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slasher-male-wife · 1 year

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Holiday headcanons with slashers

Do I have requests I should be doing? Yes I do. Am I writing this instead? Yes I am. Anyway I need to pump out as much holiday stuff as I can before it's too late. I made it kinda general for all winter holidays but I did include some specific head cannons for Hanukkah and a religious Christmas. I hope y'all enjoy.

Includes: Rz Michael Myers, Norman Bates, Carrie White, Hannibal Lecter and Will Grahm

Warnings: Mention of Michael having eaten a dog

RZ Michael

Now Michael never grew up in a religious house and he never was religious in the first place. Christmas was never a fun time for him as a kid because he never got anything and his family (outside of his mother) were horrible people.

He won't understand why you want to put up lights and a tree but he's not objecting to it. He likes looking at the lights and holding ornaments that look pretty to him.

He won't expect you to actually get him anything but he's going to be a bit surprised when he sees a gift under the tree for him. He totally won't feel guilty and go steal something for you. He only did that because he found that thing and he thought you would like it. Don't press this issue Y/n or he's leaving the house until January.

If you like to bake things Michael won't help but he will eat. It doesn't even have to be cooked and he'll eat the batter or the dough. This man probably has literally eaten a dog, he won't care if your cookies are burnt to high hell he''s eating them.

The same goes for any Jewish dishes you make for Hanukkah. Oh your Latkes are turned into charcoal? Michael will eat an entire plate and ask for another. This man can probably eat literal bricks.

If you're a Christian and you go to Church to worship on Christmas Michael won't be going or praying with you, but he will be outside watching you.

Same goes if you go to Temple for Hanukkah. He'll watch from outside and just look at you. As for lighting the Menorah he'll watch you do that too. He's not judging you doing this Michael just likes to watch.

Norman Bates

Norman is probably a Christian but if you're not he's not judging. If you just want to decorate and enjoy the more commerical Christmas he doesn't care as long as he can still have a little natvity scene and can go to Church, but you're always welcome to join him.

He adores putting up ornaments together. Or just doing any kind of holiday activity together. Putting up lights, baking, cooking, playing in the snow, etc. He just loves spending time with you.

He'll also get lonely around this time without his mother so he's going to want some comfort for that. But he'll talk about how his mother would have loved you and how he would have convinced her that you're a great person who's perfect for him.

Norman will make you write a list of things you want and he will buy mostly all of them. He wants to make you feel loved and he thinks that giving thoughtful gifts this time of year is something important.

He's going to be a bit more busy with the motel around the Holidays but he's going to still make time for you.

Now if you're Jewish and celebrate Hanukkah Norman won't know anything about it but he'll still be supportive. He'll learn some songs and try the food you make.

He'll also still get you gifts for Hanukkah. But I feel like he might buy you both silver or gold necklaces, one with a star of David for you and one with a cross for him.

Carrie White

Carrie's Christmas's have been just hours of worship and praying for forgiveness with her mother. She's never had a tree, never put up lights and has never gotten a gift outside of a bible and a cross necklace one year.

She's going to be so foreign to all of the commerical Christmas things. So she'll want to be included in everything. She'll love to go pick a tree with you and decorate it together. She'll help put up lights and hand wreaths on the front door.

She'll be baking all the damn time. Like your kitchen will permanently smell like cinnamon, vanilla, mint and cloves. And she'll insist you try everything she makes. If you're Jewish and follow Kosher laws Carrie might not understand it but she'll respect it. She'll keep the kitchen Kosher and will even try to make Jewish foods for Hanukkah.

If you're Jewish Carrie is going to have a little bit of prejudice against you but quickly unlearn it because her mother was wrong about so many things. She'll welcome how you celebrate Hanukkah and while she's a Christian, she'll never make you feel uncomfortable with celebrating Jewish holidays around her.

But if you're a Christian she'll join you in going to Church on Christmas and praising the lord. Going back home and opening gifts afterwards.

Speaking of gifts Carrie is going to make you clothes for Christmas. That or go out and buy you something thoughtful. She's not going to expect you to get her anything but when you do she's so surprised and happy that you did.

Hannibal Lecter and Will Grahm

Will is very festive and Hannibal is just kinda normal about it. The three of you will go tree shopping because Will insists on having a live tree and Hannibal can't say no.

Hannibal cooks and bakes so many things for the holidays. And if you're Jewish, he has so many kosher recipes to use and will honestly just start making kosher food most of the time, but if he makes something that isn't kosher for him and Will he's going to make something kosher for you.

Will and you will do most of the decorating around the house because Hannibal "has better things to do" but Hannibal will always come over and insist that he helps "make it better'. Cue argument over Will putting a fishing themed ornament on the tree.

Now I've mentioned this before but Hannibal wraps his gifts with black wrapping paper and he does it so perfectly that you almost don't want to ruin it by opening it. And Will tries his best but it always ends up looking so bad. Will also might wrap your gift as something completely different. Like he'll wrap a watch as a mug.

Will and Hannibal aren't religious I think that's kinda obvious but if you go to Church or Temple for the holidays then they're coming with you as guests. Hannibal knows more about Judaism than Will does but that doesn't stop Will from learning about the religion. I feel like Hannibal might even know a little Hebrew.

As for gifts Hannibal will buy you something expensive, but also something thoughtful. Like you pointed out this beautiful necklace that this woman was wearing? Hannibal bought it for you. Oh remember those shoes you tried on in March that you feel in love with but couldn't afford? Hannibal bought those for you. He also might just buy you and Will a vacation to Europe.

Will's gift giving is also thoughtful but not as expensive. Oh remember that really cool but expensive ring you found? Will made one that looks just like it for you. You remember telling Will about how you lost a childhood toy a few years ago that you loved so much? He bought another one just for you.

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unnervinglyferal · 1 month

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One of the most uncomfortable things my brain has done has been getting attached to Mary. Like, Mary as in Mary the mother of Jesus. Not surprising but awkward for sure.

Mary is a big deal for mexicans. Regardless of anything, she is very important to our culture. Even the most brutal cartel or gang members will lower their heads and cross themselves in humility to the holy image of her. Taxi drivers hang rosaries (long bead artifacts with an amazing amount of technical specifications behind them that are meant to guide prayers towards Mary) on their mirrors to feel protection, and it's not badly viewed for people to wear rosaries as collars either. She's on the murals. She was our first ever flag. There's even one very very specific holiday we have for her, can't say I've ever celebrated it, but here in the small town where I live, people light fireworks everywhere and it's this big ass loud and happy celebration. Originally brought by colonizers to replace the goddess Tonantzin, the image of a brown skinned Mother Mary has become a symbol of and for our people. Hell, half of our fucking female population is called Maria Guadalupe (Lupe, for short) after her local name –Santa María Guadalupe. Don't even get me started on the advocations of the Virgin Mary, because theres like, A WHOLE ass different lore for that. Over here we have one called La Virgen del Pueblito (literally "The virgin from the small town").

Having said that, of course the jewish woman who accidentally recreated the fucking Pietá with the huge catholic dude with a saviour complex, as his side bled because he had a fucking nail stuck in there, WAS GOING to get attached to the jewish woman who is a LITERAL PART OF THE PIETÁ alongside THE VERY MAN MY EXBOYFRIEND WORSHIPPED and she birthed, as he also BLED FROM HIS SIDE, with NAILS stuck in his BUTCHERED HANDS.

Like, if you think about it, Mary also got ultra crucified for the sins of humanity inside of the christian lore. I do not believe this happened at all and I am not like, going to fucking convert to catholicism, but oh man. Oh man man man. Do I think of her often, with all these statues that mostly portray her in such a state of grief, looking up at the sky with hope on her big tender eyes full of tears, begging for mercy and forgiveness. Or with that compassionate soft gaze, meant to fall over the audience at the sanctuaries and parishes, filling all of their faithful spirits with motherly joy.

I do not have a mother, Feral. There's a warmth in that woman's eyes, some type of comprehension people often grow to find on their favourite characters or their favourite shows. I wouldn't say I believe in her as the holy mother of like, the almighty Christian Messiah or all that, but all I can think is "man, she's so me. Look at her, gifting herself to the christian Gxd, hoping her son will save the world as promised, knowing she will suffer but being so willing to do so for the sake of people that couldn't care any less".

I am and will always be jewish. As insufferable as it is, jews are my people and I wouldn't change that ever, it's my pride and joy to be a part of our tribe. But if I ever had to mutter a christian prayer, maybe I'd give one to her. Maybe I'd dedicate a rosary to my non religious, secular idea of her.

This is """problematic""" as fuck but this is what trauma does to a motherfucker. You cope the way you can and stick to it.

Any way to cope with being alive that doesn't cause physical injury is among the better ones, and being attached to something that's a huge part of the world you know isn't odd. You don't get to choose who your people are - in the sense of where you come from. But you do get to choose where you're going.

I've never met a catholic in real life. The christians here are lutherans, they don't believe in martyrdom or having sanctity or grace in suffering and sacrifice. In a way I sometimes wonder if they'd be more sympathetic to the suffering of others if they saw any value in it. Or even their own suffering. Languish, acceptance and embracing grief are more or less foreign concepts to them. They don't believe in saints, in Mary, or - no matter what they say - in a loving G-d.

Grief needs an outlet, some way for it to bleed out or it will fester. And not to sound messianic (fuck those clowns), but as much as we know of Jesus of Nazareth, he was still a jew, born of a jewish mother. All things considered, who else would you reasonably turn to?

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nonegenderleftpain · 1 year

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this is maybe very hopeful, but i still find it in me to send an ask, hoping for the best... i hope to not waste too much of your time with this

as someone who is possibly thinking of converting to Judaism, what is the first step?

i know, i should look for a rabbi, for a group, for just... something. to connect me to the culture, but i grew up in an incredibly sheltered household, in a small town, christian, and i still dont have solid income to look out for them far and wide... honestly, I'm kind of afraid that if i dont end up going through with the conversion, I'll just feel guilty for wasting people's time for my own personal gain (as opposed to...... their gain? yeah. its impossible to tell wether that one makes sense)

im pretty sure i have met exactly one Jewish person IRL and that's not a stretch.

so, basically, when im asking for the first step here, what i really mean is, how do i know where the stairs are?

and i dont have a super philosophical reason as to why i even think of converting in the first place. i guess i just need a place where my first crime won't be my humanity.

So I've sat on this all day trying to figure out how to be elegant. I'm in a fair bit of pain today, so elegance is kind of beyond me - I'll settle for helpful.

Anon, I grew up in a really similar situation to you. I grew up in one of the few Catholic towns in my very protestant area. It was a tiny farm town, only on the map for gambling, and I lived in an incredibly sheltered home. I couldn't be on the internet unsupervised, and my parents turned it off at 10pm, until the day I left home. I never had time to form a community, was not allowed to ask questions, and struggled with constant feelings of fear and crushing oppression by a church I no longer believed in.

When I was in highschool, I discovered LaVeyan Satanism, got my hands on the satanic bible, and converted, largely hiding it for years. I didn't meet a Jew until I left for college, and was so anti-Gd that we never really spoke (Not due to antisemitism - any engagement with religion triggered religious trauma history, so I couldn't be around ANYONE openly practicing any religion. It was a very stressful time, and I carry a lot of guilt for not engaging with her more.)

I didn't have any big philosophical reasons for seeking Judaism, either, at first. I had had a very spiritual experience in the Cherokee Nation with a family friend who invited us, and I was actually considering moving there and taking part in their religious practices as much as they would allow me to, as a white person. My family friend was a religious leader there and was willing to accept me and bring me in, but it never panned out. I have been seeking that same spiritual connection for years, but I didn't really know it until I found it again.

I first started learning about Judaism when I just. Kept running into Jews in my life. Online, in community spaces, through my advocacy work. And I asked myself "what is so important about this?" and picked up the book To Life! by Rabbi Harold Kushner. Immediately, I was enthralled, and I have not stopped being amazed and overjoyed with what I've found.

For me, the first step to really learning more was reaching out to my local Reform congregation. I'm not sure if you're thinking of converting Reform or not, but I'd suggest starting there, because I've found it's been very easy to find my footing as a queer person with a fraught religious background. The Union for Reform Judaism - the largest North American movement of Reform Jews - offers Intro to Judaism classes once a semester (many congregations require these courses for conversion). The classes lay out the very basics of Jewish values, history, and practices. They're usually taught by local rabbis - my course this semester on Jewish history has two classes with each of the four Reform rabbis in my city. This is a great way to get to know the rabbis, see how they teach, and see who you click with. It will also allow you to interact with other folks that are new to Judaism - Jews that want to learn more about their heritage and practices, prospective converts, friends and family members of practicing Jews, and sometimes just people interested in theology!

Once you find a rabbi that you click with, you'll want to reach out to them and set up a meeting (I meet personally with my rabbi on Zoom, because transportation is difficult for me as a disabled person). During that meeting, you can tell the rabbi your story, your level of interest, and answer some of their questions, as well. My Rabbi asked me why I chose Judaism as opposed to something else, and really dug into my resolve, because I came to him expressing my desire to convert. This is pretty normal - antisemitism is on the rise in the US and around the world, so they want to make sure you understand what you're taking on by seeking Judaism.

Here's the thing about Judaism - it is not something you can do alone. Judaism is a tribe and a people, not just a religion. I do not say this to dissuade you. If anything, I want to encourage you. No one is going to be upset with you if you come, participate with sincerity and earnestness, and then decide that it's not for you. You will not be wasting anyone's time by asking questions and learning things.

I also grew up Christian. We were taught that asking questions is a sign of a lack of faith. That we must follow and believe and never question Gd. I am here to tell you that that is the complete opposite of what Judaism not just expects, but requires. Israel means "to struggle with Gd." It is our job as Jews to struggle with the Torah and what it asks of us. To question it and interpret it and find out how to do good in the world. To disagree. This is not a religion of blind faith, and it is not a people that will silence your questions.

So I suppose the concise answer to your question is more of a checklist:

Research your local synagogues. See if you can attend one of their services online. See if you like the rabbi, like the way they talk and the things they say and the way they interpret the texts. See if you like the cantor, and if the way they chant helps you with your connection to the service or detracts from it. Take notes of any questions or concerns you have, so you can bring it to the rabbi.

Contact your local rabbi. If there is more than one congregation where you live, choose which seems most approachable for you to start with. On their congregation's website, there should be an email form that will take you to them, or to whomever runs their site, who will be able to put you in contact.

Set up a meeting with your rabbi. If you can go in person, that's great, but if you get anxious easily, Zoom can be really helpful. I recently even got my rabbi to join Discord. Bring them your questions. Tell them why you're there. Answer their questions honestly, and don't be afraid to tell them you're nervous. I promise you're not the first prospective convert they've spoken to.

Try to get into an Intro to Judaism class. You can ask questions about all different sects of Judaism, even if you're taking classes with the URJ, and a good rabbi will be able to give you cursory answers and resources to find more information. If Reform doesn't work for you, I'm sure that the other sects of Judaism have their own classes you can take. As a convert, I have not had to pay for my classes, and I think that's a national thing

Attend services. Don't be afraid to not know what's going on. Don't be concerned that you don't know Hebrew. Don't worry about them thinking you don't belong there. I still haven't formalized my conversion (I haven't been able to schedule my beit din), but my congregation considers me a member, and recently formalized my membership in our organization. They consider me a Jew, as much as I consider myself one. I am part of their family, even though I'm very new and know almost nothing.

And most importantly:

6. Keep reading. There are lifetimes of Jewish literature, information, and text out there. Jews keep extensive and detailed records of everything. When a Jew has an opinion, they write a book. And every Jew has opinions. I'm happy to give book recommendations, but this post has gone on far too long.

I know it's not a simple answer - there really isn't one. Conversion looks different for everyone, and takes different amounts of time for everyone. So does practice. I don't keep kosher but I give blessings over what I eat, even if it doesn't follow kashrut, because the blessing and gratitude is what is holy for me (and because I have dietary issues). I haven't hung mezuzot because I can't afford them, but I wear kippot because the visual reminder of the cultural and historical throughline of our people matters to me. I don't know Yiddish or much Hebrew, but I learn and ask questions and am enjoying immersing myself in a culture and ritual that I didn't know I needed.

I hope this is at all helpful. If you need or want personal help with any of these steps, please, please send me a DM and I will help you. I know it can be nervewracking to talk about religion, especially as an ex-Christian. I promise that my inbox is a safe space to discuss it. You're among friends, and I know your struggle.

Stay well, and may Hashem bless your journey, wherever it leads.

#jewish stuff #jumblr #lovely anon #the ask and the answer but not the book #jewish #jew by choice #jewish convert #i mean this please dm me if you see this nonnie #i'd love to help

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prismatic-bell · 1 year

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[This ask is about a situation related to antisemitism and since I saw it's passover definitely skip or put off answering this if you need to. I'm not Jewish so I don't really know the significance of the holiday but I can't imagine it's pleasant to read abt this sort of thing then. This is not urgent.]

I'm anxious sending an ask off anon but I need advice and you have good well-educated takes and are one of my favourite Jewish bloggers, so you were the person I thought of to ask this.

I'm a gentile raised nonreligious but culturally Christian and I have a close friend who is a very devout Christian. About an hour ago I found out they believe a conspiracy theory that sounds incredibly antisemitic, I'm not sure if it is and looking it up returns nonsense but 100% sounds like a dogwhistle. It made me so upset I had a panic attack at the airport bc they're a very good friend of mine from my country's equivalent to high school and I'm worried about the path they're taking and how to stop them. Right now I have my Discord notifications off because I have a flight soon and I can't deal with this stress.

They believe Hollywood has an anti-Christian agenda and is trying to push Satanic imagery in the form of subliminal messages because "nobody in Hollywood talks about God but they love talking about the devil" and this is supposed to turn people against Christianity or something? I told them this was ridiculous, Christian and culturally Christian people dominate America and have most of the political and social power there (we don't live in America but we are both half-American and also we live in Europe so we have a similar issue although more with culturally Christian atheists like me), and we have a responsibility as the dominant group to not play the victim and act like we are being persecuted and oppressed. They said this was actually untrue because the problem Christians are "not real Christians" because "there is only one type of Christian which you would know if you read the Bible" and even that such people are actively and deliberately lying about being Christian and all this other really upsetting and scary stuff that absolves themselves of any systemic privilege that would make this as dangerous as I was saying.

I am not part of any religion, and I have few friends, let alone friends that are religious minorities specifically. I want to help support Jewish people and call out antisemitism but I actually have no idea how to do it when the person I'm talking to doesn't even believe they have the systemic privilege to do that harm. How do I, who have only an outsider's knowledge, explain Jewish people's oppression, which is notoriously poorly explained to goyim like me, to someone who won't even acknowledge Christian hegemony? Is it even okay for me to try, would it even be helpful? As someone who wants to be an ally, should I cut ties with my friend over this, should I try to educate them, should I just make sure they don't fall further? I think this is only in the early stages where they have no idea of the implications of this kind of mindset, idek if it is an antisemitism thing but it feels so obviously like a dogwhistle that my friend just isn't Hearing yet, and they've found an excuse that works for them so they can keep believing anything so I'm scared it's gonna get worse. It feels so awful to know someone I appreciate so much is plugging their ears and burying their head in the sand about something this important. They're a trans poc but they can't even find it in them to learn about the oppression Jews face? It just. it sucks.

Thank you if you're reading this, even if you don't respond. Have a nice passover. Sorry if I was rude or got anything wrong, I'm very clumsy with this sort of thing.

You weren’t at all rude, and I’m glad you took notice.

So I think you’re right that this is an early-stage dogwhistle your friend isn’t hearing yet. This seems like a weird cross between 1980s satanic panic, and the “the Jews control Hollywood” stereotype.

I’m having a very soggy-brain week, so I’m punting this to @athingofvikings and @aliciabenissa. I don’t know that your friend is unreachable, but you seem to feel you don’t have the tools to do it, and if you don’t it’s definitely better to borrow from someone else’s toolbox than to go in empty-handed.

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brightgnosis · 5 months

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I'm really sorry if this is the wrong way to ask this but here it goes:

How did you find the Jewish community and know it was for you? And what's been your favorite thing to learn about/during your conversion?

I've always had Jewish friends online on and off growing up- and one of my favorite things to talk about has always been Theology. So it's natural that you get to talking Theology with your friends, especially when you're of different religious backgrounds. And there were a lot of times that they'd explain some Jewish belief to me and I'd have a sort of ⁉️‼️ moment, because the belief was either exactly what I believed, or incredibly close to what I believed.

But y'know, I was Pagan. I didn't know any Jewish people in physicality. I didn't have a Synagogue near me. I didn't have transportation. And "there were so many rules" (which is such a very leftover Culturally Christian mindset in the end). So it never went anywhere, really, save for the occasional article read.

Then I found out thanks to DNA testing that my family lied about pretty much 90% of what they'd ever told me "we were" ethnically, and I got access to a lot more records than I'd ever managed to find access to previously. Established contact with family members I'd never even knew existed, etc. And I found out that we weren't "Native American" like I'd been told, and had been actively chasing information for my entire life ... I was roughly ~3 (4?) generations down from Ukrainian Ashkenazi immigrants who'd left the Pale in the 1890's 🙃 Which was absolutely mindblowing to me, because my family had never once ever mentioned this. Ever. Never. (Though when I finally got the opportunity to confront my Aunt about it, she was all like "oh yeah, they used to talk about their life "In Russia" all the time!" ... Like ???? Thanks ????)

Anyways. That made me finally start looking into Judaism a lot more seriously- at minimum, to find out what it was my Ancestors potentially lived while in Ukraine, and ultimately likely left behind when they immigrated. Especially since I was already kind of in an in-between state where I was trying to figure out where on Earth to go after leaving Irish Reconstructionism because of the toxicity, anyways. And it was like ... The more I read about it, the more my Soul was just singing. I really don't know how else to explain it.

Like, the Gods made me happy, sure. And the faiths I'd been a part of had always allowed me an opportunity to "live by my beliefs". But nothing had really truly resonated so deep in my bones like this did. And the more I learned, the more I just knew, so deep within myself, that it was literally what I'd been looking for the whole time- and why I'd never really completely given up on God after leaving the Church when I was younger, and kept finding weird paths back to It.

Then I found out we actually had a Synagogue here where I lived, and so I started trying to contact them. And in the meantime I found out about Noahidism and started practicing that while studying. And I just ... Kept this faith that HaShem would open the way when it was time. And that did happen; I eventually managed to make contact with my local Synagogue after trying for 2 years, and they bounced me off to a Reform Rabbi- who very kindly bounced me off to a Conservative Rabbi who happened to be in full support of Interfaith marriages ... And here I am! And I literally have no words for how incredibly wonderful this entire journey has been, and how exciting and fulfilling it's been to learn, and to go to events, and to become integrated into Jewish life and my (two!) communities; I adore my Rabbi, and what my Synagogue is doing, and the people I've met.

I love ... Everything that I've learned about. I can't pick a favorite. I truly can't. But I feel most connected to Jewish Ecospirituality, I think; books like 'God in the Wilderness'. The way Maimonides and Breslov speak about Nature. My experiences using the old Sailboat Launch at the Lake, here, as a Mikveh. The concept of Humanity and the Torah as Trees- and the imagery of HaShem as an Orchardist. The entire story of Genesis, the creation of Chava and Adam, and their instillation in (and subsequent exile from) the paradise of Gan Eden. “If you have no Tallit, wrap yourself in the four corners of the Earth and pray”. Tu B'Shvat ... Everything; the entire way that Judaism is so intrinsically and deeply connected to Nature at its very core, and the way you fundamentally cannot separate either HaShem or Humankind from the Earth, is breathtaking and sings to me in the same way that Judaism as a whole sings to me.

I have never felt this way about any religious community I've tried to be a part of in my life. And I think that speaks testament to how right this path has been for me, and how HaShem has honored me with it. This all probably sounds like utterly insane ramblings at this point, though, ha!

#genderfluidgothwitch #Answered Asks #2023 Asks #2023 #A Direct Look At My Practice #Just Potential Jewish Convert Things #Witchcraft Asks

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jewishtwig · 1 year

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Shabbat shalom! I'm not sure if you're going to be online between now and Sunday so if I don't see you on the internt until then, have a lovely weekend!

I'm just reaching out anonymously to sort of combined vent-and-ask-for-advice about queer Jewish conversion stuff, since I know you finished your conversion journey recently and might have similar experiences.

Basically, I'm a queer and trans Jew-in-progress with lots of queer friends who live near where I attend synagogue. And we all know that serious Christianity-related religious trauma often comes in a package deal with being queer in a culturally Christian country. You can probably tell where this is going.

My friends are all vocally supportive of my decision to become Jewish, but we have some hang-ups. I came back from Shabbat service the other week and excitedly told them that it was a children's service that morning, and that some of the kids had performed a play for us. One friend asked what play it was, then got uncomfortable really fast when I told them it was Joseph's technicolour dreamcoat.

(Side note: the play was awesome! Children have the wackiest senses of humour and there is nothing funnier than hearing a 10 year old scream "anything but the pit!!" while trying really hard not to laugh.)

Anyway -- the dreamcoat story is one my queer friends are all familiar with in some capacity from their Christian schooling. You and I are aware of the similarities (lol) and differences between Christianity and Judaism, and that we will often see versions of the same texts and tales in both contexts because of appropriation and the like. My friends understand this in theory, but gentiles will be gentiles. They hear alarm bells when I say 'dreamcoat' because it was Christian to them before it was Jewish. The fact that I chose to be excited about the play without also downplaying it by going "dont worry guys it's not the christian version!!" has noticeably damaged their opinion of me.

Things like this keep happening, where my friends will be verbally supportive, but then start acting really really awkward around the topic of religion, including when I casually mention things like no longer being free for gay brunch on Saturday mornings because of Shabbat. They're uncomfortable that I find value in the same Bible verses their Christian grandmas quote (even though I've explained that Tanakh actually tells a different story to their Old Testament and can have a completely different meaning). I swear they all think that by getting involved at synagogue, I am willingly putting myself in close proximity to Christianity, and they are either scared of me for it, or secretly think I am a traitor.

They don't understand that feeling squeamish around 'Bible-thumping religious nuts' is deeply antisemitic. They don't like it when I talk about G-d because they are convinced that the Jewish and Christian G-d are one and the same. And for the record, yes I've explained why the concept of 'Abrahamic' or 'Judeo-Christian' faith is all bullshit, and yes I've explained that they are very much not the same G-d, and the response I got from them amounted to 'well there's different beliefs about G-d but they all come from the same initial concept and refer to the same entity so they're the same'. I just gave up on trying to explain; I'm not Christian so I'm not making it my problem if they're unwilling to divorce their feelings about religion from Christianity. I'm still learning and I will not be their teacher.

The way my queer friends look at me now makes me so sad. It's like they are expecting me to start quoting Bible verses over the dinner table, or make everyone say blessings with me, or burst into a monologue about how G-d is great and everyone should believe in Him. Half the people I've 'come out' to as a convert have responded by saying "that's great I'm so happy for you! But by the way I just can't do religion, it's not for me, no offence or anything but I just don't believe in G-d." as if that's in any way necessary. And these people know me. Why do they suddenly think I've turned into the type of person to proselytise or look down on people for not being religious?? As if there's not literally a prominent Jewish teaching that bans proselytisation and promotes religious freedom among other cultures???

It's driving me nuts. My friends treat me like a stranger now. I've known some of these people for 7+ years and they know I'm a queer-as-fuck dickhead with a personality and a traumatic Catholic upbringing of my own. I've always been really vocal about my opinions and I never shut up about my hobbies. It's not like I'm their mormon grandparents, I literally post ass on twitter. But suddenly they don't know what to say when they see me. I can feel everyone treading on eggshells around me because they are expecting me to suddenly take offense at them being atheist or areligious or for eating pork idk. And on that note I've had vegan friends try to argue with me that kashrut is immoral and that I'm a terrible person for following Jewish dietary laws instead of going vegan. And don't even get me started on what they try to tweeze out of me regarding Israel.

For people who say they hate antisemitism, they sure liked me a lot more when I wasn't studying to become Jewish. I think that if they understood how much this was affecting me, they might realise what they're doing and stop, but explaining myself hasn't made them get it. I know they are not trying to be antisemitic but I feel so alienated and lonely. I was prepared to accept that my friends might not be the right people to talk to about faith, but now they won't talk to me about anything without making it awkward.

I truly do believe my soul is Jewish and that this is a journey I need to take. And if that means I lose friends for being religious then so be it. But it really fucking sucks and I don't know how to deal with it. Other people really think they have the clearest perception of religion because they're not part of one and nothing I do or say can unconvince them that my judgement is clouded by faith. I don't want to lose them. I just don't know how to make them understand what I am feeling, or if I should even bother to try. Is this a common experience, do you think?

Shabbat shalom!

I hear you, and I cannot imagine how frustrating and upsetting this situation must be for you.

I was willing to give your friends the benefit of the doubt at first, but the more I’ve thought about it and the more I’ve reread this message, the more upset I’ve gotten on your behalf.

The fact of the matter seems to me that they’re claiming to be supportive of Jews but when presented with actually future Jewishness they are not being supportive and are actually being pretty terrible.

Additionally, they aren’t being supportive of you as a person. Your choice isn’t going to impact their lives at all besides maybe needed to move a brunch date and yet they’re still alienating you. I don’t fully know the situation, of course, and it’s your choice, but from what you’ve said they don’t sound like people who have your best interests in mind and don’t seem like great friends.

Unfortunately, this isn’t an entirely uncommon situation (especially in queer spaces in my experience but that story is a tad off topic). I know I lost some friends during my conversion and it damaged my relationship with some people as well.

Ultimately I see it this way: for reasons of physical safety and mental health, if someone has an issue with me because of my religion then I don’t want to be around them.

I hope you’re able to find some supportive friends. Maybe try seeing if there’s a queer community group at your synagogue! Or start one!

I truly wish you good luck with this situation. Please let me know if I can help you in any way. Congratulations on starting your conversion journey 💙

#asks #<3 #loss of friendship #conversion issues #antisemitism

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daughter-of-sapph0 · 1 year

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You converted into Judaism I believe? I’ve occasionally considered converting (Haven’t looked into it yet), and am curious as to what led to your decision to convert

hi, thanks for asking. I started my conversion process around three years ago. it's been a rough process, but so far it's going well. as for why I decided, it's a long story. so I'll try my best to keep it short

I was raised catholic. my grandfather was Irish catholic, and raised my mother catholic. my father on the other hand was raised lutheran. you would think that would make their marriage extremely controversial, an Irish catholic woman marrying a protestant man. but it was actually really chill for both families. my dad was never really religious, but my mom was a devoted catholic who had us go to church and ccd every week, up until I went to middle school. I went to the tiniest private middle school in existence. there were 15 kids in all of eighth grade. the building was over 100 years old. it almost closed twice during my three years there. and honestly, it kinda sucked. so much that my two younger siblings both went to public middle schools to try and avoid the shit I went through.

since I went to a catholic private school, I was taught a fair amount of religious history alongside the basic middle school education. it wasn't the first thing that helped me open up to other religions, but being forced to study the history of other world religions was a big eye opener for me. I got confirmed in 8th grade, and then immediately stopped caring about religion. I was an atheist for most of my first two years of high school. I wasn't one of the annoying reddit atheists, I still respected other people's religions. I just didn't know what to believe in myself.

around this time I went through a major depression after my grandmother died, and struggled with my grades and suicidal thoughts. I got into twitter (which, let's be honest, is not the healthiest coping mechanism) and met a lot of friends who helped me discover myself. I eventually came out as transgender and my friends online and irl were super supportive. and a lot of my trans friends online were also Jewish. I started to learn more about their religion just from talking with them, and I actually found it really interesting. it wasn't anything like christianity. people were encouraged to question things and argue and debate.

it was a bit after a graduated high school when I started to think about whether or not I wanted to convert, and about a year later when I spoke to a local rabbi. I will be honest, the pandemic has made it extremely fucking difficult. mostly everything is online, and that makes it a huge pain. but I wouldn't be going through this huge tedious process of converting if I didn't know for certain that it is exactly what I want to do. I love Judaism. I love my Jewish friends. I love my religion. I love my own unique personal relationship that I have with god and myself. it's hard to even put into words. the same feeling I had when I came out as trans is the same feeling I have towards Judaism.

if you're considering converting, look into it first. it's a very difficult process. and that's intentional. Judaism is not a proselytizing religion. it's supposed to be a very hard and difficult process with lots of obstacles. you have to be 1000% sure that Judaism is the correct religion for you.

and that's where I'm at now. I sometimes say that I'm Jewish, but really I'm still in the process of converting. but based on how much I've learned and how much I've experienced, I'm more than certain that this is the religion for me.

#dostxt #Judaism

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000life-is-meaningless000 · 2 months

Text

! Devil & God !

God Has, Heaven a A Few Angel's & Made The Earth, is Omniscient & Omnipresent & is Said to Be Omnipotent ?

But, The Devil Has :

99% of all of the Angel's, Becuz Most Rebelled !

All of Space & Time

The Faery World aka Insectoid. ( Hive World )

All Alien's

All Realm's

All Dimension's

The Entire Multiverse

Air, Earth, Water & Fire <- All Nature Power's

All Divine Power's

All Wealth

Basically, Omniscient

Forgiving <- is Said in Theory ?

is Said to Be Loving ?

is Said to Be Compassionate

is Full of Passion

Has All Soul's Witch is over 100 Trillion Googolplexian Soul's !

Has ALL Demon's on Command & On His Side

Has, The Entire Spirit World

Is All Other Deity's

is The Primordials Deity's aka The Ultra Deity's or Super Deity's

is, The Titan's

is Both Male & Female

and is the enemy of God

Satan Has, EVERYTHING

Yet, God Created Everything ? But it was the Devil ?

You are to Love God But Hate His Creation

? ? ?

God is All Powerful yet Satan is all Powerful

God is Love yet Satan is Love

God Will Forgive YET Satan will Forgive ? ? ?

God Want's you in Heaven, Yet his Omniscient Ass Didn't Know A Perfect Angel Was Going to TURN ON HIM AND START A RIOT & A REBELLION

🤨/😡

The abrahamic faith is fucking Nuts.

. . .

By no way am I saying that spirituality is bullshit I'm just saying the abrahamic faith is absolutely fucking nuts, I'm not saying they are not elements to the store that aren't true but I'm saying that abrahams are are a good example of what Insanity truly looks like.

. . . . . . .

Edit :

I've listened to an amazing amount of Christians Catholic evangelicals Saint avenues actual Jewish people I've actually been through a lot of Muslims I listen to a lot of people my life I listen to an amazing amount of people of the Abraham and faith and I've even read all three other goddamn books and multiple copies and versions of books I've read I've gone to the entirety of the fucking religion and I got to say

This fucking religious God damn nut's.

. . .

It only makes things fucking worse on these people get violent with their religion they don't even give you the chance of the choice to pick something else these motherfuckers hardcore will murder anybody that does not follow their ideology I don't even think that's a fucking religion of that God damn point I just think that's fucking Mass terrorism.

Is one thing to have a spirituality that you're that you're trying to desperate get others to understand and follow and I understand the violence comes out of desperation but when your religion is complete and absolute bullshit and you go around murdering people cuz they don't want to follow your literal bullshit at that point you're a Schizophrenic Terrorist.

Schizophrenic <- I hate this ugly evil disgusting fucking word, I tried to go through a whole bunch of other goddamn words that fight but I couldn't find a single one crazy wouldn't work insane wouldn't have worked I had to find a more pinpoint accurate way to describe something even though the diagnosis schizophren schizo is extremely inaccurate many times and it's been debunked multiple goddamn ways I still have to find a way or language a way to explain things and I didn't want to use it I know how much I was going to fucking hurt, I wasn't trying to hurt, anybody.

Spirituality is a Science and Scientism and won't let you practice that

Extra Edit :

The devil is described to be the primal instinct of a person or anything out there is it to be animalistic entirely, the devil is defined as the ego and God is defined as the spirit.

This makes absolutely no fucking sense, because animals are spirits just extremely under evolved Spirits things develop over time things change over time that's fucking Evolution religion needs a Goddamn embrace fucking evolution.

On top of the fact the devil is ascribed as a trickster in a liar but then going to heat and then going to all the Christians have spoken to and the Catholic and the Muslims and all the intense amount of Jews I spoken to in the extreme differences of each and every different part of the abrahamic faith

By the way I want to let you know and I've been with these people the Jews believe Christians Catholics and Muslims are all fucking demons

Christian's Catholics Saint August and Evangelical Christians believe each other or demons and the Jews are demons and the Muslims are demons

And the Muslims believe the Jews are demons the Christians are demons the Catholics are demons the evangelicals are demons the same amethyst or demons and basically everybody else is a fucking demon

🤨

On top of the fact the devil is described the fucking have every goddamn thing in existence cuz every single time I get talked to a Christian they tell me about the Bible they teach me about their fucking religion I don't want to criticize them I don't want to raise an eyebrows to them I don't want to show them any kind of suspicion as well I just want to act like I give a fuck when I really don't but I want to hear why this is insanity is continuing on.

I'm not a wolf in sheep clothing I'm Seriously & Really tired of this bullshit and and the Extreme Unfairness and not being allowed, to break away !

. . .

And yes I have read through the entire Bible it was a very disgusting book that was trying to be as unbiased and unemotional as possible and refrain to let my emotions persuade me too much and actually just read it as what it is and then judge it I've read the entire Bible I've read the Jew Bible I've read the Muslim bible I've read the Mason Bible I've read all kinds of fucking Bibles in my life and I hate every single fucking one of them

I haven't seen the inside of churches I see the inside of synagogues that's in the inside of seeing Christianity and and the Muslims and the Jews I've seen their entire abrahamic religion inside and out and I fucking hate every fraction of it

And I seen all of Satanism and I think that's unbelievably stupid as well

🤨 - I really wonder what day on the earth will the abrahamic faith completely go extinct like the fucking dinosaurs I really wonder when the fuck the Abraham and faith will truly get erased like snow as we go into winter to summer, just suddenly disappear as an exist nowhere

😡 - and, Then, I wonder what other Shitty goofy fucking full of shit religions going to pop up next ?

#God #666 #Jesus #777 #Satan #<- The Devil #Red Guy #Humanity #Human #Abraham #Christ #Abrahamic #Christianity #Jew #Muslim #Red Pill #Data #Black Pill

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nityarawal · 6 months

Text

Hey y'all have you googled mom's name lately?

Mitra with Sun!

Wow- there's thousands of wonderful new stories since last we checked. Haydn didn't believe it meant Sun.

Isn't that bizarre someone who knows Farsi, studies planets, went to Iran etc would say something so dumb? He doesn't appreciate nor understand Persian poets either. Mindboggling.

Bobba knows he's Varuna! Lol

Every Christmas the lovers celebrate their anniversary.

It's divine.

I miss you so much. Mitra got me.

Thankyou Mommy.

You know she's even compared to Christ? Some mythical jealousy with Mitraism.

A mystical knowing that rivaled Christianity.

We are so very lucky mom. I pray you're all failing ok.

I enjoyed first night in my dressing trailer!(:

It's getting very cute and I'm enjoying paint box possibilities.

I left a patched wall rustic with board and want to paint an American flag on it.(:

Swedes do these barn house style paintings that are really epic.

Helen's sis had one in the only black house in the village.

Do you remember?

Do you hear from any of my bffs & sisters.

Worried for Zivit.

Any news I'd be grateful for.

I lost touch with many loved ones in lame Facebook wars.

Elon has a divine new Joe Rogan pod f/ yesterday you must hear!

He's doing AI conference & praying he heard the prudes and our beloved family.

It was King Reza Shah's II birthday yesterday.

Great party.

Persians brought it celebrating their beloved King.

It felt like the globe danced and rejoiced for our lineage.

He's only leader never criticized.

Amazing.

Georgia says no American leader ever spoke to her so Elon finally gave their country Starlink.

That was nice.

We see it but only privileged use it apparently in apartheid! LOL

Praying He's doing a savoy shuffle in UK and sorting it all out.

He seemed very strong. Did you know he does Jiujitsu?

Could Gracie studio help Isha get his rights back?

I was sad to see another 14yo boy- little Quazi- caged by Space x and estranged from mom in dadddy detention; am worried Isha was sold out?

I don't appreciate way Sunil Carved me out of my family. We are not for sale nor barter.

Justice is undoubtedly going to be served.

It gets worse with every passing moment.

Elon says price just goes up.

Make today a peace day like everyday.

I love you so much. Can you send me pictures here?

Isn't there anyway for y'all to shake a dead woman's Gag orders and embrace freedom of speech? RIP Queen Elizabeth & Barracuda Mamma Lori Clark Viviano AKA Sharkbait. Amen.

Look at Elon squirm with BBC pod next.

They have terrorised us over lake religious shit we didn't even know of from Roman times.

It's histories wars.

Is Sunil a existentialist?

I never fully understood his superstring theory.

Do you Isha?

Please look and let me know.

I think he probably is.

Do you remember when he'd set up little villages of cards in living room; and video while Romeo knocked them down to find the treats?

There's lots of ways you can groom in war.

It's just not the Huntley way.

I don't believe it was Gautama's way of the Rawal Gotra either. Buddha loves hos mom so much and is overflowing with Empathy and compassion.

We've all cried and Sung you home.

Megxit home.

Reza home.

Do you want to visit today and trick or treat?

I want to play Halloween and hug/eat celebrate with my beloved family. It's sad Britney and her family broke. Praying they forgive each other- for her heart and everyone's involved. Between us all we've probably been targeted by over a million Jewish attys capitalizing on our family.

We must always trust our enlightened elders.

That's why what Sunil did was a mind "F." ):

I'm sorry.

I know it wasn't good for anyone's Psyche.

Come home.

Shall we tie up the other trailer?

It's just for now.

Hopefully Elon really will get Reparations.

I'm grateful for all the time I have to enjoy the globe, you, and choose to enjoy it.

Maybe it's rude to laugh in face of tradgedy; rude to defy cancer; disobedient to angry British leaders in rages over silencing for their organised criminals kink..

I really feel Elon could rise through this. Please hold him in light of your heart. I just want the microcosm to reflect what my family can create.

We are a Tribe of peace, light and love.

Prosperity is Gravy.

I feel I paid more for Twitters freedom of speech than anything in my life.

$44b wasn't what it really cost & I think Elon gets that.

We all worked.

Got taxed in alienation warfare.

Every home I had was raided by Nazi Sheriff on bribes.

It was creepy.

I never broke the law.

My job is to be a mom, a full disclosure journalist and realtor. The word means more to me than the buck. That's rare.

I might not look like Miss Ambition but it's because priority of my life is you. To some being a mom might not bring the Britney billions they want to tax our family with.

As far as I'm concerned my billions are voting in an arena of violence we don't appreciate.

Return all. Elon knows this is on to-do list.

We won't have blood money on our hands.

We worked to hard as yogis to allow Sunil Rawal to violate our sacred family.

My stomach is actually quaking at what nasty things hrs done. Let it go. It's just not worth it. We choose love. With you. Every day.

Every minute.

Mitra Nitya is the eternal friend.

We all know that's true.

We all will be paid.

I got my X tip button. (:

This won't ever happen to another family on my time or dime.

4 billion mothers are strong.

Peace.

Hugs. Xo

Mom

Nitya Eternal

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neeharlow · 6 months

Text

I am not a religious person. I don't believe in God. I believe there could be a God but, not likely. I'll believe in aliens before I ever believe in God. I'm all for others being religious as long as you don't try to push your beliefs on others or say I can't do something cause it's against your religion. At that point I'll tell you to fuck right off. My mother tried to raise me catholic. Church every Sunday, First Comminuion, confessions, the works. Hated every moment. Rebeled every chance I got. Thankfully after my Grandma died when I was 10 my mom didn't return to church until about a year or so before she died when I was 19 and by that point she didn't force me. At that point she would invite me but that's about it. My mom, thankfully, wasn't a strict Catholic. She would let me do whatever. She even sat in and did a few wiccan spells with me around a candle lit table when I went through a witch phase when I was 16. So I hold no ill will against her for trying to raise me catholic. It was how she herself was raised. Now my Dad... *rolls eyes* Didn't ever go to fucking church but would lose his goddamn mind if he saw anything that looked like a pentagram. Which got really fucking annoying when I got into Slipknot cause they have the nano-gram, nine points, nine members. Anyway, my dad is a POS and I don't feel like getting worked up about his fucking ass right now.

So as an adult I am not religious at all. My husband considers himself spiritual. But he hates Christian nut jobs like me and will actively go around and cut down those "JESUS OR HELL" signs when he sees them. (Almost got into a fight with some Nazis over one. He's a bit of psycho and will defend himself so I'm glad there were cop cars going by cause that could have ended much much worse. He literally would be bringing a knife to a gun fight.) Cause that sort of shit fucked him up as a kid and as a little boy he was scared to death of going to Hell.

My husband's grandma is a MAGA cultist. She added me on fb years ago. She never really commented on my posts. I don't sugar coat shit on fb for family. So she has found out that I don't believe in God. And she has brought this up multiple times with my husband on the phone. And it annoys the shit out of him. Mainly cause it's super passive aggressive. The convo went like this...

Grandma: "Why doesn't Renee believe in God?"

Tyler: "I don't know Grandma. It's just her beliefs."

Grandma: "Well even tho she doesn't, just know I'm praying for her."

Every time she says she's praying for me she always adds the "Even tho I know you don't believe in that stuff.." Every. Damn. Time. Normally if someone says they are praying for me I thank them. There have been several times when in the hospital nurses or doctors will offer to pray with me. And honestly, I'm like okay, cool. I'll pray with you. Good vibes aren't going to hurt. Christian prayer, Muslim prayer, Jewish prayers, any prayers (I know there's many, many more religions those are just off the top of my head) are all good vibes and nothing wrong with putting goodness into the world. But constantly bringing up the fact I don't believe just rubs me the wrong way. I asked my husband why and he's like, "She's just terrified you're going to Hell." So yeah... a bit aggravating.

#personal #vent post

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newcatwords · 2 years

Text

for the non-religious activist who feels awkward around spirituality in grassroots movements

i still remember it clearly: showing up to a teach-in about mycoremediation at a beautifully muraled building in west oakland.. the teach-in, run by members of oakland's black community, started out with a gratitude prayer and sage burning. i felt so awkward. i didn't know what to do with myself. so i just stood on the sidelines, looked at the floor, and tried to be stoic. later i felt ashamed that i couldn't just be chill in the situation. i'm sure the people there could feel the cringe dripping off me. i was not acting in a respectful manner. my discomfort with their spirituality was not respectful.

these days, i like to think that i'm much more comfortable around spiritual and religious people, but it took a long time for me to get there, and i didn't have any guidance. i write this for past-me and for anyone else who wants to be a better neighbor, activist, friend, and co-conspirator. many of the people that one might want to work with in grassroots movements (or even just your neighbors) are going to have some religious or spiritual beliefs. feeling comfortable with those beliefs will help you be a better and more respectful friend and collaborator.

to give you some background about me, i'm an american who is originally from the former soviet union. (for a more detailed version you can check out my blog post "where i'm from (part 1)".) i grew up basically without religion. my dad said "we're jewish," but we were also pretty athiest (if you're a jew, you very much CAN be an athiest. what a woild!). i grew up being reminded that religion is the opiate of the masses. i saw how crazy american right-wing evangelicals were, how many people their actions harmed. i saw that people did crazy things because of religion, and i knew many people (including my predecessors back in soviet union) who were persecuted because they weren't the "right" religion. heck, my family was jewish - that's like the definition of being the "wrong" religion. so not only did i grow up in a non-religious household, i grew up in a household that was actively hostile to religion. growing up in chicago, i didn't know many people who were religious, or if they were, they kept it to themselves. i didn't grow up going to anyone's church functions or religious festivals. my dad didn't even let us put up our new year's tree until after christmas "so people wouldn't think we were christian."

maybe i had a pretty extreme non-religious upbringing, but many people i know over the years (especially fellow white people) are also not religious. i guess us non-religious types seem to find each other.

but when i got older and became active in various grassroots movements, i found myself collaborating with and working alongside religious people and spiritual people. i always had the awkwardness. i didn't know what i was supposed to do. i didn't even know what to do with my hands when someone said a prayer. i just closed my eyes or looked down and hoped for the best.

my discomfort in these kinds of situations definitely led me (unconsciously) to collaborating less with religious organizations/groups (some of which are extremely radical, active, and effective!) and coalitions that included religious groups. but i now recognize that as having been a mistake.

first of all, a lot of the people you will probably want to work with to advance whatever it is you're trying to do are probably going to be spiritual/religious. if you're working with unhoused people, there will almost certainly be church groups involved. if you're working on climate change, you may find yourself working alongside indigenous people, many of whom have spiritual beliefs that drive their climate work. if you work around issues relating to palestine, you may be dealing with muslim organizations. many black radical grassroots groups have strong spiritual/religious backbones. plus, there are infinite hippies who are part of various movements, and their spiritual beliefs are as varied as they are. if you want to be in solidarity, you really ought to be respectful and comfortable around expressions of religion/spirituality.

so how to do it? the main thing is to be chill about whatever is happening. if you center respect, it's hard to go wrong. something that helped me was to go into meetings/events expecting there to be a prayer or ceremony at the beginning. there are also often closing prayers/ceremonies. it helps me to think "i am a guest here and these folks are giving me the gift of sharing their spirituality with me and the other people present. what a gift!"

of course, you shouldn't do anything you don't feel comfortable with. i've been at a hare krishna event where there was 20 minutes of "hare hare" singing and i very much stayed out of it. also, if things start to get creepy: targeting groups of people in a hateful way, or asking a spiritual entity for something you don't agree with, you are allowed to discreetly leave. this is the kind of situation where you may want to sit/stand in the back, or at the outer edge of a circular gathering.

also, continued exposure helped me overcome my awkwardness. as i got older and interacted with more people from more and more varied backgrounds, i became more comfortable around religious/spiritual expression. i'm still not about to go to someone's church gathering, but i no longer feel awkward if the mechanic says "praise jesus, the car started". in fact, that happened to me recently, and i said to him "you know, i'm not christian, but even i can get behind that." he said "amen." and that was that - it doesn't have to get more complicated than that.

and if there's a "let us pray" situation that you find yourself in, i believe it is acceptable to close your eyes and look down. you don't have to think of anything, or you can think "thank you to the powers that be that are allowing us to have this gathering, and may it go well."

finally, you may discover that there are elements of spirituality that resonate with you. for example, if i have any spirituality at all, it is possible to describe it as land-centered. i wrote about it recently in this blogpost: "on finding divinity in nature, hawai'i, and powerful natural forces". i developed that perspective because i started to take seriously what many indigenous land and water defenders are constantly saying: that spiritual poverty is at the center of the global crisis (climate change, global biodeath, extractionism, etc.). it used to be very hard for me to understand because i never had any spiritual experiences, but seriously thinking about divinity and nature helped me get there (again, i describe that thought process here). now, even if i don't believe in God or goddesses or spirits, even if i'm not worshipping or doing ceremonies or praying, i can at least say to myself that when someone talks about a higher power, in my mind i think of the land (broadly speaking. "the land" includes the lands, the oceans, the air, etc.) and how i feel accountable to the land and to life. knowing that i have that grounding helps me relate to all the people who have some kind of religion/spirituality, which ultimately helps me be a better neighbor and collaborator, and be in better solidarity with others who i might work with.

post script: dealing with woo.

i live in a part of the world that is not very dense with people, but of the people who are here, a high percentage of them have some kind of woo beliefs. whether it's crystals or spirits or covid denial, we've got all kinds here.

here are some ways to respond when a fellow human starts to share with you some woo stuff:

go gray rock: don't really engage, respond with few words, look away, etc. body language can often communicate a lot here and many people will pick up that you're not interested.

say that you're not really into that kind of stuff.

change the subject.

make an excuse to go talk to someone else.

advanced level: i once told a hitchhiker "listen, i want to believe in magic and signs as much as the next guy, but i just never get definitive proof. i can always come up with some other reason for the observed phenomenon. i just want to be sure that i'm basing my decisions on real things, and so far i've never gotten definitive proof.

you can be polite, but if someone is really pressing you hard (trying to get you to come to their retreat or whatever), it's important to be able to escape. you don't want to be trapped in a conversation because you're too polite to exit. it's ok to make an excuse to leave.

some people enjoy arguing or having a more adversarial engagement with a woo person, but i've never found that to get anywhere. a person who believes in woo wants to believe. that being said, i have perfectly acceptable neighborly relations with people who are into all kinds of stuff. we just stick to discussions about neighborly stuff and keep it at that.

0 notes

queerprayers · 2 years

Note

hey, do you have any lent ideas? i’m not a very observant/emotionally spiritually engaged catholic at this point in my life. but i am mentally and culturally there. like i want to keep doing this tradition, even if i haven’t been to church in a while and don’t imagine taking myself for a long while.

however, i just don’t know what i can give up. i really don’t spend money on anything i don’t need, and taking away some of that from myself just seems cruel. limiting luxuries wouldn’t be noticeable. idk what to do!

much love <3

Hello, beloved! Great question!

If your life is already simple, especially if you don't have very much, you're right, taking away something that makes you happy would just be miserable. There's a lot of assumption that goes into Lent suggestions/guidelines, and one of those is that the person reading them is reasonably well-off, regularly has enough to eat, and has a lot of extra things/activities in their life. For so many of us, these things aren't true.

So let's take the focus away from punishing/limiting and find a practice that you can add/include in your life! Here are some ideas—and anyone's welcome to add their own suggestions in the replies.

Start a daily/almost-daily/whenever-you-can prayer practice! We got the rosary, prayer books, guided meditation, taking a walk in the woods, crying—all great ways to pray. (My prayer tag)

Start/come back to/continue reading the Bible! (My Bible tag)

Set aside a day of rest/prayer! You could look into the Jewish Sabbath tradition (note: we're researching & taking inspiration here, not appropriating specific practices), follow a more traditional Christian Sunday-is-the-Lord's-day practice, or create your own way to, once a week (or when you can), remember who you are, that work isn't everything, and that rest is God-ordained.

Start/continue a creative practice, like journaling, poetry, or art! Maybe start keeping a daily journal or write a poem every day. No perfectionism allowed, and no one ever has to see what you create—create for yourself and God. The Artist's Way is a book/practice that really helped me create a spiritual philosophy re: my art. It can be a bit self-help-y/cheesy at times, but it definitely introduced me to a new frame of mind. You can start with its creative affirmations.

Pick a book to read—there are many Lenten devotionals available, but it could be any theme/genre. My absolute favorite Lent book is queering lent by the poet slats, and this year I'm checking out O Beautiful Dust by RW Walker, which was just published by one of my friends!

Pick a subject to research! It doesn't have to be specifically religious—learning about anything can bring you closer to God and the created world. I've been learning a lot about Mary Magdalene recently.

Start/continue being politically active! Register to vote, call your local officials (see this website if in the US), attend a protest, join an organization, learn about an issue.

Volunteer! My favorite suggestion will always be your local library, but you can also look into food pantries, animal shelters, and children's programs. You can also volunteer for a variety of online projects here.

Reach out to someone you haven't talked to in a while—maybe someone you've harmed or has harmed you (if it's safe), or someone you accidentally never replied to, or someone you want to get closer to. God is love, and your relationship to God is bound up in your relationships with others.

Start/continue a physical practice, such as yoga. I always always will shout out Yoga With Adriene. (If you're not Indian, and especially if you're white, maybe check out Decolonizing Yoga as well.)

That's what I got for now. There's no pressure to reinvent your religious/spiritual life, and there are not have-to's when it comes to this season. However we get to Easter, we get there. Even if nothing at all about your life changes in the next forty days (+ Sundays), Easter will come. Memonto mori (remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return), memento vivere (remember that you are alive, and you will be resurrected).

<3 Johanna

#lent #asks #never said the memento mori/vivere thing before #not sure where i got it from #but now i'm gonna think about that for a while #i say the wildest things when answering asks in the middle of the night

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tired-fandom-ndn · 2 years

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Hi! I want to hear some of your opinions on the "born evil" trope, why you dislike and find it harmful. I personally dislike it but its a popular trope in fiction so Im glad that you criticized it in regards to Tom Riddle/Voldemort being described as "born evil".

I actually have a handful of posts in my inherent morality tag if you want to check those out.

I'm gonna make a bulletpoint list because that's easier for me, but here's some of my issues with that trope and the idea in general:

(putting it under a cut because it got long and heavy; warning for discussions of child abuse, racism, and religious trauma)

It's EXTREMELY Christian. It's very heavily based on the idea of Original Sin, that you're born wrong and must spend your life atoning for that wrongness because it's just how you are. It's bullshit and I am always going to stand by that.

(Nobody better try to claim that Original Sin is "Abarahamic", I swear to god. Look up any information on it from Jewish and Muslim sources and you'll see that it is 100% a Christian concept.)

It treats morality as something inherent instead of a series of choices and shifting perspectives. "Good" and "evil" are very subjective ideas and what we see as good and what we see as evil are dependent on our own experiences as individuals.

To continue on that, we make choices every single day, every moment of our lives. We are constantly changing as people, even if we don't realize it, and we can always choose to change how we live and act based on new information we have or a desire to be better (or worse). And again, my idea of "better" and "worse" are incredibly subjective and personal to me, and other people will feel differently. The idea that we're born "bad" or born "good" takes away our choices in our own lives.

The idea that children are "born evil" has been used to justify some truly horrific things in the world. So many children end up abused, tortured, traumatized, and even murdered because adults in their lives decided that something about them was "wrong". This was actually a huge part of Tom Riddle's characterization and story in Harry Potter, but it's also something done to real children, especially in fundamentalist Christian communities.

(It's also weaponized against Black and indigenous children especially. Some American Christian sects believe that brown skin is a sign of corruption and rejection of Christ, and therefore those children need to be "saved" or not born at all. In other communities, racist ideas that children of color are more violent or sexual or aggressive combine with the idea that morality is inherent and the results are devastating for those children.)

Finally, the idea of inherent morality explicitly discourages people from trying to change. Why would someone try to be better and be kinder and show more compassion when they're told that no matter what they do, they're always going to be bad? Either because of choices they made in the past or some vague evil they were supposedly born with, there's no reason for them to try to improve because they're convinced that there's something about them that's so terrible that it can never change. We should always strive to learn more and make choices that we feel are better for ourselves, others, and the world around us but people aren't going to want to do that when every choice they've made in the past is always hanging over their neck like a guillotine, declaring them evil and bad for even trying to be better.

#child abuse tw #inherent morality

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simonalkenmayer · 3 years

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I really want someone to explain what it is that you did, or are doing, that's so ableist and antisemitic and all that. Seriously, I went looking a while ago and just found that you're antisemitic because... the tupperware, of course. Your nose, apparently? And for committing "blood libel", though they refused to explain what that was (and got mad when people googled it because I guess you're supposed to blindly trust them?)

What it all seemed to boil down to is that you're jewish coded, I guess? Why they're not just going after actual nazis instead is beyond me though. I'd support them if they went that route, but instead they're really really angry about you and your... historical inaccuracies? Maybe they should go after the people who make inaccurate history textbooks... there are so many more productive things to do than sending you suicide bait 🤧 they could even try actually educating you if they know so much better. In fact I'd follow a blog meant to fact check the things you say, politely and with sources, faster than you could down your taco bell.

Eh, I don’t really know or care. I think the presumption is that because I must be false, then everything is made up, and because it’s made up, I must have purposefully chosen the symbols I did. Now, I will buy that, but they’ve unfortunately made a severe series of illogical leaps. And I can point out two prominent ones for you now

If I were going to make up a monster that accounts for all the monster myths on earth, the creature would have to be an average of all the most prominent or constantly represented characteristics to achieve that universality. Like sharp teeth, yes? And perhaps nose and eyes are quite prominently discussed in many myths about many monsters from all around the world. Most of the monsters that are pointed to as being “Jewish coded” as you say, have long and complex lineages, and in fact, often spring from Jewish communities. Many in fact predate the depiction of Jewish people as having long or hooked noses. Not to mention that I have said hardly anything about my nose. If you read my books, you will see that I mention it only once and say that it isn’t overly large, just obvious. I was referring to the bone structure. They made the assumption it had to be antisemitic, because they wanted to find fault. A component to this leap, is that I discuss my Tupperware. The human parts are kept in red lidded Tupperware, the regular meat is in blue. Apparently red is religiously significant to the Jewish faith. As it happens, it’s significant in every faith, including Christianity, in which I did a brief stint, and means different things—though in my case it just stands for STOP. It’s also one of the most prominent colors of Tupperware. I have no idea what the blood libel nonsense is about. Maybe it has to do with the fact that once I taste your blood, I remember you and can find you like a bloodhound? Has anyone checked the dog’s politics?

The second leap they made has to do with what they don’t seem to be able to comprehend: that this is actually an experiment. If someone were to walk up to you and say “I’d like to explain this racist/sexist/bigoted conspiracy theory to you and then get your opinion on it” you wouldn’t immediately presume that this person believes said theory. They’re simply telling it to you and then asking you what you think. Yet because I’ve asked the question “do you believe in monsters” they presume that not only are they right about all the assumptions above, but that I believe in and support the anti-Jewish agenda of the Nazis. Part of that is anchored in my statement made once, that I would not participate in any religious ritual, partly for my own comfort, and partly so that those participating out of belief, can keep the sanctity of their practice. This apparently made me Jewish adverse.

The ableism remarks come from me refusing to tag my posts in a way thay permits people to screen my posts. I don’t do this because it would shift the materials based on filters. Meaning it taints the data. For example, If you filter for things like videos, you won’t see any of the posts I make about videos I suggest might be my species. Therefore you never see that information. It also has to do with me not wanting to put a TLDR on my posts. My argument is, I build arguments, and so do not use them, because the argument will be constructed for you. If you, the reader, cannot handle lengthy posts, then my apologies, but this content isn’t for you, and you should move along. If you cannot handle discussing things that may be real or not, then this isn’t for you. That’s why the disclaimer exists.

There is no winning. But I’m not here to win. They are free to think whatever stupid nonsense they like.

As for my “factual inaccuracies”…point them out. In detail. Read every story I’ve written and find them. I say, more than once, that my memory isn’t perfect, but I do my level best to try and make certain I have my facts straight. Do you remember what you had for breakfast last week? Do you remember all the nitty gritty details of every day? Compound your life tenfold and see if you remember anything. Do the research. I give my name. I give my locations and dates. I give the names of places and vessels and even maps. The trouble here is, that most of the history I describe, is so far back, there’s ten different and conflicting accounts. Believe what you want to believe, but do your research. But don’t you dare suppose that a swift google search will be enough to get an accurate picture, and yes, blame the white washed, nationalist, propagandist textbooks of ten generations of historians who couldn’t accurately record their own name spellings.

None of it matters. None of it. Because I am asking your opinion. If that’s your opinion, then fill out a survey and move along. Do something productive.

But the truth is they can’t, and the fact is, I know they can’t. I’ve been studying online bullying all along as a component to this, because I knew I’d see it. That’s what happens when you claim to be non-human, or eat people. You see the bullies pop out, and you can study how online bullying happens, the patterns, the ripples, and how it affects a group. These are bullies, and they don’t like that I call them that, and they want the attention they think they can get, by sticking themselves to me. Why else use my name in theirs? Especially with how much anon hate I get. They want attention, and so they game in order to get it, as my data will inevitably show.

But if they want to scream about Tupperware, they may be my guests.

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will-o-the-witch · 4 years

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Hihi, Sorekbekarmi directed me towards you, and I'm really enjoying your blog. I was wondering, you describe yourself as a Judaeo-Pagan and I'm really curious about that. Pre-1st Temple of Solomon, the Semitic people were polytheistic but arose henotheism and monotheism to its current day, disparaging polytheistic beliefs like Hellenism. How do you reconcile Judaism and Paganism? I don't mean to come off attacking or anything, I'm genuinely curious and interested. I hope you're well

Hey hey! No worries, it’s a very understandable question. In total honesty, it’s something I still wrestle with from time to time, especially when I have my theological argument for it but still get a lot of flak from both sides socially/culturally. Sorry this is so long: For me, it comes down to how we define and percieve HaShem vs. how we define and percieve deities like the Hellenic gods. To me, HaShem has always been talked about in a way that seems more in line with the concept of an All or the Universe (capital U) than with how we percieve other deities. HaShem isn’t depicted on that “level,” but something more esoteric and broad, something all-encompassing and indescribable, pangender and genderless, loving us but not revolving around us. I see other Pagans and witches reach out to and try to connect with “The Universe,” and I do that too. My culture just gives The Universe a name. Several names, actually. So then we put other deities back into the puzzle. If deities exist, then they exist within the scope of an All or the Universe, because anything that exists exists within that. By definition it is infinitely broad. Entities can exist as complete individuals inside of this, just like you and me. Within that framework, honoring, working with, and getting guidance from deities doesn’t really overshadow or even challenge HaShem’s standing as One. Unless you’re saying the whole Universe is Hermes, which I’ve never seen anyone do, because we don’t view traditionally Pagan gods that way. When we look at history, then, and see Jewish people taking a proverbial swing at Hellenism, then, it makes total sense as a cultural thing. Hellenism was the colonizer trying to encourage (and then later trying to force) assimilation, something Jews are historically Not Here For. Resisting assimilation is our main pastime. Maintaining a strong sense of monotheism (or at least henotheism) was essential for cultural survival in that environment. Hellenists were the enemy. Nowadays, monotheism is the norm and Christianity is much more of an oppressive force than Hellenic Polytheism, which only got legally recognized as a religion in Greece in 2017. The dynamic has shifted. The final note for me personally, is that my Judaism has always come from a cultural place first and a religious one second. My initial draw was and is always to reconect with my sense of People rather than to deepen my religious connection with Judaism. (It happened anyway, but it wasn’t the goal.) These often go hand in hand and I still do have a deep love for the religion, but that slight change of flavor is worth mentioning when it comes to how I interpret the information I come across. I hope that all makes sense!

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