awaits round after round of flogging in Saudi Arabia—1000 lashes in batches of 50—while his wife and children plead from Canada for the international community to do something.

5. Glorified suffering – Picture secret societies of monks flogging their own backs. The image that comes to mind is probably from Dan Brown’s novel, The Da Vinci Code, but the idea isn’t one he made up. A core premise of Christianity is that righteous torture—if it’s just intense and prolonged enough–can somehow fix the damage done by evil, sinful behavior. Millions of crucifixes litter the world as testaments to this belief. Shia Muslims beat themselves with lashes and chains during Aashura, a form of sanctified suffering called Matam that commemorates the death of the martyr Hussein. Self-denial in the form of asceticism and fasting is a part of both Eastern and Western religions, not only because deprivation induces altered states but also because people believe suffering somehow brings us closer to divinity.

Our ancestors lived in a world in which pain came unbidden, and people had very little power to control it. An aspirin or heating pad would have been a miracle to the writers of the Bible, Quran, or Gita. Faced with uncontrollable suffering, the best advice religion could offer was to lean in or make meaning of it. The problem, of course is that glorifying suffering—turning it into a spiritual good—has made people more willing to inflict it on not only themselves and their enemies but also those who are helpless, including the ill or dying (as in the case of Mother Teresa and the American Bishops) and children (as in the child beating Patriarchy movement).

6. Genital mutilation – Primitive people have used scarification and other body modifications to define tribal membership for as long as history records. But genital mutilation allowed our ancestors several additional perks—if you want to call them that. Infant circumcision in Judaism serves as a sign of tribal membership, but circumcision also serves to test the commitment of adult converts. In one Bible story, a chieftain agrees to convert and submit his clan to the procedure as a show of commitment to a peace treaty. (While the men lie incapacitated, the whole town is then slain by the Israelites.)

In Islam, painful male circumcision serves as a rite of passage into manhood, initiation into a powerful club. By contrast, in some Muslim cultures cutting away or burning the female clitoris and labia ritually establishes the submission of women by reducing sexual arousal and agency. An estimated 2 million girls annually are subjected to the procedure, with consequences including hemorrhage, infection, painful urination and death. – In the list of religion’s worst ideas, this is the only one that appears to be in its final stages. Only some Hindus (, goddess of power) and some Muslims (, Feast of the Sacrifice) continue to ritually slaughter sacrificial animals on a mass scale. Hindu scriptures including the Gita and Puranas forbid ritual killing, and most Hindus now eschew the practice based on the principle of ahimsa, but it persists as a residual of folk religion.

7. Blood sacrifice – In the list of religion’s worst ideas, this is the only one that appears to be in its final stages. Only some Hindus (during the Festival of Gadhimai, goddess of power) and some Muslims (during Eid al Adha, Feast of the Sacrifice) continue to ritually slaughter sacrificial animals on a mass scale. Hindu scriptures including the Gita and Puranas forbid ritual killing, and most Hindus now eschew the practice based on the principle of ahimsa, but it persists as a residual of folk religion.

When our ancient ancestors slit the throats of humans and animals or cut out their hearts or sent the smoke of sacrifices heavenward, many believed they were literally feeding supernatural beings. In time, in most religions, the rationale changed—the gods didn’t need feeding so much as signs of devotion and penance. The residual child sacrifice in the Hebrew Bible (yes, it is there) typically has this function. Christianity’s persistent focus on blood atonement—the notion of Jesus as the be-all-end-all lamb without blemish, the final “propitiation” for human sin—is hopefully the last iteration of humanity’s long fascination with blood sacrifice.

8. Hell – Whether we are talking about Christianity, Islam or Buddhism, an afterlife filled with demons, monsters, and eternal torture was the worst suffering the Iron Age minds could conceive and medieval minds could elaborate. Invented, perhaps, as a means to satisfy the human desire for justice, the concept of Hell quickly devolved into a tool for coercing behavior and belief.

Most Buddhists see hell as a metaphor, a journey into the evil inside the self, but the descriptions of torturing monsters and levels of hell can be quite explicit. Likewise, many Muslims and Christians hasten to assure that it is a real place, full of fire and the anguish of non-believers. Some Christians have gone so far as to insist that the screams of the damned can be heard from the center of the Earth or that observing their anguish from afar will be one of the pleasures of paradise.

9. Karma – Like hell, the concept of karma offers a selfish incentive for good behavior—it’ll come back at you later—but it has enormous costs. Chief among these is a tremendous weight of cultural passivity in the face of harm and suffering. Secondarily, the idea of karmasanctifies the broad human practice of blaming the victim. If what goes around comes around, then the disabled child or cancer patient or untouchable poor (or the hungry rabbit or mangy dog) must have done something in either this life or a past one to bring their position on themselves.

10. Eternal Life – To our weary and unwashed ancestors, the idea of gem encrusted walls, streets of gold, the fountain of youth, or an eternity of angelic chorus (or sex with virgins) may have seemed like sheer bliss. But it doesn’t take much analysis to realize how quickly eternal paradise would become hellish—an endless repetition of never changing groundhog days (because how could they change if they were perfect).

The real reason that the notion of eternal life is such a bad invention, though, is the degree to which it diminishes and degrades existence on this earthly plane. With eyes lifted heavenward, we can’t see the intricate beauty beneath our feet. Devout believers put their spiritual energy into preparing for a world to come rather than cherishing and stewarding the one wild and precious world we have been given.

11. Male Ownership of Female Fertility – The notion of women as brood mares or children as assets likely didn’t originate with religion, but the idea that women were created for this purpose, that if a woman should die of childbearing “she was made to do it,” most certainly did. Traditional religions variously assert that men have a god-ordained right to give women in marriage, take them in war, exclude them from heaven, and kill them if the origins of their offspring can’t be assured. Hence Catholicism’s maniacal obsession with the virginity of Mary and female martyrs.

As we approach the limits of our planetary life support system and stare dystopia in the face, defining women as breeders and children as assets becomes ever more costly. We now know that resource scarcity is a conflict trigger and that demand for water and arable land is growing even as both resources decline. And yet, a pope who claims to care about the desperate poor lectures them against contraceptionwhile Muslim leaders ban vasectomies in a drive to outbreed their enemies.

12. Bibliolatry (aka Book Worship) – Preliterate people handed down their best guesses about gods and goodness by way of oral tradition, and they made objects of stone and wood, idols, to channel their devotion. Their notions of what was good and what was Real and how to live in moral community with each other were free to evolve as culture and technology changed. But the advent of the written word changed that. As our Iron Age ancestors recorded and compiled their ideas into sacred texts, these texts allowed their understanding of gods and goodness to become static. The sacred texts of Judaism, Christianity and Islam forbid idol worship, but over time the texts themselves became idols, and many modern believers practice—essentially—book worship, also known as bibliolatry.

Adherents who think their faith is perfect, are not just naïve or ill informed. They are developmentally arrested, and in the case of the world’s major religions, they are anchored to the Iron Age, a time of violence, slavery, desperation and early death.

Ironically, the mindset that our sacred texts are perfect betrays the very quest that drove our ancestors to write those texts. Each of the men who wrote part of the Bible, Quran, or Gita took his received tradition, revised it, and offered his own best articulation of what is good and real. We can honor the quest of our spiritual ancestors, or we can honor their answers, but we cannot do both.

Religious apologists often try to deny, minimize, or explain away the sins of scripture and the evils of religious history. “It wasn’t really slavery.” “That’s just the Old Testament.” “He didn’t mean it that way.” “You have to understand how bad their enemies were.” “Those people who did harm in the name of God weren’t real [Christians/Jews/Muslims].” Such platitudes may offer comfort, but denying problems doesn’t solve them. Quite the opposite, in fact. Change comes with introspection and insight, a willingness to acknowledge our faults and flaws while still embracing our strengths and potential for growth.

In a world that is teeming with humanity, armed with pipe bombs and machine guns and nuclear weapons and drones, we don’t need defenders of religion’s status quo—we need real reformation, as radical as that of the 16th Century and much, much broader. It is only by acknowledging religion’s worst ideas that we have any hope of embracing the best.

Valerie Tarico is a psychologist and writer in Seattle, Washington, and the founder of Wisdom Commons. She is the author of "Trusting Doubt: A Former Evangelical Looks at Old Beliefs in a New Light" and "Deas and Other Imaginings." Her articles can be found at valerietarico.com.

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musicmixtapes · 6 years ago

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October 10, 2018 Mix

Welcome to this week's installation of music! I loved finding tracks that blended well in terms of sound and meaning, as well as playing around with the pace of the pieces so not to cause monotony inside the eardrums. Enjoy and any suggestions/opinions, send my way

Spotify Playlist (Listen in order!) 1. Walls by The Lumineers - First off, can I just say how excited I am to see new music from a group who never seems to disappoint both my ears and my heart. While listening for the first time I thought, "Wow what a great song, but this sounds kind of familiar" so when I showed it to my mom she said "Of course it sounds familiar, it's a cover of one of Tom Petty's songs" and then it made my heart that much fuller knowing that. Petty is known to have the American writing way of describing through metaphor exactly how love and relationships feel at a moment suspended in time. Using that craftsmanship and words that cut to the bone, The Lumineers created a cover that is so folky and vulnerable sounding, I am sure that Petty would not be disappointed in it. 2. I've Just Seen A Face by The Beatles - Continuing with classics that we may find hidden in corners of our mind, that pop out into existence from time to time, is this wonderful treasure from the Help! album, a beloved album to me and most of the world, I'm sure. I specifically chose this track because the title definitely created a supernatural element in my mind that translated to the feeling that love often gives, which is that it transcends regular human volition. It causes this reaction that cannot be expressed through regular conversation and absolutely needed to be sung about, which to me, is fantastic. Also, the really fast and frantic pace of the song adds to the urgency of the message of seeing someone in passing and instantly feeling a surge of love and the need to be with them at the moment. Falling in love is sometimes done in a slow motion type fall, but in this instance, it seems more immediate. 3. Moon Barks At The Dog by Saintseneca - The lyrical value that this song has is endless, and quite honestly, I could spend a long time doing an in depth analysis of this piece line by line, but for now I won't. The main thing I wanted to go in depth with a little bit is this image of the moon barking at the dog, which is just such a strange and abstract concept to grasp. Of course, the typical thing that someone would refer to is the dog barking at the moon, which is apparently a reference to the famous statement (I had no idea this existed): "It is common for the dog to bark at the moon, but if the moon barks back, the dog becomes famous." As a person who loves strange expressions, this has quickly become one of my favorites. There is also an entire verse that nods to Bruce Springsteen and his music not being the singer's cup of tea, which I disagree, but appreciate the reference anyway. 4. Los Ageless (cover) by The Wombats - I would say I'm sorry about including another version of the same song within two months, but I am not sorry at all because it is my firm belief that different versions of the same song can change it entirely and bring fresh perspective and possibly a new interpretation of meaning. Originally a St. Vincent song from her amazing album Masseducation, it was a more techno rock sound for sure, but this alternative group brought it down with a more acoustic sound fleshed out through it. I don't think the sound was altered so much that it changed the composition entirely, but the male voice for sure gave it a perspective which I was not expecting. To have a male singer express the notion "How could anybody have you and lose you and not lose their minds too?" makes me feel a glimmer of hope to diminish toxic masculinity. 5. More Than Romantic Love by St. Lenox - I don't know exactly what to classify this as and to be fair, I'm not sure that putting this artist in a box would be serving him justice in any way. I felt that I was having a conversation with a fellow new yorker while really really cool, eclectic music was playing in the background. And I loved it. Just all of the references to living in a place in time where you are losing someone because you cannot accept the fact that they only want a platonic love, not romantic. This goes deeper though, and examines how to deal with someone who is going through personal struggle and how to reach them emotionally while being sensitive to their needs. St. Lenox has such a soulful conversational tone that speaks freely about mental health, breakup and the nervousness of the city, also shout out to Washington Square. He's an artist on the rise for sure. 6. This Is The Day by The The - This is a classic example of a song with an upbeat, generally happy sounding tune that literally step by step tells about the woes that a person with depression has to go through. It actually really reminded me of a Smiths song, where the mood totally does not match the words, and this is a trope I absolutely love to see in older music. The image of eyes being red and burning when seeing daylight is so profound because insomnia is one of the main traits of depression, so this feeling of always feeling tired in the daytime is so relatable to hear about in song, which I never have before. The synthesized sound and the acordion that are strung throughout the song really emphasize the dichotomy of the sound and feeling, which also add the layer of how you look on the outside doesn't always match how you are on the inside. 7. Greyhound by Calpurnia - Have you ever made future plans with someone you are in a relationship with, thinking that basically you'll be with them forever, and then suddenly, the time for that plan comes around, except you're not together anymore? Yeah? Me too, and apparently the writer of this song was in this exact position because that's essentially what it's about to put it in base question format. But what really satisfied me concerning this song was not the super relatable storyline aspect, but the sarcastic way of telling something pretty sad, which seemed like an epic breakup and heart break. The whole "hats of to you, for you to go" is so sassy and like a middle finger in the center of a song about still having feelings for an ex-love, which was so fun to see. I hope the subject of this song listened to this song. 8. 15 Minutes by The Strokes - Whenever asked my top favorite bands, they are always at the top of the list. I don't know exactly what resonates with me, but I have been trying to pin point the moodiness and exacerbated feelings for awhile that me and this band seems to always share. I think it's the way that Casablancas always mutters some really sad yet humorous things while hard core guitar comes in and really great drum beats and a bass line are right in line with it. This song is no exception because it totally defies the meaning of telling someone how you feel and being comfortable with oneself about it; if I may be so bold, I think it generally classifies how one with lots of anxiety would go about telling feelings from a real perspective, rather insecurely and with the approach of joking about emotions in a very honest way. 9. Think I'm Still In Love With You by Joyce Manor - A new album by an awesome punk, angsty, emo rock band, news I will never be upset to hear about. Specifically, this artist has so many different qualities going past the initial relatable angst you feel when listening to the many, many, many songs they have about not being able to get over something or feeling like a burden in someone else's life constantly. This song has a clear shift in feeling though because the uncertainty is definitely present in terms of wanting to still be in love with someone because of a past emotion, but now things seem a bit hazier and they aren't so sure if the feelings are still quite there. This song comes about midway through the album, a really great placement on their part because it signifies perhaps a shift in weather during a one sided relationship and perhaps things will change thereafter. 10. So Tied Up by Cold War Kids and Bishop Briggs - Oftentimes I speculate from an outsider's look at a song, and piece together the meaning in relation to both the music and my own life. In this instance, I didn't really have to do so because the artist actually shared exactly what his intentions were with the meaning behind this song. He said, "With every new relationship, you either talk about previous relationship stuff (warts and all), or you just pretend like they never existed. Both are kinda terrible. When you go the full disclosure route it’s probably sincere, maybe you’re even praised for your vulnerability. However, you know it’s probably gonna be used against you later, in a fight, in the worst way." So that's that, and in terms of the gospel vibes I received from this alt rock song, I am very happy and get really pumped walking down the street to it. 11. Days On A Wire by Case - This instantly gives me the image of watching a movie scene where one person is lovingly thinking about another and kind of like sitting on a train looking out the window and considering their feelings, all wrapped up in desire. So now that I have shared my mental scene, let me explain that the really awesome acoustic with horns sounds that are produced in this piece add to the love song vibes that is perceived while listening. Also, the singer's voice is super dreamy and light, at some points seeming like barely more than a whisper of phrases, adding to the whimsical elements involved in the song. Actually, the horns in this song kind of act as a guitar usually would in terms of a melodic riff that occurs between verses and choruses, and I love this difference of instruments, a unique sound. 12. In The Morning I'll Be Better by Tennis - Taking some else's pain away is the hardest thing to do, especially when it's something not curable by care and devotion on it's own, but that's precisely what the artist is intending to say in this piece, which is tragically beautiful. So originally, I perceived this to be about someone's mental anguish and a relationship of sorts attempting to remedy this suffering by acceptance and love. In fact, this is not what the artist meant, but it's still a cool interpretation if I do say so myself. It was revealed that the writer's friend was deemed terminally ill and this was their way of processing the emotions that go into realizing that someone is most likely not going to get better. It is a love song that goes beyond love, but more about the wanting to take someone's pain and endure it so they don't have to. 13. Clueless by The Marías - Yes, yes, yes. My exact thoughts when seeing that this group came out with new music, when listening to the first few bars of the song, and then again when hearing the song two full times through (once for sound and another for words and meaning). The palpable tension heard in the song is so real for so many people when having an argument and to match the tension is the dialoguing throughout that basically says they can't handle the ups and downs going through the relationship anymore. I read that this was inspired by a spat between the vocalist and her significant other, drummer-producer Josh Conway. This revelation was incredible because imagine being in a band and a relationship with someone and having to create music while a major fight is going on. Me neither. 14. Running by Nicotine's Famous Honey - If I could title this anything other than what it is, I would title it "The Art of Just Barely Getting By In Our Fucked Up World" but that would not be as aesthetic as this aptly titled name. In the past, I have publicly argued against certain styles of music, simply because I knew less about music and didn't listen to enough genres on a regular basis. I am still trying to broaden my horizons, especially in terms of R&B and the Hip Hop genre in general, but this under emphasized artist is such a beautiful example of taking one genre that is criticized for being cliched and overdone and taking it to a whole different level. I love this combination of dream-pop, low-fi indie and hip hop and R&B all in one piece, and if you haven't looked into them, definitely check out some of their other music, it is so enticing. 15. Weird Honey by Elvis Depressedly - I'm taking the meaning of this song entirely from the artist because I think it can be interpreted a hundred different ways, depending on who you are thinking about while listening to it and what kind of mental state you are in too. Also we love to see an iconic guitar riff thrown in sporadically to a pretty sad low fi rock song, so that's a pretty cool spot in hell. The meaning though: "I lied before. It’s just an homage to Jesus and Mary Chain, and has no direct meaning. This is a love song so it could be seen as a pet name, or even a symbol of a love that is strange and new but full of sweetness. I find it incredibly strange that so many people have interpreted this song to be so negative, or even a break up song, when it’s the opposite. It’s a song about new love." There you have it. 16. Wings In All Black by Gregory Alan Isakov - If you are looking for an acoustic folk artist who puts emphasis on literally every single word and note of a song, look no further, he is right here, and also in my soul forever. Hailing from his brand new album, is this gem which sinks your heart to your stomach almost immediately upon listening. I believe this to be about having to rise up out of a really dark time in your life, despite not wanting to, the fact that instead of feeding the beast of loss, you have to grow wings of your own and fight against the demons you are experiencing. The image of having "wings in black" is a nod to the struggle between staying down in a bad place and having to come out of it no matter how impossible it seems at the time. I am now noticing a lot of these songs have to do with dealing with loss and mental health day by day, which is very important. 17. Should I by Arum Rae - I have to give entire props and credits for this song to my wonderful mother, who is always good for sending me songs to listen to on a weekly basis. Particularly, I first heard this song on my ferry ride home to New Jersey for the first time since leaving for college this year, so it has earned a really special place in my heart for the year. The piano is so present in this song, which as I have mentioned in previous posts, you don't get to see a lot in newer slow songs, which have become taken over by guitar a lot of the times. Also, Rae's voice questioning her every move and overthinking all her choices for the future is so heart felt and honest that you can't help but empathize with these feelings. The message of the song is maybe taking things one step at a time is the healthiest thing you can do when things get overwhelming in life. Yes. 18. How by Daughter - Ok, so finding out that most of the songs I have chosen for this week's mix surround the topics of loss and grieving past versions of self has become super illuminating in terms of my own maturation process. Staying topic though, this group always sheds light on the painful emotions rather than the pleasurable ones, which sometimes creates a dreary mood, but I like to view it as not being afraid to voice some negativity in order to clear it out of one's mind, which many people are apprehensive to do. This song describes pain as being in slow motion and I can't explain why that is true, but it is. The lines "hold me back, hold me back" in reference to wanting to go get someone that they have lost is so crucial to the theme of the song which is moving on from something while still having regrets in regards to the situation, feeling cheated or let down by someone. 19. Killer by Phoebe Bridgers - This playlist began with this song all by it's lonesome, but all along I knew that the rest of the pieces would be built around this, so I guess this has to be the reason why all the songs are so deeply related with one another. You may be thinking, wow I can't believe this song is about one's own death, this is really morose and ominous. Yes, I totally agree and think that it's really sad and death related, but knowing that it goes deeper than that is really vital to appreciating it's beauty. This is about a relationship being buried away and while doing so, dredging up all the past memories of loving a person. There is no remedy for knowing that two people are too much for one another, but this soulful lament is definitely a start. Also, Bridgers has noted that this song is in reference to Ryan Adams, famed songwriter who had a short fling with her when she was pretty young. 20. WALLS by Kings Of Leon - I did this on purpose, I made the first and last song both titled "walls" for a particular reason. I think they both serve very different purposes and perspectives to the metaphorical walls that are being broken down and simultaneously built up within a relationship. In the covered song that the Lumineers did, we see a shift to a more positive message of hearts having walls and climbing them is a struggle, but that it is worth it for the love we get to experience on the other side of it. In contrast, this very low tempo song (especially for Kings of Leon) is about kind of the exact opposite. This is about a man's ego being utterly shattered, exemplifying walls being torn down, in order to love a woman who just took his heart with her when she left. I don't think it's all sad though; I think this experience of walls coming down around someone to experience true loss of a person is so important for personal growth and strength. Thanks for listening and reading into things really deeply with me, catch you next week! Love & Listening,

Julia

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confrontingbabble-on · 7 years ago

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“These twelve dubious concepts promote conflict, cruelty, suffering and death rather than love and peace.

2. Heretics – Heretics, kafir, or infidels (to use the medieval Catholic term) are not just outsiders, they are morally suspect and often seen as less than fully human. In the Torah, slaves taken from among outsiders don’t merit the same protections as Hebrew slaves. Those who don’t believe in a god are corrupt, doers of abominable deeds. “There is none [among them] who does good,” says the Psalmist. Islam teaches the concept of “dhimmitude” and provides special rules for the subjugation of religious minorities, with monotheists getting better treatment than polytheists. Christianity blurs together the concepts of unbeliever and evildoer. Ultimately, heretics are a threat that needs to be neutralized by conversion, conquest, isolation, domination, or—in worst cases—mass murder.

4. Blasphemy – Blasphemy is the notion that some ideas are inviolable, off limits to criticism, satire, debate, or even question. By definition, criticism of these ideas is an outrage, and it is precisely this emotion–outrage–that the crime of blasphemy evokes in believers. The Bible prescribes death for blasphemers; the Quran does not, but death-to-blasphemers became part of Shariah during medieval times.The idea that blasphemy must be prevented or avenged has caused millions of murders over the centuries and countless other horrors. As I write, blogger Raif Badawi awaits round after round of flogging in Saudi Arabia—1000 lashes in batches of 50—while his wife and children plead from Canada for the international community to do something.

6. Genital mutilation – Primitive people have used scarification and other body modifications to define tribal membership for as long as history records. But genital mutilation allowed our ancestors several additional perks—if you want to call them that. In Judaism, infant circumcision serves as a sign of tribal membership, but circumcision also serves to test the commitment of adult converts. In one Bible story, a chieftain agrees to convert and submit his clan to the procedure as a show of commitment to a peace treaty. (While the men lie incapacitated, the whole town is then slain by the Israelites.)

7. Blood sacrifice – In the list of religion’s worst ideas, this is the only one that appears to be in its final stages. Only some Hindus (during the Festival of Gadhimai) and some Muslims (during Eid al Adha, Feast of the Sacrifice) continue to ritually slaughter sacrificial animals on a mass scale. Hindu scriptures including the Gita and Puranas forbid ritual killing, and most Hindus now eschew the practice based on the principle of ahimsa, but it persists as a residual of folk religion.

When our ancient ancestors slit the throats on humans and animals or cut out their hearts or sent the smoke of sacrifices heavenward, many believed that they were literally feeding supernatural beings. In time, in most religions, the rationale changed—the gods didn’t need feeding so much as they needed signs of devotion and penance. The residual child sacrifice in the Hebrew Bible (yes it is there) typically has this function. Christianity’s persistent focus on blood atonement—the notion of Jesus as the be-all-end-all lamb without blemish, the final “propitiation” for human sin—is hopefully the last iteration of humanity’s long fascination with blood sacrifice.

8. Hell – Whether we are talking about Christianity, Islam or Buddhism, an afterlife filled with demons, monsters, and eternal torture was the worst suffering that Iron Age minds could conceive and medieval minds could elaborate. Invented, perhaps, as a means to satisfy the human desire for justice, the concept of Hell quickly devolved into a tool for coercing behavior and belief.

9. Karma – Like hell, the concept of karma offers a selfish incentive for good behavior—it’ll come back at you later—but it has enormous costs. Chief among these is a tremendous weight of cultural passivity in the face of harm and suffering. Secondarily, the idea of karma can sanctify the broad human practice of blaming the victim. If what goes around comes around, then the disabled child or cancer patient or untouchable poor (or the hungry rabbit or mangy dog) must have done something in this or a previous life to bring their position on themselves.

As we approach the limits of our planetary life support system and stare dystopia in the face, defining women as breeders and children as assets becomes even more costly. We now know that resource scarcity is a conflict trigger and that demand for water and arable land is growing even as both resources decline. And yet, a pope who claims to care about the desperate poor lectures them against contraception while Muslim leaders ban vasectomies in a drive to outbreed their enemies.

“Because the faith of Islam is perfect, it does not allow for any innovations to the religion,” says one young Muslim explaining his faith online. His statement betrays a naïve lack of information about the origins and evolution of his own dogmas. But more broadly, it sums up the challenge all religions face moving forward. Imagine if a physicist said, “Because our understanding of physics is perfect, it does not allow for any innovations to the field.” Adherents who think their faith is perfect, are not just naïve or ill informed. They are developmentally arrested, and in the case of the world’s major religions, they are anchored to the Iron Age, a time of violence, slavery, desperation and early death.

Change comes with introspection and insight, a willingness to acknowledge our faults and flaws while still embracing our strengths and potential for growth. In a world that is teeming with humanity, armed with pipe bombs and machine guns and nuclear weapons and drones, we don’t need defenders of religion’s status quo—we need real reformation, as radical as that of the 16th Century and much, much broader. It is only by acknowledging religion’s worst ideas that we have any hope of embracing the best.”

Valerie Tarico is a psychologist and writer in Seattle, Washington.

https://valerietarico.com/2015/01/20/religions-dirty-dozen-12-really-bad-religious-ideas-that-have-made-the-world-worse/

#atheist #agnostic #secular humanist #skeptic #Religion #Christianity #religious insanity

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thewiccanwitchling · 7 years ago

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105 Witchy Questions Answered

Disclaimer: I haven’t been tagged. I found this list here, so, thank you @prettyalice13. Having this in mind, I won’t tag anyone neither. And I love doing this sort of thing, and reading too. Tag me, I would love to read this about you.

1. Are you solitary or in a coven? Solitary. 2. Do you consider yourself Wiccan, Pagan, witch, or other? At this very moment ‘wiccan witchling’. Chose to follow and learn both paths, but many others too (my answer didn’t help I know) like Paganism, Hellenism, Heathenry and so on. 3. What is your zodiac sign? I’m very proud to be a Sagittarius. 4. Do you have a Patron God/dess? No that I know. The idea warms my heart, but I have recent studying this subject and saw that isn’t that easy or simple. 5. Do you work with a Pantheon? So much yes. I don’t know if it will show another question like that, but my beliefs involves Greek, Norse, Egyptian, Hindu, Armenian, Celtic and oh my, many others. I grew polytheistic and is part of what I am. I grew loving the Gods and Goddesses. 6. Do you use tarot, palmistry, or  any other kind of divination? Tarot, Runes, Shufflemancy. I want to learn and practice Pendulum and just learn some others like lychnomancy, scrying, etc. 7. What are some of your favorite herbs to use in your practice? (if any) I have a little and loved herbs shelf that I’m learning their properties, but I love to have in hand cinnamon. 8. How would you define your craft? As a “baby witch” or “witchling” I’m in a place where everything is beautiful to learn yet. I’m too curious and wiling to learn. I want to Heal and Protect, but it do not exclude my strong will to learn about Demonology or Death Witchcraft or even Spirit Work (or even Conjuring). 9. Do you curse? If not, do you accept others who do? Not yet. Or not thought that was necessary at this moment. Each witch or baby witch own his/her own path. If they thinks it’s necessary, so I think they have (or even ought) to. As I said in the previous question, every ramification of Witchcraft is beautiful and valid. And the one thing I will do is learn about other kinds of craft too.

10. How long have you been practicing? Less than a year. (Literally newborn) 11. Do you currently or have you ever had any familiars? I’m very unware of spirit work of any type. I have a kind of anxiety about this subject, so at this moment I say ‘no’ because of it. 12. Do you believe in Karma or  Reincarnation? Both. Karma is very powerful. 13. Do you have a magical name? Actually, don’t know. I like to use “Sonata” in some situation, rather than my name, but I’m studying this better. 14. Are you “out of the broom closet”? Nope. I’m still a ‘secret witchling’. 15. What was the last spell you performed? Actually I do not remember. Just remember one I’m studying to write, it’s an anti-anxiety and protection from the Gods. 16. Would you consider yourself knowledgeable? Yes, but I want to be more. 17. Do you write your own spells? Yes. To be honest, few, once I’m in the learning process, so... 18. Do you have a book of shadows? If so, how is it written and/or set up? I’ve started with a Grimoire that isn’t finished yet, but I started a BoS too and a “witchy journal” (a notebook that I’m not whereas neither BoS or Grimoire). I treat them like a planner. 19. Do you worship nature? Yes, how I can. I live in city and green areas here are VERY rare. 20. What is your favorite gemstone? This is a hard question. So many... Love when they are very shiny! 21. Do you use feathers, claws, fur, pelt, skeletons/bones, or any other animal body part for magical work? For now, feathers dropped from my Calopsita/Cockatiel. 22. Do you have an altar? Yes and no. My images and some witchy stuff are in a shelf in my room, discreet. 23. What is your preferred element? Fire to study and Water to relax. 24. Do you consider yourself an Alchemist? Oh! I would love consider myself with this title some day. I would be so proud of myself! One day... One day. 25. Are you any other type of magical practitioner besides a witch? ...Hm... No? 26. What got you interested in witchcraft? To find my place. To find mental and spiritual healing and balance. I’ve always loved the Gods and witchcraft but I never thought I could be able to be part of it, just because I’ve never considered myself capable for such wisdom. 27. Have you ever performed a spell or ritual with the company of anyone who was not a witch? No. The only thing I usually make is talk about it with a friend that isn’t a witch and with my mom. She isn’t a witch too, but I consider her one. 28. Have you ever used ouija? No and I do not know If I would some day. I personally want to have one, but use... As I said, at this moment, my fear and anxiety gives me a invisible wall to this subject. 29. Do you consider yourself a psychic? Yes, at least a little for some experiences. 30. Do you have a spirit guide? If so, what is it? As Patron Deities, I don’t know. 31. What is something you wish someone had told you when you first started? Actually, this is something that no one told me, but I knew already: This isn’t easy. And I would love to say this for someone who has a step back about Witchcraft: it’s not what you see in the movies or television is more personal and intense and... Beautiful. 32. Do you celebrate the Sabbats? If so which one is your favorite? Sort of... Sometimes I forget them. But I do love each one. 33. Would you ever teach witchcraft to your children? If someday I can call myself a Witch or Alchemist or Herbalist or Spirit Worker, I would love to teach my children or someone willing to learn. 34. Do you meditate? Rarely. But I consider a meditation when I sit to listen my fav music or showers. 35. What is your favorite season? My heart loves with Autumn and Winter. 36. What is your favorite type of magick to preform? Related to Healing; Protection; Luck; Prosperity. 37. How do you incorporate your spirituality into your daily life? These tips that we cross here too helps a lot to incorporate this, daily. Like some little incantation when I’m going to shower, or got a crystal with me when I’m going to pay videogames, sometime I enchant the controller to give that boost in my matches online of Call Of Duty or Battlefield. 38. What is your favorite witchy movie? The Covenant, Immortals, Wrath Of Titans 2. The first one is a group of witches that are the last descendents of Salem and they discover a fifth member that was supposed dead. In another moment I will do a witchy movies list as I did already with my musics. The second one is about the king Hyperion search and having in his power the Epirus’s Bow, which is capable of releasing the Titans to realm of Man. The catch? Zeus, Athena, Poseidon and Apollo came down to help the mankind. The last one is about Hades and Ares releasing Chronos. Zeus had all His power drained to His father awake. Why I consider the last two witchy? ‘Cause my love for the Theoi is so strong in my heart. That the most strong connection and offering from me to Them is watching those movies (and of course, considering good enough for Them). And personally WoT 2 and Immortals are a strong view of how I see Them. Physical and mainly: personality. (and I cry very much watching these two movies). The first one is one of my views of modern Witchcraft. (and the cast is so handsome) Wrath Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3LuuxhQV0A Immortals Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE3yR8bZ1pY The Covenant Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGv1T4CiwKg

39. What is your favorite witchy book, both fiction and non-fiction. Why? The Book Of Moon Magick by D.J. Conway it was my first witchy book ever, have it for years. Fictional, I can’t think of any right now (besides Harry Potter and I do not like it anymore, so I’m not counting it here). Because all my witchy-little-library that I have in my room are all non-fic. 40. What is the first spell you ever preformed? Successful or not. Charm Of Happiness. For me is very successful. 41. What’s the craziest witchcraft-related thing that’s happened to you? If you believe or not, was and is about my Tarot decks and readings. I was the kind of person of “tarot anxiety”, I had so much afraid to even think about it. Then I learned, practice and the results, still amazes me. Even when I do readings for clients, sometimes is so accurate that hurts. And some recurrent dreams I have about me as witch and with my Beloved Deities. 42. What is your favourite type of candle to use? White or blue. 43. What is your favorite witchy tool? My crystals, decks and runes. 44. Do you or have you ever made your own witchy tools? Not yet, but I have planned working on Witches Runes. 45. Have you ever worked with any magical creatures such as the fae or spirits? No. But In my house we already had some cute situations with Gnomes. 46. Do you practice color magic? Always. Color and numbers are daily basis. 47. Do you or have you ever had a witchy teacher or mentor of any kind? No. I learnt all of I know, by myself.

48. What is your preferred way of shopping for witchcraft supplies? Unfortunately, just online. In my ‘hood is very, VERY rare a witchy shop. And the religious stores that I have by, don’t of course, work with Wicca or my type of Witchcraft. So everything I have and search is gathering from some different places. 49. Do you believe in predestination or fate? I used to believe in those subjects more. Still do, but... Not with that strong feeling anymore. 50. What do you do to reconnect when you are feeling out of touch with your practice? Movies and Music gives me that witchy boost. 51. Have you ever had any supernatural experiences? Yes. I’m a little sensitive with dreams. Already dreamt of crashes that already happened, premonitions and empathy. 52. What is your biggest witchy pet peeve? I do not know. I... feel REALLY annoyed when someone come to me (in most of the cases non witch or hellenic related) to tell crap about Zeus, Odin, Loki, Ares or Hades. Once I got very irritated when the person talked crappy things about Athena. But “witchy pet peeve” I can’t tell anything that comes to mind yet. 53. Do you like incense? If so what’s your favorite scent? No, mostly because I can’t use. I have chronic allergies, and incenses and most of aromatic stuff triggers my allergies. 54. Do you keep a dream journal of any kind? No, because my stress and anxiety disturbs my sleep. And can occur that when I wake in the morning, those problems can happen and destroys my days. 55. What has been your biggest witchcraft disaster? None, yet. 56. What has been your biggest witchcraft success? Being part of aaaall of this. I tell this with my heart. 57. What in your practice do you do that you may feel silly or embarrassed about? Verbal conversations! 58. Do you believe that you can be an atheist, Christian, Muslim or some other faith and still be a witch too? Actually, yes. I grew up in a catholic school, but in my religion classes, I’ve always studied about many other faiths and religions. So, for my, this World has place for many Faiths, Religions and Beliefs. In other words: This planet has place for everybody. 59. Do you ever feel insecure, unsure or even scared of spell work? Yes. So much yes. 60. Do you ever hold yourself to a standard in your witchcraft that you feel you may never obtain? Frustration in it. Like... always stuck in the basics, or not feel that feeling of capable of pro witch. It’s silly what I’m writing, but it’s what I feel. 61. What is something witch related that you want right now? I miss my grimoire at the moment. My will is to write in it for hours. 62. What is your rune of choice? I really can’t pick one. For me, one complements the others. 63. What is your tarot card of choice? The Hermit! Sometimes The Fool. 64. Do you use essential oils? If so what is your favorite? The same situation about the Incense question. 65. Have you ever taken any kind of witchcraft or pagan courses? Not yet. 66. Do you wear pagan jewelry in public? Yes. People just look, some get curious in their eyes. Some tell nothing, like the day I went to a book store and the seller was wearing a Yggdrasil choker. 67. Have you ever been discriminated against because of your faith or being a witch? As a secret one, directly no. But I’ve always loved this path and my best friend once told something about Wicca that disappointed me. Edit: just remembered something that hurted me awhile ago, I did even deleted the post, I’m not here to argue. I posted about a dream that I had both with Loki and Hermes, and I had a response from a tumblr user. I did not lost my time to it, ‘cause were a White Supremacy/homophobic piece of sh*t replaying as a absurd the fact that I “mixed” Hellenic with Norse. He even said that I wouldn’t be serious with my dreams/words. 68. Do you read or subscribe to any pagan magazines? Not yet too. 69. Do you think it’s important to know the history of paganism and witchcraft? Surely. It automatic envolves history. The same when you choose polytheism. 70. What are your favorite things about being a witch? Sorry, but everything. The Craft is a beautiful path. I love to see others conjuring, others with spirit work, others practicing Demon/Goetia/Death work, Deity Work, Green, Shadow, Black, Witch, Pink, Grey, Voodoo, Hoodoo, Ecletic and which tag or how you call yourself in Witchcraft. I admire you and I want to learn from you, and for me what you do is beautiful. 71. What are your least favorite things about being a witch? The hate. The prejudice. The phobia. It breaks my heart with such disrespect. With the spreading hate. It’s 20-fucking-17 and looks like the hate spreads more and more in the World. 72. Do you listen to any pagan music? If so who is your favorite singer/band? Actually no. Certainly I heard some pagan singers and groups but not to being fav (If you consider Kerli as one... Some of her music are actually very proper to witchcraft and she is a “white witch”) 73. Do you celebrate the Esbbats? If so, how? Same of the Sabbats question... Forgetful witchling. 74. Do you ever work skyclad? No. 75. Do you think witchcraft has improved your life? If so, how? Mentally, spiritual and to improve my knowledge. My Witchcraft if for me, ‘cause I found my place, you know? I can search, talk, worship without judgment. without someone telling and hurting my feelings using the words: “the old gods are dead”. No, They are in my heart. Always were and always will be, with or without being my patrons, or phone or spouse. It’s the more intense feelings I have and is where my heart warms and beats fast. 76. Where do you draw inspiration from for your practice? Could be silly, but from my love to it. The inspiration comes from my emotions and heart, to real. 77. Do you believe in ‘fantasy’ creatures? (Unicorns, fairies, elves, gnomes, ghosts, etc) Sure. Strong yes here too. 78. What’s your favorite sigil/symbol? Pentagram, Vegvisir and Ægishjalmr. 79. Do you use blood magick in your practice? Why or why not? No, I do not use fluids in my practices. At this moment, I prefer not too. Maybe ‘cause I think that kind of ingredients are very powerful. Even hair or names I do not use yet. 80. Could you ever be in a relationship with someone who doesn’t support your practice? No. I’m single and I prefer that way, for many years now. In friendship I hadn’t that problem yet. At least with someone who knew. 81. In what area or subject would you most like your craft to grow? Alchemy, Herbalism and Study of Deities, I really would love to be better in these three subjects. 82. What’s your favorite candle scent? Do you use it in your practice? The same about allergies here. But, even with, I do use scented candles. Most of times I lit to make a test with its scent. If my nose aproves, so ok. My nose and me likes chamomile, pomegranate, passion fruit, cinnamon and clove. 83. Do you have a pre-ritual ritual? (I.e. Something you do before rituals to prepare yourself for them). If so what is it? Sort of yes and no. I do love to use proper music when I’m doing Witchcraft-related things. (like now, answering these questions). 84. What real life witch most inspires your practice? Now, I can’t remember any names, seriously. 85. What is your favorite method of communicating with deity? No spirit/deity work yet. 86. How do you like to organize all your witchy items and ingredients? As a secret, I do have my shelf that I mentioned earlier, with images of saints and deities plus herbs. Besides that I have three medium to little boxes with my witchy tools and stuff. Everytime I use anything, I clean or dispose and keep back to its boxes. 87. Do you have any witches in your family that you know of? “Hereditary” No. But as I said earlier too, I consider my mom, one. 88. How have you created your path? What is unique about it? I started my path with love. I fell in love with Witchcraft since I was a child, but I used to read about, movies, music, nothing besides and never had any crystal or incorporated anything. Fun fact: When I was young, I bought a pointed crystal. Years later I passed it on, I didn’t liked it anymore. A month or less, I made a haul from a witchy store and they gave me as a gift a pendulum. The same crystal, type, everything that I had in that time. Today I know one thing: that crystal I had was a pendulum and looks like the universe got it back to me. 89. Do you feel you have any natural gifts or affinities (premonitions, hearing spirits, etc.) that led you toward the craft? If so what are they? Yes. I consider myself and already had some situations that prove me that I’m not alone, that supernatural exists and all this kind of “things”. Intuitions, emotions and some premonitions from my dreams. Sometimes I can know what people can tell me before I talk to them, I already dreamt about disasters that happened, and one of the most powerful situations was the healing of a family’s friend. He was in a wheelchair, we didn’t know it, and weeks passed and we didn’t saw him anymore. One night I dreamt that him was visiting us like he used to, walking, healed. The day after that dream, he knocked in our home, as I mentioned, healed. -One morning, I was in my bed, watching TV. I wasn’t making any movement. Suddenly, I feel like someone was sitting by my side, then it left. -In other situation, me and my mom went to get a pizza that we have ordered and when we got out of the condo hall, both of us saw a man (or sort of) in black standing outside. Was so strong the felling that me and my mom we moved like... We gave excuse to him to pass, like if he was entering the hall and we going out. -In other news, I passed in front of the Church Of Saint Jude here in São Paulo, and I saw something white, medium size and four-legged descend the stairs of its Chapel. “fun fact”: there was nobody using those stairs, and in that moment was so... clear, that I stood in shock for some minutes. 90. Do you believe you can initiate yourself or do you have to be initiated by another witch or coven? Being a witchling in a place there is no other witches or coven or anything in the middle, I have two options: not initiate myself, or initiate myself when I learn and feel prepared. 91. When you first started out in your path what was the first thing or things you bought? Clear crystal + amethyst and another pentagram necklace (since I was little I already had a silver pentacle that my mother gave me).

92. What is the most spiritual or magickal place you’ve been? When I went to Cancun, Mexico, many years ago and met Guadualupe personally. Her statue was there that time, so splendorous. Since that time, She is one of the Beloveds that are in my heart.

93. What’s one piece of advice you’d give someone who is searching for their matron and patron deities? Study. Learn. Patron deities is stil spirit work and you can’t play with it, you have to know what you are doing. It’s a serious subject even if you feel (like me) disappointed to know that in the moment you do not have one. And learning, you’ll understand how it works. The same advice goes to godspouse and godphone. 94. What techniques do you use to 'get in the zone’ for meditation? Music (mostly instrumental), No Talking ASMR and ambient sounds. 95. Did visualization come easily to you or did you have to practice at it? I have to practice it. For some reasons I get distracted easily, even with bad thoughts. 96. Do you prefer day or night? Why? Day. Is when I have more energy, boost and spoons. 97. What do you think is the best time and place to do spell work? Whenever you feel confortable and necessary. 98. How did you feel when you cast your first circle? Did you stumble or did it go smoothly? I didn’t yet. I’m having a hard time to do visualization. 99. Do you believe witchcraft gets easier with time and practice? Yes and no. With time, you become more aware of what you’re doing. But the same time, you will have to know what you are doing. Witchcraft is study, learning, wisdom and knowledge. 100. Do you believe in many gods or one God with many faces? Both visions. Seriously. 101. Do you eat meat, eggs and dairy? Yes and I’m addicted to eggs. 102. What is your favorite color and why? At the moment is Purple and mainly Maroon/Burgundy/Dark Red. Purple is a set of coincidences, my vision is highlighting so much this color in the past months now. And the other option always was my fav color, it’s a color that I feel, simple as that. 103. What is the one question you get asked most by non-practitioners or non-pagans? How do you usually respond? I didn’t had this experience yet. with the few people I talk about, just listen to me. 104. Which of your five senses would you say is your strongest? I think it’s Vision. But I do not know how to explain it, really. 105. What is a pagan or witchcraft rule that you preach but don’t practice? Some situations, like all time concentration for divination or cleansing. Having the will, I do the way it is, regarding the situation. Took me two days to answer this and I fricking loved it. Hope I could show you a little of what I am. I just a baby witch, but I’m eager to learn and to help with what I know. Congrats and thank you if you made until here.

#witchcraft #witchling #wicca #patron deities #hellenic #hellenic polytheism #hellenic polytheist #kemetic #celtic #pagan #nordic #heathen #theoi #chthonic

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bldgrelationshipwgod · 5 years ago

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RE: RE: Matthew 17:14-21 | The Demoniac: Boy is Healed

When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus & knelt before Him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures & is suffering terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not heal him.” “O unbelieving & perverse generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to Me.” Then Jesus rebuked the demon, & it came out of the boy, & he was healed from that moment.

Afterward the disciples came to Jesus privately & asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

“Because you have so little faith,” He answered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ & it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

But this kind does not go out, except by prayer & fasting.

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Charles Ellicott Commentary (1819 –1905) | Matthew 17:14

[14] And when they were come to the multitude—Luke states that it was on the next day, the night having apparently been spent on the Mount of Transfiguration.

The magic power of the art of Raffaelle has brought into vivid juxtaposition the contrast between the scene of glory above & that of trouble & unrest below, but we must not allow the impression made by the picture to distort our thoughts of the history.

The two scenes did not synchronize.

The vision was at night, & the descent from the mountain would have carried those who made the journey some way at least into the day that followed.

There came to Him a certain man—Mark [Mark 9:14-16] narrates more fully that as our Lord & the three were coming to the disciples, they saw a crowd, & scribes disputing with them; that when the multitude saw this they were astonished, & running to Him, saluted Him; that He then asked, “Why dispute you with them?” & that this drew forth the answer & the prayer which in Matthew’s record stands without any prelude.

[15] See Note on Matthew 4:24. Other Gospels add some further touches.

The boy had a “dumb spirit.” When the spirit seized him it “tore him,” & he foamed at the mouth, & gnashed with his teeth.

Slowly, & as with difficulty, the paroxysm passed off, & the sufferer was wasting away under the violence of the attacks.

The phenomena described are, it need hardly be said, those of epilepsy complicated with insanity, a combination common in all countries, & likely to be aggravated where the “seizure,” which the very word epilepsy implies, was the work of a supernatural power.

Prolonged melancholy, indescribable look of sadness, a sudden falling, & loss of consciousness, with/out convulsions, passing into a tetanic stiffness, periodical recurrence coinciding often with the new or full moon [hence probably the description of the boy as “lunatick”], grinding teeth, foaming at the mouth, are all noted by medical writers as symptoms of the disease.

The names by which it was known in the earlier stages of medical science were all indicative of the awe with which mankind looked on it.

It was the “divine,” the “sacred” disease, as being a direct supernatural infliction. The Latin synonym, morbus comitialis, came from the fact that if a seizure of this kind occurred during the comitia, or assemblies of the Roman Republic, it was looked upon as of such evil omen that the meeting was at once broken up, & all business adjourned.

Whether there was in this case something more than disease, viz., a distinct possession by a supernatural force, is a question which belongs to the general subject of the “demoniacs” of the Gospel records.

[See Note on 8:28.] Here, at any rate, our Lord’s Words [Matthew 17:21] assume, even more emphatically than elsewhere, the reality of the possession. [See Mark 9:25.]

[16] They could not cure him—This, then, would seem to have been the subject-matter of debate.

The scribes were taunting the disciples, who probably trusted to their use of the wonted formula of their Master’s name, & were wrangling in their defense.

Neither scribes nor disciples had thought of gaining the spiritual power which might avail by the means which they both recognized as effective.

[17] O faithless & perverse generation—The words were obviously addressed both to the scribes & the disciples.

Both had shown their want of the faith which utters itself in prayer to the Father; both were alike “perverse,” in finding in the misery brought before them only an occasion of wrangling & debate.

This was not the way to obtain power to heal, & formulae of exorcism were but as an idle charm, without the faith of which they were meant to be the expression.

How long shall I suffer you?—The words are significant as suggesting the thought that our Lord’s whole life was one long tolerance of waywardness & perversity of people.

Bring him hither to me—Mark, whose record is here by far the fullest, relates that at this moment “the spirit tare him,” & that he “wallowed foaming,” in the paroxysm of a fresh convulsion; that our Lord then asked, “How long is it ago since this came unto him?” & was told that he had suffered from his childhood; that the father appealed, half-despairing, to our Lord’s pity, “If you canst do anything, have compassion on us, & help us;” & was told that it depended on his own faith, “If you can believe; all things are possible to him that believes;” & then burst out into the cry of a faith struggling with his despair, “Lord, I believe; help Thou my unbelief;” & that that faith, weak as it was, was accepted as sufficient.

[18] Jesus rebuked the devil—Better, demon, as elsewhere in these cases of possession. The child was cured—Better, the boy.

Mark 9:21 implies, as indeed the Greek does here, that the sufferer had passed beyond the age of childhood.

Mark gives the words of the rebuke, “Thou dumb & deaf spirit, I command thee, come out from Him, & enter no more into him.” This was followed by a great cry & another convulsion; then He fell down, “as it were, dead,” & many cried out, “He is dead.” Then Jesus took Him by the hand, & raised Him up, & the work of healing was accomplished. Calmness, & peace, & self-possession were seen instead of the convulsive agony. The spiritual power of the Healer had overcome the force, whether morbid or demoniac, which was the cause of His sufferings. Our Lord’s Words, it need hardly be said, assume it to have been the latter; & those who deny the reality of the possession must, in their turn, assume either that He shared the belief of the people, or accepted it because they were not able to receive any other explanation of the mysterious sufferings which they had witnessed. Each hypothesis presents difficulties of its own, & we may well be content to confess our inability to solve them. [See Note on Matthew 8:28.] Speaking generally, the language of the NT seems to recognise, if not in all diseases, yet at least in all that disturb the moral equilibrium of mankind’s nature, an infraction of the divine order, & therefore rightly sees in them the work, directly or indirectly, of the great antagonist of that order. All our Lord’s works of mercy are summed up by Peter in the Words that “He went about doing good, & healing all that were oppressed of the devil” [Acts 10:38], & on this supposition the particular phenomena of each case were logically ascribed to demoniac forces. [19] Why could not we cast Him out?—The question came obviously from the disciples who had been left below when our Lord went apart with Peter, James, & John, to the Mount of the Transfiguration. They did not even now see the reason of their failure. They had dealt with this case as they had dealt with others. Why had they not met with a like issue? They did not as yet perceive that they came under our Lord’s language of rebuke, & did not look on themselves as belonging to the “faithless generation.” [20] Because of your unbelief—The various reading, “Because of your little faith,” found in many, but not the most authoritative MSS., is interesting as an example of a tendency to tone down the apparent severity of our Lord’s Words. They show conclusively that the disciples themselves came under the range of His rebuke to the “faithless & perverse generation.” If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed—The hyperbolical form of our Lord’s Words, repeated afterwards in Matthew 21:21, excluded from the thoughts of the disciples, as from our own, the possibility of a literal interpretation. The “grain of mustard seed” was, as in Matthew 13:31, the proverbial type of the infinitely little. To “remove mountains” was, as we see in 1 Corinthians 13:2 [this may, however, have been an echo of our Lord’s teaching], the proverbial type of overcoming difficulties that seemed insurmountable. The Words were, we may believe, dramatised by a gesture pointing to the mountain from which our Lord & the three disciples had descended, as afterwards by a like act in reference to the Mount of Olives [Matthew 21:21].Nothing shall be impossible unto you—The Words, absolute as they sound, are yet, ipso facto, conditional. Nothing that comes within the range of faith in the wisdom & love of God, & therefore of submission to His will, is beyond the range of prayer. [21] This kind goeth not out but by prayer & fasting—The Words imply degrees in the intensity of the forms of evil ascribed to demons amounting to a generic difference. Some might yield before the energy of a human will, & the power of the divine Name, & the prayers even of a weak faith. Some, like that which comes before us here, required a greater intensity of the spiritual life, to be gained by the “prayer & fasting” of which our Lord speaks. The circumstances of the case render it probable that our Lord himself had vouchsafed to fulfil both the conditions. The disciples, we know, did not as yet fast [Matthew 9:14-15], & the facts imply that they had been weak & remiss in prayer. The Words are noticeable as testifying to the real ground & motive for “fasting,” & to the gain for the higher life to be obtained, when it was accompanied by true prayer, by this act of conquest over the lower nature. So Peter’s vision [Acts 10:9-10], & the appointment of Paul & Barnabas by the direct guidance of the Spirit [Acts 13:2], are both connected with fasting. And Paul, besides the “hunger & thirst” that came upon Him as the incidents of His mission-work, speaks of himself as “in fastings often” [2 Corinthians 11:27].

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fellowshipofteamfreewillassemble · 8 years ago

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Rant Time

Okay, so I’m going to rant about Supernatural now, and if I lose followers, so be it. This will also contain spoilers from the most recent episode, so if you haven’t seen it and you have plans to see it, I would stop reading now.

I’m relatively new to the fandom, I only started watching a few years ago, back when season 10 was on live. I caught up on all nine season on Netflix within a month (I know I have no life) so that I could begin watching the show live.

I love the show, but I feel like it’s lost the fire that used to drive it. Looking back on all the seasons, I feel like it actually started losing a bit of the fire after season 5, when they originally planned to end it, and little by little it’s just been dying each season.

I miss Castiel, the way he used to be. I miss his original trenchcoat, I miss his original tie, I miss the angels being in Heaven and having their wings, and I miss the BA Cas that we met at the beginning.

I know this is a fairly unpopular opinion, but I am sick and tired of the angels and demons. I miss the way the first five seasons were. Yes, angels and demons played a big part in those seasons, but it’s all just become rather dull and repetitive.

I can see why the writers have continued, but honestly to me, it kinda feels like they’re just going because the fandom is getting bigger and even more popular than it already was, and yes, that is something to be proud of. But honestly, once Kripke left, I feel like the writing started going downhill.

Season 6? Okay, yeah, it was pretty good. Soulless Sam? Interesting. Didn’t like Cas keeping secrets from the boys, didn’t like him going crazy and thinking he was God, but all in all, not bad, especially considering they weren’t originally going to keep going after 5, so I can understand why that writing might have felt a little forced.

Season 7? Leviathans? Okay, that’s pretty cool to have a monster be the driving force behind a season. Not bad. But you killed Bobby. No bueno :( Yes, I know he’s come back for a few episodes here and there, but he was honestly their father, and they killed him. Do Sam and Dean really have to go through this heartache of losing a father-figure all over again?

Season 8? Eh, not my favorite, but it did introduce us to Kevin, whom I loved. I also thought to shut the gates of Hell was an interesting idea, but noooooo. They squashed that idea and kept them open. I understand that without the gates being open, a lot of these different plot points wouldn’t work, but *shrug* maybe they should have stopped at 8?

Season 9? Okay, dealing with the ramifications of angels being cast out, which was eh, interesting, but now they’re not the all-powerful beings they once were. It’s commonplace to run into an angel in the show now, whereas before, it was only a few that we knew, which made it seem more awe-inspiring. Plus, you killed Kevin. Way. To. Go. Why? Why was Kevin killed? That made no sense.

Season 10? Oooh, Dean’s a demon, that could be coo-oh wait. It’s over. He’s not a demon anymore. Oh, and Chuck is still alive, so there’s that. Dean and Crowley are besties. That’s weird. Oh look, they found a book that can help remove the mark from Dean’s arm, which they do, but they also kill Death. I mean, that provides some interesting theories on whether Death could actually be killed or not, but oh no! Something terrible is released. PLUS YOU KILLED CHARLIE, THAT TOOK IT WAY TOO FAR. WHY DID SHE HAVE TO DIE? There was literally no reason for her to die, other than to release Dean’s inner deanmon, but I feel like that could have been released in other ways besides killing an amazing character :/

Season 11? I dunno, I just feel really uncomfortable with the whole “let’s play around with God and his angels, and make Lucifer kinda seem like he could be a good guy, he was just misunderstood.” And then, while I’m glad no one had to die at the end, Amara’s whole “I just wanted you to love me like you loved your creations” felt like a bit of a copout. Anticlimactic. But hey, it left off on a killer cliffhanger, what with Sam being captured and Mary being brought back. I thought it was an interesting way to end.

Now we’re at season 12. It started off, and it showed a lot of promise. Sam was captured by the BMoL, there was whump and torture, protective Dean and Mary, yeah. Plus, they promised there would be more monster hunting, which I have sorely missed. And while there has been more monster hunting, I think what I miss the most was the atmosphere of the first few seasons. I have a lot to say on the matter of season 12, so if you’re still reading and you don’t hate me yet, I definitely have more to say on the matter.

I understand why they brought Mary back, and not some of the other characters. Sam and Dean got to know the other characters fairly well before they were killed, and while I would have loved to see Ellen, Jo, Charlie, Kevin, Bobby, or any of the others brought back as well, I understand why they chose Mary. The boys needed a mother, and Amara had seen the pictures of the Winchester family, so she knew about Mary. She didn’t know about the others. But! As soon as Mary gets here, she runs off, which I also kind of understand, but really? You’re dead for that long and you don’t want to see or interact with your sons at all? And then you go and join forces with the BMoL, who tortured one of your sons. Where is the logic in that?

Also, Mary and Ketch???? GROOOOOOSSSSSS! No no no no no no no no do not like at all. Plus, I liked Mick. He stood up for what he believed in finally, and he was killed for it. And no preamble, just BAM and he was gone. Seriously?? Ugh.

And like I’ve said before, I feel very uncomfortable with the whole “Lucifer” plotline. Yes, my religious beliefs have a huge part to play in that. So sue me. I don’t like that the Devil is being personified as someone the fandom really loves. Plus, I hate the fact that he now has a kid. I do not like that at all.

I just feel like the writers are writing more angst for no reason; there doesn’t need to be this much angst. Plus, being in the fandom now kinda scares me a little. Do NOT call me a fake fan if I don’t ship Destiel. That’s not what the show is about, and I don’t ship it. If you do, fine. I’m not going to try and change your mind, but don’t you DARE tell me that I’m wrong because I don’t ship it. I hardly ship any relationships in any show, unless it’s canon, and them I usually like “Aw, that’s cute.” The only people I ship are Jack and Diane, and Bozer and Riley, and both of them happen to be from MacGyver.

I have a lot more to say on the subject, but for the sake of people reading this, I’m just going to end it here. If you read all the way to the end, thanks for listening to my long rant, and I’m sorry if I offended you. This is not meant to be a post to attack anyone, but I’m simply stating my opinion about the show. It honestly kinda hurts me to say all of this, because the show has meant so much to me.

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amplesalty · 6 years ago

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Day 5 - Saving Christmas (2017)

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me.

FIVE SIDED RING!!!! No, wait...four. GOD DAMNIT!

No, sadly not a remake of the modern day Kirk Cameron classic. Why does Christmas need saving all the damn time? It needs to become empowered so it can save itself once in a while.

Anyway, with this and the Halloween movies, I tend to keep a wordpad document where I will note down any interesting sounding movies I come across so I might watch them in future years. Apparently I must have added this last year but I have no earthly idea where I picked it up from, probably that message board. It's always a bit weird going back through that list a year or two down the line with no context so I have no idea what these things are or how I found them in the first place. Like, spoiler for some future year, I have 3615 code Père Noël on the list but just looking on that makes me think I've copied some weird HTML code somehow.

The only note I've made on that entire list, outside of just film names, is on this noting 'Mike and Maria Bennett'. So clearly again I'm having to make my own way in the world of Christmas/wrestling mashups since WWE still isn't bothering. Still, Becky Lynch was just in that new Marine sequel so that might be neat. And Luke Harper was in one of their movies at the start of the year. I still can't believe Ted DiBiase Jr of all people was in The Marine 2. That guy always seemed so utterly devoid of charisma.

The Bennetts are just the tip of the iceberg though, as this credits roll shows. Tommy Dreamer, Matt Striker AND Gangrel?! Hell yes. Though, who casts Gangrel in a kids movie, honestly? I'm sure he has a...questionable filmography, shall we say. He directed porn, right? I'm assuming directed, I can't imagine someone casting him as a performer...

youtube

As an aside, can we all take a moment to appreciate the wonderful wonderful power ballad that is Mike and Maria Kanellis' WWE theme?

Also, as part of the credits, we learn that we're in Norepole, Maine. This both makes me confused for half the movie when I'm unsure if people are saying North Pole or Norepole, and also worried about what supernatural events are going to go down. It's a possessed wrestling title and it's murdering everyone!

Let's try and get through the dull part of the movie which is pretty much the entire first hour. We have a bunch of kids that seem to be directly ripping off Ghosbusters, trying to track down a trap a ghost, whilst also dabbling in a little testing of psychic abilities. Though, I think this kid has a genuine interest in the subject. Venkman was probably just doing it for grant money, chicks or both.

Only, Douchebag McGee turns up with his hanger on to hassle our gang here. For as bad as this movie is, they at least foreshadow this one kids later betrayal by having him shut his camera off and not even take the footage to any of the teachers to rat on the bully. That or he's just following the code of the schoolyard.

Ooooh, he threw the kids science report in the bin. Real badass over here. Well, he does take it a bit too far by insulting the kids dead father. Again, just the tip of the iceberg though, we'll come back to this.

Meanwhile, we have a budget Rob Lowe over here who rocks up to a lady's salon for a hair cut. He has a cute little dog with him though so one suspects he's here for the women. It's certainly not for a haircut, $25 he pays and his hair looks literally the same for the rest of the movie.

He works for the big toy factory in town under 'Rick', played by Edward Asner. Man, that guy is old and he's still racking up credits left, right and centre. Surprise, he's actually Santa. But he feels too old and crotchety to be Santa. Where's the heart? Where's the love?!

As part of their supernatural fixation, the kids focus on a new task: to prove Santa is real. Well, it's partially for SCIENCE and partially because his little sister has become so jaded towards Christmas. After her Dad died, how could a terrible world such as this deserve something as lovely as Christmas? This must be the world's most miserable 8 year old.

Unfortunately, little Danny's belief that Santa is caught on film by soon to be former friend Jake, who gives it to the bully who plasters it all over...'Friendsbook'. I love when movies and TV shows have to come up with fake versions of social media. Friendsbook seems too sappy to ever get over. Defintely a step down from the less subtle 'Mybook' or 'Facespace'. Danny's friend pretty clearly says Facebook as well so I dunno if they had some rights issue or something that they had to sub in the visual stuff last minute? Billion dollar company and that's what your app looks like? State of it...

Back at the salon, Sammy's attempts to bang Danny's mom have now racked him up $50 in hair cut fees and he's still not had anything in the way of restyling. 24 hour bed head, that guy.

As part of the kids efforts to track down Santa, I can't believe this is a spoken like in this movie, Danny says he 'hacked the Norepole Mall database and got a list of mall Santa's from the past decade.' He also later claims that he has free reign over the toy company's security cameras but can only shutdown their security network for 9 minutes. Clearly having access to a laptop is all that it takes to be a 1337 haxor in Hollywood. One of those is now the promoter of the wrestling show in town, the XWA. If you guessed that the X stands for XTREME, ding ding ding! A winner is you!

The kids however are a little distracted by marking out over Matt Taven. Come on, he's not even good enough to get in the opening credits! Or a close up. The promoter basically tells them that he enjoyed putting smiles on everyone's faces as Santa so that's what lead him to the wrestling biz. I feel there's definitely a parallel to be drawn between Christmas and wrestling. They're both still real to me, damnit!

Sammy explains everything to Danny's mom, that being that he is actually working the real actual Santa Claus who needs a makeover. If only for the sake of plot convenience, she readily accepts this rather than running in the opposite direction. Apparently back in the day, his company and 'a very popular soda company' (he did the air quotes and everything) put Santa on the map but it's the 21st century now. As Sammy puts it, enough is enough and it's time for a change! Firstly, I knew it! You lied to me, Snopes dot com. Coca Cola did invent Santa! Secondly, it's alright Sammy, we know Santa is not a nugget. This is all well and good but I sense a problem with dressing Santa in jorts considering the time of year he has to work. Guy looks like a more urban Hugh Hefner.

If we give Santa a hip new makeover and have him turn up at the XWA Gingerbread Brawl, it could result in the most lkes, shares and retweets of all time! That's a pretty good name, it's no Seasons Beatings or Fabulous February Fight Fest but still, pretty good. And, as for the most retweets? I'm pretty sure you have to be begging for a lifetime supply of nugs to get that title.

We've now come to the best part of the movie, hands down. Danny and his sister are walking home from school. As an end of term assignment, she had to create something based around the one thing she could have for Christmas. So, she makes a memory box full of photos and mementos of her departed Father. That's odd, why did they take the time to have an establishing shot of a wood chipper? I sure this isn't ominous in the slightest.

The bully soon comes into frame. His latest plan is to steal all the evidence that Danny and co have been compiling on the whereabouts of Santa so that he can claim all the credit himself. He figures that box must have everything in it so promptly takes it. But rather than just run off with it, he takes the odd decision to kick it into the air....oh no.

Oh God! The whole thing unfolds in slow motion, a sorrowful song drowns out everything but the dull roar of wood chipper on cardboard action, as Danny's sister breaks down in tears and the bully is in tears of laughter. This is played like the death of Bambi's mother and Mufasa all rolled into one and my God is it beautiful. Danny on the other hand, he doesn't take kindly to this and promptly lays the Smacketh-down on the bully like he's Ralphie Parker on ol' Yellow Eyes.

Right, now that's out of the way, it's time for your main event! Maria Kanellis makes he showstopping, 15 second appearance to recite The Night Before Christmas to a packed locker room of all of 4 people.

Why is Tommy Dreamer on play-by-play?!

And why do your tickets say WXE despite the fact you're clearly the XWA?

I like how in a podunk town of 3,000 people, Matt Striker still has to play as the backstage interviewer. And rather than the Vampire Warrior that we are accustomed to, Gangrel now appears to be a viking called Tucker Von Magnus. Fantastic. You know how Matt Striker would always come up with those stupid names for people? Like Yoshi Tatsu was the Poison Fist of the Pacific Rim? Let's brain storm one for Vampire Viking over here, let's make this a thing.

By the way, isn't it weird that WWE had to license out the name Gangrel from Vampire: The Masquerade? A very odd collision of worlds there.

You know that whole 'Card subject to change' thing? Yeaaaaaaaaah, about that. Turns out Max Miracle (Mike Bennett) had a little motorbike accident and now can't wrestle anymore. But don't worry, he'll defend his title at January Jam! Pre-order your tickets now! Didn't you learn anything from Bret Hart?!

Holy shit, nuclear heat for this. Tommy tries to to calm the crowd down but they are having none of it. As far as I'm concerned, all of this crap in the ring represents these fans out here!

"Uh-oh, and a flying soda to the eye now rendering Tommy Dreamer partially blind." "Wow, this....this truly is a black day for the XWA."

Well, either that or, knowing Tommy Dreamer, he’s probably just crying over something.

Nevermind that, Max Miracle's replacement is non other than Santa freakin' Claus! The bully isn't buying it though and promptly jumps the rail, grabs a mic and cuts a promo on the guy. I say jumps the rail, more like takes a step to the side around the rail. How do we know this is the real Santa?

Well, for one thing, the real Santa can fly. Tommy Dreamer can't believe his one good eye.

Also, the real Santa can magically teleport Max Miracle from his home to the middle of the ring, bad foot and all. Crowd goes banana for this, including one dad who even draws a skeptical look from his daughter. She's like 'Jeez, Dad. Calm down, it's only Michael Bennett.' They act like he's a mega babyface but the guy signed his own cast earlier! What a narcissist.

All it takes is for Santa to lay his healing hands on that cast though and all is well and Max can take on the challenge of the Viking and his evil manager. This is the part I'm calling bullshit on. I didn't sit through nearly an hour and a half of this garbage to sit through a Mike Bennett vs Gangrel match, I wanted Santa vs Gangrel!

Max goes over with, of all things, a suplex and then scoop slamming the manager on top of Gangrel for the pin. Not even a Brainbuster, just a bog standard suplex. What is this, the 80's? Minus 5 stars! Still, probably the only televised victory he’s had within the past year.

#Christmas 2018 #Saving Christmas

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jameshboyd · 7 years ago

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Think! Loving God With Your Mind

"Wise men store up knowledge..." Proverbs 10:14a "...I do not feel obligated to believe that same God who has endowed us with senses, reason and intellect has intended to forgo their use and by some other means to give us knowledge that we can attain by them." Galileo (1) A key point in the history of western civilization was when philosopher Rene' Descartes issued his famous maxim "I think, I am." In this statement, Descartes basically founded the secular movement by stating that the sole basis for our existence is the ability to think and reason. As we shall see, the ability to think is vitally important, but it is a means to a greater end: to know and glorify the God who created us. Unfortunately, Descartes' logic has been used to create a false tension between natural reason and supernatural faith, and this tension has eroded the very foundations our society was built upon. History is loaded with examples of how Christianity, as an intellectual influence, has shaped the very world we live in. The Bible has inspired some of the greatest art (such as Da Vinci's "The Last Supper") and music (such as Bach's "Passion of St. Matthew," and Handel's "Messiah") ever produced. Some of our greatest colleges and universities were originally based on strong Christian foundations and specialized in training ministers. Our school children were once educated by McGuffey readers which relied heavily on Biblical themes. Yet today, the term "Christian" is often synonymous with ignorance and anti-intellectualism. What happened? In the words of the great Christian philosopher Francis Shaeffer: "To understand where we are in today's world-in our intellectual ideas and in our cultural and political lives-we must trace three lines in history, namely, the philosophic, the scientific and the religious. The philosophic seeks intellectual answers to the basic questions of life. The scientific has two parts: first, the makeup of the physical universe and the practical application of what it discovers in technology. The direction in which science will move is set by the philosophic world view of the scientists. People's religious views also determine the direction of their individual lives and of their society (2)." Shaeffer's timely words remind us that the Christian world view encompasses all of life and requires the ability to think clearly and analytically. The fact is, the Bible was written by thinking people, for thinking people. Throughout its pages, the desire for knowledge is a constant theme (Proverbs 24:5; 1Kings 3:9; Hosea 4:6). In fact, one of the key ways we are to love God is with our mind (Matthew 22:37). This is reflected in the lives of many prominent biblical figures. For example, both Moses and Daniel were well schooled in the educational systems of their day (Daniel 1:4; Acts 7:22). Mighty King David, Israel’s greatest monarch, was a military genius (1 Samuel 18:7) as well as a master musician (1 Samuel 16:18). King Solomon, known for his tremendous wisdom, also possessed a massive knowledge of many different subjects, such as agriculture and wildlife (1 Kings 4: 30-34). The Apostle Paul, who wrote roughly two-thirds of the New Testament, was trained by the brilliant Hebrew scholar Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). Furthermore, in 1 Timothy 4:13, Paul reminds his friend Timothy to "give attendance to reading" and later instructs Timothy to bring him some books that he had left behind (2 Timothy 4:13). This would indicate that reading was a high priority to the great apostle. In the words of Charles Spurgeon: "The man who never reads will never be read; he who never quotes will never be quoted. He who will not use the thoughts of other men's brains, proves that he has no brains of his own. Brethren, what is true of ministers is true of all people. You need to read ... Paul cries, 'Bring the books' -- join in the cry (3)." Given Christianity's strong emphasis on learning and education, it seems ironic that they are often seen as enemies. At the root of the controversy has been the issue of Charles Darwin's theories of evolution, as set forth in his book The Origin of Species. Obviously, the notion that humans evolved from lower life forms did challenge the notion of a Divine Creator (although contrary to popular belief, Darwin did not teach that humans evolved from apes, but rather that humans and apes evolved from a common ancestor). In order to place Mr. Darwin’s theories in context, it is important to examine not only the ideas themselves, but also the attitude in which they were presented. For those who wish to dismiss those of us who do believe in a creator God as being "intolerant" or "narrow minded," keep in mind that some of the key battle lines were drawn by Darwin himself: "He who is not content to look, like a savage, at the phenomena of nature as disconnected, cannot any longer believe that man is the work of a separate act of creation..." (4) In prior generations, science was generally considered a study of God’s handiwork in creation. Is this irrational? It is interesting to note that the Holy Scriptures describe many natural phenomena thousands of years before they were discovered by modern science. For example, the Bible tells us that...

The earth is round (Isaiah 40:22),

The sea contains mountains and canyons (2 Samuel 22:16),

The elements of human life are found in the blood (Leviticus 17:11),

It also describes he water cycle (Psalm 135:7), and

...the deterioration of matter, or the Second Law of Thermodynamics (Psalm 102:26; Hebrews 1:10-12).

Could it be that the Bible is more up-to-date than we have ever begun to imagine? Of course, to acknowledge this would also mean to acknowledge the truth of an all-knowing, all-powerful God who holds us accountable to an absolute moral standard. Darwin's ideas gave intellectual justification to those who wanted to reject this notion. In fact, Sir Julian Huxley, a famous evolutionist and a descendant of Darwin's close ally, Thomas Huxley, openly admitted that that "...the reason we lept at The Origin of Species was because the idea of God interfered with our sexual mores (5)." Much of the tension between science and faith stems not from the Bible itself, but from traditions that have been added to it over the years. Galileo understood this: "...the holy Bible and the phenomena of nature proceed alike from the divine Word, the former as the dictate of the Holy Ghost and the latter as the observant executrix of God’s commands (6)." When addressing the science vs. religion issues, it is important to keep two important questions in mind: 1. What is the precise teaching of Scripture, as opposed to simply being common religious dogma? and 2. What is proven scientific fact, as opposed to being mere theory. Admittedly, both sides of the debate have often neglected these two precepts. By doing so, much unnecessary tension has been created between the scientific and theological communities. Unfortunately, many scientists attack belief in God as being "irrational" or "superstitious." However, to do this demeans some of the greatest scientific minds in history. In addition to Galileo, luminaries such as Newton, Keplar, Pascal, Mendel, Pasteur and countless others were all believers in a Creator. Would even the most militant athiest call these great scientists "irrational?" When the term "Creationism" is used, it is usually identified with those who believe that the Earth was created between 6000 and 10,000 years ago (7), but this is hardly a fair representation. Creationism is a larger and more diverse school of thought than many have been led to believe. In fact, there are a number of opinions among orthodox Christians as to how and when creation took place. For example, one of these theories is called "Progressive Creationism," which points out that the Hebrew word for "day" (as in "on the first day God created...") can also refer to longer time periods, thus allowing for the Earth to be billions of years old (8). Another is called the "Gap Theory" which teaches that there was a time gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, which could also be a span of billions of years (9). The key question is, when God said "Let there be..." what processes did this set into motion? That being said, I do interpret the Book of Genesis literally (as Jesus did, see Matthew 19:4), and I do believe that it gives a perfectly accurate overview of how the universe came into existence. However, this does not mean that it records every minute detail of how creation occurred (to do so would obviously fill countless libraries). In my opinion, this leaves open a wide range of possibilities. Although an explanation of my own views of these issues is beyond the scope of this work, I will simply say that the truth of the Book of Genesis does not stand or fall based on the age of the Earth. To paraphrase William Jennings Bryan, "Be concerned with the Rock of Ages, not the age of rocks." The same could be said about the theory of evolution itself. At its core, the word "evolution" simply means "to change over a period of time." No reasonable person would dispute that this occurs. It is important to note that there is a large difference between microevolution. and macroevolution. The former simply refers to evolution within species. Obviously, we see new breeds of dogs and cats, as well as new strains of vegetables and flowers. Bacteria and viruses mutate and become more resistant to medicine. This is of no consequence to religious faith at all, and I do not know of any Creationist who would argue otherwise. The latter refers to evolution from one species into another, which is a bit trickier. Contrary to popular belief, this idea is not universally accepted within the scientific world (10). The numerous missing links in the evolutionary ladder cannot be overlooked. In the ladder itself, several "rungs" are of questionable origin and some (such as Piltdown Man ) have been shown to be blatant hoaxes. In light of these facts, I would like to quote from a statement signed by over eight hundred British scientists, and is recorded at the Bodelian Library in Oxford, England: "We, the undersigned, Students of the Natural Sciences, desire to express our sincere regret that researchers into scientific truth are perverted by some in our own times into occasion for casting doubt upon the truth and authenticity of the Holy Scriptures. We conceive that it is impossible for the Word of God written in the book of nature, and God’s Word written in Holy Scripture, to contradict one another...physical science is not complete, but is only a condition of progress (4)." We will conclude our study as we began it, by revisiting Descartes. I recently heard a joke in which Descartes walked into a bar. The bartender asked him if he would like a drink. Descartes replied "I think not," and disappeared! This humorous illustration shows us how far our human wisdom will ultimately take us. In the words of noted Theologian J.I. Packer: "Man's mind becomes free only when its thoughts are brought into captivity to Christ and His Word; till then, it is at the mercy of sinful prejudice and dishonest mental habits within, and of popular opinion, organized propaganda and unquestioned commonplaces without. Tossed about by every wing of intellectual fashion and carried to and fro by the cross-currents of reaction, man without God is not free for truth; he is for ever mastered by the things he takes for granted, the victim of a hopeless and everlasting relativism." This, my friends, is where it all starts. The whole of God's glorious creation was intended to reveal His nature to us: "...the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being" (Romans 1:20, The Message Bible)(13). If you do not yet have a relationship with God, open your heart to Him right now. You'll be glad you did! (14) NOTES & BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1.Galilei, Galileo. "Letter to Christina of Tuscany: Science and Scripture." Quoted in Sherman, Dennis. Western Civilization: Sources, Images and Interpretations, Volume II: Since 1660. Sixth Edition. 2004, 2000, 1995. McGraw-Hill, New York, New York. p. 18. 2. Shaeffer, Francis A. How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture. 1976, Fleming H. Revell Company. P.20 3. C.H. Spurgeon (Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Vol. 9, 1863, sermon #542, p. 668) Quoted in"Thinkman's Thoughtful Words on Books" http://ift.tt/2v9h7EU 4. Darwin, Charles. The Descent of Man. New York: D. Appleton and Co. 1883. pp 606-607,619. Quoted in Sherman, Dennis. Western Civilization: Sources, Images and Interpretations, Volume II: Since 1660. Sixth Edition. 2004, 2000, 1995. McGraw-Hill, New York, New York. p 130. 5. Morris, Henry M. The Troubled Waters of Evolution. 1974, Creation-Life Publishers, San Diego, California. p. 58. Quoted in Why I Believe by D. James Kennedy.1980, Word, Inc.Dallas, London, Vancouver, Melbourne. p. 52. 6. Galileo, p.18. 7.For more on the Young Earth Theory, see answersingenesis.org 8. Progressive Creationism is explained at length at reasons.org 9. For a detailed explanation of the Gap Theory, see the writings of Finis Dake, C.I. Schofield and A.W. Pink 10. For an extensive list of scientist who accept the Biblical creation account, see http://ift.tt/2v95nCj 11. Quoted in Dake, Finis Jennings. God’s Plan For Man. 1949, copyright renewed 1977. Dake Bible Sales, Lawrenceville, Georgia. p. 20. 12. Packer, J.I. "'Fundamentalism' and the Word of God." First edition: 1958. Eerdman's Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan. p 143. 13. Peterson, Eugene H. The Message New Testament. 1993. Navpress. Colorado Springs, Colorado. p. 359. 14. If you need more information on a relationship with Jesus, see http://ift.tt/2vrYWww . © 2005 JHB from Blogger http://ift.tt/2v9an9R

#Blogger

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alecto-stuff · 7 years ago

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Full Name: Alecto Anneliese Cavendish Cadogan-Carrow Nickname/Alias: Lecto, Lec, Anne / Alecto Carrow

Meaning: “the implacable or unceasing anger”/ Title: Lady Pet Name: (What do other people call your character? [kid, squirt, babe, ect] May be insulting, endearing, or a combination of both. May have more than one, if other characters call them different things. Signature: (What is their handwriting like?)

Gender: Female Gender Role: Female Orientation: straight Real Age: 17 Age Appearance: 20 Birthday: 22/09/2000 Birthplace: Chatsworth House, Derbyshire, UK Astrological Sign: gêmeos Zodiac Sign: Dragão

Immediate Family: (Who was your character raised by?) Distant Family: (The ones they don’t see every day) Parenting: (Were their parents strict or fun-loving?) Upbringing: (What morals and ideals were your characters raised with?) Infancy: ([0-2] What was it like when your character was a baby? Were they nurtured or dropped at birth?) Childhood: ([3-12] What was it like for your character growing as a kid ?) Adolescence: ([13-17] Teen years) Coming of Age: (When and how did your character “grow up”?) Evolution: (How has your character changed since they were younger?)

Species: Human Ethnicity: 7/8 british, 1/8 russian Blood Type: Tipo A Preferred Hand: Left Hand Complexion: (Self explanatory) Makeup: (If any) Body Type: (Endomorph, Ectomorph, Mesomorph, or somewhere in between?) Build: (Long legs, chubby cheeks, or muscular arms?) Height: (In inches) Weight: (In pounds) Cup Size: (Self explanatory) Birthmarks/scars: (Self explanatory) Distinguishing Features: Eyes

Health: (How healthy is your character?) Energy: (How much energy does your character have on a daily basis?) Memory: (How well does your character remember things, and what do they remember?) Senses: (Are any of your character’s senses better or worse than others?) Allergies: (Self Explanatory. May be optional.) Handicaps: ([Ex: A limp, deafness, missing an eye] May be optional.) Medication: (What meds do your character take, if any?) Phobias: (Things that simply terrify your character. May be trivial or debilitating. Try to have at least one.) Addictions: (Drugs, alcohol, gambling, or bad teen romance) Mental Disorders: ([Ex: Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Paranoia.] May be optional.)

Style: (The overall style your character shows, not just limited to clothing. Ex: Punk, Goth, Nerd) Mode of Dress: (Don’t describe their clothes here. Describe how they wear their clothes. Two people can wear a suit, but each will wear it differently. [Ex: Is the shirt tucked in?]) Grooming: Well kept Posture: (How does your character present themselves? Ex: Stiff, slouchy, suggestive) Gait: (The speed and style which how your character moves) Coordination: (How physically fit is your character? Also add things like reflexes, ect.) Habits and Mannerisms: (Any nervous ticks or unconscious habits your character might have. Ex: Nail biting, crosses arms, or twirls hair) Scent: (What does your character smell like? Good or bad? How strong?)

Mood: (What mood are you most likely to catch your character in?) Attitude: (How does your character interact with others?) Stability: (How emotionally consistant are they?) Expressiveness: (Do they hide emotion or let it out openly?) When Happy: (Ex: Whistles, sings, skips) When Depressed: (Ex: locks themself in their room, listens to music, hugs a stuffed animal) When Angry: (Ex: Punches walls, screams at people, trolls online) Note: These are generalizations. Different situations will create different reactions.

Current Residence: Hogwarts, Glasgow Community: (What does the general population act like where your character lives?) Family: ([Ex: Parents, children, siblings] Include stepfamilies if it applies, and label as such.) Friends: (Who does your character like to hang out with?) Enemies: (Who does your character despise?) Bosses: (Who does your character answer to) Followers: (Who answers to your character?) Heroes: (Who does your character look up to?) Rivals: (Who are they competing with?) Relates to: (Who is similar to your character?) Pets/Familiars: (Describe a pet your character owns, real or fantasy and give it a name.)

Wardrobe: (Describe your character’s closet. What is their formal, casual, or other kind of wear?) Accessories: (Tattoos, piercing, jewelry, glasses, ect.) Trinkets: (Applies to but not limited to good luck charms, purses, watches, or any other items they carry with them almost all the time.) Funds: ~3.4b £ Home: (What is your character’s house like? Describe it’s overall appearance, [Ex: Shabby, fancy] type of house, [Trailer, mansion] and describe things such as the yard, wallpaper, or any other information. Things like bedrooms count as your character’s home.) Neighborhood: (What are the people and places near your character like?) Transportation: (How does your character get around? [Ex: Car, bus, bike]) Collections: (Does your character like to hoard or collect anything?) Most valuable possession: (In money) Prized Possession: (What object does your character value above all else?)

Lovers: (From childhood crushes, to exes, to a married partner, who does your character love?) Marital Status: Single Sex Life: what is sex life Type: Pragma/Mania Turn-Ons: (What does your character want to see in their ideal mate?) Turn Offs: (What tends to make them back off) Position: Probably submissive Plays: (Bondage, roleplay, ect.) Fetishes: (Self Explanatory) Virginity: 100% intact. Element: Water

Occupation: Student/Charity Volunteer Work Ethnic: (How hard does your character work? How do they feel about their job?) Rank: (How high up are they on the corporate ladder?) Income: (How much money do they make?) Wealth Status: (How well financed is your character? Ex: Upper, middle, or lower class) Experience: (Include things like pasts jobs, or things that contributed to current occupation.) Organizations/Affiliations: (Who does your character side with?)

IQ: >130 Education: (How good is their education?) School: (What was their school like?) Grade: (What grades would they get?) Special Education: (Did they ever get held back or get honor role?) Social Stereotype: (ex: nerd, goth, punk) Degrees: (What degrees did/would they earn in school?) Intelligence: Verbal-Linguistic . Logical-mathematical. Interpesonal. Extracurricular Activities: Voley, swimming, volunteering and treasurer for the European Young Conservatives

Religion: Catholic Morals: (What does your character find morally right or wrong?) Motivation: Pleasing her dad Priorities: (What does your character place first, second, and third?) Philosophy: (Your character’s outlook on life) Political Party: Conservative Etiquette: (How good our your characters manners? Do they bow or chew with their mouth open?) Culture: (Any things your character may do specific to a certain culture. [Ex: Bowing in Japan] Do your research on this one or you could offend people. ) Influences: (Who or what inspires your character to change? Do they influence anyone else?) Relates to: (Who can your character relate to?) Traditions: (Does your character sit around the table with their family? What holidays do they celebrate?) Superstitions: (spilling salt, knocking on wood)

Main Goal: (Driving force in the story. May be subject to change.) Minor Goals/Ambitions: (What is your character trying to accomplish?) Career: (What would be your character’s dream job?) Desires: (What does your character want?) Wishlist: (What material items does your character want?) Accomplishments: (Did they succeed in any goals?) Greatest Achievement: (Self Explanatory) Biggest Failure: (Self Explanatory) Secrets: (Everyone has at least one) Regrets: (Self Explanatory) Worries: (What do they worry about?) Best Dream: (What would be the best thing that could possibly happen to your character?) Worst Nightmare: (The worst thing that could ever happen?) Best Memories: (A few stand out memories from the past. [keep it short and sweet]) Worst Memories: (A few stand out memories from the past. [keep it short and sweet])

Hobbies/Interests: Online shopping, interior design, Skills/Talents: (Similar to hobbies, but refers to the level of skill a character has. For example, a character could like playing violin but isn’t very good at it or vice versa.) Likes: (What does your character like?) Dislikes: (What can’t they stand?) Sense of Humor: (Dark/dry/witty/sarcastic/dirty/childish/sophisticated/ironic) Pet Peeves: (Similar to dislikes, only more relating to human behavior than specific objects. Ex: When people tap on things or when people say “You’re not fat!” when you really are) Superstitions/Beliefs: (Does your character believe in conspiracy theories or aliens? Do they throw salt over their shoulder or knock on wood?) Dreams/Nightmares: (What do they dream about? [at night]) Quirks: (The strange little things that your character does to make them unique. Ex: Sleeps with their feet on the pillow or runs their hand along a pole as they walk beside it.) Savvy: (What is your character particularly well-informed of? [Ex: Politically, nature) Can’t understand: (Something they just can’t get into, such as English literate or obsession with sports) Closet Hobby: (Something that your character likes but isn’t too obvious.) Guilty Pleasure: (You know…)

Strengths: (What makes them stand a bit above the crowd? [Ex: Courageous, good listener, calm under pressure] Not supernatural abilities.) Flaws: (Refers to negative personality traits, not a weakness. Make sure it’s a deep flaw that could actually affect your character, not something trivial like “She can’t dance”. [Ex: Lies constantly, socially backwards, hot-tempered]) Perception: (How does your character generally see the world?) Conflicts: (What issues make your character want two things, but they can’t have both?) Instincts: (What they are unconsciously driven to do) Lures: (What are they inexplicably drawn to be near? Ex: Power, money, the helpless) Soft Spot: (Their vulnerability, what they feel sorry for or have particularly good feelings toward) Cruel Streak: (What makes a character act against their usual morals, and act especially mean? (everyone has something that can do this to them))

Favorite Colors: Favorite Animals: Favorite Mythological Creatures: Favorite Places: (Ex: Fav City, State, or Country) Favorite Landmarks: (Ex: Eiffel Tower, Mt. Rushmore) Favorite Flavors: (Ex: Vanilla, Sour, Strawberry) Favorite Foods: Favorite Drinks: Favorite Characters: (Not one of yours) Favorite Genre: Favorite Books: Favorite Movies: Favorite Games: Favorite Shows: Favorite Music: Favorite Bands: Favorite Songs: Favorite Sports: Favorite Stores: Favorite Subjects: Favorite Numbers: Favorite Websites: Favorite Words: Favorite Quotations: (Can be lengthy and philosophical or just simple clichés such as “Every dog has his day)

Least Favorite Colors: Least Favorite Animals: Least Favorite Mythological Creatures: Least Favorite Places: Favorite Landmarks: Least Favorite Flavors: Least Favorite Foods: Least Favorite Drinks: Least Favorite Characters: Least Favorite Genre: Least Favorite Books: Least Favorite Movies: Least Favorite Games: Least Favorite Shows: Least Favorite Music: Least Favorite Bands: Least Favorite Songs: Least Favorite Sports: Least Favorite Stores: Least Favorite Subjects: Least Favorite Numbers: Least Favorite Websites: Least Favorite Words: Least Favorite Quotations: (Can be lengthy and philosophical or just simple clichés such as “Every dog has his day)

Languages: speaks english (native), french(fluent), russian(intermediate), latin(advanced), japanese(intermediate), spanish (advanced) and italian (advanced) Accent: Posh Voice: Low pitched. Greetings and Farewells: (How does your character say hello and goodbye?) State of Mind: (Ask your character "how are you” and see how they respond) Compliment: (Have your character say something nice) Insult: (Have your character insult someone) Laughter: (What does your character’s laugh sound like?) Tag Line: (Something your character says a lot in everyday sentences. Can often be filled with a sound or vocalization. Ex: Lol, dude, uh)

Reputation: (What does the general population think of your character?) First Impressions: (What would you first think of this character upon meeting them?) Stranger Impressions: (If someone was told about the character but didn’t know them, what would they think?) Friendly Impressions: (What do people who are friends or acquaintances of your character think of them?) Enemy Impressions: (What do people who can’t stand your character think? If you can’t think of anyone who hates your character, we have a problem.) Familiar Impressions: (What do people very close to your character think of them? Ex: Family, lovers) Compliments: (What are some good things other people would say of your character? [heroic, good listener]) Insults: (Would anyone like to call your character a whore, jerk, or stupid?) Self-Impression: (What does your character really think of themselves deep down?)

MBTI Personality Type: [Ex: ENTP, ISTJ] Temperament: (Chloric/Sanguine/Melancholic/Phlegmatic) May also be called color types, such as yellow, red, blue, or green) Enneagram: (The Reformer/The Helper/The Achiever/The Individualist/The Investigator/The Loyalist/The Enthusiast/The Challenger/The Peacemaker) Ego/Superego/Id: (Superego is aims for perfection, society, and the idea of right and wrong. Id is unconscious desires and instincts - Which of these are they most driven by? The Self: (The center/core of your character) The Shadow: (The opposite qualities your character themselves does not believe they possess, but do subconsciously) The Anima/Animus: (The part of the character of the opposite gender) Persona/Mask: (What they present to the world, or the side they use to protect themselves)

Role: (What purpose does your character serve? [mentor, leader]) Fulfillment: (How well do they serve that role?) Significance: (Why does your character matter?) Alignment: (Good/Evil/Neutral/Lawful/Chaotic) Comparison: (Compare your character to some kind of animal, object, or anything else you can think of.) Symbol: (Does your character have any kind of recurring symbol that represents them? [Ex: a rose, a black cat, a sunset] Could be blatant or subtle.) Song: (A song you think best suits your character) Vice: (Pride/Greed/Gluttony/Lust/Envy/Sloth/Wrath) Virtue: (Patience/Diligence/Chastity/Temperance/Charity/Kindness/Humility) Defining Moment: (This is it. The single greatest moment of your character, when they truly become alive.) Tropes: (What about your character is stereotypical or cliched? [You can’t say nothing. Every character has some kind of cliche in them]) Originality: (What makes your character different from one like them? One Word: (Use a single adjective to sum up your character in a nutshell)

Character Sheet © Character-Resource

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delectablymaximumwitch-blog · 8 years ago

Text

CRST 290 ALL TESTS

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• Question 1

4 out of 4 points

Apologetics is a branch of theology that provides a rational defense of Christianity.

• Question 2

4 out of 4 points

The creation model predicts that organisms will remain essentially the same to the present or go extinct.

• Question 3

4 out of 4 points

Evolutionary theories are scientific and not subject to change

• Question 4

4 out of 4 points

A set of related hypotheses that are bound together to describe a phenomenon is called a law

• Question 5

4 out of 4 points

Germany only embraced Darwinian evolution after Hitler and the Nazi's came to power.

• Question 6

4 out of 4 points

Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood was a promoter of eugenics.

• Question 7

4 out of 4 points

Hermeneutics is the branch of theology that deals with the defense of doctrine and defense of the Christian faith.

• Question 8

4 out of 4 points

The scientific method has proven that evolution is an unguided process.

• Question 9

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is a good hypothesis to use with the scientific method?

• Question 10

4 out of 4 points

The best current Creation Model looks like

• Question 11

0 out of 4 points

Which of the following is a reason(s) why evolution and creation are beyond the scope of empirical science?

• Question 12

0 out of 4 points

A key feature to identify the best among multiple competing hypotheses is

• Question 13

4 out of 4 points

Creationists and evolutionists disagree because…

• Question 14

0 out of 4 points

The bronze animal in the "shrine" at the Smithsonian museum which is supposed to be the oldes mammal ancestor is the:

• Question 15

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is a distinguishing characteristic of an empirical science?

• Question 16

4 out of 4 points

The supposed dinosaur/bird missing link published in National Geographic that was shown to be a fake was called

• Question 17

4 out of 4 points

A testable explanation or solution to a problem is called a/an

• Question 18

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is NOT an empirical science?

• Question 19

4 out of 4 points

Creation can be easily proven using the scientific method.

• Question 20

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following IS a prediction of the evolution model?

• Question 21

4 out of 4 points

Creationists and evolutionists disagree to a large degree because of having different assumptions.

• Question 22

4 out of 4 points

The theory of evolution suggests that all living things share a common ancestor

• Question 23

4 out of 4 points

In 1 Peter 3:15, the Greek word  is translated as:

• Question 24

4 out of 4 points

The similarities of embryos described by Haeckel have been shown to be fraudulent.

• Question 25

4 out of 4 points

One's beliefs (assumptions) determine how one interprets the world.

Question 1

4 out of 4 points

William Jennings Bryan...

• Question 2

4 out of 4 points

Creationists and evolutionists disagree to a large degree because of having different assumptions.

• Question 3

4 out of 4 points

The idea that all organisms have descended from common ancestors is associated with evolution.

• Question 4

4 out of 4 points

The scientific method has proven that evolution is an unguided process.

• Question 5

4 out of 4 points

Scientists are always objective and do not follow "fads"

• Question 6

4 out of 4 points

The description of different kinds of organisms created with a range of variability could be described as

• Question 7

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is NOT an empirical science?

• Question 8

4 out of 4 points

A belief system that denies miracles and the supernatural is:

• Question 9

4 out of 4 points

In 1 Peter 3:15, the Greek word  is translated as:

• Question 10

4 out of 4 points

All of the following would characterize the Creation model EXCEPT

• Question 11

4 out of 4 points

The scientific method can be used to prove historical events like Columbus discovering America.

• Question 12

4 out of 4 points

Hermeneutics is the branch of theology that deals with the defense of doctrine and defense of the Christian faith.

• Question 13

4 out of 4 points

Textbooks often present misleading evidence supporting evolutionary theory.

• Question 14

4 out of 4 points

Predictions of the historic Evolution model concerning the fossil record and the appearance of life would include all of the following EXCEPT

• Question 15

4 out of 4 points

The similarities of embryos described by Haeckel have been shown to be fraudulent.

• Question 16

4 out of 4 points

Nebraska man, Haeckel's embryos, and archaeoraptor are

• Question 17

4 out of 4 points

A set of related hypotheses that are bound together to describe a phenomenon is called a law

• Question 18

4 out of 4 points

Creationists and evolutionists disagree because…

• Question 19

0 out of 4 points

A belief system that denies the supernatural and miracles is called

• Question 20

4 out of 4 points

Apologetics derives its name from which verse in Scripture?

• Question 21

4 out of 4 points

The Scriptures say to always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who

asks you to give the reason for your hope, but to do so with

• Question 22

4 out of 4 points

The term that describes the prevention of "undesirables" from reproducing is called

• Question 23

4 out of 4 points

A testable explanation or solution to a problem is called a/an

• Question 24

4 out of 4 points

Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood was a promoter of eugenics.

• Question 25

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is a reason(s) why evolution and creation are beyond the scope of empirical science?

• Question 1

4 out of 4 points

James Dobson and Pat Robertson both hold to young-Earth creation.

• Question 2

4 out of 4 points

This individual was an early promoter of the Gap Theory

• Question 3

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following requires death, disease, and suffering before the Fall of man in the Garden of Eden?

• Question 4

0 out of 4 points

The Bishop who assigned a date for creation suggested that the Fall took place on Day 10. This is the same day as the following Jewish holy day:

• Question 5

4 out of 4 points

The animal described in Job (the behemoth) is most likely a/an

• Question 6

4 out of 4 points

Noah's Ark was large enough to carry various kinds of dinosaurs.

• Question 7

0 out of 4 points

An erosional surface within an area that represents a break in time during sedimentation is called

• Question 8

4 out of 4 points

According to the bible, Noah's ark was the size of 5 railroad box cars.

4 out of 4 points

The Hebrew words for created (bara) and made (asah) are used interchangeably.

• Question 10

4 out of 4 points

All of the following are contrasts between the creation and evolution models except

• Question 11

4 out of 4 points

Several prominent Christian leaders believe in evolutionary compromises such as the big bang theory.

• Question 12

4 out of 4 points

Plain reading of the biblical text would indicate that creation took place over 6 literal days.

• Question 13

4 out of 4 points

In class, the "gap theory" was used to explain the missing links in the fossil record.

• Question 14

4 out of 4 points

Perhaps the biggest problem with the compromise theory that God used evolution to create is

• Question 15

4 out of 4 points

Millions of years can be fit

• Question 16

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following requires that God create through discontinuous activity over millions/billions of years?

• Question 17

4 out of 4 points

According to Genesis 1, the sun was made on which day?

• Question 18

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is a problem with theistic evolution?

• Question 19

4 out of 4 points

According to the bible, fish were made first, then land animals, then birds, then man.

• Question 20

4 out of 4 points

Plants were made on this day

• Question 21

4 out of 4 points

The theory which says Genesis 1-11 is poetry rather than history is...

• Question 22

4 out of 4 points

Martin Luther believed that the days of Genesis 1 were normal rotational days (24 hours long).

• Question 23

4 out of 4 points

All animals were originally supposed to eat plants not meat.

• Question 24

4 out of 4 points

According to Genesis 1, land dinosaurs would have been made when?

• Question 25

4 out of 4 points

The theory which describes a primeval creation which existed for billions of years before Adam was made is the

There are 25 questions in this exam. It is a closed book exam. You have 30 minutes to complete the exam.

• Question 1

4 out of 4 points

Genetic Drift is the random loss of genes or traits in a population through time.

• Question 2

4 out of 4 points

Many finches of the Galapagos, such as the wide beaked and narrow beaked species, probably descended from a common ancestor.

• Question 3

4 out of 4 points

Consider a population of dogs with different lengths of fur. As climate gets colder, dogs with longer fur are selected for until all of the surviving dogs have long fur. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

• Question 4

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is not true regarding microevolution

• Question 5

4 out of 4 points

Mutations can generate new traits, indicating a gain in information and supporting the idea of improvement in evolution.

• Question 6

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following terms describes the loss of most individuals and decrease in genetic variability

• Question 7

4 out of 4 points

Darwin collected finches on his Voyage of the Beagle. Where were the finches collected from?

Answer

Selected Answer:

Galapagos Islands

• Question 8

4 out of 4 points

Lamark's early theory of evolution included passing on "acquired characteristics".

• Question 9

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is not true about mutations

• Question 10

4 out of 4 points

Microevolution is caused by changes in the gene frequencies of a population through time.

• Question 11

4 out of 4 points

Mutations are mostly harmful or neutral, and very rarely (if ever) beneficial.

• Question 12

4 out of 4 points

Microevolution refers to the variations within species or kinds

• Question 13

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following animals made Darwin sick whenever he gazed at it?

• Question 14

4 out of 4 points

Darwin was influenced by the writings of

• Question 15

4 out of 4 points

Creationists believe in "fixity of species", not "fixity of kind."

• Question 16

4 out of 4 points

Most mutations occur when DNA is being replicated.

• Question 17

4 out of 4 points

Giraffe often eat at grass and other low lying vegetation.

• Question 18

4 out of 4 points

Darwin was the first to propose ranking non-living and living things on a ladder.

• Question 19

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is an example of a beneficial mutation?

• Question 20

4 out of 4 points

Different forms of the same traits are called a gene locus

• Question 21

4 out of 4 points

13 Homologous chromosomes contain genes that code for the same trait.

• Question 22

4 out of 4 points

Gene flow refers to the random loss of genes or traits

• Question 23

4 out of 4 points

Bara min is Hebrew for "created kind".

• Question 24

4 out of 4 points

The fossil record supports the idea of the evolution of long-necked giraffes from short-necked ones.

• Question 25

4 out of 4 points

Macroevolution refers to the addition of new features within a population when the ancestral population did not have those features

• Question 1

4 out of 4 points

Scientists have found soft tissue from a dinosaur.

• Question 2

4 out of 4 points

Earth is the only planet in the solar system with solar and lunar eclipses

• Question 3

4 out of 4 points

The first law of thermodynamics can be summarized

• Question 4

4 out of 4 points

Buffon suggested the sun was hit by a comet and pieces flew off to form the planets.

• Question 5

4 out of 4 points

Which scientist in the 1700's suggested the solar system began as a rotating cloud that would leave rings that would eventually become planets.

• Question 6

4 out of 4 points

In a spontaneous process entropy or randomness increases

• Question 7

4 out of 4 points

An expanded universe conflicts with biblical creation.

• Question 8

4 out of 4 points

This person suggested the universe rotated like a whirlpool in the beginning.

• Question 9

4 out of 4 points

The six days of the creation week cannot be expanded to millions of years

• Question 10

4 out of 4 points

Blue shifts of spectra from galaxies are interpreted as expansion of the universe.

• Question 11

4 out of 4 points

The composition of the earth and moon are similar, suggesting they were formed from the same starting material

• Question 12

4 out of 4 points

What we know about the universe is reflected in scientific theories

• Question 13

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is true regarding radioactive decay

• Question 14

4 out of 4 points

The steady state theory is a very popular theory for the origin of the universe.

• Question 15

4 out of 4 points

According to the first law of thermodynamics the total matter and energy in the universe is conserved.

• Question 16

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following planets has retrograde rotation?

• Question 17

4 out of 4 points

Carbon 14 has been found in diamonds indicating they did not take millions of years to form.

• Question 18

4 out of 4 points

Assumptions for the big bang include that the universe has no center and no edge.

• Question 19

4 out of 4 points

Zircon crystals can be dated at 6,000 years or 1.5 billion years depending on the technique used.

• Question 20

0 out of 4 points

After two half-lives of a radioactive compound, we would expect to see

• Question 21

4 out of 4 points

Galaxies in the universe are clumpy and not evenly distributed throughout space.

• Question 22

0 out of 4 points

Which of the following is not a description of the second law of thermodynamics?

• Question 23

0 out of 4 points

The moon spins on its axis more slowly than it revolves around the earth.

• Question 24

4 out of 4 points

The capacity to do work is called

• Question 25

4 out of 4 points

Big Bang theory supporters believe the universe began about 14.5 million years ago

• Question 1

4 out of 4 points

. Uniformitarianism is described as long periods of stasis with short periods of rapid change.

• Question 2

4 out of 4 points

Ambulocetus is an alleged evolutionary intermediate between reptiles and birds

• Question 3

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is an example of a living fossil?

• Question 4

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is an evolutionist's typical answer to explain the lack of transitional intermediates in the fossil record?

• Question 5

4 out of 4 points

Armored plated fish that are now extinct were called:

• Question 6

4 out of 4 points

Organisms which remain unchanged through millions of years of evolution are called living fossils.

• Question 7

4 out of 4 points

The process of sediment being changed into rock is called:

• Question 8

4 out of 4 points

Organisms must typically be buried rapidly in order to form a fossil

• Question 9

4 out of 4 points

Cambrian fossils have no apparent ancestors in the fossil record.

• Question 10

4 out of 4 points

According to young earth creationists, man, dinosaurs, and trilobites once lived as contemporaries.

• Question 11

4 out of 4 points

Polystrate fossils exist through more than one strata

• Question 12

4 out of 4 points

The alleged "mistake" that Dr. Gould used to support evolution was the

• Question 13

4 out of 4 points

This scientist proposed the principle of biologic succession

• Question 14

4 out of 4 points

Creationists believe that each species was directly and separately created by God.

• Question 15

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is a type of fossil?

• Question 16

4 out of 4 points

This scientist was a major promoter of catastrophism:

• Question 17

4 out of 4 points

Archaeopteryx is presumed by evolutionists to be a transitional form between which two groups?

• Question 18

4 out of 4 points

Some fossil mammal specimens are known only by teeth and jaw fragments

• Question 19

4 out of 4 points

This scientist was the one who popularized uniformitarianism

• Question 20

0 out of 4 points

The term used to describe mistakes or imperfections in organisms resulting after the Fall is:

• Question 21

4 out of 4 points

There is no fossil evidence regarding the origin of modern mammals.

• Question 22

4 out of 4 points

Several fossil birds had teeth.

• Question 23

4 out of 4 points

The horse-shoe crab is an example of a "living fossil".

• Question 24

4 out of 4 points

For evolutionists, the most important evidence of macroevolution comes from

• Question 25

4 out of 4 points

Whale evolution is well documented by numerous fossil animals bridging the gaps between land-dwelling mammals and fully marine whale?

• Question 1

4 out of 4 points

Indigenous peoples in northern climates have light skin to absorb the UV light that they need to make:

• Question 2

4 out of 4 points

The spine of humans and chimpanzees are curved the same way.

• Question 3

4 out of 4 points

The foramen magnum, the hole in the skull for the spinal nerves is located underneath the skull in chimpanzees and the other quadrupedal apes

• Question 4

4 out of 4 points

The theory of evolution predicts a common ancestor for man and apes.

• Question 5

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following "ancient hominids" have similarities to modern humans that both show differences with homo erectus

• Question 6

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following do not belong to the human "kind"?

• Question 7

4 out of 4 points

Greater than 90% of Lucy's fossil remains were recovered.

• Question 8

4 out of 4 points

Lucy is an example of an australopithecine

• Question 9

4 out of 4 points

Museums have misrepresented Lucy by giving her human hands and feet.

• Question 10

4 out of 4 points

People that live with high levels of UV exposure tend to have darker skin.

• Question 11

4 out of 4 points

Ape jaws are large and robust compared to those of humans.

• Question 12

4 out of 4 points

All of the following are differences between chimpanzee and human skulls except:

• Question 13

4 out of 4 points

Humans and chimps have 98% identical DNA

• Question 14

4 out of 4 points

The ape that evolutionists believe humans are most closely related to is the

• Question 15

4 out of 4 points

According to the Biblical account, humans and apes:

• Question 16

4 out of 4 points

Cain's wife was most likely one of his sisters

• Question 17

0 out of 4 points

The alleged human ancestor that was probably just a female gorilla according to other researchers is…

• Question 18

4 out of 4 points

Scripture does not really talk about races of people

• Question 19

4 out of 4 points

All of mankind traces their ancestry to Adam and Eve.

• Question 20

4 out of 4 points

Evolutionary studies suggests all males descend from a common "Adam" roughly 100,000 years ago.

• Question 21

4 out of 4 points

Cain's wife must have come from a separate race of humans, since Adam and Eve didn't have any daughters

• Question 22

4 out of 4 points

According to evolution homo erectus gave rise to homo habilis.

• Question 23

4 out of 4 points

Modern human skulls have been found in the same strata as those containing a Homo erectus skull

• Question 24

4 out of 4 points

Neanderthal remains are found all over the world including every continent.

• Question 25

4 out of 4 points

Most paleo-anthropologists study casts not original fossil human material.

• Question 1

4 out of 4 points

Naturalism presumes most things can be explained by time, chance and the laws of nature.

• Question 2

4 out of 4 points

Proteins are made of a mixture of left and right handed amino acids.

• Question 3

4 out of 4 points

There is a cross shaped protein in the body.

• Question 4

4 out of 4 points

The process of protein synthesis is called:

• Question 5

4 out of 4 points

The watchmaker argument for design was proposed by

• Question 6

4 out of 4 points

The production life from non-living starting material is called...

• Question 7

4 out of 4 points

Some scientists believe that life came to earth from outer space.

• Question 8

0 out of 4 points

The amino acid sequence of a protein determines the nucleotide sequence of DNA

• Question 9

4 out of 4 points

A protein factory is called a:

• Question 10

0 out of 4 points

Miller used gases such as oxygen, methane and ammonia to produce amino acids in the laboratory.

• Question 11

4 out of 4 points

Ribosomes are comprised of > 50 different proteins

• Question 12

4 out of 4 points

The first biological molecule to be made in a lab was:

• Question 13

4 out of 4 points

A mouse trap is an example of irreducible complexity

• Question 14

4 out of 4 points

A system that could not arise from modification of simpler components is an example of

• Question 15

4 out of 4 points

Mutations in DNA can lead to changes in the amino acid sequence of a protein

• Question 16

4 out of 4 points

An average protein is about 20 amino acids long.

• Question 17

4 out of 4 points

Many diseases result from a loss of genetic information

• Question 18

4 out of 4 points

Origins science is testable and repeatable.

• Question 19

4 out of 4 points

Proteins are made of only right handed amino acids.

• Question 20

4 out of 4 points

William Paley used a ___________ as an example of something which required a designer.

• Question 21

4 out of 4 points

Given enough time, monkeys typing on keyboards might reproduce a sonnet of Shakespeare.

• Question 22

4 out of 4 points

All of the following are true statements about DNA except

• Question 23

4 out of 4 points

The amino acid sequence determines the three dimensional structure of a protein

• Question 24

4 out of 4 points

The scientist who produced the first biological molecule in the lab in the 1800's was

• Question 25

4 out of 4 points

Proteins are not required for the replication of DNA.

• Question 1

4 out of 4 points

It is possible that the account of creation could have been passed from Adam to Abraham through as few as two (2) other individuals.

• Question 2

4 out of 4 points

There is scientific evidence that the continent of North America was once under water.

• Question 3

4 out of 4 points

Cultures from around the world have legends that include elements common to the Biblical account of the flood.

• Question 4

4 out of 4 points

The Bishop who assigned a date for creation suggested that the Fall took place on Day 10. This is the same day as the following Jewish holy day:

• Question 5

4 out of 4 points

The Evolution model has the earth appearing before the stars and sun were formed.

• Question 6

4 out of 4 points

James Dobson and Pat Robertson both hold to young-Earth creation.

• Question 7

4 out of 4 points

Cain's wife was most likely one of his sisters.

• Question 8

4 out of 4 points

God created fish and birds on Day 3.

• Question 9

4 out of 4 points

Millions of years can be fit

• Question 10

4 out of 4 points

Martin Luther believed that the days of Genesis 1 were normal rotational days (24 hours long).

• Question 11

4 out of 4 points

The Hebrew words for created (bara) and made (asah) are used interchangeably.

• Question 12

4 out of 4 points

Christ was involved in the creation of the world.

• Question 13

4 out of 4 points

A literal interpretation of Genesis 1 would lead one toward which model of origins?

• Question 14

4 out of 4 points

According to Genesis 1, the sun was made on which day?

• Question 15

4 out of 4 points

According to the bible, Noah's ark was the size of 5 railroad box cars.

• Question 16

4 out of 4 points

According to Scripture, God rested on which day?

• Question 17

4 out of 4 points

Paul refers to Adam and Eve as real people

• Question 18

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is NOT evidence that Noah's flood was global?

• Question 19

4 out of 4 points

Several prominent Christian leaders believe in evolutionary compromises such as the big bang theory.

• Question 20

4 out of 4 points

The Bishop who calculate a date for the creation of the world was

• Question 21

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following argue(s) that there is a break of millions/billions of years between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2?

• Question 22

4 out of 4 points

Genesis 7-8 gives us an account of the severity of the Flood. According to this account, what was the extent of the Flood?

• Question 23

4 out of 4 points

According to Genesis 1, land dinosaurs would have been made when?

• Question 24

0 out of 4 points

An erosional surface within an area that represents a break in time during sedimentation is called

• Question 25

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is NOT true about the order of creation in Genesis?

• Question 1

4 out of 4 points

Antibiotic resistance in bacteria is an example of microevolution.

• Question 2

4 out of 4 points

Darwin lost his faith before he wrote Origin of Species

• Question 3

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is an example of a beneficial mutation?

• Question 4

4 out of 4 points

Mutations are mostly harmful or neutral, and very rarely (if ever) beneficial.

• Question 5

0 out of 4 points

Microevolution is caused by changes in the gene frequencies of a population through time.

• Question 6

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following describes evolutionary change as a slow gradual process evenly distributed through time?

• Question 7

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is not true regarding microevolution

• Question 8

4 out of 4 points

Microevolution refers to the variations within species or kinds

• Question 9

4 out of 4 points

Gene flow refers to the random loss of genes or traits

• Question 10

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is not true about mutations

• Question 11

4 out of 4 points

Giraffe often eat at grass and other low lying vegetation.

• Question 12

0 out of 4 points

Mutation and natural selection both result in

• Question 13

4 out of 4 points

Darwin was influenced by the writings of

• Question 14

4 out of 4 points

Evolutionary change in sudden spurts with long periods of stasis (no change) is called:

• Question 15

4 out of 4 points

• Question 16

4 out of 4 points

Lamark's early theory of evolution included passing on "acquired characteristics".

• Question 17

4 out of 4 points

The production of wings in an insect population which previously did not have wings would be an example of

• Question 18

4 out of 4 points

The theory of evolution suggests that all living things share a common ancestor

• Question 19

4 out of 4 points

Mutations can generate new traits, indicating a gain in information and supporting the idea of improvement in evolution.

• Question 20

4 out of 4 points

Edward Blythe suggested that natural selection is a conservative process

• Question 21

4 out of 4 points

Many finches of the Galapagos, such as the wide beaked and narrow beaked species, probably descended from a common ancestor.

• Question 22

0 out of 4 points

Which of the following terms describes the loss of most individuals and decrease in genetic variability

• Question 23

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following was not one of Darwin's observations/conclusions?

• Question 24

4 out of 4 points

Genetic Drift is the random loss of genes or traits in a population through time.

• Question 25

4 out of 4 points

Punctuationalism describes evolutionary change as a slow, gradual process evenly distributed over time.

• Question 1

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is true regarding radioactive decay

• Question 2

4 out of 4 points

The second law of thermodynamics is best described as

• Question 3

0 out of 4 points

The moon spins on its axis more slowly than it revolves around the earth.

• Question 4

4 out of 4 points

Earth is the only planet in the solar system with solar and lunar eclipses

• Question 5

4 out of 4 points

Buffon suggested the sun was hit by a comet and pieces flew off to form the planets.

• Question 6

4 out of 4 points

Scientists have found soft tissue from a dinosaur.

• Question 7

0 out of 4 points

Which of the following is not a description of the second law of thermodynamics?

• Question 8

4 out of 4 points

Most of the angular momentum is in the sun.

• Question 9

4 out of 4 points

An expanded universe conflicts with biblical creation.

• Question 10

4 out of 4 points

Assumptions for the big bang include that the universe has no center and no edge.

• Question 11

4 out of 4 points

Most of the mass of the solar system is in the sun

• Question 12

4 out of 4 points

This person suggested the universe rotated like a whirlpool in the beginning.

• Question 13

4 out of 4 points

There are numerous gaps in the Genesis genealogies so millions of years can fit after the creation week.

• Question 14

4 out of 4 points

According to the first law of thermodynamics the total matter and energy in the universe is conserved.

• Question 15

4 out of 4 points

What we know about the universe is reflected in scientific theories

• Question 16

4 out of 4 points

The first law of thermodynamics can be summarized

• Question 17

4 out of 4 points

�� The steady state theory is a very popular theory for the origin of the universe.

• Question 18

4 out of 4 points

Zircon crystals can be dated at 6,000 years or 1.5 billion years depending on the technique used.

• Question 19

4 out of 4 points

Of the radioactive elements discussed, the one with the longest half-life was...

• Question 20

4 out of 4 points

The six days of the creation week cannot be expanded to millions of years

• Question 21

4 out of 4 points

Blue shifts of spectra from galaxies are interpreted as expansion of the universe.

• Question 22

4 out of 4 points

The composition of the earth and moon are similar, suggesting they were formed from the same starting material

• Question 23

4 out of 4 points

Carbon 14 has been found in diamonds indicating they did not take millions of years to form.

• Question 24

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is true regarding the solar system?

• Question 25

4 out of 4 points

Every system left to itself goes from disorder to order.

• Question 1

0 out of 4 points

The evolutionary tree has only branches and no trunk because there are no transitional forms.

Answer

Selected Answer: False

• Question 2

4 out of 4 points

There are numerous examples of transitional forms in the fossil record

• Question 3

4 out of 4 points

Evolutionist predictions regarding the fossil record include all of the following except:

• Question 4

4 out of 4 points

The sudden appearance of diverse phyla in the earliest strata is called

• Question 5

4 out of 4 points

Organisms must typically be buried rapidly in order to form a fossil

• Question 6

4 out of 4 points

The Scriptural Geologists only raised theological objections to old earth compromise

• Question 7

4 out of 4 points

Evolutionary trees have data only at the tips and nodes of their branches.

• Question 8

4 out of 4 points

This scientist was the one who popularized uniformitarianism

• Question 9

4 out of 4 points

Archaeopteryx is a reptile because it was found at the time of the dinosaurs.

• Question 10

4 out of 4 points

The horse-shoe crab is an example of a "living fossil".

• Question 11

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is an example of a living fossil?

• Question 12

4 out of 4 points

The process of sediment being changed into rock is called:

• Question 13

4 out of 4 points

Ambulocetus is an alleged evolutionary intermediate between reptiles and birds

• Question 14

4 out of 4 points

Several fossil birds had teeth.

• Question 15

4 out of 4 points

There is no fossil evidence regarding the origin of modern mammals.

• Question 16

4 out of 4 points

Armored plated fish that are now extinct were called:

• Question 17

4 out of 4 points

Some fossil mammal specimens are known only by teeth and jaw fragments

• Question 18

4 out of 4 points

An animal can be intermediate in form between two organisms without being a genealogical transition between them.

• Question 19

4 out of 4 points

• Question 20

4 out of 4 points

According to evolution, flying mammals such as the bat gave rise to birds.

• Question 21

4 out of 4 points

Archaeopteryx is presumed by evolutionists to be a transitional form between which two groups?

• Question 22

0 out of 4 points

Creationists believe that each species was directly and separately created by God.

• Question 23

4 out of 4 points

For evolutionists, the most important evidence of macroevolution comes from

• Question 24

4 out of 4 points

This scientist was a major promoter of catastrophism:

• Question 25

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is an evolutionist's typical answer to explain the lack of transitional intermediates in the fossil record?

• Question 1

4 out of 4 points

The spine of humans and chimpanzees are curved the same way.

• Question 2

4 out of 4 points

Neanderthal remains are found all over the world including every continent.

• Question 3

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is not true about "races" of humans

• Question 4

4 out of 4 points

Evolutionary diagrams often portray apes and humans so that they appear to be part of a progression.

• Question 5

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following has the largest average brain case

• Question 6

4 out of 4 points

All of mankind traces their ancestry to Adam and Eve.

• Question 7

4 out of 4 points

Surprisingly, human fossil remains are quite common.

• Question 8

4 out of 4 points

According to the Biblical account, humans and apes:

• Question 9

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following is not a distinct Neanderthal characteristic?

• Question 10

4 out of 4 points

The Laetoli footprints were left by individuals who walked upright as humans do.

• Question 11

4 out of 4 points

Humans and chimps have 98% identical DNA

• Question 12

4 out of 4 points

Museums have misrepresented Lucy by giving her human hands and feet.

• Question 13

4 out of 4 points

The alleged human ancestor that was probably just a female gorilla according to other researchers is…

• Question 14

4 out of 4 points

The ape that evolutionists believe humans are most closely related to is the

• Question 15

4 out of 4 points

The foramen magnum, the hole in the skull for the spinal nerves is located underneath the skull in chimpanzees and the other quadrupedal apes

• Question 16

4 out of 4 points

Ape jaws are large and robust compared to those of humans.

• Question 17

4 out of 4 points

Scripture does not really talk about races of people

• Question 18

4 out of 4 points

The theory of evolution predicts a common ancestor for man and apes.

• Question 19

4 out of 4 points

Neanderthals should be considered humans because

• Question 20

4 out of 4 points

Which of the following "ancient hominids" have similarities to modern humans that both show differences with homo erectus

• Question 21

4 out of 4 points

Greater than 90% of Lucy's fossil remains were recovered.

• Question 22

4 out of 4 points

Cain's wife must have come from a separate race of humans, since Adam and Eve didn't have any daughters

• Question 23

4 out of 4 points

Cain's wife was most likely one of his sisters

• Question 24

4 out of 4 points

According to evolution homo erectus gave rise to homo habilis.

• Question 25

4 out of 4 points

Java man has been classified by evolutionists as

• Question 1

4 out of 4 points

The scientist who produced the first biological molecule in the lab in the 1800's was

• Question 2

4 out of 4 points

William Paley used a ___________ as an example of something which required a designer.

• Question 3

4 out of 4 points

Proteins are not required for the replication of DNA.

• Question 4

4 out of 4 points

Some scientists believe that life came to earth from outer space.

• Question 5

4 out of 4 points

The three dimensional shape of a protein determines its function

• Question 6

4 out of 4 points

The cell theory

• Question 7

4 out of 4 points

Proteins are a polymer of 20 different nucleotides.

• Question 8

4 out of 4 points

Living things require more than DNA, RNA and proteins to be alive.

• Question 9

4 out of 4 points

The phrase that is used to describe when things which are poorly understood are attributed to God is:

• Question 10

4 out of 4 points

Many diseases result from a loss of genetic information

• Question 11

4 out of 4 points

There is a cross shaped protein in the body.

• Question 12

4 out of 4 points

A mouse trap is an example of irreducible complexity

• Question 13

4 out of 4 points

Oxygen was included in the mixture used to simulate the production of amino acids on the early earth.

• Question 14

4 out of 4 points

The watchmaker argument for design was proposed by

• Question 15

4 out of 4 points

Miller used gases such as oxygen, methane and ammonia to produce amino acids in the laboratory.

• Question 16

4 out of 4 points

The production life from non-living starting material is called...

• Question 17

4 out of 4 points

The process of protein synthesis is called:

• Question 18

4 out of 4 points

Proteins are made of only right handed amino acids.

• Question 19

4 out of 4 points

Given enough time, monkeys typing on keyboards might reproduce a sonnet of Shakespeare.

• Question 20

4 out of 4 points

A protein factory is called a:

• Question 21

4 out of 4 points

Scientists believe a DNA world occurred first for the origin of life.

• Question 22

4 out of 4 points

All of the following are true statements about DNA except

• Question 23

4 out of 4 points

Proteins are made of a mixture of left and right handed amino acids.

• Question 24

4 out of 4 points

It is possible for DNA to form spontaneously without enzymes.

• Question 25

4 out of 4 points

A system that could not arise from modification of simpler components is an example of

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