#Study in Obedience

[thehappyscavenger]

Books Read in January 2024

Such a strong month!

Arboreality by Rebecca Campbell

Absolutely depressing as fuck novella that images what the future holds for humans as we adjust to climate change. It does have an uplifting vibe but man the future is bleak.

Study in Obedience by Sarah Bernstein

Didn't quite gel with this one but it's a weird and menacing little book and one of the most interesting Giller winners that I've read.

The Beguiled by Thomas Cullinan

A study in unreliable narrators. Much more complex and interesting than Coppola's adaptation. A beautiful read.

Poor Things by Alisdair Gray

Everything I love in fiction. Meta fiction, neo victorianism, examination of gender, stylistic playfulness, and scifi. Loved it.

Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan

One of those books about the banality of life that cuts deep. Nolan is one to watch out for.

[silver-stake-through-the-heart]

Sam (Wesson): There's just something in my blood. Like I was destined for something different. What about you? You ever feel that way?

Dean (Smith): I don't believe in destiny. I do believe in dealing with what's right in front of us, though.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

"God gave birds wings, but he didn't forbid them from flying. He blessed cheetahs with speed, but he never forbad them from outrunning their prey. He did, however, give humans a brain and insisted that they not use it."

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

2 Corinthians 10:5

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ

[drewlover]

clarisse has a fatal flaw of honor in this essay i will

[ae-cha08]

[swimming-karyss]

I've been thinking about the screwed magnetic fields of the grand line recently, and while that train of thought didn't lead anywhere, the phrase I liked - "an invisible birdcage" - really applied to Sabo's situation nicely.

I mean, it's obvious how much influence Sabo's parents have on him, but have you ever thought that Sabo never felt freedom while he was staying in Goa kingdom? And it's even before he was brought back to his family and properly realized just how messed up nobles are!

We've seen multiple times that his parents treat him as something they own, that he unquestionably belongs to them, and even after running away to the Gray Terminal the feeling of being tied down never went away. It seems like Sabo internalised that so much, that he didn't even realise that he was free this whole time! He was free to choose his future, he was free to choose his family! The only thing holding them down was that they were unprepared to set sail,amd even then they could always leave if they wanted! As Sabo did - by stealing the boat.

And yet he still longed for freedom, to be "anywhere but here". We can see it in his design - he lives among the 'scum' of the Gray Terminal, and yet he still dressed as a noble, he wears a waistcoat and a top hat which reminds us of the fashion of the high town and especially his father, and his cravat is tied tightly around his neck. His life really was suffocating for him. Even if he was physically away from his family he still could feel their influence, though he was outside the city wall, outside of their reach! And he ran away 5 years ago! He's spent so much time living there, that his noble upbringing has faded - he felt compassion towards the people of the gray terminal, which nobles don't even consider human; he even put someone else's happiness before his own - which is unheard of in the noble circles; he has defeated men twice his size, fearlessly charged into battle while nobles don't want to get their hands dirty. And yet he was powerless when met with violence from his father, showing that despite all this time, despite how much he's changed he still was in that invisible birdcage, unable to act under the influence of his father. (which is why he leaves again)

Even Ace and Luffy feel that:

And it's really sad that Ace says that Sabo was never able to grasp freedom, because even if briefly, he did. With you two :") But he could never feel freedom as long as he stayed in the country where people are treated no better than trash, and the shadow of his family and Goa's walls lingered above him.

And a couple of hundred chapters later we see the extent of his parents' grasp! Even with amnesia this deep-seated feeling of confinement never left him. (Though I do think that it's not just the abuse from his parents but also his disgust with nobles as a whole: the burning of the Gray Terminal and nobles' indifference to it clearly affected him a lot)

And what's worse, now he can't even identify what's wrong! I mean, it's clear that his parents were abusive, you don't need to be a Sherlock to figure that out, but the specific details are lost. Think about it! He ended up on a ship with people who at first didn't really want anything to do with him - not out of malice, they just have more important things at the moment; and then in an organisation(an army) where your value as a soldier is based on your performance(like rising through ranks and such). He doesn't know that his parents equated his worth with his usefulness, and the revs don't know that the boy being so eager to help isn't just a rightheous motivation. He needed to be sure that their efforts on getting him to health weren't in waste, to be useful, so that the only people he knows won't just leave him, plus pair it with his moral values, distaste of nobles, longing for freedom... – no wonder he is the second-in-command of the entire army by the age 22!

This guy's love language is acts of service, but no one (not even Sabo himself) realises that it stems from his screwed upbringing and fear of being cast away if he's not of use.

Ok, to be fair, it's mostly based on the flashbacks - I haven't finished my reread to look in depth at him as an adult yet! After all we've only seen point A(his childhood) and point B(adulthood) with the journey between them obscured. He does seem to be faring well tho! He takes his job seriously when needed, but also fucks around when he wants to - even if ppl around him show displeasure with that! Good for him.

Same with Koala actually! It's so nice to see her being able to express her feelings so visibly! Be it positive or negative. And I think it's cute, that while Sabo is both the common reason and victim of her outbursts of emotion, he never berates her for it! He's not thrilled, but he's not complaining either!

[nottskyler]

The Church has an obsession with obedience, specifically obedience to the prophet. I think this comes from a misunderstanding of both the first law being obedience and the purpose of having a prophet.

The first law being obedience does not mean giving up your agency to only do what someone else tells you to do, but it does mean following rules that are important until you understand why they exist. Like a child learning to stop and look both ways before crossing a street or to not hit their sibling or to eat fruits and vegetables so they aren’t constipated. Those rules should be followed because they are important to living a good life and getting along in society, and as a child you don’t yet understand why. You have to obey until you are old enough to understand and then adapt them to their life (like looking as you approach the street instead of stopping or knowing to not cross if you can’t see around a blind corner) but a parent should never force a child to eat legumes if their child breaks out in hives every time they eat them.

Obedience is an act of faith. If there were no commandments, there would be no way to have faith. It’s the act of saying hey I want to trust you, what do I need to do to see if what you say is trustworthy. It’s the first law because without it you can’t experience the transformative power of faith and repentance (the act of becoming a better person). It’s virtue lies solely in developing faith.

This is why “blind obedience” is bad. Blind obedience is giving up your agency to allow someone else to dictate what is right instead of figuring it out for yourself. You are allowed to experiment upon “divine” counsel from prophets and determine that it is not right based on the fruits you experience. And guess what, some people will be allergic to vegetables while other people feel so much better after starting to eat vegetables. And that’s the point. We are supposed to learn for ourselves what is good and evil. If there was only one right answer, humanity would’ve figured it out by now and we wouldn’t have the opportunity to learn for ourselves.

Which brings us to prophets. So many people what to surrender their agency and just blindly follow prophets (I used to be one of them). Sure, if you deign to simply be a sheep following the prophet, yeah you will likely be in the clear as the prophet will be accountable for your actions, but you will be unfit for exaltation. Heavenly Father isn’t running this world based on something someone else is telling Him to do.

So what is the purpose of the prophet? To be a warning on the watchtower. The prophet warns us of dangers ahead and tells us to repent and be prepared. The only time prophets get specific laws for everyone is when they are also leading people in a secular manner (Moses).

Let’s take the example of the family being under attack. And you betcha it is. Families are being broken up by poverty, meaning the state treats being unable to take care of your children due to lack of money the same as physically abusing them. Florida is threatening to break up families if any family member is trans. Anti-abortion laws are encouraging people to be sterilized rather than risk an unwanted pregnancy, meaning families that might’ve been formed won’t be. Long work hours and low pay are reducing the size of families and putting undo stress on families. Expensive healthcare also reduces the amount of kids people have and quality of life and time spent with families, including feeling like it is better to die painfully than riddle your family with medical debt.

The warning that families were under attack was correct. The idea that it was LGBT people trying to live authentically and form families of their own was not correct. It is the rejection of a queer child that breaks up a family, mixed orientation marriages, disagreements on the right way to help a trans child, the fascist response to queer happiness and families, and the general lack of pay increase and exploitation of good people who want to have families but can’t because a billionaire wants a higher score than last year.

Just like I won’t receive revelation for the Church and it’s administration, the prophet is not to make up commandments when Gd has simply given a warning, to create so many rules and policies that it prevents people from experiencing the love of Christ, or to put himself as a Gd on earth without need for repentance, especially for speaking good ideas that aren’t actually meant for everyone.

Sharing my testimony about how Christ has healed me and promising the same to others in my situation is not “receiving revelation for the Church”. It’s finding a legume alternative to fiber and sharing with those who also share that allergy. It’s saying Gd does not want people to suffer an allergic reaction and possibly die. It’s shining my light so others can come to Christ and reduce the suffering in the world.

[sheismo]

H.O.W

Humility. Obedience. Wisdom.

- Have humility & know that you NEED God. Come to God raw & vulnerable. Lean on him & his guidance. Fear the Lord.

- Be obedient to the Lord. Listen to God & be obedient to his word & the voice of the Holy Spirit.

- Once you become obedient you will be rewarded with wisdom & understanding. Wisdom comes from the Holy Spirit.

[milk-lover]

(Writing yet another paper on Stanly Milgram) I can’t believe the Harvard Dept of Psychology websites bio on Stanley Milgram is like. 45% factual errors by volume.

[ghostlightfic]

anyways i have a strict codex on just a few words in ghostlight and one of them is the word "obediently" and if you can guess the two other characters loop refers to as obedient in narration you get a cookie.

[tankgotstuckinthecircusgate]

"eleanor rigby" is certifed m2 song to me & i don't want to hear anything

[crandberrysaucewithpulp]

we should all be done with trying to smear our distinctive qualities into the dent of societal normalcy. i am going to seek every weirdo freak and nerd and assemble them into a union to rival insecure conformists, and then convert them into their own authenticity

[obrother1976]

study for obedience, sarah bernstein

[flowers-that-sing]

how to cure the sudden onset of horrible and inexplicable rage

[walkswithmyfather]

“Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.” —Luke 6:29-31 (NASB1995)

“Turn the Other Cheek” By In Touch Ministries:

“In conflict-laden circumstances, the Holy Spirit will guide us to a God-honoring response.”

“Today’s passage contains a verse that confuses many Christians: “Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also” (v. 29). Are we to stand still while someone beats us up physically or emotionally? No. But we also are not to “repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing” (1 Pet. 3:9 NIV). 

John 18:21-23 offers some insight about how to apply these instructions. When Jesus was interrogated by the high priest and provided an “unsatisfactory” answer, one of the officials struck Him in the face. Instead of offering His other cheek to be slapped, Jesus calmly challenged the man’s unjust action. The Lord did not defend Himself or retaliate, but He also refused to accept mistreatment unquestioningly, even though He knew He would receive more.

How can we follow Jesus’ example? What does a righteous response look like? It really depends on the situation. We may need to ignore the other person’s actions, walk away from the abuse, or confront them. The only way to know the most respectful, Christlike choice in each circumstance is by yielding to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. 

It’s not easy to turn the other cheek, but we have a Companion to help us figure out how. Take a moment to ask the Holy Spirit to guide you.”

[moonofiron]

- Sarah Bernstein, Study for Obedience