#don’t shove religion down peoples throat if they want to convert they will | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

homelessnerdtheology · 7 months ago

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I do not expect anyone that reads this to convert to Christianity. I do not mean to shove religion down your throat. This is only meant to be a peaceful explanation of what I know Christians to believe as I am one and don’t want a misrepresentation, just as I wouldn’t want someone to misrepresent the LGBTQ community. I do not support the LGBTQ community, but I don’t want them to be misrepresented because I have had many friends who are part of it and it’s more productive to have conversations on topics when we know what we’re talking about. Again. I am NOT trying to convert anyone, I just want to provide an explanation that is not boiled down to a few inflammatory statements.

We don’t have to praise him 10,000 times a day. We don’t have to follow every word of the law, if we did then Jesus’ death would mean nothing.

God created the world, and Adam and Eve were not born evil. They chose to sin against God. This brought sin into the world, and since Adam and Eve separated themselves from a relationship with God, they passed that down to their children.

You may be thinking, why would God make sin? Or why would he allow horrible things to happen? Well, think of sin like darkness or cold. You don’t need to create darkness, it just exists when there is an absence of light. You don’t need to create cold, it just happens when there is an absence of heat. Sin is an absence of God, and God did not have to create it for it to exist.

We were born without a relationship with God, but God doesn’t want to be far from his creation. So he sent the Son, Jesus, to pay the debt of our rebellion against the one that created us.

I do understand that many will want to pause here and ask what happens to stillborn babies or children that die before they can understand what wrong is. The general consensus I’ve heard across multiple denominations from many people that are very wise and have studied this for some time, is that there is an age of accountability. It’s not a set age, because there are people with brain damage who can’t think for themselves or people who develop more slowly, but once someone can understand and decide for themselves that is when they can be held accountable for sin. So young children go to heaven because they have not had a chance to sin yet.

Is everyone truly the scum of the earth, born wretched and dirty? Short answer, technically yes, but let me explain. Firstly, we need to under why sin is so bad. Of course we understand that lying, stealing, cheating (in relationships, on a test, in a career, or otherwise), murder, etc are wrong, but we don’t always understand why there is an eternal punishment. It’s very much like a court of law. The judge of a county is not going to give you the same punishment for say stealing as the federal court. If you are being judged by someone in less authority, you get a lesser punishment. But a punishment is still rightly demanded whether it’s the federal court or the smallest court you can find. So what is the punishment from an eternal God who cannot sin, therefore must exact justice, and cannot make a mistake in what crimes were committed? An eternal punishment for an eternal, just God. In short, the death penalty.

This is where we come back to Jesus, because it’s not good to just blindly balance the scales, we understand that mercy can be good. And God does not want us all to burn, he loves those that he created. So he did not spare himself. He came, lived a perfect life, put the death penalty on himself so that we don’t have to take it, and rose again from the dead because he is God and cannot be killed. The death of Jesus is God saying that someone has paid our fine, and we are free to go if we let them pay for it. That is why we as Christians are so grateful. We have looked at the fact that we are going to die, and the judge himself offered to pay the debt.

Once we are saved, we do not have to follow the law to continue being saved. The grace and mercy of God alone was enough. But we do follow the commandments to the best of our ability simply because they are good. Any who claim to be Christian and do not even try to follow after what is good are either misled or lying about their Christianity, the Bible is clear on that. James 1:26 “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.” Luke 6:46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and not do what I tell you?” 1 John 3:6 “No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen Him or known Him.” I should clarify that the Old Testament laws are not all moral laws that apply today. Some are cultural laws for a different purpose. But anyway, I think it’s time to end this off.

I do hope this has been helpful, and if you have any further questions or comments, helpful, unhelpful, or even if you want to yell at me because I angered you I am open to DMs

Look, we joke a lot, but really, "you were born evil, wretched, worse than the scum of the earth, and it took killing a god to make you salvageable, so now you'd better be grateful to that god and thank him 10,000 times a day for it and fill your thoughts with him 24/7 and abide by the letter of his every word, lest you suffer unimaginable torture for all of eternity" is a truly horrendous thing to believe about yourself and other people

#christian #not catholic #explanation

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automatismoateo · 2 years ago

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Religious people can be equated to bots via /r/atheism

Religious people can be equated to bots

I mostly see them as I see a computer virus that wants to replicate, and eventually take over. They behave very much like a bot, all programmed to repeat the same things, albeit different versions.

I get very infuriated in times like this, after a disaster. It’s always the same response, thank this god or that god. A footballer has been rescued from the rubble, que the “thank god, god is greatest, glory to god”. Someone questioned gods actual involvement in this rescue, and was quickly shut down. Someone even pointed out that it was a football page and not a place to question gods existence. How hypocritical, god cane be mentioned by thousands on the page and it’s okay, but he can’t be questioned on same page? hahahaha

They all claim “lgbtq”, or these days “drags”, are been shoved down their throat, yet they all post the same religious glorification like bots on everything. Who is doing the shoving?

I live in a third world country, and religion is the biggest cause of poverty around here. People give the little they have to churches in exchange, they get prayers, only to return the following week for same process. Religious leaders buy private jets and fly in the name of god, meanwhile the members don’t have food or clothing. One such church bought a factory and converted it to a church (cos the church was growing and needed more space to house the members) where people come to pray for jobs, some members originally fired from the factory

Submitted February 07, 2023 at 02:30PM by agabikalu (From Reddit https://ift.tt/6HiMdxn)

#reddit

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fantroll-purgatory · 2 years ago

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I was reading some resources stuff on your blog and got to one post that briefly listed knock off gamzee. Which made me wanted to ask if I'm close to this territory? I have a idea for a purple blood who is super into his religion like gamzee but with more of a seemingly composed and charismatic cult leader vibe? Though it depends on which version. I was thinking of making him a beforus troll and have his alternate counterpart have a title that would suggest he's like a well composed and charismatic cult leader, using his words to inspire fear and control and having others do his dirty work. Meanwhile the beforus version is like that hyper religious kid that preaches at you and shoves his beliefs down your throat that you just tune out most of the time. His alternian descendant however is a blank slate. Everything is still subjective to change.

Ehhh I don’t think being into religion inherently makes a troll a Gamzee knockoff, especially since Friendsim showed us a ton of juggalo trolls who are all pretty into it in their own ways. I like the idea of using the caste as a way to explore one’s relationship to wanting others to follow your own beliefs. If anything, I’d say that that’s the opposite of Gamzee’s deal since his thing is being so involved in his own religion that he completely fails to engage with other people around him. This even holds true when he goes on his murder spree on the meteor; while he’s murdering people and puppeting them around, he’s not really treating them as people or potential converts any more than he was when he was sopored up.

-TR

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stitchlesswitch · 3 years ago

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I just wanted to take a moment to say (as a Christian witch blog) I welcome all forms of religions and their followers. Yes, even those who worship Lucifer. Or people who have no religion at all. I just want you to do what is best for you, and its not my place to tell you what that is. What’s best for you may very well not be christianity, or anything even remotely resembling christianity, and that’s totally okay—whatever works for you. Your path is your own.

This blog respects your right to your religious beliefs and you don’t have to worry about me trying to shove my religion down your throat or trying to convert/condemn you.

#religion #christian witch #christian witchcraft

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bi-ologistofthehills · 1 year ago

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Hey, hey, so..

My irl best friend is Mormon. Or LDS as they prefer.

Sent this to her, because we’ve been friends for a long time and have lots of deep conversations about our very opposite viewpoints and beliefs. She’s religious, I’m very much not at all. It’s chill.

This isn’t true about all Mormons. Definitely not in the realm of anything she’s been taught/learned.

From all the experience I’ve ever had with them, they’re super nice, amazing, normal people! Her parents and siblings are amazing!

They’re not a cult. They aren’t taught that the world is full of scary monster people. They don’t drink alcohol or coffee, which I’ve never fully understood why but hey, to each their own. They’re definitely not hurting anybody by not drinking that stuff.

I used to go to their after school activity things with her all the time (before I got busy lol). It was always a blast and they have never once tried to shove their religion down my throat!!

Now, if you’ve had experiences within a Mormon church that back up what OP(s) said, I’m not here to say that those aren’t valid. But, don’t assume all Mormon’s are like that.

Bestie has so kindly offered to answer questions people have, funneled through me because she doesn’t have tumblr. If you have any. If not, cool.

And now, quote from ✨bestie✨.

“When it comes down to it, us Mormons are just trying to share something we care about and love because it brings us so much joy.

And we want others to feel the joy we experience everyday. It's not about growing the number of members, or handing out a certain amount of Book of Mormons, or trying to convert every single person we interact with.

Being a part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is about sharing love and happiness and comfort to those around us, regardless if they believe in our faith, the Book of Mormon, or even God.

I just want to share the things in life that make me happy. And my faith and my church have always and will always bring me the most joy in life.”

She shares this stuff with me all the time. It never feels like she’s trying to convert me nor do I feel the need to convert.

She’s happy. She feels fulfilled. Therefore, I am happy that she’s happy and will gladly listen as she shares things with me.

Heck, we had a conversation about our differing viewpoints on evolution the other day and basically ended it with, “cool, I see why you believe that”

She’s awesome. End post.

#just my thoughts #and the besties thoughts #got a little rambly

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veronicathegoddess · 3 years ago

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For anon asking why Christians only, please understand that majority of religious nuisances (street preachers, door to door solicitors, etc) are Christians or have a Christ based religion. Believing in your god isn’t the issue, it’s the extreme forcefulness pushed by so many and spoken out against by little.

Have I and others been harassed by other people who are preaching their different faith (like Islam and Judaism) unasked for? Yeah, but those are 10-1 compared to the exact same Christian bullshit I’ve dealt with.

exactly, i don't give a crap who or what you believe in, you could be a satanist, Christian, Muslim, i have better things to do with my life than to care about what god you worship.

my belief has, is and will always be worship your god but leave me out of it. i don't believe in religion, i don't believe in god so don't shove your religion down my throat

i was christian for most of my life. i went to all girls catholic schools for 14 years. i went to church for 18 years. i was Catholic for like 14 and after that i want to an evangelical church when my grandmother converted. i've been on the receiving end of homophobia, of religious trauma at the hands of Christians. i have reasons for my rules.

i want no part of Christianity because their ideologies do not align with mine and i just want people to respect that and not be mad because i don't want you in my space because of your homophobic beliefs

#ask answered

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g0reoz · 4 years ago

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for awhile i’ve been wanting to try talking about my experiences with ~religion~ and some of the effects it’s had on me. feel free to keep scrolling (if you don’t want to hear abt this or don’t feel like you can deal with the general vibe, i get it. ignore the post! your mental health is more important and you are by no means obligated to listen to anything like this :) ), but i’m gonna put a little bit under the cut. (tw: talkin about catholic school in general, p*dophilia mention, homophobia)

first of all, congratulations to me for figuring out how to make a cut in the first place. didn’t know how for awhile.

anyways, i wasn’t really going to do this because i’m awful at using words to articulate my feelings, but a lot has happened recently that‘s been getting on my nerves. this is kinda general so i guess it’s more for people who haven’t shared my experiences?

as most of you probably know from the reblogs, introduction, and half-joking comments about catholic school, i was raised in a super religious environment. my mom was a hardcore catholic, and my dad converted from being nondenominational to catholic when i was like. 8 years old (his parents are currently born-again christians or something like that, which is another story entirely). from a super young age, there was a lot of indoctrination-y stuff that was terrifying in hindsight. the religious kids books. the Jesus Music™️. the weekly church attendance. hell, even before catholic school started they decided to enroll my brother and i in a lutheran daycare. i was surrounded by “jesus loves me this i know” when i was two years old, and of you think that’s okay for a child i honestly don’t trust you. my parents made nightly prayers mandatory from the time i could speak.

things only got worse when i started going to a catholic school. i had to go there from the age of 4 to 14. that’s just under 2/3 of my life wasted. the first year was pretty preschool-y and normal, save for morning prayer hour and the occasional religious activity. from kindergarten on, though, all grades had to attend a weekly mass every friday during the school day. combined with the fact that i also had to go on sundays, my mental health was absolutely demolished from going to church twice a week. hearing the same hymns on repeat for over a decade really does something to you, man.

in each grade, we had a specific (mandatory!) class block dedicated to religion every day. to speedrun some of the more fun bits: i was exposed to the concept of hell as well as the possibility of me going there in first grade. i was told that it was an honor to be a martyr through the Saint Of The Week. our class had to act out some scenes from the gospels. every year we had these workbooks to do about Christian Morality and The Bible. in fourth grade my class was told that every time you sin, no matter how small it is, the door to heaven closes a bit more and that once it’s closed, you’re damned for good. (keep in mind that this teacher was also a LITERAL p*dophile and that he claimed putting your elbows on the pew in front of you while kneeling was a serious sin) in fifth grade, my teacher made some really serious accusations against a friend who she suspected to be gay. i barely had any real sex ed in middle school, since a lot of it was either outdated, abstinence, how to make a baby, or Christian Teachings like homophobia/monogamy/no sex until marriage (so i got to use videos on the internet to give myself some kind of sex ed). purity culture with the expectation of eventual procreation was shoved down my throat. my religion teacher in middle school was openly homophobic, transphobic, and ”pro life”. there was a question on one test where we had to say atheists and non christians were going to hell or we would instantly go down a grade in our final score. people were casually demeaned for being born female. this is all just a brief overview, but hopefully i was able to get the general point across.

not only did a lot of the religion being integrated into all of my classes kinda fuck with me, but the teachings i heard repeated at home and at church seemed to hit the hardest.

you aren’t worthy or deserving of love. this concept was pounded into me from every direction. at school masses. from my parents’ religious talks. in every other song that was on the christian radio station. from the fucking bible itself. in middle school, i definitely went through some shit that would’ve gone a lot better if i a) had better coping mechanisms and b) wasn’t being bombarded with the “we don’t deserve love” thing. to this day, this concept is one of the teachings that pisses me off the most. it’s always framed as “oh you’re a flawed person who doesn’t deserve shit in life but ~god~ is just sooo good and loves you so much that he won't eternally torture you for the sins of your ancestors! except yeah he will if you don’t roll over at his feet and worship him for how good he is. now get down on your knees” and never as “people are flawed and this is normal and natural. nobody is perfect but that doesn’t mean they can’t be loved and learn to love themselves.” we’re given the illusion that we can choose to serve a god who will punish us for disobedience, but then the only alternative is eternal suffering. it’s definitely an issue.

the whole culture of “you have to be cishet or just stop existing” that seems to exist in every catholic space i’ve been in is sickening. when i found out i was aromantic and asexual, i hated myself for it for awhile. i was the very thing my family and community despised. when i realized i was trans, it was ten times worse. i would have been so much better off without a family and environment where being lgbtq was openly condemned. i felt and still feel trapped by the teachings i don’t believe in because i know my family will never acknowledge me for who i am.

i was forced to take the eucharist before i could comprehend it, i hated reconciliation from day one, and i was recently confirmed against my will. but that’ll be another post at some point.

clearly this isn’t my whole life story, but before i cut this off i’d like to mention that it isn’t all specific things. sometimes it’s just the little pieces that add up. it gets to the point where standing in your church’s basement or hearing your parent pray over you to try helping with a situation or seeing holy water or hearing the phrase “god has a plan” sets off your fight or flight response. it gets to be where you have nightmares about your old school years after you’ve left it. you spend hours awake at night thinking about hell. this isn’t normal or healthy, and i really wish there was more i could do about it.

sorry if this was a mess, but i wanted to try getting some stuff out. hopefully in the future, i’ll be better at this. i’d really like to try explaining some things more in-depth, but i needed to test the waters first.

#i’d love to go more in detail at some point actually #but idk we’ll see #christians don’t fucking touch this post #ok to rb/interact #(just bc some of these sorts of things have a don’t reblog either listed or implied. i really don’t care as long as ur not trying to take-#- a moment to speak about the lord)#ex catholic #ex christian #religious trauma #(? idk if i really talked about the trauma itself. don’t feel like doing so in depth rn.)#.woof.

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surveyhoursss · 3 years ago

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97.

For people that hate stereotypes: If you think people should just shut up and stop, put this on your profile. (BOLD the ones you are.)

Italics=partially me or used to be in the past.

I'm SKINNY, so I MUST be anorexic. (I quite literally am anorexic tho)

I'm EMO, so I MUST cut my wrists.

I'm a NEGRO so I MUST carry a gun.

I'm BLONDE, so I MUST be a ditz

I'm JAMAICAN so I MUST smoke weed.

I'm HAITIAN so I MUST eat cat.

I'm JEWISH, so I MUST be greedy.

I'm GAY, so I MUST have AIDS.

I'm a LESBIAN, so I MUST have a sex-tape.

I'm ARAB, so I MUST be a terrorist.

I SPEAK MY MIND, so I MUST be a bitch.

I'm a GAY RIGHTS SUPPORTER, so I WILL go to hell.

I'm a CHRISTAN, so I MUST think gay people should go to hell.

I'm RELIGIOUS, so I MUST shove my beliefs down your throat.

I'm ATHEIST so I MUST hate the world.

I don't have a RELIGION, so I MUST be evil and have no morals

I am LIBERAL, so I MUST be gay. (oop)

I TAKE (or used to take) ANTI-DEPRESSANTS, so I MUST be crazy.

I'm a GUY, so I MUST only want to get into your pants.

I'm IRISH, so I MUST have a bad drinking problem.

I'm INDIAN, so I MUST own a convenient store.

I'm NATIVE AMERICAN, so I MUST dance around a fire screaming like a savage.

I'm a CHEERLEADER, so I MUST be a whore...

I'm a DANCER, So I must be stupid, stuck up, and a whore

I wear SKIRTS a lot, so I MUST be a slut.

I'm a PUNK, so I MUST do drugs.

I'm RICH, so I MUST be a conceited snob.

I WEAR BLACK, so I MUST be a goth or emo.

I'm a WHITE GIRL, so I MUST be a nagging, steal-your-money kind of girlfriend.

I'm CUBAN, so I MUST spend my spare time rolling cigars.

I'm NOT A VIRGIN, so I MUST be easy.

I FELL IN LOVE WITH A MARRIED MAN, so I MUST be a home-wrecking whore.

I'm a TEENAGE MOM, so I MUST be an irresponsible slut.

I'm POLISH, so I MUST wear my socks with my sandals.

I'm ITALIAN, so I must have a "big one".

I'm EGYPTIAN, so I must be a TERRORIST!

I'm PRETTY, so I MUST not be a virgin.

I HAVE STRAIGHT A'S, so I MUST have no social life.

I DYE MY HAIR CRAZY COLORS, so I MUST be looking for attention.

I DRESS IN UNUSUAL WAYS so I MUST be looking for attention.

I'm INTO THEATER & ART, so I MUST be a homosexual.

I'm a VEGETARIAN, so I MUST be a crazy political activist.

I HAVE A BUNCH OF GUY FRIENDS, so I MUST be fucking them all.

I HAVE A BUNCH OF GIRLS WHO ARE FRIENDS, so I MUST be a player.

I have Big BOOBS, so I MUST be a hoe.

I'm COLOMBIAN, so I MUST be a drug dealer.

I WEAR WHAT I WANT, so I MUST be a poser.

I'm RUSSIAN, so I MUST be cool and thats how Russians roll.

I'm GERMAN, so I must be a Nazi.

I hang out with GAYS, so i must be GAY TOO (again, oop)

I'm BRAZILIAN, so I MUST have a BIG BUTT.

I'm PUERTO RICAN, so I MUST look good and be conceited

I'm SALVADORIAN, so I MUST be in MS 13

I'm POLISH, so I MUST be greedy.

I'm HAWAIIAN so I MUST be lazy

I'm PERUVIAN, so I MUST like llamas

I'm a STONER so I MUST be going in the wrong direction

I'm a VIRGIN so I MUST be prude.

I'm STRAIGHT EDGE so I must be violent.

I'm a FEMALE GAMER, so I MUST be ugly... or crazy.

I'm BLACK so I MUST love fried chicken and kool-aid.

I'm a GIRL who actually EATS LUNCH, so I MUST be fat.

I'm SINGLE so I MUST be ugly.

I'm a SKATER so I must do weed and steal stuff

I'm a PUNK so I must only wear black and date only other punks

I'm ASIAN so I must be a NERD that does HOMEWORK 24/7

I'm CHRISTIAN so I MUST hate homosexuals.

I'm MIXED so I must be screwed up.

I'm MUSLIM so I MUST be a terrorist.

I'm in BAND, so I MUST be a dork.

I'm BLACK so I MUST believe JESUS WUZ A BROTHA

I'm MORMON so I MUST be perfect

I'm WHITE and have black friends so I MUST think I'm black

I'm GOTH so I MUST worship the devil

I'm HISPANIC, so I MUST be dirty.

I'm NOT LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, so I MUST be a loser.

I'm OVERWEIGHT, so I MUST have a problem with self control.

I'm PREPPY, so I MUST shun those who don't wear Abercrombie & Hollister.

I'm on a DANCE team, so I must be stupid, stuck up, and a whore.

I'm YOUNG, so I MUST be naive.

I'm RICH, so I MUST be a conceited snob.

I'm MEXICAN, so I MUST have hopped the border.

I GOT A CAR FOR MY BIRTHDAY, so I MUST be a spoiled brat.

I'm BLACK, so I MUST love watermelon

I'm BI, so I MUST think every person I see is hot.

I don't like the SUN so I MUST be an albino.

I couldn't hurt a FLY, So I MUST be a pussy.

I support GAY RIGHTS, so I MUST fit in with everyone.

I have a DIFFERENT sense of HUMOR, so I MUST be crazy.

I tell people OFF, so I MUST be an over controlling bitch.

My hair gets GREASY a lot, so I MUST have no hygiene skills.

I'm DEFENSIVE, so I MUST be over controlling and a bitch.

I'm a NUDIST, so I MUST want everyone to see my boobs.

I read COMICS, so I MUST be a loser.

I hang out with a FORMER PROSTITUTE... So I MUST be a whore myself.

I'm TEXAN so I MUST ride a horse

I'm a GOTH, so I MUST be a Satanist

I'm a CROSSDRESSER, so I must be homosexual.

I draw ANIME so I MUST be a freak.

I am a FANGIRL so I MUST be a crazy, obsessed stalker.

I WATCH PORN so I MUST be perverted.

I'm an ONLY CHILD so I MUST be spoiled.

I'm INTELLIGENT so I MUST be weak.

I am AMERICAN so I MUST be obese, loud-mouthed and arrogant.

I'm WELSH so I MUST love sheep

I'm a YOUNG WRITER, so I MUST be emo.

I'm CANADIAN, so I MUST talk with a funny accent.

I'm a GUY, so I MUST ditch my pregnant girlfriend.

I'm CANADIAN, so I MUST love hockey and beavers.

I'm DISABLED, so I MUST be on Welfare.

I'm a FEMINIST, so I MUST have a problem with sexuality and I want to castrate every man on the earth.

I'm a TEENAGER, so I MUST have a STEREOTYPE.

I WEAR A BIG SUNHAT when I go outside, so I MUST be stupid.

I like BLOOD, so I must be a VAMPIRE.

I'm an ALBINO, so I MUST be an evil person with mental abilities and is A MURDERER!

I'm ENGLISH, so I MUST speak with either a cockney or a posh accent, love tea and cricket, and have bad teeth.

I'm WHITE, so I MUST be responsible for everything going wrong on the planet: past, present, and future.

I don't like YAOI or YURI, so I must be a HOMOPHOBE

I'm not the most POPULAR person in school, so I MUST be a loser.

I care about the ENVIRONMENT...I MUST be a tree hugging hippy.

I have a FAN CHARACTER, so I MUST be an annoying Mary-sue.

I CHAT, I MUST be having cyber sex.

I'm PAGAN so I MUST sacrifice babies and drink the blood of virgins

I'm PAGAN so I MUST worship Satan

I'm CONSERVATIVE, so I MUST be against abortion.

I'm SWEDISH so I MUST be a tall blond blue-eyed lesbian.

I'm a LESBIAN so I MUST want to get with every single girl that I see.

I like CARTOONS, so I MUST be IRRESPONSIBLE.

I like READING, so I MUST be a LONER.

I have my OWN spiritual ideology; therefore I MUST be WRONG or MISGUIDED.

I am WICCAN, so I MUST be a SATANIST.

I DISAGREE with my government, so I MUST be a TERRORIST.

I am a WITCH, so I MUST be and OLD HAG and fly on a broomstick.

I love YAOI, so I MUST be GAY.

I'm a PERSON, so I MUST be LABELED

I DON'T CURSE, so I MUST be an outcast.

I like GAMES, ANIME and COMICS, so I MUST be childish.

I'm SWEDISH, therefore I MUST be WHITE. (i mean, 3rd generation immigrant)

I SPOT GRAMMATICAL ERRORS, so I MUST be a pedantic bastard.

I'm GOTHIC, so I MUST be mean.

I'm STRONG so I MUST be stupid.

I'm AUSTRALIAN so I MUST hunt crocodiles and talk to kangaroos.

I go to RENFAIRES, so I MUST talk weird, be a loser, and not be up with the times

I'm GAY so I'm after EVERY straight guy around.

I don't want a BOYFRIEND so I MUST be lesbian.

I'm NOT CHRISTIAN so I MUST just need converting.

I love MARCHING BAND, so I MUST be a friendless freak.

I DRINK and SMOKE, so I MUST have no life.

I am friends with a CUTTER, so I MUST be a CUTTER too. (oop)

I CRY easily, so I MUST be a wimp.

I can't help pointing out mistakes so I MUST be an over-controlling perfectionist.

I'm a PERFECTIONIST so I MUST check everything ten times, them burst into tears at one mistake.

I DON'T LIKE to talk about my personal life so I MUST be having problems

I'm SCOTTISH so I MUST play the bagpipes and eat haggis.

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dragonsatmidnight · 2 years ago

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*profanity ridden rant incoming*

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, CHRISTIANS.

Why are you LIKE this?

“Oh, I know, I’m going to help someone who is in a shit situation by shoving a religion that has historically oppressed them down their throats.”

That won’t help ANYONE. Absolutely fucking NO ONE.

Religion with deities has two parts. How you relate personally to your deity/ies, and how you use your religion to relate to other people. And constantly cramming your religion down other people’s throats is NOT what Jesus either did, or told other people to do.

Thins Jesus said to do:

-clothe the hungry

-donate your money to the poor

-pay taxes

-visit the prisoners

-take care of other people

-love people the way that you would want to be treated.

Things Jesus did for others:

-healed them

-fed them

-told them to take care of each other

Nowhere in that does he say that you should respond to someone’s loss/hurt/harm by saying “well Jesus will make it better.”

WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU THINKING!?!

Other religions can figure out how to coexist without trying to colonize and conquer a space, why can’t you?!?

Just. GAH.

Be the sort of Christians who go into the world, and serve people with any ulterior motive. Be the sort of Christians who hear Matthew 25:40-45 (tl;dr however you treat your fellow humans is how you treat Jesus) and actually take it to heart.

If Jesus was struggling, you wouldn’t go up to him and be like. “I’m going to preach and refuse to help you unless you agree to be either baptized or converted to a religion that goes against the things you hold most dear instead of doing things that are fundamentally helpful and respect you as a whole person.”

So DON’T FUCKING DO IT TO ANYONE ELSE

This isn’t hard. Respect other people, and other people’s sacred beliefs.

I genuinely can’t comprehend the uniquely Christian urge to see someone at their lowest and think “Now is the perfect time. I should tell them about my religion.”

#christians #god damn it white people #Christianity #I don't want to clown on your post #I want to try to collect the Christian trash #Christian trash #on a mildly related note #I hate foodbanks that only serve Christians #or people who make aid conditional on being exposed to Jesus #because Jesus wasn't like you have to believe in God this much to get food #this wasn't a roller coaster for children with a height limit #it was indiscriminate feeding #see also republicans who support banning feeding the homeless and call themselves Christians #Jesus had some things to say about this shit

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gayerthanithought · 3 years ago

Text

ok lil weird rant right? i’m a christian. ok that’s out of the way. anyways. my father was an atheist. a ‘pastafarian’ atheist. he would constantly try to wrangle a child (me) into intense theological discussions to sway me to his side. he would make fun of me when i went to church when i was older. always had little comments mocking my religion and religion in general. my mother was christian as well and wanted her children to make their own decision concerning religion. i made my decision, but my father didn’t like it, he didn’t believe in it and he couldn’t live with the fact i did. my oldest sister doesn’t really perscribe to any religion, he doesn’t say two words about that. my middle sister is agnostic and he refuses to admit it. keeps saying she’s basically atheist. all that is just my special way of saying ATHIESTS WHO MOCK RELIGION AND GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO RUIN SOMEONES FAITH ARE JUST AS BAD AS THE CHRISTIANS WHO DO THAT TO EVERYONE ELSE.

because the thing is we’re somewhere else now. i ranted about my dad, that’s over. me and my religion mean nothing in this little discussion over here. the idea of pastafarian as a religion is a sticky wicket to me because the way my father described it, a member of the pastafarians, it was a satirical way to make fun of religion. but when i look it up, they have some good ideas, because it’s true, church and state Have To be kept separate for our society to grow. and just one specific religion shouldn’t be taught in school. they should have a non-eurocentric equal dive into all major religions. that’s what i got in ap world history and it’s helped me be able to be more respectful of other religions. but also don’t make fun of religion. my dad used to say that a woman wearing a hijab of her own choice for her own religion is religious oppression and yeah he was pretty fucking wrong. and that’s the shit i really don’t like. it doesn’t matter which one i believe in, religion should be respected.

my dad was raised in an extremely christian household with a pastor as a father and probably has religious trauma. but that doesn’t excuse him from continuing the cycle and making me feel worthless just because i so happened to tell my parent where i was going. he needs to go to therapy to work through his religious trauma. just like everyone who has trauma (myself included!!!) need to go to therapy and work it out because trauma is never an excuse to be a shithead. i try so fucking hard and make a concerted effort to not shove my religion down anyone’s throat and that doesn’t make me a gold star better than everyone else christian. no it makes me a decent human being. because i was not shown the same grace throughout my life. but i feel like i can’t say shit because “the church” and christian extremists have caused so much pain and suffering. but u know what???? IM NOT AN EXTREMEIST. IM NOT THE CHURCH ITSELF. SO IM GONNA FUCKINNG SAY IT. IM MAD AT PEOPLE WHO WILL ALWAYS COME AFTER CHRISTIANS WHO IMPOSE THIER RELIGION TURN AROUND AND THEN TRY TO CONVERT EVERYONE TO ATHEISM OR MOCK OTHERS FOR HAVING A RELIGION. because yes the extremists are bad, and i too laugh at them and i live in the south so i’m more than happy to use the bible to shut down someone who is being homophobic or racist in the name of The Lord. because personally, that offends me. but anyway. we should not hold any space for intolerant extremists. and that goes for atheists too.

anyway if anyone wants to talk in a calm and open manner i’m all ears, i’d like to hear other perspectives because i know my experience isn’t the end all be all

#um #chritianity #don’t know how to tag #discourse #don’t be a dick

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softnaruto · 4 years ago

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May I request Hidan relationship headcannons? Tysm! Your writing is so good! 😘

A Relationship With A Religious Sadist

(Hidan Relationship Headcanons)

author: hi hello anon! thank you so much for requesting this! I had so much fun writing this! I did just write SFW, BUT if you want NSFW... I can definitely dive into that (hidan is just... woah) and you can request it too! I hope you like it! (and please do request more if you liked it!)

pairings: hidan x gender neutral reader

words: 1420

genre: surprisingly soft/sfw headcanons

warnings: cursing, mentions of sex, and religion

Black Lives Matter Petitions

Black Lives Matter Donations

Ah, Hidan, the man that walks and talks with the confidence of a thousand suns. The man who loves to take his time and experience the thrill of murder! The have fun for once, torture someone, man! Who is a COMPLETE and UTTER softie at your feet. Well, not as soft as a regular boyfriend would be, but soft in Hidan’s own way.

The man that comes back to the hideout with a little “souvenir” for you just because it reminded him of you(in reality he took it out of his sacrifice’s pocket and decided to keep it because damn, he wasn’t going to let a good gift go to waste?); it was a beautiful ring that seemed to be passed down through generations in hopes of ending in someone’s ring finger. At first, you thought, is Hidan proposing to me? But the minute he began to say how sad excited he felt thinking about the sacrifice’s never-to-be bride, you knew he had just pickpocketed it.

You kept it though, and you wear it every day. On your right ring finger—because you knew Hidan would ask about the “other man you’re seeing” and would accuse you of getting married to a dead man. Jokes on you, though, because Hidan never dies.

Hidan is overall, very sweet and caring. He cares about you in the sense that he slaps your ass every time he walks by you in the hideout. Sees you cooking? He touches that ass. Sees you sleeping? He pats it—it’s his ass, in his eyes.

What can he do about it? He loves PDA.

Every once in a while, when he feels like it, he’ll just walk up to you and shove his tongue down your throat in front of the Akatsuki—what? You’re his, after all. What are the Akatsuki going to do? Kill him? Please.

Everyone in the Akatsuki just look the other way every time they see you two together. Hidan is always manhandling you in one way or another. Hand on ass, on thighs, on arms, on your waist, everywhere. That man acts like his hands mark you in invisible lines that only men could see.

For that very reason, Hidan is also very possessive. You are his object and plaything. Your feelings about it? Will very much stay silent because he doesn’t hear anything other than, “Please Hidan, claim me!” You will never go anywhere without him unless Pein tells him that you are on separate missions.

Being in a relationship with a man who is completely and madly devoted to his religion is never easy (Especially since he murders people for a living AND in name of his All-Mighty savior.)

The only person who was against the relationship to begin with was Hidan.

At the beginning of things, when he first saw you in an Akatsuki meeting, he wanted nothing more but to see you… undressed. He is, after all, a giant pervert. He’s a sadist before a pervert though, and due to his priorities in sacrifices, he was able to hide his dirty desires when he became your partner.

The more you two began to get to know one another, the more he felt this attraction towards you… this instant connection he had never felt before. Of course, the connection itself solidified the first time you had sex, which was fairly quickly (who would not be seduced by the man? He SWEATS EXUDES sex)

However, as you began to show signs of wanting to deepen the relationship with him, he began to feel conflicted about his feelings towards you. It wasn’t because he didn’t want to be with you—he was so enamored by the idea of being able to just grope you whenever he wanted—it was because of his religion.

Lord Jashin is supposed to be the only priority in Hidan’s life. Hidan LIVES to serve Lord Jashin, but the minute he began to take interest in you, his priorities were conflicted. How was he going to be able to keep you while appeasing Lord Jashin’s requests? Would he be able to separate his lips from yours if a sacrifice was immediately needed?

It wasn’t until he got the idea of converting you that he was at peace with the relationship. Though you haven’t 100% committed to the idea of being a Jashinist and sacrificing people to go to paradise (immortality,) you often just listen to Hidan’s teachings just because you don’t want to leave him.

In fact, most of what Hidan talks about is Lord Jashin. He is the savior! We need more sacrifices! His religion brings him a happiness that you could never provide for him and that’s why you’ve forgiven him every time he’s ditched your dates (anniversary dates or not) for a worthy sacrifice.

In fact, you’ve had to reschedule all of your dates for his sacrifices.

One might say—hey, Hidan is just so hard-working! He just wants to go to paradise after he dies and that’s why he’s so late and doesn’t care to miss any dates you meticulously plan! But the thing is, he won’t. He will never die, and that’s something he uses against you if you try to argue about his priorities in life.

Hidan is a bitch, there’s no other way to put it, and sometimes if he’s particularly annoyed by your desire to be his priority, he’ll murmur things like, “At least I know I’ll outlive you and your shitty arguments.” It’s often accompanied by, “God I hope the next fuck buddy I find after you die doesn’t try to control me like a fucking puppet.” (He likes to kill a bird with two stones—hurt your and Sasori’s feelings)

He doesn’t actually mean that though, in all seriousness, because he’s terrified of losing you and having to cope with the fact that he’d still be here after you die. He hates thinking about losing you, the one person who is able to put up with him and see a side of him no one else has.

Hidan may seem like a snarky know-it-all who’s too confident to have any insecurities, but it’s his immortality he worries about the most. What will he do if you die all of a sudden and he has to live with the pain of losing you? What will he do if he can’t see your stupid face in the morning, lying next to him, covered in drool?

He had never had any doubts about his religion until he met you.

However, he quickly gets rid of those insecurities and doubts with the thing he loves most, sex.

HE HAS THE MOUTH OF A SAILOR. He loves it when he hears you curse because he believes he was the one to taught you how to be so… dirty for him.

Oh, you want to be called baby? Honey?

He’s going to call you “bitch,” “dude,” and “fuck buddy.”

Does he consider you as his partner? In his mind, yes. In person, never.

You’re his fuck buddy. Deal with it.

He doesn’t like to show it, but he loves you as much as he can without having Lord Jashin upset at his infidelity. If Hidan was ever given the option of choosing between Lord Jashin’s paradise and you with no strings attached, he’d choose you. He would never confess that though, not even if you yourself gave him that ultimatum.

Sometimes, though, if Hidan is able to wake up before you (have I mentioned he’s a huge HUGE fan of sleeping? That man can sleep for days and wouldn’t even care) he’ll run one of his fingers through your hair and think about how lucky it is to have you.

He’s in love with you. A sadist is in love with you and he’s not gentle—his love is shown through the careless gifts he stole, the countless times he’ll reel you in for a deep make out session in front of the Akatsuki, the times he’ll complain about your attire, and even the times he simply leads you to your shared bedroom for makeup sex.

Hidan truly cares about you. His love makes an appearance in his eyes right after you’ve had sex, where he just talks about how he wants to believe there’s something greater than the life you’re both living, or when he hands you a plate of your favorite junk food as an apology.

He’s just shitty, okay? A shitty sadist who loves you. (but will never admit it)

#naruto #naruto headcanons #naruto imagines #naruto scenarios #anime #anime headcanons #anime scenarios #hidan x reader #hidan akatsuki #akatsuki #akatsuki x reader #akatsuki hidan #hot

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beshert-bh · 5 years ago

Text

My journey to/with Judaism

***This is a super long post, it’s the FULL story, not a brief overview, but it would mean the WORLD to me if you read it***

Upbringing: very much Not Jewish™️

I was born into a Catholic family. I have a goyish last name. I was baptized as an infant, and my parents took me to church each week as a kid.

In kindergarten — back when I still went to a secular private school — one of my best friends was Jewish. He told me all about the traditions his family did...told me all about the kippahs they wear, and how they had their own game called dreidel for this holiday they celebrated, called Hanukkah. (Of course this convo was at a basic-kindergarten-level of knowledge.) When I came home from school I was fascinated with Hanukkah, (this is cringey to admit but my 5-year-old self tried to integrate the traditions together and so in order to do this I drew up a “Christmas dreidel” complete with Santa Claus’ face on one side, a present on another side...you get it)

And that is when I was promptly put in “parochial” schools. I went to Catholic school from 1st grade to 12th grade. I went through Holy Communion and Confirmation like all the other kids did. My elementary soccer team’s mascot was an Angel. My high school’s mascot was a Crusader. Our high school was located on Rome Avenue. I went to a Catholic youth conference. I considered becoming a nun because I was single all throughout high school.

Growing up, around Christmastime we would always travel to visit my grandma, and she would always say we’re “German Jewish” — but I would write her off. In my mind, I was like, Yeah ok like 1%? .....It felt like my grandma was acting like one of those white people who takes a DNA test and says, “Look! We’re 1% African!” So I would dismiss her and remind her how we’re Catholics and she would drop the subject.

Falling away from Xtianity: my first 2 years of college

My freshman year I changed — politically — as I was only conservative in high school because of the ‘pro-life’ agenda being shoved down my throat. I really aligned more with liberal and leftist policies and views, though. Once I became open to new political ideology, I began to question my theological beliefs.

I always had a strong connection to God. My whole life. But I struggled with connecting to Jesus, Mary, the saints, and so on. So obviously my freshman year of college I began to fall away from Catholicism.

You see, Catholics are “bad at the Bible” as I like to say. Other Christians do a better job of teaching and analyzing the writings. They actually require school-aged children to memorize Scripture passages. Catholics mostly just teach the same stuff over and over. Jesus, Mary, Joseph, blah blah blah. Catechism, liturgical calendar, blah blah blah. Parts of the mass, fruits of the spirit, blah blah blah.

So since I was already doubting Catholicism, its corrupt leadership, and its mindless traditions.... I thought maaaaybeeee I would find purpose, truth, clarity, etc. in plain-old Christianity. But I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The other Christian churches I went to baptized people (which is a BIG LIFE DECISION) on the spot. For example if a newcomer felt on a whim that they wanted to be baptized, the church would do it right then & there. No learning, no planning or preparing, that was it. They promoted blind faith and circular thinking. I began to realize these were both normal attitudes and cognitive patterns within any and every Christian community that I encountered.

Even the Christians who exhibited curiosity mostly just asked questions in order to be able to understand, and then accept, the doctrine as truth. Questions never ever challenged anything.

Oh and let’s throw in the fact that I’m bisexual. Homophobia, transphobia, biphobia (and more) are rampant in the church. So needless to say, with all my observations about the lack of logical thinking in the church (and considering my sexual orientation) I fell away. I stopped going to church unless my family made me when I was home from college.

Enter stage right: Judaism

In retrospect I happened to have a lot of friends in my sorority and my favorite fraternity on campus who were Jewish (the frat happened to be a traditionally-Jewish one). Thought nothing of it at the time. Fast forward to junior year when I met this cute guy on Tinder. He’s now my boyfriend and we’ve been dating for over a year. He didn’t tell me this on Tinder, but when we went on our first date, he revealed that he’s Jewish and wanted to make sure that’s something I was ok with. Clearly I had no problem with that. I wasn’t too into Christianity anymore but I still identified as one (and I was still surrounded by Christian friends in my sorority) so I told him I was Christian/raised Catholic and asked hypothetically if he would be comfortable with a “both” family. He said yes.

We started dating during an October, so of course Hanukkah came up soon. There was a mega challah bake at our local Chabad, which he took me to, and we had a blast. From then on I decided I wanted to show him how supportive I was of his Jewishness. (The last girl he dated dumped him after 3 months BECAUSE he was Jewish... so I felt that I needed to be supportive)

We started going to shabbat services and dinner every week. We did Hanukkah together (we bought our first menorah together, he taught me how to spin a dreidel, his mom bought me Hanukkah socks...lol). At some point in our relationship I told him I may have Jewish ancestry from my grandma but it’s distant and my whole extended family is Christian so it really wouldn’t even matter. I don’t remember when I had that conversation with him.

Eventually, after another few months of Shabbat services and Shabbat dinners, Pesach came around.

We went to the first seder together. The second seder is what changed everything.

Deciding to convert

At first I wasn’t sure if I belonged at this second seder. My boyfriend had always brought me to every event. I had never attended anything alone at Chabad before. But I went anyway. Throughout the night I felt increasingly comfortable. I had never felt more like I was a *part of something* than I did at this seder.

I sat near a friend who I recognized. (He knows I’m raised Catholic.) Then he & his friends welcomed me. We all took turns reading from the Haggadah, we drank the four cups of wine together, and we laughed together as I had maror for the first time.

Then the familiar faces left to go home, and one of them even went to another table to sit with his other friends whom he hadn’t had a chance to see yet that night. Naturally I thought I was alone again. I almost left, but something tugged at my heart to stay until the very end of the second seder. Something told me to keep going and keep taking in this wonderful experience.

The rest of the night consisted of many songs (most likely prayers, in retrospect) I did not know. Everyone stood to sing and we all clapped to the rhythm. I knew none of the words but I still clapped along, alone at my own table. Then one of the boys — the one who had been sitting with my friends and I earlier — motioned at me to come over and join his other friends. I approached this new table full of people I’d never met, feeling awkward as ever, and they not only hoisted me up to stand on the table with them as they chanted, but they also included me in their dance circle. (no, I don’t think it was the Hora, we just spun around over and over. lol.)

This was the first night I felt at home with Judaism. Going through the Jewish history with the Haggadah, remembering the important occurrences and symbolizing them with various foods, ending the night by being welcomed into the community... it was transformative. After attending shabbat services for months and learning about Jewish values, it changed something in me when I observed Pesach for the first time last year. I knew this path would be right for me. I felt as if my soul had found where it belonged. The Jewish history, traditions, beliefs, and customs resonated with me. It all just... made sense.

I told my boyfriend I wanted to convert. I wrote three pages of reasons. But I sat on the idea of converting and did nothing for a while. I did do some more research on Judaism, though, as I continued to attend services each week.

The exploration stage

I began to actually research on my own time. If converting was something I was genuinely considering, it was high time I began actively learning as much as I could possibly learn. It was time to dive deeper than just attending the weekly services and googling the proper greetings for Jewish holidays.

I started digging deeper into Judaism and Christianity so I could compare and contrast the two. I needed to understand the similarities and differences. And BOY are they different. That was surprising at first, but the more I learned about Judaism, the more I loved how different it was from the Christianity I was indoctrinated into.

Not only are the values and teachings of each religion vastly different, but the Tanakh (which is “The Old Testsment” in Christian Bibles) actually contradicts:

The entire “New Testament”

The gospel books specifically

The Pauline letters specifically

How did I realize this? Some bible study of my own, but mostly through online research. And, of course, I would have gotten nowhere without the help of Rabbi Tovia Singer and his YouTube videos. He debunks everything there is to debunk about Christianity.

Here were some things I came across when researching:

It confused me how the four Gospels didn’t align (like, major parts of the story did not align at all...and supposedly they’re divinely inspired...but they don’t even corroborate one another?)

It confused me how the psalms we sang in church were worded completely different from the true wording in the Bible (essentially the Christian church is taking tehillim and altering it to benefit Christian dogma and Christian rhetoric.)

It confused me how we read in the Bible that Jews are ‘God’s chosen people’ and yet in every Catholic Church, every Sunday, there is a Pauline letter being read which depicts proselytization of Jews, as if Jews are lost and need Christians to save them. As if Jews would go to hell if they fail to accept Jesus.

It confused me why we would pray to Mary and the saints, because praying is worship, and worshipping anyone but God themself is idolatry.

It confused me why Christians make, sell, and use graven images. Idolatry. Again.

It confused me why Christians give absolute power to humans. For example, if you crawl up the same steps (Scala Santa) that Jesus supposedly crawled up before he died, you automatically get “saved” because *some old men who have no divine power* said so (they have a term for this and it’s called “plenary indulgence” lol).

It confused me why Jesus was believed to be the messiah considering he had to have biologically been from the line of Joseph. Wasn’t Jesus supposedly conceived without any help from Joseph? Wouldn’t that render Jesus, uh, not messiah by default? Even if he was from Joseph’s blood, he still did not complete all the tasks moshiach is supposed to fulfill. And even if he DID fulfill all the tasks required of moshiach... we still would not worship a messiah as he is human and not GOD.

These were all new thoughts I developed this past year between Pesach and Yom Kippur. New questions that challenged everything I thought I knew. It was like teaching a child 2+2≠22 but rather 2+2=4.

Hillel

This fall, after the High Holy Days, my boyfriend began attending shabbat dinners at a rabbi’s home. His new rav lives in the community and it’s exclusive to be invited, so I never imposed. We do Shabbos separately now (with some exceptions, we do it together sometimes).

I continued to go to Chabad with one of my friends who knew I wanted to convert. But one month, she couldn’t come at all, and I felt a little judged there anyway.

So I began going to Hillel a few months ago. And I honestly have found a home there.

From Hillel’s Springboard Fellow reaching out to me and taking me out for coffee to get to know me... to running into my sorority & fraternity friends at every Hillel event (shabbat or otherwise)... From getting included in various clubs like the women empowerment group and the mental health inclusivity group... to being the only college student to participate in Mitzvah Day (hosted by Hillel) with the elderly and the local Girl Scout troop... I feel truly welcome. I’ve started to attend every week. I even talked briefly with the rabbi about having Jewish lineage and wanting to convert.

Discovering new information

I went home to be with family during Thanksgiving break. My grandma flew in so she was there when I got home. She stayed with us from then until New Years (and she’s actually moving in with us next year.)

Of course, now I have a Jewish boyfriend, Jewish friends, and I’ve done extensive research on Judaism. So this time I had background knowledge when she inevitably said... “You know, we’re German Jewish!”

I inquired a little. I asked her what she meant. How is she Jewish? I know my uncle took a DNA test this year and came back part Ashkenazi. But I needed a deeper explanation than DNA.

She revealed to me that her mom’s mom was Jewish. We believe she married a Christian man. Together they had my great-grandmother, who I believe was Christian. She had my grandma, who had my dad, who had me.

And I immediately felt like that changed things. At first I was (internally) like, Now I definitely need to convert! But then I was like, Wait, does this make me Jewish? Am I Jewish-ish? ...Can you be considered Jewish if you’re only ethnically Jewish but not raised Jewishly? ...Can you be Jewish if your dad is your only Jewish parent? ...Can you be Jewish if your dad never had a bris or a bar mitzvah?

I joined a bunch of Jewbook groups, began learning the Hebrew calendar & holiday schedule, and found some folks who assist with Jewish genealogy. They did some digging for me and apparently I descend from the Rothschild family. THE Rothschild family.

Who is a Jew? Who “counts”?

This is something I’ve been muddling over.

At Hillel, at my school at least, most people are pretty Reform. They’re very liberal with their definitions of Judaism (they believe in patrilineal descent and not only matrilineal descent).

They accept me and see me as actually Jewish ...and the ones who don’t... they at least see me as Jewish-adjacent, an “honorary Jew” or an “ally to the Jewish people”.

My boyfriend, however, still sees me as Not Jewish.™️ (For context he’s Reform but he’s trying to become as observant as possible) I know he only thinks this was because of how we began our relationship and because of how I was raised. But I’m very confused here.

Do I count?

Do I not?

Do I count *enough* but still need to go through a formal conversion process?

So...now what?

I don’t know how to navigate this odd journey but I have felt for a while that I have a Jewish neshama and I feel a strong need to affirm it. I just don’t know how or what is appropriate. Do I learn Hebrew? Sign up for a trip to Israel/Germany/Poland? Put up a mezuzah? Or go toward the other end of the scale, and head down a path of a formal conversion/reaffirmation process?

Thank you in advance for your responses and thanks for reading. 🤎

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hisfluer · 1 year ago

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sure, no one could stop you.

but then you have to be aware ( because you CANT be ignorant if you’re actively doing this ) you’re also participating in erasure of spiritual practices that belong to those people. indigenous folks who have lost their traditions because they were stolen from their families / land and have struggled to reconnect to practices by having to wade through diluted and straight up incorrect information. half the books in the spirituality section at my local bookstore are by folks who do just that. i’ve only found about 3 - 4 written by actual indigenous folk bc a lot of it is told and taught through oral traditions. and probably in a language that was nearly wiped out due to genocide and assimilation.

no one is saying skin color = closed tradition. a person being black doesn’t automatically mean they HAVE to practice african spiritualism. black jews exist. afro-native people exist. plenty of jewish folk are white. plenty of folk from these closed practices have white ancestors. mixed race is a thing, man, and it can be more than one! crazy! someone can also be white passing and you wouldn’t even know it. a lot of stuff happens in the primordial soup of genes.

but look at the practices you’re trying so desperately to take from. a lot of them weren’t white. folks who had their languages erased, their children abducted, their spirituality deemed demonic, their forced assimilation into a culture that told them if they were what their ancestors were — they were wrong and would be killed. many jewish traditions have been lost because it was a matter of survival. either do not follow the traditions passed down for centuries from parent to child — or die.

and for a lot of folk, it wasn’t a choice. it was the survival of their faith which is a survival of their culture and their heritage and their history or the survival of their children with the hope that the faith could be revived through them. and they hid their faith, converted, willingly forgot in order to survive. but that survival comes with a cost of losing so much. many folk have tried to speak to elders, have tried to ask their family, have gone to places where sources should be and they simply weren’t there because they were destroyed or there was a cultural / language barrier that is difficult to cross with little resources to do because the Point Was To Erase Them Entirely.

so, yeah, i can’t stop you and anyone could do it but those faiths and practices belonged to people who were killed for them. who were beaten for them. who went through true horrors that i will never truly know but i can feel all the way down to my very bones simply because of who they were. and if you had any ounce of understanding, no one is saying you can’t learn about these cultures and help us take back the spaces that were taken from us. no one is saying that because your skin is x, you’re not allowed to sit with us y folk.

we’re asking you to respect us, our beliefs, our culture, our boundaries and like those in history before you, you’re saying ‘i don’t care what you want. you and yours mean nothing to me because now i’m left out of the Cool Mystic WooWoo Religion and i don’t like that’

like someone said no and you just IMMEDIATELY had to shove a foot down your throat because everything is yours huh? get well ...

So either views can be shared or it's limited to a certain skin color and certain skin colors should "stick with their own traditions" which is racist, what is it?

Also you literally can't stop anyone from worshipping a god, I can walk out of my house right now, buy white sage, and go into Native American spirituality if I wanted. Anyone can do this and you can't stop them because certain races aren't better than others and they don't need to be segregated.

Go learn what "closed" vs "open" means in religion and do not send such disrespectful shit to me ever again.

Yikes! White supremacy is overwhelming in your reply.

#i know you blocked them but i had it all written out #and i stand very firm on this #so im adding on ...#AGAI N!#i KNOW! i cant shut up #i hope my point comes across #sometimes i talk a lot and too much and i end up walking circles around what im trying to say

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