#Lost Religions

[gwydpolls]

Time Travel Question 19: The Library of Alexandria (Miscellaneous II)

I welcome your suggestions for both Library of Alexandria and other lost works of World Literature and History, as there will be future polls.

[illustratus]

Chaos watches as the Rebel Angels are thrown into Hell (Milton's Paradise Lost)

by Gustave Doré

[gigisluigi]

Crazy to think that by now, Dionysus should have transitioned from a god of ecstasy to one of social refinement and polite gatherings if it weren't for ancient Greek religion losing its prevalence.

And I mean that Dionysus, as a god who promotes madness and disinhibitions, is what's left of a time when wine was our strongest alcoholic beverage, a time of maenads and symposiums. Nowadays, we have liquor (spirits), far better for getting drunk, and beer, as the always cheaper alternative, so in a "let's get drunk moment," wine isn't picked. That way, the beverage has been left to the sophisticated: culinary connoisseurs, elegant dinner parties, wine enthusiasts, elites, and intellectuals.

And if that's our perception of wine, shouldn't that also be the dominion of its god?

[auxxrat]

so sick and tired of the “jedi are an evil and abusive cult that steals children” as if half the reason they weren’t protecting these children is bc sith were out killing them or TURNING THEM INTO SITH. they weren’t even STEALING children to begin with I thought we all knew that was Palpatine’s game not Yoda’s.

[grhmwtts]

i choked

on my first gulp

of water

on this hot

hot

late august

afternoon

it reminded me

of you

your sweat

percolating

at your temple

i praised

you

studied

you

religiously

devoted

as air

and liquid

filled

my mouth

my lungs

throat

thoughts

longed

to worship you

in the summer

but august is ending

and our love is too

[timetravelsong]

𝐒𝐨 𝐠𝐨 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞,

𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧?

excerpts from a book I’ll never write

[farmersdaughter444]

Wandering

[hellsquills]

Thinking so hard about Logan's faith

He really is a man that has lost everything. EVERYTHING. In every timeline, in every universe. So much loss and betrayal and pain.

This "worst" wolverine has absolutely nothing. No friends, no family, no xmen.

And yet he doesn't think life is unfair. TO HIM. He thinks life has been unfair to all the good and innocent people around him, but not to him. Because unlike him, those people deserved a good, long life that he's been cursed with.

And yet he's not a hopeless man, not really. Because after losing everything, it just takes Deadpool and Laura (two people he didn't previously know!!) to remind him that goodness exists. That purpose is something that he can still have, if he wants it.

And Logan believes. He believes so hard in them because, deep down, something in him knows that humanity is not only worth fighting for, but also that he wants to fight for it.

Deep down, despite everything, he wants be good (which he is, he just doesn't see it)

[aidoxl]

Lord Evrard: We're all together now.

Friar Dorian Horbrooke. "Dr. Horribilis" polymath, philosopher, scientist, theologian. A genius that some call a wizard with unmatched expertise on ancient texts.

Gerard de Vendhuile. Architect and artist of the future. Your mind knows no bounds and travels places some can only dream of

Langward Ardene. Physician and surgeon who has written about the unwrite-able. Leagues above your counterparts because you know there's more to everything than meets the eye.

Barnabas of Ballechey. Astronomer and alchemist you're one of the few people who has seen visions of places beyond. Cracks that have led to our coming here.

And there's Prince Warin. Manipulative smartass. You hear me? He's clever and got his people under his thumb. Hello? Y'all paying attention to me? He's willing to do anything to get what he wants and he never stops wanting. Keep your guard around him. Did I mention he was manipulative?

[chalkrub]

night time critters

[pissmoon]

Everytime i see this idiotic post on 'atheism of white men vs. Atheism of the opressed' i notice something stupid about it i didnt notice before its such brainrot its like watching a surreal movie u notice something new every single time.... and now im thinking..... why do you care if atheists' and non-religious people's 'reasons' for not believing are good and profound enough? Why are their reasons any of your business anyway? Why do you feel entitled to them explaining this to you? They need to 'prove' they're one of the 'good' non-believers to you, why? If this is your attitude do you think they will tell you their real reasons and engage in serious good faith debate with a judgemental stranger who can't mind their own business and comes at them like 'justify yourself to me!' anyway? Do you think they always tell their real reasons to religious people who act hostile and judgemental? They can't just exist out there not believing without having to explain themselves to you? Why does not believing need to be justified, is believing the default state of being? How can you be sure their reasons are what you think they are, how do you know you are not projecting and talking out of your ass?

[anghraine]

jenndoesnotcare replied to this post:

Every time LDS kids come to my neighborhood I am so so nice to them. I hope they remember the blue haired lady who was kind, when people try to convince them the outside world is bad and scary. (Also they are always so young! I want to feed them cookies and give them Diana Wynne Jones books or something)

Thank you! Honestly, this sort of kindness can go a really long way, even if it doesn't seem like it at the time.

LDS children and missionaries (and the majority of the latter are barely of age) are often the people who interact the most with non-Mormons on a daily basis, and thus are kind of the "face" of the Church to non-Mormons a lot of the time. As a result, they're frequently the ones who actually experience the brunt of antagonism towards the Church, which only reinforces the distrust they've already been taught to feel towards the rest of the world.

It's not that the Church doesn't deserve this antagonism, but a lot of people seem to take this enormous pride in showing up Mormon teenagers who have spent most of their lives under intense social pressure, instruction, expectation, and close observation from both their peers and from older authorities in the Church (it largely operates on seniority, so young unmarried people in particular tend to have very little power within its hierarchies). Being "owned" for clout by non-Mormons doesn't prove anything to most of them except that their leaders and parents are right and they can't trust people outside the Church.

The fact that the Church usually does provide a tightly-knit community, a distinct and familiar culture, and a well-developed infrastructure for supporting its members' needs as long as they do [xyz] means that there can be very concrete benefits to staying in the Church, staying closeted, whatever. So if, additionally, a Mormon kid has every reason to think that nobody outside the Church is going to extend compassion or kindness towards them, that the rest of the world really is as hostile and dangerous as they've been told, the stakes for leaving are all the higher, despite the costs of staying.

So people from "outside" who disrupt this narrative of a hostile, threatening world that cannot conceivably understand their experiences or perspectives can be really important. It's important for them to know that there are communities and reliable support systems outside the Church, that leaving the Church does not have to mean being a pariah in every context, that there are concrete resources outside the Church, that compassion and decency in ordinary day-to-day life is not the province of any particular religion or sect and can be found anywhere. This kind of information can be really important evidence for people to have when they are deciding how much they're willing to risk losing.

So yeah, all of this is to say that you're doing a good thing that may well provide a lifeline for very vulnerable people, even if you don't personally see results at the time.

[illustratus]

Satan awakening his legions by Estella Canziani

[fettfleisch]

My shrine was below your chest. Your smell made my lungs work best

[loveerran]

The 99 (plus 1)

On September 9th, President Russell M. Nelson, prophet and leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, will turn 100 years old. His has been a full life, dedicated to service and a desire to improve the lives of others.

As part of that ministry, the prophet has invited us to help celebrate his birthday by reaching "out to 'the one' in need", "'the one' in our lives who may be feeling lost or alone". This invitation references the parable of the lost sheep (Matthew 18 and Luke 15), which emphasizes the value of one that is lost.

This is interesting to me as a transgender disciple of Christ. Transgender individuals generally make up no more than 1% of the overall population, making us (in some very real ways) 'the one'. If a typical ward has 100-200 active members, then there should be approximately 1 transgender individual in every congregation of the church. It is sad there are far, far fewer than that. Most leave. They feel alone, lost, isolated and discriminated against despite the council President Nelson has given.

There will be a special broadcast commemorating the prophet's 100th birthday. During the broadcast, "Examples of what people around the world have done over the past 100 days to commemorate his birthday will be shared through stories from people who were 'the one.'"

Throughout his ministry, I see the Savior ministering to those who felt lost or alone, forgotten or marginalized. I imagine that the broadcast will show outreach efforts that look familiar to us. When I think about the people the Savior ministered to, I often think on those who were rejected or discriminated against by the society around him, including:

Those who may have been considered enemies, like the Samaritans - including the good Samaritan of the parable or the woman at the well,

Those who may have been considered outsiders, like the centurion's servant - or tax collectors and sinners like Levi and others,

Those who may have been considered unclean, like lepers (at least one of whom was another Samaritan) and the woman with the issue of blood,

Those who may have been considered sinners, like the woman taken in adultery or the woman who washed his feet, and others.

We also read of several times where Jesus' followers didn't want him to interact or minister with a certain class of people, from the blind man who called after him "Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me" to the little children he instructed should be suffered to come unto him.

I am grateful for the church's emphasis on (and exercise of) ministry and outreach, and for the good that it will bring to the world. I am grateful for those who try to make the world a better place, as President Nelson has. I hope someday we will see inclusion of LGBT people in our outreach narratives, including stories of truly sensitive, kind, compassionate and Christlike ministry - even when some in our society may consider us to be enemies, outsiders, unclean and sinners.

Love, Erran

[heystephen]

I just hace one question, why did you hear the album before? why when it was leaked? I know that's not gonna make Taylor richer or poorer but it's kinda... weird. I just don't know.

if i had been in the garden of eden i wouldve eaten that apple