#fullness of Gentiles

[bvthomas]

Praying for the Peace of Israel: A Call Beyond the Psalms

Introduction: A Longing for Peace When we open the Bible to the time of King David in the 10th century BC, we encounter a vision of peace that stirs the soul. In Psalms, we’re instructed to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6), a call rooted in David’s longing for a kingdom where God’s shalom—wholeness, rest, and righteousness—would reign. David dreamed of a land where “everyone would…

[levynite]

hey @copperbadge guess who just experienced the Infinite Jes "found the American gentile" moment earlier today while watching middle-aged British Youtubers trekking in my state and some rando commenter chides the Youtubers for not forcing their adult nephew to cover up all of his tattoos because Malaysia is a Muslim country. Myself and the two other Malaysian viewers who happened to be free on a Sunday afternoon to watch at the same time start cracking our knuckles to clap back an ignorant take that all Islam is the same as the insane branch practiced in the UAE to the point that everyone has to cover up all their aurat which Malaysia does not practice and also wrong part of Malaysia to care about tattoos considering how many East Malaysians are tattooed and not Muslims, hey man maybe come visit us and actually experience our people and culture are actually like, and not just assume.

[stupidjewishwhiteboy]

Ethnicity is about shared culture, which usually (but not always) involves shared ancestry. Freaking Mormons are apparently considered an ethnicity, so it makes total sense for Jews to be an ethnicity (yes, even if people convert in)

[jclovely]

👑 🕎 JESUS OF NAZARETH ✝️ 👑

HERE IS THE STORY OF JESUS OF NAZARETH BASED ON THE FOUR GOSPELS, THE BOOKS OF MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE AND JOHN.

VIEW THIS CLASSIC SERIES ABOUT THE LIFE, DEATH, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.

SEE SCRIPTURES COMING ALIVE.

PSALM 2, 16, 22, 23, 80, 110

DEUTERONOMY 32: 4, 15, 28, 30-31

EZECHIEL 34:12

MICAH 5:2

ZECHARIAH 9:9, 12:10

ISAIAH 7:14, 9:6, 43:3, 44:6, 53

and more....

Amen.

📯👑📯

🇮🇱👑🙏

🙏💖🌺🦋🕎✝️👑🇮🇱📯🕊️🕯️🧡

[dilutedh2so4]

I'm so glad I'm not alone

Tbf I'm not as convinced by the purple connection considering I don't know when that first came about, what drew me personally to my lesbian queen was her apparent independence from any man in running her own household and business >:)

The bit about Lesbos is a funny detail tho xD

from The Queer Bible Commentary (ed. by Guest, Goss, West, and Bohache; 2006)

[strangesmallbard]

what’s very hard about combatting antisemitism as a jew is that gentiles do not trust jews. full stop. somewhere in the back of their minds, we are deceitful and malicious. we have secret evil agendas. we want to destroy the western world or the eastern world or communism or capitalism. i feel compelled to find multiple sources for this dumb vent post because i always feel compelled to prove i am trustworthy, and while googling, i thought twice about linking a jewish source. this constant emptying of the pockets is a particular source of exhaustion because, like, how can you have any genuine dialogue when the other person automatically writes you off as a dirty liar? how do you convince people you have good intentions when every action condemns you because jews are nefarious manipulators who want to dominate the entire world? hey siri what are the protocols of the elders of zion

[rene-spade]

growing up leclerc | f1 grid

fem!reader x leclerc family, f1 grid

note(s); inspired by @multiversesweets Little Leclerc series! This is kind of my version/take on a youngest leclerc sister. 2nd pov but for the plot, she is named 🫶 lol

Warning(s); possibly triggering dynamics, some obsessive behavior tbh bc i like em crazy, mostly cute stuff tho!

♤ ♤ ♤

GROWING UP LECLERC MEANS being spoiled rotten by your three big brothers, and even a select few of their close friends too. you’re as eager to watch the boys race as they are for you to watch them, you’re the heart of the family. being the youngest (2002), only female leclerc sibling makes you a standout in every stage of life. strict ‘no dating’ rules set up by charles after he noticed some of the other karting boys eyeing you. you’ve always been the prettiest girl around in monaco, it’s the same everywhere else the leclerc’s go (much to the chagrin of your brothers). it takes nothing more than a bat of your eyelashes for you to get anything you want, as things should be. but your brothers are worried the big world will ruin you; better to stay with them where it’s safe.

♤ ♤ ♤

SOME LECLERC FAMILY THINGS; childhood

full name Hélèna Solène Pascale Leclerc

hervé and pascale taking tonsss of photos

enzo being the sanest brother

all of arthur’s friends having a crush on you growing up

arthur at age 8: mean to his little sister

arthur the moment anyone else looks at her: *swinging*

charles being dubbed “track menace” after crashing into so many boys who’ve looked at you

charles forces you to like the red car

big bro jules who dotes on you, charles, and arthur, showing you off around the paddock

protectiveness levels multiplying after hervé passes away, and again after jules

your brothers are hypersensitive when it comes to you (if you’re sick it’s like charles is dying)

having to keep your romance life a complete secret from your brothers until you’re like 24

Monaco’s Clingiest Family

modeling agencies always trying to recruit you but you’re literally a child, so arthur and charles start barking at people that come up to the family in public

princess treatment you’re whole life and you don’t even care that your bros are a little crazy

charles has tried to murder his fellow drivers

♤ ♤ ♤

twitter; self-ran

♤ ♤ ♤

instagram; self ran

♤ ♤ ♤

photo album; written by pascale leclerc

lorenzo, hélèna, & arthur et hélie la bébé de

charles 2005 2009 charlie 2006

enzo, charles, famille <3 maman avec

& hélie 2010 2002 hél & tur 2003

bébé hélèna et hél et charlie tur est gentil

charles 2006 2008 de hélie 2003

♤ ♤ ♤

- ren

[wonwayne]

enha when you pass out on their shoulder ☁️

pairing : ot7 x gn!reader genre : pure fluff warnings : none! word count : 0.75k

a/n : because you’re irresponsible like that ;) no but in all seriousness ‘passing out’ here just refers to falling asleep, not the medical condition 👍

💭 heeseung

just loves the sensations of you

your warm breath, faint on his chest; your hair spreading across his sweater; your fingers subconsciously playing and tugging at the sleeve

does it melt him? yes, it melts him

it melts him so much that he can’t sit straight anymore, he has to surrender to gravity and cuddle with you

slightly surprised when you don’t stir; he’s like “oh they’re knocked out” and decides to bridal carry you to the bed so you can stay comfy for the night

tucks you in and everything, he is father™ material methinks

💭 jay

drapes his jacket/blanket over you so fast

and so effortlessly

gentility is second nature for this man he is a GENTLEMAN

could stay perfectly still forever if that meant good sleep for you

and does exactly that the entire night, literally falls asleep in that position he loves you that much

then wakes up the next morning and nags you incessantly

“you are going to massage my shoulder for the next full hour.” “why :(“ “because i sacrificed the imminent comfort of my bed to be your pillow for 9 hours.”

maybe he’s dramatic but he’s right !!

💭 jake

mm. would rather have you sitting in his lap but this will do.

does the thing where he shifts his body towards you a bit and plants a billion kisses on the top of your head

you better be dreaming of him

eventually gives up on offering his shoulder, just hugs you

talks to you even if you’re unresponsive, partly bc he’d be lonely otherwise

but mostly bc he thinks it’s the perfect time to confess (as if he doesn’t confess to you through all of your waking hours)

“y/n you are so so beautiful” “i would give up the world for you”

is it possible to blush in your sleep?? bc jake would make it happen

💭 sunghoon

is so so smug about it

like “yes. see how their head fits perfectly into the crook of my neck. (it’s not a question.) soulmates indeed.”

HEAD PATS

just strokes your hair softly and he’s so nonchalant about it

if you weren’t already dozing his pets are so soothing they leave you in a SLUMBER

might even whisper cheesy little things knowing that you won’t remember them

“my princess 🥰” “my snuggle bear 😁”

okay i’ll shut up

💭 sunoo

it starts with a side eye (when does it not)

somewhere between concern and shock, he’s all like “this is not typical y/n behavior this is not the y/n i know this is not my y/n why are they not alive hold up—”

does the two fingers under your nose thing to check if you’re breathing

you are, of course, and then he’s just like well 😶 clingy y/n era. guess i’ll have to get used to this.

makes a point to rest his head on yours “this will be a symbiotic relationship not a parasitic one”

if you end up waking up and for witty banter’s sake the first thing you say is “your head was heavy 😒”

oh you are setting yourself UP there

“baby your existence weighs down on me /lh”

💭 jungwon

insert surprised cat face

tends to be the one snuggling into you so this throws him off a little, but in the best possible way

makes it his temporary life goal not to move

nearly an hour in, his neck is begging to be cracked

he hadn’t even noticed how stiff he’d become, he was watching you so intently

he’s thinking about holding out as long as he can but then he’s like “you are not a child you can find yourself a bed to sleep on”

still wakes you up sooo carefully, and when he realizes you’re too groggy to move, he lets you snooze on his lap instead

the way you and only you can break his resolve UGH where is my jungwon fr

💭 niki

absolutely EXHAUSTS your phone storage with 127000 photos of you

none of them are flattering, trust me

“it’s like a polaroid love” um more like polaroid done dirty

drool starting to escape your lips? 🤨📸

cheek squishing into his shoulder and you look like a fish? 📸🤭

adores you through it all of course

i do think he’s less the type to whisper sweet nothings while you’re asleep, but only bc he’d rather see your flustered reaction and make fun of it

[pinkyqily]

ALL MINE - JUJU WATKINS X READER

Summary: school and life is stressing you out but your lovely girlfriend is here to calm the cloudy storm brewing up.

Contains: fluff, fool inlove, juju and reader are down bad for each other. Also ignore the mistakes in one of the text I'll edit it out later

A/n: another game day fic we cheer this is a date fic one of my favorite writing prompt i hope you guys enjoy this, I would have had this posted earlier but tumblr sucks and didn't save half of the ending so I had to redo it but here it's, and as always happy reading, feedbacks are appreciated or commenting in general 💕

It has been a while since you ans the basketball player hangout, with both of you being full time students athletes your schedule would always clash and you guys wouldn't be able to hang.

But that didn't stop your late night calls catching each other up about what is going on in your lives.

Juju could tell you where having a strees full week from your track week and juggling having a part-time job.

You where getting ready for the day that you had ahead of you until you heard your phone pig. Picking it up you saw a message from juju.

You weren't going to question what she had planned because one thing about ju was she stays planning.

Your whole day went well, practice went well your after a while you needed to meet up with a few friends for revision.

You got back at your apartment around three in the afternoon. You started by doing your wash routine that conceited of a coconut butter body wash, then gentility exfoliating any dead skin.

Getting out the shower, you wrapped your towel around you, moving onto your skincare routine and body care routine.

Once you were done, you started getting dressed, picking a black flared tube bodysuit, and paired it with a cropped puffer jacket. You wore your white and gold Jordan 4 that juju got for you, and for a final touch, you added your white Prada cross bag to finish your outfit.

With a final touch of using the Vaseline body oil and your kali perfume in vanilla candy rock sugar.

You picked up your phone to text juju that you were done and she could be coming. After a few minutes of waiting, you got a text from her saying she was outside, but before you left, you replied, Your perfume.

Finally making it outside your building you saw juju leaned back on the car.

"Hey baby." You said, making your way towards her.

"Hi, my love." She said once she saw you

"So where are we going?" You asked her, as you we're about to open the door for yourself she got to the handle before you beating you to it.

"Umm, thinking about me and you a little date night, driver around our area and get some food while we're at it, what do you think." She told you as she closed the door

"Sounds like music to my ears." You said

"Gald were on the same note, how was your practice?". She asked

"Wasn't bad went really well, I'm starting to think these coaches got sum up with them so much complaining before we even start, but things are well." You told her.

You started ranting as juju continued driving but still paid attention to what you we're saying.

"And can you believe that, telling me I'll come third behind some big headed fool."

"No baby, but all that matters is that you prove to her and everyone else that they are wrong, you're the one who knows your strength and weaknesses."She told you as she laid her on your thighs palming your hands together.

"You're right it just gets really irritating having to hear this." You sighed, needing to get that rant out of your system.

"You feel better getting that out?

"Yea how did you even know I needed a day off".

"You looked like you were going through withdrawals on your spam."

"Ugh, don't remind me was spam was meant to be mysterious vibes only." You said.

Taking off your seat belt as she already found a spot to park.

"Pretty sure I'm the mysterious one." She said, raising an eyebrow at you.

"Whatever miss nonchalant, bring your face closer for a sec." You asked her

All of a sudden ju was all in your personal space, you looked up at her getting lost into those dark brown eyes of hers.

You felt her hot breath on your neck.

Next thing you do is pull the neck of her hoodie and go in for a kiss. It caught her off guard, but she found herself grabbing your face, deeping the kiss a little longer.

The both of you move back, trying to catch your breath.

If humans were able to breathe into each other the both of you would be sucking the oxygen out of one another.

"You got me way off guard." Was what she told you as took out her car keys.

"What did you think was gonna happen when I asked you to come closer, big head!?"

"Welp, I thought I had sum on me guess I was wrong."

"Sure, now where are we?". You said with a sarcastic tone layed under it

"This new diner places I recently found, c'om let's get out". She said taking off her seat belt.

"They better have good food."

Walking into the place you and juju had your hand intwering, she wasn't huge on pda, but you never take them for granted whenever she displays any type of affection for you in public.

You both went to go find yourself a table, getting yourself sitted before the waitress came.

"Enough about me, how's basketball?." You asked her.

"Same routine, but everything nice getting ready for march, though." She said as a waitress started making her way towards your table.

"Hi, welcome to didi's diner what get I get for you two?". You heard the waitress say.

"Umm, I'll have your chicken burger combo with a chocolate milkshake." Was what ju ordered

"And you miss".

"I'll have your chicken and beef pizza sandwich with a cold lemonade."You said

"Perfect would you guys like to pay now or later". The waitress had asked you both.

"I'll like to pay now." You told her as you started getting your card out.

"You'll be paying, yea no baby I got that what our total".

"Your total is 105". The waitress said she found you and juju amusing.

"Your always paying for everything I got this one". You said to her.

"Nah I got this". Before juju could do anything you grab both her hands and handed the waitress your own card instead.

"Here you go". You said to the waitress who immediately grab your card before ju could get out.

"I'll be back with your food soon".

"Thank you".

"Bruh why wouldn't you let me pay". She said crossing her arms.

"Because you always pay". You told her

"I pay because I enjoy treating you out". She said lowering her back on the chair.

"Well this one is my treat". You told her as you laid your head on her shoulder.

"This was supposed to be a fun relaxing day for you". She said.

"It's fun and relaxing because being with you is the quality time I need, so don't be sour Judea." You told her.

"Using my government is crazy." She said, wrapping her arms around your waist.

"Girl bye it ain't the end of the world and you do have a pretty name so yea infact might just be calling you that". You told her

"Sure baby." the both of you found yourselves looking at each other anyone could tell y'all got tension and chemistry together as a couple.

Before you both could do anything the waitress was already making her way towards you both.

"Here's your food hope you guys enjoy". She said before leaving you guys.

Anyone around the two of you could tell you both had crazy tension and chemistry, the attraction you both have on each other was something natural and couldn't be replicated.

You found yourself digging in juju fries that came with her meal.

"You got a problem miss Judea". You asked her as you took another one of her fry.

"You just have a pretty face and smell so good that I could eat you instead". She said making you almost choke.

"Ju, we're in public". You said nugging her.

"So?". She asked, not really caring. One thing for certain was that juju doesn't shy away from a lot of things. "Whatever big head".

You guys date continued you feed juju a few bites if your sandwich, chatted more about your goals and what you both want.

And you guys ended your night with a drive back to juju places and getting all cuddled up with her and duce.

[starofthesea7]

König~ Bitte (please)

(König cums too fast - pure filth)

König is a grunting mess beneath you, cheeks flushed deep red, eyebrows furrowed in ardent need. Brawny, scarred fingers grip threadbare cotton sheets, white knuckled— green eyes glossy with tears as he gazes down at you with fervour, pleas spilling from bitten lips. He’s in full tactical gear, fresh from the field, completely covered from your gaze, save for his bare crotch on full display between the zipper of his undone canvas pants.

He’s inexperienced- you could tell, even though he’d never murmured a word on the subject- it is laced thoroughly throughout his needy actions, the way his hips buck at the smallest touch you give his pale, rippling thighs, or how his heavy cock jumps when you praise him with sweet words. And there’s something so electrifying, having this beast of a man, in a killer’s uniform, writhing beneath you- it all goes straight to your head.

He is colossal. Infused with motor oil, brine and secondary cigarette smoke and the dirtiness of it- of him, cracks open the inviting door to even filthier actions.

His head is pressed harshly against the cool cement wall, damp hair curling around his brow. His mouth hangs agape— a glint of canine flashes in the dim light. His exposed his cock is tall and waiting eagerly for you and he’s embarrassed- you can tell by his flushed cheeks- embarrassed at how hard he is when you’ve barely even touched him- his engorged cock flushed deep purply red— glistening with a bead of pre spend at the sensitive head. Fuck.

His voice is rough and strangled, an honest attempt to string coherent thoughts together, “—ah, bitte, please...” He trails off, unsure of what he want’s you to do, all he knows is that he wants you.

You hold his gaze, vehemently, as you remove threadbare cotton in a swift motion, to revealing your naked frame to his widening eyes, you’re in nothing but a black thong and his glassy gaze is glued to your chest, he’s unable to tear it away, all gentile manners falling to perverse automatic action, he’s once more a teenager exploring his first playboy, struggling to take it in. Hair cascades around peaked nipples, and you’re a vision. He lets out a ragged breath at the soft swell of your breasts, truly questioning whether this was real- whether this was just another of his wet dreams and he’d wake up alone and have to shamefully clean sticky cum off himself. “You are…” he trails off on a ragged cliff, as if no known, spoken word could describe you, and the thought makes your heart swell against your ribs.

There’s a push and pull in him, you can feel it. Part of him instinctively wants to take control, have you his way, throw your body over the desk and ravage you- you both know that physically he can do whatever the fuck he wants with you. But something in him keeps him sat, under your control. He’s dying to do as you say, to follow your lead. The king has surrendered, and you are his unexpected successor.

Your hips bulge as your legs spread wide to fit over his massive thighs. Sinewy muscle tenses under you and the sight of his cock just waiting there for you makes your stomach clench. He’s staring at your crotch, at the small patch of wet fabric and the way it clings to the outline of your puffy cunt. There’s something pornographic about the way he’s fully dressed in tactical gear, complete with steel toed boots and dirty canvas pants, and you mount him bare, save for a sopping thong. Your airy, sultry voice cuts through thick, sweaty air, “Has it been a long time, König?” You’re being a bit patronizing, frankly, but you can tell he likes it, or he wouldn’t be this hard- pre-spend oozing out of his swollen slit.

His eyes rise to yours, and his pupils are blown wide, his voice breathless, “Ja-fuck-yes Maus, been so long. Please, touch me.” Your soft hands find his lower belly and its taught and veiny, skin scorching, you trace his abs, over his whisper of a happy trail, and you feel his muscles tense beneath your fingers, littered with scars. Your softness melts into his roughness and you’re pulled into him as if he possesses his own gravitational force. You gather his pre-spend from his stomach on two fingers and he watches with bated breath as you raise them to your lips, you take them deep, and the poor man doesn’t know what to do with him self. He’s briny and bitter and you want to force the taste further down your throat. A pathetic sound leaves his mouth, and it makes your stomach flop.

You rise up slide your thong to the side, exposing your cunt and he’s eager to position himself for you. Ready to bend to your every need, all he wants to be is good for you. You feel your stomach clench in anticipation as you are struck again with how thick he is- the thought of him stretching you out makes you thrum with anticipation. You’re sopping, and he’s dribbling from the tip— cock sliding deliciously easy, against the seam of you, right up against the choking split. Your fingers find locks of his hair and you ground yourself in him, as he catches harshly on the edge of your hole, right against your clit and pleasure shoots through your body. You’re both so sleep and touch deprived and that just makes you all the more fervid. You’re embarrassed at how fucked out you must look, but his head is thrown back and he’s almost drooling and you can’t look more desperate than him.

You run his mushroom head over the split again, and he’s unable to contain himself, softly bucking his hips into you, and when he finally breaches your hole, spliting you wide for him you let out a sharp sound, fingers harshly grabbing fistfuls of his hair. He sobs, voice ripping through his hoarse throat, “Ah-ah! Maus, fuck you’re so hot inside so… small.” It’s really he that’s large but you don’t bother correcting him. You tighten your fingers, fisting his hair, surely hard enough to hurt, as you inch yourself lower onto him. His fingers find the fat of your ass and hes pulling your cheeks apart, marks sure to bloom purple and blue later. His hand finds the waistband of your thong and he’s pulling it, overstimulation forcing him to action, the feeling of it dragging against your clit makes you keel. You hear the fabric rip, and he’s murmuring a slew of apologies. “Ah- I’m sorry maus-” You kiss his cheek sloppily in forgiveness. Salty and warm- stubble brash against your lips.

You pull back and his eyes drop to your little cunt, swollen lips stretching out around him and he’s in awe that you can take him so well. He’s definitely bigger than anyone you’ve been with before, but you can tell he doesn’t understand the extent of his size, and now is not the time to boost his ego, so you bite your lip and when your skin finally meets the cold metal of his zipper and he’s fully inside you sit there for a beat to adjust. Hes pulsing deep inside you and you can fucking see the outline of the head of his cock protruding from your belly, just below your bellybutton.

And when you point it out to him with a sickly sweet voice, “See you, so deep inside me König?”

He grunts, “Fuck me,” having to tear his eyes away a second later to keep from orgasming right then and there.

You begin to softly bounce your body above him, you tell yourself it’s to go easy on him, but truly you don’t think you could do move more with how deep he goes. Cold metal of his zipper harshly grazes your soft skin. Your breasts bounce with every movement and he pulls you into him, groaning into your shoulder, and sharp canines nick your flesh. Your grip in his hair mirrors your clench around him, painfully tight.

You speed up, slapping of skin fills the room, your flesh bubbles between his iron fingers and he’s whimpering into your ear, before you feel him twitch inside you. His eyes go wide and he’s suddenly blurting out, “Im sorry, I’m so sorry-ah, fuck.” His hips are bucking up into you faster, you feel them stutter, and his mouth falls open to softly bite your shoulder. His cock twitches, mushroom head notching somewhere deep inside you— and you can feel it in your stomach. He shudders all over, his huge form shaking with the strength of his orgasm, and then he blushes deep crimson. “I’m- A-ah,” Cum spurts out fitfully, and you feel it, hot and thick, filling your guts, and you can’t help but whimper into his hair at the feeling.

Warm pressure blooms in your belly. His deep raspy breaths grate against cold stillness.

Tears are brimming in his glassy eyes when he raises his head, damp curls falling across his forehead. Your cunt clenches at the sight and you redden at the obscene squelch it makes. He swallows hoarsely, “I’m so sorry. I wanted to…I couldn’t— you just felt so good—”

Another open mouthed kiss to his cheek makes him let out a soft puff of captive air.

“‘S okay König.” Your eyes sparkle, voice soft. “I can sit on your face, and you can make me cum then, yeah?” You smile coyly, as his eyes widen, cheeks flushing once more.

[jclovely]

THE LAST SUPPER...🍞🍷

Amen.

📯👑📯

🇮🇱👑🙏

🙏💖🌺🦋🕎✝️👑🇮🇱🕊️📯🕯️🧡

[theancientfootsteps]

someone on Discord brought up Romans 1:26-27 and activated my autistic avatar state and I ended up writing a little essay that's basically a summary of the argument Daniel A. Helminiak makes that Romans 1:26-27 is not a condemnation of homosexuality or homosexual acts in his book What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality

and I thought I'd share it here in case someone else is interested

it basically covers 3 main points:

1. what does Paul mean by things being natural or unnatural? 2. the distinction between impurity/uncleanness, and evil/sin. 3. the purpose and rhetorical structure of Paul's letter to the Romans.

keep in mind I am by no means an expert, this is just my summary of Helminiak's argument, which I happen to find very convincing. there's a lot of details and corroborating evidence left out here, if you want the full thing, I can recommend the book! I enjoyed reading it, and it also has interesting things to say about other 'clobber passages'

essay under the cut!

1. Unnatural, or contrary to nature?

So first, what does Paul mean when he calls things natural or unnatural? When we read these words nowadays, there is usually a strong moral value attached to them. When people call things 'unnatural', it means they violate some important law of nature, they are abhorrent and wrong and bad. There is, however, a lot of evidence that this is NOT how Paul uses the term (the Greek here being "para physin"). This is a term he uses many times in multiple letters, simply to mean that someone is doing something beyond what one would usually expect. It clearly has no inherent moral value to him, because he even says there are things God does that are "para physin"! So instead of 'unnatural and abhorrent and bad', we should read it more like: "contrary to her nature, Judy was super chipper this morning! she usually isn't a morning person", or "James is always so kind, but contrary to his nature, this morning he just snapped at me". In this case, by calling these acts "para physin", he is probably saying that these people are doing things that are against social norms and expectations, and/or that they are doing things that don't fit with their usual behavior.

2. Uncleanness vs sin

Second, we have the distinction between things being ritually unclean, and things being evil/sinful. Helminiak goes deep into the intricacies of Jewish law to support this point, but I'll just jump straight to the conclusion, and recommend that you read his book if you feel it needs more justification. Basically, the core is as follows:

- There are things that are considered evil, sinful, bad, morally wrong, for example murder, selfishness, exploitation of others, etc. - There are also things that are considered unclean, but not morally wrong. This is a lot of what is described in Leviticus, for example, and Helminiak uses this same distinction to clear up the infamous clobber passage from Leviticus about men lying with men. Now, these purity laws in the Pentateuch are not unimportant - when they were made, they were extremely important to the Jewish people to set them apart from others. These are the 'holy' laws after all, in the original Hebrew sense of the word meaning things that are different, set apart. They were extremely important for the formation and protection of the Jewish identity. - In many places in both Paul's writings and others' writings in the New Testament, it is made clear that this second set of laws, I'll call them purity laws, do not need to apply to gentile converts. Essentially, they are still highly respected as Jewish law, but they are not carried over to any non-Jewish people who follow Jesus because, once again, these are about the Jewish people and the Jewish identity.

This gives us a distinction between impurity (relevant specifically to Jewish people), and sin/evil (relevant to everyone). According to Helminiak, this distinction was also already accepted by Jewish people at the time, to be clear, so this is not something imposed in hindsight.

Paul uses this distinction in Romans 1. Verses 21-32 have the following structure: 21-25: These people worship idols instead of God! There are consequences to this.

26-27: They do things that are ritually impure/unclean, and also are socially unacceptable and frowned upon. They suffer public shame as a consequence.

28-31: Additionally, they do things that are evil/sinful, and for that, they deserve death.

So the stuff Paul says about homosexual acts, is separate from the things he condemns that are evil and sinful. There is no clear moral judgment about the homosexual acts here.

This leaves us with a question: if Romans 1:26-27 is referring to laws that are only relevant for Jewish people, and Paul is talking about non-Jewish people, why does he even bring them up??? To answer this, we have to proceed to our third major point.

3. The rhetorical structure of Paul's letter to the Romans

We have to consider in what situation Paul is writing this letter, and for what purpose. He is writing it to a congregation that is a mix of Jewish people and non-Jewish converts, and there is animosity between them. This was very common, and one of the major points of contention between these two groups of people was usually precisely the thing we just talked about: cleanness and uncleanness. For example, there was a lot of conflict around food, with the gentiles eating food considered unclean by the Jewish people, and the Jewish people being upset by that.

Paul's goal is to help them reconcile. But, Paul being Paul, he doesn't do this by saying "I wish I could bake a cake filled with rainbows and smiles and everyone would eat and be happy." No, he does this by saying "why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"

When we look at the rhetorical structure of the letter, we see that Paul does the following things: - Sympathize with the Jewish people to get them on his side. Because aren't these gentiles just gross and awful? - UNO REVERSE! Actually you, Jewish people, you also do things that you consider unclean, and things that you consider sinful! So stop judging - Sympathize with the gentiles to get them on his side. Because aren't these Jewish people so annoying? - UNO REVERSE! Shut up, you're no better than anyone else!

So by bringing up these unclean/impure things in 1:26-27, Paul is sympathizing with the Jewish people in the congregation to get them on his side, to get them listening to him, only so he can turn it around later.

It's like if I were trying to convince a loud conservative of something, I might do so by first sympathizing with them to get them on my side, so that then I can flip things. I could say: "Ah yes and these liberal snowflakes are so dramatic, aren't they? They are always overreacting to things, they make such a big deal out of tiny little things like which exact words you use. Right? Don't you think so? But look, see! You are no better! You also overreact and can be dramatic! Because you act like it's a huge burden to use the right pronouns for someone, like your rights are being taken away from you just because someone wants you to use they/them pronouns!"

So, now that we have examined all of this, I think it's safe to say: taken in context, these verses really aren't what they seem to be in isolation. And they are most likely not a condemnation of homosexuality or homosexual acts.

[gingerswagfreckles]

So just to summerize:

-The student organizations at Columbia University knew Hamas's name for the Oct 7th terror attacks before the attacks happened. An undisclosed number of the 80 "pro Palestine" organizations on campus had already signed a statement in support of the attacks before they happened, with the rest signing on while the attacks were ongoing.

-One of the Israeli hostages who was held by Hamas for 246 days has stated that the Hamas members who held him hostage bragged to him about how they'd been in contact with Columbia student organizations and were providing them financial and other support.

-The Columbia SJP organization was shut down after an investigation during the BIDEN administration found that they were in fact being partially funded by Hamas. (This investigation happened before Mr. Ziv came forward about what Hamas members had told him and is unrelated).

-The Columbia SJP posted 3 minutes before the Oct 7th attacks started saying "We are back!!" after months of inactivity.

-Columbia student organizations circulated a pro Palestine "toolkit" in reaponse to the attacks, while the attacks were still ongoing on Oct 8th, that was large and complex enough that plaintiffs believe they can argue it must have been prepared in advance.

I don't really know what to say anymore. Are we still going to pretend these organizations are simply peaceful protesters. Are we going to keep ignoring how they wave Hamas and Houthi and Al Qaeda and Taliban flags at their rallies. Are we still going to deliberately ignore how these organizations scream all day and night about how their goal is to support Hamas and other antisemitic terror groups in their quest to kill every Jew on the planet. When is the mainstream media going to start reporting on this? When is anyone else besides Jews going to care? Multiple terror attacks planned by leaders of these student organizations have already been foiled. Multiple synagogues have already been blown up in Europe and Australia "for Palestine." Clearly terror attacks against Jews are not enough to get the world's attention. Do these kids have to blow up a bus full of gentiles before everyone and their mother stops covering for them and admits that actively coordinating with Hamas to support the Oct 7th attacks before they happened is not a "peaceful ceasefire anti war protest?"

[copperbadge]

Sam has anyone told you that you’re already Jewish? Jewish is a mindset

Ah, hm, no, I can't agree with either half of the sentiment, I'm afraid, as kindly as it is meant.

There are many ways to be Jewish and the diversity with which Jews relate to their faith is one of the appeals for me, but I believe that if you wish to convert you have to put in the work of conversion. The way I've heard it put that I like best is "There are a lot of ways to be Jewish once you're Jewish, but you don't get to dictate how to become Jewish." (Within reason of course; there are several ways to convert, but all require the supervision of a Rabbi and a long process of study and preparation.)

I'm learning about the food and the prayers, the cultural touchstones, the holidays, the history, but I haven't done the formal work. There are massive gaps in my knowledge, even after several years. A Jewish friend of mine said to me once, "You know, I think it probably takes a convert a good ten years to truly acclimate to Judaism" and I kind of agree with her. Once you convert you are A Jew, and Rabbinic law says you should be treated as a Jew and the fact that you are a convert not brought up (for good reason), but a gentile simply cannot absorb the weight of history and faith all at once or process it meaningfully. It takes time. I haven't even been studying for a full Daf Yomi cycle yet.

There are Jews in my brickspace life who refer to me as Jewish, and I don't correct them because we both understand what that means -- that they see me as a member of the Tribe who is running to catch up, and are willing to help me on that journey. I'm grateful for that. I try to live as Jewish a life as I can (as I see Judaism for me) in preparation for conversion. But I would never declare myself Jewish without an official conversion supervised by a Rabbi.

There are also people who have told me I will never be a "real" Jew, or who have tried to pressure me by making my conversion conditional upon certain behaviors, and I don't correct them either because maybe I won't, I simply don't know yet. Occasionally I'll think, hey, if I have to do X or Y to be Jewish, I might not be able to handle that. But that's why the road is long and I'm comfortable walking very slowly along it. Judaism's been around for thousands of years; it'll be there when I get there. I think right now it is as important as it's ever been to speak openly about my desire to convert and my respect for the conversion process.

But no, as validating as your ask felt to me, I'm not Jewish yet. :) Perhaps if I'm lucky, someday.

[rotzaprachim]

well meaning gentiles who want to talk about the golden past where everyone lived in peace (meaning people didn’t actively kill Jews) until them big bad Zionists got into this stuff for no reason. Are just like. My pet peeve. Like the refusal to reckon with the fact that if even a few countries had let Jews remain in their countries as Jews with full Jewish communities and lives we wouldn’t be in this situation.

[letsgobarbs]

Ramadhan With Frankie and Family

There was an order to every fairytale— getting to know each other, falling in love, meeting each other’s friends and families, engagement, marriage and then spending a life together. It was much the same for you and Frankie… well, except for one teeny-tiny, small, minuscule little skip. Frankie had never met your family. Your parents knew him— they were there when you married him in a simple ceremony. But it was unheard of that an extended family would be left out of such an event.

There have already been many murmurs and underhanded comments from your family about feeling excluded. The plans had been thrown out, wholly unserious, until Frankie tentatively brought them up again, and your family kept pushing. Of course, you wanted Frankie to be acquainted with the people who held the keys to a room of your life that was now only accessible through longing and nostalgia. You knew this was important to him.

The expansion of a family was always a process akin to applying ointment on a burn. The sting and the burn of nerves, anxiety and fear of awkward meetings and introductions that were then soothed by the cool relief of warmth, love and acceptance. Your heart had doubled in size over the time you had gone from ‘Francisco's girl’ who they casually asked about over the phone to standing in his abuela’s kitchen as she packed you extra helpings of your favourites. And you wanted the same for Frankie.

But there had been hesitancy even when you had acquiesced to the silent plea of his doe brown eyes. It was because you were very Muslim, and Frankie was decidedly not. You did not know how your family would react to him not being Muslim— an outsider by both culture and faith. You could only hope they wouldn’t be overtly disrespectful towards him. Moreover, you also wanted to shield him from any covert complaints they might have against him. He was your Frankie.

Then you worried about your husband as well. Spending an entire month with a family right off the bat was stressful. Adding to that stress was the fact that it was Ramadhan. You didn’t know if he would be able to adjust to a hectic schedule of a culture in its full swing. But through it all, he was the gentle, calming balm to your fraught nerves. And you really shouldn’t have worried— he was nothing if not excited, curious and respectful.

Every day at 3.30 in the morning, after you’d snoozed the alarm for the umpteenth time, you would feel his lips against your face. He’d wake you up with gentle kisses and whispered caresses, only to finally kick you out of bed when you luxuriated for too long under his attentions.

It was during Suhoor he had won over your mother. She had found him alone in the kitchen, before any of the women had awakened, with the tea simmering on the stove for the family. He had let you sleep in that day. All mothers wanted for their daughters was for someone to love and care for them with gentility that did not need to be proved or attested. And she could see her own daughter was quite lucky to have a man like him.

You hadn’t been worried about the cousins. A few of them had taken one look at how dashing and handsome he was before giving you a not-do-discreet nod of approval. The others had discovered he could fly, and suddenly he was the coolest person they had ever known. It was the elders you had been nervous about— their eyes wary and faces lined with experience and a life you had never experienced. Frankie had adored your elders with all their character and peculiar habits.

It was the aunties he had charmed first. Not only with his disarmingly broad shoulders and pretty boy looks, but with the same steadfast respect and care he showed his own family. Francisco ‘Catfish’ Morales, who rolled tamales at his mother’s table, blunts on your coffee table, took to rolling samosas and spring rolls just as well.

He always lent his hand to clear up after meals, which made the aunties find him far more endearing than their own children who sat on their asses. Frankie had solicitously announced he would take on more chores so the women could have more time to pray. And you’d had to contain your giggles when all the women had collectively, dreamily sighed. You had privately rewarded him with many kisses right after.

The uncles were much harder to please. They would incessantly poke and prod at his life, his family, his career, his salary. You’d lost your cool one evening at a string of intrusive questions, face hardened and tongue poised to tell an uncle to back off when Frankie had covered the back of your hand with his large one before giving it a gentle squeeze of reassurance to silence you. Regardless, you were fuming. It was difficult to draw lines in the sand with family. But you knew their concern for you comes from a protective corner of their heart. “It’s something we have in common, baby,” He had said.

And as if making a fool out of you, all the tension between them had melted. The very next evening, you had found Frankie in the middle of a small, boisterous crowd engaged in a heated game of carom. His eyes were trained on the pieces on the board with a single-minded purpose with his tongue peeking out between his lips.

In a spur of impish mischief, you had made a loud noise that cause him to miss his shot. The small disks had skidded aimlessly across the board. He hadn't needed to look to know they'd all missed the hole. He had looked up at you with a face so pained and eyes so wounded under his hat that you had almost, almost, felt bad. All the men had treated you like the villain you were. But late into the night, when the house was sleeping, your husband had kissed you sweetly all the same.

They would have never accepted him, he had explained, if you had spoken up in his defence. You would have hurt their feelings by spurning their concern which would have only made them see Frankie as an interloper who was turning you against your family— isolating you from those who wanted best for you. They had received his gesture of stopping you as a show of quiet honour and self-assuredness.

He had picked up the bad habit of smoking a cigarette with the men of the household after the evening prayers. Frankie had whispered his apologies at the scent of smoke clinging to his clothes. He had coaxed you with sweet nothings and promised to quit as soon as both of you returned. You would never tell him how maddeningly attractive he looked smoking one.

You dragged him across the city to all your old haunts, fed him the late night snacks you enjoyed and kissed him in the shadows of dark streets. It wasn't until the holier nights, later into the month, when your grandmother had placed her wrinkled hands on his head— her shaky fingers stroking his curls— blessing him after her prayers, that you saw him feel the love and acceptance. Your nose had burned with the tears just as his eyes had glazed over. Both of you had hidden your overwhelmed faces by turning them down in prayer.

Eid was a celebration of many things— the celebration of all the hardwork invested into cultivating a better self, a stronger connection with God, with community, with family. So it was an Eid for Frankie too, a day to celebrate a newfound, expanding family and stronger love.

His smile was bright and dimpled. The crinkles around his eyes more pronounced as the sun scattered from his curls. He was dressed in his new white outfit, holding a wad of cash as the children gathered around him. They obediently chirped “Eid Mubarak” in their high, excited voices to receive their Eidi and a big smooch on their cheeks from their uncle Frankie before running off with the money.

You couldn't help but mirror his smile as you waited with a bowl of dessert for him— a delicacy he would taste first from your lips before inhaling the dish.

A/N: Eid Mubarak to all my lovelies!! It's tomorrow in my part of the world. I know many of us will be receiving some Eidi. And if you could spare some of it, then please consider donating to a few mutual aid efforts in Palestine. Thank you to everyone who contributed, especially those people who have compiled these lists of sources.

divider by @saradika-graphics

I couldn't make up my mind about the moodboard, so I'm posting both versions, they're mostly the same pictures though.