#religious lgbtq

[exvangelical-christian-nerd]

Some thoughts on "Hell is Forever"

TW religion, conservative Christianity

Hell is Forever is a bop. Musically I enjoy it a lot. And It's definitley one I'll go listen to separatelyfrom the others on occasion.

But

It is also probably the song that bothers me the most. And it does not bother me in a way I like. I've talked about before, how I like things that poke at my beliefs and make me ask questions. This one doesn't do that. This song is like a buzzing fly to my inner-theologian, and I think I figured out why (Ironically it might also be one of the reasons I enjoy it)

So I've been working on some of my series type content lately, including my devos. I'm trying to make a series based on the Hazbin songs (if that is something you're interested in let me know in the comments and I will try to tag you when I start posting them). Naturally this includes Hell is Forever.

The thing about Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss is that by their very nature they include some theology, but a good portion of it is hellaverse-ified. Some of it is theology and some Christian lore. It's part of the draw. Here's the diffrence between Hell is Forever, and most of the rest of it: Hell is Forever addresses real Theology, more or less directly. I'd say more than, possibly, any other part of either show so far.

Now before I go any farther let's make sure we all have the same definitions so my meaning doesn't get mixed up.

Real Theology= Theology actually believed by a fair portion of people.

Good Theology= Theology that is grounded and has biblical backing.

Bad Theology= Opposite of Good Theology

So yes, Hell is Forever has Real Theology. Here's the thing that gets me though: I wouldn't consider most of it Good Theology. In fact I would consider most of it Bad Theology.

Now the thing with Theology is that our interpretation of it is flawed. We don't know a lot and we don't agree on a lot. That's why there are tens of thousands of denominations. But the particular brand we get in this song is what I'm going to call "Bible Thumper Theology." Not all Bible Thumper Theology is necessarily Bad Theology, but plenty of it is. But honestly I have three major issues with Bible Thumper Theology. First is that it's weaponized. Whether your Theology is good or bad, using it as a weapon is risky business. Second, it's often pretty weak. Even if the theological concept is solid, their understanding of it is usually surface level at best. And third, so much of it is just cherry picking.

So here are the main theological points I identified in Hell is Forever. I'm not going to go deep into them now, because that would make this already long post way to long, and because I'm already planning on making posts specifically on them.

Hell is forever (Obviously)

Eye for an eye Theology (I don't know what else to call it)

Justification by the law (or works)

Justified k1ll1ng (which is obviously super yikes)

Now there are few others in there too, but I'd say these are the main ones. As I said I'm plannin to address these more later, though the first one, I'm still waffling on whether I want to tackle that or not. The primary reason being that I do believe eternal damnation is eternal (as much as I wish I didn't), however I am not going to join the fire and brimstone brigade. There are too many of them all ready. If I do tackle it, it will probably be about why I take issue with the fire and brimstone brigade.

But yes all that to say, Hell is Forever bothers me because it's essentially just Bible Thumper Theology, and Bible Thumper Theology annoys me because it's what makes the church as a whole look bad, and usually it is pretty Bad Theology.

Honestly most of the time someone starts spewing this kind of stuff at me, I can't help but think "Have you read your Bible, or do you just believe what your pastor tells you?" Is my theology flawless? Not a chance (If anyone ever says their's is, approach with extreme caution, or better yet don't approach at all). I am seeking and trying to sort out what I believe. And I'm growing.

Ironically, I think part of the thing I like about Hell is Forever is that the people spewing the bullshit are the villains. I have too often seen them up on a pedestal.

[alterumsinealterononest]

Fuck I just realized that the story of Abraham and his child (from the Bible) isn't a story at all. It's all around us.

Parents killing (psychologically and emotionally, more rarely literally physically) their children because of their faith in god. Sacrificing their children's wellbeing for their love in god. "if you love me you'll kill your child to follow me" and they don't think twice

Yeah this is about me being queer and growing up in a Catholic household but it could be applied to so many other situations

[alienbycomics]

Gender Nonconforming Jesus: A look at art history. CW: religion, transphobia, artistic nudity, depictions of open wounds (Long post)

Here’s a link to the original comic: Trans Jesus

[potato-lord-but-not]

things you make after thinking about your girlfriend for too long while down with a cold

[bizarreaizen]

religious conservatives: no sex before marriage !!

asexuals: okay

religious conservatives: wait no, not like that Σ(゜゜) /hj

[odinsblog]

This is an illegitimate and deeply corrupt Supreme Court

Today is a sad day in American constitutional law and in the lives of LGBT people. The Supreme Court of the United States declares that a particular kind of business, though open to the public, has a constitutional right to refuse to serve members of a protected class. The Court does so for the first time in its history. By issuing this new license to discriminate in a case brought by a company that seeks to deny same-sex couples the full and equal enjoyment of its services, the immediate, symbolic effect of the decision is to mark gays and lesbians for second-class status. In this way, the decision itself inflicts a kind of stigmatic harm, on top of any harm caused by denials of service. The opinion of the Court is, quite literally, a notice that reads: "Some services may be denied to same-sex couples."

Today, the Court, for the first time in its history, grants a business open to the public a constitutional right to refuse to serve members of a protected class. Specifically, the Court holds that the First Amendment exempts a website-design company from a state law that prohibits the company from denying wedding websites to same-sex couples if the company chooses to sell those websites to the public.

The Court also holds that the company has a right to post a notice that says, "No [wedding websites] will be sold if they will be used for gay marriages."

Our Constitution contains no right to refuse service to a disfavored group.

—Justice Sonia Sotomayor; excerpts from the dissenting opinion

[what-shitfuckery-is-this-ew]

everyday i cry cause God made me genderfluid but not a shapeshifter

[hulahoopsoupgroup]

the seven deadly sins are such bullshit fear tactics. if youve left the church, embrace them.

be proud of who you are. be happy when you look in the mirror and see how hot you are. yeah i see you flexing in the mirror after a workout. nice progress btw honey you look nice today.

dont worry about getting seconds, or thirds even, at dinner. dont worry about eating what society says is "too much" or "too little". eat until youre full. set aside what you cant finish for later so you dont waste food.

its okay to be greedy. its okay to want things for yourself. sometimes we see things that people have and we're like "dude i wish i had that." thats just human. envy and greed on that level are normal.

take a rest day. dont bother going to church this sunday. take a shower, read a book, drink some tea, eat some good food, pet a cat or dog. take care of yourself; its not lazy.

be angry with those who wronged you. punch a punching bag, write about how much you hate them, go work out aggressively and take care of your emotions in a way that doesnt hurt yourself or others. its okay to not forgive the people who hurt you. you arent doing anything wrong, babe.

embrace your sexuality (or, if it applies, asexuality, cause yall need love too). stop feeling shame for wanting pleasure. go read or watch something that turns you on. explore your body. ask your partner to try something new. if youre asexual, then fucking step on the people who say you need to have sexual attraction to be human. you dont. you dont need to be allosexual (or alloromantic) to "qualify as a human." we all experience life in different ways. find your way to experience it.

thought crime isnt real

do no harm but take no shit

[creelarke]

# do you think the Pope is catholic enough if he’s not homophobic

#or maybe you’re not catholic. just hateful and homophobic

[brokenorbornthatway]

If you say "be normal" but what you really mean is "be kind and respectful", maybe ask yourself why.

Trust me, after fucking decades of taking "love others as you love yourself" so very seriously, I can tell you with certainty that being kind and respectful to everyone is not fucking normal. Normal people do not like it when I insist on being kind and respectful to those they deem abnormal. Normal people tell me the "real" way to "love" those they deem abnormal is to "fix" them. Being kind and respectful to those who society at large view as abnormal is not normal.

So why do you say "be normal" when you mean "be kind and respectful"? Maybe there's something to unpack there

[alienbycomics]

A comic I made last year about how my past selves would react to seeing me now 🏳️‍⚧️

[jewishboricua]

every time i see someone exclude, mock or ignore queer religious people's existence (whether from bigoted religious people or bigoted queer people) i think it should be perfectly acceptable for us to punch them in the face for that

[cuppajj]

Btw goes without saying but if you’re a TERF, anti-trans, or anti-LGBTQ+ in any way then you’re getting instablocked. We support the LGBTQ+ community in this house, if you don’t like that then gtfo 🫵🌈✨

[daisy-mooon]

A reminder that some of you guys only use LGBT activism to shit on religious people and do exactly no activism whatsoever if you can't use it to be anti-theist. Some of you will have no problems harassing and being racist and homophobic to queer people if they're religious.

[the-rad1o-demon]

Please do what you can to stop this bill from being passed, and please share this message where you can. It's going to be very bad for pretty much everyone on the Internet if this bill is passed. If you're skeptical: There are resources online with more information about the KOSA bill, including articles written by lawmakers explaining why this bill is a terrible idea. There is even a TechDirt article written by Mike Masnick titled "Marsha Blackburn Makes It Clear: KOSA Is Designed To Silence Trans People" where they write of and post a video in which Senator Marsha Blackburn (who co-wrote the bill) explicitly stated that this bill would be used to target the trans community. So please share this in your stories, with your family and friends, and call your Senators to tell them not to sign this bill. And if you know anyone in Massachusetts, tell them to call Senator Warren to ask her to withdraw her support of the bill. Thank you for your time and consideration.

EDIT - UPDATE:

Please read the post I linked below, it pertains to the status of the KOSA bill. Things are not looking good right now.

UPDATE #2:

Please look at this post!

[odinsblog]

Unfortunately, Target caved in to an organized campaign by QAnon

Here is how you help children: house them, feed them, clothe them, educate them, provide them with comprehensive and preventative healthcare, protect them from child labor abuses and other exploitation, vaccinate them, respect their autonomy and their basic human rights, protect them from gun violence—and these things should all be free. OR, you can help children by giving their parents or legal guardians these same things

Anyone who is using “protect the children” as a rallying cry to harm + oppress marginalized groups, or to take away basic rights from oppressed groups, is a hateful grifter or has been conned by hateful grifters