#What does the Bible say about conforming

[authorlakisha]

Conform vs Transform

I shared this to my #DearSis Vlog, but I felt the need to share part of it here. Romans 12:2 tells us, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” ‭Here’s the thing. We are in the world, which means we already look like the world. Yet, it doesn’t mean we have to talk, act,…

[adragonsfriend]

There are no trash takes on Jedi philosophy, there is contextual analysis.

As may be obvious from the title (humorous--I have gone through several common misinterpretations myself), this is about that infamous scrap of poetry,

There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force.

And the other version,

Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force.

I've seen quite a few interpretations of these along the lines of "the second version is reasonable but the first version is crazy and stupid," so here's why I think both versions are actually communicating the same idea, and the wording doesn't really change the meaning much at all.

So just like I did in my post about "do or do not there is not try," let's start by asking some questions to establish context before we look at the text itself.

Is it THE Jedi Code or just a mantra? Legends says it's the Code, canon says it's a mantra. The fact of the matter is that no matter what, it's really a scrap of poetry which couldn't encompass the entire philosophical basis of a culture even if it was trying, so we'll consider it a mantra.

Does the fact that it's a mantra rather than THE Jedi Code mean that we can't get anything deep or meaningful out of it? Of course not. Just because it's not the whole of or a full explanation of Jedi philosophy doesn't mean it's just a nice sounding string of words.

Who is saying this to who? This mantra is often used to focus a meditation, with the first phrasing used by adults in the culture, while the second phrasing is more often used by children.

What were George Lucas' inspirations for Jedi culture that relate to this mantra? (borrowing from this post) A combination of christianity, buddhism, and his interpretations. I'm not an expert in any religion, and definitely not in buddhism, but I know enough to know I'm about to make some sweeping generalizations, so take this with a grain of salt. Disclaimers aside, this mantra, and the way it is phrased, indicate it is being inspired more by buddhism. The way christian texts, specifically the Bible, are written typically goes "here is a story about people doing something, and here is how big G god and/or Jesus reacted." There are metaphors sprinkled in, but they are mainly there to clarify for readers. Buddhist texts on the other hand (and lots of other eastern belief systems as well, like daoism, hinduism, etc. It's an important note that these belief systems don't necessarily conform to the western idea of what a religion is, and often their original languages don't even have a word which is equivalent in meaning to "religion") use metaphor in often deliberately contradictory ways, to make the reader think about things which are difficult to express in words alone. The ongoing struggle to reconcile contradictory descriptions is the point. This doesn't mean those texts can be interpreted however a reader would like. There may be multiple right interpretations, but there can also be wrong interpretations.

What the mantra does NOT mean:

"There is no ___ …" =/= "The experience of ___ is fake news."

"There is no ___ …" =/= "___ is not a useful concept."

"There is no ___ …" =/= "We should totally ignore ___ and pretend we've never heard that word before."

The mantra is not realy a set of advice on how to act. It's a set of statements about Existance. And I do mean capital E, philosophical, epistemological, weird, deep, think-y, Existence.

Temperature Metaphor

You know the first time someone tells you as a kid that cold isn't real, it's just the absence of heat and you're like… "but I'm touching something right now and it feels cold???" It sounds wild the first time you hear it, but as you think about it more, maybe learn about it a second time in science class, get some more context about how molecules work, etc. it begins to make more sense. It gets easier to grasp, until eventually the knowledge feels intuitive--especially if you're a STEM person who thinks about it a lot. We still talk about cold as a concept, because it's useful to us as well--lack of heat can have damaging effects on our bodies after all, and a cold drink is great on a hot day--and it's more efficient to say "cold" than it is to say "lack of heat." But there are some situations, like developing refrigeration or air conditioning, where it is not just useful but essential to think of temperature as it really is--heat exists, cold doesn't--and thinking of it colloquially can only hold us back (if this isn't actually intuitive to you, that's fine, it's just a metaphor--you could also think about dark being the absence of light, vacuum being the absence of mass, any number of things mirror this).

Probably the easiest like to get one's head around, imo at least, is "there is no ignorance, there is knowledge."

Taken hyper-literally it would mean "why seek out knowledge ever when everyone already knows everything?" But if we say knowledge is to heat as ignorance is to cold, then we can understand the real meaning--knowledge is real, where ignorance is only the name of an experience.

The Whole Mantra

This is the way the Jedi are understanding of emotion, ignorance, passion, chaos, death, etc. They are introduced, as children, to the idea that whilst they may feel all of these things, what they are actually experiencing is the lack of the other things--peace, knowledge, serenity, harmony, the Force. That's why they start with the "___ yet ___" phrasing--it introduces them to the first steps of understanding:

They can feel emotions, yet peace is still real and out there to reach for no matter how overwhelming those emotions may be at the moment,

They can feel ignorant or unknowledgeable, yet knowledge is out there to find,

They can experience passion (meaning suffering or pain in this context), yet know that serenity will return to them,

They can find their surroundings chaotic, and yet look for the harmony in the noise,

They can understand that death happens, yet be comforted by the fact that the person dying is still as much a part of the Force as they ever were.

Eventually they move onto the full mantra:

They will always feel emotions, but if they always reckon with those emotions and pass through them they can always return to a place of peace,

If they feel ignorant, they must seek out knowledge, rather than acting rashly. Also, their own knowledge is not the limit--others may hold knowledge in places they consider clouded,

They may experience suffering and pain--it may even feel like a good thing--but there is no wisdom in pain, it is the distraction from serenity, which is where truth can be found,

No matter how chaotic the world appears, it is actually a part of an underlying harmony that makes up all the patterns and the beauty in the world,

Death is not an ending, no matter how much it may look like one. It is a natural transition back into the Force, the place all life comes from.

A Jedi youngling is someone for whom this understanding is an essential part of the culture they are being brought up in.

A Jedi Padawan is someone who is beginning to learn to apply this understanding outside the confines of the Jedi temple, in a world where not everyone shares it.

A Jedi Knight is someone who has learned to apply this understanding on their own, without supervision.

A Jedi Master is someone for whom this understanding has become intuitive and automatic, no matter their surroundings.

All this is to say,

[godhasatenderheart]

how do you know for sure you won't end up in hell?

Hello! I saw your other message assuring me not to worry about responding because of the grieving process. Thank you for your kindness and thoughtfulness—it truly means a lot. May God bless your sweet soul. 🩷

It’s comforting to know that, because of God’s promises in the Bible, there’s assurance that we won’t end up in Hell. Many verses speak of salvation and bring peace. Sometimes, due to severe trauma, trusting in that love and safety can be difficult, but it’s a journey to trust in what God has promised.

When doubt about salvation or God’s promises arises, the best remedy is prayer and spending time in the Word. Trusting God fully and consistently is one of the hardest parts of the Christian walk, and it’s a lifelong journey. If doubt about salvation occurs, please know that it’s a normal part of the walk and can be overcome.

This world is filled with evil, and Satan continuously works to shake that faith. We face attacks, criticism, and feelings of shame and unworthiness. Yet, the Bible reveals God’s character, and when we trust in what He has said, there is assurance of salvation.

I’ll share some Scripture that speaks to our salvation under the cut, so as not to flood anyone’s timeline. I hope this can be helpful, beloved!

Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

—Acts 16:30-31 (ESV)

More Scripture of salvation assurance below:

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

—1 John 5:13 (ESV)

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

—Romans 10:9-10 (ESV)

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

—Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

—John 3:16 (ESV)

For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!

—Job 19:25-27 (ESV)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

—1 John 1:9 (ESV)

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

—Proverbs 28:13 (ESV)

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

—John 5:24 (ESV)

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

—John 10:27-28 (ESV)

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

—Romans 5:9-10 (ESV)

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

—Romans 8:16-17 (ESV)

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

—Romans 8:28-30 (ESV)

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

—2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

—Ephesians 1:13-14 (ESV)

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

—Philippians 1:6 (ESV)

which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.

—2 Timothy 1:12 (ESV)

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

—Titus 3:4-7 (ESV)

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

—Hebrews 7:25 (ESV)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

—1 Peter 1:3-5 (ESV)

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

—1 John 3:1-3 (ESV)

[astra-ravana]

Aleister Crowley Quotes

A selection of my favorite quotes by Aleister Crowley.

✡"Ordinary morality is for ordinary people."

✡"The way to mastery is to break all the rules, but you have to know them perfectly before you do this; otherwise you are not in a position to transcend them."

✡"The whole and sole object of all true Magickal and Mystical training is to become free from every kind of limitation."

✡"If you are 'walking in darkness', do not try to make the sun rise by self sacrifice, but wait in confidence for the dawn, and enjoy the pleasures of the night meanwhile."

✡"It is a thousand times better to make every kind of mistake than to slide into the habit of hesitation, of uncertainty, of indecision."

✡"You can only accomplish your object in life by complete disregard of the opinions of other people."

✡"Remember that the Ego is not really the centre and crown of the individual; indeed the whole trouble arises from its false claim to be so."

✡"The joy of life consists in the exercise of one's energies, continual change, the enjoyment of every new experience. To stop means simply to die. The eternal mistake of mankind is to set up an attainable ideal."

✡"The soul is beyond male and female as it is beyond Life and Death."

✡"Magick is the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with Will."

✡"Balance every thought with its opposition. Because the marriage of them is the destruction of illusion."

✡"Modern morality and manners suppress all natural instincts, keep people ignorant of the facts of nature, and make them fighting drunk on bogey tales."

✡"The key of joy is disobedience."

✡"It is necessary that we stop, once and for all, this ignorant meddling with other people's business. Each individual must be left free to follow his own path."

✡"Astrology has no more useful function than this, to discover the inmost nature of a man and to bring ot out into consciousness, that he may fulfill it according to the Law of Light."

✡"The Universe is Change: every change is the effect of an Act of Love; all acts of love contain pure joy. Die daily! Death is the apex of one curve of the Snake Life: behold all the opposites as necessary compliments and rejoice."

✡"I do not want to father a flock, to be the fetish of fools and fanatics, or the founder of a faith whose followers are content to echo my opinions. I want each man to cut his own way through the jungle."

✡"I slept with faith and found a corpse in my arms on awakening; I drank and danced all night with doubt and found her a virgin in the morning."

✡"There is no law beyond Do What Thou Wilt."

✡"Karma does not act in this it-for-tat way. An eye for an eye is a savage justice, and the idea of justice in our human sense is quite foreign to the constitution of the Universe. Karma is the law of cause and effect. There is no proportion to its operations. Once an accident occurs it is impossible to say what may happen; and the Universe is a stupendous accident."

✡"Science is always discovering odd scraps of Magickal wisdom and making a tremendous fuss about its cleverness."

✡"One may go mad if one took the Bible seriously; but to take it seriously one must already be mad."

✡"The sin which is unpardonable is knowingly and wilfully to reject truth, to fear knowledge lest that knowledge pander not to thy prejudices."

✡"Paganism is wholesome because it faces the facts of life..."

✡"To read a newspaper is to refrain from reading something worthwhile... The first discipline of education must therefore be to refuse resolutely to feed the mind with canned chatter."

✡"I was not content to believe in a personal devil and serve him, in the ordinary sense of the word. I wanted to get hold of him personally and become his chief of staff."

✡"Dreams are imperfections of sleep; even so is consciousness the imperfection of waking.

Dreams are impurities in the circulation of the blood; even so it's consciousness a disorder of life.

Dreams are without proportion, without good sense, without truth; so also is consciousness.

Awake from dream, the truth is known: awake from waking. The truth is: The Unknown. "

✡"I cling unto the burning Æthyr like Lucifer that fell through the Abyss, and by the fury of his flight kindled the air.

And I am Belial, for having seen the Rose upon thy breast, I have denied God.

And I am Satan! I am Satan! I am cast out upon a burning crag! And the sea boils about the desolation thereof. And already the vultures gather, and feast upon my flesh."

✡" To Hell with sentimental altruism, with false modesty, with all those most insidious friends, the sense of guilt, of shame- in a word, the 'inferiority complex'."

✡"Knowledge is really confined to experience."

✡"Sex is the sacred song of the soul; sex is the sanctuary of self."

✡"A single ego is an absurdly narrow vantage point from which to view the world."

✡"All souls eternally exist, each individual, ultimate... That shall end never that began. All things endure because they are. Do what thou wilt, for every man, every woman is a star. A star is an individual identity; it radiates energy, it goes, it is a point of view. Its object is to become whole by establishing relations with other stars. Each such relation is an event:it is an act of Love under Will."

✡"Magick is the art of life itself."

✡"A Man who is doing his True Will has the inertia of the Universe to assist him."

✡"The first condition of success in magick is purity of purpose."

✡"Do not imagine that art or anything else is other than high magic! - is a system of holy hieroglyph. The artist, the initiate, thus frames his mysteries. The rest of the world scoff, or seek to understand, or pretend to understand; some few obtain the truth."

✡" Keep on acquiring a taste for what is naturally repugnant; this is an unfailing source of pleasure."

✡" Chaos is Peace… Blackness, blackness intolerable, before the beginning of the light. This is the first verse of Genesis. Holy art thou, Chaos, Chaos, Eternity, all contradictions in terms!"

✡"Light illuminates the path of humanity: it is our own fault if we go over the brink."

✡"I seem to remember asking myself if I was insane, and answering, ''Of couse I am - sanity is a compromise. Sanity is the thing that keeps one back."

✡"Belief is the enemy of knowledge."

✡"...the sole test of music is its power to exalt the soul."

✡"I became an entirely different animal. In fact, I've often thought that there isn't any "I" at all ; that we are simply the means of expression of something else; that when we think we are ourselves, we are simply the victims of a delusion."

✡"Shallow thinkers always seem to be obsessed by the stupidity that if anything is a shadow, dream, illusion, it ceases to exist."

✡"Slay anger, strangle sorrow, and drown

despair;

Then a joy shall be born which is beyond

Love or hope,

Endurable, incorruptible.

Come heaven, come hell!

Once the Balances are adjusted,

then shall the night pass away,

and desire and sorrow vanish

as a dream with the breath of morning."

[eresia-catara]

whats the significance of Guido having red hair?

Sorry anon I took this long things have been a little rough lately, but do know that this answer has been in the back of my mind constantly.

So, I'm not saying this is what dgr actually meant because I am not an expert in this field (I talk as if I were an expert in any field lol) so I'm writing this as my personal interpretation jsksj but anyway here's the deal:

pre-raphaelite art developed inside a cultural context that was rediscovering irrationality in all its forms and was fascinated with all that was exotic — meaning, all that is far away, both in time and space. This, especially going towards the northern regions of Europe, meant a special interest in the Middle Ages (far away in time and, due to the prejudices of previous Enlightenement, maximally superstitious/magical = irrational). This means that when we read a pre-raphaelite painting we have to be strongly focused on symbolisms, because that's what their art was: a thought, a message, conveyed through a set of elements that redirected the mind to something else, something more that is beyond what we see. Art is a means to an end, simply put; it's never the point.

Now, a recurring symbol in this art is women with long red hair, such as

Hair in general has always been strictly linked to the essence of a person, going from personality to their position in life. For example, in Mediterranean territories, brown hair is the most common, so if a person has a different color it means they are uncommon in a way or another. In this perspective, in the Middle Ages blonde was usually associated with purity (we can see that the virgin Mary was usually depicted as blonde, but women in poetry were also described as blonde). Red was more often associated with force, be it good or bad. In the Bible, David has red hair because he is destined to great things, but also Saul and Caiaphas are described that way and they were inspired by the devil. In art, Judas has red hair, and when he kisses Jesus, he too has red hair. Red hair is ambivalent, it is however preeminently irrational and goes beyond the earthly dimention; if a person has red hair it essentially means 'hey look out! this person brings consequences'.

And what about hair that is long? Long hair is associated with women, and as it's also associated with sensuality (since hair was considered a main instrument of seduction), women often kept it up as a form of modesty. Thus long hair that is not tied up stands out, again, like the colour red. It tells us the person is not common, they are special in some way (at least in art, because in society you were simply considered a wh0re if you weren't young enough lol), they stand apart from the crowd because they do not follow conventions.

This also makes long red hair extremely sensual, for example.

If we go to dgr's painting where Guido has long red hair, well, the picture speaks loudly, to the 19th century observer. Guido brings consequences, he stands not among the commons because he, as a being, does not conform to social codes and formalities and conventions. He is an irrational force, in the sense that what he brings cannot be understood through analytical thinking and Reason and science but rather through a synthetical approach (what I mean is: imagine a set of stairs, where the bottom is absolute ignorance and the top is absolute knowledge. Analytical thinking means understanding step by step as you go up, synthetical is like being teleported from the bottom directly to the top). And in fact what does Guido have that is so special? He is the friend that found out Dante's talent, he's the means through which Dante achieved divinely-willed (not profane, not rational) glory, he's an omen (irrational). Guido brought a consequence: Dante. And by having him read Guinizzelli's poems we have a temporal continuity from the old masters to the new ones, from old art to new art, from old knowledge to new knowledge.

but do we also have to exclude the possibility that Guido is simply sexy haha

[is-your-blorbo-neurodivergent]

does he have audhd, anxiety, and a mental illness?

submit your own characters here to be featured!

reasons under the cut - just a long infodump (no problem with that!)

reason: Autism:

- Strangely meticulous about rules while not understanding/valuing others

- Is literally an alien living among humans trying very badly to fit in and understand their customs -- very autistic feeling, even if he's evil about it.

- Sensory issues, specifically tactile and taste oriented ones. (Many autistic people feel for him in episodes where he struggles eating earth food and suffers physically for it)

- Low empathy

- Difficulty controlling his emotions

- Fixates easily (Usually on his mission or fighting Dib)

- Strange speech patterns, even for an alien. Other members of his species and other aliens we meet in the show do not talk like Zim, showing this is very much a him-thing, not an alien thing.

- Evil laughter? More like vocal stimming

ADHD:

- Frequently shown to dissociate/lose focus when he's in a situation he doesn't like or faced with knowledge he doesn't care about

- Very easily distracted

- Can hyperfocus on a task he values

- Makes meticulous ambitious plans with convoluted steps no neurotypical would bother with

- Bad at following structures and what's expected of him

- Shit memory but also brilliant and can recall hyperspecific things needed for his plans

- Mood swings

- Overlooks stuff that's obvious for most people

- Creative! :3

- Bad at structure and conforming to what he needs to be in most jobs

- Can be very energetic

- Every person with adhd I've met has loved the purple as a colour idk

MISC THINGS OF NOTE:

I do not feel I have the understanding to properly diagnose exactly, so please feel free to point me in the right direction of a diagnosis for... whatever these symptoms are. But I have to wonder about his dissociative moments, paranoia, self-obsession and his mood swings. There is a point in the show where the Tallest hang up on Zim and the dude literally just stands there COMPLETELY STILL for over an hour until he "wakes up" and the Computer tells him how long he'd been there. Zim wasn't aware at all how much time had passed or that they had hung up. Isn't that a bit concerning? It's the most extreme example, but it's not the only time he does it! Frequent dissociation is still SOMETHING, right? I don't which dissociation disorder this could point to specifically but still.

He constantly deludes himself into believing things that blatantly and explicitly aren't true and remembers things wrong to protect his own ego (tough to say whether this is done intentionally or subconsciously as a defensive move or something). He'll even misremember minor things as soon as they happen if he doesn't like them. Zim frequently holds his identity super high and uses his name like a great mantra to the point it's a bit concerning. Not sure what this is about. Might just be quirky but...

Many episodes take steps to showcase that Zim is practically ruled by fear and paranoia. Even in the first episode, he's so scared of potentially getting caught, he nearly triggers his self-destruct button so the humans do not capture him. Jhonen, Zim's creator, has said in interviews and the show bible that despite his zaniness and ego, Zim is actually a deeply miserable anxious character underneath, and that even when he wins, he goes right back to being miserable -- while fans typically (and very understandably) take what Jhonen says with a grain of salt, he's never wavered on this and it does make sense with the way the show works. It's possible this could be heavily masked depression/anxiety or maybe part of something else.

He also has a number of symptoms that line up suspiciously well with ptsd

( Being easily startled or frightened? Check.

Always being on guard for danger? Check. Self-destructive/reckless behavior? Check.

Trouble concentrating? Check.

Irritability, angry outbursts or aggressive behavior? Check.

Negative thoughts about oneself or the world? Check. He hates basically everything external to himself, except his robots, snacks, and leaders.

Exaggerated feelings of blame directed toward oneself or others?100% he blames external factors. But check.

Ongoing negative emotions, such as fear, anger, guilt, or shame? Check.

Difficulty feeling positive emotions, such as happiness or satisfaction? Check.

It's tough to say what these symptoms could all be in response to, but imo, I think being raised from birth to be a soldier for a genocidal space empire might be a bit more traumatic on its own than Zim and even other irkens are able to be aware of. We see Zim as a small child in a flashback and he's shown to be super loving/affectionate, which is a complete 180 to how he is in the show years later, before he's immediately sent off to "report for duty" (("duty" likely being military training)). This is 100% just headcanon and speculation tho so I don't feel right checking that box.)

ahh i wrote too much. anyway he's mentally ill your honor. idk what is going on up there exactly but it's NOT exclusively autism/adhd i know that much.

[kushblazer666]

I know I will probably experience some hate on this post, but it’s okay. I don’t live to please man 🙌🏼

If you can look at this photo and NOT see the demonic agenda of Halloween, you are blinded. 😵

I was walking through Michaels yesterday and saw all of this as I was checking out.

Witches, ouija boards, demons, the dead, fear, supernatural, ghosts, monsters, magic, spells, curses, mediums, palm reading, witchcraft, potions, all seeing eye…

These are things that NO follower of Christ should compromise with. Period

It’s a sad thing when you have churches doing “trunk or treats” while the members are even dressing as witches and passing out candy with monsters and demons on the wrappers… where have we gone? The church needs help. God help us.

“Chelsea, I saw you celebrating Halloween before!! Don’t be a hypocrite!” 🙄

Oh I know I used to! I used to be all about it. I used to dress up, go to the parties, and haunted houses…. But then the Lord opened my eyes and now I can’t compromise with the world. I just can’t.

“But Chelsea you’re ridiculous. It’s for fun and kids go out and get candy. Come on now..”🙄

Listen, go look up the history of how passing out candy on Halloween came about. Go look up how the costumes came about. While you’re researching, look up the Celtic history of Oct 31.

Then ask yourself, “does this glorify God?”

 I understand that so many like to celebrate and try to “sprinkle Jesus on top“, I used to do the same, but the unfortunate fact is that you can’t.

This holiday is demonic. Just because you dress up your child as a Bible character does not make it of the Lord.

We have to be set apart. We are called to be set apart. How are we set apart if we look exactly like the world?

“Where are your scriptures Chelsea?? You can’t just talk all this talk and leave with nothing!!” 🙄

I’m glad you asked, here are just a FEW. 👇🏼

1 Corinthians 10:21 📖

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons.

1 John 1:5

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all

3 John 1:11

Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.

Romans 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

1 Thessalonians 5:22

Abstain from every form of evil.

Ephesians 4:27

Neither give place to the devil.

2 Corinthians 6:14

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

-Don’t be upset with me. This is Gods Word. Speak to Him. We can’t twist it. We have to be fully committed to Him and without compromise. I know this can be hard when we are so used to it, but it’s time to say “enough” to Satan and not even allow him one day.

I tell you all of this because I love you.

Shared from Chelsea Covell.

[saras-devotionals]

Quiet Time 8/31

What am I feeling today?

A little guilty for not having posted the past few days. Everything that was going on with my dad in the hospital and the start of the semester had me a little overwhelmed. Also to the one that sent me the ask about quiet times, I plan on getting back to you with a detailed reply later today!🤗 overall, yeah I just feel overwhelmed looking at the months ahead but I know that God got me and that He will not abandon me nor forsake me♥️🙏🏼

Bible Plan: Does God Really Care?

God Knows What He’s Doing

Are you suffering? Maybe you’re wondering why God has allowed trouble to touch your life. The most honest answer to this question is… we may never know this side of Heaven.

But we can trust and believe that God has a good plan. We won’t see the whole picture in this lifetime, perhaps—only little pieces of the puzzle. But God sees everything from beginning to end, and He knows what He’s doing.

The Apostle, Paul, in the Bible, was troubled by what he called a thorn in his flesh. He said…

Three times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me… For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Don’t give up. No matter how weak you may feel, Christ’s Power is working itself in you, making you strong. Put your trust in Jesus, and believe it!

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

“I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Paul here talks about boasting in our weaknesses! He had pleaded with the Lord to take it away from him but sometimes our weaknesses prove to be our power. For example, I struggle with my mental health, I’ve been in therapy since I was a child. It’s been a difficult journey and I can empathize with those who struggle as well. My mentality has greatly improved since giving my life to Christ but that does not mean He has taken it away from me. It is still one of my weaknesses, but in working through it in a Biblical way (such as the way David presents in the Psalms) I can boast on the power of Christ and help others who struggle as they walk their walk with God♥️

Romans 8:26-30

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”

You know how there are times when you’re just in so much anguish that you don’t really make any coherent sense but you’re just crying out to God? That’s one of the ways the Holy Spirit helps us, by interceding on our behalf and presenting to God our needs.

Also, at least for me personally, no matter what happens in my life I do believe that God is working for my good. There have been two instances in my life this past year that have been incredibly painful and difficult for me and I spent a lot of time crying out to God. And I know He heard me and that He was there with me through it all and He helped mold and shape me and bring me closer to Him in my time of need and after the dust settled, everything was okay and I could keep pausing Him for what He did in my life.

[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

Title: Good Omens

Author: Neil Gaiman

Rating: 1/5 stars

I picked this book up at the library because I remembered seeing a few positive reviews, but then I saw a bunch of negative reviews, and the implication that these books are somehow the shibboleth by which one may judge one's literary taste (or, indeed, that all right-thinking people must like these books) set me against them. (When I was in high school in the early '00s, for instance, I was harassed and threatened because my taste in books and music didn't conform to my peers' ideas of what people like me are supposed to like. I'm still quite sensitive about it.)

After a bit of procrastination I picked up Good Omens, having heard that it was odd in a good way. As it turned out, it was both good and odd, but it wasn't the kind of odd that I like.

What is it like? Well, it reminded me a bit of Turtle Diary -- that is, it has a great deal of odd detail, all used with an eye towards creating a vivid image. But where Turtle Diary managed this with a deft, artful touch, Good Omens is obsessive. In Turtle Diary you get "Four different forms of religious sign and symbol": the cross, the Star of David, a crescent moon, and a life raft. In Good Omens you get plant symbols and animal symbols and religious symbolism and religious symbolism based on every ancient and forgotten pantheon there ever was, and the name of every seraph and cherub and angel and demon to ever be mentioned in the Bible, and everything else. You get a whole list of band names that look like gibberish, because if there's one thing a demon ought to be named after, it's a band. Needless to say, this casts a long shadow, and every single line, and even every single sentence, is supposed to be not only vivid but also full of meaning and with some sort of cultural reference, even if the reference itself is nonsensical. And often, as in this example, it means that the line will be awfully goofy, no matter what the ostensible subject matter is.

I don't mind when the vivid detail is organized and aiming toward a particular effect, but there are a lot of minor quirks in the book's prose, without any discernible pattern. Sometimes it seems to be going for a style of Victorian dialogue, and then it'll go off on some digression about something that's supposed to be modern or some-or-other, or it'll switch to the conventions of head-hopping in modern fiction (the book's two protagonists, angel and demon, each get "perspective chapters" not just about their own thoughts but their own bodies and feelings), and then it'll jump back to a dialogue with no word-order changes and different sentence structure from the rest of the book, or to a form of prose that is clearly supposed to be a pastiche of classic literature, and then back to modern head-hopping, to make sure that you keep track of who's doing what to whom and what they're saying.

I kept waiting for the effect to reveal itself, and it never did. On the one hand, I can see that Gaiman was trying to do something like Anna Karenina, in which a cast of vivid and realistic characters is put through a sort of symbolic dance in a circus ring of the author's devising. A lot of people like Anna Karenina, and I think this is because Tolstoy gives his characters a lot of interiority and their relationships a lot of psychological weight. Gaiman also does this in one regard, but . . . well, what's the opposite of "psychological weight"? I think it would be "unreliable narrator," and Gaiman doesn't quite give that, but a lot of his characters seem unreliable, both in terms of their self-deception and in terms of his self-deception in painting a picture of them and their interactions. Gaiman has some skills as a writer (for instance, creating a sense of humor without playing for laughs), but those skills simply aren't enough to make him a good writer of the kinds of things that people like about his books.

More vexing, in a sense, than Gaiman's creative approach is his creative attitude. He seems to have no interest in coming up with original ideas about anything, except in the most superficial sense -- as a result, the book feels like a literary junkyard, filled with patches from books and myths and musicals and films and whatever else, unconnected to one another except by the fact that all of them come from the same junkyard.

This might be a lot more acceptable if it didn't run into the problem that one of the book's main characters is a woman who runs a bookshop, and this woman -- the owner of the world's single most well-stocked used bookstore, it seems -- talks in a weirdly specialized way about books that she read and enjoyed when she was 11, but, on the off-chance that her audience includes someone in her same age bracket, has to talk in the sort of generic awe- and wonder-pilled, "cool literature" style you might expect from the social media of a 13 year old who has never encountered anyone who doesn't appreciate literature.

There are two things about this that bothered me, one more than the other. The first is obviously an unnatural over-familiarity with these authors and their works, just as would be the case with the 13 year old in the example I gave. The other is the way Gaiman presents a woman as having read in depth and gotten something from a book in her past, even though she only actually mentions a couple of chapters, the plot of the book in question, and a general atmosphere -- which is more or less how I would talk about those books, if I had to talk about them at all. Oh, and I mentioned earlier the way Gaiman uses pop culture terms to refer to things from the past and the present. The strange thing is that he doesn't show any interest in the actual thing -- like, it's hard to imagine that anyone who actually knew anything about them would have said "Oh, you mean she's reading Colette and Poirot! How very stereotypical and appropriate of a woman!" -- which, I can't stress enough, is how Gaiman mentions these books.

I have no idea why this bothers me as much as it does, or why Gaiman seems to be inviting this kind of questioning in the first place.

[cafrinn]

embracing the feminine 12/13/24

i don't think i'm outlandish in stating that living as a woman its a consistent battle between you and the world. all women on the planet are familiar with the tornado that spirals in your head when thinking of how you play your role as a woman. who am i meant to be? how do i fit in enough to be desirable in society without sacrificing who i am as a person? am i anything more than just a woman? do i need to be? what can i do to become the best version of myself? why is this the prescription for being the ideal woman?

i can do my hair in 45 million different styles, calculate which outfits suite my body type, do my makeup in just the right way that makes me intriguing to others. all of this plus the million other things that are told to us in the woman's bible of existing. i walk into the world as the best version of myself everyday. i always try to look put together and exude the message that i have mastered how to be the perfect woman. even with all of this, i come home, take off this skin, and i ponder if i really am what i put into the world. is it all a lie? who do i do this for? yes it makes me feel amazing to look great, i think self care and effort in appearances is extremely important. on the other hand, who told me that this was the right way to be a woman? why is it that when i stray from the formula that i have created for myself to be a "divine feminine character" i feel so gross. i'm sure i'm not alone in this feeling. the one you get when your hair doesn't look right, your outfit makes you look "frumpy", your nails look a bit beaten, you did't have enough time to do good enough makeup, etc etc etc. to me, it feels dirty. to go out in public in a slight disarray appearance wise.

all this to say, what is the meaning of being a perfect woman? i'm not sure anyone has a clear cut answer to this. i'm sure that someone with a doctor in sociology can logistically pinpoint all of the characteristics society has been good for a woman to embody. that isn't what i am trying to get at. how does one feel comfortable in their gender identity without it feeling preformative? isn't that was gender is anyways? a societal construct in which we perform the play that the world has given to you based on the genitalia you were born with?

the debate of gender is one that i've thought about a lot in my time on earth. as someone in the LGBTQ+ community who has habitually inhibited online spaces designated for those in said community since i could navigate the online plane, i'm not stranger to discourse on gender. feminist spaces that say being a woman in this world is too confining. spaces in which gender non-conforming people share their stories in which the feminine was not something that spoke to them. this among many things has led deep introspection in my mind, mainly when i was a bit younger. i deliberated my own gender for quite some time. am i comfortable with being a woman? would i be happier if i was non-binary or trans? i dabbled in a more androgynous way of dressing for experimental sake. i was so convinced that i did not have what it took to be a good woman. i wasn't really like the other girls around me. i felt like i didn't read the guidebook on how to be a woman. maybe it was a lack of a connection with my mother. maybe it was just a fault in my identity. who knows? regardless I spent so much time wondering how I could be a good woman. one that men desire and women envy.

through all of this pondering, i decided that i did in fact enjoy being a woman, i just didn't know how to enjoy it. I spent my time looking at countless sources of media and how they pictured women. how their bodies looked. how they did their hair and nails. did reading on what men like. what women like. i studied the art of womanhood so intensely. trying to analyze all of the characteristics i needed to embody to feel good about myself. I learned and i implemented step by step. red nail theory, how to speak to men, how to do my makeup, what my body should look like and the steps in which i needed to achieve that look. after a certain point, everyone around me was convinced that i was one of the people i once envied. a good woman. i even saw my peers envy me. what a sight. still, i didn't feel like a good woman. i was lusted after by countless men and women always told me how pretty i was but it didn't feel right. there was something missing.

at times i still do think that there is something missing. when all of my makeup is off and i look in the mirror i wonder if i am doing a good job as a woman. there is something that has helped me with this. this being, tapping into not only the physical manifestation of womanhood, but the spiritual one. anyone can pull off the looks and act the way they think they should, but not many people truly know what it is to delve into the feminine spirit. i think that me being a wlw helped me with this. being able to see such beauty in the raw state of womanhood. the softness and the strength.

i wish i could give a guidebook on how to become more spiritually feminine in order to feel secure as a woman in the world but i simply cannot. i have a pinterest board full of feminine infographics and affirmations but beyond that i cannot. it's about tapping into yourself and noticing what feminine trait you have and how they serve you. i like to do uterus minded yoga and mediation at times but i can see how it seems a bit outlandish. the prescription to being a perfect woman is seeing the woman within yourself, battered around by societal expectations and molded into something she may not be, and loving her unconditionally. giving her the space to bloom and flourish. doing yoga to show love to your feminine frame. tapping into what being in a feminine energy feels like to you and doing everything to protect that nourish that blissful state of being. I feel most feminine and wonderful when i do put that effort into my appearance, being able to express my femininity, but that may not be what makes you feel most feminine.

i don't think anyone has mastered the art of being a perfect woman, but i do know that embracing the woman inside of yourself is as close to perfect as you can get.

[religiousfashion]

*Unveiling the Truth: God's Perspective on Fashion and Self-Expression*

For centuries, women have been bound by restrictive religious doctrines that dictate their appearance and self-expression. But what does God's Word really say about fashion and beauty? In this blog, we'll delve into scripture to uncover the truth and inspire women to embrace their beauty. 

At Religious Fashion, we're on a mission to prove that you can have fun with fashion, look amazing, and still love Jesus with all your heart. We're breaking down barriers , exposing religion and challenging stereotypes, one outfit at a time.

*The Spirit of Religion vs. God's Intent*

Religion often perpetuates a spirit of control, shame, and conformity. However, God's intention is for us to live in freedom and authenticity.

*Galatians 5:1*

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

*Beauty and Self-Expression in the Bible*

The Bible celebrates beauty and creativity, encouraging us to express ourselves in unique ways.

*Psalm 139:14*

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

*1 Corinthians 10:31*

"Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

*Makeup, Perfume, and Adornment*

Contrary to popular belief, the Bible doesn't condemn makeup or perfume. In fact, it acknowledges their value in cultural and personal contexts.

*2 Samuel 14:2*

"Then Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman. He said to her, 'Pretend you are a mourner; put on mourning clothes and don’t anoint yourself with oil.'"

*Esther 2:12*

"Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics."

*Exposing False Teachings*

It's time to challenge harmful doctrines that restrict women's autonomy and self-expression.

*1 Timothy 4:1-3*

"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron."

*Conclusion*

God's Word encourages women to embrace their uniqueness, creativity, and beauty. It's time to break free from the shackles of religious oppression and live in the freedom and love of Christ.

*Reflection Questions*

1. How have you been impacted by restrictive religious teachings on beauty and self-expression?

2. What does it mean to you to live in freedom and authenticity as a woman of faith?

3. How can you celebrate your individuality and creativity while honoring God?

Join the conversation! Share your story, and let's inspire each other to live boldly and beautifully for God.

*Follow us for more inspiring content!*

*Share your thoughts in the comments below!*

[malkahpariyz]

One thing we have to get out of the habit of doing as godly people…

Is thinking that we can tell people what they can and cannot do, or tell them what they should and shouldn’t do.

One thing the Bible states clearly is that we are not to force the Gospel on anyone. We can teach it through our own attesting (or testimony) but we are not to suggest that “what I do is what you must do”. We are a beacon of God but we do not command others, GOD DOES.

We walk the walk of Yahusha (Jesus) to be an example of how to be… not necessarily to make people conform to how we carry ourselves.

For example:

I wear the veil, and I do it for God YAHUAH and Messiah Yahusha (Jesus Christ).

I believe it’s called for by God and I do preach the practice but I encourage others to join me in that walk by saying:

“Hello 👋🏾 I am Paris, and I practice modesty and veil. I do this for God and Yahusha because I have been called to by God and I have a strong conviction to follow His commands, here is what God taught me about it and here is what I gain from it. If you ever want to do the same, know that it’s okay and it’s beautiful, and you won’t regret it, although there will be challenges. And I’ll be here with you to help you along your way. ”

BUT NEVER DO I SAY

“Hey, God said to veil and practice modesty and I think you should be doing it too and you shouldn’t ever take it off. And you wrong right now for not doing it. Period”

That’s not the way of God. That’s judging your peers.

It’s not our place to tell people what they should and shouldn’t do. God gives the commands and everyone has a choice whether or not to follow it AND EVEN have the choice and opportunity to decide or discuss it with God for themselves and if He says they are fine with Him just as they are with all they are doing already then that’s that. And it’s no one else’s business what their individualistic relationship with God is like or about. All we are to do is be an example of what God has taught us. And we teach it to others with love, grace, and leniency. Because God is the alpha and omega, He is the enforcer. Not us.

We are simply meant to teach the laws and commands of God, but we are not the ones meant to enforce them. Only God is.

Don’t mistake or mix up, advisement and judgement. When people mistake their judgement of others as themselves advising others, they often use the excuse of “I’d rather be advised by someone than be condemned by God if no one told me”… BUT they are confused for thinking this because there’s a difference between me informing someone of what God said & me telling them that they SHOULD do what He said or else they are less than they should be…

Teaching the word of God does not require for you to tell people what they should and shouldn’t do and it does not require belittling who someone already is in order to teach them.

If you pay attention Yahusha (Jesus) never said “you all should listen to me” or “you MUST do as I say”…. What He did say while teaching was “IF you choose to listen to the words I speak about God, you will gain THIS from it” and he said “IF you were to submit to God in this way, He will move mountains for you”… Yahusha (Jesus) didn’t truly speak in a commanding way, He just commanded the people with His examples of how to be and His energy alone. He led by example long before He ever judged anyone for not being a certain way or doing a certain thing. He gave them the knowledge of God and then let them do with it whatever they pleased.

Advisement is me telling you what God said and the positive things it can do for you if you heed it, but judgement is me trying to tell you that you must do it or else. That’s not my place to say such a thing. Because only God is the one that can say that to anyone. We cannot tell anyone what they must do. And we cannot foreshadow punishment if they do not do it. We can only tell them what we do for God and how we came to be that and why & the consequences we have witnessed for not doing or not being that…the rest is for God to say and do.

Godly people, seriously, we cannot tell people what they can and cannot do. Or what they should and shouldn’t do.

“You shouldn’t wear that”

“You shouldn’t ever take your veil off”

“Don’t take it off”

“Put it on”

“A woman shouldn’t be…”

Those statements are all COMMANDS.

Of which we are NOT at liberty to give.

Only God Himself gives the commands. We can tell people what He commanded but not under any circumstances are we the ones meant to enforce those commands. Not at all, we are not…

In conclusion, give one another grace and respect, and know that teaching the Gospel requires a balanced being, and an unbiased approach that gives knowledge with lovingkindness and gracefulness. It is to be taught in a way that emphasizes Gods gift of free will, and knowing full well that people have the CHOICE to do or not to do, or to be or not to be.

The idea is to advise to be better without belittling the person for who they already are.

It is not easy to do but it’s doable. Try harder godly people. Try harder. I noticed that many people do not actually know what it means to not judge others, and some know what it means but seriously do not know how to “not judge”. They just don’t know how to do it. They can’t help it. They don’t know how to not judge others. They don’t know how to be nonjudgmental…They really do not understand what it is fully and how to do it fully. It’s not their fault, because mankind has normalized the judgement of others so much that people have no concept of how to completely eliminate it. But we must try. Jesus was nonjudgmental and if you want to be like Him in spirit, you have to learn this too.

- The Modest Blog / Paris Dior

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

The Letter and the Spirit

by J. Gresham Machen

"The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." – 2 Corinthians 3:6

That sentence is perhaps the most frequently misused utterance in the whole Bible. It has indeed in this respect much competition: many phrases in the New Testament are being used today to mean almost their exact opposite…

The words: "The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life," are constantly interpreted to mean that we are perfectly justified in taking the law of God with a grain of salt; they are held to indicate that Paul was no "literalist," but a "Liberal," who believed that the Old Testament was not true in detail and the Old Testament law was not valid in detail, but that all God requires is that we should extract the few great principles which the Bible teaches and not insist upon the rest. In short, the words are held to involve a contrast between the letter of the law and "the spirit of the law"; they are held to mean that literalism is deadly, while attention to great principles keeps a man intellectually and spiritually alive.

Thus has one of the greatest utterances in the New Testament been reduced to comparative triviality--a triviality with a kernel of truth in it, to be sure, but triviality all the same. The triviality, indeed, is merely relative; no doubt it is important to observe that attention to the general sense of a book or a law is far better than such a reading of details as that the context in which the details are found is ignored. But all that is quite foreign to the meaning of the Apostle in this passage, and is, though quite true and quite important in its place, trivial in comparison with the tremendous thing that Paul is here endeavoring to say.

What Paul is really doing here is not contrasting the letter of the law with the spirit of the law, but contrasting the law of God with the Spirit of God. When he says, "The letter killeth," he is making no contemptuous reference to a pedantic literalism which shrivels the soul; but he is setting forth the terrible majesty of God's law. The letter, the "thing written," in the law of God, says Paul, pronounces a dread sentence of death upon the transgressor; but the Holy Spirit of God, as distinguished from the law, gives life.

The law of God, Paul means, is, as law, external. It is God's holy will to which we must conform; but it contains in itself no promise of its fulfilment; it is one thing to have the law written, and quite another thing to have it obeyed. In fact, because of the sinfulness of our hearts, because of the power of the flesh, the recognition of God's law only makes sin take on the definite form of transgression; it only makes sin more exceeding sinful.

The law of God was written on tables of stone or on the rolls of the Old Testament books, but it was quite a different thing to get it written in the hearts and lives of the people. So it is today. The text is of very wide application. The law of God, however it comes to us, is "letter"; it is a "thing written," external to the hearts and lives of men. It is written in the Old Testament; it is written in the Sermon on the Mount; it is written in Jesus' stupendous command of love for God and one's neighbor; it is written in whatever way we become conscious of the commands of God. Let no one say that such an extension of the text involves that very anti-historical modernizing which we have just denounced; on the contrary it is amply justified by Paul himself. "When the Gentiles," Paul says, "which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves." The Old Testament law is just a clear, authentic presentation of a law of God under which all men stand.

There is no doubt about what he [Paul] means by "the Spirit." He does not mean the "spirit of the law" as contrasted with the letter; he certainly does not mean the lax interpretation of God's commands which is dictated by human lust or pride; he certainly does not mean the spirit of man. No real student of Paul, whatever be his own religious views, can doubt, I think, but that the Apostle means the Spirit of God. God's law brings death because of sin; but God's Spirit, applying to the soul the redemption offered by Christ, brings life. The thing that is written killeth; but the Holy Spirit, in the new birth, or, as Paul says, the new creation, giveth life.

The contrast runs all through the New Testament. Hopelessness under the law is described, for example, in the seventh chapter of Romans. "Oh wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" But this hopelessness is transcended by the gospel. "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." The law's just sentence of condemnation was borne for us by Christ who suffered in our stead; the handwriting of ordinances which was against us--the dreadful "letter"--was nailed to the cross, and we have a fresh start in the full favor of God. And in addition to this new and right relation to God, the Spirit of God also gives the sinner a new birth and makes him a new creature.

The New Testament from beginning to end deals gloriously with this work of grace. The giving of life of which Paul speaks in this text is the new birth, the new creation; it is Christ who liveth in us. Here is the fulfillment of the great prophecy of Jeremiah: "But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord [Yahweh], I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts." The law is no longer for the Christian a command which it is for him by his own strength to obey, but its requirements are fulfilled through the mighty power of the Holy Spirit. This is the glorious freedom of the gospel. The gospel does not abrogate God's law, but it makes men love it with all their hearts.

How is it with us? The law of God stands over us; we have offended against it in thought, word and deed; its majestic "letter" pronounces a sentence of death against our sin. Shall we obtain a specious security by ignoring God's law, and by taking refuge in an easier law of our own devising? Or shall the Lord Jesus, as He is offered to us in the gospel, wipe out the sentence of condemnation that was against us, and shall the Holy Spirit write God's law in our heart, and make us doers of the law and not hearers only? So and only so will the great text be applied to us: "The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life."

[childofchrist1983]

Are you a peacemaker? How about the people that you surround yourself with? I think that all of us are weak at times, seeking the exact opposite of God and His peace when things are not going well or when we are in a foul mood. In these instances, what do we make? Trouble, conflict, even war. The teachings of Jesus on the Sermon of the Mount are often taken like the teachings of a fortune cookie, but I urge you not to take these words of Jesus Christ lightly. These are not meant to be clever quips in order to interest His listeners. These are the urges of Christ in an attempt to save our souls, in order to show us the path to Heaven.

Think about what it would mean to truly be "a peacemaker." Someone that seeks peace with all that they do, say, and think. Someone that MAKES peace with all that they do, say, and think. I certainly fall so short of this command. Even the words that I am currently writing have a tinge of aggression behind them, but it is because I want the world to be a more peaceful pace. Think about what is happening in current events: Is there anything that the world needs more than a little more peace and understanding? Think if even a small percentage of the people on this Earth truly were peacemakers. What a profound different that would have on the events that happen everyday! Be a peacemaker yourself and lead by example. If you seek the LORD God Almighty and His salvation and peace daily, I believe that it will touch others around you and lead them to do the same.

We are all sons and daughters of God through our faith in Him. One step in the right direction is by seeking peace. Pray with this Bible verse in mind, ask God for forgiveness about an event where you did not seek peace or acted in a way that does not please God. Jesus does not want us to have a prideful and troubled heart, but a humble faithful heart and life. Hold Him and His Holy Word and Spirit close and in your heart daily. The Holy Spirit of God is a peaceful one, and our salvation relies on Him. We must love God first, but also show His love towards our enemies (Matthew 5:44), our neighbors, and ourselves (Mark 12:28-31, Matthew 22:36-40). Do these things and I have no doubt that He will help you create peace with all that you do, say, and think. Thanks and glory be to God! Our selfish desires and disappointments sometimes rob our words and reactions of God's peace. May He restore us and fill us anew, that we may overflow. May He help us to be not just a vessel of His peace, but a conduit, so that He may use me to spread His Truth and His light, love and peace to all that we encounter.

Let us humble ourselves before God daily, asking Him to forgive us and to strength and teach us to view life through the lens of God and His promises. May He guard our hearts against Satan and the temptations of this world and our flesh. May He give us the peace to find full satisfaction in God and His peace and promises, so that we may live our lives daily in ways that honor and pleases Him. As we seek Him daily, may He reveal Himself to us through the words He has provided and use it to conform the desires of our heart to Him and His love and compassion and grace.

As true and spiritually reborn Christians, we love, trust and believe in Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ. Thank Him for calling us to faith and imparting us with salvation and righteousness. May He empower us to live in His will and righteousness, so that we may testify to His soul-saving power as our faith carries us past all doubt, fear, and failure. May He grant us the grace to forgive others who have wronged us, and the humility to seek forgiveness where we have caused strife. We must ask Him to help us grow spiritually in our relationship with Him and strengthen us and the bonds of love that He has given us, so that our unity may glorify and testify to His power and goodness. Seek, follow and trust in the LORD God Almighty always!

We choose to keep Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ first in our hearts and lives and all other worldly desires behind us. He extends salvation to everyone, and we want to show the world the freedom, hope and peace they can have in accepting and following Him. May we follow and serve God daily with love, trust, awe and wonder. May Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ strengthen our faith, lift our spirits, protect our hearts, and show us opportunities to help bring others to Him and His Gospel Truth daily. May we do this duty boldly, humbly and faithfully. To God be all the honor and praise and glory!

We must come to Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ with sincere hearts to ask forgiveness and follow Him and His Holy Word and Spirit always. We praise Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for the mercy He bestows upon us and we are grateful for His grace and mercy and infinite blessings. By surrendering our hearts and our lives to His will, we see all the blessings He has bestowed upon us. God our refuge and our salvation and our constant provider. We lift our voices to Him in praise for His steadfast love, mercy and understanding. May Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ open our minds and hearts more and more to perceive and embrace Him and His truths. May He help us to find time to pray and read and study the Holy Bible daily and to find power in prayer, praying according to His Holy Word and will. May He help us to come to Him in true repentance and with faith in Him and His grace and merciful nature. May He give us the grace, courage and strength we need to walk with Him and do His will daily. May He teach us to watch our words when we pray to Him and to speak reverently and rightly. May we continually ask God to transform our hearts and make us faithful and humble as we walk with Him daily. We must come to Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ with honest, humble and repentant hearts. We must seek Him and His will and choose to follow Him all the days of our lives. May He help transform our hearts, help us to seek and live for Him above all else and to grow spiritually and build our faith and relationship with Him with each passing day. May He forgive our sinful nature and help us always make Him and our relationship with Him top priority.

As true and born-again Christians, we choose to walk in His righteous path and lead a life that is pleasing to Him. We desire Him and His will above anything else. We desire to walk in accordance with the love and light He has shown to us through His Holy Word and Spirit. We long for a deeper relationship with Him and a deeper fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ as well. When we fall into temptation and sin, we must turn to Him for forgiveness, strength and guidance. When believers learn to walk in accordance with God's Holy Word and Spirit, they have deeper fellowship with both God and one another. And the sin that could threaten to destroy that fellowship, if confessed (1 John 1:9), is covered in the blood of Jesus Christ and no longer a barrier between us and God. May we ask Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ to forgive us for any sins we have sinned this day or in days past. May we be faithful to Him and His Holy Word always. May He help us to walk more consistently in the light and to not neglect long to confess and forsake any sins that hinder our walk with Him. May He lead us in the direction He wants us to go so that we may seek and serve Him faithfully. God is holy and almighty and deserving of all praise honor and glory. We rejoice in Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ, knowing He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He is the Alpha and the Omega (Revelation 1:8). May our hearts always be filled with thanksgiving and rejoicing. May He help us to praise Him freely and honestly like all believers who came before us. May we live a life that showcases our love and trust in Him and His Holy Word and Spirit as He uses us draw others to Him and His soul-saving Gospel Truth daily. May He continue guide, correct and protect us, so that we continue to grow in Him and not weaken and stray. May we all remain faithful to Him and to this duty and purpose He has called us to. Seek and put your faith and trust in Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ and let Him do the rest. May He humble our hearts and help us focus on following and serving Him daily and helping others with joy and happiness. We lift our voices in praise to Him for His love, mercy, peace, faithfulness and grace - For EVERYTHING!

It is vital that we remain rooted in Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ through prayer and His Holy Word and Spirit and that we live and walk as a beacon of His light and love and share and spread the Gospel Truth daily, so that the lost souls in this world can come to know Him and be saved. The more we focus on Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ, growing spiritually by building our relationship with Him, leaning on Him and His Holy Word and Spirit, the better off we will be. Thanks to this and our faith in Him, we know that everything will be alright. And we will forever be grateful to Him. As true and born-again Christians, we believe in Him and His Holy Word and we strive daily to walk in His Holy Spirit. We know though our mortal bodies should die, He will raise us up and into new and glorious bodies (The Rapture). We who are truly His and alive at His second coming will never die, and our bodies will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and so shall we ever be with Him in His Kingdom of Heaven forevermore (1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). This is one of many promises given to us by God Himself. Thank God for His strength and guidance when we are faced with sin and temptation. Thank Him for His mercy and grace. Through Bible study and prayer, God reveals His wisdom and guides us to see opportunities to grow closer to Him and grow spiritually. He gives us direction to live our lives daily according to His will.

Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to Heaven (John 3:5, 14:6), the ONLY way to salvation (Acts 4:12, Ephesians 2:8-9) and He is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25-26). Jesus Christ the LORD of lords, the KING of kings, the GOD of gods (Deuteronomy 10:17, 1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14, Revelation 19:16) - He is the Living, Almighty and Everlasting God (Isaiah 9:6, Revelation 1:8, John 3:16, John 3:36, Jeremiah 10:10). There is no other God besides Him (Isaiah 45:5). We MUST humble ourselves before Him, turning our backs on false teachers, false gods and idols and our sinful ways. We MUST repent and turn back to God and recognize who He is and love Him in return for His great love for us. We MUST make God top priority everyday! May we be motivated to spread God's Holy Word and Gospel Truth to all the Earth, knowing that it is the only hope of all those lost in their sins. Let us not hold out a false hope for men to be saved without the Gospel, but instead, strive to do our part to get the Gospel out to a lost and dying world.

Leaning on Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ through prayer and His Holy Word and Spirit strengthens us and our knowledge and wisdom about God and His Gospel Truth, exposing these imposters. May God help us to seek and lean on Him daily to gain the strength, wisdom and spiritual discernment needed to expose Satan and his imposters who seek to destroy us and God's ultimate Truth. Everyday, we must remember to share Jesus Christ's Gospel Truth with the world and to thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for the grace that He poured out for us on the cross at Calvary. He has freed us from the burdens of sin and from the eternal damnation of Hell. In all we say and do, may all praise, honor and glory always be given to Him and His Kingdom of Heaven.

With renewed minds, hearts and wills, let us serve Him humbly and faithfully out of pure love and grateful rejoicing. May He remind us of His presence and to remain at peace, fully knowing that all will be well because He is always with us. Let us seek Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ today and everyday with all our heart and being, looking for His love, light and will for our lives with each step we take. Let us seek to please Him with our thoughts, words, and deeds and seek to advance His Kingdom of Heaven and His glory with our lives. Let us seek Him from a pure and humble heart, and when we so seek, we believe Him and His promise that we will find. May He help us all to be more sensitive to the teaching ministry of His Holy Word and Spirit, relying on Him and allowing Him to speak to us and guide us every step of our Christian journey.

God gave us the Holy Bible - His living and Holy Word - to let us know of Him and His abiding love and care as well as guide and prepare us for all our lives. May He help us encourage one another as we continue our walk with Him and our duty to Him daily. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for being present for all our new beginnings and all our lives. May He redirect any anxiety we feel as He provides countless opportunities for growth and change. May we humble ourselves before God always, asking Him to forgive our sins and make our hearts and lives anew through His Holy Word and Spirit. May He help us make Him and His Holy Word top priority, so we can grow spiritually and grow in our relationship with Him as we apply it to our daily lives. Thank God that we can focus on Him and everything about Him, for that is what keeps us sane and at peace. May our words and actions always be a reflection of Him and His Holy Word and Spirit and will.

May He help us to always walk in His grace and Holy Spirit, not by our own measure. May He give us the humble humility to know that our freedom and eternal salvation is found only in Him, so that His grace may sustain us, and we may never lose sight of His love and light and mercy. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for calling us to Him and to serve Him. May He equip us to do all that He has called us to do so that as He works through us, He may use us to produce fruit, to reach others, and to encourage all brothers and sisters in Christ. May He work all of these things in us and through us for His Kingdom and His glory. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for all His creation, for His miraculous ways and for everything He does and has done for us! Keep the faith and keep moving forward in your walk with Jesus! He loves us and He knows what is best for us. Seek, follow and trust in Him - Always!

Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His Holy Word and for sending His Holy Spirit so that we might have His grace, not only to awaken us and transform our hearts in our spiritual rebirth and guarantee our eternity with Him, but to also call upon Him whenever we are in need. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for all the reminders of His love and mercy and faithfulness within His Holy Word. He is bigger than any challenge or circumstance in our lives. Knowing this within our minds and our hearts, nothing can deter our faith in Him and His Truth. May we all accept Him and His eternal gift of salvation and ask that He would transform our hearts and lives according to His will and ways. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His Holy Spirit who saves, seals and leads us. May we always thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His almighty power and saving grace. For He is our strength, and He alone is able to save us, forgive our sins and gift us eternal salvation and entry into His Kingdom of Heaven.

May we make sure that we give our hearts and lives to God and take time to seek and praise Him and share His Truth with the world daily. May the LORD our God and Father in Heaven help us to stay diligent and obedient and help us to guard our hearts in Him and His Holy Word daily. May He help us to remain faithful and full of excitement to do our duty to Him and for His glorious return and our reunion in Heaven as well as all that awaits us there. May we never forget to thank the LORD our God and our Creator and Father in Heaven for all this and everything He does and has done for us! May we never forget who He is, nor forget who we are in Christ and that God is always with us! What a mighty God we serve! What a Savior this is! What a wonderful LORD, God, Savior and King we have in Jesus Christ! What a loving Father we have found in Almighty God! What a wonderful God we serve! His will be done!

Thanks and glory be to God! Blessed be the name of the LORD! Hallelujah and Amen!

[creativewaygrace]

Bible Verses For Mental Health

Matthew 11:28-30- Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Philippians 4:13- I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.

Romans 12:2- Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

1 Peter 5:7- Casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.

Philippians 4:6-7- Don't worry about anything, but in everything through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 1:7- For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.

Romans 15:13- Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

1 John 4:8- The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Romans 8:28- We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

2 Timothy 3:16-17- All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work!

1 Peter 5:10- The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while.

Philippians 1:6- I am sure of this that who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Psalm 34:17- The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears and rescues them from all their troubles.

Hebrews 12:1- Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us.

Philippians 4:8- Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there's any moral excellence and if there's anything praiseworthy dwell on these things.

Ephesians 5:18- And don't get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit.

Romans 8:18- For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.

1 Peter 3:14- But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear or be intimidated.

Isaiah 35:4- Say to the cowardly "Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God, vengeance is coming, he will save you".

Isaiah 40:31- But those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.

Isaiah 41:10- Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid for I am your God, I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.

Joshua 1:9- Haven't I commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Psalm 34:4- I sought the Lord, and he answered me and rescued me from all my fears.

Psalm 94:19- When I am filled with cares, your comfort brings me joy.

Romans 8:38-39- For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Proverbs 3:5-6- Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding, in all your ways know him and he will make your paths straight.

Jeremiah 17:7-8- The person who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed. He will be like a tree planted by water, it sends its roots out toward a stream, and it doesn't fear when heat comes, and its foliage remains green. It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit.

John 14:27- Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don't let your heart be troubled or fearful.

2 Thessalonians 3:16- May the Lord of peace himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

Romans 12:15- In the same way, we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

[rybonucleic-ket]

queer coding: eddie munson - analysis (2.0)

---

Eddie's gay as fuck.

get comfy, we'll be here a while

hoping somebody actually reads because I spent a concerning amount of time on this :') I may be mentally unwell

PARALLEL

4x01 - Eddie and Chrissy's drug deal scene

now this scene is like, all of the material Edissy shippers use. but.

if you actually look at it

it parallels s3 Steve and Robin on the floor of the Russian base so fucking hard that you cannot tell me it wasn't intentional

like

~~~ 'how in the holy living fuck am I here with the King/Queen' ~~~

"I feel like I'm losing my mind right now, doing a drug deal with Chrissy Cunningham, the Queen of Hawkins High."

"I can't believe I'm gonna die in a secret Russian base with Steve 'the Hair' Harrington. It's just too trippy, man." [...] "The King of Hawkins High himself."

~~~ 'course you don't remember' ~~~

"Y'know, this isn't the first time we've, uh, hung out." [...] "I wouldn't remember me either, Chrissy!"

"Do you even remember me from that class?" [...] "Of course you don't."

~~~ 'but I do.' ~~~

"Middle school talent show. you were doing that thing, the thing you do. it was pretty cool."

Tuesdays and Thursdays, so you were always late."

LIKE

I'm so mad, Chrissy and Eddie could've been fruity besties like Rob n Steve

why the Suffer brothers gotta be like that

NON-CONFORMITY AND FRUITYNESS

4x01 - reasons for outcast

we're introduced to Eddie with him mocking the satanic panic surrounding D&D. the crack ass article reads:

"Studies have linked violent behavior to the game, saying it promotes satanic worship, ritual sacrifice, sodomy, suicide, and even murder."

if you weren't aware, sodomy is a term used for various "crimes against nature", technically applying to any non reproductive sex, but largely referring to gay sex (I don't think anyone called straight people using condoms sodomy, like, ever) that stems from blatant religious homophobia. it comes from the story of Sodom, in the Bible, which actually was not about gay people at all. the term itself associates queerness with a lot of really bad shit with a high potential of triggering people, so you can look up the story of Sodom if you want to see the horrific extent to which religion has been twisted and weaponized.

now, D&D was primarily stigmatized in the eighties on the account of baseless, delusional satanic panic and the nerdiness of it, generally less about the game turning people gay.

but the fact that the article put "sodomy" in a "violent behavior" category next to human sacrifice and suicide, is an unfortunately accurate depiction of 80s homophobia. even so, considering that D&D making people gay was a less common delusion, it genuinely could've been left out by the Duffers. like, it's accurate, but not necessary to mention to catch the drift of the stigma around D&D. if it was one of the primary conspiracies, sure, but it wasn't. it was a conspiracy, but the fact that they included "sodomy" rather than any of the other less common conspiracies....hm.

anyway, anyway, back to Eddie. now, along with D&D, metal also had satanic panic delusions associated with it (and still does!). Eddie sits at a table full of D&D nerd metalheads, yet... he's Eddie 'the Freak' Munson. the freakiest of freaks. the most alienated of his friend group. which, I mean, makes it seem like there's another factor that makes him more of a freak in the eyes of Hawkins, Indiana. whatever could that be?

PARALLEL

Will Byers and Eddie Munson. if you look at it, they're bullied in very similar ways. s1 and s2, we're told and shown that the Party is seen as a group of outcasts, but Will is the capital F, most alienated, Freak. Will has been seen as different and condemned for being gay since he was a little kid. this observed queerness in Will is what makes him more outcast.

similarly, while in a group with the same interests he's condemned for, Eddie is THE Freak. the capital F, freakiest of freaks. as said before, looking at his friend group, there's not really an explanation unless Eddie has another factor people observe and condemn him for. considering he's got parallels with the only two confirmed gay characters in the series within the first episode he's introduced, it's very likely that factor is Eddie being gay.

RUNNING AWAY - QUEER SYMBOLISM AND WAYNE MUNSON

"There is no shame in running. Not today."

"When I see danger, I just turn heel and run. at least, that's what I've learned about myself."

"I didn't run away this time, right?"

Eddie talks a lot about running away from things that scare him. which, like, yeah love, who doesn't. but Eddie is so conscious of his tendency to run. mind you, almost every single character ran (or tried to) the first time they saw the upside down shit. honest to god, Eddie saw something incredibly horrifying, he didn't run away significantly more than anyone else, all things considered. he had to keep running or Jason was literally going to kill him. he was not exceptionally cowardly. why the hell is he so hung up on running away?

we know like, jack shit about Eddie's family. his dad might be in jail. his mom is never mentioned. all we know is his dad was a douche and he lives with his uncle. enter Wayne Munson!

4x02 - Wayne to Nancy, on Eddie

"My nephew, he may look dangerous," [...] "No matter what anyone says, and they will say things, believe you me. This wasn't Eddie." [...] "It's just...not in his nature."

4x05 - Wayne to Dustin, on Eddie

"I can't imagine we got anything to talk about. My nephew is innocent. He's still missing. I'll put up as many posters as I need until he's found."

Wayne is very well aware of the shit people talk about Eddie, and very adamant that he is a good person no matter what social expectations say of him. so, this is what we know about Eddie's family: his dad is a douche and Eddie no longer lives with him, and Wayne is cool and loves Eddie beyond what anyone else thinks of him, which is who Eddie lived with up until the witch hunt.

we obviously know very little about his family, and this is based on what very little we know, but. Eddie is insistent that he's cowardly for running. his father was an ass and he doesn't live with him anymore. Eddie lived with Wayne, who loves Eddie and gives zero fucks what society says about his nephew. it seems like Eddie lived with wayne for a while, but the amount of time he stayed with his uncle is unspecified. Wayne is persistently defensive of Eddie against those who think poorly of him.

so. this leads me to a few theories. a) Eddie's dad went to prison (Eddie discussed his dad being renowned for getting in trouble w Steve) and Eddie went to live with Wayne b) Eddie's old man said some nasty shit about him and Eddie ran away, living with the unanimously supportive Wayne.

both seem plausible, Eddie saying his dad taught him to steal cars as a kid, and Eddie being weirdly fixated on shame in running away, considering the vast majority of people would also run if they saw the shit he did, so running was genuinely not abnormal or cowardly.

if we take the second into account, I'd say whatever shit his dad did to make him run was probably homophobic. that's just a theory, though.

EDDIE AND NONCONFORMITY

as previously mentioned, Eddie is the capital F Freak of Hawkins high. while that treatment parallels Will, Eddie's response to it definitely doesn't. Will shrinks into himself in response to alienation, Eddie embraces his otherness like nobody else. Eddie is the most adamant supporter of rejecting the norm and bullshit social expectations.

4x01 - Eddie on conformity

"It's forced conformity. That's the real monster. That's what's KILLING THE KIDS!!"

what, pray tell, would cause such incredibly differing responses?

here's what I think. Will has like, a lot, a lot of fear of rejection. he tells Mike this explicitly. Will starts sobbing when Jonathan tells him he'll be there no matter what, which was absolutely Jonathan telling him he knew Will was gay and was supportive, I'm not gonna analyze the whole scene, but that was exactly what Will needed.

I am not, in any way, shape, or form, hating on Joyce or Jonathan, as a disclaimer. I would never. I do think that they didn't talk about Will being gay when they probably needed to. or say like, that's chill, we'd still love you if you were gay. some kind of explicit acceptance. understandably, that was for sure a difficult conversation to have in the eighties.

To contrast, Wayne, in 2/3 of his scenes, says Eddie is a good person regardless of any norms or opinions of others. such contrast between Will and Eddie's responses is because Eddie isn't really scared of rejection, and I think that stems from the extent to which Wayne voiced support.

FUN PART!!

drumroll...hanky code! hanky code is a signaling system used primarily by gay men that indicates sexual roles/preferences/kinks and so on. I think it's still in use today? but it was significantly more common in the 70s-90s. throughout season four, Eddie wore a black hanky in his back left pocket, which indicates domming in S&M. sure, it's possible it was a coincidence, but I doubt it. his hanky is consistently in his left pocket; so consistently, in fact, that in Max's trailer, he asks her for a bandana instead of using the one in his pocket. hmmm. but yeah I guess they could've accidentally made him gay and kinky. a freak of other sorts, if you will.

EDDIE AND STEVE

as much as I love steddie, this is not me saying they're canon. this is me showing you why Eddie was not demonstrating straight boy behavior.

so, the 80s had a much different culture around male friendship than we do today. platonically flirting with other guys was not a thing straight boys did. like sure, today all the jocks smack each other's asses and moan at each other, but that didn't happen in the 80s. not with straight guys. that was very strictly interpreted as gay. and homophobia was so potent then, straight guys would worry about seeming gay (fig. a: Jason's response to Erica implying he and Lucas were a thing) hence, a straight guy from the eighties would not voluntarily put his face inches away from that of a male friend while calling him "big boy".