#he is baptist or pentecostal btw

[catholicdog]

jimmy mcgill as a pastor.... if u even care

[gisellelx]

Do you think Carlisle was still going to church even tho he was a vampire?

I've done a LOT of thinking and research about this, over the years, so apologies for the length here. I actually dropped most of my headcanon about this on the ole' sideblog not too long ago. But since I am 150% committed to the bit over there, there's no room for explaining why my reading leads to my writing that Carlisle thinks a particular way, since he presumably has no knowledge of the text.

A lot of misunderstandings about Carlisle's relationship with religion, IMO, come from trying to view him and his father through the lens of contemporary American evangelical Christianity. Evangelical Christians, as we know them in the US, are a very, very recent development--they date back to roughly the Regan era, and if they claim denominational affiliation (many do not), they are typically Pentecostal, Methodist, or Baptist.

Carlisle canonically is the son of an Anglican priest. This was the 1640s-1660s, and one of his scant human memories is of the Protectorate, meaning that either his father loved Cromwell or hated Cromwell. Given that, plus the rest of what we know about his dad--that he believed in evil, and hunted demons (anachronistic btw), it seems likely that he was a Puritan. Americans are familiar with the separating Puritans as part of our country's founding mythos--the settlers who came seeking freedom to practice their religion and you know whoops just accidentally did a genocide but not before having a big meal with the Wampanoag!

But there was a second set of nonseparating Puritans who stayed in England, and tried to reform the Anglican church from within. So if we take at face value that Carlisle remembers his father as "Anglican," plus the attitudes toward evil and strong memory of Cromwell, this is likely where Carlisle landed. His church upbringing would've been heavy on the fire and brimstone in the preaching, but still based on an order of worship derived from the Catholic service, with an order of confession, weekly readings from the Old and New Testaments according to the lectionary (as opposed to the modern nondenominational practice of reading whatever the heck the pastor feels like/following a newer bible reading schedule), the recitation of the Lord's Prayer and the creed, and music of psalmodys, occasional hymns, fractions and collects. Communion would've been celebrated frequently.

I suspect, that as a vampire, Carlisle still finds a great deal of solace in that worship pattern. It is one of the few things that is very little changed in his long life. I think he pops into an Episcopal church once every couple years, and when a congregation sings the oldest collects, it moves him to what otherwise would be tears because some deep part of his mind remembers the music the same way an elderly patient with dementia would.

So yes, I think he goes on occasion. I definitely meant this kind of as a shitpost when I wrote it, but it also rings true--he still takes seriously the trappings of the faith practices he grew up with. They are meaningful to him. I loved the new canon introduced in MS that he likes popping into churches when the family are out hunting because it felt very in character and also gives him a really delightful soft side.

He doesn't go often. He doesn't feel like he has to. But he still does find meaning in it all, and to him, it still matters.

[imtherealsebastiansatan]

Some fan saw Seb in St. Patrick's Cathedral. I thought he's Eastern Orthodox? Btw, do you know what's the faith of Ellie?

No and I don't care about Ellie's faith either.

I wouldn't look into it. I was raised Presbyterian, went to a Baptist private school and my friends are of different faith and if they invite me to go church, I'll go with them. I've gone to Catholic churches, Pentecostal, even faith healers. It's no big deal.

[go-scottishgal14]

excuse me, but Bothsides and scented phantom, I’m going to step up to the plate and disagree with you...I am asssuming that neither of you are familiar with how services at American Evangelical/Pentecostal/Baptist/Southern Methodist/-Episcopalian churches are handled...I saw the same sermon that you did that Bishop Curry did, and I LOVED IT...he was NOT an embarrassment, or an idiot, he delivered his sermon in a style that is known to Americans, but unknown to most UK residents so that just makes his sermon style DIFFERENT...Services in the churches I mentioned are joyous, exuberant, lively, and God-filled occasions and people CELEBRATE that they are together in a house of God, hearing his word...I have been appalled at the comments I’ve seen about Bishop Curry’s sermon--a sermon where he reiterated that LOVE is the answer--as he has been shown very little love by some of narrow-minded writers here in the UK...the York sisters, Zara, and anybody else in the RF who thought this man was funny showed no respect to him whatsoever...they may not have liked, or agreed with, or even understood his style of delivery, but then I guess that means that HIS MESSAGE was entirely missed with no love being shown to him...this pisses me off sso much, hence my tirade...and btw, I’m a white, Lutheran, American-born living in the UK who HAS been to Evangelical services with friends and they are the most joyous, life-affirming, spirit-enhancing church experience you can ever have...

P.S. his sermon was 13 minutes long -- 6 or 7 minutes longer than the time allotted to him...I don’t personally consider that droning-on-forever, which has turned out to be MM’s forte over the past three years....

Zara’s face at the wedding really is starting to make a lot of sense. I think they were all like “is this really fucking happening?” She’s just the only one who couldn’t be bothered to hide it. Even Kate struggle to.

[girlmeetshope]

Why I'm not religious.

I grew up inundated with religion. From church twice a week, to vacation bible school, to christian schools and christian friends and christian family. Although there’s particularly nothing wrong with growing up this way, it became overwhelming. The people at the church I grew up in could be extremely judgmental and phony. I never quite felt cared for or covered in Christ’s love. The pastor who baptized me as a baby was caught spending church money on prostitution. It always felt as if any type of sin by people in power was swept under the carpet. Beyond that church, I had experiences with pastors portraying themselves as Godly only to go home and mentally and physically abuse their wives and children behind closed doors. I had experiences with the Pentecostal church that were beyond damaging to my growth in Christ. I was told that if I did not receive the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues, that I would not be accepted into the kingdom of heaven. Imagine hearing that as a young girl just trying to follow what everyone around her was telling her. These Pentecostal people practically tried to force the holy ghost down my throat. I experienced this abuse again and again from “Christian” people whom I thought I could trust. After being homeschooled, I decided to attend 1st grade at a christian school only to be berated by the teacher, who I felt had a vendetta against me. At six years old she stuck her hand down my shirt and told me I was “full of garbage”. Whether she was joking or not, my six year old self took that with me all throughout my life. The icing on the cake for me was attending a baptist school for four years. People in power let certain people get away with murder while others(such as myself) were judged harshly. One of my most “Godly”,and married, teachers was caught having an inappropriate relationship with a student. After learning this, i was crushed. The exterior of christianity was nothing but a facade. These external issues I faced were nothing compared to the anxiety I faced on a daily basis. This anxiety was only intensified by church, with my anxiety attacks hitting an all time high during worship services. Also, I judged myself so harshly. I didn’t allow myself to be human. I felt weighed down by religion, so exhausted and alone. I found the queen of all hypocrites in a girl I was arranged to become friends with my senior year of high school because she was a “christian”. That year of school was another year from hell. Every day she badgered me with insults about my appearance, as well as calling me a “Jesus freak” in front of my peers. After all of this, with myself being the harshest critique, I separated myself from religion completely. As a senior in college, I no longer attend church or spend a lot of time around “religious” people. I have never felt more free and happy than I do now. I no longer ridicule myself for every move I make and I feel that I can actually explore and express myself without judgement. I have found great people who treat me a thousand times better than any christian friend I ever had did (I wont get into all the details). It is not to say that I don’t believe in God anymore and that I am not a spiritual being, but I am no longer a religious being. I cannot continue to be miserable for the sake of appearance. Religion has caused me more pain than anything else in my life. I cannot continue to live that life just to satisfy the expectations of those around me and I have never been better. If you are struggling because of religion, remember that the blood of Christ was not shed on the cross for you to feel unworthy. The grace of God has covered every sin you have and will commit. Christ is love and compassion, and none of the things that religion has made you feel that He is. You shouldn’t have to live a life surrounded by people who only care about keeping up appearances. Remember that loving God is a relationship, not a religion.

(Btw, this is completely raw and unedited so I apologize for any spelling/grammar issues)