#and that christians had a sacred duty to protect the jewish people

[cakemagemaeve]

And yet, despite everything going on right now, I'm still thinking about converting to Judaism.

[godsofhumanity]

GODHUNTER by AMY SUMIDA | REVIEW

okiee this was recommended to me by @inkleaves ^-^ uhmm so i have a LOT to say about this book. spoilers under cut.

OVERVIEW: “Godhunter” is the epithet given to a young woman named Vervain who uses witchcraft and magic to go around committing deicide in order to save humanity from gods who drain their energy to gain immortality and other godly attributes. However, when Vervain is recruited by the Norse god Thor, she finds herself in an alliance with the people she originally considered her enemies, as they work together to save the world from the maliciousness of the Aztec god, Huitzilopochtli.

RATING: 2/10. i’m giving it a low rating because it doesn’t really have too much to do with mythology, but i did like its general portrayal of most deities even though this book was insanely cringey and dumb.. now, even though under the cut, i’ve kinda bashed the book quite a bit, i still have to admit that i’d be lying if i said i didn’t have fun reading it. i stayed up to 1 AM trying to finish it because i had to find out what the protag’s next stupid decision would be,, all in all, if you like trash/cringe fiction- this is for you.

WARNING: even though this book is a YA novel, I’d say there’s a definite emphasis on the adult part of “young adult”... Certain scenes and themes are inappropriate for minors.

AVAILABLE ON: pdf link here ^-^ ((i think it downloads immediately if you click))

THINGS I LIKED:

the book is cringe.

great diversity in terms of the god cast. i learned about some new deities that i was previously unfamiliar with, so that was cool

Brahma (Hindu deity) wears a Gucci belt as part of his attire ^-^

whatever Estsanatlehi and Tsohanoai (Native American deities) had going on.... they were really cute and wholesome

THOR-HORUS BROTP AGENDA!!!!!!!! everyone who follows me already knows how keen i am about this idea of all the war deities hanging out together (fite club), and this novel served up exactly that. disappointing that Huitzilopochtli wasn’t a part of it, but i am settling for Thor and Horus’ several centuries old friendship.

Horus’ falcon tattoo detail.. i LOVE the idea of the gods having their sacred animals tattooed,, it’s so awesome!!!

Pan... i liked the way he still had his little horns, and he was kinda chaotic and fun.

in general, the descriptions of the gods were so pleasant and so cool.. i really liked the way that pretty much all the gods were beautiful,, this is very much in line with my own idea of how the gods look, and i think it makes sense, because they’re meant to be charismatic, compelling beings- beings that you worship, beings that you praise- why would they be anything but beautiful? and even if they were considered ugly by other gods, that’s only in comparison to other deities.. from a human perspective,, i just can’t see how any mortal could consider a god to be anything less than perfection,, idk

in particular- i really enjoyed the descriptions of Huitzilopochtli in his debut. i know he’s a piece of shit in the novel, but i LOVED the way he was described with his war-frenzy being triggered by blood, and the way, as god of the sun, his body almost glows, and heats up as though you’re looking into the sun itself, and the only way he can cool it down is by bathing in blood... WOWOWOWOW it’s just such a neat and fantastic visual description. his physical appearance really paid tribute to Huitzilopochtli’s original domain and attributes.

i also liked the linking between Huitzilopochtli being the Father of Vampires.. links between Aztec culture and vampirism is a trope that i didn’t originally suspect, but have become exposed to quite a bit as of late,, and i think that it’s quite a clever little plot. i liked that Huitzilopochtli also debunks superstitions about the sun, garlic, crosses, holy water etc.

Huitzilopochtli as the villain. the man makes a BRILLIANT villain- his motives are very clear and also, i thought, justified, albeit unoriginal. his presence is quite terrifying, and the reader does worry for Vervain’s safety whenever she’s with him- which is good! this means that he fills out his role as a villain well. tbh,, i did love Huitzilopochtli from the moment of his debut, but he got knocked out of my books during a certain temple scene and i have some thoughts about that in the next section.

when Vervain wakes up after the temple dream with Huitzilo, and she relaxes because it was just a dream, but then she looks into the mirror and sees bite marks on her neck!!! CHILLS! now THAT was good writing- it was unexpected, and served well to navigate into the next part of the plot.

Odin and Huitzilopochtli holding a ted talk on “how to create panic and discord among the humans”, and the gods having to bring certain meals depending on what the first letter of their names were.

Vervain’s pop-culture references, and her weaponry- especially the gloves that have blades in them that get released when she swings her hand downwards. very cool, i want them.

casual appearances from Vladimir Putin (yes, i said Vladimir Putin)... i couldn’t stop laughing when i read that Huitzilo was trying to kill Putin’s daughter to instigate a war...... asdhshajdhasdjfhjdhf insane

also i know Vervain was trying to mock Huitzilo when she nicknamed him “Blue”,, but like.. that’s a really cute name and it wasn’t even insulting.. yeah, that one backfired on you Vervain... if anything, that just made it seem like she actually had affections for him and i feel like probably in part is the reason why he felt encouraged to pursue her.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE/THINGS THAT DIDN’T MAKE SENSE AND/OR CONFUSED ME:

the book is cringe.

it reads like a 15 year old’s fantasy AU where she’s a humble young woman, unextraordinary- yet somehow, she is the muse of every man’s desire. handsome, ripped gods who never wear clothes are laying themselves down at her feet,, and she is just overwhelmed by the choices before her; and all the while, she has to balance a complicated love life with her duty to save the world (since she’s the only one who can).

Vervain as a protagonist. idk how old she’s meant to be, but since the book is in first-person, and the reader is exposed to her innermost thoughts,, i’ve gotta say- she’s incredibly immature. as a protagonist, i just feel like she’s rude, pretentious, snobby.. she has no idea what “respect” even means. in every scene, she’s either fighting someone, or lusting after them (when Teharon told her off for having lascivious thoughts about him, and she simply responded with “well stop being so sexy then” i wanted to die.... WHAT is wrong with her)

i hate the way she looks down on the gods- even if you didn’t worship them, or even believed in their existence, surely you wouldn’t have the gall to lecture Hades and Persephone on how to be a good couple (especially when your advice is shit). surely you wouldn’t have the gall to say to Thor what Vervain says to him on pg 227, 4th line from the bottom, that i will not repeat here. Vervain is just too self-absorbed. i don’t hate her, but i definitely think her character is a bit,,, iffy.

relating to Vervain as the protagonist- everything just seems to happen to her.. and i know that she’s the protag, and things are meant to happen to her, but it all happens to her one after the other in succession, no breaks. it’s so easy for her... oh? Huitzilopochtli is going to kill Putin’s daughter? no worries, Vervain can read Huitzilopochtli’s thoughts! oh? the gods have never been able to transform more than half their body into their animal form? no worries, Vervain is so powerful she can force a god to change against their will! oh? Vervain is being attacked by blood-thirsty wolves? no worries, she saved the life of one werewolf and now he’s indebted to her and will literally kill himself in order to protect her! everything is easy, and nothing is a problem.

the way every male deity ever sees Vervain once and immediately wants to take her to bed. why was that a necessary aspect of her character? and also, why are the gods portrayed as such lustful beings?? it really wasn’t necessary.

Horus throwing a fit about how December 25 is his birthday and that it was stolen from him by Jesus... to quote:

“No big deal?” Horus puffed up. “I was called the Lamb of God. I had twelve apostles, and my myths spoke of my crucifixion and consequent resurrection in three days. His stories were my stories first!”

it’s fine that Horus is angry about his birthday which was i think, historically celebrated around this date- but the rest of it isn’t even true???? Horus didn’t have 12 apostles, i’m pretty sure he was also not called “Lamb of God”, and he wasn’t crucified!!! aghhhh even Thor says “It’s been so long that even you don’t remember things accurately.”

anyways.. my beef with this is the way it’s phrased so as to imply that “oh christianity just stole everything from the pagans” when this is so incredibly false and sounds like something an ill-informed person would say. you can read more about christianity, paganism and christmas here

kinda related to the previous point- the jokes about Jesus’ skin colour. i quote:

“... when Christ first became a god, he looked Jewish because those were the people he chose to align himself with. However, the Jews didn’t want him, and when Christianity spread, the white people wanted Jesus to look more like them. With the change in belief, Christ’s appearance changed. ... We used to tease him about how he looked whiter every time we saw him... Kind of like Michael Jackson...”

what the FUCK??????? seems like Sumida doesn’t understand that various ethnic groups illustrate Jesus as appearing as the local people do. Yes, obviously in a Western country, Jesus is going to look European, he’s going to look white. If you go to Japan, you will see Jesus and the rest of the gang looking pretty fucking Japanese. the point of this is NOT to erase Jesus’ Jewish ethnicity, and it is certainly not because of something like “the Jews didn’t want him”- it is because it is a way for followers to better relate to the Divine. including Christ in this story isn’t the problem- i’ve seen others do it very well. the problem is how uneducated her writing comes across.

all the gods have human jobs so that they can earn money and stuff,, which is fine- Thor, for example, owns a line of boats, which makes sense. but Pan? his job is making p*rn. now even though it’s true that everyone associates Pan with sexuality and stuff,,, this isn’t his primary role, and making Pan out to be just a playboy who has his mind in the gutter 24/7 i think is a bit of a mockery. Pan is, first and foremost, a god of the Wild. why Sumida elected to make him a p*rn manufacturer and not a wildlife conservationist is beyond me... i’m not even pagan, and i thought this creative decision was distasteful and stupid, especially because his character is actually quite light-hearted and cool.

the temple scene with Huitzilopochtli and Vervain. as i said previously, i really really liked Huitzilo’s character. he made an excellent villain. but this part?? i understand why it was done, but i HATED that it had to happen... not just because it was horrible for Vervain, but Huitzilo seemed so powerful and godly right up to that point- after which he seemed pretty pathetic- going back after Vervain after she’s rejected him countless times. she is JUST a mortal!!! c’mon Huitzilo, give it up!!! you are degrading yourself at the expense of achieving one mortal’s “love”.. the fact that he had to hypnotise her to get what he wanted AND had to achieve it through her dreams (when’s she can’t protect herself) was sooooo pathetic and disgraceful.. IMO, he committed the worst sin any person could ever commit and i just... AGHHHHHHHHH SMH WHY?!

speaking of morons- Thor. Thor just comes across to me as extremely possessive, and over-protective,, and idk how Vervain was NOT creeped out by the fact that Thor had literally been stalking her for two years before she even met him. wtf? god or not- that’s creepy. actually, i think it’s creepier because he is a god. 

Sif. i am still waiting for good media representation of thunder god Thor and his beautiful golden-haired wife Sif- i want them to be HAPPY, and i want them to be in love the way they should be! 

Persephone. i like the idea of Persephone being sweet-tempered, and kind- but in this book, she’s such a wimp??????? she totally just lets Vervain be rude to her, a goddess who’s name means “Bringer of Destruction”. also- her relationship with Hades seems toxic.. i mean,, he like tracks her? she starts stuttering when she talks to him, and gets nervous when people so much as mention his name. not to mention the fact that Persephone says that when she does go back to him, all he demands from her is a certain horizontal dance so much so that she is “sore” (<- quoting from the book here) every time she returns??????? WHAT IS HAPPENING?????????? and no one even questions it. Vervain doesn’t even question it! instead she suggests that Persephone MOVES IN with Hades permanently???? and that Hades should just start verbally saying how much he loves Persephone instead of “showing” her how much he “loves” her.....??? there are SO many issues with this.. i can’t even- *screams*

the Aphrodite-is-madly-in-love-with-Huitzilopochtli side plot. it could have been really good, but then it ends so abruptly,,, i mean.. why’d Aphrodite get done so dirty like that? Also summary of Hephaestus’ first and final scenes:

Hephaestus, entering the room: Right, what’s all this then? Vervain: Your wife is cheating on you (again) Hephaestus: Aight, i’m out *leaves and never comes back for the rest of the book*

what the HECK was the ending with Trevor?? i hate Vervain so much i can’t... okay first of all- WHY did Trevor decide to have a wolf-marriage with Vervain?? he kept on going on about how she’s so beautiful, and kind, and caring... NO SHE ISN’T TREVOR!!! i’m so mad that he would pledge himself for all eternity to this girl who doesn’t even like him in that way!!! you played yourself son

also- Thor accepts the fact that Trevor is going to have to be close by to Vervain because the terms of the marriage state that Trevor will literally die without her touch, which is VERY GENEROUS of Thor... but Vervain?? ooooh i HATE her.. she has the audacity to look at Trevor with her lecherous eyes thinking about lustful things IN THOR’S OWN BED!!!!! and then she thinks to herself “oh whoops i shouldn’t be thinking that”- yeah you’re darn right you shouldn’t be thinking that!!!! whatttt is wrong with her............. 

also- where tf did Huitzilo go??? he just gave up on trying to instigate a war and vanished?? the plot was so unresolved?????? AGH!

[dfroza]

pure & sacred truth.

the Day of Atonement (already fulfilled)

(already inside) the Temple of the heart (where the Spirit resides) within a child of Light in Love

and Love is God who is revealed (illuminated in the Son)

Yom Kippur is about forgiveness and rebirth. it is all about the True nature of Love

A set of posts by John Parsons:

Yom Kippur, or the “Day of Atonement,” is a time to celebrate our salvation in Messiah; it is a time to honor the wonder of our atonement, namely, that God has “blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross” (Col. 2:14). Because of the mesirat nefesh (sacrificial mediation) of Yeshua, the record of debt incurred by our sin has been paid in full. Yom Kippur reminds us that Yeshua “redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13). God publicly displayed Yeshua at his death as the “mercy seat” (i.e., kapporet: כַּפּרֶת) made accessible through faith (Rom. 3:25). The LORD gave up His life so that we can be in relationship with Him, that is, so that we can be "at-one" with His heart for us. Whatever else it may mean, then, the word “atonement” (i.e., kapparah, “covering,” “protection,” “purification,” “forgiveness”) is about accepting God’s heart for you - being unified in his love - and if you miss that, you’ve missed the entire point of the High Holiday season. Above all, then, Yom Kippur, is a time to celebrate God’s great love for us. [Hebrew for Christians]

Some people feel a certain amount of ambivalence about the holiday of Yom Kippur since it focuses on the purification of the sanctuary of the Temple, and this seems to have little to do with Yeshua and His sacrifice for our sins. After all, the Levitical system of worship is described in the New Covenant as “a shadow (σκιά) of the good things to come, instead of the true form (εἰκών) of these matters, and it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near” (Heb. 10:1). Since the blood of bulls and goats cannot truly take away sins (Heb. 10:3), the sacrificial system was intended to foreshadow the coming work of Messiah, who was born to die, in accordance with God’s will, and to offer his own body as a sacrifice for sin “once for all” (Heb. 10:5-10). “For by a single offering (μιᾷ γὰρ προσφορᾷ τετελείωκεν) he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Heb. 10:14).

Now while it is gloriously true that Yeshua functioned as our great High priest after the order of Malki-Tzedek by offering his blood upon the heavenly kapporet in the holy of holies “made without hands,” there still is a prophetic component to this holiday that applies to ethnic Israel regarding the prophesied End of Days. After all, the realm of “shadows” still applies in the case of unbelieving Israel, who has yet to behold the unveiled glory that awaits her... Therefore the psalmist prophetically cries out, "Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your Name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for the sake of your Name” (Psalm 79:9), and this refers to the hour when Israel will call upon the LORD for salvation during the End of Days, otherwise called the great Day of the LORD. This event is prefigured in the blast of the “great shofar” which will be sounded to announce Yeshua as Israel’s true Redeemer and King. Indeed, our Messiah will one day return to Israel, cleanse her Temple, restore her to Himself, and set up His glorious kingdom.

Since prophetically speaking Yom Kippur signifies ethnic Israel's atonement secured through Yeshua's sacrificial avodah as Israel's true High Priest and King, there remains a sense of longing and affliction connected to this holiday that will not be removed until finally "all Israel is saved" (Rom. 11:26). So, on the one hand we celebrate Yom Kippur because it acknowledges Yeshua as our High Priest of the New Covenant, but on the other hand, we "have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in our hearts" for the redemption of the Jewish people and the atonement of their sins (Rom. 9:1-5; 10:1-4; 11:1-2, 11-15, 25-27). In the meantime, we are in a period of "mysterious grace" wherein we have opportunity to offer the terms of the New Covenant to people of every nation, tribe and tongue. After the "fullness of the Gentiles" is come in, however, God will turn His full attention to fulfilling His promises given to ethnic Israel. May that great Day of the LORD come soon, chaverim... [Hebrew for Christians]

10.7.19 • Facebook

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another (ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλ��υς): just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another" (John 13:34). What’s new about this mitzvah is assuredly not the duty to love God and one's neighbor, since Yeshua had already affirmed the Shema and directly linked the love of God with our duty to care for others (see Matt. 22:37-39). No, what's new here is Yeshua Himself - his sacrificial grace, his unconditional acceptance, his "reckless" mercy, his everlasting atonement, and the abounding favor of God we find exclusively in him. The Torah of Yeshua is the absolute reverence of human life itself, where each soul is understood as being of infinite significance before the very Throne of God Himself. [Hebrew for Christians]

This also explains why God even commands us to love our enemies (Luke 6:27-36). We love our enemies not because we hope they will eventually change (i.e., not by pretending they are not really our enemies), nor by contriving a mode of sentimentality, but solely because love is an ongoing decision to bestow dignity and respect to all people... - jjp

10.8.19 • Facebook

[ebenrosetaylor]

Angels In Northern Renaissance Art

I decided to post my final paper for my class in Northern Renaissance Art, because I’m really proud of it! Anyways, here’s the essay, as well as the bibliography to go along with it if you want to do more reading on the subject.

Abrahamic religions discourage the depiction of God and other supernatural beings into an image, and yet the visualization of them is one of the most widely created. The visualization of angels was a hot topic for religious art, and during the Northern Renaissance, there was a sharp increase in the iconography of the Virgin Mary, which is almost always accompanied by various angels. Through Northern Renaissance paintings, such as Virgin and Child in the Rose Arbor by Martin Schongauer, The Annunciation by Jan de Beer, and Christ Surrounded by Musician Angels by Hans Memling, we are able to see how artists during this period explored the use of symbolism of color to express the different hierarchies and roles that angels have, and how they use this to create a visualization for these otherworldly beings.

Virgin and Child in the Rose Arbor is a painting featuring the most popular subject of painting in the Northern Renaissance; Mary and the baby Jesus. The dominant figure in the painting is Mary, surrounded by green foliage with pink roses dotted around her head. Jesus is a darker and more desaturated brown, making him seem less important compared to his mother and the arbor around them. The color of God emerging from the sky with a dove underneath him has robes of deep salmon and skin that matches the darkness of Jesus, showing repetition and harmony that alludes to the Holy Trinity. There is also repetition in color with God and Mary, as they are wearing the same color of robes, except Mary’s is slightly more saturated. What holds the greatest contrast in this painting’s composition is the angels holding a crown above Mary’s head. These angels are physically smaller than all of the humanoid figures, yet the most striking contrast is the blue color of their robes, which are out of place in the complementary red and green color scheme (1).

The blue in these angels’ robes was not an aesthetic choice to make a split-complementary color scheme, but a strong use of symbolism, as blue, has been historically used as a color connected to heaven. In different contexts and hues of blue, it can be used to symbolize chastity in the heavenly sphere, which would be fitting in the painting of the Virgin Mary, (2). Other uses of symbolic color that these angels bring out are the use of gold in the crowd descending on Mary’s head, which symbolizes heavenly light and absolute divine wisdom that was bestowed upon her when she became the mother of Jesus. These two uses of color symbolism work together between the two angels and Mary to create unity in the painting where there was originally contrast and linked the concept of angels into the painting successfully. But other uses of color symbolism between the subject of the Virgin Mary in different paintings are not in agreement with this particular painting. Rainbow wings are used in multiple images of angels in paintings about Mary, and rainbow wings symbolize the alliance between God and men and are used in another subject altogether, (3).

In The Annunciation, the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will be the mother of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Gabriel flies in from the left, colored with rainbow wings, shimmering gold clothing, and a rod of the ostiaries in hand, with a scroll of words unraveling from it. Mary is on the left looking downwards and her hands cupping the air over the heart, humbling herself as she receives this divine message. The linework is careful and smooth, and it guides the eye throughout the painting with the use of the architecture and the perspective, creating a realistic plane of space for Gabriel, Mary, and the other figures. The color values in the painting are another significant feature, as most of the colors are dull and dim, but the angel Gabriel contrasts this with his brightly lit body and his multicolored wings and robes (4). Even though the subject of the painting is Mary receiving God’s message, Gabriel is the center of the piece, as the use of color and value makes him the focal point.

Gabriel is the messenger of this good news to Mary, as it is his place in the hierarchy to be the focal point in both Abrahamic religions and art. In the book of Job, the first account of Satan and the book of Daniel gives the name of two angels, Michael and Gabriel (5). These two accounts, from the last two undisputed Hebrew texts, would lead to the important development in the way people think about angels. The Abrahamic religions begin to view angels in a hierarchy. “In the fifth century, an anonymous Christian monk, writing under the name Dionysius, examined various scriptural passages and suggested there was a nine-level angelic hierarchy: angels, archangels, principalities, powers, virtues, dominations, thrones, cherubim, and seraphim. A similar theme is seen in later Jewish tradition, especially in the medieval Jewish thinker Moses Maimonides,” (6). The archangel Gabriel is God’s messenger and delivered important messages to the prophet David to interpret his dreams, and to announce the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.

There is no coincidence that malac, the Hebrew word for angel, can also be translated to the messenger. The Archangel Gabriel, as well as many other nameless angels, have been reported to give messages to human beings for various reasons. The most famous message delivery by an angel in the Northern Renaissance is Gabriel telling Mary that she would give birth to Jesus, and would be visualised numerous times by countless numbers of artisans. This message reflects how  angels are also thought to be involved in the conception of every child, since so many messages were delivered about the birth of a baby. “The Jewish Midrash and the early Christian theologian seem to suggest that the soul is introduced by the angel at conception, for this is when the angels announce the forthcoming birth,” (6). Angels are believed to be present at the start of life, and a message is delivered to their parents before or after their conception to announce their birth. This notion has also connected with the concept of guardian angels, and if every person were to have a guardian angel, then the guardian angel would have to begin serving and protecting that human from the very moment it’s life began (6), which is more ambiguous than modern conservative Christians would believe. As it is written in the book of Ecclesiastes, “As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the spirit is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things,” (11:5) (5). Though it is unclear to humans when angels will begin showing their presence in our lives, their influence in their duties is always present.

Another task that angels are given is the praise of God with music.  Their musical talents are not the most popular subject in the Northern Renaissance art, but not many pieces of art can contain angels without praising God in one way or another. Christ Surrounded by Musician Angels (7) is a beautiful example of where angels and music making is at the focus of the piece, directed at Jesus Christ in the center. This triptych is made up of two outer panels with five angels on each outer panel, and three angels on either side of Jesus on the center panel. The panels are dominated by gold coloring, with a variety of reds, blues and silvers within Jesus and the angels surrounding him. This variety in color and detail in the painting that brings out the shape and form of these figures into a believable space among the silver clouds around the border. The placement of this triptych was originally inside the organ in the monastery of Santa María la Real de Nájera, and combined with the numerous angels playing a variety of instruments acknowledge angels as beings who worship God through song, and give them importance within paintings with the goal to glorify God. One of the most notable details of this painting is the realism of the figures and the musical instruments the angels play, so realistic that allowed manufacturers to use this painting as reference for the accurate reproduction of these instruments, (8). This realism also served as a reminder of how confident artists of the Northern Renaissance were of the design and visual appearance of angels.

Though the first mention of angels having wings is the description of cherubim carved on the Ark of the Covenant (5), the first written account of all angels having wings in sacred text is in the Quran. ‘Praise be to Allah . . . Who made the angel messengers with wings— two, or three, or four (pairs)’ (35: 1)(9). Of course, this was after the popularity of angels having wings has already been established, and more than just cherubim had wings. Since the fourth century, perhaps influenced by pagan images of the gods Nike and Eros, not only cherubim but all spirits have wings of different kinds (6). This visual theme carries well into the Northern Renaissance period, as it is seen as the paintings addressed before. Virgin and Child in the Rose Arbor shows the two angels hovering above Mary with tiny blue wings, but only seem small in comparison to the human figures in the painting; compared to their own bodies, the wings are the perfect size. The wings shown in The Annunciation are completely unidentifiable from their original species of bird because of its colorful nature, but the archangel Gabriel has the clearly identifiable trait on his back like any other angel would. Christ Surrounded by Musician Angels show angels with various types of wings inspired by different types of birds seen in nature, all pointed upward and on display as a confident proclamation of how angels, without a doubt, all have wings.

Aniconism is suggested to be against one of the ten commandments, specifically stated in Deuteronomy, “'You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth,” (5:7-8) (7). Many Jewish and Muslim scholars have concluded that any imagery of God and angels could be teetering on idolatry, where people might begin worshiping these images and focus on their appearance and stray against the one true God. Christians on the other hand are less worried about depicting The Trinity and angels, and almost entire Renaissance period focuses on the commissioning of visual interpretations of holy figures, ranging from icons of saints to artists trying to capture what an unfathomable spirit might look like. There is a possibility that artists might have been overwhelmed by thinking about this challenge, and submit to the wishes of their commissioner to give them a generic physical form that is reoccurring in Northern Renaissance art.

But are angels completely without bodies? Thomas Aquinas says that angels are completely intangible yet completely realm, in the same way that an image of a memory in our brain is as real as the event when it happened, (10). “For example, the three angels who visited Abraham sat down and shared a meal. Thomas Aquinas responded that, in order to be seen, angels sometimes took on a material body that they made from condensed air. This looks like a human body, but it is not a living body. It is more like a puppet moved by the angel,” (10). This theory for how angels were able to make themselves known to humans may have not been in the thoughts of those who created paintings of them during the Renaissance, but it is something to consider when trying to comprehend how angels were even able to be seen to be able to make images of them based off of experiences. Artists in this period, in a time where was a boom of demand by commissioners in depicting heavenly figures, were forced to capture how an angel would look spiritually while still showing how they appeared in their illusionary physical disguises.

Angels in Northern Renaissance art have been incorporated into countless works of art, and because of this, it is no wonder that their influence in society still stands, even after the initial interest in religion in the public sphere has diminished. The depiction of angels, through the works stated previously by Martin Schongauer, Jan de Beer, and Hans Memling has been influenced in many ways by religious texts as well as religions other than Christianity. Their use of color symbolism and the physical appearance of angels in their wings help illustrate their position in the hierarchy of angels and try to make sense and establish order in an artistic movement where humans try to capture the elegance and complexity of supernatural beings beyond their understanding.

Bibliography:

(1) Schongauer, Martin. Virgin and Child in a Rose Arbor. 1450-1491. Isabelle Stuart Gardener Museum, 25 Evans Way, Boston Massachusetts.

(2) Researcher, Renaissance Clothing. "Renaissance Clothing." The Meaning of Renaissance and Medieval Clothing Colors. January 01, 1970. Accessed May 16, 2017. http://renaissanceclothing.blogspot.com/2011/02/meaning-of-renaissance-and-medieval.html.

(3) Giorgi, Rosa, and Stefano Zuffi. Angels and demons in art. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2005.

(4) Beer, Jan De. The Annunciation. 1515-1525. Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 465 Huntington avenue, Boston Massachusetts.

(5) God. The Holy Bible: containing the Old and New Testaments ; translated out of the original tongues and with the former translations diligently compared and revised. New York: American Bible Society, 1986.

(6) Jones, David Albert. Angels : A History. Oxford, GB: Oxford University Press, 2010. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 15 May 2017.

Copyright © 2010. Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

(7) Memling, Hans. Christ Surrounded by Musician Angels. 1480. Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp.

(8) "Lute and other related instruments iconography (by Cuerdas Pulsadas)." Lutes in Art Timeline by Cuerdas Pulsadas RSS. Accessed May 17, 2017. https://www.cuerdaspulsadas.es/timeline/hans-memling-christ-surrounded-by-musician-angels-altarpiece-of-santa-maria-la-real-de-najera/.

(9) K̲h̲ān̲, Vaḥīduddīn. The Quran. New Delhi: Goodword Books, 2010.

(10) Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, trans. Fathers of the English Dominican (New York: Benziger Bros, 1947), www.newadvent. org/summa

[hobbitsetal]

2:4-6 pas deux

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.6 For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

[first things first, i’m probably gonna have to chop up Matthew Henry’s commentary a bit; he considers this passage more cohesively than i really have space or time to]

MH: The apostle here gives us a description of Jesus Christ as a living stone; and though to a capricious wit, or an infidel, this description may seem rough and harsh, yet to the Jews, who placed much of their religion in their magnificent temple, and who understood the prophetical style, which calls the Messiah a stone (Isa. 8:14 Isa. 28:16 ), it would appear very elegant and proper.

[this, my friends, is what we call hermeneutics. we (or Henry, rather), answers the questions “when was it written, to whom was it written, what did it mean to the modern audience, and what does it mean to us today?” so for the Jews, describing Christ as a stone called to mind the temple: both as the holy dwelling place of God, and as a foundational rock.]

MH: In this metaphorical description of Jesus Christ, he is called a stone, to denote his invincible strength and everlasting duration, and to teach his servants that he is their protection and security, the foundation on which they are built, and a rock of offence to all their enemies. He is the living stone, having eternal life in himself, and being the prince of life to all his people.

[honestly, just go read his whole commentary: http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/1-peter/2.html. i’m skipping chunks of good stuff for the sake of not putting too much.

MH: The apostle is recommending the Christian church and constitution to these dispersed Jews. It was natural for them to object that the Christian church had no such glorious temple, nor such a numerous priesthood; but its dispensation was mean, the services and sacrifices of it having nothing of the pomp and grandeur which the Jewish dispensation had. To this the apostle answers that the Christian church is a much nobler fabric than the Jewish temple; it is a living temple, consisting not of dead materials, but of living parts. Christ, the foundation, is a living stone. Christians are lively stones, and these make a spiritual house, and they are a holy priesthood; and, though they have no bloody sacrifices of beasts to offer, yet they have much better and more acceptable, and they have an altar too on which to present their offerings; for they offer spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

[GUYS do you ever stop to think about the challenges of integrating the early church?? do you ever consider these Jews, with their centuries of traditions and their history of conquering and being conquered, of being hated and triumphing madly in the face of odds because of their Jehovah, being handed these crazy Gentiles and told “you’re brothers now”?  i mean, the culture shock alone was a huge challenge. Paul’s epistles have a lot to do with “here’s how you can live together, and here’s what is allowed under the New Covenant, and here’s how Jews may satisfy their consciences, and here’s how Gentiles can be free in Christ, while also obeying these moral laws of God.” (i have a lot of feels about Paul: a Jew of Jews, a Pharisee of Pharisee, one who studied the Torah and the Law...the one whom God used incredibly to help integrate the church.) so for the Jews, Peter offers a way of viewing the church: not as tossing their beliefs and traditions out the window, but as giving them a higher purpose, a deeper meaning, a greater reflection of Heaven. the book of Hebrews addresses this in even more depth.

MH: All good Christians are a holy priesthood. The apostle speaks here of the generality of Christians, and tells them they are a holy priesthood; they are all select persons, sacred to God, serviceable to others, well endowed with heavenly gifts and graces, and well employed. (4.) This holy priesthood must and will offer up spiritual sacrifices to God. The spiritual sacrifices which Christians are to offer are their bodies, souls, affections, prayers, praises, alms, and other duties. (5.) The most spiritual sacrifices of the best men are not acceptable to God, but through Jesus Christ; he is the only great high priest, through whom we and our services can be accepted; therefore bring all your oblations to him, and by him present them to God.

[hhhnnnnnngggghhhhh okay yes. “sacred to God, serviceable to others...” YES. “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and body” is the greatest commandment, and the second greatest follows from it: “love your neighbor as yourself.” my dad’s explanation is that loving the Lord is a vertical line that expresses itself horizontally: to those around you. and that goes back to 1:22-23, loving your brothers with a pure heart because you’ve been redeemed. what are the Lord’s commandments? to honor and obey Him in all we do, and to love and sacrifice for our neighbors. who is our neighbor? everybody. 

i keep being five minutes late for work because i don’t wanna quit reading...]

[7r0773r]

What the Qur’an Meant and Why It Matters by Garry Wills

Though many speak of morality as following “the straight and narrow path,” this language has a special meaning in the desert culture of the Qur’an, whose opening prayer is “Guide us to the straight path” (1.6). Knowing and keeping to a sure and quick path was used for getting to water, to the next oasis. The one who knows what this route is and can lead others on it holds the key to life or death. If one does not reach water in a timely way, one can wander and die of all the ills brought on by dehydration. Allah’s great mercy is shown in the fact that he gives people a sure path. 

Now We have set you [Muhammad] on a clear religious path [shari’ah], so follow it. Do not follow the desires of those who lack [true] knowledge. (45.18)

Joseph E. B. Lumbard glosses this aya in The Study Quran this way:

In this context clear path translates shari’ah, which later became the technical term for Islamic Law, though it occurs only this one time in the Quran. Linguistically, shari’ah means a straight, smooth path that leads to water, which in the deserts of Arabia would also have meant a path to salvation from death. (SQ 1220) (pp. 69-70)

***

[The Qur’an] is abuzz with conversation. For Allah, the real meaning of creating is communicating. The Qur’an is an exercise in semiotics. God speaks a special language, in which mountains and winds and springs are the syllables. Everything is a sign. Even the light is just a pointer to a light beyond light. God’s light shines through everything. . . . (pp. 84-85)

***

The Qur’an, like both the Jewish and the Christian sacred writings, knows Adam as the first man God created, and the first sinner, who was expelled from his first habitat, the Garden. But the Qur’an also knows Adam in a different way—as the first prophet. After Adam has sinned, repented, and been accepted back by God, he is the first bearer of the Covenant with God, proclaiming that there are no other gods but the one who made him. This makes him the first of God’s chosen people, those who carry the message of the One God’s care for his believers. (p. 94)

***

The Qur’an tells a similar but different story [from the Bible]. Again, Adam and his spouse are not to eat fruit from a forbidden tree. But Satan does not tempt Eve alone. They are both told that eating the fruit will make them immortal (7.20, 20.120)—which shows that, unlike the biblical Adam and Eve, they were mortal before they ate from the tree. (p. 95)

***

The three faiths should then not argue among themselves (5.68-69, 22.67-68), but should make common cause against their shared opponents, the idolators. Allah wants his believers to be allies, strengthening one another in the various Covenants they have been given: 

We sent Jesus, son of Mary, in their [the prophets’] footsteps, to confirm the Torah that had been sent before him: We gave him the Gospel with guidance, light, and confirmation of the Torah already revealed—a guide and lesson for those who take heed of God. . . . We sent to you [Muhammad] the Scripture with the truth, confirming [all] the Scripture that came before and protecting it. (5.46-48) (p. 100-01)

***

. . . . The same word can be revered by some groups and reviled by others. That is true, now, of “jihad.” For one culture it means a striving for moral discipline and observance of the Qur’an, sometimes (but not always) while waging a just war. In another culture, it always means “holy war,” though there is no word for that in the Qur’an (SQ 1805). Allah tells Muhammad to wage jihad against unbelievers “with this Qur’an” (25.52), which means by the arguments for monotheism. The Qur’an never advocates war as a means of religious conversion, since “there is no compulsion in religion” (2.256). In fact, Muhammad lived for the first ten years of his revelations at peace with the surrounding polytheists of Mecca. (p. 132)

***

The religion of the Qur’an is a religion of peace. Can we say, therefore, that Islam is a religion of peace? That is a different matter. We can say that the religion of the New Testament is a religion of peace. But we cannot say that about Christianity, not after numberless wars of religious conquest, crusades, and inquisitions. These were not only wars against pagans and Jews and Muslims but wars against fellow Christians—Queen Mary I of England burning Protestants, Queen Elizabeth I hanging and drawing and quartering Catholics, New England Puritans hanging Quakers, Protestant crowds in the United States burning down Catholic convents. Why does religion so often veer into fanaticism? Why do the persecuted become persecutors?

Zeal is a dangerous emotion, one that often, from purest origins, runs out beyond its first object. Pair it with war—even with justified wars of self-defense—and it can become a raging flame. (pp. 140-41)

***

There are many things that make religious war the most deadly kind. If our side is seen as God’s cause, the other side must be anti-God, must be evil, must be Satan. It is hard to observe any truce with Satan.

So, just as the Christian empire grew by battle and slaughter, so did the Islamic empire. In either case, priests and imams found ways to twist the Gospel or the Qur’an into weird justifications for outrageous behavior. Both parties came to believe that “God wills it”—which is an egregious insult to God. The present difference between Christian and Islamic bellicosity is supposed to be that we are on two different time schedules. Christians like to think they have outgrown their medieval religious fanaticism while Islam has not. This mistakes the revanchist Muslim caliphate for the general world of Islamist believers who have repudiated it. So far from representing the majority of modern Muslims, the minority fanatics seem to be unaware of their own real traditions. To quote again Patricia Crone:

People like Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri don’t even seem to know their own traditions all that well. Rather, they have stripped Islam of practically everything that most Muslims consider to be their religion.

Nor can we rely too readily on our own enlightened escape from medieval impulse. Professor Crone rightly suspects that there can be a secular form of jihad. She does not mention the names of Bush or Cheney, Rumsfeld or Wolfowitz, but she does not need to. 

They too tend to be eager to rescue other people by enabling them to become more like themselves: richer, freer, more democratic. What do you do when your fingers are itching to intervene, when you have the power to do it, when you are sure you are right and you are convinced that the victims will be grateful—quite apart from the advantages that may redound to yourself from intervening?

Aren’t you allowed to use force; indeed, aren’t you obliged to use it? Is it right to save people against their will? Shouldn’t you force them to be free? If you say yes to these questions, you are in effect a believer in jihad.

No one should claim to be following the Gospel or the Qur’an when pushing forward this understanding of jihad. (pp. 143-44)

***

Some American legislators seem to think Shari’ah is nothing but a penal code whereas there is little mention of that in the Qur’an. Most of the book dwells on religious duty and moral conduct. And most of the rules of conduct have to do with matters like commerce and marriage, which I will discuss in the next two chapters. But the basic moral duties of observant Muslims have to do with religion, and these duties are the basic ones of all monotheistic faiths. Edward Gibbon, who was brilliant at discerning the core message of religions, before the multiple distortions and abuses that all religions suffer from, put the heart of the matter incisively. He was not a friend of religion, but he was fair in stating a religion’s claims. 

The precepts of Mahomet himself inculcate a more simple and rational piety [than the pagan one]: prayer, fasting, and alms are the religious duties of a Musulman; and he is encouraged to hope that prayer will carry him half way to God, fasting will bring him to the door of his palace, and alms will gain him admittance.

A contemporary Muslim scholar could not put the point more succinctly—that the “acts of worship [are] such as prayer, fasting, almsgiving.” The three great duties—prayer, fasting, alms—are in a climactic order of importance. Charity to the poor, zakat, is the loftiest duty, the one with most merit. (pp. 153-54)

***

The cure for reversion to violent ways by a minority is encouragement of good relations with the majority. The obstacle to such cooperation comes from the odd union of fundamentalist Muslims and critics of Islam who think only its harshest unchanging version is authentic, even though the best Muslim scholars, like the best Jewish and Christian scholars, see development of doctrine as the true spirit of Moses or Jesus or Muhammad. As [Olivier] Roy writes:

In both cases [of extremism] we are dealing with what I would call the essentialist position, consisting of seeing in Islam a fixed and timeless system of thought. Critics of Islam and Muslim fundamentalists are mirrors of each other, and each corroborates the other in the view of Islam that they share, merely with the signs [positive or negative] reversed.

Critics, that is, see as negative what literalists see as positive. In the same way, enemies of christianity see as its faults what its fundamentalists promote as its virtues—e.g., hell for people who practice contraception, abortion, religious pluralism, and other things forbidden in “tradition” but not in the Gospel. (pp. 155-56)

***

[The Qur’an] is a text of constant mercy and forgiving. (p. 158)

***

Torah, Gospel, and Qur’an are all patriarchal, and therefore misogynist—as were the societies in which they took shape. But misogynism is not all that all of them are. In all three of them there are traces of dignity and worth intended by the Creator when he made women. The task for feminists is to identify, investigate, and develop these traces. (p. 187)

***

In fact, the treatment of women in the Qur’an, even after we admit the general patriarchal setting, offers better grounds for feminism than are supplied in the other sacred writings. In the Old Testament, Satan first deceives Eve, as the weaker partner. In the Qur’an both husband and wife are tempted equally and fall equally, and they are henceforth punished equally for sins like adultery (one hundred lashes for either one regardless of gender) and they are rewarded equally for their virtue:

For men and women who are devoted to God—believing men and women, obedient men and women, truthful men and women, steadfast men and women, humble men and women, charitable men and women, fasting men and women, chaste men and women, men and women who remember God often—God has prepared forgiveness and a rich reward. (33.35)

In the Old Testament, Eve is a later and lesser creation. God creates Adam directly from primal earth, but Eve is made from Adam’s rib. Thomas Aquinas tells us why. Adam needed a companion (Gn 2.20) but male companionship is superior to that of a woman—the only new thing she can offer is her ability to bear man’s heirs.

Contrast that with the creation of Adam’s wife in the Qur’an. She is a later but not lesser creation. She is made not from Adam but from the same stuff as Adam. And the only reason she is later is to make sure that all humans come from one point of origin, making humans all equally sons or daughters of God. (pp. 190-91)

***

Women are not merely passive objects of men’s management but agents with negotiable assets. In a commercial society these were not a negligible consideration. Even in mid-twentieth-century America, a woman was often not able to open a bank account or make a major purchase without her husband’s or guardian’s approval. Women of the Qur’an were better off in that respect. (p. 199)

[hoshvilim]

Clash of Worlds : Britain and Palestine Part 1

Clash of Worlds –  This is a BBC Documentary focusing on the relationship between Britain and Palestine, the resulting foundation of the state of Israel, and the effects felt to this day. Although this video begins with the so-called betrayal of the Arabs by the British, the BBC is fair enough to list the historical battles between Christians and Muslims. Beginning in the Crusades the battles continued up to the Mahdi War in Sudan and the Muslim revolutionaries in India. Could Britain trust the Muslims? According to this series, many British statesmen certainly did not trust the Muslims.

In this post, and all the posts for the “Clash of Worlds” series, we have added background information to help you understand the terms in each Part of the series. Enjoy!

David Lloyd George

David Lloyd George, seen as an opponent of war, was as surprised as almost everyone else by the outbreak of the First World War. A month after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria  he made a speech saying that Britain’s relations with Germany were better than for many years. Lloyd became Prime Minister 1916–1922. Lloyd George wanted to make the destruction of Ottoman Empire a major British war aim, and two days after taking office told General Robertson that he wanted a major victory, preferably the capture of Jerusalem, to impress British public opinion. His objective was “Jerusalem before Christmas”.

David Lloyd George circa 1918

At the end of the Great War, he called for the liberation of the subject peoples of Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire.

Hussein ibn Ali al-Hashimi

Hussein ibn Ali al-Hashimi – الحسين بن علي الهاشمي‎,  (1853/1854 – 4 June 1931) was the Hashemite Arab leader who was the Sharif and Emir of Mecca from 1908–1916. Hussein declared himself ‘King of the Arab Countries’. Hussein’s pan-Arab aspirations were not accepted by the Allies. After proclaiming the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire,  he became the King of the Hejaz from 1916 to 1924. In 1925, the forces of Abdulaziz ibn Abdul Rahman Al Saud (Ibn Saud) captured the holy city of Mecca from Sharif Hussein, ending 700 years of Hashemite rule.

After World War I Hussein refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles, in protest at the Balfour Declaration and the establishment of British and French mandates in Syria, Iraq, and Palestine.

Sayyid Hussein bin Ali, Sharif and Emir of Mecca, King of Hejaz

Hussein’s sons Faisal and Abdullah were made rulers of Iraq and Transjordan respectively in 1921.

Thomas Edward Lawrence – Clash of Worlds

T.E. Lawrence was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer.

Lawrence in 1919

Soon after the outbreak of war he volunteered for the British Army and was stationed in Egypt. In 1916, he was sent to Arabia on an intelligence mission and quickly became involved with the Arab Revolt, providing, along with other British officers, liaison to the Arab forces. Working closely with Emir Faisal, a leader of the revolt, he participated in and sometimes led military activities against the Ottoman armed forces, culminating in the capture of Damascus in October 1918.

Map presented by Lawrence to the Eastern Committee of the War Cabinet in November 1918

During the closing years of WWI Lawrence sought to convince his superiors in the British government that Arab independence was in their interests – with mixed success. The secret Sykes-Picot Agreement between France and Britain contradicted the promises of independence that he had made to the Arabs and frustrated his work.

Edmund Allenby

Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, in the First World War, led the British Empire’s Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign against the Ottoman Empire in the conquest of Palestine.

The victorious General Allenby dismounted, enters Jerusalem on foot out of respect for the Holy City, 11 December 1917

Allenby dismounted and entered the city on foot through the Jaffa Gate, together with his officers, in deliberate contrast to the perceived arrogance of the Kaiser’s entry into Jerusalem on horseback in 1898 which was not well received by the local citizens. Allenby sent his Indian Muslim soldiers to guard Islamic religious sites, feeling that this was the best way of reaching out to the Muslim population of Jerusalem.

Drawing of Allenby from journal “The War” c. 1917

Allenby’s Proclamation of Martial Law

Allenby’s official proclamation of martial law following the fall of Jerusalem on 9 December 1917 read as follows:

To the Inhabitants of Jerusalem the Blessed and the People Dwelling in Its Vicinity:   The defeat inflicted upon the Turks by the troops under my command has resulted in the occupation of your city by my forces. I, therefore, here now proclaim it to be under martial law, under which form of administration it will remain so long as military considerations make necessary.   However, lest any of you be alarmed by reason of your experience at the hands of the enemy who has retired, I hereby inform you that it is my desire that every person pursue his lawful business without fear of interruption. Furthermore, since your city is regarded with affection by the adherents of three of the great religions of mankind and its soil has been consecrated by the prayers and pilgrimages of multitudes of devout people of these three religions for many centuries, therefore, do I make it known to you that every sacred building, monument, holy spot, shrine, traditional site, endowment, pious bequest, or customary place of prayer of whatsoever form of the three religions will be maintained and protected according to the existing customs and beliefs of those to whose faith they are sacred.   Guardians have been established at Bethlehem and on Rachel’s Tomb. The tomb at Hebron has been placed under exclusive Moslem control.   The hereditary custodians at the gates of the Holy Sepulchre have been requested to take up their accustomed duties in remembrance of the magnanimous act of the Caliph Omar, who protected that church.

Al-Karak – الكرك‎

Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II established a resident governor (mutasarif) of Ma’an Province in Al-Karak. One of the first governors, 1895, Hussein Helmy Bey Effendi, ruled with a garrison of 1,200 troops, in 3 regiments, mostly conscripts from West of the River Jordan and 200 Circassian cavalry. He disarmed the local population and also established a Military Hospital with a Jewish doctor.

Castle of Karak Photo: Berthold Werner

Following the San Remo conference, 1920, Great Britain was given a mandate to govern Karak. The newly appointed High Commissioner in Jerusalem, Herbert Samuel, sent several officials east of the River Jordan to create a local administration.  In January 1921 Emir Abdullah Hussein arrived in Karak. At the Cairo conference, March 1921, Abdullah was recognised by the British as ruler of Emirate of Transjordan.

Israel – Palestine For Critical Thinkers: #6

Arab and Jewish Nationalism were shaped by World War I. In order to achieve their goals of statehood, both Arab and Jewish people looked to the British for support. However, controversy was not far away, as these alliances would come to overlap when the British pledged land to both groups, creating a conflict for years to come.

WW I and Israel-Palestine

Approved and recommended by the Israeli Ministry of Education.

English

עברית

Français

Español

6,000 Years of Jewish history & legacy at a glance on a one-page infographic. The poster-chart combines different fields on a single timeline such as demography, literature, Jewish and World events, traditions, historical figures and more. Every entry on the timeline is a hot-spot that pops a balloon with an image, further reading and useful links (Wikipedia & more). In addition, you may freely download and print a high resolution version of the Odyeda Jewish Timeline in PDF format in white or parchment backgrounds.

Read more here:

Clash of Worlds : Britain and Palestine Part 1 * Clash of Worlds : Britain and Palestine Part 1 Clash of Worlds -  This is a BBC Documentary focusing on the relationship between Britain and Palestine, the resulting foundation of the state of Israel, and the effects felt to this day.

[araitsume]

Prophets and Kings, pp. 628-538: Chapter (52) A Man of Opportunity

This chapter is based on Nehemiah 1; 2.

Nehemiah, one of the Hebrew exiles, occupied a position of influence and honor in the Persian court. As cupbearer to the king he was admitted freely to the royal presence. By virtue of his position, and because of his abilities and fidelity, he had become the monarch's friend and counselor. The recipient of royal favor, however, though surrounded by pomp and splendor, did not forget his God nor his people. With deepest interest his heart turned toward Jerusalem; his hopes and joys were bound up with her prosperity. Through this man, prepared by his residence in the Persian court for the work to which he was to be called, God purposed to bring blessing to His people in the land of their fathers.

By messengers from Judea the Hebrew patriot learned that days of trial had come to Jerusalem, the chosen city. The returned exiles were suffering affliction and reproach. The temple and portions of the city had been rebuilt; but the work of restoration was hindered, the temple services were disturbed, and the people kept in constant alarm by the fact that the walls of the city were still largely in ruins.

Overwhelmed with sorrow, Nehemiah could neither eat nor drink; he “wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted.” In his grief he turned to the divine Helper. “I ... prayed,” he said, “before the God of heaven.” Faithfully he made confession of his sins and the sins of his people. He pleaded that God would maintain the cause of Israel, restore their courage and strength, and help them to build up the waste places of Judah.

As Nehemiah prayed, his faith and courage grew strong. His mouth was filled with holy arguments. He pointed to the dishonor that would be cast upon God, if His people, now that they had returned to Him, should be left in weakness and oppression; and he urged the Lord to bring to pass His promise: “If ye turn unto Me, and keep My Commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set My name there.” See Deuteronomy 4:29-31. This promise had been given to Israel through Moses before they had entered Canaan, and during the centuries it had stood unchanged. God's people had now returned to Him in penitence and faith, and His promise would not fail.

Nehemiah had often poured out his soul in behalf of his people. But now as he prayed a holy purpose formed in his mind. He resolved that if he could obtain the consent of the king, and the necessary aid in procuring implements and material, he would himself undertake the task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and restoring Israel's national strength. And he asked the Lord to grant him favor in the sight of the king, that this plan might be carried out. “Prosper, I pray Thee, Thy servant this day,” he entreated, “and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

Four months Nehemiah waited for a favorable opportunity to present his request to the king. During this time, though his heart was heavy with grief, he endeavored to bear himself with cheerfulness in the royal presence. In those halls of luxury and splendor all must appear light-hearted and happy. Distress must not cast its shadow over the countenance of any attendant of royalty. But in Nehemiah's seasons of retirement, concealed from human sight, many were the prayers, the confessions, the tears, heard and witnessed by God and angels.

At length the sorrow that burdened the patriot's heart could no longer be concealed. Sleepless nights and care-filled days left their trace upon his countenance. The king, jealous for his own safety, was accustomed to read countenances and to penetrate disguises, and he saw that some secret trouble was preying upon his cupbearer. “Why is thy countenance sad,” he inquired, “seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart.”

The question filled Nehemiah with apprehension. Would not the king be angry to hear that while outwardly engaged in his service, the courtier's thoughts had been far away with his afflicted people? Would not the offender's life be forfeited? His cherished plan for restoring the strength of Jerusalem—was it about to be overthrown? “Then,” he writes, “I was very sore afraid.” With trembling lips and tearful eyes he revealed the cause of his sorrow. “Let the king live forever,” he answered. “Why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchers, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?”

The recital of the condition of Jerusalem awakened the sympathy of the monarch without arousing his prejudices. Another question gave the opportunity for which Nehemiah had long waited: “For what dost thou make request?” But the man of God did not venture to reply till he had sought direction from One higher than Artaxerxes. He had a sacred trust to fulfill, in which he required help from the king; and he realized that much depended upon his presenting the matter in such a way as to win his approval and enlist his aid. “I prayed,” he said, “to the God of heaven.” In that brief prayer Nehemiah pressed into the presence of the King of kings and won to his side a power that can turn hearts as the rivers of waters are turned.

To pray as Nehemiah prayed in his hour of need is a resource at the command of the Christian under circumstances when other forms of prayer may be impossible. Toilers in the busy walks of life, crowded and almost overwhelmed with perplexity, can send up a petition to God for divine guidance. Travelers by sea and land, when threatened with some great danger, can thus commit themselves to Heaven's protection. In times of sudden difficulty or peril the heart may send up its cry for help to One who has pledged Himself to come to the aid of His faithful, believing ones whenever they call upon Him. In every circumstance, under every condition, the soul weighed down with grief and care, or fiercely assailed by temptation, may find assurance, support, and succor in the unfailing love and power of a covenant-keeping God.

Nehemiah, in that brief moment of prayer to the King of kings, gathered courage to tell Artaxerxes of his desire to be released for a time from his duties at the court, and he asked for authority to build up the waste places of Jerusalem and to make it once more a strong and defensed city. Momentous results to the Jewish nation hung upon this request. “And,” Nehemiah declares, “the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.”

Having secured the help he sought, Nehemiah with prudence and forethought proceeded to make the arrangements necessary to ensure the success of the enterprise. He neglected no precaution that would tend to its accomplishment. Not even to his own countrymen did he reveal his purpose. While he knew that many would rejoice in his success, he feared that some, by acts of indiscretion, might arouse the jealousy of their enemies and perhaps bring about the defeat of the undertaking.

His request to the king had been so favorably received that Nehemiah was encouraged to ask for still further assistance. To give dignity and authority to his mission, as well as to provide protection on the journey, he asked for and secured a military escort. He obtained royal letters to the governors of the provinces beyond the Euphrates, the territory through which he must pass on his way to Judea; and he obtained, also, a letter to the keeper of the king's forest in the mountains of Lebanon, directing him to furnish such timber as would be needed. That there might be no occasion for complaint that he had exceeded his commission, Nehemiah was careful to have the authority and privileges accorded him, clearly defined.

This example of wise forethought and resolute action should be a lesson to all Christians. God's children are not only to pray in faith, but to work with diligent and provident care. They encounter many difficulties and often hinder the working of Providence in their behalf, because they regard prudence and painstaking effort as having little to do with religion. Nehemiah did not regard his duty done when he had wept and prayed before the Lord. He united his petitions with holy endeavor, putting forth earnest, prayerful efforts for the success of the enterprise in which he was engaged. Careful consideration and well-matured plans are as essential to the carrying forward of sacred enterprises today as in the time of the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls.

Nehemiah did not depend upon uncertainty. The means that he lacked he solicited from those who were able to bestow. And the Lord is still willing to move upon the hearts of those in possession of His goods, in behalf of the cause of truth. Those who labor for Him are to avail themselves of the help that He prompts men to give. These gifts may open ways by which the light of truth shall go to many benighted lands. The donors may have no faith in Christ, no acquaintance with His word; but their gifts are not on this account to be refused.

[trueislaminformation-blog]

NEW: Ben Shapiro OWNS Radical Muslim Apologist And Linda Sarsour Defender.

Muslims always lying. When muslims say that they fight for humans rights, then they only mean for the muslims rights, they don't want to condemn Muslim Brotherhood. In muslims eyes are we non-muslims not humans who has to live in freedom like muslims, they call us Dhimmi, infidels, Kuffars (just like in South Africa under Apartheid), pigs, apes and dogs.  A dhimmī (Arabic: ذمي‎‎ ḏimmī, IPA: [ˈðɪmmiː], collectively أهل الذمة ahl ul-ḏimmah/dhimmah "the people of the dhimma") is a historical term referring to non-Muslimcitizens of an Islamic state. The word literally means "protected person under Sharia."  According to scholars, dhimmis had their rights fully protected in their communities, but as citizens in the Islamic state, had certain restrictions, and it was obligatory for them to pay the jizya tax, which complemented the zakat, or alms, paid by the Muslim subjects.  Dhimmis were exempt from certain duties assigned specifically to Muslims, and did not enjoy certain political rights reserved for Muslims, but were otherwise equal under the laws of property, contract, and obligation. Under sharia, the dhimmi communities were usually subjected to their own special laws, and exempt from some laws applicable to the Muslim community. For example, the Jewish community in Medina was allowed to have its own Halakhic courts, and the Ottoman millet system allowed its various dhimmi communities to rule themselves under separate legal courts. These courts did not cover cases that involved religious groups outside of their own community, or capital offences. Dhimmi communities were also allowed to engage in certain practices that were usually forbidden for the Muslim community, such as the consumption of alcohol and pork. Historically, dhimmi status was originally applied to Jews, Christians, and Sabians. This status later also came to be applied to Zoroastrians, Hindus, Jains and Buddhists.  Eventually, the Hanafi school, the largest school of Islamic jurisprudence, and the Maliki school, the second largest school of Islamic jurisprudence, applied this term to all non-Muslims living in Islamic lands outside the sacred area surrounding Mecca, in present-day Saudi Arabia.

[cfijerusalem]

ABSOLUTE TRUTH: A shield Against Deception by Sharon Sanders.

Inscribed on the pages of Sacred Scripture is accuracy to the highest degree, and infallibility, that brings total assurance to seekers of absolute truth. To point mankind to God’s Word, is to lead the human race into universal enlightenment, in the midst of a global attempt by mortals to extinguish the light of God’s message to men and women, of every race, tribe, culture and lineage. Yeshua’s (Jesus’) first admonition to His followers, when they challenged Him to give them insight as to the indicators of His Second Coming, without hesitation, He emphasized a strong distinguishing mark of the end times: deception. (Psalm 101:7). The act of hiding the truth, especially for someone’s advantage, is a hallmark of today’s world. Sadly to say, the misleading information we all are sometimes fed in world media is shocking, if not unnerving. The cheating that goes on in normal every day business, the underhandedness, dishonesty and fraud – among many other visible and decidedly dishonest practices put forth in technology, television, radio, and every other modern mode of communication – is shameful.

Because deception is running rampant, I believe we need men and women of stalwart faith from our Judeo-Christian communities to rise up, even if they are in a minority, to help get the facts straight. “A lie doesn’t become truth, wrong doesn’t become right and evil doesn’t become good, just because it is accepted by a majority.” (R. Warren).

Multitudes in the world are being fooled because they believe lies. Spiritual leaders are also being beguiled because they refuse to assume responsibility for what is true. Too many spiritual leaders are not aware of half truths. If someone gets hold of the wrong half, they have a problem clearly seeing fact and reality. We, as believers in Jesus the Messiah, have a dilemma. Should we sacrifice truth on the altar of popularity or should we shoulder the duty to deal with accountability in our churches, basing our stand upon the absolute truth of Scripture? Thomas Aquinas said, “As a matter of honor, one man owes it to another to manifest the truth.” Therefore, even though some may stubbornly refuse to be taught, we have a mandate to stand for the truth in this day and age. Some of us are going to be called to speak up. It will take discernment and courage to do so. It is not a time for the fainthearted, but the time for brave followers of our Lord, to stand tall and strong...firmly rooted in God’s Word!

Hitler once said, “make the lie big. Make it simple. Keep saying it. And eventually they will believe it.” This means that beliefs can be manipulated. This is something we do not wish to happen to us. There is a wide range of incorrect “facts” out there, blatant lies, and the printing of incorrect information. Truth is bulldozed and buried in the ground by some reporting, while the media’s dirty laundry list of fabrications and half truths hangs on the line for all to see. First and foremost on the hit list of media incorrectness is Israel. Israel, a candle in the world arena of nations, is a light that the world wants extinguished, and is doing all it can to delegitimize it, and along with it, to deny the truth of Scripture. Not only do many nations deny Israel the right to exist--attempting to disconnect it from its ancient history and kingdom--but various religions are seeking to erase historical facts and rewrite history, coming against God’s Word. In spiritual terms it looks like satan is deceiving the world. We, as followers of Jesus, must be ever alert to unmask and expose his strategies.

In an article entitled, “Truth is Fallen in the Street” by Dr. Jack Hyles, he stated a perceptive observation when he said, “There will never be a virile Christianity, there will never be a Christianity or a church that will affect and influence society, until the church comes back and says, ‘This, ladies and gentlemen, is truth! As long as the Bible may or may not be so, justice will not pass, judgment will have to go back, and equity will not be able to pass in the street, until we come back to saying truth is truth and this is true!’” Truth needs to be proclaimed and declared. He goes on to say, “Where is the truth? The Bible is the truth. Every word of it is true. When this truth falls in the street, we lose our way and man dies without God. When this truth is picked up off the street and held and preached for right, man can find the way through Jesus Christ to life and life eternal.”

The popular message today is that Israel has no favor with God. Some even deny its existence, while others shout Israel has no right to their Land. While countries like Iran are physically threatening her survival, some in the Church persecute her by saying she is not the Chosen People. In a nutshell, these Churches are denying the God of Israel. I have travelled to many places on this earth, and rarely did I find a Christian who could answer my question, “What God do we worship, as Christians?” Dead silence. Finally, someone said in a shy voice, “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?” The worshippers didn’t even think about who they were worshipping! This is just pure ignorance. I also found those in the Church with little or no knowledge of the nation of Israel.

In Genesis 3:4, the first lie from the lips of the deceiver were, “You most assuredly won’t die!” Here, we are first introduced to the power of words. Over and over throughout the annals of time, satan has persuaded mankind to question God. “Yea, hath God said?” (Genesis 3:1) was another challenge raising doubts about God’s commands. “Really?” he asked. “None of the fruit in the garden? God says you mustn’t eat any of it?” (Tay) Satan is a master repudiator and rebutter of God’s words and he influences mankind to question God or to totally deny Him.

A recent report from Arutz Sheva, an Israel news site, reported, “Every day, every hour, lies about Israel are spread online.” Ever since the founding of the Jewish state in 1948, the Arab world has spread enough anti-Israel propaganda around the world to cause a whole world view that Israel had stolen Arab land, and the world swallowed the pill of deception. From that incongruous starting point, major newspapers around the world, world agencies and diplomatic bodies have spread lies, and have dug their own pit by allowing their foundations to decay in a me-centered world, where rebellion against authority is rampant.

The recent UNESCO resolution against Israel/Judea/Samaria will end up in the dust bin of history. The former POTUS (President of the United States) Barak Obama, shamefully carried out one last harmful maneuver against Israel by not vetoing Resolution 2334, which basically makes the Old City of Jerusalem, and the Kotel (Western Wall) both “occupied territory”.

Israel was nearly annihilated in the Security Council vote that demanded an end to all settlement activity and that designated all the land that Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 war, as well as the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, as Arab land occupied by Israel. The question on many western minds is now, who does Jerusalem belong to? Few are acknowledging that Jerusalem is the undivided eternal capital of Israel. “Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us break their bonds in pieces, and cast away their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens shall laugh...” (Psalm 2:1-4).

A recent headline read “Christians punish the Defender of Christians in the Middle East.” “UN Resolution 2334 was passed with the support of several Christian-dominated countries (France, Britain, Russia, Spain, Uruguay, Angola, Ukraine, Venezuela and New Zealand), while another Christian-dominated country, the United States of America, ensured the resolution’s passage by refusing to use the veto it has traditionally used against such resolutions.” (Jewishpress. com) In so doing, “the world’s Christians are betraying the only state in the Middle East that protects Christians from extinction...This attack by Christians on the Jews of Israel is reminiscent of a long tradition of Christian anti-Semitism, particularly in Europe. It appeared to be in remission for awhile, after the Christian-majority nation of Germany nearly wiped out all Jewish presence in Europe. Are we seeing a return to traditional Christian anti-Semitism, or are we seeing world leaders who are too cowardly to address the real problems (truthfully) and would rather use demonization of Israel as a distraction? Whatever the reason is, the Christians’ betrayal of the Jews is as short-sighted as it is wrong. As the Times of Israel reported this past Christmas, in the Palestinian-controlled West Bank city of Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, the “Christian population is rapidly disappearing,” as in the rest of the Arab Middle East. By betraying the Jews, Christians are not only continuing a long history of anti-Semitism but also undermining their own heritage.” (Fred Maroun, the Jewish Press.).

Islam claims Israel does not allow religious freedom, while the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem praises Israeli religious freedom. Arabs living in Israel shout that Israel is a land “occupier”, while the US Republican party platform expressed an unequivocal support for Israel and rejected the false notion that Israel is an occupier. The true face of apostate Christendom has been shown through the Presbyterian and Methodist churches in the USA when they called for BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) based on Israel’s “human rights abuses” and “militarized violence” against Palestinians. I can tell you the truth, there is no such thing as human rights being abused by Israelis and no militarized violence perpetrated by the Israelis. My husband and I have lived in Jerusalem for 31 years. Israel, we clearly see, is one tiny nation against a big world of anti-Semitism. The final judgment of the nations is actually based upon how the nations treated His People. God will have the last word (see Hebrews 10:30).

Jerusalem is destined to be the capital of the messianic king- dom to come. It is a “City on a hill” (ir al tillah, in Hebrew) and the golden age is just beyond the horizon. As with the Jewish people, when our Watchmen pray for Jerusalem, they envision it not as it is, but as it will be when Yeshua returns. The hard truths of reality are that the coming battle will be over Jerusalem. Jerusalem is “the Place”. “There is no city on earth that can compare in value to Jerusalem...With over 800 references to Jerusalem in the Bible there is much that can be learned about it...God Himself has chosen this earthly city to dwell in and to establish His Name among men...There is no other place on earth that has such a destiny.” (D. Hershey). “For the Lord has chosen Zion: He has desired it for His habitation. This is MY resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.” (Psalm 132:31-14). It will be the seat of power over all nations. This is truth. We must not be hesitant to declare it.

Concluding, the concerns that are keystone issues today, are: (a) the rise of Christian anti-Semitism and the ongoing heresy of Replacement Theology in our churches worldwide, (b) the ongoing inaccurate and unfair media coverage of Israel to the world, and (c) the upsurge of anti-Christian, anti-Jewish and anti-Israel undercurrent in the world today. All three major topics flow out from a hatred for the God of Creation, who says Himself, He is the God of Israel! (Mark 12:26).

We must observe our ongoing struggle to eradicate the barefaced lie of Replacement Theology. The origins of the false teaching began centuries ago with Church forefathers who were anti-Semitic in their hearts. Today, the heresy has been re-kindled in Europe and in America (even though in America there are probably more Israel supporters than anywhere else in the world). By negating the promises God has made to Abraham and his descendants, the “Church” refuses Israel the place and role in God’s plans and purposes for which she has been called. By refusing to read the Torah, called the “Old Testament” by most Christians, spiritual leadership becomes callous and indifferent to Israel’s past, present and future. “In a sermon I heard recently, a well-known American evangelical teacher announced to his congregation that he would prefer to have the church “fix his car” rather than to get a “free trip” to Israel for his 30th anniversary”. (John J. Parsons, Hebrew for Christians). Perhaps our pastors and leaders need to read what the great prophet Jeremiah predicted will happen in the future. “...the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth and shall say, surely our fathers have inherited lies...” (Jeremiah 61:19). The Septuagint tells us that the nations will come from the extremity of the earth to admit that their fathers attributed to generations of believers (and non-believers) believing fabrications about the Jewish people. “They killed Christ!” “God is finished with Israel!” and “the Jews are the scum of the earth!” These are all allegations from the mouths of “Christians” throughout the ages. As long as the scourge of this harmful theology continues, the all-embracing blessing for the followers of Yeshua (Jesus) will not be realized in its fullness. In the coming age and kingdom on this earth, it is made very clear in God’s Word, that there will be no anti-Semites under God’s dominion rule.

It is only recently that we have been introduced to the terminology “fake news”. I’m sure it has been around for a long time, but it has been brought to the surface during President Donald Trump’s campaign and early days in the White House. False information about Israel, both Arab and world media propa- ganda published under the guise of authentic news has finally been exposed. Misleading the world with constant lies about Jewish people, the Land, the nation and its right to their God-given possession of the Land has been to misinform the public via social networks and different modes of modern communication. It is nothing new, but it has been given a more powerful audience with today’s technology.

Finally, as we watch the devious and dishonest manner in which liberals, the left, and all who wish to see a One World Government, spew lies about Israel, it will necessitate advocates and campaigners of absolute truth, which is to be found only in one place: God’s unchanging Word! If we do not hold fast to our convictions, we will end up being fooled, as much of the world is today. Let us not be as many in the Church worldwide, refusing to accept what is true about Israel and God’s Chosen People. God’s promises have not failed them. The dry bones, the army of people, the restoration, rebirth of the nation, and return of the people, have all taken place, just as He said. The future of Israel is as bright as the shining sun. Her perpetual and timeless existence is as certain as the sun, moon, stars and the sea are in His care (Jeremiah 31:35-37). For those who cannot accept the truth, they will indeed be fooled and they, or their children, will one day have to admit that they inherited “lies”.

Let us all carry the torch of the one permanent light in this dark world today, for it is undoubtedly, without hesitation or reservation, our shield of absolute truth on which every human being may rest their belief, protection and confidence. It will be our lifelong stable rock which will never move. From wherever we live, we will join other like minded redeemed from the earth, when we meet on the road to Zion to take part, with the redeemed of Israel, in the Kingdom that is advancing to this earth. In Jerusalem, the King will teach us the Law of the Lord and His Ways. “ Many people will say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:3, NIV). Let us all remem- ber, there are two paths that lead to deception, as Kierkegaard said. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to accept what is true. Embarking on the right path will move us forward and prevent us from inheriting lies masked in decep- tion. As a matter of honor, we owe it to one another to present absolute truth.

[allwicca]

Witch Theology: the Sacredness of the Now

By: Laura Tempest Zakroff

Occasionally I am asked about my theology as a Witch – especially what about the goal of living, of death and the afterlife? I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately as other folks’ beliefs are being used to wage a culture war on the rest of humanity.  Seeing what other people claim they believe and then do because of those claims is always a good time to stop and think about your own.

I went to Catholic school from kindergarten through 9th grade, with the catechism to match.  Not because I believed it, but because I was driven to excel in all of my studies. Seriously, the only “C” I ever got on a report card was my final semester of college, when I was out of fucks to give about liberal arts credits.

I was very much an over-achiever, so of course when there was a competition for art or scholarship, I was usually on board.  No less true for the annual poster competition that my school held – in correlation with the Pro-Life march.  I never went on a march, but I made some incredible posters from 6-8th grade, winning the competition every year.  The one I remember most had the words “Life is a Gift” and featured a baby in an open gift box with tissue paper (it was 3D) – and I achieved super-realism through Pantone markers.

But it wasn’t about the cause.  It was about the art.  I had the same fervency for the “Reuse, Renew, Recycle” poster and anything else you tossed my way.  I wasn’t into babies or children – I preferred my bunnies, bears, and unicorns.  My little cottage in the backyard wasn’t so that I could “play house” as a parent to dolls, but as a self-sufficient adult out in the wilderness.  When I heard of the deaths of young people – kids and teenagers, I was sad of course, but more on the part of frustration on their behalf.  That they had to go through THIS all over again.  THIS being childhood.  Childhood was a kind of purgatory to me – very early on I was keenly aware that in order to get shit done, I’d have to be a lot older.  The idea of dying just as you were getting to that point was the ultimate tragedy to me.  Innately, I had a dreaded sense of having to go through a reboot if that happened.

Also, by 3rd grade, I learned that there wasn’t a hell.  At least not to my parents – though that has never stopped any one in my family from instructing other people to GO there post haste.  One of my teachers had said that anyone who wasn’t Christian would immediately go to hell upon death.  Knowing my father was Jewish, I was understandably distraught.  My mom unpacked it for me that we didn’t believe in hell, not like that.  Of course, if you take one thing out of the equation, it causes one to wonder about the other half – heaven.  Which in turn makes you wonder about the point of religion in politics, especially those that have become largely based on a reward/punishment system.

It’s essentially about control and money – totally anachronistic to the actual doctrines of most religion.  Those doctrines are about the essence of love, about providing a good life for all, taking care of each other, cherishing our resources and protecting them.  There is a little talk about reward (because let’s face it, some folks do need that kind of structure to actually be and do good), but it plays second or third fiddle in the orchestra of living life fully and respectfully.

So that hard focus on “Pro Life” means absolutely nothing if you’re not going to also give support for the actual life of the child, regardless of its creed, color, or background.  It means you’re more intent on breeding people and making them miserable for your own needs.  Why would anyone do that? Money, power, and control.  Why deny other kinds of marriage when you don’t hold your own as sacred? Fear-mongering, not love. Why destroy the environment and strip the planet of its resources? Maybe it’s because you only believe in one life, and think he who dies with the most money wins?  It sure isn’t about cherishing life.  It definitely isn’t about God or heaven.  It shouldn’t be a surprise that the rise of the heaven/hell concept really took on a new role in Christianity during the darkest ages of man – as a means to make money and control people.

Which brings me back to the wording on that “Pro-Life” poster I made in grade school.  I don’t believe in the doctrine or system behind the creation of the poster, but I do believe that life IS a gift, once we have fully entered this world.  And we have a duty to live it.

My theology as a Witch is that I’m focused on the sacredness of now, the inter-connectivity of life.  I believe all expressions of love, and I find such incredible beauty in them. I believe in giving people the opportunity and freedom to live life beautifully.  I believe we do travel in cycles and circles, and therefore need to not think in terms of heaven and hell, but rather of the interwoven pattern of past, present, and future.  I’m not hung up on the idea of reincarnation or heaven, but I do believe we exist as energy that can return to a source. And then like fresh wool, are spun out again into threads across the universe’s loom.  If we revel in the now and take responsibility for our actions as we weave through the loom, then we preserve the future and build the fabric of life.

Maybe it’s the point of others to seek to destroy that fabric. I don’t know.  But I do know it’s my job to keep on practicing, and weaving it the best way I know how as a Witch.

About Laura Tempest Zakroff

Laura Tempest Zakroff is a visual artist, designer, dancer, and writer (among other labels) residing in Seattle, WA with her partner musician Nathaniel Johnstone  and their 3 cats. She has identified as a Modern Traditional Witch for over two decades, viewing her path as one of vocation, craft and practice, spirituality, and way of living.

The post Witch Theology: the Sacredness of the Now appeared first on Familiar Territory.

from Witch Theology: the Sacredness of the Now