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alectology-archive · 4 years

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SJ/M’s unacceptable and lazy usages of real world places/cultures

I’m aiming to make this the most comprehensive list of SJ/M stealing bits and pieces of world history and pretending like she came up with them. Feel free to comment down below or send an ask if you can think of anything.

The addition of adaptation of names from some real-world places is included either because of insensitivity (Hybern and Prythian) or mostly because SJ/M doesn’t try to represent any of the cultures she takes from.

Note that this post will keep getting updated as I discover more evidences of unacceptable usages of cultures. Also note that there is every possibility that some resemblances are purely accidental and/or unintentional. So take it with a grain of salt.

T/HRONE OF GLASS

- Most of the cultural activities mentioned in Tower of Dawn are rip-offs of Mongolian culture and seem to resemble the Dothraki from Game of Thrones very closely.

- Pagan holidays mentioned in the books:

Yulemas* is celebrated in Erilea despite there already existing an established religion consisting of 12 gods and goddesses.

Samhain* is a festival celebrated by Irish and Scottish people.

Beltane* is a festival celebrated historically in Ireland and Scotland.

- Nehemia is probably derived from the Jewish leader Nehemiah who helped rebuild Jerusalem. Instead of trying to work that into Nehemia’s narrative, SJ/M killed off Nehemia to serve a white woman’s narrative.

- Mycenae is a historical site in Greece.

- Illium is an actual Greek city as well.

- Ravi in KoA is named after a Hindi word which means “sun”.

- Strangely enough Ravi’s brother is named Sol after the Roman god of the sun.

- Suria, where Ravi is from, is also a synonym for sun in Hindi.

- Mab is from the story of “Queen Mab”.

- Maeve is a sexual goddess in Irish mythology who was actually raped. So making Maeve a rapist in the books was hurtful.

A/COTAR

- Nagas belong to Hindu/Indian mythology included in a book that’s clearly a very western fantasy and has little to no PoC representation.

- Illyrians were an actual indo-european tribe with close relations to modern day Albanians. S/JM is not the first person to feature them in her work but other authors have used versions of the name like “Illyria” by Shakespeare, “Ilirea” by Paolini, “Valyria” by GRRM etc. which are acceptable.

- Calan Mai is actually a celebration of spring in Welsh culture. As @gemorsedd put it so eloquently, SJ/M turned it into a festival about Tamlin being unable to control his hormones.

- Hybern is derived from the classic latin name of Ireland which is “Hibernia”.

- Prythian is a modified version of the ancient name of Britain “Prydain”. COINCIDENTALLY, Prythian VERY closely resembles the UK. It’s also possible that she plagiarised the name from Anne Bishop’s Daughter of Blood.

Note for further reading: Read @blakeseptember’s about why SJ/M was especially insensitive in including Prythia and Hybern in the ways she did: https://blakeseptember.tumblr.com/post/187088853587/hybern-as-ireland

- Bharat is actually the Hindi name for India which is mentioned in ACO/TAR. Not only is it mentioned that Feyre’s father was sailing to Bharat to trade in cloth and spices (which was exactly what British colonialists and traders did when they sailed to India), it’s also said, quite clearly, that Feyre’s mother died of Typhus while her cousin died of Malaria (IN BHARAT). By doing so SJ/M is blatantly promoting a very colonialist view of India.

The Malaria mention: “My mind was void, a blank mess of uselessness. Could it be some sort of disease? My mother had died of typhus and her cousin had died of malaria after going to Bharat. But none of those symptoms seemed to match a riddle. Was it a person?”

The Trade of cloth and spices: “I swallowed. ‘Eight years ago he amassed our wealth on three ships to sail to Bharat for invaluable spices and cloth.’”

- Myrmidons feature in A/COWAR. The Myrmidons is actually a nation from Ancient Greek mythology (led by Achilles in the siege of Troy).

- Harem pants which are worn in parts of South and Middle-east Asia feature in the books where they’re introduced into a court consisting of white people only.

- F/eyre’s floral tattoos are very reminiscent of mehendis which are very important to Indian, Arabic and North African cultures but it’s a trait given to a white woman here. Read this post.

C/RESCENT CITY

- Danaan is from Tuatha de Danaan (celtic mythology) / Danaans is another name for Greece in the Iliad, used interchangeably with “Argives” and “Achaeans”.

- Avallen is Avalon (the legend of King Arthur). Ruhn’s story also bears a very close resemblance to the legend.

- 6 point star = Star of David

- Lehabah = a word in Hebrew meaning "a flame" (להבה)

- Mount Hermon = an actual mountain place in the northern part of Israel. In Hebrew: הר החרמון.

- SPQM’s full form is Senatus Populusque Midgard. Which is awfully close to the SPQR of the ancient Roman empire which is Senatus Populusque Romanus

- The river Tiber mentioned in CC is actually a Roman river.

- Midgard, in Norse mythology, is the home of mankind. In Norse mythology.

- Sandriel: Comes from the angel Sadriel, the angel of order. S/JM added an “n.”

- Orion “Hunt” A/thalar: First name is pretty obvious, Orion as in the hunter which is where his name “Hunt” comes from. Probably from the god Attar called Athtar in Southern Arabia. Attar is sometimes considered a storm god explaining his lightning powers, but also linked to the Morningstar aka Lucifer. No explanations are given regarding as to how the constellations of our world are the same as that of SJ/M’s fantasy AU.

- Shahar Daystar: From the dawn deity Shahar. Also linked to Lucifer.

- Jesiba Roga: A Croatian respelling of Baba Yaga. Jesiba Roga, is quite literally just a combination of Ježibaba (a figure closely related to Baba Yaga in West Slavic folklore) and Baba Roga (the Croatian version of of Baba Yaga).

- Danika Fendyr: Danika is a Slavic dawn deity. Fendyr comes from Fenrir a wolf in Norse mythology.

- Isaiah: Taken from Isaiah 14:12-15 which details the fall of Lucifer. It’s also easily accessible from Shahar’s Wikipedia page (which may imply that SJ/M uses Wikipedia for research and just steals/lazily incorporates whatever she finds along the way.)

12 “How you are fallen from heaven,

O [a]Lucifer, son of the morning!

How you are cut down to the ground,

You who weakened the nations!

13 For you have said in your heart:

‘I will ascend into heaven,

I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;

I will also sit on the mount of the congregation

On the farthest sides of the north;

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,

I will be like the Most High.’

15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,

To the [b]lowest depths of the Pit.

- Fury Axtar: Hunt is likely related to Attar or maybe even Ishtar or Ashtaroth. It’s unclear right now. Ishtar is sometimes linked to Lucifer as well. It’s possible that she’s named after the Furies in Greek mythology, deities of vengeance.

- Micah Domitus: Micah is a prophet in Judaism.

- Syrinx: A chimera in this book, a nymph known for her devotion to Artemis.

- Urd: The god of flame and shadow possibly the name comes from Urðr one of the three Norns in Norse mythology.

- Luna: A Roman moon goddess

- Cthona: “Chthonic”, in English, describes deities or spirits of the underworld, especially in Ancient Greek religion.

- Vanir: The Vanir are actually group of Norse gods.

- Asphodel Meadows: A section of the ancient Greek underworld where ordinary souls were sent to live after death.

- Hel: Hel is a goddess but also a location in Norse Mythology for the dead. Depictions of Hel depend on the source of the information. It’s strange that Hel and Asphodel Meadows belong in the same place, translating to lazy world building on SJ/M’s part.

- Midgard: In Norse Mythology basically the plane of existence of humans.

- Laconic Mountains: Named after Laconia the administrative capital of Sparta.

- Nidaros: Where Bryce grew up. It’s the ancient name of Norway’s capital when the Christian kings ruled. It’s now called Trondheim.

- Istros River: Taken from Istros of Ancient Greece

- Valbara: Taken from the super continent Vaalbara

- Pangera: probably Pangea, the huge supercontinent on which dinosaurs lived

- Crown of Thorns: In reality it’s a symbol of Jesus but in the book it’s branded onto the foreheads of angels who rebelled in a war some decades ago.

- Keres: Phillip Briggs’s terrorist gang is named after the Keres who are “goddesses who personified violent death and who were drawn to bloody deaths on battle fields.”

- Sailing: A Norse funeral custom for Vikings as seen in movies like How To Train Your Dragon 2 and Thor: The Dark World. Here’s more information on it, but it seems SJ/M got it wrong. Most Vikings were usually cremated and it was mostly used for Kings and Chieftains (Danika might fall into the Chieftain category).

- 33rd Imperial Legion: Could be a reference again to Jesus who was 33 at his death.

- The Ophian rebels (of which the the Keres rebels are a subgroup of) are named after Ophian, and elder Titan in Greek mythology.

Sources I’ve derived some facts from so far:

- Sapir Englard on Goodreads via @spaceshipkat’s tumblr post using Hebrew in CCity.

- @bittenwrath for basically everything in crescent city.

- @blakeseptember’s tumblr about Hybern’s origins.

- An anon dropped by with “Hel”

- @chenmighty and @tavithelibrarian pointed out the Illyrians.

- @sylphene and @omourningstar for Prydain

- @ok-boomer pointed out that Yulemas, Samhain and Beltain are all pagan holidays.

- @gemorsedd For pointing out Calan Mai

- An anon pointed out the Norns, Danaan and Avalon.

- @mimiofthemalfoys for the Bharat, malaria, typhus, spices and cloth mention.

- @kryingkardashianz for Danaans being another name of Greece and Myrmidions.

- an anon pointed out Nidaros

- @shurislut for mehendi and harem pants

- @sanktaalinaa for Jesiba Roga

- @croissantcitysucks for the Ophian Rebels

#anti sjm #anti tog #anti throne of glass #anti ccity #anti acotar #anti sarah j maas #compilation

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randomnumbers751650 · 3 years

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Long, unedited text in which I rant about comparative mythology, Joseph Campbell and his monomyth,

Back in 2012 I wanted to improve my fiction writing (and writing in general, because in spite of nuances, themes and audience, writing a fiction and a nonfiction piece shouldn’t be that different) and thus I picked a few writing manuals. Many of them cited the Hero’s Journey, and how important it became for writers – after all Star Wars used and it worked. I believe most of the people reading this like Star Wars, or at least has neutral feelings about it, but one thing that cannot be denied is that became a juggernaut of popular culture.

So I bought a copy of the Portuguese translation of The Hero of a Thousand Faces and I fell in love with the style. Campbell had a great way with words and the translation was top notch. For those unaware, The Hero of a Thousand Faces proposes that there is a universal pattern in humanity’s mythologies that involves a person (usually a man) that went out into a journey far away from his home, faced many obstacles, both external and internal, and returned triumphant with a prize, the Grail or the Elixir of Life, back to his home. Campbell’s strength is that he managed to systematize so many different sources into a single cohesive narrative.

At the time I was impressed and decided to study more and write in an interdisciplinary research with economics – by writing an article on how the entrepreneur replaces the mythical hero in today’s capitalism. I had to stop the project in order to focus on more urgent matters (my thesis), but now that I finished I can finally return to this pet project of mine.

If you might have seen previous posts, I ended up having a dismal view of economics. It’s a morally and spiritually failed “science” (I have in my drafts a post on arts and I’m going to rant another day about it). Reading all these books on comparative mythology is so fun because it allows me for a moment to forget I have a degree in economics.

Until I started to realize there was something wrong.

My research had indicated that Campbell and others (such as Mircea Eliade and Carl Gust Jung, who had been on of Campbell’s main influences) weren’t very well respected in academia. At first I thought “fine”, because I’m used to interact with economists who can be considered “heterodox” and I have academic literature that I could use to make my point, besides the fact my colleagues were interested in what I was doing.

The problem is that this massive narrative of the Hero’s Journey/monomyth is an attempt to generalize pretty wide categories, like mythology, into one single model of explanation, it worked because it became a prescription, giving the writer a tool to create a story in a factory-like pace. It has checkboxes that can be filled, professional writers have made it widely available.

But I started to realize his entire understanding of mythology is problematic. First the basics: Campbell ignores when myths don’t fit his scheme. This is fruit of his Jungian influences, who claim that humanity has a collective unconsciousness, that manifest through masks and archetypes. This is the essence of the Persona games (and to a smaller extent of the Fate games) – “I am the Shadow the true self”. So any deviation from the monomyth can be justified by being a faulty translation of the collective unconsciousness.

This is the kind of thing that Karl Popper warned about, when he proposed the “falseability” hypothesis, to demarcate scientific knowledge. The collective unconsciousness isn’t a scientific proposition because it can be falsified. It cannot be observed and it cannot be refuted, because someone who subscribe to this doctrine will always have an explanation to explain why it wasn’t observed. In spite of falseability isn’t favored by philosophers of science anymore, it remains an important piece of the history of philosophy and he aimed his attack on psychoanalysis of Freud and Jung – and, while they helped psychology in the beginning, they’re like what Pythagoras is to math. They were both surpassed by modern science and they are studied more as pieces of history than serious theorists.

But this isn’t the worst. All the three main authors on myths were quite conservatives in the sense of almost being fascists – sometimes dropping the ‘almost’. Some members of the alt-right even look up to them as some sort of “academic’ justification. Not to mention anti-Semitic. Jung had disagreement with Freud and Freud noticed his anti-Semitism. Eliade was a proud supporter of the Iron Guard, a Romanian fascist organization that organized pogroms and wanted to topple the Romanian government. Later Eliade became an ambassador at Salazar’s Fascist Portugal, writing it was a government guided by the love of God. Campbell, with his hero worship, was dangerously close to the ur-fascism described by Umberto Eco (please read here, you won’t regret https://www.pegc.us/archive/Articles/eco_ur-fascism.pdf).

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

Campbell did that a lot. He considered the Bible gospels and Gnostic gospels to be on the same level. Any serious student, that is not operating under New Age beliefs and other frivolous theories like the one that says Jesus went to India, will know there’s a difference between them (even Eliade was sure to stress the difference).

But Campbell cared nothing for it. He disliked the “semitic” religions for corrupting the mythic imagination (which is the source of his anti-Semitism), especially Judaism. When I showed him describing the Japanese tea ceremony to a friend who’s minoring in Japanese studies, she wrote “I’m impressed, he’s somehow managed to out-purple prose the original Japanese”. So, it’s also full of orientalism, treating the East as the mystical Other, something for “daring” Westerners to discover and distillate.

What disturbed…no, “disturbed” isn’t the word that I need in the moment, but what made me feel uncomfortable is that, in spite of all his talk of spirituality, the impression I had of Power of Myth is that I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone more materialist than him. Not even Karl Marx, founder of the Historical Materialism, was as materialist as Campbell.

At one point in the book, he was asked if he believed in anything and he gave a dismissive reply and said “I want to get experiences.” A man who studied all the myths of the world available, apparently didn’t believe in anything. Is that what spiritual maturity is? A continuous flux of experiences? Being taken by some sort of shamanistic wind like a floating plastic bag?

In nowhere in the interview he talked about virtues. In rebellion with his Catholic childhood, he said that we should go to the confessionary and say “God, I’ve been such a good boy”. Any cursory reading of the Gospel would say otherwise. Wasn’t this exactly Pharisee’s prayer in Luke 18:9-14? While the wasn’t the publican, who went with humility and asked for forgiveness, the one who walked out with an experience? And not only in Christianity, since in Tibetan Buddhism, a tulpa is something you have to kill, not foster like an imaginary friend like in some internet circles, contamined with this obsession with experiences.

The way I came to see Joseph Campbell as a man who was so stuck in his own world that nothing could move him out of it. All he wanted to do was this big experience, but in the end it’s as wide as the ocean, but shallow as a puddle. Even when Campbell speaks about having a “cosmic consciousness”, all that New Age jargon, claiming it’s about people discovering they’re not the center of the universe, it’s still so…self-servicing. It addresses a crowd so obsessed with experiences, but wants nothing to do with anything that requires compromise. He quotes the Hindu concept of maya, that life is an illusion, but I wonder how right he is about it.

I want to share this critique, by a researcher in comic studies: “We do not remember The Night Gwen Stacy Died because Gwen’s death reminds us of our own mortality, ‘the destiny of Everyman’, but because the story exposes the fragility of Spider-Man reader’s fantasies. Even icons can die.”

The exposition of the fragility of myths, especially the Hero’s Journey, never happens in Campbell’s work. It never talks about the potential of myths hindering entire societies, causing strife and causing people who can’t fit to become outcasts. Not even the cruel ones, like the Aztec death cult is treated as sublime, ignoring the fact that the Aztec neighbors helped to Spanish because they had enough of the Aztec myth.

I have changed my article. While I will still write on the hero entrepreneur, I’ll take a more critical view. The focus of the entrepreneur as an individual has many issues, because it ignores the role of public investment (necessary for high risk enterprises, like going to the moon or creating touch screens) and it treats with contempt the worked wage. Cambpell also treated with contempt the “masses”, who cannot be “heroes”. The theory on the entrepreneur is the same, treating the entrepreneur as a hero and the waged workers as lowlifes who have nothing to do, but to work, obey and be paid – to the point it feels like some economists treat strikes as crimes worse than murder. Not only that, but they can exploit the worker (see a book named “Do what you love and other lies about success and happiness”, it could be replaced with “Follow your bliss…”).

Campbell wrote in a time that there was no Wikipedia. So his book was the introduction of myths to a lot of people. It helped it was well-written. He considering his approach apolitical, but it’s clear that’s it’s not exactly like that (though this is a reason why Jordan Peterson failed to become the next Campbell, since he’s also a Jungian scholar, but he tried to become a conservative guru and this was his downfall). And, nowadays, Campbell is still inevitable in the circles that his themes matter, unlike Freud and Jung. Read it, but be aware of its problems, because it has already influenced what you consume.

#my rants #this is just a rant #so don't take it as a final word #sources can be provided on request

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cardboardhydrate-sentry-station · 4 years

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Undertale's main characters' nationalities based on their names (headcanon)

Papyrus: The Papyrus font was created by Chris Costello, and while I can't find out where he was originally from (possibly America), his last name "Costello" is of Irish origins. So let's say Papyrus is Irish.

Sans: The Comic Sans font was created by Vincent Connare (fun fact: in font form, Papyrus is older than Sans, since the Papyrus font was created in 1982 and the Comic Sans font was at least released in 1994), who is from Massachusetts, and his last name only has roots there. Thus, Sans is American.

Undyne: Her name probably originates from "undine", a category of imaginary, water-associated beings. This originates from the alchemical writings of Paracelsus, who was from Switzerland. Therefore, Undyne is Swiss.

Toriel: The trivia section of the Undertale Fan Wiki page points out that "Toriel" is a similar name to "Turiel", a watcher angel in Judaism, Christianity and Islam -- and it makes sense her name originated from that, since she became the watcher (or caretaker) of the Ruins. Turiel was in the Book of Enoch, an ancient apocalyptic religious text. So we can say Toriel is Israeli.

Asgore: Quoted from the Fan Wiki: "His first name is an anagram of the Latin word "Aegros," which can mean troublesome, anxious, sad, difficult, or reluctant." Asgore definitely ticks at least a few of these boxes in his personality. "Aegros" is an inflection of "aeger", which has origins in the Proto-Indo-European language (which, fun fact, is abbreviated into "PIE". Asgore and Toriel were destined to be together and you cannot change my mind) which, quoted from Wikipedia (I'm too lazy to write this down lmao), "is the lingustic reconstruction of the ancient common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, the most widely spoken language family in the world." So... yeah. Asgore could be from fuckin' anywhere. So I'm just gonna base his origins off his pre-theme song, Bergentrückung, which is translated from German as "King in the Mountain". Asgore is German. This is long. Moving on.

Asriel: No point into looking into his name since it's a blend of Asgore and Toriel. The name is used in Hebrew-speaking countries, apparently, reinforcing the idea that Toriel is Israeli. EDIT: Some tags from @blastlight when they reblogged this post brought up something really interesting about Asriel's name and how it relates to my headcanon on Toriel and Asgore's nationalities even more:

So this could also reinforce the idea that Asgore is German! (In my headcanon, I mean. Lol.)

Mettaton: The fan wiki has three interpretations as to the origin of Mettaton's name, but I like this one best: ""Mettaton" is similar in pronunciation and spelling to "Metatron," the highest angel in Judeo-Islamic lore, also known as the Voice of God and Recording Angel, whose name is transliterated into Greek as MTT. This could be a reference to Shin Megami Tensei's Metatron specifically, as both have metallic appearances, have similar poses, and are very powerful late-game bosses." It all connects pretty well, and because Judeo-Islam could be the religion of some people in Greece, Mettaton could be Greek, too.

Alphys: Only thing I could find about her name was the Wiki Fan page saying it's an anagram of "Shy Pal" -- or that her name could be derived from the word "alpha" (leader), which could allude to her role as the Royal Scientist. Honestly, it feels like a rather weak idea, but it's the best we've got, so since the word "alpha" has Greek origins, I guess Alphys is Greek???? Maybe????

Frisk: The word "frisk" originated from 15th century English, so I guess it's an English name in a way? So Frisk could be from any of the English-speaking countries in the world, essentially. Idk. I'm putting my vaguest guesses last.

Chara: Obviously, Chara is probably short for "character". According to a website I found -- "Behind the Name" -- however, it is a Greek name meaning "happiness, joy" (could connote with their smile which contrasts Frisk's neutral face). So Chara is probably ALSO Greek.

#retorta opens 3 tabs on her phone and calls it research #undertale #headcanon #papyrus #sans #undyne #toriel #asgore #asriel #alphys #mettaton #frisk #chara #idk why i did this. i'm shit at researching stuff lmao

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baeddel · 5 years

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detailed post about nazis, huge antisemitism tw. Not an argument, just searching for ways to think about things, so not worth reading if it will open wounds. As some of you say, epistemic status: tentative

It’s interesting to me how the famous line, “when I hear the word culture, I reach for my gun” has no resonance at all with nazis today. I don’t know if this was what Johst was referencing exactly, but at the time things like culture, religion, etc. were understood as non-political, that ethnic and religious conflicts were premodern, some element of humanity’s past interrupting the modern politics of the nation-state. Carl Schmitt would continually attack this perspective to assert the political character of culture, religion... and how they find their expression in the modern state as precisely political conflicts, echoing exactly Marx’s argument against Bruno Bauer in On the Jewish Question:

The contradiction between the state and a particular religion, for instance Judaism, is given by us a human form as the contradiction between the state and particular secular elements; the contradiction between the state and religion in general as the contradiction between the state and its presuppositions in general.

While Schmitt supported, enshrined, apologized for and tolerated antisemitism, he could never theorize it. Schmitt could never support an answer to the ‘Jewish Question’, which would eventually become the issue that marginalized him within the Nazi party. I think the reason is perhaps that in Schmitt’s theory there could be no ‘Jewish Question’ - he had grasped the insight that Marx gives, that the political issue is between the state and particular secular elements, so that a religious minority and the religious majority represent two particular secular elements with differing historical, economic, legal... positions within society, who have political contradictions with the state or with each other. Jews are not a unique contradictory ‘problem’ when it comes to rights, privileges and citizenship that a christian european state has to deal with in some way: they are only another particular secular element that the State mediates. Hence he writes, in the Concept of the Political:

Democracy must do away with all the typical distinctions and depoliticalizations characteristic of the liberal nineteenth century, also with those corresponding to the nineteenth century antitheses and divisions pertaining to the state-society (= political against social) contrast, namely the following, among numerous other thoroughly polemical and thereby again political antitheses:

Religious as antithesis of political Cultural as antithesis of political Economic as antithesis of political Legal as antithesis of political Scientific as antithesis of political

Schmitt here refers to this presupposition of religious, cultural... divisions as non-political, premodern forces as liberal, to which he opposes a politicization which recognizes them as particular secular elements of society. Was this politicization, denaturalization of social categories what allowed Oswald Spengler, a certain older type of reactionary who believed in eternal values and esoteric interpretations of history, to dismiss the Nazis as “egalitarians”? Something that normally from our perspective seems insane.

Nazis today do the opposite: they constantly make appeals to the eternal values of culture, positioning culture as a pre-political force which politics cannot undo or interfere with (so that there can be “white countries”, etc...) Few Nazis today read Schmitt, nevermind Johst: many read Spengler, Evola, Guenon...

You can’t really take Schmitt for the Nazis as a whole, though, so I want to read a little more about this, but there seems to be some kind of transformation in the late 19th century in terms of how the ‘Jewish Question’ was addressed in Germany. Per wikipedia:

From around 1860, the term was used with an increasingly antisemitic tendency: Jews were described under this term as a stumbling block to the identity and cohesion of the German nation and as enemies within the Germans' own country. Antisemites such as Wilhelm Marr, Karl Eugen Dühring, Theodor Fritsch, Houston Stewart Chamberlain, Paul de Lagarde and others declared it a racial problem insoluble through integration. They stressed this in order to strengthen their demands to "de-jewify" the press, education, culture, state and economy. They also proposed to condemn inter-marriage between Jews and non-Jews. They used this term to oust the Jews from their supposedly socially dominant positions.

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mikeo56 · 5 years

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“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize“

– Voltaire

Why do I speak of “AngloZionists”? I got that question many times in the past, so I am making a separate post about it to (hopefully) explain this once and for all.

1) Anglo:

The USA in an Empire. With roughly 1000 overseas bases (depends on how you count), an undeniably messianic ideology, a bigger defense-offense budget then the rest of the planet combined, 16+ spy agencies, the dollar as the world’s currency, there is no doubt that the US is a planetary Empire.

Where did the US Empire come from? Again, that’s a no-brainer – from the British Empire. Furthermore, the US Empire is really based on a select group of nations: the Echelon countries, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and, of course, the US. What do these countries have in common? They are the leftovers of the British Empire and they are all English speaking. Notice that France, Germany or Japan are not part of this elite even though they are arguably as important or more to the USA then, say, New Zealand and far more powerful.

So the “Anglo” part is undeniable. And yet, even though “Anglo” is an ethnic/linguistic/cultural category while “Zionist” is a political/ideological one, very rarely do I get an objection about speaking of “Anglos” or the “Anglosphere”.

2) Zionist:

Let’s take the (hyper politically correct) Wikipedia definition of what the word “Zionism” means: it is “a nationalist movement of Jews and Jewish culture that supports the creation of a Jewish homeland in the territory defined as the Land of Israel“. Apparently, no link to the US, the Ukraine or Timbuktu, right? But think again. Why would Jews – whether defined as a religion or an ethnicity – need a homeland anyway? Why can’t they just live wherever they are born, just like Buddhist (a religion) or the African Bushmen (ethnicity) who live in many different countries?

The canonical answer is that Jews have been persecuted everywhere and that therefore they need their own homeland to serve as a safe haven in case of persecutions. Without going into the issue of why Jews were persecuted everywhere and, apparently, in all times, this rationale clearly implies if not the inevitability of more persecutions or, at the very least, a high risk thereof. Let’s accept that for demonstration sake and see what this, in turn, implies.

First, that implies that Jews are inherently threatened by non-Jews who are all at least potential anti-Semites. The threat is so severe that a separate Gentile-free homeland must be created as the only, best and last way to protect Jews worldwide. This, in turn, implies that the continued existence of this homeland should become a vital and irreplaceable priority of all Jews worldwide lest a persecution suddenly breaks out and they have nowhere to go. Furthermore, until all Jews finally “move up” to Israel, they had better be very, very careful as all the goyim around them could literally come down with a sudden case of genocidal anti-Semitism at any moment. Hence all the anti-anti-Semitic organizations a la ADL or UEJF, the Betar clubs, the networks of sayanim, etc.

In other words, far from being a local “dealing with Israel only” phenomenon, Zionism is a worldwide movement whose aim is to protect Jews from the apparently incurable anti-Semitism of the rest of the planet.

As Israel Shahak correctly identified it, Zionism postulates that Jews should “think locally and act globally” and when given a choice of policies they should always ask THE crucial question: “But is it good for Jews?“.

So far from being only focused on Israel, Zionism is really a global, planetary, ideology which unequivocally splits up all of mankind into two groups (Jews and Gentiles). It assumes the latter are all potential genocidal maniacs (which is racist) and believes that saving Jewish lives is qualitatively different and more important than saving Gentile lives (which is racist again).

Anyone doubting the ferocity of this determination should either ask a Palestinian or study the holiday of Purim, or both. Even better, read Gilad Atzmon and look up his definition of what is brilliantly called “pre-traumatic stress disorder”

3) Anglo-Zionist:

The British Empire and the early USA used to be pretty much wall-to-wall Anglo. Sure, Jews had a strong influence (in banking for example), but Zionism was a non-issue not only among non-Jews, but also among US Jews. Besides, religious Jews were often very hostile to the notion of a secular Israel while secular Jews did not really care about this quasi-Biblical notion.

WWII gave a massive boost to the Zionist movement while, as Norman Finkelstein explained it, the topic of the “Holocaust” became central to Jewish discourse and identity only many years later. I won’t go into the history of the rise to power of Jews in the USA, but from roughly Ford to GW Bush’s Neocons it has been steady. And even though Obama initially pushed the Neocons out, they came right back in through the backdoor. Right now, the only question is whether US Jews have more power than US Anglos or the other way around.

Before going any further, let me also immediately say that I am not talking about Jews or Anglos as a group, but I am referring to the top 1% within each of these groups. Furthermore, I don’t believe that the top 1% of Jews cares any more about Israel or the 99% of Jews than the top 1% of Anglos care about the USA or the Anglo people.

So, here is my thesis:

The US Empire is run by a 1% (or less) elite which can be called the “deep state” which is composed of two main groups: Anglos and Jews. These two groups are in many ways hostile to each other (just like the SS and SA or Trotskysts and Stalinists), but they share 1) a racist outlook on the rest of mankind 2) a messianic ideology 3) a phenomenal propensity for violence 4) an obsession with money and greed and its power to corrupt. So they work together almost all the time.

Now this might seem basic, but so many people miss it, that I will have to explicitly state it:

To say that most US elites are Anglos or Jews does not mean that most Anglos or Jews are part of the US elites. That is a straw-man argument which deliberately ignores the noncommutative property of my thesis to turn it into a racist statement which accuses most/all Anglos or Jews of some evil doing. So to be very clear:

When I speak of AngloZionist Empire I am referring to the predominant ideology of the 1%ers, the elites which form the Empire’s “deep state”.

By the way, there are non-Jewish Zionists (Biden, in his own words) and there are plenty of anti-Zionist Jews. Likewise, there are non-Anglo imperialists and there are plenty of anti-imperialists Anglos. To speak of “Nazi Germany” or “Soviet Russia” does in no way imply that all Germans were Nazis or all Russians Communists. All this means it that the predominant ideology of these nations at that specific moment in time was National-Socialism and Marxism, that’s all.

My personal opinion now:

First, I don’t believe that Jews are a race or an ethnicity. I have always doubted it, but reading Shlomo Sand really convinced me. Jews are not defined by religion either (most/many are secular). Truly, Jews are a tribe (which Oxford Dictionaires defines as: a social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect, typically having a recognized leader). A group one can chose to join (Elizabeth Taylor) or leave (Gilad Atzmon).

In other words, I see “Jewishness” as a culture, or ideology, or education or any other number of things, but not something rooted in biology. I fully agree with Atzmon when he says that Jews can be racist, but that does not make them a race.

Second, I don’t even believe that the concept of “race” has been properly defined and, hence, that it has any objective meaning. I, therefore, don’t differentiate between human beings on the basis of an undefined criterion.

Third, since being Jew (or not) is a choice: to belong, adhere and endorse a tribe (secular Jews) or a religion (Judaics). Any choice implies a judgment call and it, therefore, a legitimate target for scrutiny and criticism.

Fourth, I believe that Zionism, even when secular, instrumentalizes the values, ideas, myths and ethos of rabbinical Judaism (aka “Talmudism” or “Phariseeism”) and both are racist in their core value and assumptions.

Fifth, both Zionism and Nazism are twin brothers born from the same ugly womb: 19th-century European nationalism (Brecht was right, “The belly is still fertile from which the foul beast sprang”). Nazis and Zionists can hate each other to their hearts’ content, but they are still twins.

Sixth, I reject any and all form of racism as a denial of our common humanity, a denial of the freedom of choice of each human being and – being an Orthodox Christian – as a heresy (a form of iconoclasm, really). To me people who chose to identify themselves with, and as, Jews are not inherently different from any other human and they deserve no more and no fewer rights and protections than any other human being.

I will note here that while the vast majority of my readers are Anglos, they almost never complain about the “Anglo” part of my “AngloZionist” term. The vast majority of objections focus on the “Zionist” part. You might want to think long and hard about why this is so and what it tells us about the kind of power Zionists have over the prevailing ideology. Could it be linked to the reason why the (openly racist and truly genocidal) Israeli Prime Minister gets more standing ovations in Congress (29) than the US President (25)? Probably, but this is hardly the full story.

(This is the end of the 2014 blog entry. The current article begins below)

It is undeniable that Jews did suffer persecutions in the past and that the Nazis horribly persecuted Jews during WWII. This is important because nowadays we are all conditioned to associate and even identify any criticism of Jews or Zionist with the kind of anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist rhetoric which the Nazis used to justify their atrocities. This is quite understandable, but it is also completely illogical because what this reaction is based on is the implicit assumption that any criticism of Jews or Zionist must be Nazi in its argumentation, motives, goals or methods. This is beyond ridiculous.

Saint John Chrysostom (349 – 407), the “Golden Mouth” of early Christianity, recognized as one of the greatest saints in history by both Orthodox Christians and Roman Catholics, authored a series of homilies, Kata Ioudaiōn, which are extremely critical of Jews, yet no sane person would accuse him of being a Nazi. Chrysostom was hardly alone. Other great saints critical of Jews include Saint Cyprian of Carthage, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Saint Ephrem the Syrian, Saint Ambrose of Milan, Saint Justin Martyr and many others.

But if these saints were not Nazis, maybe they still were racist, no? That, of course, depends on your definition of ‘racism’. Here is my own:

First, racism is, in my opinion, not so much the belief that various human groups are different from each other, say like dog breeds can be different, but the belief that the differences between human groups are larger than similarities within the group.

Second, racism is also a belief that the biological characteristics of your group somehow pre-determine your actions/choices/values in life.

Third, racism often, but not always, assumes a hierarchy amongst human groups (Germanic Aryans over Slavs or Jews, Jews over Gentiles, etc.)

I reject all three of these assumptions because I believe that God created all humans with the same purpose and that we are all “brothers in Adam”, that we all equally share the image (eternal and inherent potential for perfection) of God (as opposed to our likeness to Him, which is our temporary and changing individual condition).

By that definition, the Church Fathers were most definitely not racists as their critique was solely aimed at the religion of the Jews, not at their ethnicity (which is hardly surprising since Christ and His Apostles and most early Christians were all “ethnic” Jews). This begs the question of whether criticizing a religion is legitimate or not.

I submit that anything resulting from an individual choice is fair game for criticism. Even if somebody is “born into” a religious community, all adults come to the point in life where they make a conscious decision to endorse or reject the religion they were “born into”. Being a Christian, a Muslim or a Jew (in the sense of “Judaic”) is always a personal decision. The same applies to political views. One chooses to become a Marxist or a Monarchist or a Zionist. And since our individual decisions do, indeed, directly impact our other choices in life, it is not racist or objectionable to criticize Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Marxism, Monarchism or Zionism. Criticizing any one of them, or even all of them, in no way denies our common humanity which is something which racism always does.

Having said all that, none of the above addresses a most important, but rarely openly discussed, issue: what if, regardless of all the arguments above, using expressions such as “AngloZionism” offends some people (Jews or not), what if the use of this term alienates them so much that it would make them unwilling to listen to any argument or point of view using this expression?

This is a very different issue, not an ethical, moral or philosophical one – but a practical one: is it worth losing readers, supporters and even donors for the sake of using an expression which requires several pages of explanations in its defense? This issue is one every blogger, every website, every alternative news outlet has had to struggle with. I know that I got more angry mails over this than over any other form of crimethink I so often engage in.

I will readily admit that there is a cost involved in using the term “AngloZionist Empire”. But that cost needs to be compared to the cost of *not* using that term.

Is there anybody out there who seriously doubts the huge role the so-called “Israel Lobby” or the “Neocons” or, to use the expression of Professor James Petras, the “Zionist Power Configuration” plays in modern politics? Twenty years ago – maybe. But not today. We all are perfectly aware of the “elephant in the room”, courtesy not only of courageous folks like Gilad Atzmon, Israel Shahak or Norman Finkelstein but even such mainstream Anglo personalities as John J. Mearsheimer, Stephen M. Walt or even Jimmy Carter.

It is plain silly to pretend that we don’t know when we all know that we all know.

Pretending that we don’t see this elephant in the room makes us look either subservient to that elephant, or simply like a coward who dares not speak truth to power. In other words, if you do want to shoot your credibility, pretend really hard that you are totally unaware of the elephant in the room: some of your sponsors might love you, but everybody else will despise you.

What about the very real risk of being perceived as some kind of Nazi?

Yes, the risk is there, but only if you allow yourself to flirt with racist or even para-racist notions. But if you are categorical in your rejection of any form of racism (including any form of anti-Jewish racism), then the accusation will simply not stick. Oh sure, the Zionists out there will try hard to make you look like a Nazi, but they will fail simply because they will have nothing to base that accusation on other than some vague “overtones” or “lack of sensitivity”. In my experience, people are not that stupid and they rapidly see through that worn-out accusation of “anti-Semitism” ( a meaningless concept to begin with, as Michael Neumann so brilliantly demonstrates in his essay “What is Antisemitism?”).

The truth is that the Zionists are only as powerful as we allow them to be. If we allow them to scare us into silence, then indeed their power is immense, but if we simply demand that they stop treating some humans as “more equal than others” then their own racism suddenly becomes obvious for all to see and their power vanishes.

It is really that simple: since nobody can accuse a real anti-racist of racism, then truly being an anti-racist gives you an immunity against the accusation of anti-Semitism.

So what we need, at this point, is to consider the terms used.

“Israel Lobby” suffers from several major issues. First, it implies that the folks in this lobby really care about Israel and the people of Israel. While some probably do, we also have overwhelming evidence (such as the testimony of Sibel Edmonds) that many/most folks in the “Israel Lobby” use the topic of Israel for their own, very different goals (usually power, often money). Have the people of Israel really benefited from from the Neocon-triggered wars? I doubt it.

Furthermore, when hearing the word “Israel Lobby” most people will think of a lobby in the US Congress, something like the NRA or the AARP. The problem we are dealing with today is clearly international. Bernard Henri Levi, George Soros or Mikhail Khodorkovsky have no connection to AIPAC or the US Congress. “Zionist Power Configuration” is better, but “configuration” is vague. What we are dealing with is clearly an empire. Besides, this is clearly not only a Zionist Empire, the Anglo component is at least as influential, so why only mention one and not both?

Still, I don’t think that we should get too caught up in semantics here. From my point of view, there are two truly essential issues which need to be addressed:

1) We need to start talking freely about the “elephant in the room” and stop fearing reprisals from those who want us to pretend we don’t see it.

2) We need to stop using politically correct euphemisms in the vain hope that those who want us to shut up will accept them. They won’t.

Currently, much of the discourse on Jewish or Zionist topics is severely restricted. Doubting the obligatory “6 million” murdered Jews during WWII can land in you jail in several European countries. Ditto if you express any doubts about the actual mode of executions (gas chambers vs firing squads and disease) of these Jews. “Revisionism”, as asking such questions is now known, is seen either as a crime or, at least, a moral abomination, even though “revisionism” is what all real historians do: historiography is revisionistic by its very nature. But even daring to mention such truisms immediately makes you a potential Nazi in the eyes of many/most people.

Since when is expressing a doubt an endorsement of an ideology? This is crazy, no?

I personally came to the conclusion that the West became an easy victim of such “conceptual hijackings” because of a sense of guilt about having let the Nazis murder so many European Jews without taking any meaningful action. It is a fact that it was the Soviet Union which carried 80% or more of the burden of destroying Hitler’s war machine: most Europeans resisted shamefully little. As for the Anglos, they waited until the Soviet victory before even entering the war in Europe.

Okay, fine – let those who feel guilty feel guilty (even if I personally don’t believe in collective guilt). But we cannot allow them to try to silence those of us who strongly feel that we are guilty of absolutely nothing!

Do we really have to kowtow to all Jews, including the top 1% of Jews who, like all 1%ers, do not care about the rest of the 99%? How long are we going to continue to allow the top 1% of Jews enjoy a bizarre form of political immunity because they hide behind the memory of Jews murdered during WWII or the political sensitivities of the 99% of Jews with whom they have no real connection anyway?

I strongly believe that all 1%ers are exactly the same: they care about themselves and nobody else. Their power, what I call the AngloZionist Empire, is based on two things: deception and violence. Their worldview is based on one of two forms of messianism: Anglo imperialism and Zionism (which is just a secularized version of Judaic racial exceptionalism). This has nothing to do with Nazism, WWII or anti-Semitism and everything with ruthless power politics. Unless we are willing to call a spade a spade we will never be able to meaningfully oppose this Empire or the 1%ers who run it.

In truth, since we owe them nothing except our categorical rejection and opposition. It is, I believe, our moral duty to shed a powerful light on their true nature and debunk the lies they try so hard to hide behind.

If their way is by deception, then ours ought to be by truth, because, as Christ said, the truth shall make us free.

Euphemisms only serve to further enslave us.

The Saker

#anglo-zionist

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abidingingodsgraceministries · 3 years

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THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY'S TRUE GLORIOUS SABBATH!® —2021©AIGGM —ABIDING IN GOD'S GRACE©MINISTRIES {AIGGM} — AN AIGGM ORIGINAL©

• ABIDING IN GOD'S GRACE©MINISTRIES

• SATURDAY AUGUST 14TH, 2021

• AIGGM BIBLE STUDY

• JUDAISM | CHRISTIANITY | JEWISH | HEBREW

• THE SABBATH

The [Jewish] SABBATH (from Hebrew shavat, “TO REST”) is observed throughout the year on the seventh day of the week—SATURDAY. As we read, learn, see and study [our Bible's] Biblical tradition, it commemorates the ORIGINAL seventh day on which God Almighty rested after completing [the] His Creation.

Apparently according to 'Scholars' , 'Britannica Encyclopedia' , and 'Wikipedia'.... Scholars have not succeeded in tracing the origin of the seven-day week, nor can they account for the origin of the Sabbath. A seven-day week does not accord well with either a solar or a lunar calendar. Some scholars, pointing to the Akkadian term shapattu, suggest a Babylonian origin for the seven-day week and the Sabbath. But shapattu, which refers to the day of the full moon and is nowhere described as a day of rest, has little in common with the Jewish Sabbath. It appears that the notion of the Sabbath as a holy day of rest, linking God to his people and recurring every seventh day, was unique to ancient Israel.

< IMPORTANCE: >

The central significance of the Sabbath for Judaism is reflected in the traditional commentative and interpretative literature called Talmud and Midrash (e.g., “if you wish to destroy the Jewish people, abolish their Sabbath first”) and in numerous legends and adages from more-recent literature (e.g., “more than Israel kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath kept Israel”). Some of the basic teachings of Judaism affirmed by the Sabbath are God’s acts of creation, God’s role in history, and God’s covenant with Israel. Moreover, the Sabbath is the ONLY Jewish holiday with the observance of which is enjoined by the Ten Commandments. Jews [and Christians] are obligated to SANCTIFY the SABBATH at home and in the synagogue [Church] by observing the SABBATH LAWS and engaging in WORSHIP and STUDY. The leisure hours afforded by the ban against work on the Sabbath were put to good use by the rabbis, who used them to promote intellectual activity and spiritual regeneration among Jews. Other days of rest [as noted and cited from 'Britannica Encyclopedia' and 'Wikipedia'], such as the Roman Catholic Sunday [which Christianity sadly, foolishly and abdominally adopted] and the Islamic Friday, owe their origins to the Jewish Sabbath.

< OBSERVANCES: >

The biblical ban against work on the Sabbath, while never clearly defined, includes activities such as baking and cooking, travelling, kindling fire, gathering wood, buying and selling, and bearing burdens from one domain into another. The Talmudic rabbis listed 39 major categories of prohibited work, including agricultural activity (e.g., plowing and reaping), work entailed in the manufacture of cloth (e.g., spinning and weaving), work entailed in preparing documents (e.g., writing), and other forms of constructive work.

At home the Sabbath begins Friday evening some 20 minutes before sunset, with the lighting of the Sabbath candles by the wife or, in her absence, by the husband. In the synagogue the Sabbath is ushered in at sunset with the recital of selected psalms and the Lekha Dodi, a 16th-century Kabbalistic (mystical) poem. The refrain of the latter is “Come, my beloved, to meet the bride,” the “bride” being the Sabbath. After the evening service, each Jewish household begins the first of three festive Sabbath meals by reciting the Kiddush (“sanctification” of the Sabbath) over a cup of wine. This is followed by a ritual washing of the hands and the breaking of bread, two loaves of bread (commemorating the double portions of manna described in Exodus) being placed before the breaker of bread at each Sabbath meal. After the festive meal the remainder of the evening is devoted to study or relaxation. The distinctive features of the Sabbath morning synagogue service include the public reading of the Torah, or Five Books of Moses (the portion read varies from week to week), and, generally, the sermon, BOTH of which SERVE to EDUCATE the listeners. Following the service, the second Sabbath meal begins, again preceded by Kiddush (of lesser significance), conforming for the most part to the first Sabbath meal. The afternoon synagogue service is followed by the third festive meal (without Kiddush). After the evening service the Sabbath comes to a close with the havdala (“distinction”) ceremony, which consists of a benediction noting the distinction between Sabbath and weekday, usually recited over a cup of wine accompanied by a spice box and candle.

• THE JEWISH HOLIDAYS:

The major Jewish holidays are the Pilgrim Festivals—Pesaḥ (Passover), Shavuot (Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost), and Sukkoth (Tabernacles)—and the High Holidays—Rosh Hashana (New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). The observance of all the major holidays is required by the Torah and work is prohibited for the duration of the holiday (except on the intermediary days of the Pesaḥ and Sukkoth festivals, when work is permitted to avoid financial loss). Purim (Feast of Lots) and Hanukkah (Feast of Dedication), while not mentioned in the Torah (and therefore of lesser solemnity), were instituted by Jewish authorities in the Persian and Greco-Roman periods. They are sometimes regarded as minor festivals because they lack the work restrictions of the major festivals. In addition, there are the five fasts—ʿAsara be-Ṭevet (Fast of Ṭevet 10), Shivaʿ ʿAsar be-Tammuz (Fast of Tammuz 17), Tisha be-Av (Fast of Av 9), Tzom Gedaliahu (Fast of Gedaliah), and Taʿanit Esther (Fast of Esther)—and the lesser holidays (i.e., holidays the observances of which are few and not always clearly defined)—such as Rosh Ḥodesh (First Day of the Month), Ṭu bi-Shevaṭ (15th of Shevaṭ: New Year for Trees), and Lag ba-ʿOmer (33rd Day of the ʿOmer Counting). The fasts and the lesser holidays, like the minor festivals, lack the work restrictions characteristic of the major festivals. Although some of the fasts and Rosh Ḥodesh are mentioned in Scripture, most of the details concerning their proper observance, as well as those concerning the other lesser holidays, were provided by the Talmudic and medieval rabbis.

• PILGRIM FESTIVALS:

In Temple times, all males were required to appear at the Temple three times annually and actively participate in the festal offerings and celebrations. These were the joyous Pilgrim Festivals of Pesaḥ, Shavuot, and Sukkoth. They originally marked the major agricultural seasons in ancient Israel and commemorated Israel’s early history; but, after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, emphasis was placed almost exclusively on the commemorative aspect.

In modern Israel, Pesaḥ, Shavuot, and Sukkoth are celebrated for seven days, one day, and eight days, respectively (with Shemini Atzeret added to Sukkoth), as prescribed by Scripture. Due to calendrical uncertainties that arose in Second Temple times (6th century BCE to 1st century CE), each festival is celebrated for an additional day in the Diaspora.

Pesaḥ commemorates the Exodus from Egypt and the servitude that preceded it. As such, it is the most significant of the commemorative holidays, for it celebrates the very inception of the Jewish people—i.e., the event which provided the basis for the covenant between God and Israel. The term pesaḥ refers originally to the paschal (Passover) lamb sacrificed on the eve of the Exodus, the blood of which marked the Jewish homes to be spared from God’s plague; its etymological significance, however, remains uncertain. The Hebrew root is usually rendered “passed over”—i.e., God passed over the homes of the Israelites when inflicting the last plague on the Egyptians—hence the term Passover. The festival is also called Ḥag or Matzot (“Festival of Unleavened Bread”), for unleavened bread is the only kind of bread consumed during Passover.

Leaven (seʾor) and foods containing leaven (ḥametz) are neither to be owned nor consumed during Pesaḥ. Aside from meats, fresh fruits, and vegetables, it is customary to consume only food prepared under rabbinic supervision and labelled “kosher for Passover,” warranting that they are completely free of contact with leaven. In many homes, special sets of crockery, cutlery, and cooking utensils are acquired for Passover use. On the evening preceding the 14th day of Nisan, the home is thoroughly searched for any trace of leaven (bediqat ḥametz). The following morning the remaining particles of leaven are destroyed by fire (biʿur ḥametz). From then until after Pesaḥ, no leaven is consumed. Many Jews sell their more valuable leaven products to non-Jews before Passover (mekhirat ḥametz), repurchasing the foodstuffs immediately after the holiday.

The unleavened bread (matzo) consists entirely of flour and water, and great care is taken to prevent any fermentation before baking. Hand-baked matzo is flat, rounded, and perforated. Since the 19th century, many Jews have preferred the square-shaped, machine-made matzo.

Passover eve is ushered in at the synagogue service on the evening before Passover, after which each family partakes of the seder (“order of service”), an elaborate festival meal in which every ritual is regulated by the rabbis. (In the Diaspora the seder is also celebrated on the second evening of Passover.) The table is bedecked with an assortment of foods symbolizing the passage from slavery (e.g., bitter herbs) into freedom (e.g., wine). The Haggada (“Storytelling”), a printed manual comprising appropriate passages culled from Scripture and Talmud and Midrash accompanied by medieval hymns, serves as a guide for the ensuing ceremonies and is recited as the evening proceeds. The seder opens with the cup of sanctification (Kiddush), the first of four cups of wine drunk by the celebrants. An invitation is extended to the needy to join the seder ceremonies, after which the youngest son asks four prescribed questions expressing his surprise at the many departures from usual mealtime procedure. (“How different this night is from all other nights!”) The father then explains that the Jews were once slaves in Egypt, were then liberated by God, and now commemorate the servitude and freedom by means of the seder ceremonies. Special blessings are recited over the unleavened bread and the bitter herbs (maror), after which the main courses are served. The meal closes with a serving of matzo recalling the paschal lamb, consumption of which concluded the meal in Temple times. The seder concludes with the joyous recital of hymns praising God’s glorious acts in history and anticipating a messianic redemption to come.

The Passover liturgy is considerably expanded and includes the daily recitation of Psalms 113–118 (Hallel, “Praise”), public readings from the Torah, and an additional service (musaf). On the first day of Pesaḥ, a prayer for dew in the Holy Land is recited; on the last day, the memorial service for the departed (yizkor) is added.

Originally an agricultural festival marking the wheat harvest, Shavuot commemorates the revelation of the Torah on Mount Sinai. Shavuot (“Weeks”) takes its name from the seven weeks of grain harvest separating Passover and Shavuot. The festival is also called Ḥag ha-Qazir (Harvest Festival) and Yom ha-Bikkurim (Day of First Fruits). Greek-speaking Jews called it pentēkostē, meaning “the fiftieth” day after the sheaf offering. In rabbinic literature, Shavuot is called atzeret (“cessation” or “conclusion”), perhaps because the cessation of work is one of its distinctive features, or possibly because it was viewed as concluding the Passover season. In liturgical texts it is described as the “season of the giving of our Torah.” The association of Shavuot with the revelation at Sinai, while not attested in Scripture, is alluded to in the Pseudepigrapha (a collection of noncanonical writings); in rabbinic literature it first appears in 2nd-century materials. The association, probably an ancient one, was derived in part from the book of Exodus, which dates the revelation at Sinai to the third month (counting from Nisan)—i.e., Sivan.

Scholars state and claim that Scripture does not provide an absolute date for Shavuot. [Read and Study The Book Of Enoch, and The Other Books That Were Removed From From Our Bible's, By The Vatican.. Roman Catholic Church.. The Bishop Centuries and Decades Ago]. So then Instead, 50 days (or seven weeks) are reckoned from the day the sheaf offering (ʿOmer) of the harvest was brought to the Temple, the 50th day being Shavuot. According to the Talmudic rabbis, the sheaf offering was brought on the 16th of Nisan; hence Shavuot always fell on or about the 6th of Sivan. Some Jewish sectarians, such as the Sadducees, rejected the rabbinic tradition concerning the date of the sheaf ceremony, preferring a later date, and celebrated Shavuot accordingly.

In Temple times, aside from the daily offerings, festival offerings, and first-fruit gifts, a special cereal consisting of two breads prepared from the new wheat crop was offered at the Temple. Since the destruction of the Second Temple, Shavuot observances have been dominated by its commemorative aspect. Many Jews spend the entire Shavuot night studying Torah, a custom first mentioned in the Zohar (“Book of Splendour”), a Kabbalistic work edited and published in the 13th–14th centuries. Some prefer to recite the tiqqun lel Shavuʿot (“Shavuot night service”), an anthology of passages from Scripture and the Mishna (the authoritative compilation of the Oral Law). An expanded liturgy includes Hallel, public readings from the Torah, yizkor (in many congregations), and musaf. The Book of Ruth is read at the synagogue service, possibly because of its harvest-season setting.

Sukkoth (“Booths”), an ancient harvest festival that commemorates the booths the Israelites resided in after the Exodus, was the most prominent of the three Pilgrim Festivals in ancient Israel. Also called Ḥag ha-Asif (Festival of Ingathering), it has retained its joyous, festive character through the ages. It begins on Tishri 15 and is celebrated for seven days. The concluding eighth day (plus a ninth day in the Diaspora), Shemini Atzeret, is a separate holiday. In Temple times, each day of Sukkoth had its own prescribed number of sacrificial offerings. Other observances, recorded in the Mishna tractate Sukka, include the daily recitation of Hallel, daily circumambulation of the Temple altar, a daily water libation ceremony, and the nightly bet ha-shoʾeva or bet ha-sheʾuvah (“place of water drawing”) festivities starting on the evening preceding the second day. The last-mentioned observance features torch dancing, flute playing, and other forms of musical and choral entertainment.

[[Sukkah (hut erected for the celebration of Sukkoth) with palm leaves, Herzliya, Israel, 2007.]]

Ideally, Jews are to reside in booths—walled structures covered with thatched roofs—for the duration of the festival; in practice, most observant Jews take their meals in the sukka (“booth”) but reside at home. A palm-tree branch (lulav) bound up together with myrtle (hadas) and willow (ʿarava) branches is held together with a citron (etrog) and waved. Medieval exegetes provided ample (if not always persuasive) justification for the Bible’s choice of these particular branches and fruit as SYMBOLS of REJOICING. The numerous regulations governing the sukka, lulav, and etrog constitute the major portion of the treatment of Sukkoth in the codes of Jewish law. The daily Sukkoth liturgy includes the recitation of Hallel (Psalms, 113–118), public readings from the Torah, the musaf service, and the circumambulation of the synagogue dais. On the last day of Sukkoth, called Hoshana Rabba (Great Hoshana) after the first words of a prayer (hoshana, “save us”) recited then, seven such circumambulations take place. Kabbalistic (mystical) teaching has virtually transformed Hoshana Rabba into a solemn day of judgment.

Hoshana Rabba is followed by Shemini Atzeret (Eighth Day of Solemn Assembly), which is celebrated on Tishri 22 (in the Diaspora also Tishri 23). None of the more distinctive Sukkoth observances apply to Shemini Atzeret; but Hallel, public reading from the Torah, yizkor (in many congregations), musaf, and a prayer for rain in the Holy Land are included in its liturgy. Simḥat Torah (Rejoicing of the Law) marks the annual completion of the cycle of public readings from the Torah. The festival originated shortly before the gaonic period (c. 600–1050 CE) in Babylon, where it was customary to conclude the public readings annually. In Palestine, where the public readings were concluded approximately every three years, Simḥat Torah was not celebrated annually until after the gaonic period. Israeli Jews celebrate Simḥat Torah and Shemini Atzeret on the same day; in the Diaspora, Simḥat Torah is celebrated on the second day of Shemini Atzeret. Its joyous celebrations bring the Sukkoth season to an appropriate close.

KEEP THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY'S SABBATH! HONOUR, WORSHIP, CELEBRATE and KEEP HIS SABBATH HIS WAY!

Love Each and Every Single One Of Y'all, Always, and God Bless Y'all,

— Pastor Blackburn <3

Abiding In God's Grace©Ministries

{AIGGM}

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a-polite-melody · 7 years

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The Institutional Oppression of Aspecs Masterpost

In brief, most of the oppression asexual and aromantic people face is socially based, because aspec identities are still rather invisible. These forms of oppression have been covered in great detail, from facing erasure to experiencing bias and prejudice, all the way to being raped as a way to “fix” their orientation. Some forms of institutional oppression do exist, and I’m going to link some sources about those forms of oppression (along with a brief description of the post linked) in the body of this post.

Most of the sources are going to be to Tumblr posts (though some of those do link to outside sources), mostly because, again, with aspec identities being rather invisible, there isn’t a lot of talk about their oppression on mainstream platforms beyond social media websites. In terms of things like masterposts or large collections of links put together into a post, I’ll pull out the most relevant topics and links to discuss.

I should also note that most of this focuses on asexuality, mostly because aromanticism is even less visible and there’s even less written on the topic of aromanticism.

Side note 1: these posts are listed in the order that I found them, and as such any duplicate items will be listed under the first instance I found them. For example, if there was a link to the same blog post in the first and second posts I pull sources from, that particular blog post will only be listed in the first post’s sources. If I have missed any duplicates, please let me know!

Side note 2: there will be two links for each source: the link on the name will direct you to the original post, while the link in the [x] will direct you to an archived version in case the original is taken down or edited in the future.

Trigger warnings for: discussions of religious discrimination and conversion therapy, as well as bigotry in some of the linked posts/articles.

The Aphobia Masterpost [x]

by @livebloggingmydescentintomadness This is a great place to start. It goes over mostly social oppression, as that is more common among invisible orientations, but there are some wonderful resources on institutional oppression. The entire post is worth checking out if you have the time.

Religious Institutions:

Religion and Asexuality Overview [x]: This WordPress article is a collection of links to posts relating to one of a few religions (Islam, Christianity, Mormonism, Buddhism, and Paganism, as well as a bonus link to one about Atheism) and how those religions treat asexuality. That tends to be unfavourably, often claiming that one cannot be a good member of their religious community while being asexual because a core part of the religion is to get married and procreate (even sometimes being the most holy thing one can do). While some asexuals do get married and do have sex and end up having children, there is a general disdain for any lack of such desires - which are generally attributed to aromanticism or asexuality. Otherwise, and outside of relationships, asexuality is seen as taking away one’s ability to choose celibacy, as asexuality, while does not preclude you from having sex, is often seen that way by society. Thus, no personal restraint is thought to be required for an asexual to maintain a vow of chastity before/without marriage, which is the core element to these religious vows.

Religious Intolerance of Asexuality 1 [x]: This Tumblr post goes into detail about how the Catholic Church, while not explicitly naming aromanticism and asexuality, does discriminate against and hold negative opinions on those orientations. Some of these views include that romantic love is a cardinal virtue, and to deny it is to deny God’s grace, having no want for sex is rejecting God’s plan for humanity surrounding the Original Sin, sexual attraction is a core part of humanity, and that not feeling romantic or sexual attraction is an impossibility.

Religious Intolerance of Asexuality 2 [x]: This Tumblr post provides a screenshot (as well as a broken link to - actual link here [x]) of a blog post written on a religious (presumably Christian) website that claims that asexual people do not exist, as sexuality is a gift from God, which makes it part of the human identity. Further reading of this blog post provides a source that this religion website, or the religious people who created the post, are in at least some way accepting of gay people. Another reblog of the Tumblr post added that their church preached that women are required to have sex with their husbands, even if they don’t want to. While not all people who are asexual abstain from sex, and not all people who would choose to not have sex are asexual, the link between asexuality and someone having no sex is very solid within Straight society.

Religious Intolerance of Asexuality 3 [x]: This blog post discusses the ways that the Islamic Orthodoxy discriminates against and holds negative opinions of asexuality, and can be inferred similarly about aromanticism. Rejecting sex and marriage (specifically with the “opposite” sex) is viewed as deviant behaviour, and the Quran outlines the disciplinary action that is accepted for wives who refuse to have sex (which includes forms of verbal, physical, financial, and mental abuse). These laws render it next to impossible for someone (specifically a woman) who would be more comfortable in a celibate marriage to negotiate for that as their husband has full control over their sexual life. While this is not an issue only faced by those who are asexual, or faced by all asexuals, these religious laws do target those who may not feel sexual attraction.

Religious Intolerance of Asexuality 4 [x]: This is another post from the blog discussed in “Religious Intolerance of Asexuality 3”. This particular post covers the topic of how the exclusion of asexual people from the LGBTQ+ community further removes Muslim asexual women in particular from any sense of community. Because of the near impossibility for a sex-negative, sex-repulsed, or even sex-neutral asexual woman to be comfortable in marriage that would require them to have sex with their husbands regardless of their choice in the matter, they are removed from any community of their faith for failing to want marriage, which is a large part of what is expected from their religion. Denying asexuals the community that has been built within the larger LGBTQ+ community would deny them the comfort that belonging to and identifying with queerness that the author feels.

Religious Intolerance of Asexuality 5 [x]: This WordPress article is another collection of links that discuss how asexuality is treated within various religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Lutheranism). Most of these posts center around how these religions expect the followers to have children or participate in sex after marriage, which can be things that asexual people do not want on the basis of not feeling sexual attraction.

Healthcare/Mental Healthcare Institutions:

Why We Need Mental Healthcare Without Asexual Erasure [x]: This article on Everyday Feminism discusses how therapists dismiss asexuality as being something temporary that will disappear with age, or as being a symptom of mental illness. This dismissal can lead to serious difficulties in romantic relationships, and can end up putting people into dangerous situations regarding consent and sex. It can also cause further feelings of depression or cause other further harm to mental health, and denies self-acceptance. It also briefly talks about the differences between hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) and asexuality that can often be overlooked by mental health professionals, as they assume that any lack of sexual desire causes their patient distress, even when that is not the case, and they look for solutions for the lack of sexual attraction where they shouldn’t be.

Asexuality was listed in the DSM and HSDD until 2013 [x]: This Huffington Post article discusses the controversy within conversation about asexuality within the medical community. Included are topics such as the blanket diagnosis of asexuals as having HSDD that stems from the conflation of asexuality with the disorder, the earliest mentions of asexuality in scientific literature with Alfred Kinsey’s sexuality scale (1940’s) where asexuality was simply a category who did not fit on his scale, and a huge lack of scientific publications on asexuality from the time of Kinsey to 2004, making it easier for misdiagnosis of asexuality as HSDD.

Our orientation has been and continues to be pathologized [x]: This links directly to the HSDD Wikipedia article’s criticism section. The third bullet point under the “General” criticisms is the one of primary interest. This point states that the way in which HSDD was defined pre-DSM-5 pathologized asexuality because an asexual’s lack of sexual desire may not be maladaptive.

Asexuals have been put through corrective therapy 1 [x]: In this WordPress article, the author discusses their experience with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with regards to their grey-asexuality and how it was abusive. Their therapy consisted of being told that labelling themselves as grey-asexual was disordered thinking, thinking that they were asexual when they had a partner and sex was readily available to them was incorrect, and how this all led to them ending up self-isolating until they ended up in a psych hospital. The main take-away from this article is about the importance of finding a therapist who will not invalidate your identities and to stay safe within the mental health world as an asexual.

Asexuals have been put through corrective therapy 2 [x]: This blog post deals specifically with getting mental health treatment in South Korea as an asexual person. The author laments that there is no treatment available for your mental health as someone who is asexual, and that often, people will disregard or invalidate your orientation or gender if it isn’t one of the more mainstream ones.

Asexuals have been put through corrective therapy 3 [x]: This forum post from The Asexual Visibility & Education Network prompted asexual people to share corrective behaviours they’ve faced specifically for their asexuality. Along with discussions of corrective rape, coercion into sex to “fix” asexuality, and other invasions of personal boundaries, one member recounted an experience where a friend asked if there were medications they could be put on to “fix” their asexuality.

Asexuals have been put through corrective therapy 4 [x]: This Tumblr post details a form of corrective therapy that the author was put through by a counselor on the basis of being a sex-averse asexual. These forms of therapy include having sex until they liked it, having various tests done to determine what was wrong with them, and being prescribed many types of medications to “fix” the “problem”. Another person reblogged the post to add their experience with corrective therapy that involved their therapist implying that their asexuality may be caused by pain associated with their disability, or that it may be caused by repressed memories of sexual abuse.

Asexuals have been put through corrective therapy 5 [x]: This is a Reddit thread discussing the Everyday Feminism article “Why We Need Mental Healthcare Without Asexual Erasure”. A couple of people talk about their experiences needing to educate therapists on what asexuality even is. One person in particular states that all six of their former therapists have attributed their asexuality to depression, as well as struggling to find a gynaecologist to help with a chronic pain disorder associated with the vulva that was ace-friendly and didn’t focus on pain management being focused solely on sex.

Posts of people describing the hardship they’ve faced for their asexuality 14 [x]: This Tumblr post contains someone refuting the claim that coming out as asexual is easy because of the pathologization of asexuality. They state that they are having trouble getting medical treatment because doctors see asexuality as the problem that needs to be “fixed”. They also repeat statements of other asexuals about what they’ve faced for being asexual, such as being pressured to submit to electroshock therapy, being denied medication, and more.

Schools (in relation to sex-education):

Aphobes have asserted that asexuality should not be taught in school 1 [x]: This Tumblr post brought up that asexuality isn’t taught in schools, but should be - along with other sexualities. An aphobic person replied that asexuality should not be taught in health classes at schools, which is advocating for the continued institutional asexual oppression faced in school systems.

Aphobes have asserted that asexuality should not be taught in school 2 [x]: This Tumblr post brings up the question that if explicit descriptions of sex, genitalia, and vaginal birth, why would asexuality be too sexualizing to be brought up in a sex education class? An aphobic person replied that it would confuse “lgb” kids who haven’t yet felt sexual attraction, and will use asexuality as a way to internalize homophobia. It is pointed out, however, that teaching about asexuality would not promote that. And again, advocating keeping asexuality out of sex education programs with relation to orientation further ingrains institutional asexual oppression.

Aphobes have asserted that asexuality should not be taught in school 3 [x]: This Tumblr post discusses a reason why asexuality should be taught in health class; to help asexual teens to not feel like something is wrong with them. Aphobes continue to dismantle that reasoning by derailing and claiming that asexuality is of low priority compared to other orientations that should be discussed in health classes, while at the same time claiming that teaching about asexuality would actually be harmful, and again pushing to keep institutional asexual oppression in place.

Government Institutions:

The Spinster Movement, and how they were treated as queer [x]: This Tumblr post includes a rebuttal against asexuality being a queer identity. The rebuttal goes into detail about how the two ways people were labelled as queer were deviating from gender norms and not having hetero sex. This grouped people who would now be considered asexual in with those who are gay, lesbian, or multispec. A specific time in which what we would now consider asexuality was historically oppressed by governmental institutions was the Spinster Movement. Some highlights: Spinsters, who were women who did not have or want sex, were barred from teaching in schools, along with lesbian women because it was thought that they would destroy children and society. There was also a movement pushing to evict spinsters from Britain and send them to other countries (Canada, Australia, the US).

Things to Remember [x]

by @marigoldcrossing This is a small post that links to sources on a few different cases of asexual oppression. Again, most of these are forms of social oppression, and parts of it have been covered above, however there is one specific type of oppression that was not addressed before.

Employment:

Employment Discrimination Against The Asexual Community: A Growing Trend [x]: This article on The Asexual Visibility & Education Network website is more of a cautionary article than anything else. With the increased awareness of asexuality, there are going to be more openly identifying asexual people entering the workforce. With known bias against the asexual community, it is thought to be possible that asexuality will be discriminated against in hiring practices and within the workplace.

Was I Fired Because of My Asexuality? [x]: This WordPress article details the events leading up to the author being terminated from a job. They worked well as an employee at the restaurant that they were employed at. After a co-worker went into detail about her sex life, their boss was told that they “had a bad attitude”. After refuting that statement by telling their boss that their co-worker went into graphic detail, they were fired for lying. They theorize that this may be because of their sex-repulsion as an asexual who, while sex positive, is also repulsed. Their reaction to hearing graphic details about someone’s sex life may not have been receptive, and led to the read of them having a “bad attitude”.

An Untitled Post [x]

by @smalltalktorture (who I am unable to tag, but I will link to anyways), with contribution from @eriluvs This is not a post with many links, it is just the one Tumblr post. It is a first-hand account of personal discrimination and thoughts about how being out as asexual could affect you.

Employment and Housing:

The author of the original post details their boss finding one of their social media accounts and discovering that they are asexual. They bring up that, legally speaking, employers can’t fire an employee based on their orientation (or gender), however the fact that this does happen to people of other orientations, as well as overhearing that their boss was trying to find ways to make them leave their place of employment supports that being outed as asexual in some way can be a serious detriment to your career. Another Tumblr user brings up the Discrimination Against “Group X” (Asexuality) study [x] which shows results that indicate people are less likely to hire and rent to people if they found out that they are asexual. They also point out that, while many people claim you can avoid this occurring by simply not telling prospective employers or landlords that you’re asexual, being out in any form can lead to accidental outing, or for those people to happen upon the information without the asexual person telling them.

An Untitled Post [x]

by @intersex-ionality (who I am unable to tag, but I will link to anyways) This post deals mostly with how aspec exclusion is a form of, and stems from, respectability politics. Near the end of the very detailed post about what respectability politics are and how they are being applied in aspec exclusion, some links to outside sources are given, some of which deal with institutional forms of oppression.

Religious Institutions:

Asexual people face expulsion from their social and religious groups for coming out [x]: This Tumblr post details the issues faced by asexuals when they come out. Of particular interest is the reaction of religious friends, who claim that asexuality is caused by Satan, and that asexuals need saving from their orientation through embracing Christ.

Asexuality is considered invalid and sinful under western Christian doctrine [x]: This blog post was made by a feminist author who interviewed a married asexual woman for her book relating to Christianity beliefs about sex, faith, and politics. This post discusses how, though asexuality should, in theory, be the goal of those who are unmarried and Christian, but discussions of sexuality within Christian settings counter that, as there is the claim that everyone has sexual desire - and even further that God’s ideal for a married person is sexual desire expressed in marriage.

Their marriages can be dissolved [x]: This blog post discusses how the Catholic Church looks upon asexual marriage. The central part of Catholicism and marriage is that married people must procreate. Taking this to a further extreme, if the couple refuses to consummate the marriage, or even procreate, their marriage is invalid within the Catholic Church. There are exceptions made to this rule for those who cannot procreate for medical reasons, but the choice to have a sexless marriage, which may be the only form of marriage some asexuals are comfortable in, no such exception applies.

Healthcare/Mental Healthcare Institutions:

Asexual people are still actively pathologized by modern medicine [x]: This Tumblr post gives a brief discussion of how asexuality was classed as HSDD by the DSM until 2013. It is also stated that even though asexual people are exempt from diagnosis of HSDD if they identify their lack of sexual desire as part of their asexuality in the most current version of the DSM, this would require all people who are asexual to be familiar enough with the term to identify with it. With asexuality still being a rather invisible identity, an asexual person could be misdiagnosed as having HSDD.

It’s used as a valid reason to engage in conversion therapy instead of a chance to educate 1 [x]: The author of this Tumblr post takes the problems with the current version of the DSM further, in terms of identifying that some practitioners may not accept asexuality as a legitimate orientation and will still attempt to “fix” their lack of sexual attraction. These treatments may include hormone therapy and other forms of treatment through drug therapy to change the asexual’s orientation - which is considered to be a form of conversion therapy.

It’s used as a valid reason to engage in conversion therapy instead of a chance to educate 2 [x]: This Tumblr post is a rant about the lived experiences and individual struggles the author has faced because of their asexuality. This includes having been sent to conversion therapy as a young teen, which left them feeling broken and alone.

Is Asexuality a Perversion? [x]

This is a direct link to a Baptist Church forum.

It has been brought to my attention that this is a satire website. I am, however going to leave this here for two reasons:

1) It’s entirely possible for people to come across this website, not know that it’s a satire website, and take it as being an accurate statement of how these people and their religion perceive asexuality.

2) The forum post shows ways in which scripture can (and has been in some of the other sources) used to target asexuality along with other non-straight orientations.

The Comment Section: Nothing Bad Happens [x]

(For some reason I could not access the whole article via Google Chrome, however the archived version is fully available on Chrome if anyone experiences similar issues.) This is a link to a blog post about the problems with some claims against asexuality. In particular, it links to a section called “There are no laws against it. What rights are they fighting for?”. My main focus is the third paragraph under this heading. The entire article, as well as the full study linked at the beginning with “[Return to Overview]” are fantastically written, and I’d suggest reading them if you have the time.

Government Institutions:

The author of this article points out that laws exist preventing discrimination based on sexual orientation. However, in certain states (as this is written by an American blogger) asexuality is not included under those orientations that cannot be legally discriminated against. This furthers the idea brought up earlier, that asexuals who are outed could be denied jobs by employers, house rentals from landlords, and the like. Also touched upon are consummation laws in regard to marriage, and that, how if an asexual negotiates with their partner to have a sexless marriage, it would not be considered a true marriage by law.

Is Asexuality a Sexual Orientation? Legal Definitions [x]

This is a link to a blog post that outlines how asexuality may not be covered under anti-discrimination laws as it is not always legally considered an orientation.

Government Institutions:

The author of this blog post very quickly states that, in the state of New York, asexuality is legally a sexual orientation, however the answer is either no or not as clear in other states. The only state that was found to explicitly include asexuality among sexual orientations in non-discrimination bills was New York. Considering that many bills define sexual orientation by giving a list, it can be unclear whether asexuality would legally be a sexual orientation, as it may be impossible to know unless a case was taken before a court in that state. As such, it could be the case that asexuals would not protected by these bills and could legally face discrimination for their orientation.

Inclusionist Masterpost [x]

by @socialjusticeichigo Another fantastic masterpost. This one is much more broad, including many different topics that inclusionists deal with. I’m, again, only going to pull out the parts relevant to this particular topic, but I’d suggest giving everything in this post a quick read through if you can.

Healthcare/Medical Healthcare Institutions:

About aphobia 1 [x]: Most of this Tumblr post deals more with social forms of discrimination and oppression. However, under the first heading of “Coming Out To Family, Friends, And Employers”, bullet points three and four detail how asexual people have been forced or threatened by their families to be brought to doctors or therapists to be “fixed”.

About a-spec rape, corrective rape, therapy, & conversion therapy 4 [x]: While the anonymous message posted in this Tumblr post does not detail any experience being through conversion therapy, they recount that their father planned to make them go to the doctor to be “fixed” when they came out as asexual. This may be more of a social form of oppression, but the fact that there are other accounts of forced medication and therapy to “fix” asexuality, this threat is far from empty and could have led to another victim of some form of conversion therapy.

About a-spec rape, corrective rape, therapy, & conversion therapy 6 [x]: This article details many different problems surrounding the lack of visibility of asexuality. In the opening anecdote, the author speaks on their experiences coming out to their therapist. Their therapist outright denied asexuality, and suggested treatment - specifically for depression - to “fix” the issue.

About the problem with flibanserin (’female viagra’) 1 [x]: This Tumblr post is dedicated specifically to the drug that was approved to treat HSDD. While the diagnostic criteria for HSDD in the DSM 5 is such that someone who self-identifies as asexual will not be diagnosed, as well as requiring distress or difficulties, it is noted that doctors will sometimes force incorrect diagnoses on patients.

About the problem with flibanserin (’female viagra’) 2 [x]: The author of this Tumblr post details their own feelings about the creation and subsequent approval of the medication, how it continues the pathologization of asexuality, and many other things not related to my particular topic, but that are still worth reading about.

Edits: 03/10/17 - Changed “Is Asexuality a Perversion?” section 06/10/17 - Added “Inclusionist Materpost” section

#ace discourse #reference #long post #very long post #as in a 7 and a half page word document long #asexuality

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onbeliefpod · 5 years

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On Legal Threats

Since March, I’ve been working on a limited series podcast called On Belief: A Podcast About Cults. It has been uniquely rewarding as a project: I have learned new things every day, I’ve been the recipient of endless generosity, and I’ve been given a unique opportunity to help people tell their stories about either covering or surviving groups which engaged in coercive thought reform.

About a month ago, I received a message in the show’s inbox: One of the groups that make up this week’s topic, Large Group Awareness Training, sent me a Cease and Desist.

Among the claims were that I was participating in Defamation Per Se, and that I was infringing upon the group’s copyright.

The letter also contained 12 pages of their own branding information for some baffling reason.

5 lawyers looked at it. Many scratched their heads. All laughed at it.

The episode in question was a series of interviews, some on the record, and some not, sitting on a hard drive. It hadn’t been edited. It’s fairly hard to participate in defamation if the audio in question hasn’t even been imported to GarageBand.

It didn’t stop this group from spending $5 on my Patreon just so they could monitor every episode.

This same group emailed myself and guest Brock Wilbur regarding 2 throwaway lines in the NXIVM episode, which referenced a popular TV show about Russian spies. Again, they claimed, we had participated in/I had enabled a platform for Defamation Per Se. It was Brock’s choice how to proceed. For his own reasons (mostly that the 2 sentences were not material to the rest of the episode) we complied with the legal request.

However, the original letter was still sitting there like a sword of Damocles. Once I published the episode about █████████, they would proceed with whatever legal plans they had, because that’s how this works: Groups that have deep pockets and a chequered past (to say the least!) will use that money to scare people into silence.

What (if anything) was the move here?

Then, and incredible thing happened: more people from other groups in the LGAT category reached out. It soon became clear that all groups in this category follow a similar method to their progenitor.

There was also the matter of *how* the lawyers had discovered I had put out a call for sources: They regularly scour the message boards of Cult Education groups and institutions, looking for actionable speech or potentially dangerous speech (to them.) This is an outrageous abuse.

So the story of █████████ became the larger story of Large Group Awareness Training. Now there are 3 stories from people who have taken seminars from different LGATs.

I’ve also included an explainer at the top of the episode to highlight some of the lengths █████████ will go to to silence people. It’s not Scientology level, but it’s damned close. (Unlike Scientology, they still want to be seen as a respectable business, after all.)

I began to catalogue the numerous pieces of background evidence people had sent me to back up their claims of their time with LGATs. I had episodes of major news broadcasts (including 60 minutes and Barbara Walters) which had been scrubbed from the internet. I had been sent anonymously a French news report, 1 hour of damning evidence against █████████, also mysteriously scrubbed from the internet.

I don’t like bullies. I also don’t have tens of millions to defend against defamation torts. So what do you do?

There is a defense to Defamation called The Small Penis Rule. The Small Penis Rule is basically this: if you create a character in a piece of literature and make that person instantly recognizable to a reader, but you make one part of their description something the person you’re ultimately referencing include something they wouldn’t want to defend in court, you are invoking the Small Penis Rule. If I write a book with a cotton candy haired, disgusting racist who becomes president, but I also talk about how no woman wants to fuck him, I doubt I’m getting a nastygram from Rudy Giuliani. No one wants to have to be deposed for that.

So I have redacted the direct references to these groups, but the experiences are real, verified by an additional dozen or so accounts and documents indicating that the people I interviewed are telling the truth.

If █████████ wants to send me a nastygram, or proceed with legal remedies, they will first have to meet the bar that a) it’s immediately recognizable which group has been referenced and b) that the sources in question have participated in Defamation Per Se. They would also have to defend against the unorthodox means by which they attempted to silence us.

I would like to thank the counsel of █████████, because without their nastygram in plenty of time to edit this episode, we would not have come up with an elegant solution to help bring you this important story.

I absolutely detest bullies.

I hope you listen to the episode, because LGATs not only are on the rise, you probably know someone who has participated in one.

Know anyone who went to a weekend long ‘business seminar’ to become a better leader or communicator? Likely, they were participating in Large Group Awareness Training.

These groups cost a lot of money, so they often seek out partnerships with major corporations which will pay the full fare for interested employees to take the courses. Often, the employers are taken in by the professional-enough looking branding and the ‘medical’ endorsements in the brochures. They often have no understanding of the cult-like operations of these groups.

You can judge for yourself in the episode today whether you believe LGATs are cults, but whether something is a cult, or merely cult-like is splitting hairs. Any situation where you feel pressured by your job into doing something that makes you feel uncomfortable is wrong.

You should not have to tell a room full of strangers at a Marriott that you were raped just so you can get a promotion at work.

You should not have to participate in meditation exercises which make you mentally break down in order to have better relationships with family.

Large Group Awareness Training uses Attack Therapy and victim blaming language to break people down during their training in order for them to feel catharsis and relief when it’s over. This is discredited as a form of therapy by most bodies which govern mental health care.

Large Group Awareness Training companies are also going after a very lucrative growing market: the newly non religious. The fastest growing religion in North America is ‘no religion.’ But it doesn’t mean people don’t still want rules, structure, and community in their lives, and it definitely means they’re willing to pay for it. LGATs are stepping in to fill the void and absolutely howling on the way to the bank.

Here is a list from Wikipedia of LGATs. Members from many of these orgs came forward to talk to me. All of them shared objections with the therapeutic methods and of the limitations put on group members, such as NDAs and rules prohibiting going to the bathroom or for cigarette breaks during the (often 12 hour+) days.

Large Group Awareness training might not be ‘a cult’ in a traditional sense, but it doesn’t matter how religious your Catholic church might be, you’re still allowed to go to the bathroom during a service.

I started this podcast to help people tell their stories of abuse, and I intend to see that through with this episode, even if the names have been redacted and the sources have been given pseudonyms. This story is too important.

If you’d like to listen to the episode, you can do so wherever you get podcasts. The full episodes (Including previous episodes covering What IS a Cult? NXIVM, The Family, Aum Shinrikyo, and Messianic Judaism) are on my Patreon.

I hope you find this episode informative.

To the legal team and executive at █████████: thank you for your support of the Patreon and the genesis for this amazing swag idea:

Swag available here

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ramrodd · 6 years

Video

youtube

Richard Carrier: Acts as Historical Fiction

COMMENTARY:

I think it more accurate to describe Richard Carrier to have published "peer reviewed" books on Jesus that are largely ignored by everyone but evangelical anti-theist like himself. Among other things. he has positioned himself as the essential proponent of Jesus as myth lacking actual physical existence. It is a lonely citidel he commands but it seems to appeal to the credulous enormously.

A problem he has with his Bayesian methodology is that, by definition, miracles, generally, and Resurrection, in particular, operate beyond probability.

This, of course, undercuts Carrier's assertion that Christianity could have happened without Jesus because it is Resurrection that is the essential driver cited in the contemporary accounts of its proliferation among the Romans, who had absolutely no expectation of Resurrection before the fact as a general expectation. Even His closest followers had no expectations before the End Times of God breaking into history in that manner. It was the Roman culture which became the essential media of its proliferation and adoption as a state doctrine. And, as I trace in my comments, it is the Roman soldiers who are agents of His execution and witness to His resurrecton that sends the details of the event as they understood it up the chain of command immediately to Tiberius's attention, resulting in the label "Christian" being introduced to the Senate in Rome by 36 and before Paul has returned from his sojourn in Araby and recruited by Barnabas. The fact that Resurrection violates Carrier's naturalism is exactly the point: God, or the self-aware Taoist universe, announced its epistemological necessity about as emphatically as possible.

And, in his role as a former Coastie, I find it disingenuous on Carrier's part to ignore the impulse of ANY military organization to report an event so beyond the boundaries of probability in favor of the absolutely improbability that they would ignore and NOT send it up the change of command. Carrier had a shore billet, but the military, generally, and the maritime services, in particular, log in EVERYTHING that happens on a watch and it is exactly that impulse from which the Gospel of Mark emerges.

Along these lines, much of Carrier's deconstruction depends upon anchronism, especially the lack of a public record of these events: he implies, in effect, that the lack of a NY Times headlines "Messiah LIVES" substantiates his assertions. And a great deal depends on what he, Richard Carrier, would do, now, in the same circumstances "I wouldn't do this" or "I would have ensured this record would have been made" etc.

And it infects all his commentary. For example, he complains that Peter's recruitment couldn't have happened the way it did because he, Carrier, who enlisted in the Coast Guard when there wasn't a war going on, wouldn't have responded to Jesus's invitation to "Follow me", but would have foregone adventure like the Rich Young Man in Mark 10:17, a prospect that would be far more believable if he, Carrier, hadn't enlisted.

And his entire oeuvre is riddled with disqualifying premise of a similar nature. For example, his conclusion that Hitler's view of Christianity "resemble Kant's with regard to the primacy of science over theology in deciding the facts of the universe, while remaining personally committed to a more abstract theism." (Richard Cevantis Carrier: Wikipedia). The problem is that Kant's position is that science is an expression of epistemology as a synthetic process and that the a priori is the necessary element of metaphysical knowledge within that process. If Carrier is in a position to deny the a prori, he has assigned himself to the same category as Ayn Rand and his entire output becomes little more than a vanity construct.

I, personally, haven't published anything of my conjectures because I'm still gathering material defending them and the path of research has led me, recently, to expand my inquiries into the influence of Melchizedek not only in the early development of what will become Judaism but throughout the Medeterranean at the same time that began the shift from societies organized by the Aesthetic (such as Homeric Greece) to the Ethic of the Roman Republic: Socrates death is a marker in that process that seems to have begun about the same time as Abraham's encounter with this mysterious king. . Whereas Resurrection is the basis of Paul's legal argument to the Romans within a Hebrew context, the Epistle to the Hebrews, which I propose is a finding prepared by a Roman officer in the Praetorian Guard accepting the ethic of Jesus Paul's Romans presents, is anchored in the dual track of Melchizedek's influence coming down through the Torah, on the one hand, and through the Eutruscans to the 7 kings of Rome, on the other. It is probable that the Magi in Matthew emerge from whatever it is Melchizedek represents, perhaps an early iteration of Freemasonry. Abraham wasn't a Jew: Judaism doesn't begin until Jacog wrestles with the angel to become Israel, but Melchizedek set that process in motion.

And, just for the record, Jacob's latter is a vision of the epistemology in the Lord's Prayer describing the processes of the scientific method, the transfer of the a priori in "Heaven" (or Plato's realm of the Forms) to practical expression in the physical universe.

In terms of the scientific method, the Resurrection of Jesus validates the God Hypothesis and makes it possible for believers to factor infinities out of their observations of the physical universe and allows them to establish a calculus on the same basis as atheist and evangelical anti-theists like Richard Carrier, Isaac Newton being the ultimate expression of that tradition of epistemological inquiry that defines the epistemology of Kant's Catagorical Imperative.

I've been working on the premise of Cornelius as the author of Mark since 1990: I am in no hurry to publish.

And, just for the record, I have had an increasingly active and satisfying working relationship with the Holy Spirit since 1954, so Carrier's Bayasian conceits are entirely wasted on me.

You, of course, are free to consume any bilge that satisfies your narcissism.

#transformingamericafirst

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tuthillscopes-blog · 7 years

Text

American Religion Has Never Looked Quite Like It Does Today

check it out @ https://tuthillscopes.com/american-religion-has-never-looked-quite-like-it-does-today/

American Religion Has Never Looked Quite Like It Does Today

Nearly a hundred years after German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche first announced&nbsp”God is dead,&rdquo TIME magazine released a controversial cover on its April 8, 1966 edition using the related provocative question: &ldquoIs God dead?”

Both Nietzsche and TIME were going through the prominence of God in people’s lives, and whether religiosity was decreasing within the society. Half a century later, religion experts continue to be grappling with this question, although the context has drastically altered.

TIME

By many people measures, religious practice and affiliation has greatly declined within the U . s . States within the last half a century. But spirituality, religion&rsquos free-spirited brother or sister, seems to become as strong — if not stronger — than ever.

Here&rsquos a glance at a few of the ways religious practice and belief have altered within the U.S. the final half a century, and also the trends that will continue to evolve:

Belief in God has wavered.

Igor Zhuravlov via Getty Images

In 1966, some 98 percent of american citizens stated they deemed in God, according to a Gallup survey. When Gallup and Pew Research surveyed Americans in2014, the amount had dropped to 86 percent and 89 percent correspondingly. One of the youngest adults surveyed by Pew, individuals born between 1990 and 1996, the proportion of believers only agreed to be 80 %.

Some researchers argue the number has decreased due to the fact Americans tend to be more comfortable now compared to what they were within the 60s acknowledging they dont have confidence in God.

Christianity has declined.

Jupiterimages via Getty Images

In 1948, Gallup found that about 91 percent of american citizens recognized as Christian. Time required a large dip in subsequent decades and is constantly on the decline recently. From 2007 to 2014 alone, the proportion of american citizens who recognized as Christian fell from 78.4 % to 70.6 %.

A brand new religious group has emerged.

David Lees via Getty Images

Nearly one out of three Americans under 35 today are religiously unaffiliated, meaning they don’t recognize any formal religious group. In general, these nones comprise the second biggest religious group within the U.S. behind evangelical Protestants.

Spirituality has had center stage.

diffused via Getty Images

The word spiritual although not religious has emerged recently to explain how increasingly more Americans identify. Yes, religious affiliation has declined. But feelings of spiritual peace and wellbeing? Question concerning the world? Have significantly increased within the last decade across religious and nonreligious groups. Even one of the unaffiliated and individuals who say religion isnt particularly significant for them, spiritual sentiment is powerful and growing. And most 1 / 2 of atheists say they often feel a feeling of awe and question. Between 2007 and 2014, the proportion of atheists who stated they believed an in-depth feeling of question concerning the world every week rose a complete 17 points from 37 percent to 54 percent.

The significance of religion in Americans lives has shifted.

lolostock via Getty Images

In 2007, 56 percent of american citizens stated religion was essential within their lives. Measures of the question in the 1950s and 1960s demonstrated that in those days, over 70 % of american citizens stated religion was essential within their lives.

Church attendance has declined.

Terry Vine/J Patrick Lane via Getty Images

Inside a 1937 Gallup Poll,73 percent of Americans stated these were church people. That percentage fell close to 70 % within the ’60s and ’70s. Through the 2000s, time hovered around 60 %.

More women are entering the local clergy.

Fuse via Getty Images

In lots of Christian and Jewish congregations, the amount of clergywomen has greatly increased. Based on data in the Association of Theological Schools, women today constitute in regards to a third of seminary students. Three decades ago, women composed under a fifth of seminary students.This really is due mainly towards the fact thatit wasnt until afterWorld War II that lots of the bigger and much more prominent denominations startedallowing women’s ordination.The U . s . Methodist Church and just what would later end up being the Presbyterian Church USA ordained their first women ministers in 1965. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in the usa, Reform Judaism, and also the Episcopal Church adopted their leadin the first 1970s.

The religious right got organized.

Bloomberg via Getty Images

Contrary to public opinion, it had been segregation — and never abortion — that mobilized the religious in the actual 1960s and ’70s. In a number of proceedings, Paul Weyrich, a spiritual conservative political activist, labored to arrange evangelicals around segregation being an issue of religious freedom. A 1971 ruling in Eco-friendly v. Connally upheldthat racially discriminatory private schools couldn’t receive tax exemption “for charitable, educational facilities, and persons making gifts to such schools.” Weyrich yet others attempted to battle this by stating that because private schools received no federal funding, the federal government could not let them know how you can operate (ie. they might continue discriminating against Black applicants.)Seem familiar?

Before the 1970s, the connection between evangelical Christians and also the Republican party was minimal. In 2016, its difficult to assume a Republican party without its evangelical voting bloc.

We joined a period of interfaith engagement.

Wikipedia

In 1965, the Catholic Church required an enormous step for interfaith relations by publishing a document that acknowledged the divine origin of people. Within the decades after, interfaith engagement exploded within the U . s . States, using the founding of numerous organizations and conferences focused on multi-belief dialogue. The Council for any Parliament from the Worlds Religions formed in 1988 within the spirit from the first interfaith convention that happened a hundred years earlier, and groups like Interfaith Power &amp Light and Interfaith Youth Core emerged to herald a brand new millennium of interfaith work.

Non-Christian faiths have become.

Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Islam, Hinduism and many other non-Christian faiths have risen within the U.S. recently. This transformation when confronted with American religion may be partly due to the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965, which brought for an increase of immigrants from India along with other countries with large Hindu and Muslim populations.Pew Research predicts that by 2050, Muslims will exceed Jews as the second biggest organized religious group after Christians. Hindus will also be forecasted to increase from .7 % from the U.S. population to at least one.2 percent in 2050. People of other religions (a category which includes Sikhs, Wiccans and Unitarian Universalists) will also be likely to continue growing.

Islamophobia has risen dramatically.

John Moore via Getty Images

Anti-Muslim sentiment isn’t a new phenomenon within the U . s . States. For that first 1 / 2 of the twentieth century American courts frequently denied citizenship to Muslims and individuals perceived as being Muslim, based on legal scholar Khaled A Beydoun.

However, many believe that Islamophobia has risen in recent decades, mainly in the aftermath from the Sept. 11 attacks. Within the last couple of years anti-Muslim aggression has had a disturbing turn, with new occurrences being reported weekly.

Advocacy agencies were established for frequently targeted religious groups.

STAN HONDA via Getty Images

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, began in 1994 being an “organization that challenges stereotypes of Islam and Muslims.” The Sikh Coalition was created as a direct consequence from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and ensuing violence toward the countrys Sikh population. The Hindu American Foundation, an advocacy organization for that Hindu American community, began in 2003. Lady Liberty League, a company that fights for religious freedom for Wiccans, pagans, along with other nature religion practitioners, created in 1985. And other great tales.

The spirituality marketplace exploded.

Dougal Waters via Getty Images

From spiritual gurus, to self-help books, to wellness retreats, the market for spirituality within the U.S. has possibly never been so robust. The self-help industry, which frequently include alternative modes of spirituality together with motivational books and existence coaching, earns $13 billion a year by means of books, retreats, classes and much more. Within the last half a century, modern spiritual gurus like Deepak Chopra, Dr. Andrew Weil, Ram Dass, Eckhart Tolle, Oprah, Byron Katie, Marianne Williamson and numerous others emerged with a brand new prescription for well-being. Yoga grew to become a $27 billion industry using more than 20 million practitioners within the U.S. Meditation and mindfulness were quick to follow along with, gaining fans among major companies like Google, General Mills, Aetna and Goldman Sachs.

The Brand New Atheists grew to become a faith unto themselves.

Matthew Hertel via Getty Images

Non-believers will always be part of the American demographic, but atheists and humanists have possibly never been as organized, prominent and vocal because they are today. Though most of the largest organizations, like American Atheists, American Humanist Association, and Freedom from Religion Foundation, were established decades ago, the New Atheists emerged within the 2000s having a righteous, anti-religious fervor. Spearheaded by prominent British atheists Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, in addition to American atheist Mike Harris, the brand new Atheists have acquired a sizable following wanting to read their books, watch their debates and attend their conventions.

Megachurches have acquired recognition.

Connected PRESS

In 1960 there were only a number of places of worship that could be referred to as megachurches, individuals having a charismatic senior minister, an energetic social outreach ministry and a minimum of 2,000 guests in every weekend. By 2012, there have been roughly 1,600 megachurches within the U.S.

Americans aren’t always staying with the faith that they were elevated.

KristinaJovanovic via Getty Images

Pew Research found in 2014 that between 34-42 percent of yankee adults presently possess a religious identity not the same as the main one that they were elevated. (The amount depends upon whether Protestantism is treated like a single religious group or as three different traditions — evangelical Protestantism, mainline Protestantism and in the past black Protestantism.) 18 percent of american citizens who have been elevated inside a religion are actually unaffiliated, in contrast to just 4 % who’ve moved within the other way.

Spirituality found a house online.

John Lamb via Getty Images

Using the creation of computers, mobile phone applications and also the Internet, belief went more and more high-tech. To gain access to spiritual teachings and communities we want take a look at our mobile phones. Pew Research present in a 2014 survey that some 20 % of american citizens shared their faith online inside a given week. 60-1 % of millennials reported seeing others share their belief online. From Instagram accounts to podcasts to YouTube channels, there are other ways than ever before to locate and share spirituality.

The neopagan goddess movement emerged.

Reuters Professional photographer / Reuters

Although famous twentieth century occultists Aleister Crowley and Gerald Gardner had already died by 1966, the U.S. goddess movement was still being yet to completely blossom. Within the decades that adopted, American questionnable authors Starhawk and Margot Adler both printed seminal utilizes a nature religion priestess Selena Fox startedCircle Sanctuary the Covenant of the Goddess began a variety of traditions were established and also the first pagan seminary opened up its doorways.

In the centre of yankee faith’s evolution is exactly what religion journalist Krista Tippett calls a “proliferation of the way to interact spiritual practice.” Yes, you will still find Bibles in rooms in hotels, but you will also see yoga and meditation rooms in certain airports and Muslim prayer spaces on the majority of college campuses. What it really way to be spiritual — and just how that appears used — is quickly altering and diversifying. But instead of diminishing Americans’ belief, this modification can also be crystallizing certain core values, like service, community and link with something more than ourselves.&nbsp

Find out more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2016/04/11/american-religion-trends_n_9703648.html

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