#Genesis: I am also a single father what’s your point

[dark-elf-writes]

Anyway third time travel au idea because I have no self control

Genesis doesn’t get grabbed by Deepground but isn’t allowed to join with the lifestream so he just kind of wanders as a force Lifestream ghost and watches over Cloud because there’s… not much else he can do.

(He tried following Sephiroth, or the thing that was once Sephiroth really, for a while. The mix of guilt and grief and fury has nearly knocked him senseless and made him ache for his materia… and a physical form to use them.

It would be a mercy to end his once friend, he knows. Sephiroth would have hated to be anyone’s puppet. )

So he follows Cloud, a not so silent spectator as he watches the man save the world.

And then do it again.

And again.

There are others watching now, Zack who had thrown a spectral arm around his shoulders and called him soft, the ancient girl with her sweet smile and sharp eyes.

It her that offers it. The chance to change all of this as the thing puppeting one of Genesis’ best friends bodies resurrects itself once again.

What meaning does time have to the three of them? They were as much of the Lifestream as they were not. What was to stop them from going back and changing all of this.

He would never admit to it, but Genesis had grown fond of the man who was once the boy, of the one who stood between the world and destruction time and time again. How could he not after following him for so long? Truly a hero worthy of the Godess’ blessing.

And Genesis… wanted better for him than those ever tired eyes and lonely days between fights spent kneeling in a shattered church staring at his hands for hours at a time. Better than silent panic attacks in dark rooms before he took up his sword to slay his demon yet again. Better than the never ending drive to move forward when all the man wanted was rest.

Perhaps he could give that boy something better. Give him a world that didn’t need saving. Give him rest after all this time.

No hate; only joy, for Cloud was beloved by the Goddess.

Nothing will forestall Genesis’ return.

So in the end he goes back and has to figure out how he’s going to get his hands on his son future apprentice, make sure he and Angeal don’t start to degrade again, and stop Sephiroth’s Not Mother from assuming control all while he’s still technically a teenager himself.

The Not Vampire he collects from a certain mansion isn’t incredibly helpful for any of those goals, but Cloud is fond of him or will be anyway and Genesis is nothing if not generous.

[queer-advice-hotline]

To the anon who is struggling with their faith and identity, hi. I get you. I’m in the same boat in a lot of ways. (Discussion of anti-science rhetoric, lgbt-phobia, and conservative Christian stuff for anyone who doesn’t wanna read that)

I was raised Christian, and taught that evolution and the Big Bang were false. I was taught that dinosaurs were real and the earth was billions of years old, but we were still creationists.

I was also taught that being gay or trans was sinful and that gay marriage shouldn’t be legalized. My family was never outright hostile (my uncle is gay and we always loved him, even though “we just don’t agree with his decision” ugh), but clearly bigoted.

I was also raised in baptist churches, who absolutely love to quote the same three verses over and over in order to tell women (like myself) that our whole purpose is to shut up and bear children and take care of the house, that we are to obey our fathers and husbands in everything and cannot teach men at all. Fortunately my parents at least hated that BS, and after every sermon regarding that point my mom would lecture us that that was the only thing she disagreed with with our church, and that me and my sisters could be whatever we wanted to be. She continually pointed out the instances that contradicted what our churches had said about women’s roles.

When I went to college, I made friends, met people with wildly different backgrounds, and began to form my own opinions. I am a supporter of lgbt rights (I believe that there is strong evidence that wording was changed to condemn homosexuality, and that even if it’s a sin, we are called to love each other first and foremost, and that we cannot force our religious beliefs upon anyone else, and that respecting someone’s sexuality and pronouns is just basic fucking courtesy. I’ve even convinced my trump-supporting grandparents to use peoples preferred pronouns and respect gay marriages, with the logic that “you believe it’s sinful, but they don’t, and you can’t force your religious perspective on them. There is nothing loving about making them uncomfortable just because you disagree.”

I also strongly believe in scientific theories like evolution and the Big Bang. There’s plenty of evidence, and if you read genesis with fresh eyes it’s pretty clear to me it’s highly symbolic, not literal. I can believe God created the universe and that he did so through the Big Bang. I can believe God created humans in his image through the process of evolution.

As I was expanding and changing my worldview, I also realized that I was aroace. I’ve never been interested in dating, I don’t find men good looking at all, and my appreciation for women’s beauty is more similar to how someone would appreciate a painting, not someone they want to date or marry or have sex with.

And I don’t believe it’s a problem for me to stay single either. When I told my mom she immediately told me that the Bible says that singleness is, for many, a gift, and only a different path, not a wrong one.

I often don’t know what God’s intention is, but I do know that Christians are called to be the light of the world. So I will always be kind and loving, because that is how you be a light. I always pray for better understanding of how I should do things, but in the end the most important thing is to be kind.

Sorry if that was rambly, I just wanted to let you know that you aren’t alone in these struggles, and that you can believe different things without being a bad person. Personally, my family doesn’t know that I’m now fairly liberal and that I believe in evolution and the Big Bang and such, but I’m okay with that. If they find out, I’ll tell them more or less what I just said here. Best of luck to you and to anyone else in a similar situation 💛

Thanks for sharing, I’m sure this will be helpful for a lot of people.

[firstumcschenectady]

“Starting With Care” based on Genesis 2:1-3 and Matthew 6:26-34

We're going to start with the bad news: you can't control anything.

Or, at least you can't control anything important.

You can't control how long you'll live, what the quality of that living will be, what illnesses or injuries you will endure, how long your loved ones will live, if or when traumatic events will occur, nor how they'll be responded to.

I was recently a part of a conversation about suffering led by a medical professional who – rather appropriately I thought – was worried about the fact that patients sometimes assume their suffering is God's punishment. I agreed with him that this is just not TRUE, and it is awful to think that you are both in pain and that you deserve it. But, I am also aware that if pain and suffering aren't a punishment from God, another option is that life is a crapshoot and there isn't any meaning to be found in it – and for a whole lot of people that's MORE uncomfortable than thinking God wills it. Because if God's punishing them, or teaching them a lesson, then the suffering AT LEAST means something and maybe even has redemptive value. But if it was just a random thing, and it could have happened to anyone and just happened to happen to them – well, for a lot of people that's WORSE.

Because then it is entirely out of their control. If God is punishing them, then IF ONLY they'd acted differently, then they could have prevented this from happening.

Right? It is an awful theology, but the human desire to pretend we have control is really quite powerful.

And, let's be honest, we can't control things but we can …. impact probabilities, right? Cancer is MORE likely if you smoke, if you don't exercise, if you don't eat well. Even better, you aren't likely to get hurt falling off a rock wall if you don't attempt to climb a rock wall. Right?

That said, once I broke a toe because a container of chili fell out of my freezer and landed on it. No rockwalls involved. Another time I sprained an ankle horribly – at the ski mountain – on the INDOOR stairs when I was grabbing lunch. Probabilities aren't guarantees.

I find some comfort in the Matthew passage that tells us that worrying and trying to control the uncontrollable is in human nature. This one isn't a modern day problem and we don't have to blame the 24 hour news cycle, smartphones, or social media. This is a human problem. We are aware enough of the uncertainties of life to worry about what may happen.

Jesus seems to recommend not worrying about the little things – about eating and drinking and finding clothes. Which, funnily enough, were exactly things that most of his audience was worried about most of the time because he was speaking to people who often didn't enough enough food, or drink, or a change of clothes.

In the face of their daily struggle for survival, Jesus says,

“Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?”

And I get his point. Life is vivacious, nature takes care of itself, hoarding is unnecessary, and truly no one is as beautiful as a flower. But also, I don't get his point. Because it sounds a whole lot like saying, “Sure, there is a system of oppression out there that took away your family's land and livelihood, and now you are hoping every day to get hired back to work the land so that you can afford to eat tonight, and sure you are likely to die soon of malnutrition, but don't worry about it, God will take care of you.” And, while I TRULY believe that God does want to take care of everyone... well, deaths from malnutrition HAPPEN so it seems like that “promise” isn't one that often works out.

Compassionate people don't say to starving people, “don't worry about food.”

So, what the heck is Jesus doing?

I think I did a bad job in picking this passage, particularly that I didn't look at the verses PRECEEDING these ones. Namely, “No one can serve two masters for a slave will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” These lines are a big deal in the Bible. For a world in which people thought being wealthy was a sign of God's favor, it really turns the tables. This passage encourages the poor while challenging the wealthy. And it is placed before the bit about the lilies of the field.

And I wonder if Jesus is at this point talking to wealthy people. The ones who DO have enough to eat, but are worried about it anyway. The ones who do have clothes, but fret that they're not enough.

And I wonder, too, if Jesus is doing one of those really deep teaching things where he is saying to the poor - if you work together you'll have enough, but when you have enough don't worry about getting more like the rich people do. Trust in each other and God, don't horde.

Furthermore, I think maybe Jesus wants those who are oppressed to look up long enough to see they system that is oppressing them, and that it isn't God's will. God made a world of abundance, PEOPLE are keeping each other from accessing it. Part of the problem of trying to survive is that you can be so pre-occupied with it that you don't notice you shouldn't have to fight that hard.

God made enough. It was true then, and it is true now, just as it is true that people died of not having enough then and people die of not having enough now. God made enough, people have distribution problems. And I think it's OK to worry about the distribution problems.

I really appreciated this week's essay from We Cry Justice. I'd like to read a little more of it to you:

God creates human partnerships. In short, God created a system whereby all material and emotional life is tended to. So if we are to be fruitful and multiply – if we are to add to creation – the systems we create must extend the provision of care.

…

Within us lies the potential to create and re-create a system that revolves around and produces care, a system where needs are met. We will need each other to do so. We will need to be in partnership, working together to be fruitful and multiply.1

We can't CONTROL anything, although we can do a lot of damage trying. We can, however, be in partnership with each other and God and seek to “extend the provision of care.” We can choose to notice that care is inherent in creation, and that God's care hasn't changed. We can remind ourselves that there is ENOUGH, and that's good. We can remember the lilies of the field – when they're useful – that creation is beautiful and awe-inspiring.

(Image of mutual care: Ellis Nurses with supporters picketing for better care for their patients, and for each other. Photo by Sara Baron)

We can remember that things aren't now as they should be, but they CAN get better, that God is working with us to make them better, that we're working together, that many people are in this together. That we want a world where no one has to worry about what they will eat or drink or wear, because the resources of the world are abundant there is enough for everyone – and in the kindom of God the resources are shared with the abundance of God.

It is a dream worth holding onto, and remembering, and seeking. We can start with care. And every little bit helps. We can't control it, but we can shape it. Thanks be to God. Amen

1Solita Alexander Riley “In the Beginning, There Was Care” in We Cry Justice (Minneapolis, 2021), p. 145.

Rev. Sara E. Baron  First United Methodist Church of Schenectady  603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305  Pronouns: she/her/hers  http://fumcschenectady.org/  https://www.facebook.com/FUMCSchenectady

May 26, 2024

[satoshi-mochida]

The Legend of Heroes: Kai no Kiseki – Farewell O Zemuria details characters, story, and new battle system elements

From Gematsu

Falcom has released new information and screenshots for The Legend of Heroes: Kai no Kiseki – Farewell O Zemuria introducing characters Van Arkride, Agnes Claudel, and Bergard Zeman, as well as the story, settings, and new battle system elements.

Get the details below.

■ Characters

Van Arkride (voiced by Daisuke Ono)

Age: 25

“Running away or facing yourself… At the end of the day, it’s you who makes that decision.”

A young man who works as a “Spriggan,” an occupation that helps those who have lost their way between the real world and the underworld. He may be thought to have quite a pragmatic personality due to being the only one in his family alive, but he does have his own methods when making decisions. (That being said, there is a danger his resolve may waver when in the face of his favorite sweets.) Summoned by the demon lord, he was born with the diabolic core housed inside him. Following the battle against the demon lord that separated from his body, he was able to successfully seal the diabolic core in a place between worlds.

Agnes Claudel (voiced by Miku Ito)

Age: 17

“Please, Van, don’t regret keeping the most important people of your life in your heart.”

A second-year student at the renowned Aramis High School. She has a gentle and graceful demeanor, with a strong sense of determination. She begins to work part-time at the “Arkride Solutions Office” after requesting Van in the search of a Genesis—an orbment left to her by her great-grandfather. Although she has succeeded in collecting the Oct-Genesis that was scattered throughout the republic, she continues her part-time job at the Solutions Office working under Van, who she is in love with.

Bergard Zeman (voiced by Akio Otsuka)

Age: 69

“You’ve grown so much. I am thankful for my good fortune of being your master.”

Formerly a wandering priest at the Septian Church, he is a broad and muscular elder man. As a master of the Kunlun style—one of the East’s three great martial art schools—he has many disciples all across the continent. To Van, Bergard is an important master, and a person he owes a great debt to. He cares a lot about Van, who comes from a special background, and strictly mentors him, both in martial arts and in all parts of life. Following the incident at the Republic, he travelled east. On his way, he reunites with Van, and extends a helping hand.

■ Story Prologue

“In the year 120X, everything will end.” These were the words that prophesized the demise of Zemuria by C. Epstein—Father of the Orbal Revolution. As “X Day” drew closer and closer, one Orbal rocket was to be launched from the large base built on the land of Kunlun. “Can humans reach beyond the atmosphere?” “What lies at the end of the earth?” “Will the human race be able to know the truths of this ‘world’?” As the entire world turned its focus on the biggest undertaking it has ever seen since the dawn of history, many forces from many lands were assembling at a single point—a certain young Spriggan at a certain location in the independent territory of Ored, also known as the Singularity. Will the rocket pierce through to the heavens, opening up a new future for Zemuria?

■ Settings / Keywords

Operation Startaker

A large project on a national scale advanced underwater by Roy Gramheart, the 23rd President of the Republic of Calvard. Aiming for the uncharted territory of “beyond the atmosphere,” the project will launch communication satellites via Orbal rockets, with the objective to eventually send humans into space. The significance of the project is said to be in finding answers to environmental problems through surface surveillance from extremely high altitudes, as well as the creation of a new Orbal communication network via satellites.

Zech One Space Military Base

Southeast of the Republic, in the backlands of the Ishgal mountain range lies a large-scale facility built in a massive basin for the execution of Operation Startaker. Up until it was announced, the existence of this base was kept top secret, thought of as the nation’s most sensitive information.

Ored

Set in Northern Zemuria, Ored is an independent state that borders Remiferia to the west and Calvard to the south. Despite being located even further north than the northern Calvard city of Messeldam, the climate is warm, allowing the state to develop agriculture independently from a long time ago. It is known for its idyllic farmland that covers most of the state, but in recent years, foreign-affiliated capital has also made strong strides, such as how the Marduk Company’s headquarters were placed there.

The Marduk Company

A private military company (PMC) that has developed rapidly in recent years. It possesses and utilizes military gear and Orbal equipment with highly advanced technologies. Where most of these assets come from, however, is a mystery.

■ Battle System Introduction

The Legend of Heroes: Kai no Kiseki bases its battle system off that used by the its predecessor, The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak, which enables seamless switching between field and command-based battles. In The Legend of Heroes: Kai no Kiseki, new “Awakening” and “B.L.T.Z. (Blitz) System” elements have been added to the battle system.

New Field Battle Element: “Awakening”

Some characters such as Van, who has the ability to change into Grendel form, and Stigma-possessing Dominions, are able to enter an “Awakened” state by using their boost gauge during field battles, allowing them to temporarily increase their fighting abilities by a considerable amount. While in this “Awakened” state, it is not just the character’s physical appearance that changes. Attack power and speed also increase, allowing you to inflict consecutive attacks to gain the upper hand over your enemies.

—Transform into the Grendel form during battle!

—Eliminate enemies swiftly with “Awakened” attack power!

New Command Battle Element: “B.L.T.Z. (Blitz) System”

During command battles, when you execute normal attacks, Crafts (moves), or Arts (magic) after obtaining the Blitz Bonus, the “B.L.T.Z. Chain / B.L.T.Z. Support” will immediately be triggered. A follow-up attack from your partner, followed by another attack from the “B.L.T.Z. Chain” effect, or an increased effectiveness of Crafts or Arts from the “B.L.T.Z. Support.” There are many ways that it can change the course of battle.

—Attacking enemies with a B.L.T.Z. Bonus.

—More follow-up attacks with a B.L.T.Z. Chain!

—Crafts / Arts during a B.L.T.Z. Bonus.

—Increased Crafts/Arts effectiveness with B.L.T.Z. Support!

★★★”B.L.T.Z. Support” is Also Useful for Heal- or Aid-type Moves!★★★ “B.L.T.Z. Support” not only enhances offensive Crafts / Arts, it is also possible to increase effectiveness of heal- and aid-type moves. Furthermore, since “B.L.T.Z. Support” is also applied when using items, even when the Crafts / Arts gauge is not filled enough, it is possible to escape dangerous situations using “B.L.T.Z. Support” to enhance item effectiveness.

The Legend of Heroes: Kai no Kiseki – Farewell O Zemuria is due out in 2024 in Japan and Asia.

View the screenshots at the gallery.

[suzyqrara]

Genesis 7

This chapter described the flood, and it sounds very harsh.  GOD flooded the earth so much that it surpassed over the highest mountain.  It flooded for 40 days and nights and GOD waited until every single human died.  His children died.  GOD killed his children for being disobedient. Here comes the devil telling me “How can this be a loving GOD with grace.  Some people were probably dying slowly, and GOD didn’t give them grace.  If this is what happened, they probably were praying to GOD asking for help, but he didn’t help because his mind was made up about them.  I also think about the children of those people. Genesis is a hard book to read and have faith in GOD’s love. If this is true.  If GOD did wipe out all the earth. This chapter leaves me to think that GOD does not play. Maybe that is the point of the story.  To tell people in its own way that GOD is someone who gets angry when we do not live the life he calls for us to live which is serving him and finding his grace.  It is either you follow him and abide by him, or you don’t.  If you don’t, he will disown you. We won’t be in his group anymore for eternity. I am hoping this story’s purpose is for readers to know how serious GOD is and when you die, and it is time for judgement, he will be harsh.  I feel like if I die, he will judge me as not loving him enough right away and not give me any opportunity to convince him otherwise.  This story tells me he is a strict father who does not mess around when it comes to our love for him and our unconditional faith in him.  This story tells me he left behind a pool of people once for not finding him and he will do it again if we continue to not live the way he wants us to live. The way he made us to live like. I feel like GOD still loves me, but he is fed up with chasing me.  At this point I believe I would have been the person who was left to drown if I was alive in this era and if this was real.  I feel like GOD is always there when I decide to take this seriously and walk with him but when I am half into, he has a quarter of an eye looking at me to see when I am ready and the other is focusing on something more important. He can tell if I will continue with practicing my faith and he knows if I will commit to learning the bible every day. When I pray, I know he listens, but maybe it with only one ear. With the strict character trait he has (based on this story), I think he is frustrated with me. This is why I think I feel so alone when I do enter church.  I feel like he is with me, but he doesn’t listen to my worship because he knows I will be going in and out of church and staying consistent with it. God is speaking to me, and he is asking me to show my commitment to him by actually stepping out onto the stage when the paster says “If you want to claim GOD and Jesus as your savior, come onto the podium so we can pray for you.”  This will be very hard for me. This alone will probably make me not want to come to church because I am scared to do that.  I fear the after math of it.  I will get prayed on and then what…I stand up and awkwardly walk back into my car? I dread awkwardness completely. I think in that moment GOD will walk along side of me because he sees that I am showing him that I will commit to him.  I hope so.  I mean I can do it, but I need to lead up to it.  I won’t be able to do that tomorrow when I go to church.  I need to take small steps.  Reading the bible every morning, attend church regularly, make friends if I can, join a bible study?  Little things like that and then I will be ready one day.

[azzy-the-christian-furry]

We’ll start with the Bible stuff.

Genesis 1:27-

“So God created mankind in his own image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.”

This pretty exclusive disproves your claim that “humans aren’t going to experience gender in a binary sense” and “your god never intended there to be two genders, let alone two sexes!”” It’s also against the idea that God is genderless/sexless (a thing no human truly is, as even those born with that defect lean one way or the other regardless, just in more minor ways.)

Biology doesn’t betray the idea that sex (which is also gender- unless a pedophile by the name of John Money is being used as a source- but he’s illegitimate anyhow) is a binary. It very much is. The spectrum of gender is two. Two genders. No more, no less.

Psalm 123:

I lift up my eyes to you,

to you who sit enthroned in heaven.

As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,

as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress,

so our eyes look to the Lord our God,

till he shows us his mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us,

for we have endured no end of contempt.

We have endured no end

of ridicule from the arrogant,

of contempt from the proud.

It’s a metaphor. Not literal.

Luke 15:8-10:

The Parable of the Lost Coin

“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Again, figurative language (8-9) to prove a point (10).

—————————————————————————

Deuteronomy 32:18

“You deserted the Rock, who fathered you;

you forgot the God who gave you birth.”

—————————————————————————

This is in reference to Israel abandoning/doubting God, who created them. Again, it wasn’t literally God giving birth directly.

—————————————————————————

Isaiah 66: 12-13:

For this is what the Lord says:

“I will extend peace to her like a river,

and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream;

you will nurse and be carried on her arm

and dandled on her knees.

13 As a mother comforts her child,

so will I comfort you;

and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”

Again, a simile. Figurative language.

I would’ve thought Toriel made sure you passed your English classes…

—————————————————————————

Isaiah 42:13-15

13 Shout for joy, you heavens;

rejoice, you earth;

burst into song, you mountains!

For the Lord comforts his people

and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.

14 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me,

the Lord has forgotten me.”

15 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast

and have no compassion on the child she has borne?

Though she may forget,

I will not forget you!

—————————————————————————

Psalm 131

A song of ascents. Of David.

1 My heart is not proud, Lord,

my eyes are not haughty;

I do not concern myself with great matters

or things too wonderful for me.

2 But I have calmed and quieted myself,

I am like a weaned child with its mother;

like a weaned child I am content.

3 Israel, put your hope in the Lord

both now and forevermore.

Again, metaphorical language to prove a point. Psalms are songs.

—————————————————————————

Matt. 23:37

Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees

13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. [14] [b]

15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.

23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!

33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.

37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’

As with the others, you’re miscontextualizing. Metaphors=/= claims of gender.

—————————————————————————

Luke 13:31-34

Jesus’ Sorrow for Jerusalem

31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”

32 He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ 33 In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!

34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 35 Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’

This is a retelling of the previous story. Jesus is, as I said before, speaking metaphorically.

—————————————————————————

“Gee, thanks buddy! I’ll be praying to my gods for you too. :)”

That’ll go unheard.

—————————————————————————

“Your god gave Humans the ability to learn and adapt, to explore and become the best versions of themselves. This includes learning where someone fall on the vast spectrum of gender and sexuality. To deny this truth is to deny your god’s infinite power and knowledge.”

It isn’t. People can’t change their gender. Just like they can’t change their race, or their age. Sexuality, well… I’ve known some people, so that’s less set in stone. There’s still the matter of sin in that one.

This isn’t hateful. Dissent isn’t hatred. No loving person would tell someone “actually, these self destructive behaviors that mentally and physically scar you for life are good, actually.”

—————————————————————————

“You may be thankful there’s no flood, but also be thankful that your god is creative and powerful enough to allow you Humans to experience a full spectrum of identities, just as they have.”

People can be mentally unwell. They can also choose sin. Jesus redeems people of those sins.

—————————————————————————

“Remember, Pride Month is about celebrating all the beautiful ways your god made us, and your god is always watching! The Bible portrays outdated social standards, your god’s word should evolve as we do.“

God is always watching. Just because something is old doesn’t mean it’s outdated. The Bible has been and will continue to be needed and relevant for successful, healthy societies. It’s impossible to evolve perfection

As for pride month… well… funny how that’s named for one of the seven deadly sins.

—————————————————————————

“I mean, it’s impossible to but your god’s endless power and wisdom into two little boxes, right?“

God quite literally tells us who He is. That’s all throughout the Bible.

Take none of this as a message of hate, but of love.

And in case anyone is wondering why I decided to even bother responding to this… well… blame some of my followers for asking.

This’ll probably be my only one. Does disprove basically every single claim of this extremely dedicated RP blog, after all.

Hey.

OH MY GODS NO WAY

ITS THE DUDE LIL AZ WAS TALKING ABOUT

OH SHIT WADDUP

YOU ENJOYING PRIDE MONTH, CABBAGE PATCH?

[giftofshewbread]

How Beautiful Heaven Must Be

:: By Dennis Huebshman   Published on:  August 20, 2022

John 14:1-3; “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; also believe in Me. In My Father’s house there are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, that where I am, you may be also” (ESV – all emphasis mine).

If we could see every beautiful sight this earth contains, we would most likely see ornate cities; lavish castles; beautiful majestic mountains; beautiful wooded areas; rivers; lakes; streams and oceans; and all could be very breathtaking. However, even the most beautiful sight on this earth will pale when compared to what our eternal Home in Heaven will be like.

How the apostles John and Paul could get a glimpse of this magnificent beauty and then come back to this earth to live out the balance of their lives is beyond me. It is my firm belief that when we finally experience the glory of our Heavenly Home, nothing could convince us to return here except to serve our Lord in the Millennial Reign.

The last two chapters of Revelation try to give descriptions that we can attempt to understand. Even so, no matter how descriptive John is, I don’t believe there are adequate adjectives available for us to truly visualize the majesty, splendor, glory, and beauty of what true believers will witness.

First and foremost, we will finally get to see our Heavenly Father on His throne and our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, seated at His right hand. There will be no evil of any kind in our new Home. The old heavens and earth will have passed away. John spoke of a “New Jerusalem” coming down from Heaven for us to dwell in. What the exact location will be, we are not given, but just the size of the City will be more than adequate for all to live there who were saved while on this earth.

The measurements given are in “furlongs” or “stadia” and cubits, but it breaks down that the City is approximately 1,500 miles long, 1,500 miles wide, and 1,500 miles high, with walls approximately 12 feet thick (Revelation 21:16).

As for splendor, the walls are built of pure jasper, and the City is pure gold like clear glass. The wall foundations are adorned with twelve different jewels; jasper, sapphire, agate, emerald, onyx, carnelian, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprase, jacinth, and amethyst. I have to admit, there are a couple of these I am anxious to see what they actually look like (Revelation 21:18-20).

There are twelve gates to the City, and each is made up of a single pearl with streets of gold that are so pure that they appear to be transparent like glass (Revelation 21:21).

We must remember that time as we know it was created at the beginning of earth’s history by God for our purposes (Genesis 1:3-5). He created the seasons and days and years (Genesis 1:14-15). At Home, our Jesus will be our light, and there will be no more night (Revelation 22:5).

There will be a river of the Water of Life flowing from the Throne of God and the Lamb. There will be on either side of it the Tree of Life with different fruits for each month. How we will partake of this remains to be seen, but no matter what, it will excel far above any food and drink we have ever had here (Revelation 22:1-2).

The main point to all of this is our Jesus paid for us to be with Him in this Beautiful Holy City, and our “cost” is to believe in Him and accept His wonderful gift. There is no deity other than our Heavenly Trinity who would ever love us such as this. Man-made gods are created in human minds with human limitations to rule with strict regulations, many works and donations, and whatever. For us to believe we could “earn” one second of time in our eternal Home by our own means would be a great insult to our Creator and especially His Son.

A song by Mrs. A. S. Bridgewater (1873-1957) of North Carolina, published in 1920, is called “How Beautiful Heaven Must Be.”

1.) We read of a place called Heaven; it’s made for the pure and the free. These truths in God’s Word He has given; how beautiful Heaven must be.

Ref) How beautiful Heaven must be; sweet home of the happy and free; fair haven of rest for the weary; how beautiful Heaven must be.

2.) In Heaven no drooping nor pining; no wishing for elsewhere to be. God’s light is forever there shining; how beautiful Heaven must be. (ref)

3.) Pure waters of life there are flowing; all who will drink may be free. Rare jewels of splendor are glowing; how beautiful Heaven must be. (ref)

4.) The angels so sweetly are singing, up there by the beautiful sea. Sweet chords from their gold harps are ringing; how beautiful Heaven must be. (ref)

Now for the downside. This will only be for those who have truly called out and asked to be forgiven by Jesus, and for Him to be our eternal Savior. We realize we have all sinned, and only the pure sinless blood shed by our Jesus at Calvary can cleanse us. There is no other way to have an eternal Home with our Savior (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; John 3:18; and 1 John 5:12 as examples).

To pass from this earth without Jesus as your Savior is the unforgivable sin. The cost will be an appearance in that long line at the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11-15. No member of the flock of our Shepherd will be at this judgment.

There is no pardon, no forgiveness available there, and no suspended sentences. All in that line will be assigned eternal punishment in the lake of fire prepared especially for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).

Even though our messages about being saved, being born again, and having an eternal Home with Jesus are foolishness to the unsaved (1 Corinthians 1:18), we are giving them an opportunity to repent and change their eternal address once and for all. No one will be forced, as some religions try to do to their members, but each person has the ability to choose for themselves who they will worship. Jesus or Satan.

Satan and his demons are working overtime these days. False prophets and antichrists are getting more active daily. Many evangelical churches have turned away from preaching God’s word and are giving ear-tickling, feel-good, and totally unbiblical messages to their members. Everyone is told just how “good” they are, that there are many ways to Heaven, and any “love” lifestyle a person desires is perfectly all right. Sin is conveniently overlooked.

The condition of today’s world is right on schedule with the end of this age’s prophecy. The Father is “setting the hooks,” as given in Ezekiel 38:4. The coalition is primed, and before long, they will try to take out Israel for their abundant wealth. Then, the man with the peace plan will appear, and it will be 7 years of tribulation here.

With that so close, our being called up to meet Jesus in the air is even closer. The Rapture will take place as promised by the Father to keep us from the wrath that is coming (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53).

The only question remaining is, which will you choose? Time is rapidly slipping away, and today would not be too soon to follow Romans 10:9-13. Verse 13 is key for all believers; “All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Just think of the beautiful Home waiting if you are part of the Shepherd’s flock. Don’t hesitate, or you may just be too late.

Maranatha – Come, Lord Jesus!

[idratherdreamofjune]

@sunheart wrote in her tags on another post:

Genuinely hate being alive ... I completely understand on so many levels why you would hate being a woman. Its horrible. And then as a Christian there's this whole really ugly dynamic- that i know is probably a lie i just haven't worked out how yet- that we're the 2nd best. The afterthought. The mediocre option. Almost everything in life men are better at and it's hard to believe it's just cultural-  math logic leadership writing cooking writing physical activities on and on, and women are good at being Nice :)   Which ok i like being nice   but it's like that's my only option   I feel like any other impact i might wish to have upon the world   will be paltry in comparison to what i could do   if only i was a man.   I feel incompetent. Irrational. Emotional. Obnoxious.   I feel like I'm supposed to be a plaything for the beings that were *actually* created to be in harmony with God   like I'm not supposed to have a connection with God-  only through my husband   which what does that make me as a single childless bitch?   I can't even fulfill the main point of my existence. Jesus interacted with women but did he care about them like he did the men? David and John were named his favorites not Deborah or Hannah. And like i said i'm sure none of that's true but i don't know how and it feels awful. hate it.

   Hopefully others have shared encouragement on this already, but just in case I wanted to give some thoughts. Please know that if I sound riled at all (and I’m going to try to avoid that) I’m not upset at anyone who feels this way but am deeply upset by the enemy’s lies that so many are hurt by. As a younger believer I did struggle with some of these questions myself, and for a long time it was difficult to reconcile these concerns with the promises that God loves me.

   Your instincts are right - it is a lie that women are second best. And before I go any further let me also agree that yes, we are physically weaker than men and have other weaknesses too. But since when has weakness meant that someone is any way “less than” others? Men have weaknesses too, just different ones. That’s the nature of humanity: every person is a mixed bag of strengths and weaknesses. I’ve never heard before that men are better at cooking?? My dad literally struggles to cook a hotdog in the microwave and has never touched a grill in his life. And okay men may (possibly, not sure on this one either) be inherently better at math, but which gender is drastically underrepresented in the nursing field? I suspect there are fewer male teachers, too, though not as huge a disparity. Men are more prone to recklessness and violence - part of the reason married men live longer (gotta get that stable influence). Again yes men are physically stronger but have you watched ballet dancers (oooh i mean ballerinas, sorry there’re so few ballerinos that I forgot to differentiate) or female gymnasts? Nothing “less than” there! The famous Proverbs 31 woman is a good insight into Biblical support of female abilities and value: “strength and dignity are her clothing”, “she opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” “Let her works praise her in the gates.” (The gates were essentially the city hall or forum of ancient Israel.)

   Going back to the beginning - women were created second, true. But did God not know His own plan? He was always going to create women. And the really amazing thing that I learned in the last couple of years is that, when God says He’s going to make Adam “a helper” (Hebrew ”ezer”), that’s the same word that is used to describe God’s actions for His people throughout the Old Testament: - Exodus 18:4 “The God of my father was my help.” - 1 Samuel 7:12 “Ebenezer” means “rock of help” and is a memorial of Yaweh’s help. - Psalm 30:10 “Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me! O Lord, be my helper!” - Psalm 115:11 “You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord, He is their help and their shield” - Psalm 121:2 “My help comes from the Lord” - Hosea 13:9 “‘You are against Me, against your helper.’“

It is a common word for “help” used in other settings, yes, but the fact that it’s used of God illustrates that this is no poor or second-rate role. Helping - aiding - supporting - incredibly important! In fact this article I just found puts it this way:

In two cases it refers to the first woman, Eve, in Genesis 2. Three times it refers to powerful nations Israel called on for help when besieged. In the sixteen remaining cases the word refers to God as our help. He is the one who comes alongside us in our helplessness. That's the meaning of ezer. Because God is not subordinate to his creatures, any idea that an ezer-helper is inferior is untenable. In his book Man and Woman: One in Christ, Philip Payne puts it this way: "The noun used here [ezer] throughout the Old Testament does not suggest 'helper' as in 'servant,' but help, savior, rescuer, protector.'

   Moving on to the New Testament, and the topic of John, who is known as “the disciple whom Jesus loved”. John is the one who wrote the book which tells us that (under the direction of the Holy Spirit, yes) and he only uses that wording as a title, in place of his name. Nowhere does it say he was the favorite disciple, or even most loved, just that he was loved. To me it seems more as if John is saying “Jesus loved me! Can you believe it?!” It has a feeling of awe and thankfulness as opposed to superiority.

  Getting into marriage specifically, I do believe that a wife should be under the headship of her husband ...mainly in the sense of letting him have the last word on decisions and plans. This is in part due to differing areas of strength, and in part because in some situations it’s better to have a family leader - most groups of humans need a leader, and following an assigned (or picked) leader does not make one inferior. All that being said, a wife should be able to provide input, advice, and feedback to her husband, who should take into strong consideration his wife’s needs, insights, and concerns (Ephesians 5:25-29).

   The lie that women cannot be connected to God outside of their husband is refuted not only by all the vibrantly faithful single or windowed Christian ladies of history (Amy Carmichael, Gladys Aylward, Mary Slessor, and Elisabeth Elliot are some of my favorites) but also Scripture itself. When Christ spoke with the divorced Samaritan woman the disciples were shocked not because she was a Samaritan but because she was a woman (John 4:27; she was shocked on both counts - John 4:9) - I hope they got used to it because Jesus spoke with women a lot. Despite the culture of the time, Jesus clearly had very warm and caring direct relationships with Martha and Mary, Mary Magdalene, and other women. Anna the Prophetess in the temple had been widowed for decades and was serving God alone “night and day” (Luke 2:37). Incredibly, in a culture where women were looked down upon, the Lord chose women to be the first to discover the empty tomb, and Mary Magdalene to be the first to see the risen Christ! I love that passage so much (John 20:11-18).

   Another example is when Jesus stopped on His way to heal Jairus’ daughter (i.e. He put aside a powerful man’s urgent request) to lovingly interact with the woman who’d suffered bleeding for years - a terribly personal and female problem (Mark 5:21-35).

   To try to wrap up, I’ll return to David in the OT, who was a “man after God’s own heart”. But again, it doesn’t say that he was actually a favorite - it does say David was chosen by God though, to lead Israel and establish the family from which Jesus would ultimately come. You know who else was chosen? Esther - “for such a time as this”. Once she realizes the task she must complete, she tells Mordecai how it’s going to go, and “Mordecai then went away and did everything Esther had ordered him.” Esther gets a book named after her and is remembered in the holiday of Purim to this day. Also note that Esther was married to an unbeliever. Likewise Ruth was chosen, as a young foreign widow, to be part of the Messiah’s kingly line. As an aside, my favorite thing about Ruth’s story (besides all the faith and beauty of it) is the simultaneous deep respect and protectiveness Boaz shows towards her (okay enough mush). Anyhow what it comes down to is that God chooses and loves both men and women, and both have a place (singly and married) in His plans and kingdom. See also Galatians 3:28 “ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

   This post has all over the place, and I probably forgot a bunch of things I wanted to add (if anything else comes to mind I’ll add it later), but I hope it’s been encouraging. Yes I’ve struggled with some aspects of how women are portrayed in the Bible, but what I shared above, plus the love and blessings I’ve known as a single woman are more than enough evidence that we are known and loved. If anything is unclear or anyone has any questions please speak out/send an ask! Anon asks are on too. Also if anyone wants to add or amend anything do so without hesitation!!

[beauty-and-passion]

*gracefully enters thru window*

I am back with another interesting discussion prompt senpai

So we know Biblical references are Dark Sides thing: Janus with the serpent of the Garden of Eden, Remus (and to an extent, Roman as well) with Cain and Abel, and both Yellow and Green Sides with the Forbidden Fruit.

I also mentioned how the Parable of the Prodigal Son can be Virgil's biblical ref, tho I don't think the fandom can handle canon Dark Side famILY drama (also notice how his is from New Testament, compared to others from Old Testament and specifically Genesis, of which we can argue Virge is younger than them)

One idea I have about Orange's ref is David and Goliath, of which we can roughly say how it's a story of 'skill and wit defeating the big bad.' Then Orange can show Logan that there are always more than one way to tackle the problem.

Of course, we'll have to see what Orange actually represents (tho the entire fandom is convinced he's wrath/anger/rage)

I'm very glad I left that window open :P

Your points about the Parable of the Prodigal Son for Virgil and Janus (because yes, of course the father is Janus) are great. I love this, I want Janus to kill the fatted calf while his other son (read: Orange) will ask him why doing all of this for such an ungrateful brat. Why Orange? Because Remus is too chill around Virgil and I want someone to tell him "WHY YOU LEFT US, YOU BIATCH".

In case it wasn't clear enough, I want drama.

And the fandom can handle everything, if properly explained. They handled Remus, why can't they handle some dark bois family drama? Of course this isn't related to me wanting drama, what makes you think that.

Still speaking of the Parable: I ADORE the detail that it is from the New Testament, so a lot newer compared to the Old one. And yes, it's an amazing point to show how Virgil is a lot younger, compared to someone like Janus, who is connected to frickin' Genesis.

About Orange: your choice of David and Goliath is very interesting. As you said, this is a story of how skills and wit are more powerful than brute force. And, if we consider Orange as Wrath, this story can also be considered a way to show both sides of him:

the violent, devastating side (Goliath), so powerful to defeat an entire army and make others quiver before him

the clever, calculating side (David), who draws from knowledge of themselves and the enemy, in order to strike and destroy it with one single hit

Orange might start as Goliath, someone so powerful and scary to make other sides fear him. And then, by learning how to cooperate with logic, he may evolve into David: still powerful, still strong, but also clever enough to direct that knowledge into a better, quicker way to defeat the enemy.

[you-cant-spell-subtext-without]

Hola Mishamigos! It’s Friday and I am here with more nonsense from my SPN rewatch - dudes, we are all SLEEPING on Season 11, in both good and bad ways.  There is so much in just the first trifecta of “Out of the Darkness, Into the Fire;” “Form and Void;” and “Bad Seed” (since “Baby” deserves her own analysis) -  so come relive my rewatch with me.  This is a summary of some things that stood out for me (few are analysis, most are clowning; basically this is a pared down live tweet - you’re welcome/I'm sorry); copy/paste from the script is included with my own emphasis:

OUT OF THE DARKNESS INTO THE FIRE [11x01]

-There’s lots more to this episode, but really this is the most important and relevant part (also it’s too soon and I am offended, damaged, attacked and hurt) -

DEAN: Yeah, whoa. All right, take -- take it easy, okay?  (gesturing to the deputy’s wound) Bad guys?

JENNA: Rebar. I sought cover. I fell.

***LIKE EXCUSE ME, but what in the actual fuck.  Did they just decide to pull that from the episode four years later to emotionally traumatize us in the subsequent rewatches? I know it’s probably coincidence but my sad soul has not recovered *enough* for rebar’s first SPN appearance to be right now in this moment when I am blissfully 5 entire seasons away from the dead end in the road.

- The only other important part of this episode - when Dean takes the call from Cas privately first before putting it on speaker for Sam, and something about this exchange is so endearing-

(Dean’s phone rings) 

DEAN: Where the hell are you, Cas?

(The scene flips between Sam and Dean at the hospital, and Castiel in the woods.)

CASTIEL: I'm...I'm okay.

DEAN: You don't sound okay.

CASTIEL: Dean, I am fine. Besides, what I have, you can't help me.

DEAN: What do you mean, what you have?

CASTIEL: Just please tell Sam -- Rowena escaped with the Book of the Damned and the codex.

DEAN: Okay, forget Rowena. Where are you?

CASTIEL: Now, you tell me -- the Mark . . .

DEAN: Oh, really? You're worried about me after everything that I’ve --

CASTIEL: Dean, is it gone?

DEAN: Yes. I'm good. I mean, I'm not great.

CASTIEL: Makes two of us.  (Dean puts Cas on speakerphone) This is good news.

SAM: Hey, Cas.

CASTIEL: Sam.

***It’s just so poignant that Dean wanted privacy for the first minutes of that call, probably because he is still haunted about the beating he gave Cas in 10 and *other things,* and Cas is literally being torn apart by Rowena’s curse but he only cares about Dean getting rid of the Mark, and the world is ending but Dean only cares about Cas and where he is -  honestly this scene - I’m - 

***Further thoughts on the Animal Curse/Cas/Dean below under 11x03

FORM AND VOID [11x02]

(love the Genesis call back to this verse in the title - “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.”)

-speaking of emotional trauma, this fucking shit again -

JENNA: Yeah. I pretty much grew up here. Learned to ride my bike down the road. Had my first kiss at that blue house over there. Lost my virginity up there (pointing to different house).

DEAN: I'll bet blue house was pissed.

JENNA: She was. (handing Amara to Dean) Do you mind?

***This frustrated/disappointed/angered/saddened me to NO END despite already knowing that it happens constantly on the show, because what was the reason?! Did they have to point out that she had a female love interest for this brief moment just to turn her evil and kill her off?  There was no need to include this detail.  It’s either blatant homophobia or willful ignorance (so also blatant homophobia) that this is what representation means.  I won’t go on because obviously we are aware of this and much has already been said/written about it, but still, fuck this.

-we meet Billie and there is more “FORESHADOWING”-

QUEEN IS SINGING “OH DEATH” aka Death’s entrance song from Season 5 and I am BLOWN AWAY by this almost as much as her amazing voice - like did they know at this point she would become the new Death season later? DID THEY KNOW? I need answers.

Seriously, go listen to it immediately; bask in its glory:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFOm5i6b56o

We also get our first mention of the Empty, so that’s cute that they referenced both Dean’s and Cas’s Season 15 ‘demises’ in the same episode (it’s not cute really and I am crying again now) ->

BILLIE: You and Dean . . . Dying and coming back again and again. The old death thought it was funny. But now there's one hard, fast rule in this universe. What lives . . . dies. So the next time you or your brother bite it, well, you're not going to Heaven . . . Or Hell. One of us -- and, Lord, I hope it's me -- we're gonna make a mistake and toss you out into the Empty. And nothing comes back from that. I know you're dying. I can feel it. You're unclean in the biblical sense. So I'll be seeing you again, Sam . . . Seeing you real soon. Name's Billie, by the way.

-another reason for me to continue denying the flaming trash heap that they tried to call the series finale-

Sam is dying here because he has been infected by the Darkness-vein-animal-exploding-people-plague so he goes to pray about it 

SAM: So . . . I know it's been a long time, but . . . Dean and I, we've -- we've been through a lot of bad. But this is different. This is my fault, and I don't know how to fix it. And if I have to die, I've made my peace with that, but . . . Please. Dean deserves better. Dean deserves a life. There are people out there, good people, who are going to suffer because of me, and I am not asking you to clean up my mess. Hell, I don't even know if you're out there, but . . . If you are . . . And if you can hear me, I, um . . . We need your help, God. We need to know there's hope. We need a sign.

**DABB WROTE THIS F-ING EPISODE.  How are you going to write Dean deserves a life here to just do what you did Dabb.  Don’t get me started on my feelings about this scene in the dark depths of my finale-denying soul.   DEAN DESERVES BETTER INDEED, SEASON 11 SAM. 

To rub salt in this particular wound, they show us THE cutest scenes of Dean with this damn baby so we can have feelings about how great of a parent he could be (also I ADORE that whenever Jared, Jensen, or Misha have scenes in later seasons with young children/babies it is SO clear they slip into their own natural dad mode without even noticing it; these guys just all seem like excellent fathers and it makes me mushy) and even Crowley picks up on that shit and makes his little ex-boyfriend joke (after Demon Dean and most of season 10 there is no way I will ever NOT believe that Crowley and Dean did not take a tumble; I will take no criticism):

CROWLEY: The child likes you. No surprise, really. You're very maternal.

LIKE WHAT IS THIS:

Speaking of King Jackles, next comes the episode he directed ->

BAD SEED [11x03]

-Cas/Dean parallels with the Attack Dog Spell/Mark of Cain-

This arc appears in the 10 finale and then runs through the first three episodes, culminating in this one.  Despite it hurting my heart to see our angel so bloody eyed and feral, I LOVED this parallel; it’s truly brilliant - Cas’s reaction to the attack dog spell is such a mirror to the way Dean dealt with the Mark most of 10.  It’s also beautiful that Dean is the only one that can pull Cas from the spell’s control at the end of this episode; that alley scene between the two of them in 11x02 is so tender and sweet.  I like to think this brought an entire new layer of depth to their connection, because no one truly understood how Dean felt under the influence of the Mark until now (someone write a fan fic about this exchange!!!!!!) I *love* this journey for them (please say that sentence in Alexis Rose in your head).  Bonus that  the episode containing my most favorite of *domestic* phone calls with Dean and Cas follows this one, and also Dean’s SHORT SHORTS follow because now he is just walking around the bunker in short shorts while Cas is there and I maintain this is because of this new level of closeness.  As previously stated I ACCEPT NO criticism.

ALSO OF COURSE THE FACE CUP THAT JENSEN HIMSEF DIRECTED HIMSELF TO DO.  I STAN A KING. I HEREBY DEMAND AT LEAST ONE FACE CUP PER EPISODE OF THE MINI SERIES JENSEN.

***I just saw something posted by @watchthebeesandfish​ back in 2015 when digging around the internet re: this episode - that this was the first time both Dean/Cas had seen each other as “themselves” since that heart wrenching bridge scene in 9x10, when Dean walks away from Sam/Cas after the Gadreel possession reveal (he goes on to take the Mark of Cain in the following episode, and has it the rest of the season through season 10 finale). That is brilliant and accurate and I BOW DOWN in humility to that parallel.  I now love this scene a billion times more. *single [wo]man tear*   Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this little trip down memory lane, thanks as always for getting through my rambling,  and HAPPY FACE CUPPING FOREVER.

[aion-rsa]

Bo Burnham: Inside Songs Ranked from Worst to Best

https://ift.tt/2JMbiJl

The musical of the summer was supposed to be a life-affirming celebration of one of New York’s most vibrant neighborhoods, full of color, romance, and big group dance numbers. Instead for many viewers, the musical of the moment was filmed and performed by one man, alone in isolation from the comfort (or discomfort, really) of his own home, with songs centered on techno paranoia, mental health, and the fear of aging. Maybe after a year stuck in their homes, audiences could relate to the existential dread and general anxiety on display in Bo Burnham: Inside more than a conventional movie musical.

Billed as a stand-up special, Burnham’s latest musical comedy endeavor finds the former wunderkind holed up and feeling more uncomfortable than ever. Writing, editing, directing, and performing from a claustrophobic studio, Burnham’s stand-up special skews more toward being a straight-up musical, and not because the special is light on jokes and missing an audience. Rather this has all the hallmarks of a musical narrative and plays closer to experimental cinema than sketch comedy.

Burnham expresses his characters’ inner-thoughts, fears, and desires via song throughout a contained narrative, in this case the narrative being one man trying to occupy himself during a pandemic. It has ballads, charm songs, comedy numbers, “I Am” and “I Want” songs, and a big reprise. By capturing his personal pandemic experience and putting the whole affair to song, Burnham has created one of the most compelling (and catchy!) accounts of life during 2020.

To celebrate the musical that we all needed after a year in our homes, we’ve decided to rank every song from Bo Burnham: Inside. You can stream along via the Inside (The Songs) album on the streaming platform of your choice.

20. I Don’t Wanna Know

Merely an interlude, “I Don’t Wanna Know” doesn’t quite work outside of watching the special itself. However, it is a clever way to address the fact that modern audiences do not have the attention span to sit through a film at home without checking their phone or complaining about a runtime.

19. Bezos II

While certainly meant to poke fun at the real-life Lex Luthor, it’s not that fun to listen to Bezos’ name repeated. Stil, Burnham does elicit a few laughs with his over-the-top mock congratulations. “You did it!”

18. Any Day Now

A Sesame Street-like mantra that plays over the credits, “Any Day Now” suggests this could all end either hopefully soon or on a depressingly vague far-off date that will never come. We’d like to think it’s the former, but it’s safe to assume what Bo thinks.

17. All Time Low

While this number gets docked points for its short runtime, it absolutely packs a punch with its four-line, single verse. After Bo admits that his mental health is rapidly deteriorating, he describes what it’s like to have a panic attack set to a chipper ‘80s dance backbeat. Unfortunately, we don’t get to ride the wave long enough, and judging lyrics, that’s probably a good thing for Bo.

16. Content

This strong opening number musically sets the vibe for Inside, letting us know that we’re in for some synth-heavy throwback beats that would be best listened to underneath a disco ball.  Also incorporating silly backing vocals, a hallmark of many of Inside’s best tracks, Burnham declares he’s back with some sweet, sweet content. “Daddy made you your favorite,” he sings, and he ain’t wrong. 

15. Bezos I

Unlike the reprise in “Bezos II,” “Bezos I” gets by off its increasingly deranged energy, with Burnham roasting fellow tech billionaires and working himself up into a manic frenzy by song’s end. Musically, it sounds like the soundtrack to an intense boss battle on a Sega Genesis game before ending with a sick little synth solo and Burnham hilarious squawking. It’s arguably the only acceptable thing that Bezos has ever been associated with.

14. Unpaid Intern

While “Unpaid Intern” is one of Inside’s shortest tracks, it absolutely makes the most of its time. The jazzy tune scorches the exploitative nature of unpaid internships before Burnham breaks out into a laugh-out-loud worthy scat routine. It unfortunately ends too soon.

13. Shit

Inside’s funkiest jam sounds like Burnham wrote the lyrics for a new Janelle Moane album cut. Bo show’s off his vocal dexterity and plumbs the depths of his depression in a surprisingly danceable fashion. Throwing in a little faux crowd interaction helps bring home the fact that we have all felt like this at one point or another during the pandemic.

12. Sexting

This slow-jam details the complications of sexting, throwing out hilariously too-true punchlines like “the flash makes my dick look frightened.” “Sexting” feels like one of a few songs that could most easily appear on previous Burnham specials. Proving that Inside’s musical textures do not come exclusively from ’80s synth pop, the outro of the song expertly mirrors modern pop trends by throwing in some trap-influenced “yahs” at the end of Bo’s lines.

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11. How the World Works

Influenced by comedian Hans Teeuwen and children’s entertainment in general, ��How the World Works” finds Burnham going back to the well by playing the ignorant, smarmy white guy who is oblivious of the real issues plaguing nonwhite Americans. What’s even better though is Socko calling Burnham out on forcing others to educate him for his own self-actualization instead of doing the work on his own for the betterment of others.

Socko pointedly asks “Why do you rich f—— white people insist on seeing every socio-political conflict through the myopic lens of your own self-actualization?” Not to keep things too heavy, the song ends with an absurdist bit where Burnham returns Socko to the nether place that he goes when he’s not attached to Burnham’s hand. Scathing and bizarre, it’s a great piece of social commentary. 

10. FaceTime With My Mom

While most of the music of Inside feels directly transported from the 1980s, “FaceTime With My Mom” seems only inspired by the past decade’s musical trends, updating the sounds in much of the same way that the Weeknd and Dua Lipa have. This is Bo Burnham as a hitmaker, and his attempt is convincing. “FaceTime With My Mom” earns easy laughs by getting to the seemingly specific, yet universal things that all our moms do over video chat. 

9. Goodbye

Every good musical needs a good closing track, and Burnham nails it with “Goodbye,” pulling off a reprise that weaves in many of the special’s signature musical moments and touches on the special’s core themes. A forlorn piano ballad before it soars through Inside’s best motifs, “Goodbye” caps a triumphant musical achievement, coming back to “Look Who’s Inside Again” just to punch you in the gut one last time. 

8. Problematic

Addressing his past work and some aspects that have not aged well, while also skewering celebrity apologies, “Problematic” is self-aware critique by way of an ‘80s workout bop. From the specific Aladdin confession to the overall apology for being “vaguely shitty,” Bo has never made accountability sound so good.

7. That Funny Feeling

This is Bo Burnham’s version of Father John Misty’s “Holy Shit,” a laundry list of all the stupid things that are signaling the fall of culture and civilization as we know it. If Misty hadn’t gotten there first, we may have had this one ranked higher. Still, Burnham manages to come up with a sticky chorus that you’ll be humming the next time something makes you feel like you’re living in the uncanny valley.

6. White Woman’s Instagram

Perhaps the special’s most playful moment, “White Woman’s Instagram” uses the musical cues of an inspiring empowerment anthem to poke fun at the predictably, perfectly curated feed of a “girl boss” Instagram. The song is greatly enhanced by the accompanying visuals, which find Bo recreating the meticulously staged and glamorous portraits that women pass off as their everyday lives.

However, Bo always likes to sneak in some sentimentality, and imagines a genuinely heartfelt post to his white woman character’s deceased mother. Don’t worry, the emotional moment doesn’t overstay its welcome, and we’re soon back to laughing at horribly derivative political street art.

5. All Eyes on Me

The droning synth and pitch-down vocals make “All Eyes On Me” oddly hypnotic and beautiful. The song seems to be addressing Bo’s depression along with his need for validation and attention, a juxtaposition that many performers deal with. It becomes clear that Burnham isn’t addressing an invisible audience, but himself, trying to will himself up and out of his dreary mental state.

4.  Look Who’s Inside Again

A classic “I Am” musical song, “Look Who’s Inside Again” just may be Inside’s most emotionally resonant track that seems to hit closest to who Bo Burnham was and who he is today. This is the song that I will most likely regret the most for ranking so low.

“Well, well, look who’s inside again. Went out to look for a reason to hide again,” perfectly describes the cycle of depression and will, for me, be the special’s most lasting moment. The downbeat ending “come out with your hands up, we’ve got you surrounded” is heartbreaking enough to send a shudder down your spine.

3. Comedy

The special’s real first number is absolutely packed with hooks, from the “Call me and I’ll tell you a joke” bridge to the “Should I be joking at a time like this?” change-up. This is Bo really flexing how far he’s come as a musician, expertly utilizing autotune and a key change (us “stupid motherf***ers” can’t resist them).

“Comedy” also finds Bo comfortably in the lane that we’re most used to seeing him in, playing the egomaniacal white messiah with a wink. “Comedy” is the tone-setter and it’s so good that it lets you know that you’re in good hands for the next hour plus.

2. 30

Either I’m ranking this song too highly due to its personally relatable nature or the fact that I haven’t been able to get “All my stupid friends are having stupid children” out of my head, but I really don’t care. “30” is Inside’s biggest earworm and addresses the existential terror that comes with no longer getting pats on the back for being a young wunderkind.

“30” also examines generational differences, showing how 30 year-old people are more infantile than ever. However, at the end of the day it all comes back to those shimmering keys and that irresistible refrain. Apologies to my friends with children.

1. Welcome to the Internet

No matter how deep and emotionally rich some of Inside’s other tracks may be, “Welcome to the Internet” is the one that will live on the longest. If this were a traditional musical, this would the antagonists’ showstopper; a vaudevillian romp through the alluring chaos that is the internet. Speeding up and slowing down the pace to mirror the manic, addictive nature of surfing the net, Burnham pitches the negative aspects of online culture as they are: a feature, not a bug. Promising “a little bit of everything all of the time,” “Welcome to the Internet” is almost as enticing as the dark tool itself.

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The post Bo Burnham: Inside Songs Ranked from Worst to Best appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[freetenshi]

Who Can Give Us Reliable Guidance?

“Send out your light and your truth. May these themselves lead me.”—PSALM 43:3.

WHEN we want to know how to use a piece of equipment, we count on the manufacturer to provide authoritative instructions. Similarly, would not our Creator be in the best position to tell us how we can be truly happy?

How do we even know that there is a Creator?

Professor George Zinsmeister, formerly of the University of Massachusetts in the United States, believes in God and answers this question in a single word—entropy. He is referring to what scientists term “the second law of thermodynamics.” This law implies something that we all observe. An orderly system, such as a house, cannot come into existence on its own. Yet, our universe consists of countless examples of highly ordered physical and biological systems. All of this is evidence that points to an unimaginably intelligent and powerful Creator.

King David drew this conclusion thousands of years ago: “The heavens are declaring the glory of God; and of the work of his hands the expanse is telling.” (Psalm 19:1 [19:2, TNK]) In another psalm we find the exclamation: “How many your works are, O Jehovah! All of them in wisdom you have made. The earth is full of your productions.”—Psalm 104:24. *

Why did God create us?

Creation was an expression of God’s love. As a loving Father, he wants us to enjoy life and to find pleasure in all the good things he has created for us.—Psalm 92:4 [92:5, TNK].

What does it mean that God created us “in his image”?—Genesis 1:26, 27.

God created us with a measure of his own qualities, including the ability to love, to be wise, to be just, and to be creative. He also gave us freedom of choice. When we choose to reflect his qualities, we make him happy. (Proverbs 23:15) As does any parent, God desires to have intelligent, reasoning children with whom he can communicate and enjoy a meaningful relationship.

What is God’s purpose for human society?

God intends for us to use our abilities to work together as a united family for the common good of mankind.—Micah 4:3.

What could we expect our Creator to do for us?

A good father guides and instructs his children. Reasonably, our Creator would do the same. Has he done so?

How Much Does God Care About Us?

Consider just two of God’s many expressions of care for us:

“You will certainly call me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”—JEREMIAH 29:12.

“Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not gaze about, for I am your God. I will fortify you. I will really help you. I will really keep fast hold of you with my right hand of righteousness. . . . For I, Jehovah your God, am grasping your right hand, the One saying to you, ‘Do not be afraid. I myself will help you.’”—ISAIAH 41:10, 13.

Disclaimer: The articles I post are not mine. I am merely sharing them to those who really want to learn about the Bible. Please visit JW.ORG for more Bible topics that might interest you.

https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/happy-life/who-can-give-us-reliable-guidance/

[universally-the-same]

Spirituality

Spirituality is something that I’ve been wanting to write a post on for so long, but I feel like it’s such a difficult topic to write about.  Why?  Because I believe that spirituality is all about an individual’s connection to a higher power.  It is such an individualized experience, but to me that’s what makes it so much different than religion.  Strip away the structure and rules and give me what’s left… the essence of goodness.  Sprinkle in free thought, self-discovery and a magical journey that awaits those who seek it.

I was blessed enough to have a father that made it possible for me to attend parochial school.  As such I was baptized and confirmed in the Catholic Church.  I am grateful for my schooling on many levels, but there were a few teachings of Catholicism that I really couldn’t get behind.  My inherent doubt in the strict teachings started at a very young age.

I was in Kindergarten or 1st grade, and we were in our religion class talking about the biblical book Genesis and how the earth was created in 7 days. I raised my hand, because I wanted to know how the dinosaurs fit into that.  When were they around?  How was it possible for them to be around for so many years when everything was created within a week?  The teachers couldn’t answer me.  Similar scenarios occurred throughout the years and eventually, I learned to stop asking the questions.  But that didn’t subdue the curiosity.

While I have learned to look at the Bible as a collection of religious stories that hold very holy symbolism, there is a major hypocrisy in Catholicism that I can’t justify. Now let me go on record as saying that I am not anti-Catholic, or any other religion for that matter, I am simply sharing my thoughts and what my experiences have been to help readers better understand where some of my perspectives come from.

With that said, I will continue on.  If you were to boil down the teachings of almost every religion out there… it comes down to the golden rule:  Do unto other’s as you would have done unto you.  In other words… be kind, be respectful.  Treat people the way you want to be treated.  It’s a very simple, easy concept that I am 100% behind.  The problem major problem with Catholicism for me, comes from interpreting the 10 commandments.  According to these stone tablets… other faith goers are destined to an eternity in Hell if they don't convert.

I remember raising my hand for that one too.  If we have all these people around the world doing good and treating each other as brothers and sisters, how could God send them all to hell just because they were raised a different religion?  It made no sense to me.  And the only answer that I could ever get that held any consistency throughout the years was… to have Faith.

Now anyone who knows me, knows that I am a HUGE believer in Faith.  I even try to maintain my faith in those who probably no longer deserve it.  So for me, holding faith in something that didn’t feel right 100% right wasn’t the answer, and that was the beginning of my spiritual journey.

When I was younger and going through an abusive relationship with my mother, it was my friendship and trust in God that helped get me through that.  Praying for strength and receiving it.  Praying for a better mother, and being blessed with so many incredible role models -both real-life and celebrity.  Finding peace in nature and feeling the effect of the elements before I even really knew what that meant.  The more I found myself, the more my spirituality grew.

As a teenager in high school, I had a period where every night I would have at least one prophetic dream.  My dreams became a daily discussion at the lunch table and the two-week streak ended on a Friday night.  I was telling the table my latest dream about someone jumping off a cliff thinking they could fly and one of my friends paled and freaked out.  She had made plans to drive to some mountain that night with a bunch of friends to get high.  They never made the drive - and the dreams suddenly stopped.

I’ve had many spiritual guru’s – most of which are non-traditional.  But I’ve pulled lessons from every single one.  I’m at a point in my life where I consider myself a sort of Omnist.  I refuse to associate myself with any one Religion, because I believe there is truth in them all.

I believe in many of the teachings of Eastern religions and philosophies -which is no surprise if you follow me here or on Facebook.  I know in my heart that I am an old soul who has lived many lifetimes and that I carry those lessons and wisdom with me.  I believe in the Eastern notion that God is nature, but I also talk to God as if I were made in His image as is taught in Christianity (or even Her image which is not taught in Christianity).  I also believe in the evidence of evolution, the wonder of science, and the mystery and magic of the metaphysical and paranormal.

I am part witch, drawn to the moon.  I have an affinity for water and the earth.  I feel the power of nature in my heart and in my soul… it runs through my veins.  After all, are we not made up of the same cells?  The same energy?  The same life source?

And speaking of energy… I was drawn to Reiki before I even knew what it was.  Before the Internet was a resource for expanding the mind.  I distinctly remember seeing the word Reiki when I was eighteen years old and my soul stood at attention.  Twenty years later, in a strange turn of events, I was lead to become Reiki certified without even really knowing what it was.  Once I had a date set up for my attunement and I started researching it, I was floored to discover that it is energy work.  It naturally lent itself to my ongoing process of self-healing… mentally, spiritually and physically.  Perhaps I was once a medicine man, or a Shaman, or another ancient healer?

The more that I read, and learn, and explore; I find that I am not alone.  There are so many others out there who share similar perspectives and beliefs.  There are many meme’s promoting the unsourced quote, “Your vibe attracts your tribe”.  And I have been blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful people.  They all have huge hearts, are incredibly supportive and encouraging.  They are fun, loving, spirited. Some are strong and outgoing, while others are quiet and mysterious.  But these wonderful people cheer me on.  They encourage me to be me.  And where I once may have been ashamed of my quirky ways, I now love and embrace them!

So, to all my friends and acquaintances out there who have asked me what I mean when I say that I don’t consider myself religious… I consider myself spiritual.  Now you know.  I believe in a God, a higher power, a source, the Universe.  I believe in fate, destiny, signs from my angels and spirit guides.  Stilling the mind and harnessing the energy from within.  I believe in the power of our Earth and Mother Nature… she’s older then we are, you know.  I believe in the underlying goodness found in all religions; to be kind and respectful.  Because when you boil it all down and strip away the things that make us different… I mean truly take it all away...  we are all creatures of biology; atoms being held together by energy.

*this blog post was originally posted on my StayWonderfull blog on 2/23/2018 when it was a personal blog, and moved to my Universally the Same blog.

[kabane52]

Tidbits on Symbolic Use of Numbers and Gematria in the Bible

This is a collection of short posts from my Facebook:

Here’s probably the coolest tidbit I’ve found in the use of numerical structures as literary devices in the Hebrew Bible: the last verse of Genesis (50:26) notes Joseph’s death at 110 years old.The first pericope of Genesis is the creation week, from 1:1-2:3. The numerical value of this is 110,601. You might think that doesn’t sound very precise- until you realize that 601 is the **110th prime number.** So the first pericope of Genesis has the numerical value of 110,000+ the 110th prime number. The last verse of Genesis notes Joseph’s death at 110 years old. Pretty cool. Just double and triple checked it this morning.

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Another interesting tidbit on numerical studies of biblical texts. Adam’s poem in Genesis 2:23 has 13 words, which is the numerical value of echad or “one” - the union of two into one flesh is the theme of the passage. The value of these 13 (inflected) words together is *4100* or 41x100. 41 is the *13th* prime number, again underscoring the central theme of the text.

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Another random factoid on numerical values- the numerical value of Joseph is 156, and Genesis accordingly uses the name Joseph 156 times. There are lots of little details like this woven throughout the text.

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Another tidbit- 23 is the numerical value of “purification offering” (“sin offering” -Strongs 2403). The Day of Atonement is the supreme purification, where the whole heap of corruption and death is focused onto a single point and carried away, permitting Israel’s continued life under grace. The instructions for the Day of Atonement are given in a divine speech in Leviticus 16:2b-16:34a. This speech is made up of **exactly 529 words** or *23x23.* This underscores the focus of the Day of Atonement (which is at the very center of the Torah) as the great purification- that which the other purifications are patterned after.

 A couple other interesting features- the word for “purification offering” is used 14 times in this divine speech (the word is used both to refer to the purification-offering and sin itself, see Gen. 4:7), obviously a multiple of seven- multiples of seven are probably the most common permutation of key numbers in scripture. If we count the letters making up the 23x23 words, then we have 1,978 letters- which is *also* divisible by 23.—This (1978/23) gives us a quotient of 86. I won’t die on the hill of the qualities of 86 being intentionally written into the text, but for the sake of completeness, the only factors of 86. are prime-2x43. 43 is the 14th prime, again giving us a multiple of seven through prime numbers. [permuting key numbers through their prime (i.e. 17 is permuted to 59 because it is the 17th prime) is, I have found, extremely common in the biblical text, but as I said, it’s not a hill I’ll die on.]

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Note- in counting NT words, where the scribal tradition did not include checks for precision such as ensuring accuracy by counting letters and numbers, there will be more textual variants involved than are involved in the Masoretic tradition of the Hebrew Bible, which I believe to represent almost exactly what the Torah and Prophets as originally written looked like. With the NT the abundance of manuscripts allows us to establish a pure text, with the OT the particularities of the Israelite/Jewish scribal tradition (going back, I believe, to Moses and the prophet-scribes who maintained the text as it was deposited in the Holy Temple) allows us to affirm the purity of the text. However, NT textual criticism at present allows for less certainty on the matter. I prefer very strongly the Byzantine textual tradition rather than the Alexandrian manucript family, and the numbers here represent Byzantine textual readings. For more detail on this, see the scholarly work of James Snapp. 

Another tidbit= 1 Corinthians 11.2-34 is all about unity in the Church. Liturgical order exists for the sake of unity. The mystery of the Eucharist creates an ontological unity. The numerical value of the Hebrew for “one” or “echad” is 13, and utilization of 13 is a very common device for the biblical authors. There are in this section of 1 Corinthians, exactly 533 words. 533 is *13*x41, which is the *13th prime number.* 13 times 13prime. Paul has woven the theme of unity into the very fabric of the text.As evidence that Paul is already thinking of the value of “echad” as 13 in 1 Corinthians itself, 8:6 reveals Paul’s expansion of the Shema (“Hear O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is One”) with Jesus inside of it: exactly 26 words (the value of YHWH) split into equal sections of 13- one for the “One God, the Father” and one for the “One Lord, Jesus Christ.” The oneness of the Church, with its diversity of gifts through “One God, One Lord, One Spirit” does not just mirror the unity of the Trinity: the unity of the Trinity is its model *because it is precisely through incorporation into the trinitarian life that the human family is constituted as one in its internal constitution and fabric.* 

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On the use of numbers as literary devices, as Labuschagne points out, 17 and 26, being numerical values (26 uses the standard value, 17 uses reduced value- this means that the tenth Hebrew letter is counted as “one” rather than “ten” as in the standard system- both methods are used side-by-side in the Bible) of the Tetragrammaton (YHWH- Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey), are pervasive in the Bible. It’s the same in the NT. One thing I found today that’s cool- in the Gospel of Luke, “Spirit” is used with reference to the Holy Spirit 17 times. In Acts, the word is used with reference to the Holy Spirit 59 times- the 17th prime.

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Another cool tidbit on the literary use of the number 17 (the value of the Tetragrammaton, along with 26) in the New Testament. The other day I noted how "Spirit" was used to refer to the Holy Spirit 17 times in Luke and 59 times in Acts, which is the 17th prime. That 17 had been used by Luke in his Gospel with reference to the Holy Spirit gives us good reason to think that the use of the 17th prime is intentional in Acts. Today while looking at verbs for speech in John's Gospel, I found that "lalew" (Strong's 2980) was used 59 times in John. One of the major themes in John is the revelation of the Divine Name by Jesus. The Prologue of John alludes to the revelation of the Name to Moses in Exodus 33-34, applying the language to the work of Jesus in the Incarnation of the Word. Throughout John's Gospel, Jesus is the great "I Am." There are seven "I am" sayings identifying Jesus with YHWH. There are seven additional "I am the" sayings which unfold the divine character in light of that identification- "I am the Bread of Life" to "I am the True Vine." From Bread to Wine, Yahweh is made known in Jesus Christ. Thus He speaks to the Father in John 17: "I have manifested your Name" (Jn. 17:6).

This revelation of the Holy Name occurs through the Incarnation of the Word of God, in whom is spoken the Father's eternal Speech. That seventeen, the number of this Name, appears in the word-counts makes good sense.

[bananonbinary]

if anyone’s curious, here’s my very lengthy and disorganized notes + scriptures on the bible and polyamory. (i didnt include any specific references to biblical polyam relationships, just because everyone knows everyone was polyam and i dont feel the need to source that. this is mostly focusing on The Law. and polyam’s status as a “sin.”)

my conclusion: 1) “marriage” in the bible is defined by man + God, not the state. it’s just being in a committed relationship with someone (and doing sexytimes). 2) the bible describes polyamorous relationships as “marriage,” even the ones it’s condemning for being incest or w/e. 3) therefor, polyamory can NOT be judged differently than monoamory on grounds of adultery or fornication, and while there is greater discussion to be had about these things (i dont think they are sins either), it’s bigoted to presume those topics are somehow inherent to polyam and not just relevant to all sexual relationships. there is NO biblical evidence that polyamorous “marriage” should be treated any different than monoamorous “marriage.”

define marriage

the Big One, genesis 2:23-25


“The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
    for she was taken out of man.”
24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.”



there’s no legal status here, nor even a particular ceremony. Adam and Eve are “married” just by being in a committed relationship before God.


1 Corinthians 6:12
12

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”[b] 17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.



there’s a lot in here worth talking about in regards to queer relationships and the questionable universal applicability of paul’s letters, but a)sin is specifically alluded to as “not beneficial” (which means stfu “oh it was accepted back then but we know better now.” if ur gonna consider it sinful WITHOUT scripture backing u up you better have a damn good reason.) and b) “one flesh” is used just to refer to the act of sex. so if we’re defining marriage with the genisis passage, all it is is leaving your family, living with someone, and having sex with them. no pastor or county judge required.

are we really willing to say Morality is decided by something as fickle and bigoted as legal status?

matthew 19:4
4

“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’[a] 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’[b]? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”



marriage isn’t defined as something the state decides, but by the action of choosing to be with someone and “becoming one flesh.” defining marriage based on what the state says rather than God is borderline heresy.


define adultery

the too-many-words one, leviticus 20:10-22


“‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.
11 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his father’s wife, he has dishonored his father. Both the man and the woman are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
12 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his daughter-in-law, both of them are to be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads.
13 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
14 “‘If a man marries both a woman and her mother, it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire, so that no wickedness will be among you.
15 “‘If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he is to be put to death, and you must kill the animal.
16 “‘If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
17 “‘If a man marries his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They are to be publicly removed from their people. He has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible.
18 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a woman during her monthly period, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has also uncovered it. Both of them are to be cut off from their people.
19 “‘Do not have sexual relations with the sister of either your mother or your father, for that would dishonor a close relative; both of you would be held responsible.
20 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his aunt, he has dishonored his uncle. They will be held responsible; they will die childless.
21 “‘If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless.
22 “‘Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. 23 You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them. 24 But I said to you, “You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from the nations.



only ONE thing is referred to as “adultery” in this list, sleeping with another man’s wife. not marrying a mother and her daughter, not marrying your brother’s wife. those are listed as completely different crimes. adultery isn’t marriage, by definition. but having multiple spouses still counts as marriage. God just says dont be fucking gross about it.
 also. i saw some arguments like “they were just poly cause it was cultural osmosis, not cause it was holy, but verse 22 clearly says these laws are NOT the laws of the land. the people of God were to keep away from incest and adultery, but NOT polyam. inch resting. 


jeremiah 23:10,14


The land is full of adulterers;
because of the curse the land lies parched 
and the pastures in the wilderness are withered.
 The prophets follow an evil course
and use their power unjustly.


And among the prophets of Jerusalem 
I have seen something horrible:
 They commit adultery and live a lie.
 They strengthen the hands of evildoers, 
so that not one of them turns from their wickedness.
 They are all like Sodom to me;
 the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”



The key component of the adultery metaphor here is deceit. The passage is even titled “the lying prophets.” there’s no evidence that consensual, non-deceitful polyamory is even remotely similar to what constitutes “adultery.”

deuteronomy 22: 22, 30


22 If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.


30 A man is not to marry his father’s wife; he must not dishonor his father’s bed.



again, you *sleep with* another man’s wife and it’s adultery (not marriage), but you *marry* your father’s wife and it’s just gross.

proverbs 5: 20, 6:24, 26


Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?
 Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?



keeping you from your neighbor’s wife,
 from the smooth talk of a wayward woman

For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread,
 but another man’s wife preys on your very life.



it’s literally always “another man’s wife.” not “anyone but your one and only wife.” a prostitute isn’t even “adultery,” which is p sus and gross tbh but not really the point at this exact moment. find me a single passage in the bible that condemns adultery as anything other than having sex with someone whose partner is unaware.

non-scripture sources:

https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/adultery/

Adultery: conjugal infidelity. An adulterer was a man who had illicit intercourse with a married or a betrothed woman, and such a woman was an adulteress. Intercourse between a married man and an unmarried woman was fornication. Adultery was regarded as a great social wrong, as well as a great sin.


https://www.queertheology.com/bible-polyamory/

Scripture doesn’t just describe these relationships, it seems to condone them. Exodus 21:10* sets out some guidelines for how to treat your wives if you have more than one. Deuteronomy 21:15–17 governs inheritance amongst children in polygamous marriages. If authors of these passages thought polygamy was wrong, their advice would have been “don’t do it!” not “here’s how you should do it.”

When you’re born, you are literally made from the body of your parents… but if they have a second child, that child is just as loved, important, and from the body. From God to our parents to our children, we understand love to be abundant. The same is true with romantic and sexual love. 

*the verse is: “If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.
 And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money.” (its a lot of fucked up shit about slavery actually, but the POINT is there’s no BIBLICAL basis to condemn polyam. if u want to still call it a sin u need to find a reason it’s not BENEFICIAL, as paul said earlier.)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG9-bgnVc1c&feature=youtu.be


if u think jesus/the church is the model of perfect marriage, that’s poly my dude. also that video describes jesus as a “relationship-slut” which is great.




God doesn’t ask us to do things for no reason. what is the reason polyamory would be considered harmful (“not beneficial”)?

(spoilers: its not. polyam folx can be just as healthy or just as toxic as monoam  folx. if ur willing to challenge homophobia why arent u willing to challenge anything else)

addendum: its really not good scientific method anyway to have to prove this ISN’T a sin. thats not how the burden of proof works. why don’t yall try proving it IS a sin first, instead of just assuming it is because some homophobes told u. just saying what’s the point of queer theology if we dont question EVERYTHING and just take some crusty old white guys’ interpretations as the only ones that matter.

addendum the second: paul was ace af and doesnt quite realize no one else is so his opinions on sex are a bit weird tbh. 1 corinthians 7 makes a LOT of sense if you read it from a “whats the big deal about sexual attraction” kinda way.

third adendum: this also sort of means chaste marriage isn’t considered biblical, but i dont really think thats a problem because it doesnt mean ur relationship isn’t valid, just like. it doesnt qualify as the Thing in the Bible that is cheat-on-able and needing to follow Marriage Laws. also as weve proven, that very specific definition of marriage isnt really relevant to relationship status or legal status today.

[howcanibebetter2]

I am a it off tumblr at the moment, I feel like my head wishes to do nothing but there is something nice that I wish to write about.

It is inspired by this passage

1 Corinthians 1:5-6 For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you

The first time I heard about this verse is when Tomiwa (evangelist of Amsterdam church) preached it in campus church session (or campus devo).

He put out a point that the way a Christian acts and behaves should reflect Christ. Also, when sharing the Word of God. It is not about Bible says this, Bible says that, but rather our testimony. How God has transformed our mind and our life.

Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will

So what is my testimony as I am 1 year old-ish into my discipleship life.

My social life has changed and how I think about my future has changed.

If I was stuck in quarantine back when I haven’t made God my Lord, I would actually be thinking a lot about who I was going to get married with.

I came from a family that really disliked outsiders so I never built trust with other people especially men. I thought the only way to date someone you trust would be within the family. :o

And I grew up to be really awkward about relationships. I started out with no guy friends and then just act cool (basically hide) so that no one would approach you.

But I met a guy friend who almost became a boyfriend. And there were friends who were egging me on to date him. I chose not to in the end because I don’t believe I could handle a sexual relationship.

This one encounter drove me crazy, him being the first. I sometimes feel like I am dumb for not taking my chances and I could have been happy. Sometimes, I tell myself that he doesn’t matter, he was very rude to me (which he was when he was drunk). 

It also affected how I view other men. I have a tendency to try to put myself out there more through wearing revealing clothes. I believe I have no value unless I could give someone a good time in bed. I believe that I am incapable of marrying if I couldn’t have sex. I have my desires, but I brush it off a lot and try to act like I didn’t like it. 

Humans were made to love one another. Sex perhaps being a type of expression of love. Under God’s word, it is after marriage that you could then have sex.

Genesis 2:24-25 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Anyways, I stopped denying that I didn’t like sex and guys and I ended up in a stranger’s bedroom one night. I also ended up making out with a coworker in the street. It felt unpleasant, somehow both situations felt forced and uncomfortable. It also felt like being used. I couldn’t trust them even if I had worked with them or spoke to them.

I have left unharmed, but my fear of never having a dating relationship and being in love was hitting me hard. I wondered if people stopped caring about many other aspects of a relationship. Ie. the future, the household, the bills. If people just see it as an outlet of emotions and love, but not as a responsibility. I can never fully answer that question as people have different worldviews on that and they know the right answer and choose to deny it.

Another aspect that I learned from going out with these men was just loneliness and having the freedom to meet anyone. However, it is dangerous to meet people in London. There are crimes that are left unspoken in this city. I have no friends to check on me if I was alive after a date. No friends to introduce me to a friend of theirs. No, nothing. It feels like a dating dead end. Do I want my safety or do I want a lover? I couldn’t answer myself what is best.

Fast forward to my current discipleship life, I rarely lie in bed thinking about how dead end relationships are. I rarely have a panic attack over not having someone to love. I can go on dates with other Christians. I have other Christians that just check on me and help me keep my heart true to God. This process requires a lot of the heart to release its deepest, darkest secret. And yet, I put trust in friends would not talk negatively about me. In any case, they would support my walk with God and encourage me with scriptures. It is easier to go through all these thoughts about men when I don’t have to self condemn for having dirty thoughts and when I don’t have to go through life being single and alone.

Today, there is still someone I desire who is not a Christian, but I am working on putting God first. His promise in Jeremiah 26:10-19 states that God’s will for me is to prosper me and not to harm me. 

I hope it inspires you or you could relate that life without putting trust in God makes it uncertain. I felt a bit embarrassed to write this, but it is a very usual thing for me to share with spiritual sisters about my life like this. Its great and all that I have met celebrities or ate a fancy meal, but it is much nicer to have connection with other people and be able to share something deep with them.

Feel free to dm for a life talk or a bible study.