#and then the good ones will discourage unhealthy engagements of their sins

[sludgekludge]

What really bugs me as the sins is how they are portrayed as "Nice" and "virtuous", which not only misses the point of the being embodiments of evil, but also conflicts with the show wanting us to like them despite them perpetuating the systems of hell. Like they want to designate Asmodeus and Beelzebub as the "good, fun" sins, whilst also in the same breathe admonishing Mammon as an evil one "Because he's relatable evil as a scummy boss".

(This also regards the shows habit of wanting to portray Hell as this cool location where you can do whatever you want and not a place of suffering and evil but that's another topic.)

Thing is they could've potential had there cake and eat it too with the Sins being fun characters, whilst also beings to be feared. Just make it so that the Sins don't operate on traditional human/hellborn morality. As embodiments of evil, they operate mostly on what will spread their respective sins more; "what can I do to cause and bask in the most Greed/Sloth/ Gluttony/ Lust/ etc. at the moment". And they can be cordial and fun at times with some of the people they meet, but only under the pretense of them being currently interesting to them at the moment. Like one moment the Beelzebub is having a party with hellhounds, and the very next day she's eating one of them from the same party and never bats an eye. Make them less good or evil, and more incomprehensible, which leaves the door open to portray them as both funny and imposing at the same time.

honestly really agree with this, it reads as so...painfully childish? the way they're written now. they're so scared of you disliking vivs favourite ocs. it baffles me that there's a distinction between the 'good' sins and the 'bad' sins at all - all of them would've been much more interesting characters if they'd just been portrayed with some nuance.

all of them operating on their own 'morality' i guess that's centred entirely around indulging in their sin could've been a super interesting and fun character trait. i feel like the 7 deadly sins should be something so easy to write in a fun and unique way, and yet...

still totally baffling to me they introduce the sin of gluttony, have her sing some very on-the-nose lyrics encouraging over-indulgence, then write her hitting the 'woah bro you've had enough' in the same ep.

[thefaithletters]

Confronting Our Values: To a Troubled Muslim Community

Dearest whose trust in the Muslim community has been lost after an immensity of love,

On this day, nearly fifteen hundred lunar years ago, our Prophet Muhammed ﷺ was born. His birth changed history. His legacy, and our religion, was built on the foundation of our Prophet's character before he received revelation: honesty and trustworthiness. 

Yet, our ummah is plagued by corruption, deceit, manipulation, and hypocrisy. These qualities are in every human society, to some extent. It's normal that some Muslims will have these qualities (after all, most Muslims don't choose their religion but rather treat it like cultural inheritance). But to find these qualities in the ones who have put themselves in positions of being entrusted to revive the message in the hearts, of people, who are elevated for that role, and who are privy to the spiritual hunger and thirst of vulnerable people --that is among the greatest fitnahs.

I am concerned about how desensitized we are becoming to news of this nature. I notice it in myself, and I see it in friends: a spiritual fatigue that doesn't want to be spoken about. 

And it breaks my heart.

When there's a lack of consistency or agreement between two beliefs (or values) or a belief and behavior, the mind enters a state of cognitive dissonance. This state of unrest feels heavy and unsettling, and people are naturally motivated to alleviate this discomfort by changing their behaviors, adopting a new belief or idea, seeking new information that offers an alternative paradigm, or deciding to reduce the importance of one of the beliefs or values that are in disharmony. This seems like the state of the majority of young American Muslims today. 

The more dangerous trend I see emerging is what I consider spiritual fission. In this state, people can no longer identify or point to the countless directions in which their faith has been shattered. It's a chaotic state, and it's too uncomfortable to confront directly so it naturally leads to numbness and apathy regarding anything religious or an inability to engage with such topics deeply.

Our religious institutions and spiritual leaders are largely responsible for the young generation's disconnection from their mosques and communities (parents play a significant role, too, but that's a topic for another time). It's stories like the ones that came out recently that have caused many people deep despair in spiritual communities. 

We are all flawed people. The issue isn't that a Muslim committed a major sin or was fallible to his desires. The real issue is the lack of truthfulness in how it's handled by many involved. Deceit is what erodes trust, and trust is the foundation of faith and community. When it is revealed to a spiritual leader and the community members who closely work with him in a leadership capacity that he is no longer able to uphold his responsibility, the right thing to do is proactively step down and acknowledge a struggle and need for improvement.

Of course, none of us have heard of this type of honorable handling of such situations happening in our communities (I really hope I'm wrong here). Why? Money and ego. 

Sadly, many of our spiritual leaders are financially reliant upon their image and reputation as people of God among the community. This means that a religious leader who becomes exposed for a betrayal of his position may suddenly lose all his income and face an overwhelming fear of instability and anxiety about the future. So the survival instinct kicks in (especially if family is involved) and the man no longer sees the moral and ethical layers of the situation. 

Money and religion should never mix. Easy to say, complex to implement. I know. Yet, necessary and true, nonetheless. 

Another primary reason so-called spiritual leaders don't step down or come forward truthfully when they've betrayed their positions of trust is probably that they don't want to lose their status in the community. Being a celebrity imam can become so ingrained into someone's identity that it becomes almost like an addiction to attention or power. This is also connected to a larger societal shift in values (studies show an upward trend of youth who say they want to become famous). It's even more connected to the shift in values hierarchy we have as a larger Muslim community. Authenticity, truthfulness, integrity...those are all secondary to knowledgeability, charm, and "success." 

Until we become a people who hold honesty and trustworthiness among our highest values, our leaders will continue to reflect us. 

As we continue to remain obsessed with image and reputation in the community independent of actual virtue or character, we continue to cultivate a culture of hypocrisy and double-lives. People only hide the sins that aren't yet accepted by the community. It's only a matter of time before the scope widens. 

I have nothing juicy to say about the recent news regarding Usama Canon. Like many of you who had only love and admiration for Usama Canon and the community he founded, this week's news have been tough for me. I participated in Ta'leef's Refining the Core program earlier this year and met Usama Canon in 2016 when he came to Maryland to give a talk. He was one of the few people who took the time to answer a question I had with careful consideration and respect. I left that talk feeling a sense of hope. And then when I started learning about Ta'leef and participated in their community, I continued to carry with me the hope for our community to be healthy, respectful of all people, and authentically striving for goodness. For the good that he's done, and if this in fact his way of acknowledging the harm he's made and making amends, I pray for his wellbeing. And if this is Ta'leef's uplifting of accountability and honoring their positions of trust, I pray for their success and healing. 

Like many, I wish I were surprised by this. Sadly, I know this kind of stuff happens. I’ve witnessed misconduct and heard about it from friends. I’ve tried to speak up about the betrayal of authority and unhealthy behaviors, but the disappointing reactions I got were discouraging. I talked to the spiritual leader who I had witnessed inappropriateness from, and his response was gaslighting. It was a complex and spiritually fatiguing experience. In the end, I just removed myself from the community. Though I didn’t experience abuse, my faith was deeply tested and my heart hurt. I almost lost my religion. I was lucky to be able to notice and protect myself from anyone taking advantage of me. I can’t imagine the pain actual victims endure, and it saddens me that the community cares more about the celebrity abusers than the “nobodies” who are abused (often the most vulnerable members of our communities who don’t have powerful families, financial resources, or impressive professional titles).

I've had my faith and hope in this community shattered a few times, and every time God somehow found a way to remind me that there are still beautiful people out there who are true seekers. They aren't the ones with the followers and fans and financial ties to their religion or spirituality. More often than not, the modern-day companions of the Prophet (the ones he referred to as his brothers and sisters he hadn't yet met) are those who keep their good deeds concealed and remain patient in the face of oppression. Their words aren't tweet-worthy and there are no fun perks to being their friends. They treat their family members and parents better than anyone else. They are known for their honesty and trustworthiness. On the day our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born, I pray we are all able to take a moment to be truthful with ourselves about the state of our hearts. Where are we not truthful? What steps must we take to embody more honesty and trustworthiness? Where is our faith hurting? How are we in community? What are our own hierarchies of values? How can we be better believers?

Salam.

P.S. I share these thoughts selfishly because they continue to occupy my mind. I release them here so that I no longer carry the burden of their release. I’m not spiritually superior for writing this. Most know my deep struggles with my faith.

[warofthenewage-rpg]

Name: Gregory Ezekiel Reign

Age: 40

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Gay

Species: Metahuman

Affiliation: None 

Rank: Loner

Powers/Abilities: Organic Manipulation

Weaknesses: This power has extreme potential for misuse. User may be unable to create organic matter, being limited to manipulating already existing sources. May need extensive training to learn how to use the true potential of this power.

Faceclaim: Bradley Cooper

Biography:

From the start, Gregory Reign was something of a ghost in his household – which was to say, he was almost completely invisible. His parents, too busy helping to keep the rest of the family together to pay much mind to him, left him to fend for himself and the laundry list of responsibilities they set on his shoulders. His older siblings, already beginning to reach the stage where they were beginning to move along in life, more often chose to tend to the more basic activities on their farm, deliberately leaving him with the brunt of the work. The younger siblings, too fragile to do much else than watch, offered him nothing but further resentment, and had it not been for the fact that he was punished for slacking, he would’ve long since set aside his duties, kicked his feet back, and refused to work one more second.

It didn’t help that speaking out was also seriously discouraged in their household, a fact that came from his parents’ strong religious affiliation – children weren’t supposed to talk back to their parents, after all, regardless of whether their concerns were valid or not. To Greg, a frustrated and overworked child, the only message he received was that his family (if he could even stomach the phrase) didn’t value him or the work he accomplished, and that one had to look out for themselves to survive. Selfishness was one of the few traits he had to carry for survival, and while it appeared to help him outside the home, the more he took such a lesson to heart, the worse his relationship with his parents and siblings became. They didn’t seem to get his odd behavior, his odd way at looking at things, and it seemed completely irrelevant that he claimed that he was merely doing what God wanted of him – if anything, it made things worse.

The divide between himself and his family, however, led to more than just his usual neglect – by the time he’d grown up enough to start seriously misbehaving, it led to all out conflict. His siblings, convinced that by his arbitrary differences that he was headed straight for Hell, lashed out at and tormented him, isolating him more and more and contributing to the growing resentment he had not only for his family, but for the religion they held so close to their hearts. By the time he was eleven he’d shed it entirely, refusing to believe in a higher power that brought him nothing but hardship in his name – especially when things seemed to have no intention of improving. By twelve he had begun to argue with the rest of the household, tired of being scapegoated and speaking out openly against their precious cause. Unsurprisingly, it did nothing but widen the gap between them, and as he continued to come of age, worse was yet to come.

At thirteen, he began struggling with feelings he knew went against everything his parents believed in – he began to realize that he wasn’t interested in girls like his other male siblings were. Knowing that even giving the hint that he could possibly be gay to his family would make him more than a pariah in his household – he’d be burned at the stake! – he did everything he could to compensate for his feelings. He acted out in an attempt to toughen up, lashing out at any mention of relationships at all, whether they were straight or not, and thoroughly confusing those around him… with the exception of the few people he actually wanted to convince. His parents began growing more and more suspicious with their son, his bad behavior and over-compensatory attitude only pointing them further in the direction of him being homosexual. After all, to them people like that were everything wrong with the world, horrible children of Satan himself, and who better qualified for such a label than their delinquent of a son?

To make matters worse, Greg began to notice worse changes in himself, ones that wouldn’t only paint him as an offense to his family’s God, but as a demon of Satan himself. Even so, something in him had begun to stop caring about whether or not he was seen as evil in anyone else’s eyes – hell, a good part of him had begun to believe it, after hearing about it so long – and while the smart decision would’ve been to hide the appearance of strange gifts, a young teenager such as himself chose to decide in favor of the worst… not that he truly had much choice. The appearance of his mutation, completely uncontrolled, spelled disaster the second it struck outside of his seclusion, and for better or for worse he hadn’t bothered to try and stop it. In the middle of one of his usual arguments with a younger sibling he’d accidentally caused them to start to rot right before the rest of his family’s eyes, exposing himself as something inhuman and damaging one of their own beyond repair.

It didn’t help that he didn’t seem to have a shred of remorse for his actions.

Horrified and more convinced than ever that their son belonged to the devil, his parents made the decision to send him somewhere he might be able to be cured of his strange possession – a facility made specifically for Christians and their fucked up children. While he was there, he was given a full range of torturous treatments, ranging from conversion therapy (to get rid of his sinful feelings) to illegally high levels of electroconvulsive therapy, in the hopes that it’d get rid of his strange biological abilities. Despite the horrors he continued to go through, nothing was able to change him, and the most the staff managed to accomplish was in encouraging him to improve at hiding.. And to engage in any unnatural behaviors in secret. It didn’t help that quite a few of the other boys he met were in similar situations as him (sans the strange, demonic abilities he possessed), that most of them were attractive, and that it was all too easy for him to get them to go against their parents wishes for the promise of a good time.

Unfortunately, it was difficult to keep secrets forever in such a tight-knit facility, and despite his best efforts he was caught for his sinful behavior more than a few times… and punished accordingly. By the time he was sent back home, he was capable of putting on the image of a perfectly well-to-do Christian man, appearing to finally be the son that his parents had desired all these years. Underneath his facade, however, the monster of resentment still clung to him, manifested in what was the beginning of horrible, horrible desires – ones that eventually would not be able to be contained in his headspace. Despite this, he was able to keep his less pleasant truth hidden from the eyes of everyone around him, becoming an absolute joy in the rest of his community, and even electing to go to school to become a pastor of the lord. To his parents, it was proof that their hard work had finally paid off; to Greg, it meant another lock on his mental door, and another disguise to hide behind.

Beneath it, resentment had caused him to become much more than a troubled child – he’d begun to become a legitimate monster. Poring over a myriad of dark, unholy, and violent texts, his worldview had steadily started to shift toward a religion of his own making, one where those like him (and there did appear to be others with gifts such as his own) were wholly purified and chosen for the heavens. Those that consisted of the norm, of those who were blinded by their inability to harness the gifts his gods had given them, were nothing more than dirt to be disposed of, should they refuse to accept their place in the world, and the path that the gods had chosen for them – should they refuse to be properly purified themselves. In his own worldview, it meant ritualized sacrifice – it was the only way for them to overcome their mortal weaknesses, after all, and be accepted into the afterlife they desired. Such a pity the first he tried to convince (humans, unfortunately) weren’t so open to the idea, but he made do with forcible purification – it was what was necessary.

To cope both with the growing demand of his violent impulses, the failure from his first few attempts to create a successful and united group of people, and the stress from his schooling, Greg quickly turned to yet another unhealthy coping mechanism – alcohol. It perfectly soothed his nerves (although whether it truly helped him was another matter entirely) and lightened the weight of any remaining inhibitions enough for him to get himself and his thoughts together in more exact harmony. As it so happened, he also wasn’t the only metahuman to frequent the bars around his school, and by the time he graduated and fulfilled his plans to become a pastor, he’d already gathered together enough people to really put a kickstart in his plans. To some, his little organization might’ve been considered a cult, but while he inwardly agreed with the label, outwardly he referred to them as what they truly were – a family.

For once, it seemed his life was going in the direction he wanted it to.

By day, he worked as a pastor for the christian God, spouting off nonsense about forgiveness and a divine plan he didn’t believe in. By night, he invited all who were interested in his idea of enlightenment (with special emphasis on metahumans, the truly gifted) into his church to hear him speak on a different sort of divinity, a kind that set its sights on a more gruesome plan for humanity. Those that found hope and belonging in his message were allowed to join his ranks (or, should they be impure, ritually sacrificed) and the rest were taken and forced to endure torment until their breaking point… or, should they refuse to reconsider, an early grave. As his freakish cult grew in numbers, he eventually expanded his operation beyond the reach of his church, having his family come together to buy plots of land that they could recreate into a true community – after a few years’ hard work, it was nothing short of a success.

Despite this growing success, Greg still felt like something was missing from his life. He had everything he’d ever dreamed of and more, and yet the people he surrounded himself with still felt more like pawns than any real family, whatever he might’ve said to them… at least, until he met someone that changed that. He’d been preaching his cause at his church, as he did with most nights, when they’d first met, the boy certainly nobody he’d expect to come walking through his doors. Though it’d been obvious the moment he’d arrived that he was out of his depth, he said nothing when the truth of the meeting was revealed, and instead of fighting against him as so many others with his apparent disposition did, he agreed to join their family – a surprise, but far from an unwelcome one. Despite any doubts the boy – Cyrus… a gift, truly – had about their operation, he excelled at their practices, and it wasn’t long before he’d decided to take him further underneath his wing.

Unfortunately, whatever closeness between them developed didn’t last forever, and eventually the stress of being in such a freakish organization drove Cyrus to cut ties with the family. Normally, such a request would’ve been met with a sacrificial ritual (or more torture, depending on the member), but because he’d been so paramount to his enjoyment over the short time he’d known him, Greg offered him a deal – if he could pay enough money to fund them for a while, he’d allow him to leave. Needless to say, the boy took the deal, and because of his status was able to scrape together the cash on short notice, bidding farewell to Pastor Greg and the rest of his horrific family once and for all – or so he allowed the boy to believe. Deep down, he knew that he wouldn’t honor his promise for long, and before a full year had passed he itched to have his former prodigy back in his life, gathering together a few of his most trusted and making an announcement that he’d – and quite a few others – would be making a special trip to Pansaw.

One dedicated to a more direct form of recruitment.

Personality:

+ Charismatic + Devoted + Passionate (about murder) – Controlling – Dogmatic – Obsessive