#Revealed Religion

[phillipmedhurst]

Revealed Religion : Benjamin West. 099 of 100 Bible images

099 The Archangel Michael Binding the Devil The Archangel Michael Binding the Devil. 1777. Oil on canvas. 453.5 x 210.5 cms. Trinity College, University of Cambridge.

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#Apocalypse #Archangel Michael #Benjamin West #Bible #Devil #Phillip Medhurst #Revealed Religion #Revelation #Saint Michael #Satan #Trinity College Cambridge #war in heaven

[lovegrowsart]

it's pretty wild to me that people don't see that aang running off to save katara in CoD is his luke in empire strikes back moment, where he runs headlong into his want and attachment and he's narratively punished for doing so and not learning his lesson - aang runs after katara despite guru pathik's warning, like luke runs after leia and han from yoda on dagobah despite yoda's warning; similarly, as a result, things go to hell in ba sing se like they do on bespin - aang enters the avatar state before he's ready and gets killed, and ba sing se falls to the fire nation, luke fights vader before he's ready, loses a hand, and symbolically commits suicide after vader tells him he's luke's father.

the difference between their character arcs is that george lucas and co. actually went thru with luke's hero's journey and understood the fundamental difference between attachment and love, whereas I don't think bryke understood this difference and then dropped this from aang's arc pretty much completely and replaced it with aang digging in his heels into his want and attachment and he gets rewarded with energy bending from a lion turtle, the avatar state from a random pointy rock, and his forever girl from the self-indulgent white men that couldn't bring themselves to give their hero a compelling character arc that meant he might not have gotten everything he wanted at the end.

#the wasted potential of aang's arc gets to me so bad #the narrative and thematic set up is entirely there and they just shove it in the bin lmao #it especially irks as someone raised buddhist and dealing with writers that invoke these themes out of a fascination #with the religion and philosophy but then a complete unwillingess to actually commit to what those themes require of the character arcs #anyway sorry to say it #but zuko's arc does a better job embodying buddhist themes than aang's does in the end #despite all misappropriated aesthetics to the contrary #aang critical #but its really the writing like i LIKE aang i love his potential i hate how self indulgently he's written by the end of the show #atla critical #meta* #holly talks bs #also yes it would've been better narratively for aang katara zuko to the go the way of luke leia han #even if katara couldn't have been revealed as aang's surprise secret twin lmao #the thematic conceit of the triangle is the same in that luke and aang get over their infatuation with the first pretty girl he sees #and becomes the hero he needs to be #meanwhile hanleia and zutara are saving each other and being cool and kissing #anyway

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

I’m a bit surprised that the whole “Fyodor has a god complex” thing is so widespread. Asides from the fact that him seeing himself as a follower of god’s will is, well, canon, and in turn makes his use and control of others and eagerness to speak to Dazai, an “equal mind”, a neat juxtaposition, it also makes the whole Fyodor-Mykola dynamic so much more interesting.

If Fyodor sees himself as god, then his fascination with Mykola becomes the fascination one might have with a trapped, fluttering bug; Mykola’s fondness for Fyodor becomes devotion. But that’s not the dynamic they have at all.

Fyodor is an actor of god’s will. He does what is necessary, in his view, to create the order and perfection he thinks is inherent to God. “In opposition to God, you are fighting to lose sight of yourself” - is what he says to Mykola. “Splendid.” It is still said with the expectation he will fail, I believe. But it’s not said from some high vantage, just a certain interest at the futility of it all, but also an appreciation for, ironically enough, the clarity with which Mykola sees things. That freedom runs in opposition to Fyodor’s quest for perfection, but both goals lie in the capacity they share to see what lies beneath the surface of society like few else. And so Fyodor… just lets Mykola do what he wants, mostly. Mykola is a wild card; he helps the decay just as much as he acts independently. Fyodor is very direct with his control most of the time, but Mykola is not ensnared in Fyodor’s web, but in the web of God himself. Fyodor finds him intriguing. He indulges his quest for freedom. He indulges his silliness too.

And Mykola, who would commit acts of evil, acts he acknowledges as evil, just to break free of earthly bonds; to become someone un-beholden to society or morality or human attachment; he feels seen. He calls Fyodor his friend. He engages him, on friendly terms, in a way no one else does; with games, and no fear of contact. He feels understood, for once (look how quickly he throws his act up again when Atsushi cannot understand his fascination with birds) - and therein lies the problem. He is fighting to lose himself. Instead, Fyodor saw through him. ‘Found’ him, in a sense. And now Mykola has exactly what he was trying so hard to break free from - attachment to another; not the attachment of worship to a deity but the bond that comes from seeing and being seen. As screwed up as they both are, it’s just a friendship, plain and simple. But Mykola cannot lose sight of himself for as long as he is seen. So he has to die. Fyodor has to die because Mykola must do cruel, evil things if he is ever to be free of bonds, and expectation, and love, and the reflection that comes with someone knowing the depths of whatever remains of your soul.

And all the while, no matter how Fyodor wields his righteous hand and intellect and Mykola cuts and hacks at the strands of his still-beating heart in an attempt to grow wings, they both play by, in Fyodor’s eyes, the rules of God’s intent. Ultimately, they walk the same ground as the other.

#why the hell did this end up so stupidly flowery what happened to me #anyways again my views will probably change when more is revealed about them #but for now this is how I see it. there’s more to it but this’ll do for now. as always just fyi I know nothing about religion sorry #bsd #bsd fyodor #bsd hohol #fyolai #storyrambles #dan if you’re reading this if I misinterpreted your boy I’m sorry I slammed this out in a haze in about 10 minutes lol #there are probably some things I’m misremembering

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

"There's a distinction to be drawn between those who claim to have access to revealed truth and therefore claim to know what happens to us after we're dead on the basis of a text, whether it's a Koran or a Holy Bible, which is nonsensical.

If they want to believe it then fine but they mustn't push it down our throats and they mustn't tell me who I'm allowed to go to bed with and who I'm not allowed to go to bed with. It's not acceptable. Anybody who wants to tell me what happens to me after I'm dead is either a liar or a fool because they DON'T. KNOW."

-- Stephen Fry

It's not merely that they don't know, it's that they can't know.

#Stephen Fry #revealed truth #revelation #life after death #afterlife #bible #quran #christianity #islam #myth of an afterlife #religion #religion is a mental illness

[kaiasky]

its soooooo funny when protestants make a big deal about "heresies" like sometimes you see an article written by an author with a bio like. "Firstname Martins loves Jesus, walking with God, and helping others on the path to grace. They minister at the nondenominational Church of God's Love in Maine and..." and they're like. "72% of american evangelicals believe in Arianism!! which was clearly rejected by the council of nicaea!!!"

like buddy!!! ur whoooole fuckign thing is sola scriptura, a priesthood of all believers, a personal connection to god through the bible. the most famous thing martin luther ever said was "yeah dude, the councils and pope are contradictory, the only thing is scripture and the holy spirit revealing itself through human reason". ya dont get to complain when somebody says jesus was made and not begotten!

#kaia.mypost #if the unerring and infalliable bible revealed directly by god wanted to be more clear about the nature of jesus it would be. sorry dude #cw religion #cw christianity

[themoonking]

finally finished the priory of the orange tree after putting it off for like a year, and putting aside the fact that it's insanely boring, way too long, and the romance is lackluster, it certainly was a choice to, in a book at least in part about finding common ground and coming together, basically go "religion a is correct and good and its believers can continue on their merry lives, but religion b is a 100% incorrect wrong bad lie founded by a wrong bad misogynistic lying liar, and everyone who believes in it should convert and in fact we're going to end the book by heavily implying that the recently-converted queen is going to slowly but surely pressure the entire country to convert because their faith is wrong and bad". like that was certainly a decision that samantha shannon made.

#idk i don't love an entire religion being painted as objectively inherently bad and wrong #especially since none of the six virtue's actual teachings are that bad like #and also esp since the only other thing we learn about galian berethnet is that he was fucking r/ped by his own mother #and was so distraught upon learning this that he killed himself #the fact that aside from that its just like 'he was a lying liar who lies and hated women' just didn't sit right with me... #the priory of the orange tree #priory of the orange tree #the roots of chaos #anti booktok #samantha shannon #like the entire time before this was revealed i was like #'ah its so obvious - both faiths are going to end up being a little bit wrong and a little bit right' #'of course it will be revealed that cleolind and galian actually worked together to defeat the nameless one' #'and learning this will really press into the characters that they themselves need to work together to defeat him again' #but instead like???? #and like even with the kalyba stuff it would have been so easy you can say like: #cleolind and galian worked together but kalyba (canonically posessive and jealous and willing to do horrible things to keep galian w/ her) #uses her magic to make cleolind believe that galian betrayed her which she then goes and tells her priory #+ in an effort to keep as low a profile as possible for herself while disguised as cleolind she makes galian believe that he did everything #and when her disguise falls he's so distraught that he kills himself and so the only one who knows the truth is kalyba #who certainly has no motivation to reveal the truth

[theragamuffininitiative]

😅

#i let myself put words on an already words and y'all are being suspiciously quiet about it #which is fine don't get me wrong but like #very sus 🤣 #also going to say here on my own lil blog post that i do think there are many cults masquerading as christianity #i also think there are many churches that are christian in name that are instead cults #i have recently discovered how close i and my family were to falling into one #not like we were being led directly but like... #we were at a not safe distance going 'what a pretty mountain' and then while we wandered to a slightly safer distance #the mountain revealed itself as a volcano and exploded #like i can see and taste the ash but the lava flows didnt find me ya know? #anyways #had a recent discussion in sunday school about how there are several sects of religion that claim to worship and follow Jesus #but he is not the Jesus of scripture #and people have added doctrines to him often in works based salvation styles #of which latter day saints and jehovah's witnesses and several other things fall into #but so have the dangerously patriarchal fundamentalist churches #and we should just be very very very careful #that the God we are following is the one whose revealed word has withstood the test of thousands and thousands of years #and not a doctrine whose god and testimony cannot stand up to its own witness for a couple hundred years #ragamusings in the tags #my views on what makes good religion have so shifted in the past couple years #hopefully for the better and closer to the truth and further from what man has to say about it

[agentgreenbean]

not seein enough appreciation for paul billings!! literally such an interesting character

the way he follows the Pact so devoutly while also hiding an aspect of himself (violating the Pact by putting the Silo at risk) in order to protect his job and his family... it's a huge moral dilemma for him, and it's going to be really interesting to see what they do with that, especially if he starts to really question his loyalty to the Pact and the Founders

anyways idk why people aren't paying more attention to him as a character, he's a vital part of the show and has a lot of potential to be so interesting. he already is, but his story is just getting started, so it's only going to get better from here

#silo #silo apple tv #green speaks #silo spoilers #i just. like him <3 maybe its the moral dilemma thing. maybe thats why #also though. literally a character hiding a chronic illness in order to be able to keep his job and support his family #in a post-apocalyptic underground society where the Rulebook Of How To Live is almost like a religion to some people #and hes torn between self-preservation (as well as being able to serve the Silo) and following the Pact by revealing that hes sick #do you guys get it. are you seeing this

[phillipmedhurst]

Revealed Religion : Benjamin West. 098 of 100 Bible images

098 The Archangel Michael and the Dragon The Archangel Michael and the Dragon. 1797. Oil on canvas. 50 1/2 ins(128.3 cms) x 23 9/16 ins (59.8 cms). Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio. This canvas was a design for a stained glass window commissioned for Fonthill Abbey; it was never made as a window, however.

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#Archangel Michael #Benjamin West #Bible #Devil #dragon #Fonthill Abbey #Phillip Medhurst #Revealed Religion #Saint Michael #Toledo Ohio #war in heaven

[apollons-laurel]

Moving Lord Apollon’s statue into my music area has really helped me feel more aware of him especially as I’ve been feeling really disconnected lately

Now every time I go to play music I have a more physical reminder in front of me

He sits perfectly in the middle surrounded by some of my favourite music

#revealing to you guys that I enjoy kpop #apollo #apollo deity #apollo devotee #apollo worship #hellenic pagan #apollo devotion #apollon #hellenic pantheon #hellenic polytheist #hellenic polythiest #hellenic worship #hellenic devotees #hellenic religion #hellenic polytheistic #hellenic polytheism #hellenic devotion #hellenic gods #hellenic deities #lord apollon #apollon worship #apollon deity #lord apollo

[glassballdinosaurs]

Anyone else watch tadc and thought C&A stood for computing and analytics? No? Just me? I’ll see myself out

#ngl I didn’t think Cain & Abel #I didn’t grow up affiliated with religion tbf #I did grow up with a computer analytics father tho #tadc #maybe the c stands for cybernetics or cyberspace #cyberspace #or it’s like a brand of a computer game company like EA #I caught the last supper reference but that’s because of art school #it’s probably Cain and Abel (Caine and Bubble as I’ve seen theorized) #I also thought Pomni was making that expression at the dinner table bc of what she saw in the void #especially with Caine’s line ‘they’ll get totally spoiled’ #I guess most people understood it as Pomni finally grasping there’s no exit #I feel like Pomni’s just going to double down even harder #and she’ll probably ask Jax regarding the keys he has #Pomni tadc #Jax tadc #the amazing digital circus #I feel like episode 2 is going to reveal how Jax reacted to the inability to escape #and/or his interactions with the worm on a string character (I’m spitballing from that Gooseworx tumblr post) #or Jax and Pomni will search for an exit via his keys

[gamemakerm]

the book i have been proofing for work might be the first proofing project i give up on before the end of the book

#its not the worst thing i've ever read but also it's not very good #and the longer it goes on the worse it gets #unoriginal premise. quippy characters. too many characters introduced for no reason. characters retelling shit we just read over and over #there's at least three instances where a plot twist is revealed in an aside with the BBEG the chapter before it twists so it has no teeth #every woman is sex crazed (but don't worry its their religion/training/method of seduction/etc etc) #there have just been chapters where the protagonist and his love interest end up naked for basically no reason #also the most overt “the main character is autistic actually wait he has a demon in him eating his emotions” bullshit #not to mention the most ham-fisted attempts at representation that just feel disingenuous #they just introduced another set of characters doing a completely different thing from the main party and I DON'T CARE. SHUT UP #me gnashing my fucking teeth: if i was the editor i would have cut everything in this section and this one and this line sucks and #i only have a hundred pages left and if it dicked me around for 400 pages just to set up a sequel i will do a violence #AND THEY KILLED THE ANIMAL COMPANION. BEFORE HE EVEN GOT TO DO ANYTHING #DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ANYTHING? YOU NEVER KILL THE ANIMAL COMPANION. FUCK YOU

[littleskeletonprincessss]

Okay so it's very common for Mormons to get ice cream after General Conference or a dance or something and minus the knife that's what he looks like here.

#schlatt #jschlatt #mormon #religion reveal

[cherrycon-224]

christian merch

#hash tag religion reveal

[atherix]

With the pantheon, how do they effect the culture? Like how certain religions have certain standards/ beliefs/morales. Qnd how with the fae one, they keep their hair longer.

(I'm bad at phrasing questions so I hope that makes sense)

Ohohohoho I only have like ten minutes to answer this but here we go!

I lied, I saved it as a draft in the middle of answering this. I rambled so much-

Of course the Fae Pantheon has the hair thing, but the hair thing actually stems from something else- head coverings. Long hair is viewed as a "natural headcover," and elves with short hair actually wear headcovers/scarves! Not all elves are comfortable with long hair (whether their job/role in society is just not good for long hair or if they just in general don't like having long hair/feel physical or mental discomfort with it) and will opt for a headcover of some kind. It's viewed as being honorable/respectful, and is 100% a cultural thing and not at all related to their magic. There are followers of the Pantheon who opt out of this completely (for example, Tubbo has short hair and doesn't wear a headcover despite being part of the Pantheon) but yeah. Just a fun fact. But other than that, their teachings are big on things like honor and respect and family and community and responsibility; self sacrifice (for the right reasons) is something to be honored and respected (by other people) but is not something to be done lightly.

The Death Pantheon is extremely respectful, in general, to all living things and especially honors the dead- thus why Vampires are considered such an insult to the goddess, having denied themselves an honorable death and funeral in line with the beliefs of the Pantheon (generally, followers of Death would have funeral pyres, where their body is burned in the hopes that the smoke would guide their souls. Of course Vampires turn to dust when they die so can't have a funeral pyre). Zombies and Skeletons do not get the same rep, as more often than not they did not ask to be infected/cursed. (Hi, this fact should in fact give you a hint to something I cannot explain) Death is closely related to Destruction and can be self-harming as well as extremely harmful to others, so those who are part of the Death Pantheon and have Death magic are expected to hold themselves to high standards and learn self restraint. L'Manburg is a perfect example of what happens when someone with Death magic loses self restraint and control. ( :) ) They are also taught a bit of a symbiotic family-group type relationship; the strongest is meant to protect and care for those weaker than them, and in return the weaker among them swear loyalty to the protector. This is why they group up- Vampires into Covens and Angels/Lower Deities into Flocks and (sentient/hybrid) Zombies and Skeletons into Hordes. It's a very "we take care of our own" family-group type culture. The Illagers are a favored group of Naturals who follow Death, and even they fall into this family-group take-care-of-our-own mindset.

The Old Pantheon is, if you remember from Midnight Alley, a very, very exclusive Pantheon not because you have to be born into it but because it denies all other Pantheons (it was The First of the modern age, when people first started picking up the pieces again) and is very Humans Are The Chosen People (Hybrids came about during the Ancient period (they started as mobs/animals with human level intelligence and started taking on human characteristics, and eventually humans started taking on animal/mob characteristics as well) but unfortunately small vocal groups of people can be awful, thus why many hybrids would hide out or live in places that didn't have humans). Which makes situations like Tubbo, a Hybrid's bio parents followers of this Pantheon rather ironic and extremely sad. The Old Pantheon was good for one reason; it gave people hope for the future and guided them to rebuilding, but in the modern age of Hybrids and Magic and the Supernatural it just isn't a Pantheon that appeals to people anymore, and only a few (well, less than a thousand) people still follow. The good parts of this Pantheon focuses on community and loyalty, which unfortunately fostered a lot of Othering feelings.

The Moon's Pantheon is wild. The Moon god's favored being were wolves, who would sing to her every night. As the Moon is very wolf-centric for this reason, packs and families and "it takes a village" style parenting are at the forefront of the Pantheon, and loyalty and pride is serious- namely, on the pride front, having pride but not letting it consume you. Not all followers of this Pantheon are Werewolves (as there ARE Natural followers of each Pantheon as well). Of course, most Werewolves live in their own villages where they function at night, under the moon, and the Natural followers of the Moon also tend to live nocturnally. That being said, Naturals are not welcome in Werewolf villages unless they come with the intention of joining and becoming a Werewolf. (This is where you should be side eyeing Ren and Martyn.)

The Sun's Pantheon is quiet and low-key. Its followers wake up early to welcome the rising sun but they don't communicate with their god or anything like that. No, they kinda like... literally just worship the sun. They don't even know if there's a god attached to it, all they know is they wake up and the sun rises and brings them warmth and light and chases away the monsters of the night. The only thing a follower of the Sun is expected to do is greet the sun in the morning and bid it farewell in the evening, that's it. Nothing on morality or values or how they live, just greet the giant ball of fire and gas that gives us light, as if if they don't it won't rise again.

The Watchers you have to be brought in by a trusted member. It's very exclusive. I can't actually... explain a lot about the Watchers and their values/morals because it will be important later, and what they actually do I can't explain because it would be hella spoilers, but the tenets are very "community/chosen family" oriented; "Find your people." They're meant to protect their own and be loyal and faithful to those they choose to be "their people," which as we know wasn't always the case and still isn't in some communities.

Listeners are extensions of the Watchers, a special group who can sense/communicate with them, even when they're not physically there. (Again, you need to be side-eyeing Ren and Martyn here.) If the stars are the Watchers' eyes, the Listeners are their ears. They are meant to be loyal to the Watchers and are often meant to be silent, so they can serve their purpose without distraction. Listeners are a class of Observant, but they are very much so a servant-type class, their natural ability to connect the Watchers in [redacted] to the Natural world being desired and necessary. They're expected to travel the world so the Watchers can learn and, well... watch over everything.

Creation... well, Creation is just that. The First after Fate. The one who created the Natural world (or what we would call the Overworld in-game). No one follows this Pantheon anymore as all information about it was lost over the tens of thousands of years of known history (and however long it was before that), but there's still a sense of respect for it as everything around them, their entire lives, are all thanks to this long lost Pantheon. It was based in honor and respect for all things, whether living or not.

Destruction, well, I really can't explain that one right now. That one will be explained in-story, because there is a complicated-as-fuck situation going on here.

The Nether god created the Nether as an attempt at finding a peaceful place away from the Warden's wrath. Unfortunately, the Nether god was only a child of Creation and was, specifically, a volcanic god... so it could only create something volcanic. Thus came a world of magma and volcanic rock. It was utterly inhospitable for humans, which led humans to fear and revile it, until it was a forgotten piece of their history. Creatures found their way there and adapted, though, and Piglins evolved from the common pig and built societies, which pleased the Nether god. Unfortunately, some of the creatures that found their way there weren't so peaceful and honorable and wanted to find a way back... :)

What created the End? No one knows. Humans discovered it so long ago and explored it at the height of their technological advancements. Some never left. Strangely enough, prior to humans finding their way to the End, there were no Endermen in the Natural world... That being said, Endermen worship something. No one really knows what. It could be some kind of Creation god or it could be the Void that surrounds it all, it could be the Dragon they've bound at the heart of the dimension. Eye contact is disrespectful among Endermen and Enderman-related Hybrids, and generally non-Endermen (who will naturally avoid eye contact with each other) would wear a mask or veil to keep from accidentally making eye contact.

The Void... well, it's a defunct Pantheon now, but it was about community and loyalty, as many Pantheons are. Its followers would bring offerings- often bundles of food, sometimes things like precious stones and metals- to places that claimed to have access to the Void itself. Its people were generally hardy and faithful, with a strong work ethic. Of course, though, it had its... groups. Worship was generally held in small community houses or around a shrine... if you saw a giant temple dedicated to the Void, it was best to avoid it lest you become the offering.

Fate is Fate. Fate controls the fate of all things, and is one of the hardest things to defy. There's arguments on whether you CAN defy it, if you even have free will to stray from the path it sets out. There's debate on whether or not Fate maps out everything or just key points- if the journey to get to the end point even matters. No one knows Fate. Everyone is bound to it. Even the gods. Fate came into being when there was nothing at all, and set the wheels in motion for everything that came after. No one can even agree on if Fate is actually a god or just a concept. Many people don't even believe in Fate. Certainly, with a god out there who plans out all the paths and every turn the world can take- surely a god like that would never allow the Warden to come to be. Well, one thing's for certain among those who do believe in Fate; it doesn't like to be challenged.

I spent way too long on this :o I hope this answered... anything at all honestly, I had fun rambling about them~

#ask #Midnight Series #do I need to CW religion for this? #hhhh #You have no idea how much I've been waiting to say that the elves actually wear headcovers of some kind #whether it's just their hair being long or a veil or something #though it's not actually a requirement it's just considered appropriate and respectful to the Fae god #nothing to do with modesty and everything to do with culture #but anyway hi yes finally the reveal of why long hair is actually important to the elves #long post #VERY long post #I'm not joking I didn't even talk about every single Pantheon #inthe time it took me to write this I have gotten 84 new things on my dash and a new ask #MidnightLore

[weed-cat]

look. it's fine and honestly healthy to be critical of gender-specific modesty expectations. but westerners need to finish up with free the nipple before they rip into other cultures' modesty expectations of women.

#like. you have fucking work to do in your own backyard #and the fixation on middle eastern/asian cultures and religions #reveals that you care more about talking down to muslims orthodox jews and christians and brown people #than actually promoting a culture where women don't have to hide their bodies.