#agnosticism is the way

[alyceinwonderland777]

Christians when their sky daddy asks Abraham to kill his son to "show him his faith" and Abraham actually tries to do it: 😍🥰🤩❤️

Christians when someone who struggles with mental health commits suicide: 😠😠😤😡🤬

[kaurwreck]

for the ask game: LILAC CHARCOAL AND RASPBERRY

anon this is so sweet 😭

[ask game provided below for reference; if you'd like to play, please reblog from OP here:]

[obsessivefangirl]

What's the difference between an atheist and antitheist /gen

[gone-series-orchid]

it’s so funny to think about orc and astrid hanging out in fear and light bc now it’s orc who’s lowkey committed to ensuring astrid’s redemption through religious means and astrid who’s the jaded and depressed ex-christian who thinks she’s beyond saving bc she killed an innocent child

[trust-and-jump]

Same, same, same, same, same! I would say I'm cis woman but I don't care, and even in my dreams I see myself male as often as female. In Russian most of words are masculine, feminine, or neutrum (sorry I've never explained language stuff in English properly), and, like..... I don't care which I use? Few years ago I would easily use any genera (it appears that plural form of genus is genera lol?) and my friends and family wouldn't even really give me weird looks. I'm using fem. genus in words more often now, because I have to meet much more people and they >definitely< would give me weird looks (honestly I didn't even notice before, how often I switched hahahah, I really had to start to listen what I say! sheesh) but I still can slip up without noticing. Rarely outside of my family and friends company, though, because I taught myself out of it already.

And no dysphoria! I just don't really care, and that's why I can't imagine why would so many people have so much trouble with it. It's... social, isn't it? Not to mention different cultures have different gender traditions (I don't know what words I should choose here, my English is bad lol) and all that.

It's kind of like romantical interest for me, though. Like.... people are obsessed with it. So it has to exist, I guess??? People are talking about it, so it exists the way they describe it????????

But then again. They are all describing it differently. Too many different experiences. Too many different points of view. Too many different minds. Families. Communities. Orientations.

And. People are obsessed with religions, too. And all of them feel it's all real. I don't argue, because I don't know. (well, religions are deeply connected with cultures, so I'm talking more about FAITH in someone, in something)

Does it all exist? How do I know, if I don't feel like gender separation is real? How do I know, if there is no proof of existence or non-existence for me, personally?

I don't have dysphoria like that, because I'm just 'wearing my pajamas", as msfcatlover says, I'm just used to, and no harm to myself or others is done by that.

I also don't have strictly atheistic or religious point of view, even though I'm raised in Muslim family and I've called myself Muslim, too, whole my life, and I've been praying, Kor'an, Muslim burials, Muslim traditions (again, not strictly, and, like most people on our planet, conveniently ignoring some old parts that belong to old times and can be harmful or make no sence.... BECAUSE IT'S A CULTURAL THING, FAITH AND RELIGION ARE CONNECTED, YES, BUT THEY ARE NOT THE SAME WORDS! Like. I believe that Allah might be there, but I simply can not know). And no harm in that, too, you know? Yay agnosticism!

And romantic interest... well. Still the same. What is it? How does this type of love different from love to your close friend or family member? Maybe, because you should have desire to have sex or perform other acts intimacy? But people say, you can be friends and have sex without any romantical tension. People say, you can be in romantical relationship without wanting sex, even. What is the difference? I believe it exists, but I can't know if it does, for sure. I have no such experience. Like someone else said, concept of romantic love feels like someone made it up for poetry. (in case romantic interest is separated from wanting to be infinitely close). How do I know? Apparently it's indescribable.

Is it "you can't describe colours to those who was born blind" thing?

If yes, then okay, I'll just think it's all the same. Kinda like I do now.

If not, then what the fuck.

Is it just childishness for an adult to think all that? I don't mind if it is. But it won't make understand lol.

Господи, почему так много слов - и без смысла. Я лошара, я лох, я лопух, я идиот. Неважно. Лучше бы опять комиксы запостила, у меня же комикс-блог. Хаптьфу.

i feel so seen!!

(twitter thread)

[yourworldiseternallycomplete]

i feel really aligned with a lot of the core values of humanism, but i also feel that anyone who identifies as a humanist is sort of missing the point. like i think being a humanist is a sort of self-congratulatory, stagnant, liberal, hierarchical state of being. i guess as soon as people start giving awards for being the best humanist it means absolutely nothing to them

[cherriesncinnamon]

forgive me / father charlie x fem!reader

synopsis: after recently becoming involved with the catholic church, you soon start having inappropriate fantasies about your priest. desperately wanting to atone, you confess your sins.

warnings/tags: handjob, unprotected sex (don't try this at home), mentions of self harm/repentance, priest x reader (i mean no harm to the catholic community, this is just fiction).

word count: 1.3k.

a/n: sooooo🥰 i'm obsessed with nicholas chavez. i'm not gonna lie, i haven't seen grotesquerie fully, but after seeing his scenes i had to write a one shot about father charlie. this is completely and utterly feral. me when i need him biblically.

link to another father charlie piece i've done due to popular demand!!

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

I've never been a religious person. I've always believed that a higher power is unprovable, leading to my agnosticism. My mother is a devout Catholic, but she's never particularly pushed her beliefs onto me. That was until recently when she threatened to disown me if I refused to come to church for another Sunday.

The people are insufferable, the sermons are unstimulating, and I cannot bear knowing I could be doing something much more exciting with my morning. I sit at the very end of the pew, arms crossed in anguish, awaiting a middle aged, balding priest to appear and preach for an hour. But to my surprise, a much younger version emerges instead. Dark thick hair, darling brown eyes, and a charming smile. My eyes widen with intrigue at the strikingly handsome man before me. He begins to speak, walking up and down the rows of people, truly passionate about what he's saying. I'm paying attention to the words, but not so much the message. After the communion and the drinking of the wine, my mother and I mingle for a bit, chatting uselessness to the bored housewives. Church is the only liberating part of their week, and now I know why.

As if by a miracle of God, I become Catholic overnight. My mother is shocked at my interest in coming to church the following week, and the week after that, and that week after that. Each time I see him, my desire intensifies. Knowing that he has taken a vow of celibacy only entices me more. I imagine him bending me over the pews, his singular ring leaving an indent in my upper thigh. I need to confess. I need to release this demon that is plaguing my thoughts.

On a stormy Friday evening, I make my way to the back of the church, placing three hesitant knocks on his office door. The rest of the building is vacant, candle light being my only source of sight. His voices seeps through the door, permitting me to enter.

"Ah, Miss Y/L/N, to what do I owe the pleasure?" He welcomes me in with a warm smile, putting down the pen he was holding to usher me to sit.

"Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. I- I've come to confess." I swallow, stuttering my words in fear. Father Charlie cocks his head in question.

"I see. Anything you say should be in confidence, your confession will be safe with me." He replies, nodding in reassurance. I fiddle with the hem of my skirt in anticipation, heat rising to my cheeks from simply being alone with him. I drape my long hair over my shoulder and clear my throat.

"I've been having impure thoughts, Father."

"Okay. And what do these thoughts detail?" He probes, clasping his hands together on the wooden desk. The Bible sits closed next to him; I can feel it judging me.

"Sexual thoughts. I want to pleasure myself, but I know I can't." I grip at my throat which has become tight, my stomach tingling with the remembrance of my fantasies. Charlie loosens his Roman collar, eyes searching the room for anything to look at besides me.

"I think about you, Father. You punishing me for my sins, taking me, sliding yourself into me." I spill, cheeks on fire and wine red. Father Charlie is quick to stand up from his chair, pacing to the other side of the room.

"I have taken a vow. Please do not seduce me." He begs, reaching for the door handle.

I stand in front of him, his tall frame towering over me, eyes fixated on mine. His chest is heaving, lips slightly parted as he breathes. Standing on the tips of my toes, I whisper.

"Don't you want to know what it feels like, Father? Just once?" My bottom lip lightly grazes his ear lobe, increasing his breathing pace. Our faces are mere centimetres apart, and I'm using all of my might to stop myself tasting him.

"I cannot abandon my faith, I mustn't." He insists, expression pained and frustrated. His brow is furrowed, forehead glazed in sweat. I can tell he is holding himself back with all his strength, and I'm feeling brave.

I take my fingertips and slide them over his clothed cock, smiling as it hardens under my gentle touch. Charlie goes to remove my hand, but quickly retracts when I speed up, using my palm to add pressure. I slowly undo his leather belt, lifting the waistband of his black pants. Taking him in my grasp, I stroke his thick length, watching in euphoria as his head tips back in bliss. His hands seek the stability of the doorframe for support, his knees weakening more every second.

"Feel me." Slipping my panties to the side, I guide his fingers to my pussy, slick with my arousal, begging for contact.

"Oh, forgive me Lord." He cries out, teasing my entrance with his digits while I excite his tip dripping pre-cum with my thumb. He stares at me in awe when I lick myself off his fingers, cock throbbing, veins pulsing blood into him until he's unbearably hard.

Hungry for my kiss, he devours my lips, biting my bottom lip playfully. Our tongues slide across one another, his hands gripping the sides of my face. He tastes like the Merlot we have at communion; sweet and fruity. My hands snake around his neck, twirling the thick locks of hair at the nape. His lips take interest elsewhere, peppering erotic pecks across my jaw, to my neck, and to my chest. I unbutton my white dress shirt, revealing my braless breasts. His eyes widen, immediately manhandling and kissing the supple skin.

"I want to feel you inside of me. Please, Father." I moan, perching myself on the edge of his desk, skirt hiked up to my hips. I spread my legs wide, fully revealing myself to him. He exhales in defeat, slotting himself between me.

Charlie rests his hands on either side of me on the desk while I line up his cock to my entrance, pushing my hips towards him. Grabbing my waist, he enters me, his length filling my walls like a glove. His voice groans deeply against my neck, his hand pressed on my lower back for support. His thrusts start off slow and juvenile, but quickly speed up to a pace we both can't take for long. I wrap my legs around him, pulling him in deeper. I moan sweet noises with every movement and caress, realising that this is better than I could've imagined.

"You feel so good, this feels so good." He sobs, nails digging into my hips so hard they leave streaks of blood. The cross around his neck swings in my face, reminding me of how sin can feel so good.

Waves of pleasure wash over me, the coil inside of me tightening by the second. I pull the back of his head close to me as my climax arrives. I bite his lip hard in satisfaction, tasting his blood on my tongue. It's not long before he follows in a moaning mess, burying his head into my chest, grabbing my breast as his warm cum fills me.

It takes a minute of getting our breaths back to move. I use a tissue to wipe his seed off my thighs. Father Charlie hastily redresses, fixing his collar and clutching his necklace.

"Lord, forgive me. Forgive me for this cardinal sin. Forgive me for enjoying it." He prays on his knees, staring up at a portrait of God. I place my hand on his back, feeling some guilt.

"I need to repent. You need to punish me." He says, picking up his leather belt from the floor and placing it in my hands.

"How can something that feels like this be a sin?" He asks me, tears in his eyes. I shake my head, not knowing the answer myself. He takes his shirt off, showing me his scarred back.

"Punish me, please."

[kamorth]

Agender like Agnostic

Does gender even exist? Something we can CALL gender clearly does but the concept of different genders being different things and not just different points on the same spectrum... is there merit in that? Can we even really decide how gender is defined "objectively" while we have no choice but to exist inside it?

Would we be able to understand if we were staring right at it?

[bonefall]

Splashtail and Atheism

Hello. I am an Atheist and I call Splashstar an Atheist because he is based on widespread bigoted depictions of godless people like myself. There have now been several posts about this written as if they're trying to "correct a misconception," and I am tired of vagueposts completely missing the point of the criticism to get caught up on arguing semantics.

The misanthropic, god-hating "Atheist" character in Christian propaganda, which I feel Splashstar has some alarming similarities with, does not come from the writer's correctable "misconception" of irreligious labels. It is born from a hatred of nonbelievers.

Specifically, my point that Splashtail is a mashup of two popular anti-secular tropes common in religious media;

The assertion that there's no such thing as a "real" nonbeliever, and that Atheists are just "rebelling" against God because we're mad at him, want to do bad things without guilt, or have "lost our way."

The belief that morality itself stems from faith in a higher moral being, asserting that the irreligious are "evil" in contrast to the faithful.

Even passing familiarity with the arguments of Christian apologia seen in Chick Tracts, Pureflix films, PragerU videos, and so on, will have put these tropes in front of you. They are false and harmful, and they target Atheists.

For more on this, TVTropes has an entire article dedicated to the Hollywood Atheist and its sub-tropes. Note how many of these Curlfeather and Splashtail fall into, regardless of if you're arguing that they are "real atheists" or not.

Those that hate us do not care about semantic labels. To them, we are without God, A-Theistic, and they do not actually care what is at the core of your beliefs if it contradicts their narrative.

But, even worse, the "Splashtail Can't Be An Atheist" crowd isn't even totally correct on the semantics they're trying to have a pedant battle about.

Most atheistic organizations and online atheists define Atheism as "one who does not believe in God" and attempt to push a sliding scale of "agnosticism" on how hard of a "maybe" you're feeling about your lack of faith. In the sliding agnostic scale, Agnostic Atheists are a "probably no god" and Gnostic Atheists are a "definitely no god." Others describe that scale as "hard" and "soft" Atheism-- but there is NOT universal agreement on that definition.

There other definitions of an "Atheist," and even those who reject the "agnostic scale" completely (I am one of them). "Atheism" was historically the catch-all term for what we might now call "Irreligious," and more.

The Encyclopedia of Philosophy explores its many meanings, and proposes that what defines an Atheist is an active choice to distance oneself from faith; "Someone who rejects the premise of gods either based on lack of belief, or meaninglessness of the question." Matt Dillahunty, a prominent educator and activist, intentionally refers to himself as an Atheist when others (including religious people!) have tried to pressure him into using the label Agnostic, for reasons he covers in great depth. Historically, "atheist" simply meant anyone who denied the gods or acted impiously, evolving into use as a broad label for irreligious practices around the 1500s, until attempts to narrow it to "nonbelievers in deities" in the 1800s.

By EoP's expanded definition alone, Splashstar qualifies as an Atheist. The rejection does not have to come from a belief that Theism is false, but that the question is meaningless. He doesn't have to "believe" in StarClan any more than you have to "believe" in a total stranger. He rejects faith in it and lives without their influence.

But even more than that, "atheist" is a broad, stigmatized term with a history you can't erase. Hundreds of combinations of philosophies, spiritual beliefs, and logical positions have been called "Atheism."

"Atheist" can refer to Agnostics (those who aren't sure if there is a god or not), Antitheists (opposition to the belief in and/or worship of gods), Igtheists (those that feel that "god" is such a nebulous term that the question of belief is meaningless), Apatheists (people who just don't care), practitioners of Non-Deistic religions (such as Humanistic Judaism and some sects of Buddhism), and even heretics who spoke against religion like Diagoras of Melos (gay guy who chopped up a statue of hercules and used it to bake beans. king.)

In a fantasy universe where gods are provably, visibly real, the term "Atheist" is going to look a lot more like those historic and expansive uses.

Unless you want to argue that "atheism" by the narrow, popular definition of "believing in deities" can't exist in such a setting. So, arguing that Cloudtail stopped being an Atheist when he saw demons in OotS, in spite of this not affecting his spiritual practices. Or, dancing around using one uniting term, you could specifically say Curlfeather is a Misotheist, Splashstar is an Antitheist or Agnostic, Mothwing is Deist, etc.

You could have a discussion about how applicable these words even are in the setting. Or make up terms that satisfy yourself. You could do this forever. But I choose not to.

I think it's counterproductive to push people to learn a bunch of terms for hyperspecific branches of irreligious philosophy just to discuss clear anti-secular sentiment within the text of a book, actually. Or push people to abandon a useful word because fantasy isn't exactly the same as real life. Functionally, imo, all of those aforementioned cats are Atheists within this setting, living "without god" by rejecting belief-- and many of them invoke real world bigotry, with tropes much older than WC itself.

So the simple fact is; Calling Splashtail an "Evil Atheist" immediately communicates the narrative tropes I am criticizing.

Either by authorial accident or on purpose, Splashstar's lack of morality being tied to his rejection of StarClan invokes the demonized atheist trope, very much like the ones seen in PureFlix's God's Not Dead or Jack Chick's The Last Generation.

All the arbitrary wishing that the terms were more narrow and exclusive will not change the reality that those characters are intended by bigots as atheists. The terms of the discussion reflect that. Trying to tut-tut the fandom for calling a spade a spade is a smug way to phrase you completely missed the damn point.

[oak1985]

Did anyone else, when reading Good Omens, think that part of the point was that it’s unclear whether or not God exists in-universe? Like, there’s these two superpowers with incredibly similar bureaucracies (which run as not-at-all-thinly-veiled metaphors for the USSR and the US) and everyone in both bureaucracies—Hell as well as Heaven—are obsessed with figuring out God’s endgame. Said bureaucracies are both not very good at doing their actually job or even knowing what’s going on most of the time. And the literal end of the earth is attended by Satan (leader of Hell) and….Metatron, the Voice of God. When God doesn’t show up to Armageddon, I just assumed that meant God didn’t exist. Or at least, that part of the point is that everyone’s constantly reacting to an entity that may or may not actually exist but they build their whole lives around Him anyway.

Was this just my weird intrinsic agnosticism or did other people read it that way too?

[alyceinwonderland777]

People like this user are one of the reasons I left Christianity. My neurons went nuts from the sheer amount of ignorance this comment exudes.

According to this moron's reasoning then his beloved God is also a superstition, right?

Christianity has been trampling on human rights for CENTURIES and these people even have the audacity to say that Christianity is a religion that "professes love".

Unfortunately I realized it late, but as soon as I realized it I ran away without looking back.

I know not all Christians are like this, but I refuse to be part of a cult that tramples human rights.

[thesiltverses]

thoughts on trawler man / the saint electric?

I can't stop thinking about them, they'd be so awful for each other and I don't know how a god could have a relationship with another god but come on.

(ship name is holy current, courtesy of the one known as the second visitor)

sorry if this is a bit on the side of crack shipping, but I assure you I am genuine in my zeal!

A serious answer from me would probably be a bit po-faced and unhelpful, because the gods in TSV are written from a position of agnosticism and not meant to be interpreted as tangible entities capable of sexual, familial or romantic relations in that way - and we've tried to make a point of showing that this kind of characterisation in-universe is the province of marketing departments keen to cheaply and reductively anthropomorphise the mysteries of divinity into something relatable to human beings.

so for the sake of not being a spoilsport I'll just stick with: yes, sounds good to me, she should fuck that old man river

[h-sleepingirl]

Thoughts on "Hypnotic Agnosticism"

I'm in a weird place spiritually because I really want nothing more than transcendent, hard-to-explain experiences -- which I have HAD -- but saying I have confidence that they are "real" (or acting like that's part of my worldview) is like impossible.

Like I'm sitting here and idly thinking "I would guess generally being open to 'woo' can facilitate more intense hypnotic experiences." But I feel like I can't fully buy into magical thinking(?) (and I also include "science"/pseudoscience like NLP in that!).

For example at a hypnosis event, we introduced ourselves with something other people may not know about us; I said "I believe in xyz" where xyz is a certain mystical concept. But, DESPITE EXPERIENCES RATIFYING THAT BELIEF over the weekend, I find myself with a lot of doubt and skepticism.

It feels similar to how NLP is bs but useful when you work within its own model; it makes sense in its own context and you can get pretty far with it. My various spiritual beliefs are "real" in that way, but on a more zoomed-out scale, I really just don't know what is what.

I guess this is basically a kind of agnosticism which is fitting for me to not know things (being a bimbo) and also to sit balanced between multiple models (being sleepingirl). But it's confusing and also pretty tiring on some level!

I do think parsing this out makes me think about agnosticism as my ideal "model" for looking at hypnosis. A measured, skeptical acceptance of all models as useful, maybe. But also maybe even a healthy balance of both skepticism and reverence for hypnosis itself.

I've been doing hypnosis for 15 years now, which feels impossible. But I am also genuinely constantly surprised by it and I think part of that is because maybe I don't fully believe it's real! BUT/AND I desperately want and am open to its intense experiences.

Maybe this ties into curiosity/surprise as being some sort of necessary ingredient for intense experiences like this? I am not sure where I'm going with this but I'm thinking a lot about the spiritual overlap, anyways.

[chainofclovers]

Due to word limits, a few explanations:

"Raised religious" = raised in a home where one or more religions were practiced, with at least one parent or guardian who ascribed to those belief systems and practices and taught them to you.

"Raised without religion" = raised in a home in which no one practiced religion but no one was a convicted atheist, either.

"Raised atheist" = raised in a home where at least one parent or guardian who was an atheist taught you that belief system. "Conviction" = religious conviction that matches the religion you were raised in.

"Rel" = religion.

This poll is specifically for agnostic people as opposed to people who practice a specific religion or people who are atheist. If you consider yourself agnostic, please take the poll! I'm curious to learn more--in a very surface-level tumblr poll sort of way--about the way beliefs change over time, whether gradually or suddenly. Feel free to elaborate on your experience with agnosticism, atheism, and religion in the tags.

[sheabutterbitch]

what does god mean to you? growing up queer in the rural american south has conditioned me to view christianity as religion overall, and mostly the worst parts of it. i have this recoil when i think about it, and this sense of juvenile pride despite being a grown adult. like, "why must something be larger than me? why must i bow to it? how do we know it is even there?" i do have friends of varying religions and cultures, but i can't shake the trauma of religious violence/bigotry. admittedly, i'm also a very scientific, evidence-based person, and it's difficult for me to put my faith in anything, really. thank you

-your moon and venus twin :)

From an early age I cycled through many understandings of God; I’ve ventured into other religions, spiritual practices, atheism and agnosticism. What I’ve come to understand is that “A God of my own understanding” is just, that.

Working in the field of addiction recovery, we place a lot of emphasis on identifying a higher power. Believing in something greater than yourself has the psychological benefit of fostering resilience and motivation which is necessary in this life. I’ve seen individuals in addiction identify their higher power as Jesus but I’ve also seen them identify their higher power as an ancestor, a lost loved one, the universe, an animal, or an element.

The question of “how do we know it’s real” is no longer a question that I ask because it’s no longer one that matters to me. The feeling I get speaking my deepest longings, fears, and questions to whatever it is that may be listening does more for me than the preoccupation of finding the “one true God.”

Our society has the capacity to bastardize every facet of human life and manipulate it in a way that exerts power and enacts harm. I’m unsurprised that the age old philosophical and psychological practice of looking beyond oneself has been willed in this way, too. I won’t allow that to deter me from engaging in this practice in a meaningful way that inspires growth and change in my life.

I love watching this one TikTok account, Amber, who is a trans woman and a Quaker. Her video on The Theodicy of Queer Christianity was really good and sums up a lot of my thoughts. As a queer person, navigating religion or spirituality is difficult but I personally identify as Christian and feel comfortable in that.

[transparentlyfallingasleep]

I’m about to go to sleep here in Australia and I am scared of everything that comes after this. I am trying to, as Mr Roger’s (a very particular American reference, he did not reach our shores in anything like the legacy building ways he did in his homeland) said, look for the helpers.

I know my American will say I’m crazy, brainwashed, so leftist my brain fell out that I sit here feeling the next two years are 1937, 1938 Germany. But I’ve read Umberto Eco on Fascism and how can we be hearing the same words and not be crying machismo, the enemy is at once weak and strong, progress is over!

He has an unshakable faith that his is the greatest republic the world has ever seen and their constitution a bulwark against any desire for power to corrupt. He knows in his very being that no American military personnel would ever fire on their own people and liberty is a word with America written on the back of it. but I will look for the helpers… in 1939 there were helpers funnelling children, women, men out of Germany and all over the world, there were neighbours putting families behind cupboards and churches lying about baptisms. I know things are not yet 1939 but I know that whilst there are people who vote in someone who will openly use the phrase “the enemy within” whilst they hold convictions for multiple felonies, tonight there are also people who do not know it yet but will put themselves in harms way to shield others made weaker by the hatred, rhetoric and greed of others.

Here in Australia, somewhat but not totally, shielded from the first impacts I will, despite my cynicism and agnosticism, pray for the helpers.