#Religious scholar

[apollolewis]

One goal I in life I have is to become somewhat knowledgeable in all religions in the world. I know a bit about the major religion in the world currently, I know the most about Christianity and Judaism since both of these share a lot of mythology, I know a bit about Islam mostly early history and some modern traditions. I know a bit about Buddhism and Shintoism, and a bit less about Taoism. The one major religion I really want the time to learn more about is Hinduism. I love learning about cultures and religion is a big part of traditions that a culture has.

I tend to read through religions in the view of a religious scholar or anthropologist. This is how I tend to view all religions I want to learn about and study. I’m not the most religious person in fact I’m agnostic but I think learning about other religions is a good step into understanding foreign culture and being tolerant of religions outside of your own.

#world religions #religious scholar #anthropology #mythology #culture #major religions

[journey-to-the-goddess]

Jesus is a complicated figure. Many claim to know who the real Jesus was by what he said and did or was said about him. Yet, there’s much more to him than meets the eye. 

When it comes to his interactions with women, it turns out Jesus was pretty radical. Examining his words and actions through the lens of ancient gender relations, my guest Dr. Hannah reveals a Jesus whose ministry supported the dignity and full humanity of women, other marginalized groups, and the Earth. 

I’m thrilled to dive deeper into this version of Jesus LIVE on my YouTube show with my guest, Dr. Hannah Irish.

We’ll be joined by a fellow colleague and former Journey to the Goddess TV guest, Dr. Cindy Caldwell. 

WHEN: Friday, July 14th @ 6pm PST / 9pm EST.

WHERE: Journey to the Goddess TV on YouTube. Link in my Bio. Subscribe and hit the notification bell to be alerted when we go LIVE

#jesus was a feminist #feminist theology #womensspirituality #women of the Bible #progressive christianity #religious scholar #feminist religious scholar #jesus was pro-woman

[deep-space-lines]

okay but like. I just had the weirdest thought about that ‘don’t look I’m naked’ comic. Which is that that’s essentially the same thing Adam and Eve did after they ate the fruit of knowledge of good&evil. So I feel like the theological implications of that could kneecap Gabe if he doesn’t think V1 is a being with free will.

yeah ok. i dunno man. is this anything

((side note. this isn’t necessarily meant to be in-character or story-accurate or take place at any particular point in time, just a way to explore some Thoughts. i was also imagining more that V1’s words aren't actually spoken, more like Gabriel’s more articulate interpretation of whatever garbled mechanical noise V1 is using to communicate. I think an angel could do that.))

and then they fucked nasty the end

#my art #my writing #who fuckin sent this. fuck you. come off anon so i can kick your ass. (the thoughts this ask sparked consumed almost 3 days of my life) #i dont know what this even is #i just work here #disclaimer i don't come from a particularly religious background so like. #most of my knowledge of christianity comes from when my mom sent me to vbs for cheap babysitting in middle school or absorbed via osmosis #so i have no idea what im talking about except for when i do! hope this helps #i love how i say that like i expect biblical scholars to tear apart my ultrakill gay fanfiction #if you are a biblical scholar and you want to tear apart my ultrakill gay fanfiction please know i am not going to read the bible for this #ultrakill #v1 ultrakill #gabriel ultrakill #gabv1el #blood #love tagging ultrakill stuff with blood. hmm yes the floor here is made out of floor

[fecin-of-papir]

Hineni, my Lord

The Hebrew word Hineni (הנני), means “Here I am!” but it is a statement more than a simple "Here!" It is a way of expressing readiness to give oneself, an offer of total availability. In the Book of Isaiah, the prophet eagerly responds to God's call: And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I (hineni)! Send me.’ Isaiah 6:8 When God tested Abraham's faith, asking him to sacrifice his only son he answered. Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes,” he replied. “Hineni! (Here I am)”. Genesis 22:1, NLT. The phrase often appears in pivotal moments when profound change is about to take place in the lives of those responding to God.

The Lamb takes off their collar, offering their neck, bowing before the One Who Waits, ready to give their life for his freedom.

#true devotion #but make it literal #my art #cotl lamb #cotl fanart #cult of the lamb #cotl #sorry if i made a mistake i am no scholar by any means #but i love religious themes and devotion that corrupts and all the other tumblr buzzwords #i am not satisfied with the outcome of this wonky anatomy and the colors mainly but ive been sitting on it for way too long. so here it is

[gendervoid-zane]

In my Mystreet & MCD Rewrites, both Zanes are fat, however; their fatness(es?) represent different things ->

For Mystreet!Zane, it’s fatness represents its happiness and mental well-being. Less fat (but still not skinny) = bad mental health, more fat = good mental health.

While for MCD!Zane, his fatness presents his power and exactly how well off he is compared to the every day citizen of O’Khasis & other villages. And in the eyes of the every day citizen, his fatness also represents how close he is to Lady Irene. Because Irene is also fat in my rewrite and in Ru’an, fat people (especially babies who come straight out of the womb fat) are typically seen to be a blessing directly from Lady Irene and the other Divine Warriors.

#Aphblr #Zane Ro’Meave #Mystreet #MCD #Mystreet Universe Rewrite #MCD Series Rewrite #Also Mystreet!Zane uses it/its pronouns and MCD!Zane uses he/him & it/its pronouns #Also it/its pronouns do have connotations with Irene. it’s not uncommon for priests & religious scholars of Lady Irene #to add it/its (or she/her technically as well ) as a second set of pronouns #And when I mean by connotation I mean Irene uses it/its and she/her pronouns #In my rewrite :]

[karnaca78]

Micolash, Host of the Nightmare. Inspired by Christian saint iconography.

[It's a sketch, hopefully I won't be too lazy and I'll finish it...]

#bloodborne #bloodborne fanart #micolash #micolash host of the nightmare #from software #religious iconography #my art #digital sketch #of course this terrible scholar man is my favorite character in the game... #grant us eyes #lots of eyes

[skyeventide]

the worst part of Tolkien scholarship (well, one of them) that I've read is how often his themes and classical receptions (say, for example, the reversed Prometheus story of the Thangorodrim rescue) are explained and talked about as if Tolkien is actively correcting and/or improving on the original because his framework is Christian.

I recently read this paper that drew a number of parallels between Troy and Gondolin, Aeneas and Tuor, and concluded with the argument that Tuor's narrative exceeds that of Aeneas because his man-elf marriage with Idril means a union of body and spirit, and therefore is more all-encompassing in themes than what happens to Aeneas (whose wife Creusa dies, and he's left to go on with his father and his son — in the paper interpreted as Aeneas losing his "present" and being left solely with the past, the father, and the future, the son). this paper's focus was pietas, the Roman virtue of loyalty and obedience to family, your lord, the homeland, and the gods. and it's incredible how much, in fact, Tuor's piety shrinks his character compared to Aeneas. there is a straightforward "goodness" in Tuor (not least because his enemy, Morgoth's armies, is unequivocally evil), his participation in the narrative of fate to which both he and Aeneas are destined is never suffered, never complicated; and this is of course also because his religious narrative and piety have Tolkien's framework. they're Christian and they're good for that reason, and I don't recall a single instance of Tuor struggling against that piety, certainly not at the level of Aeneas, who must do as the gods ask, willing or not. the Roman pietas is rendered unproblematic, unambiguous. on the level of character depth, there is no engagement with the fate narrative and the knowledge of being part of it. it's easy because it's good, because the character is good, and it's good because it's divine. easy as that.

it's always better to have a story with a wife who doesn't die for futile reasons, but the claim that Tolkien's narrative exceeds the Virgilian one is spurious on a character level, and is also entirely predicated on the idea that the nature of piety, of estel if you will, (and of Tolkien's worldbuilding/worldview/culture), is inherently better and more complete than the nature of pietas (and of the Virgilian worldbuilding/worldview/culture). when that is simply not true. they diliver different messages and have different strengths. the meaning of pietas is changed, but it's not bettered, corrected, or exceeded. I haven't by any means read enough scholarship to make sweeping statements about the entirety of it but damn fam drop the "lesser pagans are reinterpreted in a better way" attitude; there's a severe need for religiously neutral analysis for Tolkien that doesn't do that.

#if you're wondering yes the scholar taught at a religious university #JRR Tolkien #Vergilius #Tuor #Aeneas #dare I say not just religiously neutral but also actively atheist

[yifftwiceplz]

in catholicism you tell the priest your sins and are forgiven in baptism you get dunked in the naughty tank and youre forgiven but at its core its the same

#its actually not but my god i cannot be known as religious scholar dave

[fission-mailure]

I mean, on the bright side, with the introduction of Time Fruits, the Fruits That Are Also Time, in the Ever After, RWBY does now have a way to reverse Jaune’s years of isolation. It’s not unreasonable to think that if there’s a fruit that reverses time for everything except the holder, then there’s also one that reverses time for the holder but not everyone else.

On the dim side, I’m pretty sure they won’t do that since the whole theme of this volume is ‘you cannot rid yourself of the bad things in your past, because they’re a part of who you are.’ Like -- Weiss can’t rid herself of Jacques, that’s a part of her; Blake can’t just get rid of her time in the White Fang and her feeling of being caught between two worlds, that’s a part of her; Ruby pawning off Summer’s emblem isn’t really a liberating moment of freeing herself from the shackles of the past, it’s presented as her carving off pieces of her identity.

And that’s ultimately the source of the conflict between the Cat and Jaune, right. To the Cat, it’s entirely reasonable that when the past catches up with you and you start to tire, that you just remove the baggage and refashion yourself into something new (even if, as he points out, your heart still remembers). To Jaune, that’s just dying, erasing who you were from the world.

So we’re still kind of in the position of ‘what happened to Jaune is irreversible’ because even if he does somehow magically get rewound, apart from being a betrayal of his own ethics, his experiences will still be there, engraved on him. Even the Cat admits that you can’t ever fully get rid of who you were. And we’re now seeing that actually, the damage to Jaune is worse than we previously thought. Because the Cat’s right, he’s not entirely sane anymore. His own story shows that: He willingly drank poison because he was terrified that he was somehow ruining Alyx’s story.

(Which also raises an interesting point for either Alyx or Lewis, whichever one of the siblings is the one who escaped. They wrote a story about their experiences, but cut out not just the bad parts, but an entire person, essentially trying to edit their own past, and now I’m even more sure that one of them is part of Salem’s inner circle. After all, Salem can sympathise with wanting to rewrite your past.)

#rwby #jaune arc #and if they are a part of salem's circle then actually lewis would probably make more sense #because her circle is chess themed #salem is the queen #watts the bishop #tyrian the knight #hazel the rook #cinder the pawn on her way to the end of the board to become a second queen #mercury emerald and leo are pawns #but sides in chess have two rooks knights and bishops of each colour #who better to be the second bishop than mathematician and religious scholar lewis carroll

[couslande]

it’s kind of insane that so far I cannot think of weird shit in inquisition to chew on which is weird because plot wise it seems perfect for it

#like there’s the obvious religious horror of it all #but there’s not a lot that makes me want to chew on the society #text #so far any way if any inquisition scholars want to enlighten me please of #do*

[remma-demma]

I think I’ve always known this instinctually since playing shadowbringers but going back and reading the lyrics to To the Edge and Shadowbringers really punches you in the gut with “THIS IS A BIBLICAL ALLEGORY” but like, in a fun supernatural esq way. Not even mentioning all of the allusions in Pandaemonium and it’s songs (hell, the name itself)

They literally name drop Paradise Lost in shadowbringers 😔

If you want to hear some examples they’re in the cut below.

From Shadowbringers (in general)

-obsession with sin

-angels being corrupted by light

- Ascians straying from God’s Light ™ (Hydaelyn)

- I guess this makes Hydaelyn God ™, Elidibus Lucifer (bright one), Zodiark Satan and….. the wol Jesus???? I fucking guess?????

- Ascians being Upsetti Spaghetti that Hydaelyn (god) chose humanity over them. (Although there were extenuating circumstances understandably, we Stan Hydaelyn in this household.)

Shadowbringers (Song)

- Here proud angels bathe in their wages of blood (rejoinings)

- This entire part (demons being agents of free will (authors of their own fates), defiance, literally name dropping paradise lost)

- HOOOOOOME (isn’t the whole point of demons that they want to recreate their life before they fell but like. In a way that says fuck god tho)

- We fall (pretty clear allusion)

To the Edge

- Like broken angels, wingless, cast from heavens gate (obvious) (also: no longer shall man have wings to carry him. Henceforth he shall walk)

- We only fly when falling, falling far from grace (also obvious)

- Scions and Sinners

- This (isn’t casting stones a biblical thing? Also lambs being gods children and being led to the slaughter because they have no free will and AT THE MERCY OF THOSE WHO PLY THE SWORD. SUNDERING, BABY!!)

- On hands and knees we pray to gods we’ve never seen (not necessarily a biblical thing except for praying but I would like to point out this is probably about zodiark because they had no idea if it would actually work.)

Bonus: Pandaemonium

(Warning here’s where a lot of the references are things I probably won’t get but I’ll try my best. Also obviously there’s a shit ton of Greek mythology references but I’ll ignore those for now.

- Name, obvious. All Demons, Lucifer’s palace in Paradise Lost / hell’s capitol.

- You go there with Elidibus :3

- Prison for Bad Things (hell)

- some of the arenas are called *blank* purgatory

- When the castle gets teleported to the source in the third tier it’s literally called The Dæmons Nest. Okay. (Also the theme for the gate is called “Where Dæmons Abide”)

- Just. Every lyric from Hic Svnt Leones. Really let’s you know You’re in Hell Now! Enjoy being tortured for eternity! Bye bye now!

- Same goes for Scream. “Fractured will” “With each bite does your sanity die” “say a prayer as the light leaves your eyes. Scream all you like your gods can’t hear you”

- More hell vibes from White Stone Black

- One Amongst the Weary/The Tireless One, false prophets, manipulating the masses, etc etc.

- Fleeting moment… BWAHHHHH. If To the Edge was fighting Lucifer, king of Demons, this is fighting Lucifer, God’s favorite little meow meow. (Hmm.. they both wear white robes…) Something something balance because he’s been both the Most Pure ™ and the Most Corrupted ™. ALSO sorry if I’m mistaken but wasn’t Lucifer described as like the hottest most prettiest most attractive person ever. I mean, look at him. He’s so gender it’s crazy.

Unrelated to biblical stuff but I can’t help but want to make lyrics for that song that are happier than those of To the Edge :( Something about Hope and Balance and “I will never die” (sure buddy keep telling yourself that)

#I am not a biblical scholar or even really religious but I was raised catholic and watched a fuck ton of supernatural #and I’ve heard about paradise lost and what it entails (I know its not biblical canon but it’s culturally canon) #ffxiv #shadowbringers #Elidibus #emet selch #wol #Pandaemonium #endwalker #hydaelyn #venat #Themis #paradise lost #I kissa u #(lidibus) #final fantasy #final fantasy 14 #my post

[fideidefenswhore]

'AB should have stayed on cromwell's good side and supported his policy, which she believed unduly favoured those of the realm who were already wealthy and would disadvantage the poor'...........you are not serious people.

#cromwell was the servant of the crown; not the other way around. like #the way this conflict is discussed...lmao #i wish she had stayed on his 'bad side' but gained the advantage . we are not the same #also like what exactly is she supposed to have done; like it is all just simply...not ....realistic........ #should she have encouraged henry to promote him and then protested his policies? #because obviously any promotion was going to suggest her tacit approval of said policy #and thus! alienate latimer and all the religious men and scholars she had patronized who were in agreement ; who were her supporters #where cromwell wasn't.... #that is simply not how royal favour worked . #you did not grant the favour and then hope for the best . #it was edward seymour who benefited from the dissolution; like... #i find it admirable that she stood for her principles when remaining silent might have satisifed the nobility who wanted the gains #she warned and censured about the direction it seemed to be going #whereas her successor didn't say boo on the matter until five months into her own queenship #AFTER her family had already directly benefited from the dissolution.

[pippinscribs]

On a d20 kick and watching Crown of Candy and dammit what does Zac Oyama put into his characters

#a religious scholar who may or may not actually be religious #that’s my kind of shit #he had it from the moment he and Theobald argued #lapin cadbury #zac oyama #dimension 20 #a crown of candy

[scurvyratt]

Although I didn't like the way Said died, I do think that the only way his story could have ended "happily" was with his own death.

So to explain, Said was a jihadist imo. I know that term has an extremely negative and violent connotation these days, but I don't think that he was a terrorist or extremist lol. Jihad has nothing to do with terrorism: "In its most general meaning, jihad refers to the obligation incumbent on all Muslims, individuals and the community, to follow and realize God’s will: to lead a virtuous life and to extend the Islamic community through preaching, education, example, writing, etc." Many Muslims also refer to jihad as a struggle against oppression. So not every Muslim is a jihadist, but I think Said is due to the fact that he is an imam and civil rights leader.

There are also the concepts of "lesser jihad" and "greater jihad". Lesser jihad is more of a physical battle against those who are oppressing you or committing wrong doings. We can see this in Said when he partakes in the riot for example. Greater jihad is an inward battle against oneself. The struggle against greed, lust, ego, selfishness, evil, etc. There's a ton of examples that can be used for this, especially in the last two seasons when he loses it after he kills Adebisi lol. Also when he gives up on pursuing Cutler's (ex) wife for his cause.

Nowww how does this relate to his death? Well, being a martyr is also a big deal in Islam. Muslims believe that there are seven levels of heaven, and that those who die as martyrs automatically go to the highest level. There are many different ways that one can die as a martyr in Islam, such as dying during child birth or dying while fighting for your independence (everyone who has been killed in the current Palestinian genocide is considered a martyr). But another way, is to die in the pursuit of jihad.

I don't even know what I'm talking about anymore lol, but I think that death as a martyr was like, the perfect death for Said since he was so committed to his jihad, his people, and fighting for civil rights. Also because he could be very self righteous and wanted to be seen as a hero (though I do think he changed in the later seasons, especially after Adebisi. Me doing a character analysis when I don't even remember what happened ijbol). I don't think that any other ending would have been satisfying for him because his ultimate desire was for liberation/equal rights/justice, etc. and like obviously that will never be achieved lol....

Also yes, I do think that Said would probably be considered a martyr since he mainly dedicated his life to Islam and educating/helping others (even tho he was kinda a flop tbh...) and he was assassinated. I mean he even gave up the opportunity to leave prison just so he could stay with his boyfriend Arif the other Muslims.

I know some people say that Said's death was fitting for the show (sudden, random, and by a stranger) but likeeeee. Idk I just did not gaf about that Idzik dude like come on they couldn't have come up with anything else?

Source: https://www.unaoc.org/repository/Esposito_Jihad_Holy_Unholy.pdf

#oz #hbo oz #Plz its licherally 3am if this is incoherent or if there's typos that's why #I'm just a random muslim girl not some religious scholar soooo #I've been dwelling on the idea for like a week but was struggling to organize my thoughts #I need to rewatch the whole show so that I can get a clearer picture on the situation #Hopefully when I reread this in the morning it won't sound totally stupid lmao

[thebookoffrank]

Day 4/100: Holy Friday + Seder 🏹

I began my day by singing an Ecumenical Good Friday Service in my university's chapel... some genuinely gorgeous and haunting music. I adore festive services for how moving they usually are.

Later, I (late) celebrated Seder with my friends, and spent time with them next to the canal. I am enamoured by the weather these days, I hope it lasts in all of its splendour.

Thought I had a bad bout of hay fever, turns out I've just likely caught something nasty. I do hope whatever it is, it doesn't disrupt my life too much...

Today's stats:

🎧 - John Sanders: The Reproaches

📖 - Viktor E. Frankl: Man's Search For Meaning / R. F. Kuang: The Dragon Republic.

Daily weather: ☀️ Deceptively warm...

(PS: the list of tags is gigantic and absurd but I am trying so hard to find like-minded individuals on the hellsite so bear with me!)

#studyblr #studying #studyspo #study inspo #study motivation #reading #100 days of productivity #100 days of studying #productive #academia #light academia #university studyblr #dark academia #biblical studies aesthetic #biblical scholar #undergrad student #undergraduate #new testament #dark academism #religious dark academia #religious academia #donna tartt #dark academia aesthetic #theology #holy friday #holy week #chorister #church chorister #religion student

[the-monkey-ruler]

Which major characters were created just for the novel and later became worshipped?

Well considering that most of the cast is already full of deities that are worshiped in other Taoism, Buddism, or Chinese folklore I can't really say that the novel created any new characters considering that Wu Cheng'en was taking these already popular stories and legends and just fitting them in a consumable narrative for the public to enjoy.

So short story.... none?

Long story...

I'll say this, I'm not sure if the publication of Wu Cheng'en's version of Xiyouji was the catalyst for making deities like Sun Wukong or Zhu Bajie more well-known or if they were already set practices around that time and place and that the novel created a more 'canon' lore to follow. That sounds more like a historical question if anything that should be looked into like... academic articles would best answer when it comes to early Chinese religious practices.

I know that Sun Wukong was already worshiped before the publication, though I am not sure how widespread the practice was. There are shrines to his earlier name Qi Tian Da Sheng or Sun Xingzhe that are still present today. These acts of worship probably are what lead to including a monkey acolyte in XuanZang's first pilgrimage. From there his name became more widespread and a lot of the modern shrines today are made in the last century or so.

Zhu Bajie was already created before Wu Cheng'en's publication, seen as a deity that is the Taoist marshal Tian Peng Yuan Shuai. Again, I am not aware of how widely known he was but I knew today that Zhu Bajie has been seen as a patron protector for sex workers in Taiwan.

Sha Wujing has legends that he is based upon a sand deity that protected XuanZang when he went to India to fetch the scriptures, a Japanese Buddhist source claiming that he was an avatar of King Vaisravana. I am not sure if this has a lot of bases but he wasn't created for the purpose of the novel at least.

All that being said, all these characters already had creditable backgrounds that were used within the novel but I don't doubt that the publication of the novel is what has kept their legends alive to this day.

Xiyouji is all about religious meanings from many different aspects so it's not crazy to think that Wu Cheng'en was able to find and re-work already established figures into his narrative to create a memorable impression of these deities to new generations.

#journey to the west #xiyouji #wu cheng'en #anon ask #anonymous #anon #another question better to be answered by a scholar of religious studies #zhu bajie #sha wujing #ask