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apprenticebard · 8 years ago

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(To be clear, I do not believe that the SOL is the root of all evil in the US - merely that it is the root of much or even most of the evil in the US.) The Statue Of Liberty is openly and explicitly a depiction of the Roman goddess "Libertas". Though most people don't know this, it isn't some conspiratorial secret; it is a matter of public record. The common counterargument is that it doesn't qualify as idolatry because we don't worship it, but what would have to be different for it to count?

I think the SOL is idolatry; it’s not even maybe-ambiguously-idolatry where a controversy is justifiable. It’s the central example of what idolatry is, the litmus test for whether you have a remotely decent concept of idolatry. And sure enough, about a hundred years after the damn thing was built, people started sacrificing their children because they developed some strange idea that they have the *liberty* to do it!

There was a moment when it clicked for me that the Bible is continuous with history and that history that isn’t recorded in the Bible can be clarified by imagining how the Bible would record it. Ask yourself: if American history had one or more books of the Bible devoted to it, what would it say about the SOL? The nation that builds that - how would it be judged? Where does that story go, exactly?

Ahh, I see. I disagree that the statue is necessarily an idol, any more than the washington monument or the gateway arch are necessarily idols, but that’s a better argument than I expected. I’m sorry if I was excessively flippant before.

I’m curious, in what sense is the statue itself an idol, moreso than the above monuments or other artistic depictions of pagan deities? Do you think depicting pagan deities is wrong in general, or that statues in general are wrong? Giant statues? Only really cool statues? These are serious questions, I want to know what exactly worries you about the SOL in particular. I can certainly imagine something written in a biblical stye decrying the SOL, and off the top of my head I can’t think of any time in the Bible when someone built a giant statue and it was a good thing, but I think that’s a poor argument for why building giant statues is necessarily wrong.

I could definitely buy that the ideal of absolute personal liberty itself is a common American idol, but I don’t think that means people are idolizing the statue. “Liberty” is listed as one of the basic rights of man in the US Declaration of Independence. It seems silly to link it to the statue specifically, and even sillier to argue that “most” evil in America has been a result of the Statue of Liberty, when the SOL wasn’t built until after the end of slavery and the removal of many native american populations. There are some very significant atrocities that occurred here before anyone ever designed Lady Liberty, and it’s wrong to ignore them in your analysis.

The abortion thing is post hoc ergo propter hoc–just because the statue was built before roe v wade doesn’t mean that the statue caused roe v wade. Even if you’re going to take the angle that both can be traced to the ideal of “liberty”, that doesn’t mean that the statue itself (or the construction and maintenance of it) somehow caused widespread abortion.

And to top it all off - though I’m certainly not sure of this - I think it’s pretty likely that there IS such a book of the Bible, or at least a part of one. I think America = Mystery Babylon is a very coherent explanation of the relevant portion of Revelation, and the Whore is likely the SOL or a composite figure of the SOL and some actual people. I think Catholics are wary of interpreting prophecy? I’m wary of it myself, but the interpretation leapt out at me and I feel deeply convicted by it.

I don’t know about Catholics in general, but I’m wary of it, yeah. Especially Revelation–I get the generalities, that things will get worse in many ways before they get better, but trying to determine the meanings of specific details just leads to paranoia and really weird readings, in my experience. Like, the protestant sect that I converted from officially holds that the Pope is the antichrist (even though the Bible also says that there are many antichrists and you shouldn’t be looking for a specific one). I think people are prone to come to those sorts of odd, unhelpful conclusions when they get too wrapped up in decoding every metaphor in Revelation.

For the record, I love the whole Bible, but my favorite book is certainly Kings. I hardly have it memorized - I can’t even remember all the kings’ names, let alone what order they’re in or who’s who - but I think most Christians would seriously benefit from deeper study of it. In Christ we’re forgiven, but as a nation, we need an Earthly leader who will chase the demons and their worshipers out, and sadly, I don’t find it likely that we’ll get such an Earthly leader.

I wouldn’t be overly concerned with the fate of America in particular. I love this messed up country, warts and all, but we’re not the only or most important place in the world, and the rest of the global Church would get along fine without us if they had to. I’m more concerned with the people who live here, I guess. This world will pass away someday, regardless of how long this one nation does or doesn’t last; it’s only other people who’ll be coming with us to the next one.

I also don’t know that it’s the role of a head of state to “chase the demons” out. Sure, I’d love it if we had a godly person in the white house, but history suggests that tangling religion and politics leads to the corruption of the earthly Church, as people gain Church positions solely for the purpose of gaining earthly power. Better to keep them separate enough that that isn’t as much of a problem, I think.

I agree that we would all benefit from deeper study of the Bible.

#bard says things #asks #anon #like i still definitely don't believe that the sol is meaningfully to blame for any major wrongs the people of this country have committed #but i remain intrigued by this completely alien assertion #feel free to continue anon friend

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polkadotsockz · 8 years ago

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I don't know why, but I've always liked these.

100 Things About Me

1. What is your full name? Kimberly

2. How old are you? 23

3. When is your birthday? 12/12

4. What is your zodiac sign? The charming and witty, Sagittarius

5. What is your favorite color? Blacker than my soul

6. What’s your lucky number? 12 (look at my birthday!)

7. Do you have any pets? Two wonderful cats, Fuu (Fuu Kitty) and Archer (Archie)

8. Where are you from? Connecticut

9. How tall are you? 5��8"

10. How many pairs of shoes do you own? Like 10, but I wear 3-4 of them regularly

11. What did you last have for breakfast? Scrambled eggs and cold brew coffee

12. What was your last dream about? The last one I remember having was one in which I was in my high school cafeteria. For some reason everyone in my high school was invited to this wedding (don't know whose), and we all decided to get dressed at school. Now mind you, this took place in my high school but in the present day, meaning we were all adults. When I looked around, guys and girls were putting on their outfits, doing their hair, and doing their makeup. All the parents were there getting ready too. I remember getting upset because my parents brought the wrong dress for me. They brought the dress I wore to my cousin's wedding a few years ago, which is a beautiful dark blue gown. I was upset because I was afraid the dress would rip because of all the weight I've gained. (The dress actually did rip in real life when I wore it to my step-aunt's wedding a couple of months ago; causing me to have to borrow someone’s dress for the rest of the night). So after some complaining, I convinced them to stop back at home so I could get a different dress, and that's when I woke up.

13. What is the best thing about you? I always try to see the best in everyone, even if they've done me wrong.

14. Put shuffle on your iPod, what were the first 5 songs?

1. Part II - Paramore

2. ARTPOP - Lady Gaga

3. Dancing in Circles - Lady Gaga (really?! 2 in a row?)

4. But It's Better if You Do - Panic! At the Disco

5. Comedy of Errors- Alesana

15. Favorite song? It typically depends on my mood, but the one that is most constant is “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga. It’s pretty much the perfect song because a. it’s fun to sing along to, b. it’s fun to dance to, c. it has beautiful lyrics with a powerful message about self-love and self-acceptance, especially for the LGBT community.

16. Favorite TV show? Game of Thrones, by fucking far!

17. Favorite movie? the Harry Potter series

18. Do you miss anyone right now? I miss my Sammy and I miss my friends who I don’t see nearly enough

19. Do you want children? I think so, but I have promised myself that I won’t have kids unless and until I work out my anxiety issues because I don’t want to pass this along to yet another generation in my family.

20. Do you want a church wedding? Nah, I’d probably burst into flames up at the altar.

21. Are you religious? Nah, I like Satan jokes too much.

22. Have you ever been to the hospital? The last time I remember going was when I was 6 and needed 10 stitches on my head.

23. Have you ever met any celebrities? Sadly, no. I hold out hope that I’ll meet Lady Gaga.

24. Baths or showers? Both! I only really like baths when I have a bath bomb/bubble bar, though!

25. What color socks are you wearing? None.

26. Have you ever been famous? Nah, I don’t have the charisma or personality to handle that much attention.

27. Would you like to be a big celebrity? Nah, I like my privacy tbh.

28. What type of music do you like? Lady Gaga, Paramore, emo/screamo that I’ve been listening to since middle/high school, occasional radio hits

29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? No :/ I totally should have when I was home alone when I lived at my parents’.

30. How many pillows do you sleep with? Two! My favorite is when I can lay my head on one, and hug the other one.

31. What position do you usually sleep in? I usually sleep on my side (fetal position)

32. How big is your house? Our apartment is a decently sized one-bedroom

33. What do you typically have for breakfast? Eggs or rolled oats with fruit

34. Have you ever fired a gun? Nope!

35. Have you ever tried archery? No, but it sounds cool

36. Who is your celebrity crush? Lady Gaga cuz she’s actually perfect

37. Who do you look up to? Lady Gaga, because she isn’t afraid to be who she is and inspires others love and accept themselves. She is an extremely talented and accomplished musician, but retains such a humility and love for her fans. So basically, as I said before, she’s perfect.

38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep? 22 hours. When I was a high school senior, I got hooked on World of Warcraft, and I would do raids until 2 am (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays), and then wake up for school at 5 am. Thursdays were the worst.

39. Do you have any scars? On my forehead from the 10 stitches I got as a child, and a few on my face from the chicken pox.

40. Have you ever had a secret admirer? I don’t believe so.

41. Are you a good liar? I’m good at white lies (“I love that new haircut!”) but suck at lying about things that actually matter because I’m really bad at hiding my feelings.

42. Are you a good judge of character? For the most part.

43. Can you do any other accents other than your own? I like to pretend I can do a British accent, but it’s not all that.

44. Do you have a strong accent? Nah lol, just standard New England.

45. What is your favorite accent? British, Irish, Australian

46. Name all the countries you’ve been to? Not as many as I’d like! I have only been to Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and I took a cruise as a kid that stopped in Aruba, St. Martin, and St. Thomas. So basically, I’ve been around the Carribean.

47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing? I don’t know, haha. I’m too broke for expensive clothes, I’m a grad student.

48. Can you curl your tongue? Kind of.

49. Are you an innie or an outie? Innie!

50. Left or right handed? Right, my left hand is useless

51. Are you scared of spiders? Yes, I hate all of them.

52. Favorite food? You can never go wrong with pizza

53. Favorite foreign food? Thai food is heaven.

54. Are you a clean or messy person? I can be messy with clothes, but for the most part, I’m a neat freak. I get anxiety if things are too dirty around the house.

55. Most used phrase? “I’m too tired for life......”

56. Most used word? “Fuck”

57. How long does it take for you to get ready? Probably like 30-45 minutes on average. I varies depending on how long my shower is, how much make up I’m trying to wear, what I’m doing to my hair, and if shaving my legs is part of the process.

58. Do you have much of an ego? Most of the time I tend to be very hard on myself, so I’m gonna say no.

59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? Don’t eat many lollipops nowadays, but suck!

60. Do you talk to yourself? All the time! I’m a great conversationalist.

61. Do you sing to yourself? All the time! Every car ride is a concert just for me.

62. Are you a good singer? I’m not too shabby.

63. Biggest Fear? Failure, rejection, judgement.

64. Are you a gossip? I can be. I enjoy talking about others, but many times it’s not in a negative way. For example, if I’m worried about someone who isn’t really saying much to me, I may ask another friend what’s going on with them because I’m concerned...not cuz I’m trying to talk shit. I guess I should get better at direct communication, tho.

65. Favorite character in anything? Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones, ASOIAF

66. Do you like long or short hair? I like both, but I’m digging my ultra long hair right now cuz I had short hair for so long!

67. Can you name all 50 states of America? Probably, just don’t ask me where they all are on the map.

68. Favorite school subject? English/literature all the way!

69. Extrovert or Introvert? Too introverted to handle.

70. Favorite hobbies? Reading, writing, watching movies/shows, make-up, spending time with my boyfriend and friends

71. What makes you nervous? Everything social, judgement, presenting in front of people, making decisions.

72. Are you scared of the dark? I used to be, but now I like it.

73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? Not really. I used to correct peoples’ grammar/spelling mistakes, but then I realized what an ass I was being. I only really point out mistakes if I think the mistakes will negatively impact the person.

74. Are you ticklish? Yes, extremely and everywhere.

75. Have you ever started a rumor? I don’t think so.

76. Have you ever been in a position of authority? I guess I’m in a position of power/authority in my career. I never know what to do with that power, though.

77. Have you ever drank underage? Of course.

78. Have you ever done drugs? I’ve dabbled in a few things. Weed is the only consistent one, and it’s hardly a “drug.” I’ve never done anything seriously addictive/dangerous like heroine or meth or something.

79. Who was your first real crush? This kid in my second grade class. He didn’t like me though cuz he was popular, and I was very unpopular.

80. How many piercings do you have? 5 - lobes, industrial bar, nostril, and navel. I want so so so many more though.

81. Can you roll your Rs? Spanish is my second language, so claro que sí!

82. How fast can you type? Pretty damn fast, actually.

83. How fast can you run? Fast if it’s for a very short distance. I have very little endurance, though.

84. What color is your hair? Naturally, I’m a milk chocolate brown. Right now, I’ve got about 2-3 inches my roots grown out, and the rest is a fading purple.

85. What color are your eyes? Dark brown.

86. What are you allergic to? Just pollen.

87. Do you keep a journal? I’ve always been bad at keeping up with journals. I wish I could find some old ones with my poetry.

88. What do your parents do? Dad: owns a little grocery store, Mom: works at a bank, Stepdad: works at an investment bank (stocks and such)

89. Do you like your age? It’s okay. I’m getting old, though.

90. What makes you angry? Ignorance/ hatred: racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, etc. It honestly makes no sense to me how people can’t just love and accept one another and mind their own damn business.

91. Do you like your own name? I think it’s a nice name.

92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they? I’ve had many thoughts throughout the years. I’ve always been partial to gender neutral names like Alex, Riley, Andy, etc.

93. Do you want a boy or a girl for a child? One of each would work.

94. If you had to have someone narrate the story of your life to you when you died, who would it be? This is an odd question, honestly, I’m not sure.

95. What’s the best thing you’ve ever won? I don’t really win things.

96. How did you get your name? My mom and dad were thinking “Nelly” but then my grandma’s best friend talked them into “Kimberly.” I feel that this is more fitting.

97. Out of the original 151 which is your favorite Pokémon? I didn’t watch Pokemon.

98. What browser do you use? Safari cuz I’m a Mac.

99. Color of your bedspread? I think it’s purple right now.

100. Color of your room? White cuz I rent and can’t paint the walls

#personal #Boredom #survey

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