#Last Liturgy

[curiosity-killed]

covenant

[ALT ID: A digital painting of Vash from Trigun and a Dependent Plant. Vash's hands are seen, cupping starry water that bleeds down from the veins in his wrist over the Plant's head. The Plant rises from dark, starry water with multiple sets of wings and glowing eyes.]

[rabbits-of-negative-euphoria]

if the purpose of contemporary worship is to meet the culture where it's at, we are about to lose the need for contemporary worship

I don't think I'm imagining that the trend in both high-profile and social media conversion testimonies in recent years is that people are broken down by the self-focused, anti-corporeal, progressive spiritualism of modern secularism and instead are looking for community-based, embodied, historical religion

this is why they tend to start with and end up in the Latin Mass Roman Catholic or conservative-leaning mainline protestant churches

all I'm sayin is that when you have Richard Dawkins declaring he wants to remain in a culture that sings hymns and builds beautiful churches...that's your sign to start thinkin bout liturgy

[richmond-rex]

[Henry VII's] addition of the Angel to the royal touch ceremony was significant. The gold coin increased the prestige of the ritual as Angels were made from 22-carat gold and contained more of this metal than any other English coin. During the reign of Henry VII, the Angel was worth 6s. 8d.: medieval kings had given each person whom they touched one penny, so the gift of the Angel marked a very substantial increase in value. Although Henry VII became notoriously parsimonious as his reign progressed, he remained generous to the poor and sick. The coin played a key role in the ceremony, contributing to the restoration of health alongside the king’s touch.

— Stephen Brogan, The Royal Touch in Early Modern England: Politics, Medicine and Sin

It seems likely that Henry introduced the liturgy and the gift of the gold Angel to supplicants in order to make the ceremony more efficacious, possibly because he was aware that it did not always cure people of their scrofula. In part, this showed his concern for his ill subjects, but at the same time, a more effective ceremony could strengthen his authority as king, given that his accession disrupted the direct line of succession. One way of enhancing the power of the royal touch was evidently to standardise the ritual; the other concerned the Angels.

The exalted status of the Angel also had the effect of bringing the ceremony in line with pilgrimages made by the sick to healing shrines. Of course, it had always been the case that people with scrofula had to travel to the royal court, and pilgrims to a shrine, and that both healing rituals required faith and involved prayer, but the Angel added a new aspect to the royal touch in the way that badges and souvenirs did for pilgrimages. Just as pilgrims could buy badges at shrines to honour their petition to a saint, or souvenirs such as phials of holy oil, so people who had been touched were meant to wear their Angel around their neck afterwards [...] Angels and other Christian tokens can be thought of as part of a gift economy, material objects that marked the process whereby supplicants offered allegiance to an intercessionary figure who could act as a conduit for God’s grace which could cure their ailments, or ward off misfortune.

[devotedlystrangewizard]

anyway got avani through most of sb and all of post-sb in 2 days. skipped most cutscenes. just did holminster switch.

[unbidden-yidden-deactivated20240]

To follow up on my Hosanna poll, I think before things go any further, it'd be good to actually explain and define it. I was initially going to wait until the end of the poll, but it seems that google is giving people a lot of bad and/or conflicting answers and I'd rather people walk away with the correct information.

So! Hosanna is an anglicized version of the Hebrew words "hosha na" [הושע נא or as a contraction הושענא]. Hosha na is a little enigmatic and hard to translate, but the simplest translation is probably "save us, please." It's traditionally used as an exclamation to G-d to rescue us, but it also has shades of being a triumphant shout (the implication being confidence that G-d will save us.)

Jews say "hoshanot" (the plural of hosha na) as part of our traditional Sukkot liturgy, and is something we do still today.

For us, the multi-faceted meaning of the root word allows us to have multiple layers of meaning. During Sukkot, we start praying for rain in its proper season and amounts, and we shake the lulav and etrog as part of these processions and liturgy. On Hoshana Rabba [the "great hoshana"], the last day of Sukkot, we process around the bimah (front lectern) seven times as a completion of our season of repentance and our starting of the new year with abundant blessings.

My siddur (prayer book) Lev Shalem has this as an explanation and translation:

[Image ID is of the Lev Shalem siddur, pages 382 & 383 - I tried hard to find a pdf of this that would be readable using a screen reader, but the versions I'm finding cut off at pg. 376 at the latest. If anyone has bandwidth to type this up, I would greatly appreciate it]

For the curious, here is a recording of the Hoshanot liturgy and procession:

Christians mostly know the word from the gospels and hymns.

Here is what Wikipedia says about its use in Christianity:

Historical meaning

Since those welcoming Jesus were Jewish, as of course Jesus himself was, some would interpret the cry of "Hosanna" on the entry of Jesus in its proper meaning, as a cry by the people for salvation and rescue.

Christian reinterpretation

"Hosanna" many interpret as a shout of praise or adoration made in recognition of the messiahship of Jesus on his entry into Jerusalem

It is applied in numerous verses of the New Testament, including "Hosanna! blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lᴏʀᴅ!" (Matthew 21:9,15; Mark 11:9–10; John 12:13), which forms part of the Sanctus prayer; "hosanna in the highest" (Mark 11.10); and "hosanna to the Son of David" (Matt 21:9). These quotations, however, are of words in the Jewish Psalm 118. Although not used in the book of Luke, the testimony of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem is recorded in Luke 19.

In church music

The "Hosanna Anthem", based on the phrase Hosanna, is a traditional Moravian Church anthem written by Bishop Christian Gregor of Herrnhut sung on Palm Sunday and the first Sunday of Advent. It is antiphonal, i.e. a call-and-response song; traditionally, it is sung between the children and adult congregation, though it is not unheard of for it to be done in other ways, such as between choir and congregation, or played between trombone choirs.

The bottom line:

Jews and Christians have different connections, associations, and meanings attached to this word as expressions of our different theologies and texts. The word is derived from a Hebrew word and was created by Jews and is still used by us today. (Like literally today - we are currently in the middle of the Sukkot festival.) Christians changed the meaning to fit within their own context, and pronunciation of the word evolved with linguistic drift over time. In the same way that there's not a reason to pitch a fit over saying Jesus rather than Yeshua, there's no compelling reason to change hosanna back to hosha na; if anything, the distinction helps make it clear that it's effectively a different word and concept from ours.

On the other hand, I do think Christians ought to know the original meaning of the word if they're going to use it. To only ever know their version when it was derived from ours is yet another small way of playing into supercessionism by erasing and replacing the Jewish context of things that were originated in Judaism that Christians have embedded in Christianity. While the Christians of today cannot unwind the supercessionism of Christian history, they *can* choose to understand their present Christianity in ways that do not play into supercessionism and that respect the Jewish community of today.

I hope this was helpful and gives folks a new perspective on an obscure Hebrew word!

[city-of-ladies]

After the fall of Constantinople, Anna Notaras (d. 1507) gathered a community around her, preserving Greek culture and spreading it in ways that profoundly influenced the Italian Renaissance.

Exile from Constantinople

Anna was born into a wealthy and prestigious family. Her father, Loukas Notaras, was an influential statesman who served as mesazon (prime minister) to the last two Byzantine emperors and held the title of megas doux (Grand Duke and commander of the navy). Her mother was from the imperial Palaiologos family, which allowed Anna to use the family name Palaiologina.

It’s possible Anna was once considered as a prospective bride for the last Byzantine emperor, Constantine XI. However, she was never officially betrothed to him and certainly never became his wife, contrary to later erroneous claims.

Sometime before 1453, Anna and her sisters, Theodora and Euphrosyne, were sent away from Constantinople, which spared them from witnessing the city’s fall during the Ottoman siege. Sultan Mehmed II executed her father and brothers, sparing only her brother Jacob.

Now in exile, Anna settled in Italy with the ample fortune from father’s bank accounts.

A Vision for a Greek Colony

By 1472, Anna had a plan: she sought to establish a Greek colony on Italian soil. She sent a delegation to Siena and received a warm welcome. A draft agreement was drawn up, deciding that the castle of Montauto in the Maremma should be handed to Anna. She was to become the rallying point of a community of 100 Greek families.

However, the project never materialized. Likely, Anna realized the land and the ruined castle were unsuitable for such a plan. By 1475, she had relocated to Venice.

A Patron of Culture

An independent woman, Anna never married, nor did she become a nun since there was no Orthodox convent she could join. Respected, wealthy, and influential, she became a prominent spokeswoman for Venice’s rapidly growing Greek community. She convinced the authorities to allow her to build an oratory in her home so the Orthodox liturgy could be celebrated in Greek.

Anna also emerged as a key cultural patron. She owned a library and supported the first dedicated Greek printing press. In 1499, her name appeared in the first book it produced: the Etymologicum Magnum. The dissemination of Greek philosophy, scholarship and litterature would influence the Italian renaissance.

Anna passed away on July 8, 1507, after a long and eventful life.

Anna’s dream of an Orthodox church in Venice was realized 30 years after her death. Among her possessions were magnificent icons brought from Constantinople; three of them are now preserved in the church of San Giorgio dei Greci.

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Further reading 

Nicol Donald M., The Byzantine Lady: Ten Portraits, 1250–1500

Nottara Paltin, Anna Notaras, la dernière Byzantine

Philippides Marios, Constantine XI Dragaš Palaeologus (1404-1453): The Last Emperor of Byzantium

[therealslimshakespeare]

Dear John || Don’t be Sore

Or alternate title: “You’ve got mail, you mopey sunnvavitch”

Warnings: 18+ sensuality, suggestive language in letters, reference to fellas “giving each other a hand” and angst.

Requested: yes! -taking Bucky to the pinup wall to give him pep talks/Bucky learning Julie Jean wears his coat

“Who’s yours from Buck?”

Crank’s voice interrupted Gale’s attempt to ingrain into his mind the sweetly feminine scent lingering on the letter. “Marge.” he mumbled blissfully into the crinkled paper.

“Maaaarge.” Bucky echoed drolly, past being shy over the rabid sort of pain he felt each time the mail came and -sorry Egan, no dice.

It was bad not getting any letters, yet he wasn’t alone in his plight this mail run. But Bucky was pretty sure he had those others beat for just how few he had *ever* gotten.

No holdup, no pesky censor, just a failure to set it up right for times like these. And funny enough, Bucky now missed the exercise of writing, brief as his attempt had been. He probably should’ve made a journal instead of pouring every hapless thought onto paper and sending it to a Cotton Candy goddess in Neverland, but he’d enjoyed it. Now though, now it might as well have been a journal, all that writing he did, the lovely recipient of those letters was now as silent as leather and pages.

And now in camp, letters from Marge made Buck’s face light up with adoration and hope that years of Bucky’s own devotion hadn't once sparked in those eyes or twitched upon those lips -unless in fond aggravation, cautionary amusement.

Marge.

Bucky had liked her better when he didn’t need all the love she took, back before Gale hadn’t dwindled down to Egan’s single reason to live.

Gale had Marge for that.

Buck didn’t have his ear pinned to the radio for a single warble of a famous voice, Buck didn’t have to pace a circle asking what kinda deluded looney he was to think she was actually seeding her broadcasts with hints to him that she remembered him still. Acorn. The monotony of this place made you doubt you knew your mother’s name, much less things like Julie Jean’s turn of phrase when asking after how he liked his drink, shaken or stirred?

It had been easier back when there had been broadcasts. Back before the damned radio got found. Busted, and Bucky seethed over it for more reasons than one, but he had a suspicion his bunk mates were sadder his tranquilizing weekly ritual of listening to her was no longer available.

They’d taken extreme measures as a result, hauling him by the collar to the pinup wall and making him recite a crass liturgy of devotion to her and renewal of promise that worked for a few weeks.

“Why’re you down Bucky?” Brady had nearly begged him when this tradition became monotonous in turn like everything else around here, “It’s not like she stopped talking to you, just the fuckin’ krouts took her away for a bit.”

“Yeah, yeah, he’s right, Major.” Demarco would pile on, “She still cares about you! Just because you can’t hear it don’t mean she’s not still saying it.”

The truth of it was he was still down. Whether it was the knock to the head or this place, his competitive spirit had turned sour, and as his own happiness plummeted, his ability to be glad of others’ began to crumble. And that felt disorienting all on its own, like he had some ugly and bitter little fella takin’ up residence where his heart once gloated and loved freely.

He knew it had something to do with it all when winter’s first trying chills made Buck shiver in his bunk, teeth chattering so near to John’s head he didn’t even think before he took what he himself wanted most. He had climbed in and held him, stiff and bewildered and a little begrudging as he was, Buck was dear and warm and would die for John, that much he knew. And John loved him.

“You’d make a great dame.” he told his poor friend one night like an idiot, drunk off of months of not being kicked out of his bunk. Maybe Acorn had been right in one of her last letters, one she sent in reply to the candid photographs of base that Bucky had developed and sent to her: she’d said he had a type. Tracing Gale’s cherub lips in a room full of snoring men in the dead of night…maybe he did.

“Can I help?” Buck had offered instead of kicking him out right then and there: because Buck was good and Buck was observant, and what Buck had allowed that night settled something in John just enough that the next time he was taken to the Spank Bank Wall, The Hall of Hopes and Dreams -he could muster up some good humor, enough to soothe Brady’s concern in turn.

“Thinkin’ of makin’ a crystal radio.” his little Kriegi Marconi had dared next week, and John was kept occupied again for the next weeks rounding up the supplies to make it happen, an amusing pantomime of his childhood games of playing a bootlegger

No one even knew if it would work. And in the meantime it was a horrible suspense not knowing what the hell was going on “out there” all while having to hide the evidence of their collection in here. And then in the middle of it all, once more-

“Who’s yours from?”

“Marge.”

“Maaaarge.” Bucky predictably parroted, Crank and Benny got letters this time too, and that was good for them.

Buck’s face while perusing his letter however, was not the typical luminous glow of an ardent young cherub in love, and that had the odd effect of worrying Bucky. “What’s wrong?”

“She’s, she’s bein-“ he trailed off, flipping the letter back and forth and scrutinizing it intensely, “I think she’s hinting somethin’. Where’s that envelope? Hell Benny, don’t put the plate on it!”

“Sorry major.”

Buck took the worn envelope and shook it, prying the seams apart until like an old dream replayed, a little square and shiny card floated to the ground. John kept himself seated, not even ready to dare hope that had anything to do with him, much as he was shaken by the similarity to Julie Jean’s first correspondence and attached photographic gift, tucked in an envelope seam. The way Buck had shaken it just so and how it had fluttered to the ground and how Buck’s thumb had looked pressed against Lana’s black and white nipples.

“John Egan, you’ve got mail.” Buck bellowed with something like triumph in his voice, face lit up like a firework stand ablaze, “Get over here, you mopey sonuvabitch.”

The chair he was sat in clattered backwards into some poor fucker as Egan dove up and towards Buck’s bunk, drawn to the waved little photograph in his hand. Buck was a merciful man and handed it over without a game of tug. Bucky deeply wished the room wasn’t full of curious friends but then again, looking into this flat, shiny, black and white, shrunken little world -it took him miles and miles away. Away to a front yard in some small town where it looked chilly but festive, with candy cane decor lining the sidewalk up to a plain brick house and two girls in the yard, mid blurry laugh, clinging to each other like they’d fall over and tweak their ankles in the leaves if they let go.

Marge and Julie.

“How ‘bout that.” Gale’s voice was warm and soft and Bucky didn't have an answer for him, he ground out a rough cough that was intended to be an agreement before it got snarled in the lump in his throat.

Julie was wearing his coat. Even as the sight got a little blurry with smarting eyes and a rush of warmth to his chilled face, Bucky could see the patchwork leather swallowing her little frame.

She’d told him in a letter once she’d barely made it to 5”1. He told her that made him over a foot taller. She said she’d happily climb him. He said he’d happily carry her around impaled on his pole.

She was wearing his jacket.

She was drowning in the fleece and she was laughing and she was holding Marge and there were candy canes and Christmas had been celebrated as it should and it was all quiet and peaceful back home.

“She’s good.” He managed to croak. And he didn’t mean her pose or her tits or her savvy ability to come out on top and cheer them all up, he meant she was a good person.

“Marge says she sought her out.” Gale explained, letter consulted once more to get his story straight, “Another War Bond tour, showed up at the factory. Made a beeline for Marge. Apparently she’d looked her up and stipulated the stop in her contract. She stayed for dinner -guess that’s when they took the photo.”

“How ‘bout that.” John managed to repeat happily.

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[prolifeproliberty]

Had a conversation with a couple friends last night where we were talking about just how out of hand weddings get, and I brought up the fact that weddings in Christian-majority cultures used to not be separate events. Sure, if you were royalty/nobility you’d have a big spectacle, but partially because your wedding was also a political event.

For a long time in Christian cultures, the wedding happened on a Sunday during normal Mass/church service, just as Baptisms and confirmations do today.

When I said this, my friends (who have two small children) expressed how beautiful they thought that was (not overdoing the spectacle, keeping it connected to the church and focused on Jesus, having the whole church family there, etc) and how they hoped for something like that for their children.

Maybe this is the answer to the spectacle of weddings. You can still have a nice dress, you can still hold a bouquet, you can still have friends and family there. But the purpose of the wedding ceremony is to have your community there as witnesses - yes, if your best friend from childhood wants to fly in, that’s awesome. But who is going to be there to support you as a couple when the honeymoon phase ends? Your church community.

We might need to start encouraging the trend of making weddings part of the life of the Church again, rather than a spectacle of wealth that puts new couples in debt (new couples who then say they can’t afford to have kids…)

In a Facebook group I’m a part of, someone shared this video. It’s from a Lutheran church in Romania. This was their Sunday service yesterday, and it included a wedding (skip to 1:01:55 for that part)

Note, I don’t know this couple. I don’t know what things about this ceremony were their choice, or were tradition in their community. I don’t know if the woman chose a simple dress because she’s just not a fancy dress person.

But what I love about this is that it’s a simple wedding where marriage is still seen as a sacred bond. This isn’t a courthouse wedding or a Vegas chapel wedding. It’s sacred, it’s reverent, it’s special, and it’s simple. Christ is the center, and everything is draped with the Word of God and the historic liturgy of the Church.

If you chose to do your wedding this way, you could still wear a fancier dress, you could still have your father (or other father figure) walk you down the aisle and give you away. But a wedding during the church service with a cake and punch reception in the fellowship hall after service is every bit as a valid as the $100k weddings on TikTok. In fact, with the research on the relationship between wedding cost and divorce rate, the simple wedding is likely better.

Now, I’m saying this as someone who had a relatively expensive wedding, at least compared to the video above. My parents were willing to pay for the bells and whistles because I’m the only daughter, they had a simple wedding, and they wanted me to have all the things. I very much appreciate their willingness to do so, and I have great memories from that day. But it wouldn’t have weakened my marriage in any way if we had a simpler wedding, and if we had a culture where simple church weddings were the norm, I think we’d have fewer divorces.

[poniranje]

The Slav Epic No. 1: Slavs in Their Original Homeland, Between the Turanian Whip and the Sword of the Goths

The Slav Epic No. 2: The Celebration of Svantovit, When Gods Are at War, Salvation Is in the Arts

The Slav Epic No. 3: The Introduction of the Slavonic Liturgy, Praise the Lord in Your Native Tongue

The Slav Epic No. 4: The Bulgarian Tsar Simeon, The Morning Star of Slavonic Literature

The Slav Epic No. 5: The Bohemian King Přemysl Otakar II, The Union of Slavic Dynasties

The Slav Epic No. 6: The Coronation of the Serbian Tsar Stefan Dušan as East Roman Emperor, The Slavic Code of Law

The Slav Epic No. 7: Jan Milíč of Kroměříž, A Brothel Converted to a Convent

The Slav Epic No. 8: Master Jan Hus Preaching at the Bethlehem Chapel, Truth Prevails

The Slav Epic No. 9: The Meeting at Křížky, Utraquism

The Slav Epic No. 10: After the Battle of Grunwald, The Solidarity of the Northern Slavs

The Slav Epic No. 11: After the Battle of Vítkov Hill, God Represents Truth, Not Power

The Slav Epic No. 12: Petr Chelčický at Vodňany, Do Not Repay Evil With Evil

The Slav Epic No. 13: The Hussite King Jiří of Poděbrady, Treaties Are to Be Observed

The Slav Epic No. 14: Defense of Sziget Against the Turks by Nicholas Zrinsky, The Shield of Christendom

The Slav Epic No. 15: The Printing of the Bible of Kralice in Ivančice, God Gave Us a Gift of Language

The Slav Epic No. 16: The Last days of Jan Amos Komenský in Naarden, A Flicker of Hope

The Slav Epic No. 17: Holy Mount Athos, Sheltering the Oldest Orthodox Literary Treasures

The Slav Epic No. 18: The Oath of Omladina Under the Slavic Linden Tree, The Slavic Revival

The Slav Epic No. 19: The Abolition of Serfdom in Russia, Work in Freedom Is the Foundation of a State

The Slav Epic No. 20: Apotheosis of the Slavs, Slavs for Humanity

Alphonse Mucha

Source

[maybe-boys-do-love]

What are some possibly significant queer associations with St. Bartholomew for Ticket to Heaven?

I'm glad you asked!

For those who don’t know, Bartholomew’s considered one of Jesus’s twelve disciples, but barely mentioned in the Bible. It's generally agreed that he is referred to also as Nathanael in the gospel of John, and as someone with the name Nathaniel, which means gift of God in Hebrew, I can tell you that’s a gay-ass name and will also def make me cry if I think too hard about Gem's character having that parallel during the show).

Bart’s often depicted holding his flayed skin (ew gross!) from when he got martyred, most famously in queer Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo’s "Last Judgment" painting in the Sistine chapel at the Vatican. The skin St. Bart’s holding there is actually a (skinned) self-portrait of the artist. Peek at Aof’s insta and you’ll see that he actually visited the work. It’s giving queer influence in (Catholic) Christianity and autobiographical reference, baby ✨

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Bartholomew and another disciple Philip, who was written to have introduced Bartie to the big JC party and to have traveled with him after JC’s post-post-mortem, are mentioned in a translation by Yale scholar John Boswell of a liturgy for an adelphopoeisis ceremony between two monks from the tenth century. Boswell argued that adelphopoeisis, or spiritual brotherhood unions in the pre-sodomy-law-era early church should be understood as same-sex unions. This, as most discussion of gay shit with the Church, has been controversial, although some of those controversies are issues with Boswell’s translation. There does seem to be some evidence that these spiritual brotherhoods were understood to have the potential to be sexual in nature. Either way, it seems likely Aof has come across Boswell’s ideas because it’s pretty prominent in discourse for anyone looking into gay Christian history.

THEN, although it might be unintentional, the Thai-ification of Bart is homophonic with Bath????!!!! If Bart can be short for Bartholomew, y'all are gonna have to let me stretch a little bit past Aof's official statement so Bath can be short for Bathsheba because...

Giving us another Biblical name reference but from the other gender who's THE example of coveting in the Bible/Torah is such a power move! King David sees Bathsheba bathing from his roof and has her over to sleep with him even though she's the wife of one of David's soldiers who's literally off fighting for his kingdom. Then he gets her pregnant. Then David has the poor guy over for dinner and doesn't admit to it, sends him back out and has him put in the front lines to get killed. He dies and Bathsheba mourns for a bit before becoming David's wife. It's heterosexual failure! It's the temptations of the flesh! It's one of the inspirations for Leonard Cohen's cold and broken Hallelujah! This connection reframes the queer temptations as something no less normal than heterosexual desire.

After all, David is the good guy. The celebrated little David who killed Goliath. It's essential to trace Jesus's lineage back to this most-celebrated king in the Bible for the messianic prophecies to be correct. So giving us a reference to this venerated and simultaneously deeply human figure really complicates the kind of Christianity that expects immaculate humans.

And, Bathsheba wasn't David's only paramour. Researching same-sex relationships in the Bible, David and Jonathan will be at the very top of the list. "The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul...Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his girdle." That's coming from the book of Samuel in the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, which was the first in 1946 to have any reference to word ‘homosexuality,’ using it to replace in the King James Version "abusers of themselves with mankind" and "effeminate” (which at that time did not have the common association with gay men the way it does today) on the list of sinners barred from heaven. Would David have been far enough on the Kinsey scale to qualify? Well, David had some other wives on top of Jonny and Bath, too. Whatever happened to family values!?

Of course, Bath also gives us images of washing and purifying alongside the sacrament of baptism!

The Bartholomew connection deserves more legit emphasis with Aof's statements and actual evidence for his visit to the Vatican, but how fun that the translation gave us another queer part of Christianity even if it wasn't intentional!

Complicating all of this discussion further is Catholicism's very late switch away from Latin and its more emphatic focus on tradition, hagiography, and liturgy rather than the text of the Bible. My ex-Christian fixation is on issues in Reformed Christianities (and I still love me some iconophobia, a topic with which Aof loves to engage), so I know more about the books and interpretations. I'm looking forward to the Catholic and ex-Catholic contributions here as the show gets underway. Like, y'all have been doing the most for production values of a Sabbath!

And to all my ex-Christians who can get sucked into spirals about this stuff, just remember that the concept of God is chill and all if it's just the comforting sense of connection between things in the universe, but any concepts of Christology, sin, or puppet-master deities are literally the most whack things if they're being thought of as anything more than a kind of out-there overly-simplified metaphor for trying to live a life where you can be yourself and get along with other people.

*This info and a great deep dive into the induction of the language and discourse of homosexuality in the Bible and its progressive! roots and aftermath is Reforming Sodom: Protestants and the Rise of Gay Rights.

[etz-ashashiyot]

I'm bored and stuck waiting and happened to remember that on my old blog I had made this statement:

Since I have a minute, I figured I'd finally drop the list with some brief explanations:

1. By Way Of Sorrow - Coyote Grace version

This song and its lyrics, especially as sung by a queer/trans bluegrass band, could not be more Jew-ish in vibe. I am aware this is a cover, but I have only ever heard their version and that's the one that matters to me. I love love love this song, so much, and it perfectly captures how I feel about having been welcomed into the Jewish people after years of exclusion and othering from numerous other quarters. Am Yisrael has taken me in, treated me like family, connected me to the Divine, healed my wounds, and helped me feel as whole as one can in a broken and unredeemed world - while giving me the tools to join the work of tikkun olam myself.

2. The Farthest Field - The Lumber Jills version

This is the best version I could find; the original I was shown I can't find but will link if I do. This song was actually introduced to me by one of my orthodox rabbis, and I agree with him that it can be understood as a beautiful image of geulah.

3. Hallelujah - Coyote Grace & Girlyman

This one just makes me happy, and the words, message, and themes are very on-brand for Jewish vibes as well in my opinion.

4. Be Thou My Vision - old Irish Hymn (this version and this version are my favorites)

This one is very obviously a hymn and therefore decidedly Not Jewish. On the other hand, the words aren't so explicitly Christian that it rules out use by Jews (in my opinion) and especially if you translate the words into Hebrew, it sounds just like a traditional piyyut. (@springstarfangirl if you want to add your beautiful translation, please feel free!)

5. Down to the River to Pray - Alison Krauss

This is one where I do think the lyrics are a lot closer to being Christian specific, but it makes the list for a couple reasons: first, I've encountered it in Jewish-specific contexts without modification (one of our rabbis actually had us sing it like a regular song during zemirot), and second, there's a modified version by Nefesh Mountain that's quite enjoyable.

6. Whither Thou Goest - traditional

Yes, this one is a hymn too, but the words are directly quoting the Book of Ruth - her famous vows to Naomi, and to the Jewish people - and so it's already practically a Jewish song. It also has a special place of pride for me as a ger, and also because I used it as my wedding song in both the English (as heard in this version) and I also transliterated the Hebrew for our singer to do as well. It works nicely in both languages!

7. Roll the Ol' Chariot - David Coffin

This one I think is a little less direct, but I love it and included it for two reasons: first, it's a song of getting through it and surviving and thriving under tough circumstances, and second, you could very easily put liturgy to this melody instead.

8. For the Autumn Sky - traditional

Ignoring the last verse, this hymn could be very easily adapted into a beautiful Sukkot melody. For the last verse, I'd either simply leave it out, or one could write a Sukkot or Tu Bishvat themed verse to distinguish it. Incidentally, this was one of my favorite hymns growing up.

9. Sanctuary - Shaker melody

The video for this one is obviously mega-Christian, but it's on the list because we actually sing it all the time in shul and it has a special place in my memory from going to camp as a kid. Our shul is definitely not the only one who uses it in a Jewish context, either: this version by Cantor Julia Cadrain is really lovely.

10. Genesis 3:23 - The Mountain Goats

Where are my fellow Mountain Goats fans?? I know you're out there, lol. Look, I know that John Darnielle is coming at this from a Christian perspective, but two things: first of all, TMG has a number of Jewish fans I think at least in part because the lyrics speak deeply to the specific feelings around life (and other people) being horrible to you, surviving, and thriving even in the wake of deep trauma. Second of all, I think this one in particular brings up a number of interesting ideas about the meaning of home, of homecoming, of returning to a home that no longer really exists in the same way, and of exile and redemption. What would it look like to return to Gan Eden? Is this what geulah is supposed to look like, at least in some interpretations? What does it mean if not?

Anyway, this is it for now, but I may add to this list later, because there are definitely a few more! Please also feel free to add your own in the notes!

[portraitsofsaints]

Happy Feast Day

Saint John Chrysostom Bishop and Doctor of the Church c. 344-407 Feast Day: September 13 (New), January 27 (Trad) Patronage: orators, preachers, speakers, lecturers, education, epilepsy, Constantinople

Saint John Chrysostom was born to a Christian mother and a pagan Roman father. His father died, and his mother guided his education with the best of Christian and Greek philosophies and tutors. He became an eloquent orator (being called “Golden Mouth”), writing about the priesthood, marriage, and care for the poor and sick. His most famous homily is “On the Resurrection” and he edited the liturgy of St. Basil the Great. When he was Bishop of Constantinople, the empress Extoxia, exiled him because he was too influential. He died in exile, his last words were “Glory to God for all things”.

Prints, plaques & holy cards available for purchase here: (website)

[alwaysabeautifullife]

Update: been dating a man who’s Orthodox and he took me to Divine Liturgy last weekend

[eretzyisrael]

HOW DO WE CELEBRATE ROSH HASHANAH?

Rosh Hashanah, the birthday of the universe, is a two-day holiday that is both festive and solemn. We joyously proclaim our allegiance to the King of the Universe, while humbly beseeching our Creator to grant us another year of life, a year of peace, prosperity, and goodness. 

Rosh Hashanah is known as the Day of Judgment because on on this day “all inhabitants of the world pass before God like a flock of sheep” and the Heavenly Court decrees “who shall live and who shall die… who shall be impoverished and who shall be enriched; who shall fall and who shall rise.” (Rosh Hashanah liturgy). We examine our deeds since last year’s holiday, make an honest accounting of our sins and misbehaviors, and pray earnestly for the strength and wisdom to do better in the new year. It is the beginning of the Ten Days of Repentance, also known as the Days of Awe, which culminate in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. 

SHINE A LIGHT  Every major Jewish holiday starts with lighting candles. Jewish women and girls (or men living alone) light candles on each evening of Rosh Hashanah with the appropriate blessings. 

HEAR THE HORN On Rosh Hashanah it is a commandment for Jews to hear the sound of the shofar (Num. 29:1). The shofar is an instrument made from the horn of a ram or other kosher animal. Its loud resonant sound pierces the depths of our soul and inspires us to return to God. The shofar is a wake-up call to repentance. It evokes the shofar blasts that were heard when God descended on Mount Sinai and gave us the Torah. It also recalls the binding of Isaac, who was saved when God showed Abraham a ram to bring as an offering instead of his beloved son. 

SHOW ME THE HONEY Before each of the four festive Rosh Hashanah meals (two on each day), we make kiddush over wine or grape juice. We eat round challah, often with raisins, and dip it into honey rather than salt to express our wish for a sweet year. There are a variety of symbolic foods "simanim" that are eaten, including a fish head so that “we might be a head and not a tail” and pomegranate so that “our merits be many like the seeds of a pomegranate.” 

DAY TO PRAY Much of the day is spent in synagogue praying with the community. The Machzor (holiday prayerbook) contains all of the Rosh Hashanah prayers and Torah readings. The shofar is sounded 100 times during the Rosh Hashanah service (except on Shabbat.)

TAKE ME TO THE RIVER On the afternoon of Rosh Hashanah, it is customary to go to a body of water and perform the Tashlich ceremony, in which we ceremonially cast our sins into the water, evoking the verse “And You shall cast their sins into the depth of the sea.” (Micah 7:19). If you’re not able to do it on Rosh Hashanah, Tashlich can be performed until Hoshana Rabba (7th day of Sukkot.)

[mariacallous]

When the American Jewish Committee began working with U.S. bishops years ago to educate Catholics about antisemitism, they didn’t anticipate a global spike in the hatred they were trying to combat.

Nor did they know that just weeks before they would ultimately publicize their work, Pope Francis would suggest that Israel is guilty of genocide in Gaza.

But when Rabbi Noam Marans and Bishop Joseph Bambera came together last week to launch a glossary of antisemitic terms, annotated by Catholic commentary, that was the context. Marans described the glossary as a “milestone” ahead of the 60th anniversary of the church’s landmark declaration that Jews did not kill Jesus. And he noted that while relations between Catholics and Jews have massively improved from centuries past, they’re facing new stresses.

“It’s easy to lose perspective on an event like this, which was surely unimaginable to my grandparents in Bialystok, Poland,” Marans said at the launch event on Wednesday. “This has been a complete transformation in the relationship that has benefitted both communities.”

Referring to the Jewish blessing to mark significant occasions, he said, “It’s a shehechiyanu moment.”

Then he added, “And even shehechiyanu moments have flies in the ointment.”

In the document published last week, the AJC’s “Translate Hate” ongoing glossary — which has around 60 entries on antisemitic terms — has been appended with Catholic commentaries on 10 of those entries. The commentaries were written by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, which Bambera chairs.

The entries with commentary range from “Blood libel” to “From the river to the sea,” a common chant at pro-Palestinian rallies that the AJC and other Jewish groups say is a call for Israel’s annihilation.

For example, in the entry on “Blood libel,” the canard that Jews kill Christian children and use their blood for ritual purposes, the Catholic gloss notes that the church has long rejected the idea, but that it still pops up in some Catholic discourse.

“Today, this charge may disguise itself in less traditional forms that must also be disavowed, such as the idea that the Jewish people support abortion as a means of ritualistic child sacrifice, or that Jews are intent on spilling the blood of their enemies for its own sake,” it says.

The entry on “From the river to the sea” says the church endorses the two-state solution and “encourages Catholics to understand and respect the deep religious connection Jews feel towards Israel.”

And in the entry on “philosemitism,” the Catholic commentary notes that the church has advised against seders that appropriate Jewish tradition. “The best way for Christians to experience the Seder meal is to observe it by invitation from a Jewish family or organization that welcomes non-Jews to this central celebration of Jewish life,” the commentary says.

The guide comes at a time when, perhaps awkwardly, the topic of Catholic antisemitism could hardly be more topical.

The adherence of J.D. Vance, the U.S. vice president-elect, to a strain of traditional Catholicism has renewed attention to varieties of Catholic belief. (Vance has weighed in on church debates, saying, for example, that while he is “not a big Latin Mass guy,” he did not support the church’s recent effort to restrict the traditional liturgy that prays for Jews to convert to Christianity.) Both Marans and Bambera said antisemitism exists in the traditionalist wing of the church but portrayed it as a fringe attitude.

Meanwhile, a series of recent statements by Pope Francis has provided a case study in the way Catholic values and scriptural citations can grate on Jewish ears.

Last month, Francis cited experts saying “what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide,” and called for the charge — which Israel strenuously rejects — to be “carefully investigated.” Then, this month, he attended the inauguration of a nativity scene at the Vatican that positioned baby Jesus on a keffiyeh, or Palestinian scarf — a nod to activists who have identified Jesus, a Jew born in Roman times, as a Palestinian. Both incidents drew outcry from Jewish groups, and the nativity scene has since been removed.

Earlier, in a letter to Middle Eastern Catholics on Oct. 7, the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack, Francis denounced “the spirit of evil that foments war,” and quoted a passage from the Gospel of John to call it “murderous from the beginning” and “a liar and the father of lies.” The quote raised eyebrows because, in the New Testament, it is spoken by Jesus to a group of Jews, whom he calls children of the devil.

The word choice drew criticism from Philip Cunningham, a theology professor specializing in Jewish-Catholic relations at St. Joseph’s University.

“It is perilous to cite polemical words out of context, particularly words that have consistently sparked enmity toward Jews for centuries,” he wrote in America, a Jesuit magazine. “There is also something peculiarly surreal about this in a letter dated Oct. 7.”

A considerable portion of Wednesday’s event was taken up with Marans and Bambera discussing — and not quite seeing eye to eye — about Francis’ recent comments. (The pope has also issued statements condemning antisemitism, including during the current Gaza war.) Marans, AJC’s director of interreligious affairs, said in an interview that Francis has demonstrated his opposition to antisemitism — but added that his conduct has precipitated a “crisis” borne of “a lack of proper attention to Catholic-Jewish relations.” The genocide accusation, Marans said, was the most problematic.

“Whimsical use of the word ‘genocide’ against the Jewish people is dangerous because it characterizes the only Jewish state in a way that is grist for the mill of Jew-haters — which Pope Francis is absolutely, unequivocally not,” Marans said. “How does one rationalize those disappointments in speech and action with that overwhelming commitment to opposing antisemitism?”

For Bambera, the pope’s statements are simply expressions of the Catholic emphasis on the value of peace and human life. Francis’ statements stem from his concern for “the dignity of the human person,” the bishop said, including both Palestinians and Israelis.

“When he reflects upon the suffering of people who are victimized by terrorism and war, whether it be the Jewish people or countless others around the world, he will always speak of the value of human life and the need to preserve and protect it,” Bambera said at the event. He also reiterated Francis’ opposition to antisemitism.

But while Bambera and Marans read Francis’ words differently, they agreed on the path forward: more dialogue.

“I absolutely understand and appreciate the reaction of the Jewish community, the concern, perhaps the hurt, perhaps a worry about what this says about our relationship,” Bambera said in an interview. “One of the most significant things about the relationship that we have established, and that quite frankly Pope Francis supports and encourages, is the fact that we Jews and Catholics alike can talk candidly about this.”

The AJC has promoted Catholic-Jewish dialogue for more than half a century. It was active in shaping the 1965 church declaration that rejected antisemitism and said the Jews did not kill Jesus, called “Nostra Aetate” and adopted as part of Vatican II. The group consulted on the document, bringing on Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel as an adviser.

Marans said the relationship has only improved since then. He added that — even in light of the pope’s statements on Israel — Catholic attitudes toward Israel are in a better place than those of some liberal Protestant denominations that have weighed divestment from Israel.

“It is a different universe on the Catholic side because there is such commitment to Catholic-Jewish relations,” he said. “It is a given of the Catholic Church today that it is supportive of Catholic-Jewish relations wholeheartedly.”

The AJC touted plans to translate the Catholic edition of its glossary into more languages, including Spanish and Polish, and hopes to use it as a model both for Protestant denominations and other religions. Holly Huffnagle, the AJC’s U.S. director for combating antisemitism, said the group’s core goal is to teach people what antisemitism is and how to recognize it.

“People are more likely to listen to those they know, those they trust,” she said. “If you are Catholic, you’re more likely to listen to your priest than a Jewish leader.”

Working with interfaith partners, she said, has become especially important as those ties have frayed recently, in a moment where protest of Israel’s actions, and antisemitism, have been on the rise.

“The Christian space is a natural partnership,” she said. “What does it look like to go to other faiths and figure out how to do this project jointly? We have to take a step back in this moment, as we’ve seen real relationships decline.”

Both Bambera and Marans said the key to success in this project would be Catholic leadership using the glossary and imparting its message to the rank-and-file. Bambera said the archbishop of a major American archdiocese asked if he could distribute it to his clergy — which he took as a good sign.

He added that he hopes to have “more conversations about hard questions” between Catholics and Jews.

“Those hard questions shouldn’t stop the dialogue,” he said. “They should be able to grow because the dialogue is rooted in mutual respect and understanding.”

[thoughtfulfoxllama]

Names of Gods

In the Temple Liturgy, we see the Creation of the Earth by Three Deities: Elohim, Jehovah, and Michael. The Temple Endowment is one of the most sacred, symbolic experiences in the spiritual life of Latter-day Saints, but it is ill understood by many (because of its highly symbolic nature)

One of the issues of debate however, is the identities of the beings discussed in the Temple Liturgy. Usage of the names has been hotly debated since the introduction of the Nauvoo Endowment (the Endowment Proper, to separate from the Kirkland Endowment, known as the Initiatory in the Modern Church)

In this essay, I will explain the various views held throughout Church History. Although the Culterite Branche also practices the Nauvoo Endowment, we have no information on their ritual, so we will focus solely on the Brighamite Branches

Points of View discussed

MC- Modern Church. This holds that Elohim in God the Father (or our Heavenly Parents), Jehovah is the Premortal Christ, and Michael is Adam

BY- Brigham is infamous for his "Adam-God Doctrine," where Adam is God the Father, Jehovah is his God, and Elohim is Jehovah's God. He did also advance other views however (such as Elohim being the Father, Jehovah being the Premortal Christ, and Michael being the Holy Ghost)

Sym- Symbolic Interpretation. This was developed by Max Skousen in his infamous "Temple Book," and was further added on by later individuals. It holds that Elohim is our Divine Intelligence (which is a part of God), Jehovah is our Self, and Michael is our Physical Body. He believed that the Endowment was teaching us that we need to have everything in it's proper place. The Self listens to the Divine, and the Self has control over the Body. The Body don't control the Self, and the Self doesn't control the Divine

HS- I call this the "Holy Spirit Theory." It is based off of some interesting wording in the 5th Lecture on Faith. It says that the Holy Spirit is the shared mind of God the Father & Christ. However, in D&C 130, it says the "Holy Ghost [...] is a personage of Spirit. This believes that all gods have a shared mind, known as the Holy Spirit (BH Roberts also connects this shared mind to the Light of Christ). Elohim is the Light of Christ, Jehovah is the entire Godhead, and Michael is all of humanity

T- Title Theory. This is the theory that the Names of God are not names at all, but merely titles. For example, if God has "names" like, "Endless," "Eternal" (Meos in Adamic), and "Man of Holiness" ("Ahman" in Adamic), how can we trust any of his names. While often used to try to justify Adam-God, it is it's own separate thing

CRT- "Creator, Redeemed, Testator." Joseph Smith said that before Creation, Covenant was made between 3 Archetypical Beings, the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Testator. The idea is that each of the beings in the Temple is one of these beings

Elohim

In his Sermon in the Grove (Joseph's last sermon), he stated that Elohim was always plural. He then went on to give a radical retranslation of Genesis 1:1. Instead of "In the Beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth," he said that it meant roughly "The Head organized the Gods, and all things" (my own translation, but faithful to Joseph's words). While the King Follet Discourse revealed man's potential, the Sermon in the Grove populated the Eternities with, in the words of Paul "gods many and lords many."

MC- The belief that Elohim is God the Father is unsustainable, given Joseph's statement that Elohim is always plural. This doesn't mean the Modern Church is wrong though, but rather that we don't look at Elohim with a full understanding of Godhood. Godhood is Couplehood (or Throuplehood, or Quadruplehood, and so on). So, Elohim may refer specifically, not to Heavenly Father, but Heavenly Parents. After all, Modern Prophets have stated that Heavenly Mother(s) are deeply involved in our lives. Why wouldn't HM be there, alongside HF. He wouldn't be God without her, so Elohim still fits

BY- Admittedly, Adam-God is a huge cluster-screw. We know nothing from Brigham about the identity of Elohim from his own words. We have Joseph F Smith quoting an earlier source saying the Creation Trinity were "Grandfather, Father, and Son." He did state Jehovah was Michael's father, so maybe this is where that came from. But this is only 1 of the many inconstancies with Adam-God. For his views on it being "Father, Son, Spirit," see the MC explaination

Sym- Skousen has some interesting ideas. The idea that Elohim is in essence the root of being is an intriguing idea, and it allows Elohim to be plural. If one wanted to go further, the Lecture also says the Father is a Personage of Spirit, while the Son is a personage of Tabernacle. This has been connected by the Fundamentalists as the Liquid in their Veins (Blood or... It's never explained, but Spirit is the best word they can come up with). However, the idea that God the Father is this Divine Intelligence doesn't line up with D&C 130 (which states the Father was a body of Flesh & Bone), or with the First Vision. Unless, Elohim is what we are all called when we're Exalted (which connects to the Degrees of Glory. Celestial listen to the Intelligence, Terrestrial listen to Themselves, Telestial listen to their Senses)

HS- The Light of Christ makes an odd amount of sense here actually. In the Liturgy, Elohim commands the Creation, while Jehovah & Michael are the primary actors. The Light of Christ gives us (among other things) our Conscience. When were about to do something bad, we can get this feeling that we shouldn't. Maybe the Light of Christ also inspires that feeling in the gods. As this light is "in all things," it knows the proper timing, the proper order, everything like that. It also makes sense in the order as a whole, because the Earth was created spiritually, then physically. Jehovah (the gods) tells Michael (the Spirits), what needs to happen, then Michael reports when it's done. Maybe Michael needed to do their part, so Jehovah could do theirs

T- In the Title Theory, Elohim (more accurately, El) is the "Reshit," the Head of the Gods, speaking for the entire Divine Council. El (with his authority as essentially an EQ President) commands Jehovah & Michael to create the Earth, and commands Michael to people it.

CRT- Elohim (El) is the Great Organizer. He organized the Gods, and Organized the Creation (although he didn't actually participate, he did organize the work that needed to be done)

Jehovah

The name with the most debate, even before we get the Restoration. Jehovah (originally YHVH, but I'll just use Jehovah) was originally seen as a Storm God & a War God. Even by the time we get to Lehi's Departure, Jehovah was not a sole divinity. He was connected most notably with Asherah (Goddess of War, the Seas, Trees, and Motherhood) & El (the Head of the Gods)

By the Second Temple Period, Jehovah was stripped of equals. It also became prohibited to speak his name in public. This means, with the fall of the Jerusalem Temple (one of, if not the only place the Name could be spoken), the pronunciation was lost

In the Restoration, the use of Jehovah became... Chaotic to say the least. Joseph Smith used Jehovah to mean the Father in D&C 109, while in 110, Christ speaks with "the sound of rushing great waters, even the voice of Jehovah" (D&C 110:3). Brigham used Divine Names interchangeably, even saying "Elohim-Jehovah" as one name on more than one occasion. This naturally causes so much debate that Wilford Woodruff has to tell people to stop fighting about it. But, it went on. Jesus & Jehovah continued to be separated individuals in the Endowment, Joseph F Smith said Jehovah was Heavenly Father, and eventually, James Talmage wrote that Christ was Jehovah (an idea first officially pushed in the 1916 talk "The Father & the Son," and reiterated in "The Living Christ," on January 1st, 2000)

MC- Jehovah is Jesus Christ. "Before Abraham was, I am." This is the phrase Talmage used to prove his point. He also pointed out that Christ said in the Book of Mormon it was him who gave the Law on Sinai, and Jehovah was the Lawgiver

BY- Jehovah is God's God. He was well aquatinted with Adam's Children (possibly even being the god they worshipped, instead of Adam. This connects to the teachings of Fred Collier, who believed that Adam had 72 Sons, who were the gods of the 72 Nations). That's all Brigham had to say, aside from throwing out names like "Elohim-Jehovah" when referring to Michael (which makes no sense Brigham! No wonder people struggled to believe Adam-God, because it makes no sense, and you constantly contradict yourself!!!)

Sym- Jehovah is who we are, our Ego. It is meant as a go-between for the Divine Intelligence, and the Physical Body. This is similar to Christ, who came to mediate between Human & Divine

HS- This is based on the letters of the Name. According to David Ferriman (founder of the Fellowship of Christ, which is a Non-denominational Mormon Church), the Yod & the First Hei are our Heavenly Parents, while the Vav & the Second Hei are Christ & the Holy Ghost. While Ferriman (most likely, based on his other writings) doesn't believe in the Holy Spirit Theory, this interpretation of the name Jehovah is common for people who do

T- Jehovah is the God of a World. Before the Resurrection, Heavenly Father was Jehovah. When Christ said he gave the Law on Sinai, he did, and he was speaking on behalf of his Father. However, after the Resurrection, Christ became Jehovah, the God over this World

CRT- Jehovah is Christ. I've already said that above

Michael

In the Endowment Liturgy, Michael is Adam. There are literally millennia of people associating Adam with all of Mankind. This is especially meaningful when we are told to associate ourselves with Adam in the Temple

MC- There's not much to say. Adam is the First Man (possibly the Physical Son of Heavenly Parents, born Immortal, and needing to eat the fruit to become Mortal). He was the Archangel Michael (the only Archangel?), forgot that when he was created, and became an Archangel after death. He may have visited Christ during the Suffering in Gethsemane. Maybe he's resurrected, maybe not

BY- This one, more than any others, provides a huge discrepancy between the two views extended by Brigham (in the same flipping sermon!!!). Either Michael is "Our Father & Our God" or he his the Holy Ghost

There is a possibility he is both, as he is the Father of Humanity, our God (the Holy Ghost is a God), and "the Only God with whom we have to do" (because how many of us have seen Christ or the Father. Seriously, saying that part is even more confusing, considering we have 3 gods already!). This is not what Brigham had in mind however

If Michael is God, he is the Father of our Spirits (through Sexual Union), and then was sent to Earth by the Council, given Amnesia, tricked by Lucifer (who may also have a body, based on some interpretations of the Theory I've heard), and became the Father of Humanity. Eve is therefore Heavenly Mother (it appears we all share 1 Heavenly Mother. Each Wife gets a Planet, like they'd get their own house in Mortality)

Sym- Adam is the "Natural Man." Our physical desires, our fears and anger, all those things we associate as bad. However, we are not told to kill our passions, but to bridle them. No emotion is bad, but it needs to be under control (for example, libedo connects spouses, produces children, and gives pleasure. But, we are told to express it within strict bounds (marriage))

HS- Adam means "Man" (as in Mankind). We are told to associate ourselves with Adam in the Temple

T- Michael is the title of one who is called to begin life on a world. Likewise, Chavah (Eve) is the Name-Title of his help-meet (as Chavah means "Breath Giver," breath being representative of Life & the Spirit)

CRT- Michael is the Testator. However, we need to remember that we are told to associate ourselves with Adam in the Temple. Our first covenant (Baptism) include "standing as a witness of God." We are all Testators, we are all Michael

What do I think?

I think I need a break. The Hot Takes take a lot out of me, emotionally. Not just because I'm composing basically a full length essay, then vastly cutting it down (only keeping in about 1/50th of the Adam-God rants) in a couple hours, but because I'm worried about going too far

So, next week, it'll be something way more chill. Specifically, the Sabbath