#something about talking about all of their sins and how despite being all holier than thou

[azurescaled]

Last night I thought about Serina tormenting a town when she's burned at the stake.

[and-damntheconsequences]

Modern Merlin AU — With Gays and Churches

Slight CW for religious homophobia, and ofc I know that the majority of Christians are loving and beautiful people 💕

**

The Cast:

Uther: A firmly anti-gay pastor who is well known and mostly respected by the congregation and the community.

Ygraine: Uther's ex wife who divorced him after she found about an affair he had once had with a woman who named Vivian.

Arthur: Their son, who lives entirely with Uther and attends a religious school nearby.

Leon: Arthur's friend who also attends that school, who's parents have been going to Uther's church for years and years.

Merlin: A boy who recently joined the school after moving with his uncle, who teaches there. Also a closeted gay.

Gaius: An old friend of Uther's, a teacher at the school, and the only other person who knows about the affair.

Morgana: Uther's child from his affair with Vivian. She moves in with Uther when she's 10, since her mother can't financially support them both anymore.

Gwen: A girl at the school, who Arthur dates briefly in order to "prove" that he is straight.

Elyan: Gwen's brother, who lived with more distant family for a few years and has recently returned.

All other "round table" knights: New kids (they arrive at different times) who's parents have recently converted to Christianity and enrolled them in the school. Gwaine's family actually came from another church but he doesn't talk about that much, since he's not actually religious himself. Also Gwaine picks fights with homophobic teachers.

Kilgharrah: Either an angel, a demon, God Himself, or the school principal, I can't decide. Whichever he is, he occasionally pops up to give both Merlin and Arthur utterly useless life advice, in whatever form that takes depending on who he is. If he's somehow celestial, it's probably through sarcastic comments in dreams. If he's the school principal, he's just... That teacher that decides that stopping you in the corridor to Impart Words Of Adult Wisdom is a great use of everyone's time.

**

The Plot:

Uther becomes pastor at a church, and marries Ygraine. She disagrees with many of his views, but doesn't speak up about them, wanting to be a "good wife". That is, until she discovers that he once had an affair with a woman named Vivian and gave her a child. Ygraine then quietly divorces him and leaves, too afraid of making a fuss to try to get custody of Arthur. Uther tells everyone, including Arthur, that it was her choice to leave and that she willingly parted from the ways of the Lord. No one knows about the affair except him, her, and Vivian (and Gaius).

Arthur grows up with only Uther, not having many close friends, only Leon, who he's known his whole life and who's parents are also very religious. When Arthur is around 10, Vivian turns up on their doorstep, insisting that she has fallen into financial trouble, and cannot look after her child anymore. Uther takes Morgana in, insisting it was an act of charity on his behalf, and that Vivian was only an old friend. Everyone believes he is being a good samaritan, but secretly he hopes that if he "redeems" his child to the church, he may find redemption for what he did. Arthur and Morgana are the same age, and Uther begs Morgana not to tell Arthur the truth (threatening her for if she does), so he doesn't know she's his sister. They get on, mostly, but Arthur's a bit of a prat in lecturing her about God sometimes because he thinks that's how you make friends.

Anyway, a few years later, when Arthur is around 14, Merlin joins his school (they're roughly the same age here, Merlin only a few months younger.) He was sent to his uncle by his mother, since he came out to her and she didn't accept him. She wanted him to go to church and a religious school to "fix" him. He now lives with Gaius, and goes back into the closet for the time he's at school. He quickly becomes friends with Gwaine, who doesn't have many friends and is constantly in trouble for arguing with bigoted teachers.

Because he's really academic, Uther asks Gaius if it would be possible for Merlin to come round and help tutor Arthur in order to catch Arthur up with his studies, so Merlin starts coming around every Tuesday and Thursday. They slowly become friends, despite Merlin being quite rude, and Arthur having the most frustrating "holier than thou" attitude because he's the priest's son. Merlin develops a crush on him, and quickly gives up on trying to deny his sexuality to himself, but he can't tell Arthur, or anyone else.

In time, Merlin stops being so afraid of his own sexuality, and sneaks off to a pride parade and attends an LGBT group a couple of times. Gaius suspects what he might be doing, but says nothing.

When Morgana turns 16, she tells them all that she thinks she might be a lesbian. She's scared, but hopes that Uther may be understanding. Instead, he kicks her out, despite Arthur's protests that it isn't fair. She goes to live with some friends in similar situations, and over the next few months, cuts off Uther completely, changes school, and starts regularly attending LGBTQ+ events and just generally living her best lesbian life.

This makes Uther incredibly angry, and he takes it out on Arthur a lot, who starts going to Gaius and Merlin's after school to avoid him. He texts Morgana a bit, but is afraid to keep close contact with her, and still sees homosexuality as a sin. However, this whole situation has made him actually think about his own sexuality, and he's now afraid that maybe HE himself isn't totally straight. To prove that he is to himself, he asks Gwen on a date, but he can't ever truly like her, and she knows that.

At the same time, Merlin is trying to get rid of his crush on Arthur because he doesn't want to ruin that friendship, so he starts going to pride groups weekly, to meet others. He meets Will, a trans guy, and they almost date for a while, but Merlin can't commit to it because of his own feelings. Morgana happens to meet him there, and at first that interaction is a little awkward, but instead of pressuring him, she just gives him a hug, and tells him it's okay, she's learnt that now. She'll always be here for him if he needs to feel safe away from Uther/Arthur, or the school as a whole. He tells her that he hopes Arthur could be different from his father, and she says she hopes so, but she doesn't believe he would be — he seems to hate her too now. But that's okay. She's got a new family now. She's happy.

And then, eventually, Arthur comes to accept his own feelings, and Gwen does hers. He talks to Merlin about how he isn't sure if he's straight, and eventually they date, and then kiss. Gwen has a Bisexual Awakening™, and she reconnects with Morgana (they were friends before Morgana left) and they date too. Hunith (who's been having a side plot of researching things and learning and becoming a better, more accepting person) comes to stay with Gaius for a while, and tells Merlin she loves him, and will always love him no matter who he's with, and she's sorry she never said that before now.

When Arthur turns 18, his mother reaches out to him. She was too afraid to risk upsetting Uther and the church before, but she wants to know if he's okay. He's angry at her for all the years she was silent, and all the things he didn't know, and for leaving him, but in time, she tells him the truth. Morgana also tells Arthur the truth, knowing now that he doesn't blindly believe his father, and this won't tear a rift between them. Uther's affair is then revealed to the whole congregation, most of whom are appalled, and his reputation is ruined. The church gets a new pastor.

Some of the kids realise that they don't need religion to be valid and happy, and others realise that they can have both religion and love, and God can love them no matter who they are with. Both are okay, and everyone accepts everyone. They all live their best, gayest, cutest, and happiest lives.

***

Feel free to add stuff I love this concept. Also someone needs to write something like this and tag me bc I cannot write this myself — I'm incapable of managing the 3 fics I'm writing at the moment.

[archived-brokentoys]

@dcvilcomplex​ asked:

How do you think Matt and Ed would get along?

Very good question! I think it would depend on the situation? Of course, as the Riddler -- Ed would actually respect Matt and his career. While Ed LOATHES most people involved in law work; he likes that how precise and cautious Matt is when picking cases, and how Matt doesn’t fall to the corrupt law system, but technically fights against it. So, Matt Murdock? Ed probably would respect just fine. Now, if Matt would get along with Ed? Eeeeehhhhhh... considering Ed’s a MURDERER, I just don’t see it happening. If by any means, Ed finds out that Matt is Daredevil... well, there goes all respect he did have for him! However... he’d become very interested in learning more about how his radar and heightened senses worked. Ed would consider Matt to be an ENIGMA in that sense.

Even if we aren’t considering their careers and how it would conflict with each other, they may have a hard time getting along together. Because well, Ed has a hard time getting along with ANYONE. That’s why he’s been alone most of his life; he’s OVERBEARINGLY ANNOYING, and he’s a VERY jealous man. He’d be jealous of the life Matt has (LOL), that Matt is a respected lawyer, and of course -- Ed would be jealous of Matt’s intelligence. He’d feel threatened by how smart Matt is, And well... Ed is also far more talkative than Matt, he NEVER shuts up. SO, I can imagine it wouldn’t take long before Ed gets on Matt’s nerves; constantly talking, always having to ‘one up’ him intellectually wise, constant boasting.

Matt and Ed can, however, both relate to their childhoods; they were both friendless, they both practically spent their childhood studying (both to impress their fathers, too. Except Jack WANTED Matt to study, while Ed’s father didn’t want him to.) They both lived in poverty and grew up to be a bit wealthier, they both have parental issues (though for COMPLETELY different reasons, but still) and both of their fathers were brutes technically lol! Oh, and they also both grew up to work in law at one point, and realized that the law system needed something MORE than a lawyer/cybersecurity consultant. So, I can also see these similarities helping them to be able to relate/bond with each other better.

Now let’s talk alter egos; while there are few vigilantes the Riddler can actually somewhat get along with. With Daredevil? Absolutely not. The Riddler would hate Daredevil. Why? Don’t want to say it’s because Daredevil reminds him of Batman, but he does. At least a little. Mostly because both Batman and Daredevil dress as something that’s seemingly frightening. Another reason is because they both have that NO KILL RULE. Oh, Riddler absolutely hates that. Riddler firmly believes some people do deserve to die. And no matter what Batman and Daredevil try to excuse, Riddler just thinks Daredevil just has a HOLIER-THAN-THOU attitude, and nothing beyond that. And well, if they ever did go up against each other -- you know Daredevil WILL be able to solve Riddler’s puzzles and death traps. Because you know... Daredevil’s the hero, of course! Which this would make Riddler hate Daredevil EVEN MORE. And again, Riddler being a KILLER, isn’t really going to get on Daredevil’s good side. Riddler, due to his mental illness and drug induced delusions, actually believes himself to be something DIVINE, even godlike. Therefore, he finds it all more fitting that Daredevil dresses like a devil. He thinks that just proves his point that all vigilantes are corrupt, SINFUL.

But if Ed was reformed already and had met Matt/Daredevil? Since reformed Ed obviously doesn’t kill, (but still believes certain people should die, but understands why people can’t just take that responsibility for themselves.) Therefore, reformed Ed wouldn’t mind Daredevil having a no-kill rule. And he’s also learning to be more accepting of vigilantes. I like to think that while reformed Ed would still get on Daredevil’s nerves... they’d actually be a great team. Despite Ed still being a jealous person, he’s learning to control and ignore his jealousy more often. I feel they’d both respect how intelligent the other one is, and how they both can be helpful to a situation or case. While Daredevil is a bit of a loner, I feel they would do well together if they have to solve a mystery, and I feel they’d both realize this. Ed is that, um, annoying aid to Matt/Daredevil.

[masterheartsxiii]

Notes from mass 9-27-20

>Finally got around to this.

Got to mass on time this time, accompanied by my Lutheran friend (she came cause we had to get groceries right after)

Started singing in Latin (why?)

>this always has bothered me and feels like it fits the trend of exclusionary tactics. Why continue to chant in Latin? Chanting in Hebrew I could understand as that was the original language of our Lord, but Latin is just Latin.

> an additional note as I talked to my Lutheran friend about this point today. She brought up the idea that the Latin sets it apart from our normal speaking. It’s the reason we say “amen” instead of “woohoo” despite them meaning the same. It becomes too familiar to use English. And perhaps there is something too that.

So many recitations (why? Does recitation make it real, like Pledge of Allegiance)

> this is something I’ve wrestled with for awhile. The pledge of allegiance, the Lord’s Prayer, the nicene creed. All of these have their place, but when we recite them endlessly, how long does it take until they’re just words? Until you’re speaking then because everyone says too. That’s not a way to have a connection with prayer. When Jesus taught that prayer, I always felt it made more sense as an example, a template, not a script. Your heart must be in the words each time you say them or they are just words.

Why the “singing” priest?

>Yeah I’ve found it odd that priests sing the opening stuff with that pseudo chant with no actual tune? Is there a reason for it, or is it tradition like everything else?

Reading 1: Ezekiel 18:25-28/136(?)

“Lord’s way is not fair”

No u

>haha. Lovely shorthand. The verse was on how we say the lords ways and rules are not fair, but the lord says his ways are just and the worlds are unfair. I suppose that’s accurate. Don’t really have anything I disagree with here or question

Responsorial Psalm

“Remember your mercies, O Lord”

(Why remember? He’s god)

>god is all knowing, as such he cannot forget. Why do we beseech god to “remember” when he clearly would. Mercy is sparing from punishment that we deserve. So ultimately it’s up to god if we deserve to not get what we deserve, right?

Reading II: Philippians 2:1-11

Do nothing out of selfishness.

Regard others as more important

Look not for your own interests, but for others

(My dear friend has both been wronged by me & is guilty of such)

(Not my place to judge. Log in my eye)

> so this text hit me hard. There’s been some massive changes in my life, and selfishness has been at the peak of them. You’ll notice I struck through and added a new note. That new note was added near the end. At the time of writing shorthand, I just wanted to lash out at the choices being made, because of the ripples of pain they caused in a single pursuit. I will refer back to when this second revelation was made when it happened in the sermon.

Gospel: Matthew 21:28-32

Parable of 2 sons

1 son went out to the fields after saying he wouldn’t.

1 son did not after he said he would.

They were asked which one was right, the correct answer being the first son, because the work was done.

(It’s never too late to change)

(Forgiveness is given even late, but if so, what’s the point?)

>ah the age old question: if the leader of the axis powers in 1945 (don’t want tumblr to block me) genuinely repented on his deathbed, would he go to heaven. According to this yes. But if so what’s the point of doing good in life, or being good and staying away from carnal pleasures if it can all be proofed away? What do we gain from this lifestyle. Seems like the best way to do life is do whatever you want, then accept Jesus on your deathbed and be spared.

Homily

Talking about worddetective (a website)

“Proof is in the pudding” really “proof of the pudding is in the eating”

>so effectively they are saying that you can say all you want, but unless you actually do the things you say, it’s worthless. Makes sense so far.

Knowledge of the law = holy (we do the same)

>back then the religious leaders were seen as holier than the rest because they had knowledge of the law. We do the same. We see both lawyers and judges as more just and priests and pastors as more holy just because they know the information. We conflate the knowledge and therefore the ability to avoid crimes and temptations as the same as somehow being above them. It’s also why we see it as somehow worse when they fall. But that isn’t the case. We are holding them to a higher standard but god sees us all as the same. It’s also why, while I acknowledge the benefit of having a learned man to confess in front of, I don’t understand the need to go to a priest for confession rather than just confessing to the Lord himself. But that is perhaps a tangent for another time

In the parable, which is right? The son who said yes first, they now how, but didn’t put their faith into action. Therefore they were wrong.

(Action speaks louder than words)

(I say I am not judging, but my actions say otherwise. I feel I need to say “well in my defense, she...” and that is the same as saying “yes I’ll stop judging” and doing it anyways.

Lord help my hypocrisy. Let me leave my burdens and worries in your hand)

Is our yes authentic.

(I started this, wanting to find fault with and condemn she who I call my dear friend. What kind of a dear friend is that. My hypocrisy must be acknowledged & dealt with)

>at last I come back to the strike through above. When one enters a church, one gets back only what they allow themselves to hear. In anger and sorrow, I went into this service, and upon hearing the first words of the verses, I felt vindicated, knowing that at the same time, a person I care very much for was hearing them and I felt vindicated. But as it went on, and I opened up. I didn’t hear a voice agreeing with me. I heard a voice condemning me. That it is not my place to judge, and in doing so, I have become a worse person. So I prayed before I left, and I have attempted to pray each night for the ability to leave my burdens behind and to not cast judgement. I have apologized to my dear friend, but those are just words. Actions must show it, and I’ve done my best in limited communication to show a difference in how I interact. It’s a work in progress, as selfishness seems to be my current greatest sin, and I must monitor it regularly, but I hope that a notable difference is seen as I work on myself.

>I got a lot out of it this time. I still didn’t stay through communion. Not til I’ve had time to talk to the priest, and start getting my questions answered firsthand. Only then will I stay for a ritual that as of now still excludes me, though my discussions with my mentor have alleviated a few issues with that.

Closing

Asking for money even in prayer. :/

> ok so during the final prayers for everything in the world basically. They basically included a shameless plug for people to give to this specific donation. I get you need money, but that felt borderline sacrilegious. Maybe that’s just me.

[papirouge]

Mate, no, I don't watch "stupid Netflix shows" about ungodly things. I barely watch much TV at all, though because I was interested in starting to, I wanted your sincere conviction on things while I also shared my own with you. How argumentive you are based solely on assumptions about me asking you genuine questions is really telling of where your heart is. You assumed I meant to offend you, which I did not, but you took it personally, and are now trying to argue or "play". You said it yourself, two wrongs don't make a right, yet you then rudely danced around the point that both are wrong and instead did your best to project the "worse" sin onto me. Nothing prompted that. Please step back and reevaluate. I know you're used to being attacked on here but not every concerned believer is trying to personally tear you down because they disagree with you.

I encourage you to post that first anon I sent you so others can attest to you that nothing I said was "salty", but I brought up good points. It only seems you just refuse to answer them because you cannot refute them. Do you honestly think your way is the only way when Paul said Romans 14:5 and 1 Corinthians 8-14? That is what makes you come off holier than thou, as other anons have said. You forget unity and cause division with your needless condemnation of things Christ did not condemn; forcing others to hold your convictions or otherwise accusing them of being fake or lukewarm. I worry that in your quest to combat cushiony "Christianese", you've erred on the side of legalistic and bitter. Please remember firm exhortation and straight up rudeness are quite different, and that you are not always right about everything.

"you assumed you I meant to offend you" dude...stop. You literally said I was an hypocrite, and now calling me "bitter" and "legalistic" so stop saying you didn't mean to offend me and were just asking a question. You're not innocent and you definitely had back handed issues with me for sending thesd messages. Own up your crap.

Don't forget anon : I was minding my business and YOU came in my inbox. If anything, you're the one who started being argumentative.

You didn't bring up "good points". You just said: "You said bad words è_é Interesting you didn't even bother saying what words I said were soooo bad, because it's obvious you're reaching Bad words are a sin è_é You're an hypocrite è_é" ....and thought you were doing something. Sorry but it's not. That's not evangelism. That's not spiritual warfare. That's not rebuking demonic spiritual bonding. That's just the level 0 of good Christian patrol behavior. But hey, if that can make you feel better about yourself, here's a cookie 🍪

I mean, do you really think you achieve anything by pulling out condescending message to any Christian letting a "shit" or "fuck" slip from time to time? Really? Be honest anon. You're just being performative here, and that's the tea. I didn't tap around nothing. Everyone knows bad words are bad. Never said they weren't. I sometimes say bad words. Groundbreaking. How does it retrieve anything to what I ever said about worldly entertainment?

I always joke about myself being a mess. I regularly call myself insane or unhinged.... I am definitely self aware about my imperfections and those of others Christian that I still deeply love and yet would NEVER tone police bc of a few bad words because they are genuine in their faith and committed to become better persons despite our respective flaws (feral Christians women are my beloved💙) If I was self righteous, do you really think I would hang out with such people? Take a look at yourself and reflect about which one is truly trying to shove themselves as being the most righteous Christian.

Luke 18:9-14 said it all.

1 Corinthians 8:1-14 is about sacrificed food and stumbling blocks, wth are you talking about??? I never claimed having a "way"

Romans doesn't 14:5 speak about a "way" so idk what you're talking about. I never said to anyone to follow 'my' way. Only Jesus.

I am not forcing anyone to do anything anon. Either you ride with my blog either you don't, but no one is forcing you to be here. Ultimately, I am just a woman with a blog. Chill.

You're right, firm exhortation and rudeness are not the same. And I am definitely not rude. You have no idea how easier it would be to talk you to "FUCK OFF" instead of taking almost 1h to reply this message. Once someone come at you saying baseless bold statements purposely misunderstanding the purpose of your ministry, maybe you'll lose your cool too.

ps/ yes, I'll reply to your anon but LATER because I have a life, a job and can't spent my life on Tumblr to reply to asks😑

[newmayhem]

Character Analysis: Alexander Weatere (Part 1)

As always, I’ll keep using original names if I’m talking specifically about the original iteration and in quotations and stuff, but I’ll be referring to everyone by their new names in all other situations.

Also wanted to note that I refer to some historical facts here, they are taken from this source and I will be going more in depth with the historical research in a separate post.

Here’s the first in a whole series of deep dives into the characters and relationships of In The Forests of the Night. I’m not starting with Roksana because I’m having some trouble pinning her down, and because I’m a natural-born hater, I thought I’d have an easier time with her insufferable brother.

I’d be lying if I said I liked Alejandro as a person. He’s judgemental, hypocritical, self absorbed, and quite literally considers himself holier-than-thou. He was a total dick to Roksana in that last scene and I wanted to punch him. But as an artist, it’s my job to give this dick some dimension, so let’s start with his new backstory.

Religion

Tbh, there’s not much in the og text about Alejandro except for the fact that he’s deeply religious. So in the rewrite I took it one step further and imagined that as a human, he aspired to become a priest but was rejected from seminary because of his race (limpieza de sangre and all that), which devastated him. This, combined with angst over his newly manifested witch powers caused him to turn to Pandora and become a triste.

I mentioned in the previous posts about the racelift that I imagined Alejandro to be complacent about the oppression he and Remedios faced. To me, the fervor of Alejandro’s belief in the church is indicative of how he much he bought into the other social constructs of the society that he lived in- mainly that anyone who wasn’t white was 1) inferior, and 2) damned. This also lines up well with how self-flagellating he was in the og text.

Adding race to the equation gives some more depth to the theme of damnation because of the cognitive dissonance that Alejandro had to deal with. Religion was where he found solace, which makes sense because at the time, converting to Christianity was a path for African and indigenous people to better their circumstances and social standing. But at the same time, this religion considered him inherently evil (or at the very least, not spiritually pure enough to enter the priesthood) and was used as a tool of conquest and oppression against him and others like him. 

Because he didn’t want to let go of that comfort (and also community), instead of turning against his religion, he turned against himself. He saw himself as someone who needs to atone for the sin of merely existing. He’s constantly trying to mold himself into someone who’s good enough and he believed that the only way to do that is by playing by the rules that society has set out for him.

Personality

In terms of personality, I think that despite the intensity, Alejandro was the more ‘normal’ of the twins- outgoing, sociable, optimistic, and a little vulnerable (kind of the antithesis of what I imagined Remedios to be- quiet, inscrutable, a bit of a misfit).

I know I started this off with talking about how insufferable I find him, but I do think that at least during his human years, he was popular and people in his community found him likeable. I picture him as being handsome, hardworking, and capable. He was something of a golden boy- the perfect son, the perfect man, which probably made hitting that not-so-glass ceiling that much harder.

[sachi-pon]

IMPORTANT Easter message

(If you don’t have time to read my looooooong post, please watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbrsAF2_BOk and you will get the same message! Not that I made the video... but I really like it.)

Hello! (YES, I'M USING CAPITALIZATION WOW LOL.) I hope you all had a happy Easter. I did!! I spent the day doing things with my family (which is why I didn't write this post earlier). But I had been planning to write an Easter message, so here it is, finally. Actually, I wasn't completely happy this Easter. Yes, I liked going to church and doing things with family. But I was also incredibly sad because of the Sri Lanka terror attacks, which killed churchgoers and other people. A huge number of people died. I don't want to check the latest number right now. The point is, I had been planning to write an Easter message that was cheerful and uplifting. Now, I can't. Yet, this holiday is so important that I have to say SOMETHING. So I am in a weird position where I feel a need to talk about this holiday that's supposed to be happy, but I am not coming from a place of happiness. I am not sure what to say right now. I'm making this up as I go along.

The deaths of all those people in Sri Lanka reminded me that everyone's time on earth will end eventually and there is something more after that. I know you might not believe it. If not, I hope you will think about it some more. I wanted to tell you, you were created. There is a Creator out there. God created the universe and everything in it. When He first created everything, it was perfect!! Humans, animals, plants mountains, rivers... everything was wonderful. Then, the first humans, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God because they decided that they cared about themselves more than they cared about God. That's when everything went wrong. The world is messed up today in so many ways, because of Adam and Eve's sin. However, we are no better than Adam and Eve. We all have done bad things we shouldn't have done. We aren't perfect. Adam and Eve sinned, and so did you. Don't even bother telling me about how some people have sinned more than you have. You are responsible for your own actions, so you have to admit that you have done wrong, instead of only thinking about how someone else is worse than you are.

If you're wondering why this terror attack in Sri Lanka happened, like how there could be something so horrible in the world, it's because of human beings' sins that messed up everything and caused the world to have a variety of horrific problems. Even after we die, we can't just decide on our own that we are going to be with our creator, God. We don't deserve to be with Him. He is holy and perfect, unlike us. Who are we to claim that we deserve to be in Heaven with Him? We just don't have a right to declare that. It doesn't make sense.

There's only one way out of this. Someone holy and perfect had to take the punishment we deserved for our sins. God made a way. He sent His son, Jesus, to live on earth as a human. Jesus is actually a form of God/ a part of God/ someone who has the qualities/attributes of God. So that's how He became the only human ever to go through life without sinning. He never did anything wrong. He went around and performed miracles and taught people many things. He told everyone that He was the son of God! And that made people angry, and he was arrested, and tortured, and then killed on a cross. He had the power to escape. He could do anything He wanted. He's God, after all. He willingly let himself suffer and die when he could have avoided it. He didn't deserve any of this. It's not fair. He did this for YOU.

Three days later, He rose from the dead. He appeared to many people, and you can read about it in the Bible... it's fascinating!! But the point is, Jesus is more powerful than death. The entire concept of death is something that's below Jesus. Death has been defeated by Jesus. He is risen indeed!! He is in Heaven, with God, alive and well, still as all-powerful as ever.

I am really upset about the terror attacks. I'm not happy and cheerful right now. I'm just not. But I still wanted to get this message out to you. Even though I feel so negatively right now, I need to tell you what I know is true, and these are good things. You are important. You are special. You are unique. You were created by God. You're not an accident. Your life is worth living. You were created for a purpose. You were created in God's image. God loves you so much. He sent His son to die and take the punishment you deserve. He loves you despite the sins you've committed. He has forgiven you. He wants you to be with him forever. You don't have to earn salvation. It's a gift, given to you out of love. All you have to do is A, B, C. Admit to God that you are a sinner who needs forgiveness. Believe that Jesus is the son of God, a perfect person who came to earth, died on a cross, and defeated death by coming back to life three days later, and He did this to take on the punishment for all of humanity's sins. Call on Jesus to save you. You will be saved from eternal separation from God (hell) and you will also be saved from your own sinful nature. What I mean is, okay, you will still inevitably sin sometimes even after you accept Jesus as your savior... but much less than before. With God's help, you will make better choices. You will make a positive impact in the world, because you are now aligning yourself with the creator, God, living out His will, following His teachings. And He is so much smarter and wiser that you, so much holier than you, so much more powerful than you, so much more loving than you. Following Him is worth it! Or else I wouldn't be sitting here writing all this stuff, trying to tell you all of this. I really needed to tell you all about what Easter means to me. I spent so long writing this that midnight passed and it's now the day after Easter... whatever. It's so important, I had to say it. And I hope that I was able to make you a little more happy/uplifted even though these terror attacks have happened. I wanted you to know that as painfully bad as the world is sometimes, there are still good things in the world, and I just told you about the very best thing.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:16 and 17. Please remember these verses!!! https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john+3&version=NIV

Bible Gateway, which I just linked to, is a website that has the entire Bible for free. It's full of tons of resources so that you can learn more about Christianity. Here is their blog post for Easter, where they explain the importance of Easter: https://www.biblegateway.com/blog/2019/04/he-is-risen-indeed/

The Story is a short animated video that shows you the same things I was just talking about. I know that I am too wordy, so maybe you'd like to watch a video instead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0gfIvN9zv4

The Story Maker is the children's version. It's still good for people of all ages, though. I like it even more than the regular version oops If you watch both videos, you get the same information given to you in two different ways, so you will understand it better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbrsAF2_BOk

I'm done!!! Thanks for reading. If you have questions about Christianity, you can message me. Also, you should pray... praying can be done at any time. You can do it out loud or silently. Praying is talking to God. The A, B, C thing I mentioned before is done through praying. You should pray and tell God about how you feel, and ask Him for help and guidance. He is listening!!