#Church Social Media

[rorah]

Wholesome Eisner Family moments🥺💖. And I included Lizard family AU bc im weak for this things >__>

[wronghands1]

[seaweedstarshine]

Late to the game as I’ve kinda been kinda non-here for a minute but I scrolled through the Dot and Bubble tag, and thought I wanted to write this post into existence.

There's this part in Doctor Who Unleashed where RTD says this:

“What we can’t tell is how many people will have worked that out before the ending. Because they’ve seen white person after white person after white person, and television these days is very diverse. I wonder, will you be ten minutes into it, will you be fifteen, will you be twenty, before you start to think, everyone in this community is white. And if you don’t think that — why didn’t you? So, that’s gonna be interesting. I hope it’s one of those pieces of television you see, and always remember.”

And I'm like. Yeah. But the reason this works even as well as it does is largely thanks to the work of the previous showrunner with the previous creative team, which was notably the first era to have any writers of color (amongst other firsts in terms of inclusivity in directors, composer, actors). While Chibnall fumbled whenever he tried to write about race himself, he did have the self-awareness to have Black and South Asian writers writing the episodes where race is the focus (and a female writer for the episode where sexism is a focus; my point is, he seemed to know his shortcomings).

I wonder what the current creative team looks like? (not really, but I wasn't 100% sure for all of them)

To quote RTD:

“...before you start to think, everyone in this community is white.”

This is pretty non-self-aware, right? It's pretty “It is said, and I understand this, there was a history of racism with the original Toymaker, the Celestial Toymaker, who had ‘celestial,’ and I did not know this, but ‘celestial’ can mean of Chinese origin, but in a derogatory way,” right? (from The Giggle Unleashed) It's pretty “and I had problems with that, and a lot of us on the production team had problems with that: associating disability with evil,” right? (from Destination Skaro Unleashed)

—none of which are issues that should be overlooked, but think how much exponentially better they might’ve been addressed if he’d consulted with Chinese writers and wheelchair-using writers before going straight to giving the Toymaker weird fake accents and making Davros walk?

How many Black or non-white people do we think saw the Dot and Bubble script before it landed in Ncuti’s hands?

And this just keeps happening.

And like, from some of the shocked responses I've seen from white viewers to the ending of Dot and Bubble, maybe the episode's unsubtlety was needed? From the way RTD talks about it in Unleashed, the episode was written with a white audience in mind, Baby's First Microaggressions (where of course the microaggressions come from people who are pretty self-admittedly white supremacists). Ricky September, a more seemingly normal depiction of someone in the racist bubble of Finetime, seemed like an interesting element, up until the way he died.

The ending worked for me, because I do think the Doctor's reaction is true to how the Doctor would react. I just keep thinking of how much better the core themes could've been handled by someone with actual lived experience on the subject matter.

[fromhisgrace]

Comparison

(notes from a mini - sermon i heard yesterday!!)

Galatians 6:4 | 1 Samuel 17:38-40

• normal part of life

• comparison is a thief -> steals identity and purpose

• David called a runt by his father while Saul was described as ‘very handsome’. yet David didn’t compare himself because…

• …David knew his identity and his purpose !!!

• which comparison is a thief of!

• David knew his identity: he was A Part of Gods Kingdom -> gave him assurance

• my identity only in Jesus, not other things (e.g. talents or no. of friends)

• if you don’t have a purpose, you’ll only follow others…

• … pursue YOUR identity and YOUR purpose - we are all people different

• we all have a purpose - God makes no accidents/mistakes

• your identity ≠ your purpose (e.g. purpose may be to be a teacher but identity is always that you are a Part of Gods Kingdom)

• social comparison is double edged sword - not purely negative-> can allow for growth

• Saul’s armour didn’t fit David (1 Samuel 17:38-40) -> others’ situations don’t fit us !!

• comparison can be inspiration or contradiction (of Gods word/gifts/plan)

• don’t subtract God’s Gifts to you for what seems appealing (e.g. don’t wish for a flashy lifestyle when your lifestyle now makes you seem warmer/kinder to others)

• comparison can inspire improvement (e.g. to be more like a friend whose very kind)

• if you cannot control comparison, TRUST GODS PLAN (Jeremiah 29:11)

• …for God has planned your steps

[latter-day-gay]

CW: talk of LDS general conference, religious guilt tripping, religious trauma, etc

despite the fact that I’m technically an adult, I’m still basically “forced” to watch conference because I live with family (currently with grandparents in Mexico, other times parents in the US). the result of not watching/refusing would be my family going into a huge panic and crying because they’re scared of me losing my faith/leaving the church (I guess technically valid concerns bc I’m already somewhat entering that general headspace lol). I’m allowed to watch alone which helps but conference genuinely brings me UNFATHOMABLE amounts of stress and there’s no outlet for me to express that without being guilted/it being a Whole Thing. especially living with my grandparents, who have no idea I’m queer and are EXTREMELY faithful to the church, there is no sense of emotional security or personal choice for me. they’re even making me watch the additional evening session. and I’m terrified of sitting through another session where the speakers just say the most heinous shit. idk why I’m even typing this; I suppose it just feels good to get it out of my system. and maybe it will find its way to someone in a similar situation

[riathedreamer]

The St. Mary's Church in Footnotes is based on the real church in Liphook, and I've looked up photos of it before for the descriptions. Anyway, needed them again today, then *gasped* when I saw my own name on their stained windows (as a part of the name Maria), but also just all these Good Omens coded depictions.

[glasschime1]

It’s gotten to the point where I am starting to run out of osomatsu san art to see on pinterest . Lord help relieve me of my autism

[ectonurites]

wise words from 14 year old me that never saw the light of day bc they've been sitting in my drafts for 11 years

[thebirdandhersong]

I'd love to know how you honour the Sabbath and keep it holy if you do observe it, if you have certain family/community practices or traditions, what denomination you're a part of and how that affects/forms your Sabbath-keeping, how and when you started observing the Sabbath, and what hopes/goals/thoughts you might have, if you don't observe and want to/don't observe regularly/don't observe in a way that is restful!

[born-to-lose]

Bands don't break up on stage anymore like they used to

[creations-by-chaosfay]

From an email I received today:

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[ronehmke]

[tmarshconnors]

"If I were the Devil"

Paul Harvey, the famous radio commentator, delivered "If I Were the Devil" in 1965. The piece is a reflection on how society could be led astray by moral decay and cultural deterioration. Harvey's hypothetical scenario outlines a plan the devil might undertake to lead humanity away from virtue.

"If I were the Devil"

If I were the Devil, I wouldn’t be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree Thee.

So, I’d set about however necessary to take over the United States. I’d subvert the churches first. I’d begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: "Do as you please."

To the young, I would whisper, "The Bible is a myth." I would convince them that man created God instead of the other way around. I would confide that what is bad is good, and what is good is "square."

And the old, I would teach to pray after me: "Our Father, which art in Washington..."

And then I’d get organised. I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting, so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting. I’d threaten TV with dirtier movies, and vice versa. I’d peddle narcotics to whom I could. I’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. I’d tranquillise the rest with pills.

If I were the Devil, I’d soon have families at war with themselves, churches at war with themselves, and nations at war with themselves until each, in its turn, was consumed. And with promises of higher ratings, I’d have mesmerizing media fanning the flames.

If I were the Devil, I would encourage schools to refine young intellects but neglect to discipline emotions—just let those run wild. Until before you knew it, you’d have to have drug-sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every schoolhouse door.

Within a decade, I’d have prisons overflowing. I’d have judges promoting pornography. Soon I could evict God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, and then from the houses of Congress. And in His own churches, I would substitute psychology for religion and deify science. I would lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and girls, and church money.

If I were the Devil, I’d make the symbol of Easter an egg and the symbol of Christmas a bottle.

If I were the Devil, I would take from those who have and give to those who wanted until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious.

And what’ll you bet I couldn’t get whole states to promote gambling as the way to get rich?

I would caution against extremes in hard work, in patriotism, in moral conduct.

I would convince the young that marriage is old-fashioned, that swinging is more fun, that what you see on TV is the way to be. And thus I could undress you in public, and I could lure you into bed with diseases for which there is no cure.

In other words, if I were the Devil, I’d just keep right on doing what he’s doing.

[momentsbeforemass]

Labels that matter

We live in an age of labels.

A minute’s scroll through social media will give you an endless torrent of labels. Where people who have wronged the author – or maybe just people the author dislikes – are reduced to a derogatory label or two.

Then belittled, demeaned, treated like things.

Maybe it’s done for a laugh – at their expense. The joke that’s not really a joke. Often it’s just vicious.

But no matter how it’s done, that kind of labeling loses sight of the labels that matter. The labels we see in today’s Gospel. Where Jesus says,

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.”

What we lose sight of is that there is no person we will ever meet who is not our sister, there is no person who will ever exist who is not our brother.

The person who sins against us? Jesus is clear, that is our brother. The person we dislike? That is our sister.

Those are the labels that matter.

Before someone is any of the labels that we throw around so easily. Labels we use to push away. To minimize. To dehumanize. To shore up our own fragile egos at their expense.

Before any of that, there is the uncomfortable reality – that the person we are labelling is first and foremost our brother, our sister.

Those are the labels that matter. Because those are the labels that God uses.

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.”

And if they don’t?

The fact that we rush to ask this question says a lot about us.

It says that God’s labels make us deeply uncomfortable. That we’re much more comfortable with righteous indignation than the hard, messy work of loving other people.

 Okay, fine. But if they don’t?

Love them anyway. Pray for them anyway. He is your brother. She is your sister.

Today’s Readings

[wild-at-mind]

I hate that I feel guilty about unfollowing people on instagram for posting lefty slogan art.

[angeltreasure]

I tried visiting the TLM church near my house but everything is locked despite the hours displayed on the website. I’ll just wait for that phone call back from the Sisters.