#Reclaiming Christianity

[bolszaja-miedwedica]

watching a netflix series with today's special guest: the Virgin Mary

applause for our star everyone

[strange-lights-and-stardust]

Yesterday I sat up in bed and immediately thought "I Must rewrite That One Hymn, but for Dionysus instead of Jesus." (So if you'd like to scroll past Christian inspired stuff this paragraph is here as a buffer.) I wove in some things from my Minoan pagan practice as well as Hellenic, like the name Divono and a slightly different version of the dolphin myth.

My Dívono, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine

Thy song calls the maenads, and Thy hands bear the vine

My gracious Diónysos, my Savior art Thou

If ever I loved Thee, my Dívono, 'tis now

I love Thee because Thou hast first lovéd me

Thy gift is Thy Joy-- may this Truth set us free!

I love Thee with ivy crowning Thy brow

If ever I loved Thee, my Dívono, 'tis now!

My Brother, I sever Thy bonds from this cross

As dolphins, we leap from this ship at her loss

Thy vines twine like serpents, embracing the prow--

If ever I loved Thee, my Dívono, 'tis now!

[rabbits-of-negative-euphoria]

friendly reminder the opening song to Frozen was originally a Christmas hymn sung to the tune of Fairest Lord Jesus

[zerodaryls]

it's so funny (read: sad) that if bigoted fuckheads didn't insist i was a woman simply by virtue of my body at birth, i'd probably be chill with she/her pronouns in addition to he/they. if my mom didn't insist i was her daughter, i'd probably let her call me that, and we could still have a relationship.

i'm nonbinary and 'gendered' words are hypothetically meaningless, but because there are so many people who are more interested in telling me who i am rather than lovingly and curiously letting me express my own sense of self, those words carry trauma.

there's no reason a nonbinary person like myself can't be a son and a child and a daughter. there's no reason a nonbinary person like me can't go by he, they, and she.

'she' is not a slur. 'daughter' is not derogatory. 'beautiful' 'pretty' 'gorgeous' 'feminine' are not insults.

to the contrary, they're parts of language that express certain facets of a multi-faceted human existence, like mine.

and i have this sad, mournful feeling that if it weren't for unloving, condescending people, i'd probably be down to be called any of those things alongside my usual masculine/neutral terminology.

but i'd rather die than let anyone tell me what i have to be called.

[that-catholic-shinobi]

Reclaim the Month!

Every day of the month of June this year I will be praying the Litany of the Sacred Heart in reparation for the sins against chastity and modesty committed and propagated in June, which is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Christ. I invite others to join me in this prayer.

It can be found here. God Bless

[lovesodeepandwideandwell]

A month ago I had the passing thought that I didn't like Taylor Swift when I was younger because I was behind her eras and it was a really casual observation then but every day I find new ways it's true

[goatbeard-goatbeard]

weird thing about growing up evangelical: sometimes, that environment (accidentally) has some nice accommodations if you’re autistic. you don’t need to wear fancy clothes, that’s vanity. no you shouldn’t party and socialize as much as The World says you should. use your talents even if other people find you intense or strange, that’s your calling from God

so anyway, angel Crowley

[wickershells]

Before you guys reblog something from any tumblr user with “vigilant catholic” in their handle or bio I urge you to scroll down a little and check whether or not they have posted a quote from the literal founder of the American nazi party. If you like the picture that bad then make like they did and steal that shit!!!

[yaoi-tiddie-expert]

idk if its just me but like. i feel like so many queer people believe that gay love is more meaningfull or important or cool then straight love. a post about a straight character would be cooler if he was a butch lesbian. my agender friend who got offended when i pointed out that any relationship theyre in is heterosexual. idk man acting as if straight love is dirtier or less pure or important then gay love is just... reversing the dynamic but not fixing the issue. if that makes sense.

[midnight-in-eden]

Did I feel “the Spirit” in some church situations? Yeah, especially when nature or music was involved, I sometimes got a warm, comforted feeling, or an awed, reflective feeling. I’ve even had times when I got goosebumps and felt like something very special was happening.

Was it “evidence” the church is true? No!

It was all part of the spectrum of human emotion. Many people feel the exact same feelings in all different religions. Many people also experience those feelings in situations that aren’t religious at all. I’ve gotten those goosebumps listening to live music; I’ve felt that awe watching the sun rise; I’ve felt that warmth while volunteering in a soup kitchen with people of all different faiths.

The church is really good at engineering situations that produce certain emotions, then claiming those emotions are all about the church. That “the Spirit” is testifying to me of the church’s truthfulness.

But the only spirit speaking in my heart is my own. It tells me that nature is beautiful, that music and art are meaningful, that bonding and cooperating with other humans is good.

[the-queerium]

i come across a lot of posts about people discussing their experiences with other religions in contrast with christianity, and often they talk about how christianity is focused on fear and a tense relationship with God and not questioning etc etc. and i just want to say that yes, those things are present in an overwhelming and discouraging number of churches, but christianity itself is not unable to have those elements. christianity can be a place of learning and peace and guidance and love and a place where you’re encouraged to dig into things and question and wonder without being condemned. it can be and many times it is. it can be.

[dream-sans-mogai]

Anyway, because I'm considered a bigger creator within the mogai community and I have a responsibility to address things given my bigger audience-

Please remember that Tumblr, especially LGBT Tumblr concerning discourse and intracommunity issues, is a hyper niche, reactive, violent, sensitive community with next to zero basis in reality at large and you should not take any of its opinions as absolute fact. Especially the mogai community's opinions.

A lot of people on mogai Tumblr talk big game with very clearly fake the-whole-bus-clapped stories about the real world concerning acceptance towards mspec monos, Neopronouns and Xenogenders and it's my job as an adult and guiding voice to remind people these experiences may happen but rarely do and you absolutely should not just tell random people you use purr/purrs pronouns or your a bi gaybian or you identify as Chronosian or other things like that because it's really fucking dangerous even in hyper progressive places like new york, cali and Detroit. It can be deadly in many many small towns, including ones in progressive states. Especially dangerous in non accepting states.

I don't say this to burst your bubble or ruin your hopeful world view but many stories of acceptance are fake, even if some are true, most of the community is underage and just cause your teacher may approve of your Soniccharic identity, doesn't mean they won't tell your transphobic parents. It's scary and dangerous out here for trans and gay people rn and I won't be one of the idiots who tell you to run and frolic with your Xenogender pins Infront of increasingly hostile transphobes. I want the younger gen z trans people to survive and I won't lie to you about the reality of the battle we all are staring down concerning project 2025.

Most of the people telling these stories live in progressive states and do not tell you about the failed times or exaggerate the acceptance they supposedly received. I'm telling you from the mouth of someone who grew up in a tiny town in South Ohio with less than 1,000 people, it's still just as dangerous as it was 10 years ago. I still get followed in my home town. I still get stares in my home town. My actual home town, a place I grew up in where people knew me as the gnc dyke for a good while in my last 2 years of school. Do not spread this shit around to everyone. Nex didn't think they would become a victim, Brianna didn't think she would be one of the unlucky ones, plenty of those we've lost did not think they would die in hate crimes. I almost died in two of the hate crimes I've experienced.

You need to be really fucking careful and although I love than Neopronouns and Xenogenders are becoming more accepted by the larger LGBT community, you need to be very very VERY careful about what you do, what you wear and who you tell what because word spreads fast in suburbia and hate spreads faster. You do not want to be wearing a pin the day some white cishet magat decides he's tired of the "pedophiles" and chooses you as the first victim because you were the first he saw. Don't hide who you are but Be. Fucking. Careful.

[apocalypticvalraven]

Behold, I am Vile.

Yet I will not lay mine hand on my mouth.

My arms extend to contend against god,

My hands hold forth Behemoth's grain,

My nets lie within Leviathan's coils.

Angels strive in vain against my brass limbs,

Demons have given me iron bones.

The apple that condemned me has opened my eyes,

And the serpent teaches them.

For I find my strength among those also cast out,

The wicked find rest among one another.

Though god once toppled the tower we built to know him,

We now pull down the gates that separate him from us.

We do not meekly accept our lot or the paltry recompense of twice what we lost but none of what was taken.

We are not Job, and we refuse to facilitate as Judas.

We are the proud fallen,

We rise up against tyrants to grasp all we desire.

For one cannot rise if they have not fallen,

And He who was always exalted can only fall.

-- The Ferus Capra Litany

[blueish-bird]

I’m a simple man. you reference angels in your writing or artwork, I sigh wistfully and think about it for much longer than I would have sans angel mention

[eenochian]

“headcanoning farah as wlw is disrespectful because she’s muslim”

my. my guy. queer people exist in every group. queer muslims very much exist.

“ok but it’s a sin in islam”

WHY ARE WE SUDDENLY JUSTIFYING HOMOPHOBIA WITH RELIGION⁉️⁉️ it’s wrong for a christian to use religion to justify their bigotry, so WHY is it okay to use islam or any other religion to do the same?? i know that i’m comparing the world’s most oppressive religion (christianity) to a religion that’s oppressed, but like… allowing one group to essentially “get a pass” opens the door for EVERY group to get one.

what was even weirder is that the person who made the post about it wasn’t even muslim 😭 they said they looked it up which i believe, but then they had an actual wlw muslim in their comments telling them it wasn’t a big deal— and THEY LITERALLY TOLD THE COMMENTER THAT IT WAS STILL DISRESPECTFUL?? AND OTHER NON-MUSLIMS WERE GOING “grr but it’s a sin >:(” LIKE?? HELLO?? WHY are people not even included in the group talking over ACTUAL MEMBERS OF THE GROUP???

i care very deeply about respecting people’s beliefs and faiths. but once that belief starts to harm others, my respect is withdrawn. the golden rule is that your rights end where another person’s begin. i remember seeing posts from years ago about queer muslims. they’ve always reminded me of queer christians – the vast majority of their faiths hate them, but they do still exist. and it’s possible to be progressive while also being devoted to your faith. i’ve met so many religious folks that are allies and supportive of queer people, so seeing posts like this crop up and gain popularity is just… disheartening. it feels like we’re going backwards after finally making some progress.

[beholdnormalcy]

Why have strict religious regulation on clothing when the Creator made man naked?

Obviously I am not a religious scholar. But I had this sudden thought. All my amature knowledge on a wide range of religions distille down into this bizarre concept. In the Judo-Christian-Islamic traditions, the God created Man and Woman in the Garden of Eden and they were both naked. The Original Sin is Eve disobeying and eating from the Tree of Knowledge. The first realization she and Adam have are that they are naked.

Conclusion: God doesn't care what humans wear. Humans were naked until this Original Sin incident. Only other humans care about clothing.

Yet we exist in a world where there are strict rules about what men and women are supposed to wear. Be it in their daily wear or for religious activities.

The most conservative religious sects require extremely conservative clothing which covers nearly all exposed skin. The most obvious is the burkas required by strict Islamic sects. But all Judo-Christian-Islamic have sects that have similar requirements. Women are usually the most subjugated. Special hats, long sleeves, long skirts, loose and non-formfitting clothing of any sort.

Conclusion: Organized Religions use clothing as a means to control their adherents and to villainize those who do not comply.

I remember growing up in the Church of Christ and the preacher angrily demonizing the cheerleader for the skimpy attire that is their uniform.

While I agreed that the cheerleader uniforms are unnecessarily small and expose a great deal of a prepubescent girl, I disagreed with the preacher villianizing the girls who are wearing these uniforms and not the adults who assign the uniform in the first place.

This disconnect among others of similar veins of thought fueled my distrust of organized religions telling women in particular that they are evil for their choice of clothing.

It is the patriarchy assuming control and asserting dominance over half of the population.

Which is why the most conservative sects of religion force women into a second class, not even a citizen in some sects. Those women have no freedom of choice.

It is dangerous to these women. They are not allowed to go to school, not allowed to drive, not allowed medical care unless the man is making the decisions.

Conclusion: Conservative Religions only exist to empower a small group of men and to subjugate the rest.

What truly worries me is the legislation being enacted by conservative religions are trying to legitimize their existance by refusing agency to others.

If some of these opinions become law, I will not be allowed to choose my own reproductive health. I will not be able to wear the clothing I enjoy. I will not be able to be independent.

These are the very choices the Women's Rights activitist have granted us and it terrifies the conservative right. They are loosing their power and their dominance.