#reconstructing christianity

[thereconstructinggirl]

He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God? (‭‭‭Micah‬ ‭6‬‬:‭8‬ ‭NRSVUE‬‬)

[pirateofrohan]

Mass Effect really missed a trick making Ashley Williams straight.

[exvangelical-christian-nerd]

This journey of deconstruction and reconstruction is so freaking hard. It's painful taking a sledgehammer to walls that I've spent years designing and building with great care and painstaking craftmanship. I know their wood's rotten and they need to go but it still hurts. Then I finally reconstruct, repaint, and redecorate, only to find out that part of the foundation is faulty. Then I have to tear that stupid wall back down. And sometimes...sometimes I just don't want to anymore. Sometimes it's hard to rebuild after tearing something down for the hundredth time.

And then when I do work on it, people that I respect and care about attack it. They tell me I'm doing it wrong, or that the foundation wasn't actually cracked, or throw things at the walls to see if they knock them down. And sometimes they're right, and sometimes they're telling me the wood of my house must be rotten because it looks different than the wood of their house, which stinks of rot.

It's exhausting. It's a fight. It sucks. But I do believe it's important, so I keep going. I keep building.

[00waywardalma00]

When I started my devotion to Santa Muerte, I didn’t want to include any of the Catholic elements to this practice. But after some research and reflection, I was able to come across those who practice Folk Catholicism and seeing how they deconstruct and reconstruct the faith has helped me on my perspective on the matter. On this Easter I would like to think that with the help of Death, Jesus became who he is today. Santa Muerte is not some demon in disguise, she is a Mexican folk saint with so much to offer and teach. For those you observe the holiday, have a great Easter! And for those that don’t, may you have a relaxing Sunday! 💐💀💐

[depressionanddeconstruction]

God is using this podcast to heal me and breathe new life into my queer christianity. Can't recommend it enough.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Modern Digital Reconstruction of Constantine the Great.

Constantine the Great, born in 272 AD, rose to prominence as a Roman Emperor.

His reign, beginning in 306 AD, marked a transformative period in Roman history.

Constantine is renowned for embracing Christianity, a shift that played a role in ending the persecution of Christians with the Edict of Milan in 313 AD.

While Constantine did not specifically establish Christmas, his influence on Christianization of the Roman Empire laid the groundwork.

The exact origins of Christmas on December 25th are complex and not directly attributed to Constantine.

The date may have been chosen to coincide with existing pagan festivals or to integrate Christian celebrations with the Roman solar festival of Sol Invictus.

Constantine's role in promoting Christianity, however, contributed to the broader cultural shift that influenced the eventual establishment of Christmas as a Christian holiday, emphasizing the significance of his reign in the development of Christian traditions.

📷: ©King Chronicles

[egharcourt]

Hot take for queer christians or affirming christian allies, but focusing on picking apart mistranslations in the clobber verses as the means to address homophobia, transphobia, or queerphobia in the church community is literally not gonna take us anywhere further. Okay, now we've disproved that Lev 18:22 doesn't imply whatever the English translation means. Oh and Deut 22:5 applies to a certain context. And then what. Do we just acquiesce in the fact that, after providing a rebuttal to some points raised by exclusionists, we still gotta sit in this unwelcoming and often spiritually stifling environment that they created.

I think what's fundamentally imperative is understanding what the core tenets of the Christian religion stand for (aka the Great Commandment). The second commandment, "love your neighbor as yourself" already makes it clear that there's no room for prejudice and bigotry. Bring up the verses and stories where the laws change to empower women, sexual minorities and outsiders in social systems that initially deny their rights (the daughters of Zelophehad, Isaiah 56:3-6, Acts 10:9-16). Stories about people who were underdogs, or from such communities, praised, promoted, and occupying an important position in the narrative.

The Bible's a big book and any argument can be extracted out of it to befit one's agenda. With so much hateful and intolerant rhetoric being thrown around, it's way better to highlight the passages that reaffirm marginalized people are blessed and cherished and deserve a place in faith, ESPECIALLY for vulnerable queer folk within the religious community that are told they can't belong. That's all I'm saying.

[mali-umkin]

Bha mi a' leughadh postan gnàth mu "pàganachd Ghàidhlig/Cheilteach"- tha fios agaibh uile dè tha mi a' smaoineachadh mu dheidhinn - agus bha na daoine ag ràdh gu bheil tha iad ag ionnsachadh Gàidhlig a chionn 's gu bheil iad ag iarraidh "bruidhinn ris na seann diathan anns a' chànan a thuigeas iad". An uair sin bidh iad a' bruidhinn mu dhiathan a bha ann ron chòigeamh linn. Gu dearbh, bha crìonadh pàganachd mean air mhean, ach Gàidhlig? A charaidean, cha tuigeadh diathan pàganach 10 sa cheud den Ghàidhlig, agus tha mi glè fhialaidh

[the-hermit-at-midnight]

I used to live my life by a clock. The ticking, relentless march of time marked by Sundays and holidays. It was a life punctuated by guilt and obligation. The pressure to conform, to believe, to behave in a certain way was suffocating. Then, I found myself on a different path. A path that led me away from the noise and into a world of ancient wisdom. A world that revolves not around a man-made calendar, but the rhythm of the Earth itself. Druidry has been a balm to my soul. It's a spiritual path that honors nature, ancestors, and the interconnectedness of all things. At its heart is the Wheel of the Year – a cyclical understanding of time that celebrates the Earth’s journey through the seasons. There’s a profound peace in aligning my life with the natural world. No longer am I a prisoner to the artificial constructs of modern society. Instead, I find myself in harmony with the ebb and flow of existence. Imbolc, the beginning of spring, is a time of hope and renewal. It’s when the land begins to awaken from its winter slumber. Beltane, the peak of spring, is a celebration of fertility and life. Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, is a time for gratitude and abundance. Lughnasadh, the first harvest, is a moment to acknowledge our reliance on the Earth's bounty. Mabon, the autumn equinox, is a time of balance and reflection. Samhain, the end of the year, is a time to honor our ancestors and prepare for the cycle to begin again. These are just a few of the sabbats that mark the Druidic year. Each one offers an opportunity for introspection, celebration, and connection to something larger than myself. It's a way of life that is both grounding and inspiring. Leaving behind the rigid structure of Pentecostalism was a daunting task. But in its place, I’ve found a spiritual path that resonates deeply with my soul. The Druidic Wheel of the Year has become a compass, guiding me through the complexities of modern life. It’s a journey of discovery, a celebration of nature, and a deep connection to something ancient and eternal. Have you ever considered exploring the Druidic path? What resonates with you about the Wheel of the Year?

[mamaangiwine]

hi! i noticed in your pinned post that you said you try to include your hungarian heritage when it comes to your craft. may i ask for some recommendations regaring this? i'm hungarian myself but everything is about catholicism these days and i couldn't really find good books about the old ways.

thank you in advance, hope you have a wonderful day!

Oof. Idk if I can really provide recommendations tbh- at least not comfortably.

This is a tricky question as I am someone who supplements much of her craft with academic literature and research. Things like anthropological studies, folkloric studies, historical papers, etc.

However, there has in fact been an ongoing reframing of history in main-stream Hungary since the 1970s, influenced by nationalist rhetoric and spurred by a romanticized view of that history started by academics as early as the late 1800s .

These academics, inspired by the current European Romantic ideology of the time, sought to uncover the "true" history of Hungary that would illuminate the pre-conquest ethnic and cultural practices of ancient Hungarians. Though there are many notable academics we can trace back to the foundation of this reframing, one of the most well known is Vilmos Diószegi.

Diószegi worked incredibly hard to prove that Hungary's spiritual history was tied to a mysterious historical figure called a 'Taltos'. It was Diószegi's belief that the 'Taltos' was a Finno-Urgic-based, Turkic style 'shaman' who assisted in priestly duties in their respective communities and used a drum to enter an ecsatcy induced trance. Diószegi would even go on to theorize what the Taltos 'shamanistic world view' would have entailed. However, many scholars, including Éva Pócs, doubt these theories and have pointed to inconsistencies in Diószegi's research and reconstruction. Though there was undoubtedly Turkic influence, these scholars suggest that the Taltos has more in common with pre-christian Balkan, Bulgarian and Southern Slavic traditions.

Now, overall there wouldn't usually be a problem with that. Disagreements happen in academia all the time. The issue is that Diószegi's work is treated as absolute, and is the basis for most modern Hungarian paganism and reconstruction due to the unique ethnic and cultural identity it can provide. A cultural identity Hungarian Nationalists love to hold up on a pedestal and point to as evidence of a glorious and mystical past that existed before Christianity and, of course, Jewish People.

Therefore, when studying Hungarian paganism and folk practices one has to be discerning. Despite Diószegi's influence on Hungarian Academia as a whole, it doesn't mean it's all without merit (it doesn't necessarily mean all of Diószegi's work is completely without merit either, just that it shouldn't be treated as gospel especially with the inconsistencies surrounding it and the romantic european foundation it was already working from). For instance Mihály Hoppál's work has been known to research not only "modern" (60's and 70's) Hungarian folk practices, but source them by region. I've learned much from his detailing of Hungarian folk practices- I just don't take everything he has to say as fact. I question it and compare it with other research- rigorously.

As for the Catholic element of Hungarian practices, my personal take is this: Embrace it. That isn't to say that you should become a Christian or even agree with Christianity. Despite the fact that I, myself, am not Christian, I personally just find it unrealistic to separate the two. Christianity has been established in Hungary since the year 1000. Over that time the 'old ways' and Christian practices have undoubtedly been syncretized past the point of being able to concretely tell them apart. This is the fundamental problem I have with reconstruction as a whole, because much of it tries to simply omit Christain concepts from folk traditions without, ironically, realizing that in doing so we may be equally erasing pre-christain approaches and philosophies. They're just too entwined. My closest ancestors were catholic as opposed to pagan. Granted, weird catholics who saw things and knew things, but catholics none the less. Their history and traditions are just as valid, and are also just as important as the pre-christian beliefs that undoubtedly found themselves braided into that same history and those same traditions.

I'm sorry if this doesn't really answer your question, but regardless I hope you found it helpful.

[theprodigals]

the more time goes by the less interested i am in ever returning to the evangelical chuch

[thereconstructinggirl]

Something really beautiful happened today. I cleansed and put together my home altar again after nearly a year of neglect and gathering dust. Thank the gods, Ancestors, and the Holy Trinity for guiding me back to the mish mash beauty that is my spiritual practice.

[rabbits-of-negative-euphoria]

Well, all we know is it's the ancestor of all languages and originated in the Middle East, so maaaaaybe it sounded like Middle Eastern languages. I think it'd be fun to attempt to reconstruct it, even though that'd probably fall short for obvious reasons.

But it’s not the ancestor of all languages. That’s the thing. It was a language, and then God created entirely new languages so unrelated to one another that the speakers could not communicate with each other.

Even in distantly related languages, speakers can pick up bits and pieces of meaning; heck, even German has some Arabic words in it.

I simply don’t think it resembled anything in the ancient world, much less anything we speak today.

[roseverdict]

.

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

no because one of the assumption asks i got recently is still on my mind so i wanted to make a longer post about it.

i was raised in nondenominational (btw: that’s really just “evangelical” but with a fancier label) churches from 0 to 17. (my bio mom, with whom i have not had a relationship [by my choice] since i was 13, and her family are catholic, so i got the most basic catholic things drilled in my head early too, but that’s neither here nor there.)

i learned all the basics and i quickly became very legalistic about religion, to the point that when my first grade teacher said that cherries were tempting or something like that, i refused to eat cherries for several years because i thought that satan would get inside me if i did. (i also thought for a long time that if you committed crimes/got put in jail, you wouldn’t go to heaven, which was a separate issue.)

for a while in 2012, i was even in talks for baptism.

but starting around late 2012/early 2013, i started questioning whether god even existed at all. and i was terrified out of my mind. i didn’t tell anyone about it, but i did tell people that i didn’t want to get baptized right away anymore.

i went back and forth on the issue for a while. i searched for the divine connection that everyone around me in church and at christian summer camp seemed to have except me, and i didn’t find it. not there.

because i could no longer believe in that church, this evangelical way of living that perpetuated so much hatred and that made people feel horrible for who they were and who they loved and that supported hateful people and ideas.

and then a bunch of personal and worldwide shit that i’d honesty rather not get into happened between 2018 and 2020 and i was left asking “why??? god, why???”

so i left it altogether. or rather, i deconstructed it.

and at the same time, i missed the divine. in spite of everything, there was a part of me deep inside that still believed there was a god who was in everything, a god of supreme goodness and love who loved everyone and someday would make everything make sense and make everyone happy forever. i believed the whole world had a divine current running through it, and i—fucked-up as i was—was somehow a part of it. i still prayed under my breath and never abandoned the most core tenets of the faith in which i was raised.

i’ve been struggling to find my way back, to find my place, a place that would take me as i was: fucked-up, questioning, unconventional, wanting to go deep, living on simple love and scraps of faith and wanting to do something good for my fellow travelers of all kinds on this earth.

to love with the greatest love and to realize that everything is a miracle, that everything has a spark of god in it.

i recently found a church community very different from what i knew growing up, an episcopal community, and i instantly fell absolutely in love with it. for the first time i’ve felt truly welcomed and loved and connected in a religious community. i’ve been encouraged to ask all the questions i could ask, and been comforted that questioning and not knowing all the answers doesn’t mean i’m a bad person or bad at faith. i’ve felt close to god here. it feels like a family and i look forward to being there.

it’s incredibly inclusive: the church has a rainbow-colored sign in the lobby that has a list like “all colors, all genders, all sexualities, all abilities, all ages” and on and on are welcome there. i’ve watched them not just talk the talk but walk the walk. i went to a meeting recently where outreach efforts were being discussed, and several minutes were spent discussing details about how to plan and schedule a fundraising dinner for supporting afghan refugees so a muslim speaker wouldn’t miss their prayers. some of my best friends to this day are muslim, and even something seemingly insignificant in the grand scheme of things like that means a lot of me. and that’s one example, and not even the only one from that meeting.

i’m still unpacking my trauma and questions, and that will take a long LONG time, and i know there are some questions i have that i probably will never have answers for. but i’m slowly piecing together faith again. i’m healing. and i’m excited about what’s to come.

[vikingsong]

It’s Holy Week, so in lieu of WIP Wednesday, I thought I’d share a poem I wrote on Ash Wednesday (2/22/23). Maybe it’ll be even a little bit as cathartic/encouraging for someone to read as it was for me to write.

Valley of Dry Bones

In this valley of dry bones I lie

Losing faith in the living

Losing faith like decomposition

One small decay at a time.

Deconstructing each breath

from skin

from sinew

from substance

until nothing is left

but a heap of bones,

broken and weary.

Did You really say…?

Are You still just if…?

Why would You…?

My trust is a hollow, dessicated thing.

Speak, Lord,

and tell these bones to live again!

Restore to me the breath of life

Strengthen the shriveled sinews of my trust

Remind me that Your body was broken

to make mine whole again.