#post-christian society

[blackswaneuroparedux]

For 200 years we had sawed and sawed and sawed at the branch we were sitting on. And in the end, much more suddenly than anyone had foreseen, our efforts were rewarded, and down we came. But unfortunately there had been a little mistake…The thing at the bottom was not a bed of roses after all; it was a cesspool full of barbed wire. ... It appears that amputation of the soul isn't just a simple surgical job, like having your appendix out. The wound has a tendency to go septic.

- George Orwell, Notes on the Way

Orwell on post-Christian societies.

[oidheadh-con-culainn]

two questions to ask yourself when you start looking for pre-christian material in medieval literature:

1. when are these texts from

2. when did christianity come to this area

i can guarantee you in the vast majority of celtic-language sources (and others) the answer to 2. is several centuries before 1. and at that point you gotta ask yourself... how likely is it that these people would be writing about something that has not been a thing for them or anyone they know for, like, four hundred years (or, in many cases, eight or nine hundred years), especially given that most of the people doing that writing are not merely passively existing in a christian society but are, yunno, monks

there are exceptions! but there are way fewer exceptions than you think there are gonna be! and the exceptions are almost always extremely nebulous sub layers that can't be disentangled from the other layers (which are christian) with any certainty so are always somewhat speculative!

and most importantly those other layers are interesting too, but if you only ever treat them like dirt to dig through to get to something "real" underneath you're sure gonna be disappointed a lot of the time (and you're gonna miss a lot of cool shit that would be really exciting if this was an actual archaeological dig and not a metaphor)!!

[if-not-now-tell-me-when]

Today, October 13th, marks 52 years since the crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 on its way from Mendoza, Argentina, to Santiago, Chile.

17 of the 29 victims of the accident passed away during or shortly after the crash, or during the first night on the mountain. Below, you can find their photos and a short bio for each. May they rest in peace, and may their families find peace on this day and every day.

Eugenia Dolgay de Parrado, age 50. Eugenia was the mother of Susana and Nando Parrado, and had come on the trip at the invitation of her son. Eugenia is described by her son as a quiet but strong woman, “full of encouragement and sage advice, with deep reserves of resourcefulness and good judgment that won her the respect of everyone who knew her.” While waiting to take off from the airport in Mendoza, she handed out candy from her purse to the boys around her. Eugenia died instantly during the crash, and is buried on the mountain with her daughter, Susana. 

Graziela Gumila de Mariani, age 43. Graziela bought her ticket aboard Flight 571 at the last minute, as she was flying to Chile for her daughter’s wedding. She was sitting in the front of the plane, and suffered two broken legs during the crash. The boys tried to free her afterwards, but she was inextricably pinned by the mass of seats that were crushed together in the impact. Two boys, Rafael Echaverran and Moncho Sabella, took turns holding her hand throughout the night in an attempt to comfort her. She passed away from her injuries early the following morning.

Colonel Dante Lagurara, age 41. Lagurara was a lieutenant colonel in the Uruguayan Air Force, and the co-pilot of the Fairchild. According to Alive by Piers Paul Read, one of his last acts before the crash was to tell Ramirez to, “make sure that the unruly passengers did as they were told” and took their seats. He survived the initial crash, but was pinned to his seat by the instrument panel. The boys tried in vain to free him, but were only able to feed him some snow and remove the cushion from his seat before returning to the fuselage. He passed away from his injuries during the first night.

Esther Horta Pérez de Nicola, age 40. Esther was the wife of Francisco Nicola, the Old Christians’ team doctor, and the mother of four young sons. Both were avid supporters of the team, and were excited to see them play in Chile. Esther died on impact when she and her husband were thrown forward into the wall separating the luggage compartment from the main cabin.

Dr. Francisco “Pancho”  Nicola, age 40. Dr. Nicola was the Old Christians’ team doctor, and an avid supporter of both the team and the Stella Maris College. While onboard the plane, he joined in the playful energy of the boys, catching a rugby ball thrown across the cabin by Roberto Canessa. He left behind four young sons. He and his wife both died immediately on impact.

Colonel Julio César Ferradás, age 39. Ferradás was an experienced pilot, having served in the Uruguayan Air Force for nearly 20 years, and completed 29 flights over the Andes. Ferradás died on impact.

Lieutenant Ramón Martínez, age 30. Martínez was serving as the steward aboard Flight 571. He spent his last moments playing cards with several of the boys in the back of the plane. He was one of the passengers sucked out of the back of the aircraft when the tail was cut off. 

Sergeant Ovidio Joaquín Ramírez, age 26. Ramírez was an Air Force sergeant who served as purser and navigator aboard Flight 571. Ramírez was sucked from the back of the aircraft and died upon impact with the mountain.

Julio Martinez Lamas, age 24. Julio was an avid supporter of the Old Christians’ team, and a friend and soccer teammate of Numa Turcatti and Coche Inciarte. Julio survived the initial crash, but passed away during the first night from his injuries.

Daniel Shaw Urioste, age 24. Daniel was an alum of the Stella Maris College, a substitute player for the Old Christians, and a cousin of Fito and Eduardo Strauch. He was also a close friend of Marcelo Pérez and a former full time player on the team. Moments before the crash, he begged his cousin Fito to switch seats with him, but Fito refused, inadvertently saving the latter’s life. Daniel was sucked from the back of the plane when the tail was cut off by impact with the mountain.

Gastón Costemalle, age 24. Gastón was a former player and captain of the Old Christians team, a law student, and a close friend of Numa Turcatti, Pancho Delgado, Coche Inciarte, Marcelo Pérez and Eduardo Strauch. Gastón was instrumental in convincing many non-players to join the trip, including Coche, Pancho and Numa. He perished along with several others when he was sucked from the rear of the plane.

Guido Jose Magri, age 23. Guido was an agronomy student, an active Old Christian’s player, and a longtime friend of Nando Parrado. He was engaged to be married at the time of the crash, and was very excited to spend his time in Chile planning the wedding with his fiancee, who was the daughter of a Chilean diplomat. Guido perished with several others after being sucked from the rear of the plane.

Felipe Maquirriain, age 22. Felipe was an economics student, a Stella Maris alum, and a friend of Arturo Nogueira, Pedro Algorta and Enrique Platero. Felipe suffered blunt force trauma during the crash, and passed away during the first night due to his injuries.

Francisco “Panchito” Abal, age 21. Panchito was a Stella Maris alum and a talented rugby player who held the winger position for the Old Christian's First 15. Panchito was also Nando Parrado's closest friend, and was considered to be a second son by Nando's parents, Seler and Eugenia, as well as a surrogate brother by his sister, Susy. Moments before the crash, Panchito convinced Nando to switch seats so that he could have a better view of the mountains, a split-second decision that would save Nando's life but cost Panchito his own. Panchito suffered severe head trauma during the crash, and passed away during the first night on the mountain from his injuries.

Jorge Alexis Hounie, age 20. Alexis, known as “Alejo” by his friends, was a Stella Maris alum, a scrum-half on the Old Christian’s First 15, and a veterinary student. Alexis was sucked from the back of the plane along with several of his friends and teammates, and perished upon impact with the mountain.

Fernando “Flaco” Vasquez, age 20. Flaco was a friend and classmate of Roberto Canessa, and a medical student. Roberto and Flaco were seatmates on the plane. Flaco suffered an amputation of his lower leg during the crash, and passed away before Canessa or Zerbino could attend to his wounds.

Carlos Valeta, age 18. Carlos was a Stella Maris alum, a medical student, and a friend of Gustavo Zerbino and Carlitos Paez. He was not a player on the Old Christian’s team, but he was an avid team supporter. Carlos was sucked from the rear of the plane, miraculously surviving the impact, but falling down the mountain to his death as he tried in his shock to reach the other survivors.

[dailyanarchistposts]

For Chris Marquis, a gifted writer, a courageous reporter and a generous friend whose loss has left a hole in my heart.

Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. —Blaise Pascal

Eternal Fascism: Fourteen Ways of Looking at a Blackshirt

By Umberto Eco

In spite of some fuzziness regarding the difference between various historical forms of fascism, I think it is possible to outline a list of features that are typical of what I would like to call Ur-Fascism, or Eternal Fascism. These features cannot be organized into a system; many of them contradict each other, and are also typical of other kinds of despotism or fanaticism. But it is enough that one of them be present to allow fascism to coagulate around it.

1. The first feature of Ur-Fascism is the cult of tradition. Traditionalism is of course much older than fascism. Not only was it typical of counterrevolutionary Catholic thought after the French revolution, but is was born in the late Hellenistic era, as a reaction to classical Greek rationalism. In the Mediterranean basin, people of different religions (most of the faiths indulgently accepted by the Roman pantheon) started dreaming of a revelation received at the dawn of human history. This revelation, according to the traditionalist mystique, had remained for a long time concealed under the veil of forgotten languages—in Egyptian hieroglyphs, in the Celtic runes, in the scrolls of the little-known religions of Asia.

This new culture had to be syncretistic. Syncretism is not only, as the dictionary says, “the combination of different forms of belief or practice;” such a combination must tolerate contradictions. Each of the original messages contains a sliver of wisdom, and although they seem to say different or incompatible things, they all are nevertheless alluding, allegorically, to the same primeval truth.

As a consequence, there can be no advancement of learning. Truth already has been spelled out once and for all, and we can only keep interpreting its obscure message.

If you browse in the shelves that, in American bookstores, are labeled New Age, you can find there even Saint Augustine, who, as far as I know, was not a fascist. But combining Saint Augustine and Stonehenge—that is a symptom of Ur-Fascism.

2. Traditionalism implies the rejection of modernism.</strong> Both Fascists and Nazis worshipped technology, while traditionalist thinkers usually reject it as a negation of traditional spiritual values. However, even though Nazism was proud of its industrial achievements, its praise of modernism was only the surface of an ideology based upon blood and earth (Blut und Boden). The rejection of the modern world was disguised as a rebuttal of the capitalistic way of life. The Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, is seen as the beginning of modern depravity. In this sense Ur-Fascism can be defined as irrationalism.

3. Irrationalism also depends on the cult of action for action’s sake.</strong> Action being beautiful in itself, it must be taken before, or without, reflection. Thinking is a form of emasculation. Therefore culture is suspect insofar as it is identified with critical attitudes. Distrust of the intellectual world has always been a symptom of Ur-Fascism, from Hermann Goering’s fondness for a phrase from a Hanns Johst play (“When I hear the word ‘culture’ I reach for my gun”) to the frequent use of such expressions as “degenerate intellectuals,” “egg-heads,” “effete snobs,” and “universities are nests of reds.” The official Fascist intellectuals were mainly engaged in attacking modern culture and the liberal intelligentsia for having betrayed traditional values.

4. The critical spirit makes distinctions, and to distinguish is a sign of modernism. In modern culture the scientific community praises disagreement as a way to improve knowledge. For Ur-Fascism, disagreement is treason.

5. Besides, disagreement is a sign of diversity. Ur-Fascism grows up and seeks consensus by exploiting and exacerbating the natural fear of difference. The first appeal of a fascist or prematurely fascist movement is an appeal against the intruders. Thus Ur-Fascism is racist by definition.

6. Ur-Fascism derives from individual or social frustration. That is why one of the most typical features of the historical fascism was the appeal to a frustrated middle class, a class suffering from an economic crisis or feelings of political humiliation, and frightened by the pressure of lower social groups. In our time, when the old “proletarians” are becoming petty bourgeois (and the lumpen are largely excluded from the political scene), the fascism of tomorrow will find its audience in this new majority.

7. To people who feel deprived of a clear social identity, Ur-Fascism says that their only privilege is the most common one, to be born in the same country. This is the origin of nationalism. Besides, the only ones who can provide an identity to the nation are its enemies. Thus at the root of the Ur-Fascist psychology there is the obsession with a plot, possibly an international one. The followers must feel besieged. The easiest way to solve the plot is the appeal to xenophobia. But the plot must also come from the inside: Jews are usually the best target because they have the advantage of being at the same time inside and outside. In the United States, a prominent instance of the plot obsession is to be found in Pat Robertson’s The New World Order, but, as we have recently seen, there are many others.

8. The followers must feel humiliated by the ostentatious wealth and force of their enemies.</strong> When I was a boy I was taught to think of Englishmen as the five-meal people. They ate more frequently than the poor but sober Italians. Jews are rich and help each other through a secret web of mutual assistance. However, the followers of Ur-Fascism must also be convinced that they can overwhelm the enemies. Thus, by a continuous shifting of rhetorical focus, the enemies are at the same time too strong and too weak. Fascist governments are condemned to lose wars because they are constitutionally incapable of objectively evaluating the force of the enemy.

9. For Ur-Fascism there is no struggle for life but, rather, life is lived for struggle. Thus pacifism is trafficking with the enemy. It is bad because life is permanent warfare. This, however, brings about an Armageddon complex. Since enemies have to be defeated, there must be a final battle, after which the movement will have control of the world. But such “final solutions” implies a further era of peace, a Golden Age, which contradicts the principle of permanent war. No fascist leader has ever succeeded in solving this predicament.

10. Elitism is a typical aspect of any reactionary ideology, insofar as it is fundamentally aristocratic, and aristocratic and militaristic elitism cruelly implies contempt for the weak.</strong> Ur-Fascism can only advocate a popular elitism. Every citizen belongs to the best people in the world, the members or the party are the best among the citizens, every citizen can (or ought to) become a member of the party. But there cannot be patricians without plebeians. In fact, the Leader, knowing that his power was not delegated to him democratically but was conquered by force, also knows that his force is based upon the weakness of the masses; they are so weak as to need and deserve a ruler.

11. In such a perspective everybody is educated to become a hero.</strong> In every mythology the hero is an exceptional being, but in Ur-Fascist ideology heroism is the norm. This cult of heroism is strictly linked with the cult of death. It is not by chance that a motto of the Spanish Falangists was Viva la Muerte (“Long Live Death!”). In nonfascist societies, the lay public is told that death is unpleasant but must be faced with dignity; believers are told that it is the painful way to reach a supernatural happiness. By contrast, the Ur-Fascist hero craves heroic death, advertised as the best reward for a heroic life. The Ur-Fascist hero is impatient to die. In his impatience, he more frequently sends other people to death.

12. Since both permanent war and heroism are difficult games to play, the Ur-Fascist transfers his will to power to sexual matters.</strong> This is the origin of machismo (which implies both disdain for women and intolerance and condemnation of nonstandard sexual habits, from chastity to homosexuality). Since even sex is a difficult game to play, the Ur-Fascist hero tends to play with weapons—doing so becomes an ersatz phallic exercise.

13. Ur-Fascism is based upon a selective populism, a qualitative populism, one might say.</strong> In a democracy, the citizens have individual rights, but the citizens in their entirety have a political impact only from a quantitative point of view—one follows the decisions of the majority. For Ur-Fascism, however, individuals as individuals have no rights, and the People is conceived as a quality, a monolithic entity expressing the Common Will. Since no large quantity of human beings can have a common will, the Leader pretends to be their interpreter. Having lost their power of delegation, citizens do not act; they are only called on to play the role of the People. Thus the People is only a theatrical fiction. There is in our future a TV or Internet populism, in which the emotional response of a selected group of citizens can be presented and accepted as the Voice of the People. Because of its qualitative populism, Ur-Fascism must be against “rotten” parliamentary governments. Wherever a politician casts doubt on the legitimacy of a parliament because it no longer represents the Voice of the People, we can smell Ur-Fascism.

14. Ur-Fascism speaks Newspeak. Newspeak was invented by Orwell, in Nineteen Eighty-Four, as the official language of what he called Ingsoc, English Socialism. But elements of Ur-Fascism are common to different forms of dictatorship. All the Nazi or Fascist schoolbooks made use of an impoverished vocabulary, and an elementary syntax, in order to limit the instruments for complex and critical reasoning. But we must be ready to identify other kinds of Newspeak, even if they take the apparently innocent form of a popular talk show.

Ur-Fascism is still around us, sometimes in plainclothes. It would be so much easier for us if there appeared on the world scene somebody saying, “I want to reopen Auschwitz, I want the Blackshirts to parade again in the Italian squares.” Life is not that simple. Ur-Fascism can come back under the most innocent of disguises. Our duty is to uncover it and to point our finger at any of its new instances—every day, in every part of the world. Franklin Roosevelt’s words of November 4, 1938, are worth recalling: “If American democracy ceases to move forward as a living force, seeking day and night by peaceful means to better the lot of our citizens, fascism will grow in strength in our land.” Freedom and liberation are an unending task.

[dovesndecay]

As someone who was not raised in any flavor of Christianity, I don't personally have a horse in this Culturally Christian or not debate.

What I will say is that some people sure are sounding a whole helluva lot like the white folks that wanna say because they are X marginalization, they don't benefit from white supremacy.

[hybbat]

I do think a good chunk of the 'cringey atheist' stereotype did come from the fact that, especially americans, regardless of their actual religious status are just casually christian and refer to things through a religious filter and that isn't seen for how overwhelming/obnoxious/frustrating it is. Its absense, such as when writing a story and things like "oh god" or other casual references are remove or replaced, is seen as notable the same way people find the cast being all women or queer being 'abnormal'.

And I think more people, especially here on tumblr, should take a moment from ragging on some kid being "cringey" saying god doesn't exist or making atheist jump around like dancing monkeys to establish they're one of the good respectful ones before they ever even begin to talk about their own thoughts, and examine why so much content just inserts god into a conversation that had nothing to do with religion like it's the expected norm, the same way they examine the invasiveness of casual heteronormativity.

[soup-mother]

anyone else remember the "not believing in young earth creationism is cultural christianity" post? i think it was "because you're deciding what is and isn't true for other people"

[adhderall]

well as you can see besides being ugly as all fuck I'm also extremely bitter so that doesn't help at all in making me appealing. but it also comes with the territory you see, being treated as a hideous freak of nature for your whole life kind of does things to your psyche.

also going into shit in the tags as an extreeeemely jaded individual who's been on every side of the discourse and KNOWS it all VERY PERSONALLY so I know many people will find all sorts of different reasons to hate me (if they want ig) because I'm ~politically homeless~ at this point because I'm sick and tired of everything but whatever

(also fuck I ran out of space in the tags so another post maybe idk. )

[reflection-s-of-stars]

Hey. Hey what if one of the OG lyctors was Jewish pre-resurrection. Wouldn’t that be so fucked up

[eremosjournal]

The Tortured Catholic’s Department

by @aud.ball

[lord-here-i-am]

Months Dedications Christianity VS Society I'd always choose Christ.

[inkedwingss]

For the ones joining my new writing-only blog, my baby Substack: I will upload one poem every day for the next 15 days, so expect some e-mails in your inbox! :)

If you have been here for a while, you must know I was in desperate need of a writing-only platform — in fact, if you remember, I even tried a side blog, but that didn't work for me (and the novel is cooking atm). So, for the sake of my peace of mind and my writing, I will upload all the poetry in here to this sparkling, brand-new Substack.

After a few days on that platform, though, I can already tell I'm not going to follow what I perceived to be the pattern. Do I feel like a fish out of the water? Yes. Do I plan to change? No. Is it good for ''marketing''? Nope! But I literally can't force myself into a non-authentic space. It gives me anxiety.

I believe in using the platform instead of letting the platform use me. I'm free. That is unnegotiable. So, I will do my best on my own terms, as many things annoy me about the writing culture of these times we live in and I refuse to wear the halter. Oh, I promise I'll never try to coach you, start mothering you, or try to sell you a "how to write poetry in 5 steps" guide. No hooking titles. I won't join the experts-on-shit FOMO cult to prey on other people's triggers or to feel ''good'' about myself at the expense of others. This type of thing actually creeps me out.

But I do promise we can just resonate and inspire each other by being honest and raw, by having a brave heart so we can keep being kind, and by pursuing truth, beauty and art... How about that? We can enjoy the vibe and cultivate this appreciation of words! We can even chat as writer friends, as reader friends or just as friends friends — and encourage each other through real, second-intention-free presence.

If my writing doesn't touch you, it's fine. If yours doesn't touch me, it's fine. It's not personal, it's not a bad thing. We are all finding our voice. The day you think you know everything, you're dead, so we have to keep searching, moving and growing together! How many times have I needed the words from @cssnder @goodluckclove @hersurvival or @remnantofabrokensoul, and so many others around here (iykyk)? And I'm very grateful for every word and idea you all shared here in this amazing space, helping me to keep going, to break from my shell and lay another brick in the foundations of what I want to create.

That is the beauty of it. Creation demands connection. That is respect and human experience. And I repeat it: sometimes what I create won't touch anyone but me.

Oh, but what if it does!

Well, that being said: I actually do have some crazy ideas for the Substack. At first, the focus was on creating some substantial and self-indulgent content about literature (I like to study). Although I still think that's important, exciting and valid, Poetry is making its way through my inked fingers more and more, demanding space, attention, and voice; so I will not neglect this calling.

What about the future? I don’t know. Paid subscriptions for specific academic literature content? Prophetic, devotional newsletters?Generating debates on books for the community? Just poetry that you can read for free and not engage at all because I can be quite antisocial at times? Digging around some old ancient advice on writing? None of the above? Anything is possible, really. For now, I will slow down and avoid contributing to the hamster wheel of modern despair for the speed of light living and likes.

For now, poetry, please.

And tea. Lots of tea, because it's raining.

The grass looks so green!

[rahabs]

It's just amazing to me that all the people who were having complete meltdowns in February over a video game are now on this website spitting some of the most vile, heinous, antisemitic rhetoric, is all.

[shiredwarf]

this whole trad life thing is so fascinating to me but also sometimes just deeply hilarious because some of them really looked at some adverts from the 50s and went: wow life back then was perfect, I want this! Imagine if in 2090 people watched 2020 ads and went like: wow, peak civilisation, let's all lose our rights to recreate this utopia!

[angorwhosebabyisthis]

analyzing hermes, emet-selch, the ancients and ascians, how they're written, and the fandom's reaction to them be like hm. emet-selch's role in this fuckery is compounded by the fact that his backstory as a genocide survivor is incongruous with his ruling a huge genocidal colonialist world power in the present da [ANTISEMITISM BLAST]

[memento-mariii]

As a queer christian I know full well how conservative evangelical christianity, and western imperialist christianity in general, has been used and *is* still used as a tool of oppression, and I'm all for criticizing that, hell I'm one of its biggest critics,

But it's very disheartening to see takes like "christianity, as in the religion as a whole, is inherently oppressive and fascist and shouldn't be welcome in leftist spaces" on my dash. (<-this is not a strawman this is literally a paraphrased version of a post I saw)

I know these posts are coming as a reaction to the rise of christofascism in the fall of Roe and things like florida's Don't Say Gay bill,

And also for a lot of people from a place of personal hurt too, from their experiences of religious trauma or religious oppression,

And I'm not saying something like "the christians are the REAL oppressed class" or "the queers are oppressing christianity!" or anything ridiculous like that,

But idk. I guess it's emotionally draining to be told "you don't belong here" from conservative evangelicals all day and then. when you turn to secular queer/leftist spaces. you get told the same thing all over again.