#Moses was a good leader

[devilmen-collector]

Origin of the names of the angels

Since I have done a post on the origin of the names of the seven kingdoms of Hell, may as well do the origin of the names of the angels.

Warning, this post contains religious content. If you are not comfortable, please ignore this.

Now let's go on with our trivia post

Seraphim

Now I just want to make a distinction. The Seraphim irl are called "the Archangels", but that doesn't mean they belong to the rank of archangel, the second-to-lowest rank, it only means they are the leaders and chieftains of all the angels, including other Seraphim.

Also, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are the only named angels in the Bible.

Michael

"Michael" means "Who is like unto God?" in Hebrew. In the Bible, Michael is described as "the great prince, who standeth for the children of thy people" (Daniel 12:1), the angel who disputed with the devil over the remains of Moses (Epistle of St. Jude verse 9), the leader of the heavenly army fighting against the dragon (Revelation 12:7).

In the Christian tradition, Michael is the leader of God's army fighting against Satan, helper of the faithful Christians at the moment of death, champion of God's people, protector of the Jews under of the Old Testament, and of God's Holy Church. He is also the patron of many chivalric order of knights.

Michael, having led the battle against Lucifer, is the greatest of all angels, no angel could surpass him in honor and glory.

The feast day of St. Michael in Western Christianity is held on September 29, commemorating the dedication of first church built in his honor in Western Europe. In Eastern Christianity, St. Michael and all angels have their commom feast day on the 8th of November.

Gabriel

"Gabriel" means "strength of God". In the Bible, he appears as the messenger of God who delivers messages of utmost importance: he tells the Prophet Daniel two prophecies concerning the successive empires and the time elapsing before the coming of Christ (Daniel chapter 8 & 9), he appears before Zachary and foretells that his son will be the Precursor of the Lord (Luke 1:5-25), and most importantly Gabriel announces to the Virgin Mary the Incarnation of the God the Son and that she is going to become the Mother of God (Luke 1:26-38). According to tradition, Gabriel was also the angel who appeared in St. Joseph's dream (Matthew 1:18-25; 2: 13-23), and also the angel who consoled Jesus (Luke 22:43). Thus, Gabriel is the Archangel of Incarnation and Consolation.

Some traditions have Gabriel as the angel of mercy while Michael is the angel of justice. Some others have it vice versa.

St. Gabriel's feast day, according to an old tradition, is on the 24th of March, the day before the feast of Annunciation.

Raphael

"Raphael" means "God has healed". The third Archangel appears only in the book of Tobit, in which he helps the young Tobias during his journey, ultimately aiding the young man heal his father's blindness and helping him find a good spouse. Therefore, Raphael is invoked as the angel of Healing and the Patron of finding a good partner for marriage.

Raphael was also the angel who revealed that there are seven Archangels. "For I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord" (Tobit 12:15).

The feast day of St. Raphael, in old tradition, is on the 24th of October.

Cherubim

Selaphiel, Jegudiel and Barachiel

Selaphiel, Jegudiel and Barachiel aren't found in Sacred Scripture, but only in the tradition of Eastern Orthodox Church.

For these three angels, I have already made a post about it. I'll link it here for you guys.

Selaphiel, Jegudiel and Barachiel: Origin of the names

Zadkiel

Zadkiel does not appear in the Bible, although some identify him as the unnamed Angel of the Lord who prevents Abraham from sacrificing his son during the time that God tested Abraham (Genesis 22:1-18). It's the reason why if a church (usually an Anglican church) does depict Zadkiel in its iconography, he's depicted as holding a dagger, for Abraham intended to use a dagger to sacrifice his son.

We will skip over Thrones (or Ophanim), Dominions, Virtues and Powers because there is currently no angel of those choirs in-game yet.

Principalities

Michelleel

"Michelleel" is a name that PrettyBusy completely made up themselves. No angel is known with the name Micheleel. Micheleel is the combination of Michael written in another way "Michelle" and the suffix "el", which means "God".

Archangels

Rashiel, Armisael and Zeruel

Just like with Michelleel, these three Archangels have made up names by PrettyBusy.

Angels

Samael

"Samael" means "Venom/Poison of God". He exists only in Judaism's Talmudic lore. Sometimes he is considered a fallen angel, with some people think he's Satan, while other times he is considered the angel with destructive duties.

[redtsundere-writes]

Pillow | Cult Leader!Suguru Geto

cult leader!suguru geto x f!reader Sypnosis: suguru geto is your secret lover. Contents: Secret lover, i wrote this while listening lana del rey so yeah, that. Warnings: vaginal, raw, doggy, oral. Mdni. Minors Do Not Interact. +18 Word Count: 758 words. Author's Note: even tho my heart is owned by Sukuna (shame me i have an humiliation kink) this man makes me go ahasnhghsbdjs.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto was a busy man. Being the leader of a cult was not an easy task. Keeping a friendly mask on in front of his followers, preaching his message over and over again, ingesting curses to become more powerful, and leading a brainwashed crowd tired him every single week.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto could forget all about the cult once he came to your room every Sunday night. Geto had adopted you into his community when he first saw you tied up in that abandoned warehouse years ago. Your relationship had grown since then until you became his secret lover.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto knocked three times on your bedroom door. You quickly opened and he wrapped his arms around you in a tight hug. His hands lovingly ran around your waist to pull you closer to his warm and tall body. "I missed you" he whispered in your ear, an electric feeling ran down your spine. You hadn't gotten used to the idea that you meant everything to him.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto loved to lie on your bed while using your thighs as a pillow. He liked it when you braided his long jet black hair and placed kisses on his forehead. He loved to make you smile with funny comments. He felt like a naughty teenager breaking into his girlfriend’s room every Sunday night. 

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto wanted to stay with you for the rest of his life, but he knew he had responsibilities to fulfill with his community. Luckily, you were always there to remind him that the next Sunday was always coming. You were the only thing that kept him “sane” enough during the exhausting week.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto kissed you passionately, his lips guiding yours to move in sync. Like every night, he wanted to make it clear how much he loved and desired you. His kisses traveled over your cheeks, your forehead, your neck and your shoulders being undressed little by little, causing your skin to feel the freshness of that night.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto moved towards you causing his body to gently push yours against the bed. His kisses traveled over your breasts, tummy, and down to your intimacy. Like Moses in the red sea, he opened you wide to taste the juices of your intimate secrets. He was a master at satisfying you, he knew every inch of your body and what left you trembling, begging for more.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto took his precious time licking and kissing your sweet folds while you let out soft moans, trying not to wake up the other members of the community. He always ate you as if he hadn't eaten all day, his desperation to taste you satisfied his lust.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto loves to fuck you hard and raw. He liked to lay you face down on the bed and hit you from behind so he could hold your hips firmly with his skillful arms signaling that your ass belonged to him. You loved it when he held you as if you were going to escape even though it was the last thing you wanted to do when his cock impacted all the way in you.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto moaned in delight at how good your tight, juicy pussy felt. He wanted to be with you forever, he wanted you to stay with him in the cult, he would do anything to keep you obedient. It didn't matter if he had to brainwash you, drug you or kill your family. He would do whatever it took to get his most beautiful follower to give him her soul and body.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto loves every part of your body. Your round tits, your greedy ass, your sensual curves and those lips his cock wants to dwell on for life. He was always rough when it was time for your mouth to suck his cock. Your teary eyes wanted him to stop but your lust begged him to continue dominating you. Suguru pushed your head all the way down so he could cum comfortably as he let out a satisfied moan from his lips while tilting his head back in pleasure.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto got dressed again to go back to his room while you watched him from the bed. "Stay the night," you requested. "You know the other girls will be jealous if they see I'm giving you special treatment. Think of your sisters," he explained as he did every Sunday. "Promise me you'll come back next Sunday" You begged along with a pout. He reached over to plant a simple but loving kiss on your soft lips. "You know I always come back" he promised you before walking out that door again. You really hated to see him go, but that’s how it should be.

Order your own fanfic!

Masterlist.

[cottoncandybitchfuck]

Unsleeping City Quotes I Like

“Magic is Real and you get to see it. Isn’t that great?” -Misty Moore

“Sometimes you gotta do the nice thing, not the right thing” -Kingston Brown

“You know, just kind of when you’re already in a shame spiral and then people are good to you, it almost stings a little bit worse.” -Pete Conlan

“Things are not always what you want them to be, and they’re not always what you dream they are. Things are what they are.” -Jackson Wei 

“It does not diminish a soul to give worship or adoration”-Nod

“Being the founder is not the same as being a leader” -Nod

“You’re not done yet kid. Come on. We got work to do” -Kingston Brown

“You’d have to be a real asshole not to recognize when someone is trying to not be a piece of shit in general. And I don’t know that we’re good, but that doesn’t mean that you’re not good. And… I guess you’re worth helping.” -David Kugrich

“Because honestly if you don’t show up now, there might not be anyone to fuckin’ choose ever again. So then you’ll have had this little gift you could have given to someone, this little ‘choosing’ you could have done, and you will never do it to anyone. It’s like letting food go bad, I hate when people let food go bad.” -Sofia Lee

“The true spirit of this place is to meet dreams with concrete. To hustle in the muck and the grime, and to grind away to make something miraculous happen, and that the spirit of this place is that these people make it happen for themselves.”-Brennan Lee Mulligan about NYC

“There is nothing more in the spirit of this place than to rely on nobody but yourself to decide that you will be chosen.” -Brennan Lee Mulligan about Sofia Lee

“You want to be someone’s everything, and you’re everybody’s everything. Made it real hard to feel special.” -Liz Herrera 

“I can’t visit everybody. That’s also because not everybody is worth visiting.” -Kingston Brown

“Just because I have to be something for everybody doesn’t mean I can’t be something more for you.” -Kingston Brown

“If somebody would fuckin’ teach me how to do magic, I’d come help you whoop ass. I’m from the fuckin’ Bronx” -Liz Hererra

“I can’t have what you’re offering me, and that’s my fault. But American Dreams change.” -Kugrash

“My Love. For you are my love. My one true love. You don’t need to enter, for you’re already there. And you don’t need to be real because you already are real.” -Rowan Berry to the American Dream

“Dreams changing with the minds of their dreamers, is the most beautiful aspect of dreams. When you look to see the true form of this, what you see is that a dream this important and this large needs to be able to change. And its true form, is any and every form that people want from it. And if it is pushed back through the golden door, into the realm where it can have any form that people give to it, that is where it will have its true form. So the answer to your Nat 20 is that the only good form for a dream is formless.” -Brennan Lee Mulligan about the American Dream

“It is what it is”-Dale “And what it is, is anything”-Nod

“Greed is good, for rat motherfuckers like Robert Moses. But not in our town, not in our fucking city!” -Kugrash

“Pain is a part of healing. And the things we’ve lost should hurt. But it does not mean that we are defeated or they will hurt forever.” -Em from Bethesda Fountain

“These sacrifices are never made in vain. All these people, their lives are our lives, and ours are theirs. All intertwined together. I think that’s kinda beautiful.” -Em

“It’s not really what happens, but it’s your reaction to it and how you feel, that’s what you should pay attention to.” -Pete Conlan

[sailorspica]

sole salvation: zeke jaeger, messiah claimant

this is so long it has a table of contents, and prompted by an ask from @oxygenbefore1775:

salvation and atonement

recapitulation

genealogy

the paths as wilderness

biblical fiction

all the english bible citations are from the NRSVCE, i reference the gospel of john just once because it sucks, this is barely proofread and about ~4k. two shorter posts that might be of interest:

the founder ymir eve-mary replacement theology run

krista/christa

none of this is arguing iseyama consciously made any allusions!! this is just comparative reading

1. salvation and atonement

i looked up the japanese title for snk 114, "唯一の救い," mostly for the second part. "唯一" is kind of obviously "sole" or "only" (if i know any CJK characters it's number radicals), but i wondered about the nuances of "salvation" because of the association i have for it below. this had me running to good ol' biblegateway.com, whose only japanese bible translation is the from the heavily paraphrased/colloquial Living Bible. a search of "救い" lands us in exodus, isaiah, and my second-favorite gospel, luke.

you guessed it: it's part of the word choice for "messiah." section titles in bible translations are editorialization, really, but the beginning of the nativity story in matthew is headed

約束 さ れて いた 救い主 promise (...tense stuff idk) savior

救 = rescue, aid, salvation; 主 = host, leader, lord

in the hebrew bible context of exodus, 救い most often refers to god delivering the israelites from egypt through moses, while isaiah is christians' favorite prophet for all his shit cited as prophesying the messiah. the title "christus" is latinized from the earliest greek translation of the bible from hebrew, which used "christos" for "messiah." kings good and bad were anointed with oil (chrism) at the start of their reign, so "anointed one," "messiah," and "Christ" really just meant a monarch. quoting some old testament pseudepigrapha (psalms of solomon 17:23-24), the messiah was understood in second temple judaism as a future davidic king expected to "thrust out sinners from the inheritance / to crush all their substance with a rod of iron / to destroy the lawless nations with the word of his mouth." (rod reiss, zeke as marley's spear, the scream, etc)

now for the "sole" bit. i am cursed to read the kodansha USA title "sole salvation" with the connotation of the solae of the protestant reformation, which are 2-5 doctrines articulated by various reformers but not necessarily codified (or creed-ified, as it were), uh, in protest of early modern catholicism. theological authority comes sola scriptura (not the pope), justification comes sola fide (not by following rules the best), and salvation is available to all sola gratia (through god's grace, not individual merit/how many indulgences you can afford).

how we apply all this to zeke:

what is wild about christianity and islam after it is "humanity"'s fall from grace and the promise of a messiah to remedy it were initially about just one people. AoT's dramatic irony has the paradisians refer to themselves as the whole of humanity until grisha's basement, so jaegerist ethnonationalism is, really, in keeping with the prehistoric tribalism detailed in the history books of the hebrew bible. when the israelites encounter egyptians and semitic peoples of canaan and babylon, they know them as pagans, and proselytization is not on their minds at all, nor these other peoples' relation or lack thereof to adam and original sin. with zeke, we see this idea of salvation and its scale and recipients flipped between grisha and ksaver: grisha promises the restorationists that zeke will save eldia, while ksaver and zeke swear to save the world from titans with eldia as the sacrifice.

the lack of consensus of how to "save" eldia mirrors the hairsplitting of soteriology into what modern commenters call theories of atonement. there are many, but the only ones i'll mention are

substitutionary theory: the vague but broadly understood starting point that jesus died for humanity, and most subsequent theories hammer out the details. with this you'll often see writing connecting it to the story of abraham and isaac, and a classic work is derrida's the gift of death chapter 3, but i have to say if this story echoes for anyone in AoT, it is tom ksaver and not just because of the ram.

ransom theory: humanity has been satan's hostage ever since the garden of eden, so jesus was born and raised, incarnated as human by god, to be the perfect sacrifice to buy back our freedom. this is weird because it calls into question god's omnipotence: why respect satan as a debt collector?

satisfaction theory: jesus' sacrifice is more about ethics and respect in that his death is the "minimum" price for our sins, but he goes above and beyond by walking willingly through the exact cavalcade of physical torture that was the passion, which "satisfied" god, working from a classical/medieval fixation on honor and dishonor.

penal (not penile) substitution theory: god cannot forgive sin willy nilly, so jesus bore god's punishment for us. this is lutheran, and if you read martin luther's diaries from when he was an augustinian, this man just wanted a morally perfect Dom. libs and catholics don't like this because it makes god look bad. s/o my kenny post where i put grandpas ackerman and jaeger side by side with a bit of penal substitution, but it also makes me think of grisha (below)

and my favorite, recapitulation theory, which is simply the most literary way to read the gospels: christ's life, not just death, are a do-over of adam's. he succeeds where adam failed, perfectly inverting everything about the first man: he was born of a woman (the cause of adam's fall 🙄) but chaste himself (allegedly), he's tempted directly by the devil and resists, and in death the piercing of his side by a roman centurion echoes that eve was made from adam's rib. it's the root of the idea of jesus and mary as the "new" adam and eve that i dip into in the krista post—antisemitic supercessionism is a later addition. mary "recapitulates" eve by obeying god, not satan, etc.

i didn't do that comprehensive a skim, but grisha and zeke seem to be the only ones who use "salvation" language, while karina braun uses "atone" in snk 94. "atonement" has one of the silliest etymologies of all time: at + onement, unification, when two become one. so framing the crucifixion as "atonement," and referring to mysticism as self-effacement, jesus' death is supposed to reconcile man with god, like we were divorced. its more pedestrian, legal definition is for reparations and such, but i don't think the soteriological version can describe marley and eldia at all. it's not just penal, but penitential (sacramental) semantics on kodansha USA's part. i might go pester @tsuki-no-ura for a direct translation later. but the jesus-est and adam-est thing about zeke, to me, is physical at-onement when ymir fuses his body into the founder, or as zeke says to armin in snk 137, "did ymir eat you, too?" so the death of jesus' earthly body is a horror story if you aren't trinitarian: he is subsumed into god, made indistinct.

2. recapitulation

recapitulation is a useful idea for FOUR AoT characters: zeke, historia, eren, and mikasa. i really think the figures that do the most to "recapitulate" the eldian creation myth are mikasa and historia, though:

historia: have already said my bit! she's the anti-mary, snk 65 has the juiciest theological language of all. see my second favorite gospel luke. she disobeys where ymir's daughters didn't: she says hell no, she kills her dad. she's my hero.

mikasa: eren and armin's conversation about mikasa and ymir more casts ymir as a god with mysterious motivations, so i'd say "whatever mikasa did" gives us a more medieval "satisfaction" model of pacifying her rage

eren: the whole metaphor on humanity penned in like livestock, ymir's leaving the gate open for the pigs. eren's defence of historia, even from her own self-sacrifice in volunteering to inherit the beast, also makes him an anti-daughter of ymir.

zeke: has all of the prologue and expectation to make him seem like a savior. if he recapitulates any part of "from you, 20,000 years ago," he starts out as fritz by attempting to order ymir with his royal blood, but ends up just as bound as her. there's a screencap we've all seen overlaying the storybook illustration of "ymir" and "the devil of all earth" with eren, zeke, and ymir in the paths. i have feminist tbh satanist thoughts on the nature of knowledge and forbidden fruit that i slghtly get into in that krista/christa post

this is the point where it's important for me to say this is an atheist post and blog, and jesus of nazareth was one of like half a dozen messiah claimants knocking around judaea at the time, including his own cousin john the baptist. the first coming of the messiah was a nearly as absurd a prospect to jews in the late roman empire as the second coming of jesus is to us, so "claimant" doesn't even mean they said so themselves. some were preachers whose followers got a little too hype, or just actual con artists. but! zeke does have a lot more christian echoes going for him beyond the exact function of his death.

in the original question mae asked about zeke in either marian or christian terms, so i gotta say that jesus was also human and subordinated to god's will, in a similar position to mary, as was adam. adam's rib symbolism is so erotic and penetrative and all i think about when titans in AoT are constructed spinal cord first. to me everything about titan shifters is a feminist issue of bodily autonomy regardless of gender, and the power of the founder to "rewrite" eldian biology is the most god-like, terrifying, violating thing about it. this is where a lot of more progressive christian theologians struggle, too, with the question of how is god, in all his power and goodness, still permissive of suffering? or is it that god is not in fact powerful, simply all-knowing? and is that worth jack shit? which is the issue of the royal family keeping the founder after the walls went up.

and we leave this section with the jesussy, or more specifically "the holy lance" that made jesus' side wound. but i think levi went for, idk, his appendix? good enough.

3. geneaology

the gospels of luke and matthew start with lengthy and conflicting geneaologies in support of the claim that jesus of nazareth is of the davidic line through the tribe of judah, but matthew's is patrilineal from abraham through joseph, while luke's is surgically imprecise about jesus' father and thus is often argued to be jesus's geneaology through mary backwards to adam, supported by luke being the gospel to feature women the most prominently. not knowing those intricacies or how legal adoption worked in 1st century judaea, you can say that mary is royalty and joseph is just some guy, ben david or not, because he famously did not contribute sperm. looking at zeke, grisha is just some guy, and dina's blood is the whole justification for zeke's suffering. had she not married grisha, she still would be affiliated with the restorationists, and whatever other child she had would be sacrificed much the same. this supposes that jesus of nazareth was just some guy himself, a typical second temple jewish teacher whose followers were especially rowdy; whether god is real or incarnated himself as human is inconsequential when mary is directly descended from david.

but joseph Does matter from a purely pragmatic point of view of protecting and providing for mary and jesus, from keeping his troth with a pregnant teenager he'd probably never met before to the matthew account of fleeing with them to egypt to hide from herod, and in christian ethics through shit like the Feast of the Holy Family, which replaced the much cooler Feast of the Circumcision.

point is, jesus had two dads! joseph is generally understood as a dead during the time of jesus' three-year ministry, but any time jesus refers to his father he does not mean joseph. like ever. zeke nation knows better than i how often zeke discusses grisha, but in my recollection he calls him his full name or says "your father" if talking to eren. in my subtitles for the above panel re: the second paradis mission he says something like "as the former son of the terrorist grisha jaeger."

but to be clear joseph of nazareth is comparatively a non-person. it's reasonable to think he taught jesus his trade of carpentry, though, and two of the greatest songs of all time play with that, along with that tumblrina poem that goes around here frequently.

beyond daddy issues, protestants like this binary of "high" versus "low" christology to discuss jesus as god and jesus as man, though the exact meaning of either varies and frankly i question the historical accuracy of using either to describe ancient/antique christological debates. the way the liberal protestants at the seminary i dropped out of tended to use it is basically sorting jesus's qualities and behaviors in the gospels as divine or human. divine activities = miracles, prophecy, rising from the dead; human activities = flipping tables, being rude to his mom, getting hangry. now these mostly look like venial sins, to err is human et cetera, but the fig tree story is one of the silliest little humanizing details about him, to me tantamount to zeke having a cat's tongue. zeke's whole problem is he holds himself to an extrahuman (not divine, no, since he probably would go with demonic) standard while forgetting what makes him human. ironically, zeke rejects his inhumane father to claim his very human mentor as family, but ultimately half-lives his own life holding himself to or counter their visions of salvation.

the other bit of jesus' family worth connecting to zeke is his cousin john the baptist. but he more belongs to the next section.

4. the paths as wilderness

the torah or pentateuch, the first five books of the hebrew bible, have 99 uses of "wilderness" in the NRSV, and it pops up about 150 more times throughout the prophetic books. of all AoT's hamhanded judaic imagery, i think the paths actually get at something theological as opposed to earthly/fixated on eldia as a persecuted people. the wilderness is a testing ground and a kind of punishment itself, especially in genesis and exodus, for prehistoric figures like hagar, moses, jacob, david, and of course the israelites once they left egypt, wandering for 40 years. they starve and god saves them with manna; left unattended for two seconds they turn to idolatry; and they of course conquer various tribal people of canaan, including the philistines (root of palestine). after that, "wilderness" is much more metaphorical, referring poetically to estrangement between god and his people, the israelites exiled in the babylonian captivity, the destructon of solomon's temple, etc.

but there's one literal wilderness in the gospels. jesus' cousin john the baptist is introduced by a quotation:

In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'" (Mt 3:1-3)

john the baptist is jesus' maternal cousin who he likely only meets once in adulthood, and i am too pedantic not to explain that baptism, or ritual bathing, is not a christian invention. he hung out around the river jordan wearing a hair shirt and preaching and dunking people in a kind of open-air mikveh. jesus visits him to get dunked as he starts his three-year ministry that ends with his death, but before they meet there are already whispers that john the baptist is the messiah. herod antipas, a roman tetrarch, had john beheaded shortly after this at the request of his stepdaughter, so when herod hears stories of jesus' ministry and miracles he dreads that he's john the baptist returned to life.

one could say the fateful meeting of john and jesus is the turning point for the birth of christianity, like the jaeger brothers in shiganshina, in part because the gospels have john insist up and down he himself is not the messiah, he's just preparing the way for him. this kind of makes him look like a bigger loser than he was; contemporary jewish historians of the time say he had a following to rival or even larger than his cousin's.

but right after his baptism, jesus fasts in the wilderness for 40 days, where the devil tempts him. it's the most detailed in luke 4 and matthew 4. jesus resists like a champ, but returning to "low" christology and questioning what actually makes "perfection:" after three years of preaching in galilee, jesus' resolve wavers, and the "willingness" of his sacrifice is 2,000-year-old point of debate. two moments in the gospels that show he fears his death are praying between the last supper but before his arrest, and just as he dies on the cross. gethsemane, or the mount of olives:

And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want." (Mt 26:39)

And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. He said, "Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want." (Mk 14:35-36)

Then he withdrew from [the disciples] about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done." (Lk 22:41-42)

and as he dies in matthew and mark, he quotes psalm 22, "eli, eli, lema sebachthani?" or "my god, my god, why have you forsaken me?" he shows resolve and despair, i think so very like zeke. his line in snk 114 of "are you watching, mr. ksaver?" makes me think jesus' relationship to god was similarly distant, and three years of ministry have to have changed jesus as much as oh, 13 years of being a human weapon changed zeke. ymir "tests" both jaeger brothers in the paths, so i bet there's some heresy out there that jesus "stole" john the baptist's role and followers from him.

one thing i'm fascinated by that i haven't seen laid out is that grisha and the restorationists deify ymir, even calling themselves "the chosen children of god" (woof), while ksaver the scientist asks the more materialist question of "what was that 'something'" that ymir encountered if not "the devil of all earth"? but zeke has to split the difference between these two. or, the power of the founder and the paths are simply too "god-like" (kenny's words uwu) for anyone to remain rational.

when zeke first describes the paths after he blows himself up, the first thing i thought of was biblical wilderness. in snk 137, he tells armin he's spent "an astounding amount of time" in the paths trying to understand ymir; i'm cursed to fill in that blank with 40-something, years or centuries or millennia. zeke using the sand all around them as an example of lifeless objects that don't seek to multiply reminds me of two things in genesis:

god's covenant with abraham in genesis 15, reiterated in 22 after a ram(!!!) shows up to take isaac's place: "Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore" (Gn 22:16-17). of course ymir building titans from sand recalls genesis 2, that god molded adam from dust, but before god formalizes this covenant with abram/abraham, he also says "I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth; so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted" (Gn 13:16)

the memento mori verse that makes up the blessing for ash wednesday is "remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return" (Gn 3:19) as he casts adam and eve from eden.

as a metaphor, i suppose wilderness in the bible evokes a time before creation, the void of possibility, and whether you find that beautiful or bleak, whether dust to dust makes you hope or dread, makes you closer to armin or zeke. my other atheist bestie from seminary was optimistic about the death of the human race because non-human life goes on, and that's okay and probably better; the earth can bounce back from the damage we dealt it, which is what trees growing in the colossals' footprints in the epilogue makes me think of. this makes me sound pro-apocalypse and well! i think this all solidifies that armin is the perfect counterweight, not just for the leaf and baseball; armin has always been curious about the planet, is a true scout, while zeke has been beyond the walls all his life, and has seen too much to be grateful. it's very mercury versus jupiter, details versus big picture.

5. biblical fiction

if you want to read the gospels as a total newb, start with mark because it's shortest, then i recommend matthew, then you can do luke and the acts of the apostles. but for juicy fiction that really digs into jesus as a human who struggles with the weight of expectation, you gotta get into:

the last temptation of christ (1988, dir. martin scorsese): i haven't read the book and only could stand the movie twice, yes even feat. david bowie as pontius pilate, but this was my first reaction to the the endng of AoT and the eremika cabin: jesus on the cross is tempted one last time by satan with a vision of running away and living as an ordinary man with mary magdalene. unfortunately zeke does not get a cabin vision but torment, and frankly his time in the paths is more like the three days jesus spent in hell before easter.

the liars' gospel by naomi alderman: is so crazy good, i love this writer deeply. it's more like four novellas stuck together of jesus' life and ministry and death narrated by his mother, judas iscariot, one of the sanhedrin that "tried" him prior to pilate, and barrabas, the criminal or revolutionary that pilate released to mark passover—all jewish, historical judean perspectives. to mary, jesus is kind of a deadbeat, awful eldest son (two of the gospels give him siblings; she did not die a virgin) who really should be working as a carpenter; to judas, he's an unworthy leader; etc. i think it's an excellent model for a novel-length, canon-compatible zeke fanfic.

if any sources are vague it's almost certainly out of the jewish annotated new testament (ed. levine/zvi brettler, 2017)

also tagging @pisspope 💜

[quartings]

So, I just watched a censored cut of The Suicide Squad (2021) on a plane...

Let me tell you, it was one of the weirdest movie-watching experiences of my life. All the intense gore and violence was kept, but all the swearing was re-dubbed over by the original cast and the mild nudity was cut, which really makes me wonder who the heck this version of the film was even for?? What kind of person can watch people get blown up into bloody chunks but can’t handle the word “bastard”??

Here are some of the highlights from the censored cut that I thought were the most amusing. Again, reminder that the original actors all ADR’d over the swears with new dialogue.

· Harley’s “What the FUCK??” at TDK was changed to “What is THAT??”

· Bloodsport and Tyla’s “FUCK YOU!!”s were changed to “FORGET YOU!!” like Ceelo Green.

· More F-Bombs from Bloodsport were cut, leading to “I’m no (fighting) leader!!” and “You’re threatening my (teenage) daughter!!”

· Calendar Man’s insult to Polkadot Man was changed from “You fucking pussy!!” to “You flaming sissy!!”

· Peacemaker: “Starfish is a slang term for (an anus).” How is that any better than saying “butthole”??

· The entire exchange about dicks on the beach was changed to be about bricks instead, as was any future usage of the word “dick”. “If this whole beach was covered in (bricks), and someone said I had to eat every single (brick) on the beach for liberty, I would say no problem-o.” “Why would someone put (bricks) all over the beach??”

· Ratcatcher 2’s “You bastard!” was changed to “You bad fish!!”

· The entire “Well that’s just racist” exchange was cut.

· Bloodsport: “Why the (blood) would I want a leaf?!”

· Peacemaker’s jerking off taunt was cut. Characters still flip each other off in this cut though.

· Flag and Harley get to say “freaking”, so I don’t understand why it wasn’t used as a blanket censor for the f word instead.

· Harley’s “RIP to that absolutely beautiful monster between your legs” was kept in.

· King Shark’s “FUCK!!” was changed to “Pfflegh!”

· Bloodsport saying “Pissmaker” was kept

· Ratcatcher 2: “Do you want a dozen angry rodents crawling up your (pants)??”

· The 69 joke was kept

· Peacemaker: “MOTHER(TRUCKER)!!”

· Bloodsport’s “Jesus Christ…” was changed to “Holy Moses…”

· Flag’s “Who ate all the empanadas?” has the f word cut and sounds weirdly friendlier in the take they used.

· Harley: “I love the rain~ It’s like angels are (spitting) all over us~!”

· I swear Thinker’s “Sonofabit-!” when he’s getting slammed in the retinal scanner was changed to “Sonofawit-!”

· Thinker: “AMERICAN (GOOD OL’) ASTRONAUTS FOUND STARRO! YANKEE (****) DOODLE DANDIES!!”

· Flag’s “It’s time these sonsofbitches need to be held accountable-!” was changed to “It’s time these (stinkers) need to be held accountable-!”

· Polkadot Man’s “FUCK!!” in response to the others forgetting Milton was changed to “FUDGE!!”

· One of the Corto Maltese generals shouting “Puta!!” was changed to “Nunca!!”

· Economos: “WE’VE GOT A (FREAKING) KAIJU UP (ON) THIS (SCREEN)!!”

· Waller’s whole rant at the squad was censored, so it was hilarious to hear Viola Davis scream the absolutely neutered “FILTH!! TURN AROUND, GOSHDAMMIT! YOU STUPID IDIOTS! LOSERS!! DAMN IT, TASK FORCE X! THIS IS YOUR LAST AND FINAL WARNING!!”

· Flo: “GET ON THE SATELLITE, DALE YOU (FLAMING MEATHEAD)!!”

· And lastly, my personal favorite censorship, only because it actually fits thematically, comes from Polkadot Man’s last words: “I’M A MOTHER(-FIGHTING) SUPERHERO-!!”

[girlactionfigure]

🟦 After Shabbat - Saturday night - events from Israel  

Yet More after-Shabbat UPDATES

ISRAEL REALTIME - Connecting to Israel in Realtime

( VIDEO - a Lebanese screams in shock at the massive airstrike in Beiruit that took out Hezbollah leader Nasrallah. )

SELICHOT start tonight (for Ashkenazim).. Selichot services are communal prayers for Divine forgiveness, said during the High Holiday season and on Jewish fast days. The first night of Selichot is the biggie, held after midnight on a Saturday night before Rosh Hashanah.  We ask G‑d to forgive us on a personal and communal level. An oft-repeated phrase is the “13 Attributes of Mercy,” which G‑d revealed to Moses at Sinai as the key to forgiveness. (Chabad.org)

❗️AIR TRAVEL.. The European Commission and EASA have decided to issue CZIBs recommending not to operate within the airspaces of Lebanon and Israel at all flight levels. The recommendation is valid until October 31, 2024, and can be reviewed earlier and adapted or withdrawn subject to the revised assessment.

A number of Wizzair flights TURNED AROUND on the way to Israel, as well as halting further service for 48 hours. 

Many Israeli travelers trapped overseas.

⚠️SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS.. Tiberias - Sept. 29-30, Golan - Sept. 29-30, remote learning only.

♦️IDF AIR FORCE COMMANDING GENERAL.. flew personally in the bombing mission against Hezbollah’s Nasrallah.  

♦️IDF WARNS.. IDF spokesman: Anyone who helps Hezbollah in Lebanon is putting himself at risk.  Residents of the Beka’a and the Dahiya in Beirut should evacuation.

♦️ATTACKING DEPOTS.. Lebanese reports that the IDF is attacking ammunition depots and rockets throughout southern Lebanon.  The reports also indicate that the IDF attacks weapons warehouses located in residential neighborhoods.

♦️BALLISTIC MISSILE INTERCEPTION.. arrow interceptor fired from Eilat, some missile parts fell into Jordan starting wildfires, previously noted a large piece fell by Tzur Hadassah, Judean hills, another large piece fell near Tulkarm - not far from Route 6.

🔹IRAN’S LEADER.. Reuters: Iran's supreme leader Khamenei was transferred to a "safe space”.

🔹SHEBA.. Enemy reports: An Israeli officer called a citizen at the Sheba farm and told him in Arabic to evacuate the entire place. (This is a tiny border area that Hezbollah has been claiming after the UN drew most of the border line placing it in Israel.  Also would be a good entry point for ground troops.)

🔹NASRALLAH REPLACEMENT.. Number 2 in Hezbollah, the chairman of the executive council, Hashem Safi al-Din, Hassan Nasrallah's cousin and Qassem Soleimani's son-in-law, was not killed in the attack in Beirut and he will be Hassan Nasrallah's successor.

🔹VARIOUS EMBASSIES in Lebanon evacuating non-essential staff.

🔹IRANIAN PROPAGANDA OR PARANOIA? Secretary of the Iranian Council General Mohsen Razai: "After Lebanon, Israel will attack Damascus and then Baghdad and maybe even Iran, for this reason the governments of Iran, Iraq and Syria must make their decision on this matter as soon as possible."

🔹RUSSIA SAYS.. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia: strongly condemns the elimination of Nasrallah, calls on Israel to stop all acts of aggression.

🔹US SEC STATE SAYS.. Blinken: We call for a ceasefire along the border between Israel and Lebanon.

🎯Did Israel just try to assassinate the head of Hezbollah's executive council, Hashem Safi al-Din?  Reports from Beirut about a powerful attack by the Air Force on a residential building that is suspected to have housed Safi al-Din.  We will wait for the IDF's verification.  Follow up, looks like some other Hezbollah commanders.

▪️ECONOMY.. Following the possibility of a severe war in the north: Moody's lowers the credit rating by two notches and adds a negative forecast, which will severely affect the cost of Israel’s borrowing.

[internerdionality]

Rewatching Prince of Egypt as I write my haggadah for this year and pondering the changes they made to the story.

Arguably the biggest one is that in the Torah, Moses doesn't grow up unaware of his heritage. Miriam sees Pharoah's daughter find him and approaches her, suggesting that surely the princess will be in need of a good midwife. Pharoah's daughter agrees, and so Moses spends most of his early life with his *actual* mother. He is raised in two worlds, as both a Hebrew slave and an Egyptian royal, and it is the unbearable friction of these incompatible worlds that eventually forces him into his act of rebellion and leads to his exile in the desert.

I get why they made this change—it makes for a more relatable, easier-to-understand, and more dramatic narrative, with young adult Moses suddenly discovering his heritage and thus "waking up" to realize the injustice and inequality of his world.

But it also creates a (metaphorical) white savior narrative. In the Torah, Moses rises up *because* he is one of us, and becomes the leader because of his connection to God (and, possibly, because his privilege made his rebellion more likely to succeed—how many leaders of unsuccessful rebellions has our history forgotten?)

Moses in the film narrative, however, is very much one of the privileged elite, who rebels against the system only because he discovers his connection to the oppressed and it triggers a sympathy and empathy he had previously not felt at all.

In the Torah, when Moses says "let my people go," it is because he belongs to us.

In the film, it sounds like he thinks we belong to him.

[thealmightyemprex]

Halloweenathon:Attack the Block

So this is a film that has been on my list for years .I saw the ads when it came out but I never got around to it .Im a big monster movie fan and happy to have finnally seen this one

In this 2011 film ,Moses (John Boyega ) leader of a street gang kills an alien only for bigger more dangerous aliens to attack .Not able to get help from the cops ,and chased not only by the aliens but also by the psychotic gangster Hi-Hatz (Jumayn Hunter ),the gang as well as a nurse they mugged earlier Samantha (Jodie Whitticker ) must find a way to save their apartment building from these carnivorus aliens

I love this movie .I think the ideas of gang members vs monsters is an interesting take ,I think the themes are well handled ,and its full of tension,not only about whether or norour leads get gobbled up by aliens but can Samantha and the kids team up to save the day .Beyond the social commentary ,this is a fun creature feature at its core with a scary though not invincible monster .I love the alien deigns ,these eyeless furry monstorcities with blue neon teeth ,they are truly creative and scary .Like many good creature featurese,the monsters are one of mnay threats ,the other threat coming in the form of the deranged Hi-Hatz,who I think is an interesting villain cause while he is intimidating hes not the smartest guy in the room,more focused on taking out Moses then the actual threat of the Aliens ,he is a very single minded sort of evil.I also think this film does what I think any good horror film should......I care about the characters.When characters got killed ,I felt bad and I truly didnt know who would make it and who wouldnt .....OR if anyone would make it All the kids are well played and while not the most developed ,I legit wanted eeverybody in the main group to make it .Performance wise the stand outs are John Boyega as Moses who is a solid lead and Jodie Whitticker as Samantha who has an interesting arc (And yes I have to point out it is funny to see them in this sci fi film when they are more famous now for two diffrent sci fi franchises )

Negatives......I wanted more Nick Frost,hes just kind of there

OVerall this is a fun and interesting spin on the creature feature

@ariel-seagull-wings @the-blue-fairie @professorlehnsherr-almashy

@themousefromfantasyland @princesssarisa @countesspetofi

@filmcityworld1 @amalthea9 @barbossas-wench

[walkswithmyfather]

Exodus 34:29-35 (NLT). [29] When Moses came down Mount Sinai carrying the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, he wasn’t aware that his face had become radiant because he had spoken to the Lord. [30] So when Aaron and the people of Israel saw the radiance of Moses’ face, they were afraid to come near him. [31] But Moses called out to them and asked Aaron and all the leaders of the community to come over, and he talked with them. [32] Then all the people of Israel approached him, and Moses gave them all the instructions the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai. [33] When Moses finished speaking with them, he covered his face with a veil. [34] But whenever he went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with the Lord, he would remove the veil until he came out again. Then he would give the people whatever instructions the Lord had given him, [35] and the people of Israel would see the radiant glow of his face. So he would put the veil over his face until he returned to speak with the Lord.”

2 Corinthians 3:13 (GW). “We are not like Moses. He kept covering his face with a veil. He didn’t want the people of Israel to see the glory fading away.”

“Do You Know Why Christians Have 'Unveiled Faces'”? By Bible Love Notes:

“In 2 Corinthians 3 Paul explains that the old covenant law had a temporary purpose. When Moses met with God to receive the law, his face glowed, but he veiled his face for two reasons:

The people were frightened by the brightness (Exodus 34:29-35).

Moses didn’t want them to see the light fade (2 Corinthians 3:13).

Why did the light fade? Because it was part of the old covenant law which didn't bring salvation.* The purpose of the old covenant was to prepare us for the new covenant in Christ, showing us that we can never be “good enough” to earn salvation (Galatians 3:24-25; Romans 3:20).

But when we accept Christ's redemption, we're given a permanent glory, and we shine with “unveiled faces” as we “contemplate the Lord’s glory” and allow Him to transform us “into his image with ever-increasing glory” (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).

Think about that. When we genuinely accept Christ, we start “glowing” with the permanent glory of our Lord's salvation. And the more we let God’s Spirit transform our hearts and minds, the brighter His glory becomes in our lives.

So let's ask God to show us specific ways we can “glow” today. In fact, when we wake up each morning, let's ask Him to use our “unveiled faces” to share His glory with others. 🌟🌟🌟

* This does not mean that people in the Old Testament were not saved. It means that keeping the law didn't save them. They were saved the same way we are saved—through faith. Christ had not yet revealed Himself and His salvation, but they were saved by their faith that God would supply a Savior (Romans 4; Hebrews 11).”

[todaysjewishholiday]

16 Menachem Av 5784 (19-20 August 2024)

The 16th of Av in 5645 saw the death of a great leader within the Jewish community of Great Britain— and indeed, all of Europe and the Mediterranean. This giant was not a rabbi or a sage but a financier, statesman, and philanthropist, who had spent the first half of his life doing his best to assimilate into the upper echelons of British society, and the remainder very deliberately reasserting his Judaism and doing all he could for global Jewish welfare. He died nine months into his hundredth year of life, having witnessed a full century of historical and social transformation at the height of the Industrial Revolution.

Moses Haim Montefiore was born in 5545 in Livorno, Tuscany to a large Sephardic merchant family with interests spread across Europe. He was named for his paternal grandfather, the patriarch who had relocated the family from Livorno to London forty years prior, and came into the world while his parents had returned to Tuscany on business for the family’s firm. Montefiore left school at a young age to begin work in another trading firm, and at the age of 18 became a trader in the London Stock Exchange. For the next thirty years he expanded his business and focused on attaining markers of social respectability, joining both the Freemasons and the local militia as Britain entered the Napoleonic Wars. Soon, through his own efforts and the good fortune of becoming brother-in-law and then stockbroker to Lord Rothschild, the British representative of the famous banking family, Montefiore’s fortune expanded exponentially. In addition to business, Montefiore devoted himself to the popular social reform campaigns of the era, including the promotion of charity hospitals and the abolition of slavery. In 1827, Montefiore and his wife went on a long voyage throughout the Mediterranean that included a visit to Jerusalem. The visit profoundly altered the course of Montefiore’s spiritual life. While he had always been proud of his Jewish heritage, Montefiore had been casual in his religious practice until his first experience of the holy city. While there, he committed himself to Shabbat and kashrut observance, and to attendance at the Torah readings in the synagogue on the second and fifth days of each week in addition to attendance at Shabbat services. He began traveling with a personal shochet and his own kashered dishes so that even when attending soirées and banquets with wealthy gentiles he would always have kosher food available. He also brought his own minyan of devoutly Jewish staff members and a personal Torah scroll so that his business travels would not interfere with his participation in religious services.

The newly devout business magnate then devoted his full energies, talents, and extensive connections to advocating for the welfare of the Jewish diaspora. He traveled to Morocco, Istanbul, Rome, Russia, and numerous other destinations specifically to use his considerable influence to combat antisemitic policies and pressure government to ensure Jewish subjects the same rights given to other citizens. Time and time again, Montefiore’s interventions were crucial. He also raised funds— and donated a significant proportion of his own wealth— to Jewish causes around the world, and especially for the welfare of the Jewish community in and around Jerusalem.

When his wife died, Montefiore had a replica of Rachel’s Tomb built as a mausoleum for her, and also established a yeshiva in her honor. He lived as a widower for another 23 years, still actively involved in a large number of charitable causes, before he was buried there beside her.

[call-me-casual]

(Also posted to the LK community)

Okay who’s interested in hearing about the school au I thought up in the shower

Keep in mind that all following information is based on my experience in British education, I have no clue how American schools run different

First we have the kids - James and Henri are both kids from the foster system, James has been adopted by Moses, whilst Henri is still technically a foster (ik ik not Franklin but maybe they’re neighbours). Henri is definitely the class clown whilst James is ambitious, but not too sure how to achieve his academic goals. Sarah is an exchange student from the UK living with Franklin, who is either a relative in this au or a family friend like in canon. She and James initially don’t get along but over time through the newspaper club and sharing most classes they grow closer. Sarah is an A+ student and she tutors James and Henri after school.

Most historical figures are teachers or general staff, except for named foot-soldiers like Joseph Plum Martin or other young historical figures like Sybil Ludington, who would be fellow students

Franklin - the kids’ (or at least James and Sarah’s) tutor (I think Americans call it home room?). He teaches science, and it’s his love of teaching that’s kept him from retiring (though he probably should have years ago). He runs the school newspaper (which James and Sarah are both a part of)

Moses - I can see him as a member of the site team or subject technician of some kind (basically helps to prepare stuff like experiments and maintain the school, but more responsibilities than a janitor). He’s also doing an online university course to get his teaching degree (he’d most likely go into either engineering/dt). The adopted Father for James and foster parent to Henri. Has known Franklin for years and the two are next door neighbours

Lafayette - French. Obviously. He’s a younger teacher popular with the students. His class is the only one Henri doesn’t goof around in, and the two are very close (spoilers: he may end up adopting him). Constantly asking the finance department to let him take a class trip to France. If anyone acts up enough to make him mad the class all turns on that one person (based on my mother’s experience (coincidentally she was also a languages teacher lol)). Often gossips and speaks with Hamilton in French.

Adams - idk if they teach law or politics in American high schools but if not then he’s probably an English teacher. His students live in terror or presenting essays or debates because no one can beat the man. You either love him or hate him, there’s no in between with his classes. Probably head of the department

Hamilton - probably either English or history (though maths is also a contender because he was treasury secretary). Also a younger teacher popular with the students. Has almost gotten into a fight with other teachers. And students. Definitely runs the debate club. Expects assignments in a week before the deadline. Is one of the leaders in staff room gossip.

Washington - I know most people make him the head teacher but I’m not a huge fan of that. He’ll probably end up as the head eventually for this au, but for most of it I imagine him is a department head. I can see him teaching either history, maths or geography (he was a surveyor after all, I could see him being a really good geography teacher). He’s that teacher that looks intimidating but is actually very nice. Believes way more in practical than theory and WILL drag his class outside in any and all weather to do a study. He also looks after any of the animals the school owns. Sometimes brings his dog to class. Is DEFINITELY involved in staff room gossip

Abigail Adams - I can see her as either the school nurse or some sort of creative arts teacher

Phillis Wheatley - definitely either an English teacher (damn we got a lot of those) and if not then some sort of creative arts teacher who also runs a poetry club. If anyone acts up in her class the other students ensure the body is never found.

Please suggest what subjects and the sort other historical figures would teach or any other ideas you have relating to this! ^^ Idk if I’ll draw anything based on this but it’s fun to brainstorm!

[calledtobethelight]

When the Lord Is with You

“Have not I commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Joshua 1.9 ( AMPC )

In Number 13, 12 spies from the Israelite camp scouted God’s promised land for forty days. On their return, 10 spies spread an evil report among the congregation about the giants and the fortified cities, disregarding the abundance and blessing in the land. However, 2 spies, Joshua and Caleb, believed they could possess the land as the Lord promised them because God would be with them.  In Numbers 14. 8-9, Joshua and Caleb urged the Israelite congregation, stating, “If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into the land and give it to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord neither fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their defense and the shadow [of protection] is removed from over them, but the Lord is with us. Fear them not.”

When you have faith in God and obey His commandments, the Lord will be with you to sustain you.  Although the Israelite congregation was “not able to enter [into His rest (the promised land)], because of their unwillingness to adhere to and trust in and rely on God [(their) unbelief had shut them out],” Joshua and Caleb were accepted by God and received the inheritance of the promised land because they possessed a different spirit, a spirit of faith, and followed God fully (Hebrews 3.19, Numbers 14.24, Hebrews 4.2).

Years later, in Joshua 1.5-9, the Lord addressed Joshua as the leader to take the next generation of Israelites into the promised land, stating, “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong (confident) and of good courage, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only you be strong and very courageous, that you may do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you. Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart out your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

You must be courageous, firm in faith, steadfast in doing what is right, obedient to the Lord’s commandments, and wholly submitted to God’s will to experience His presence in your life. Don’t let fear, terror, or the condition of your natural circumstances dictate your beliefs and actions – it will only lead to rebellion and disobedience against the Lord. When you trust God and have faith in His Word, He will be with you. Isaiah 41.10 states, “Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice.”

When the Lord is with you, you have the assurance that you can prevail no matter what obstacle or trial you face. There is divine protection, favor, provision, and victory when the Lord is with you. There is success in doing what the Lord has called you to do when He is with you. There is encouragement, confidence, and supernatural strength when the Lord is with you. God will not fail you. God will not abandon you. Fear not, for the Lord is with you.

[anotherdayforchaosfay]

Lucky for the Republicans who run the House, few Americans are paying attention to their antics of late, given the focus on the presidential race. Here’s what they’re up to: busily exemplifying the definition of insanity — doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

“Led” by Speaker “MAGA Mike” Johnson, Republicans yet again are threatening by their actions to shut down the government. After their extended summer recess, they returned after Labor Day and set out to score preelection points — egged on by Donald Trump — rather than seriously trying to pass legislation to keep the government funded. And they’re doing this just weeks before the Oct. 1 start of a new fiscal year, though they’ve had months to pass regular bills funding federal operations to avoid a last-minute grab-bag.

Their doomed strategy — and they know it’s doomed — is a familiar one: Attach a pet right-wing priority onto the funding package and try to force the Democratic Senate majority and President Biden to accept it under deadline pressure. Except the House Republicans don’t have enough votes to pass the package, given the opposition of party defectors as well as Democrats.

In past years, Republicans’ “poison pills” on funding bills have included proposals targeting Obamacare, abortion rights, immigrants and transgender people. This time immigrants are their target again. They are demanding a law requiring Americans to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote. Voting by noncitizens is already a crime and one that virtually no one commits.

Yet for this meritless cause, House Republicans would bring the government to a halt.

There is a silver lining. The fiscal follies are a welcome preelection reminder of Republicans’ inability to govern, and why voters should strip them of their majority in November.

The current saga is also a reminder that, if Republicans do keep their majority and Trump becomes president, they’ll act as an extension of his sorry White House — not as the independent branch of government the founders intended.

Trump publicly issued his all-caps marching orders just hours ahead of his debate last week with Kamala Harris. In a social media post Tuesday, he characterized the proof-of-citizenship requirement as an “Election Security” measure necessary to prevent Democrats from cheating. Consider it a preview of his fraud claim should he lose to Harris.

Without the citizenship proof, Trump wrote, Republicans in Congress “SHOULD, IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, GO FORWARD WITH A CONTINUING RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET. THE DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING TO 'STUFF' VOTER REGISTRATIONS WITH ILLEGAL ALIENS. DON’T LET IT HAPPEN - CLOSE IT DOWN!!!”

The speaker complied, though you’d think Johnson would be getting tired of being humiliated by his party and its leader, just to stay in Trump’s good graces. His Trump-blessed bills never seem to be extreme enough for the farthest-right faction in the House (they never vote for spending bills anyway), and yet the measures are too extreme for endangered Republican moderates. (Moderates is a relative term when it comes to House Republicans.)

Lacking enough support for his budget bill, Johnson canceled a House vote on Wednesday, saying he needed more time for “family conversations” with Republicans. If he corrals his slim majority and the bill does pass, it’s DOA in the Senate.

And the follies continue.

Only last November, just after his election as speaker, the all-but-impotent Johnson addressed a Christian nationalist group and compared himself to Moses, divinely chosen to lead House Republicans — and America — to some political promised land.

At the Museum of the Bible in Washington, Johnson told the group a lengthy tale about how, amid House Republicans’ jockeying to replace ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, God awakened him in the night and told him to be ready for a “Red Sea moment.” Then, after Republicans rejected other speaker candidates over several weeks, God awoke him again, Johnson recounted. “The Lord said, ‘Now step forward.’”

“Me?” Johnson asked. Him. He did God’s will, and he’s been doing Trump’s, or trying to, ever since.

We know how the funding fight will end: with Republicans’ retreat. They won’t pass the bill, Johnson will accept a compromise — just as McCarthy had to, relying on Democrats’ votes — and they won’t shut down government right before an election. They’re eager to get home to campaign.

After two more weeks of partisan scuffling, right up to or beyond the midnight Sept. 30 deadline, Congress likely will pass a three-month bill, free of partisan add-ons, funding the government until mid-December. Biden will sign it. Then the House and Senate will return after the election for a lame-duck session and fight right into the holiday season over a longer-term spending measure, against the backdrop of the new Congress that starts in January.

And there’s where the follies could end. Democrats have long been favored, slightly, to regain control of the House, and their takeover prospects improved after Harris replaced Biden atop the party’s ticket. If voters strip House Republicans of the majority, the far-right extremists will be relegated to the backbench where they belong. “Moses” Johnson will be retired as speaker. And Democrats, led by their leader, New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, will school the Republicans on how a bill actually becomes law.

A Democratic House, and the first Black speaker. That’s the ticket.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Brad Polumbo

Published: Jun 25, 2024

Republicans are very concerned about left-wing indoctrination in the public school system, and often for good reasons. Yet, it seems that some Republican leaders feel differently about ideological indoctrination in the classroom when they’re the ones doing it. 

In Louisiana, a recent law mandates the display of the Ten Commandments across all public educational institutions, from elementary schools to universities. The bill, championed by Republican Governor Jeff Landry, was signed into law at a private Catholic school. During the ceremony, Governor Landry declared, “If you want to respect the rule of law, you’ve got to start from the original lawgiver, which was Moses.”

This makes Louisiana the only state in the nation with such a mandate. Other red states haven’t ventured into this territory in recent years, perhaps because they know it’s blatantly unconstitutional. Nonetheless, Governor Landry appears undeterred, openly stating that “can’t wait to be sued.”

He may not have to wait very long.

A coalition of groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), has already announced its intention to file suit, condemning the mandate as “unconstitutional religious coercion of students, who are legally required to attend school and are thus a captive audience for school-spons.ored religious messages.” The ACLU also added that the mandate “send[s] a chilling message to students and families who do not follow the state’s preferred version of the Ten Commandments that they do not belong, and are not welcome, in our public schools.”

This is not uncharted territory. The ACLU cited the 1980 Supreme Court case Stone v. Graham, where the court explicitly ruled that the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, which prohibits the establishment of a formal state religion, prevents public schools from displaying the Ten Commandments. 

“If the posted copies of the Ten Commandments are to have any effect at all, it will be to induce the schoolchildren to read, meditate upon, perhaps to venerate and obey, the Commandments,” the Supreme Court ruled in that case. “However desirable this might be as a matter of private devotion, it is not a permissible state objective under the Establishment Clause.”

Governor Landry is surely aware of this precedent and simply does not care that this legislation will almost certainly be blocked in the courts. Nonetheless, it represents an opportunity for him to signal his cultural war bona fides—a move that, in any other context, Republicans might rightly describe as empty “virtue signaling.”

Regrettably, this isn’t just an isolated incident among Republicans in one conservative state. Louisiana’s initiative has garnered support from many of the most prominent figures in the modern GOP. One such figure is Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, who praised the legislation in an interview with Real America’s Voice. “This is something we need all throughout our nation,” she said. “I’m so proud of Governor Landry…. We need morals back in our nation, back in our schools, and if there’s anything we’re going to present in front of our children, it should be the word of God.”

This stance appears to be a mainstream view within the Republican Party, as the party’s leader, Donald Trump, also threw his support behind Louisiana’s efforts in a post on Truth Social: 

The Republicans’ embrace of this religious mandate in public schools is deeply hypocritical, contravening many principles they have previously claimed to stand for, and incredibly short-sighted. 

Firstly, they are proving to be fair-weather fans of the First Amendment. These same types regularly champion free speech when it comes to opposing government censorship or progressive attempts to crack down on “hate speech” (which now includes uttering basic biological truths), and they are absolutely right to do so. However, you cannot selectively support the First Amendment, endorsing free speech and freedom of religion clauses while actively violating the Establishment Clause. After all, if Republicans can disregard the parts they don’t like when it’s inconvenient, then progressives can too!

Secondly, Republicans are compromising their stated beliefs about the importance of parents’ rights and opposing “indoctrination” in schools. Now, they suddenly advocate for the government’s role in teaching children morality, instead of leaving this responsibility to parents or families.

Which is it? Consistent supporters of parents’ rights believe that it should be up to parents to teach their kids about morality, whether it concerns pronouns or prayer. 

There’s also the issue of misplaced priorities. Louisiana ranks 40th out of all 50 states in education. Meanwhile, 40 percent of 3rd graders cannot read at grade level, according to The Advocate. Yet, the governor prioritizes mandating posters of the Ten Commandments—and allocating tax dollars to defending it in court—that many students probably can’t even read.

Even many conservative Christians can see the issue here. As radio host Erick Erickson put it:

When the 3rd grade reading level is only 49 percent, I don’t see why the state wants to spend money on lawyers for a probably unconstitutional law making the Ten Commandments mandatory just to virtue signal a side in a culture war. Actually use conservative reforms to fix the schools instead of putting up posters half the 3rd grade cannot even read.

Perhaps the most common Republican rejoinder is that displaying the Ten Commandments is an educational initiative focused on historical context rather than a promotion of religion. But while there’s no disputing its historical significance, it’s not being presented as part of a broader course on religion that features a variety of religious and secular perspectives, which would be fine. Instead, beliefs from a particular religious tradition, the Judeo-Christian one, are being elevated and mandated to the deliberate exclusion of others. This selective approach is hardly subtle: Governor Landry purposefully signed the bill at a Catholic school and even referenced Moses! 

There’s no denying that the Ten Commandments are inherently religious, as they proscribe not only murder and adultery but also idolatry, taking the Lord’s name in vain, and working on the Sabbath. So, conservatives making this “history, not religion” argument are straining credulity. 

What’s more, further empowering government schools to promote a specific ideology to students will not end well for conservatives. It’s not exactly breaking news that the public education system is overwhelmingly staffed and run by people with increasingly left-leaning political and cultural views. Conservatives should be fighting to restore viewpoint neutrality in the public square—not further undermining it and thereby making it easier for woke ideologues to propagandize to everyone’s kids. 

It’s sad, but ultimately not surprising, to see so many Republicans proving to be inconsistent allies to true liberal values. At least those few genuine, principled defenders of the First Amendment now know who our allies are—and who they are not. 

--

About the Author

Brad Polumbo (@Brad_Polumbo) is an independent journalist, YouTuber, and co-founder of BASEDPolitics.

==

Moral consistency requires opposing both.

... Secularism means that no particular ideology is being forwarded and getting special treatment. Go have your belief. Believe what you want. Privately. You don’t get special treatment because you believe this with tons of conviction. Secularism means that your belief in your faith covers none of the distance to proving that it’s true. Conviction is not evidence of much of anything. Except conviction. -- James Lindsay

--

“If you want to respect the rule of law, you’ve got to start from the original lawgiver, which was Moses.”

Leviticus 25:44-46

Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly.

Who's going to tell him?

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

God Promises Deliverance

1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to the king of Egypt. I will use my great power against him, and he will let my people go. Because of my power, he will force them out of his country.”

2 Then God said to Moses, “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by the name, God All-Powerful. But they did not know me by my name, the Lord. 4 I also made my agreement with them to give them the land of Canaan. They lived in that land, but it was not their own land. 5 Now I have heard the cries of the Israelites. The Egyptians are treating them as slaves. And I remember my agreement. 6 So tell the people of Israel that I say to them, ‘I am the Lord. I will save you from the hard work the Egyptians force you to do. I will make you free. You will not be slaves to the Egyptians. I will free you by my great power. And I will punish the Egyptians terribly. 7 I will make you my own people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am the Lord your God. I am the One who saves you from the hard work the Egyptians force you to do. 8 I will lead you to the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I will give you that land to own. I am the Lord.’”

9 So Moses told this to the people of Israel. But they would not listen to him. They were discouraged, and their slavery was hard.

10 Then the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go tell the king of Egypt that he must let the Israelites leave his land.”

12 But Moses answered, “The Israelites will not listen to me. So surely the king will not listen to me, either. I am not a good speaker.”

13 But the Lord told Moses and Aaron to talk to the king. He commanded them to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

Families of Israel

14 These are the leaders of the families of Israel:

Israel’s first son, Reuben, had four sons. They were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These are the family groups of Reuben.

15 Simeon’s sons were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul. Shaul was the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the family groups of Simeon.

16 Levi lived 137 years. These are the names of his sons according to their family history: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

17 Gershon had two sons, Libni and Shimei, with their families.

18 Kohath lived 133 years. The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.

19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi.

These are the family groups of Levi, according to their family history.

20 Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed. Jochebed gave birth to Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years.

21 Izhar’s sons were Korah, Nepheg and Zicri.

22 Uzziel’s sons were Mishael, Elzaphan and Sithri.

23 Aaron married Elisheba. She was the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon. Elisheba gave birth to Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

24 The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph. These are the family groups of the Korahites.

25 Eleazar son of Aaron married a daughter of Putiel. And she gave birth to Phinehas.

These are the leaders of the family groups of the Levites.

26 This was the Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord spoke. He said, “Lead my people out of Israel in their divisions.” 27 Aaron and Moses are the ones who talked to the king of Egypt. They told him to let the people of Israel leave Egypt.

God Repeats His Call to Moses

28 The Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt. 29 He said, “I am the Lord. Tell the king of Egypt everything I tell you.”

30 But Moses answered, “I am not a good speaker. The king will not listen to me.” — Exodus 6 | International Children’s Bible (ICB) The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Cross References: Genesis 12:7; Genesis 15:18; Genesis 17:1; Genesis 17:7-8; Genesis 26:3; Genesis 35:11; Genesis 46:9-10; Exodus 1:11; Exodus 1:14; Exodus 2:1-2; Exodus 2:11; Exodus 3:10-11; Exodus 4:1; Exodus 4:10; Exodus 5:1; Exodus 6:13; Exodus 7:2; Exodus 7:4; Exodus 24:1; Leviticus 10:1; Leviticus 10:4; Numbers 3:1; Numbers 3:17-18; Numbers 3:19-20; Numbers 3:30; Numbers 16:1; Numbers 25:7; Numbers 26:11; Joshua 24:33; 1 Chronicles 4:24; 1 Chronicles 6:2; 1 Chronicles 6:17-18; 1 Chronicles 6:22-23; 1 Chronicles 6:37-38; 1 Chronicles 23:21; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 1:6; Acts 13:17; Revelation 10:6

Exodus 6 Bible Commentary - Matthew Henry (concise)

Key Passages in Exodus 6

1. God renews his promise by his name JEHOVAH 9. Moses vainly attempts to encourage the Israelites 10. He and Aaron are again sent to Pharaoh 14. Genealogies of Reuben, Simeon and Levi, of whom came Moses and Aaron 26. The history resumed

[jewishpositivity18]

Common Jewish terms and what they mean

שלום/Shalom: Traditional Hebrew greeting. Literally means "peace" but also used for "hello" תורה/Torah: Foundational Jewish text, mainly the five books of Moses (referred to as the Old Testament by Christians) מצוה/Mitzvah: Good deed or commandment, laws that the Torah requires Jewish people to follow השם/Hashem: Literally "the name", how some Jewish people refer to God רבי/Rabbi: Spiritual leader of the community שבּת/Shabbat: Jewish day of rest, which falls on Saturday every week. Some Jewish people refrain from work and using electronics on Shabbat כשר/Kosher: Jewish laws around food, such as not mixing meat and milk and not eating certain meat, like pork ישראל/Israel: Jewish people as a whole are sometimes referred to as "the children of Israel" in the Torah בּית כנסת/Synagogue/Temple/Shul: Place of worship where Jewish people come together to pray