#religion-for-sale

[thewitchfarhan]

[An update on this post]

I finished crafting my info sheets for, who I lovingly refer to as “τὸ τρεισκαίδεκα” - tò treiskaídeka - the thirteen (aka the 12 Olympians).

DM me for the non-watermarked versions or info sheet requests for other Gods/Deities 📥

#religion for sale #religion-for-sale #witchblr #pagan #paganblr #queer witch #wiccablr #hellenic pagan #hellenic community #hellenic devotees #hellenic religion #hellenic polytheism #hellenic deities #the 12 olympians #12 olympians #apollo #lord apollo #hermes #lord hermes #hestia #lady hestia #zeus #lord zeus #aphrodite #lady aphrodite #ares #lord ares #athena #lady athena #artemis

[kleio-scrolls]

For the pantheon asks: Hephaestus & Hestia 🥰

Oooh someone actually asked. I'll answer with pleasure !

Hephaestus: If you could learn a skill instantly, what would you choose ?

I'm between art and languages to be honest with you.

I would like to just instantly know how to paint with oil paints on canvas, I know how to draw a bit but when it comes to passing it to a canvas and actually put colours on it stresses me a bit out because it never comes out as I imagine. For the languages part, I'm a fast learned for a new idiom or dialect but I almost never have someone to train/learn with, so learning them alone becomes very hard sometimes (specially when it doesn't even have the same alphabet). Tried to learn Latin alone (had some old books that belonged to my mother around the house) and boy was that a doozy. Not that difficult because it is close to my own language but some verbs are still hard. So yeah, I would like to know any type of language almost instantly.

Hestia: Where do you most want to live ? Mhmm... Now this one is pretty hard to respond to. I like where I live ( even though it's the best part of a bad neighborhood but who are we without violence in our veins ) though, I almost always imagine me out of here. Just not sure where. Somewhere green maybe, a friendlier place.

Me and a friend of mine sometimes fantasize about not telling anything to anybody and just run away to Scotland or Ireland and leave our lives behind, when things get stressful of course. But it wouldn't be a bad idea in the grand scheme of things I think.

#kleio-scrolls responds #religion-for-sale #this is more fun than I though #keep the questions coming dear mutuals

[daily-trey]

Boo!

Ko-fi

#twisted wonderland #trey clover #twst #twst fanart #spectral soiree event #illustration #my religion is trey's smirk emoji thank you amen #not done w this but whatever i need to go get that sweet sweet candy sale right now

[heresylog]

“Be who you are and be that well.” —St. Francis de Sales

#catholic #christianity #religion #not heresy #st francis de sales

[one-time-i-dreamt]

I was declared redneck Jesus at a yard sale.

#dream #religion #jesus #yard sale

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

#Black Friday #Black Friday sale #Thanksgiving #Thanksgiving Day #LOL #funny #religion is a mental illness

[faggymutt]

why would god give us trump? - clips from ‘the good news’ and photo from ‘the life millennium’

i’m not religious, but recently a protestor dropped off ~50 copies of a religious newspaper on our campus. i grabbed all of the copies i could find, burnt most of them, and kept a few to turn into art. all of the text featured on this comes directly from ‘The Good News,’ a far right, ultra conservative, religious paper. i didn’t have to dig far to find hatred and vitriol.

#dex.art #ftm ns/fw #queer ns/fw #t4t nsft #ftm puppy #t4t ns/fw #art for sale #ftm artist #ftm art #religious trauma #religion #collage #multimedia #mixed media

[facetsofthejewel]

New Artwork: Last Call Angel!! Original Artwork, Prints and Apparel: 1-shannon-hedges.pixels.com

#shannon hedges #pop art #illustration #street style #queer artist #gay art #city life #tattoos #mythology #religion #gay bar #beefcake #muscle #art for sale #lgbtq

[cubed-coffee-creations]

Angel Furby on my Etsy

#furby #furblr #furby community #furby fandom #furby love #my furby #custom furby #angel furby #religion cw #handmade furby #etsy #furby for sale #cubedpost

[foreverpraying]

Source of picture: https://traumacatholic.tumblr.com

Source of picture: https://cristianocattolico1.tumblr.com

“Let God be the air in which your heart breathes at ease.” St. Francis de Sales

#assistance of God #quotes #St. Francis de Sales #Let God be the air in which your heart breathes at ease #Let God be the air #air #heart #breath #breath at ease #at ease #God #Jesus #Christ #Jesus Christ #Father #Son #Holy Spirit #Holy Trinity #christian religion #faith #hope #love #stress reliever

[personal-blog243]

I am not particularly interested in discourse surrounding sex slavery that doesn’t acknowledge the gender disparity. Most of the statistics that I’ve seen suggest that most non-consenting sex trafficking victims are young females and femmes. I am not interested in discourse that isn’t through a LOUDLY feminist lens on this issue.

There are enough movies about middle aged, cis-het, white male cops and spies getting to play savior to claim the issue for republicans and even “Christianize” it. Im tired of leftist women being falsely accused of “not caring” about this issue because of the way it has been co-opted.

Where is a movie about the actual victims fighting back??? Oh wait, that would be the handmaids tale which actually appeals more to a target demographic of younger women and is less friendly in its portrayal of religion.

For the record, I have not seen “The Sound of Freedom” or “Priceless”, but I did watch “Taken” so please let me know if I’m wrong about these movies I haven’t seen.

#taken #the sound of freedom #priceless #Christianity #religion #politics #feminism #feminist #republicans #acab #fuck 12 #1312 #black girls matter #modern day slavery #copaganda #sexism #sexist #not for sale #feminist movies #film industry #Hollywood #liam neeson #intersectional politics #intersectional activism #intersectional social justice #intersectionalfeminist #intersectionality #intersectional feminism #movie recommendation #intersectional feminist

[thewitchfarhan]

A Daily Invocation for Offerings to Hestia

Hestia First and Last…

O Hestia,

Thea of the Holy Hearth

Goddess and Protector of the Home.

If I have ever felt the warmth of a fire or the comfort of candle flame - I ask that You hear me now.

I offer these chores, these acts of domesticity, to You.

I hope You accept these offerings and that they bring You joy.

Do Et Des.

I give so You may give.

- Religion-For-Sale

#religion for sale #religion-for-sale #witchblr #pagan #paganblr #queer witch #hellenic pagan #hestia #lady hestia #hestia worship #hestia devotee #hestia devotion

[lukapolphotostore]

Cathedral of Amiens. On sale on Gian Luca Garattoni EyeEm profile

#pic for sale #eyeem #amiens #france #cathedral #gothic architecture #christianity #religion #somme #hauts de france #picardie #photography #religious architecture #religious art #europe #northern france #street #street photography #wandererinwonder

[deathshallbenomore]

haha remember when in middle school i’d be repeatedly bullied for my physical appearance and at some point my religious education prof intervened? yeah the incredibly hilarious part is that she intervened to recommend me a good beautician

#now that I think of it I do have some reasons to be dealing with anger now and then #*every #che poi non c’era nemmeno fondamento oggettivo. cazzo ma almeno bullizzami per qualcosa di vero #pigliati una parte della mia faccia o del mio corpo che oggettivamente non è perfetta e bullizzami per questo. e invece no #cioè buu abbasso il bullismo etc etc ma almeno mi sarei spiegata la provenienza dello scherzone e delle battute. invece io così 🧍‍♀️ #e sta cogliona a darmi consigli sull’estetista. a boh 12 anni #ma tu hai completamente fallito nella tua missione TANTO PIÙ CHE INSEGNI RELIGIONE ma ti devi vergognare solo e se qualcuno deve andare #all’inferno tu sei in una buona posizione sulla lista d’attesa ma che cazzo #poi fu trasferita al mio liceo. e oltre il danno la beffa rispetto alla prof che mi ritrovai io (che è la personificazione di tutta la cei #in una sola persona) quest’altra delle medie era pure millemila volte meglio #niente ogni tanto mi sale la nausea e sputo fuori momenti del passato per cui qualcuno di più irascibile avrebbe scelto la violenza

[whatisonthemoon]

Is it faith or manipulation?

As lawmakers and government officials work to provide relief to victims of the Unification Church, the question of whether to examine the mental conditions of people who continue to donate money to the controversial group has come into focus.

The church’s aggressive donation-seeking practices, which often leave families of church followers in financial ruin, came into the spotlight following the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July. Tetsuya Yamagami, who was arrested on suspicion of fatally shooting Abe, has reportedly told police that he held a grudge against the politician over his ties to the church. Yamagami’s mother became a church follower in the late 1990s and gave away ¥100 million to the group, leaving the family bankrupt, according to news reports.

Lawyers and others who have fought against the church’s pursuit of donations say that followers are victims of its manipulative tactics. They say the followers have been psychologically manipulated to believe that they would be condemned to hell if they refuse to donate or that they would be freed from negative "ancestral karma" if they buy goods such as hanko seals, jars and artwork.

But other experts argue that the concept of manipulation is hard to nail down, expressing concerns that broad interpretation may end up restricting people’s freedom of religion.

The ruling and opposition parties agreed last week to create a joint panel to discuss legislative measures aimed at helping victims of these practices, called “spiritual sales,” and imposing restrictions on donations. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has also said he will seek the approval of related bills during the current extraordinary session of parliament, which ends Dec. 10.

The Consumer Affairs Agency is preparing to submit a bill based on a report released by an agency panel last week. The panel called for expanding the rights of people to cancel transactions made in a state that the panel describes as being under "mind control" by setting a longer period for them to make the request and get their money back, using the phrase "maindo kontorōru" in Japanese, a loanword from English.

The Consumer Contract Law allows people to cancel a contract solicited in a deceitful and threatening manner within a year after becoming aware of the damage, or five years after the transaction.

“Given that it takes a considerable amount of time for people to get off mind control, the expansion of the cancellation period should be considered,” the report said.

The report also proposed banning groups from soliciting donations from people who are “incapable of making rational judgments" due to such manipulation.

Introducing penalties

A group of opposition lawmakers, meanwhile, submitted a bill to parliament last week proposing to go even further: allowing the government to issue warnings against groups with exploitative practices and make repeat offenders criminally punishable with a jail sentence or a fine.

“It is not enough to make it possible to cancel large-sum donations,” Kiyoshige Maekawa, a Nippon Ishin no Kai member campaigning for the bill, told reporters last week. “We need to give penalties to those who (pursue) donations from people under their mind control.”

The bill seeks to outlaw “acts to induce damage to designated assets,” which are defined in part as “the act of triggering a state where free decision-making is rendered extremely difficult.”

Chinami Nishimura, deputy leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said the lawmakers didn’t include the phrase "mind control" because it’s not a legal term. The bill is nevertheless intended to address the problem, she said.

“Katakana words are seldom used in Japanese laws,” Nishimura said by phone this week. “That’s why we decided to define solicitation of donations under so-called mind control as ‘acts to induce damage to designated assets.’”

The bill would also allow a family court to appoint a “special guardian,” much like the existing adult guardian system for people with dementia or intellectual disabilities, to deal with groups that try to carry out “acts to induce damage.”

Persuasion tactics

Masaki Kito, a lawyer who has been at the forefront of legal battles against the Unification Church, explains in his 2017 book titled “Mind Control” that religious cults use a mix of persuasion tactics to find the best approach for each person they want to manipulate.

Citing the work of American psychologist Robert Cialdini, Kito explains that there are “six principles of influence” to change someone’s behavior, including reciprocity, commitment and consistency, and scarcity.

Reciprocity, for example, refers to the compulsion people feel to return favors they have received, while commitment and consistency refers to the tendency for them to stick to decisions or promises they have made once — which can be used to keep people under the influence of manipulation, Kito argues.

“When they (cults) try to sell something through ‘spiritual sales,’ they (also) turn to the principle of scarcity,” writes Kito. “They say something like, ‘A famous teacher happens to be here now, and they will be available only for 10 minutes. You never know when you can see them next. Why don’t you consult them about (your next of kin’s) illness?’”

Kito, who served on the Consumer Affairs Agency panel, also writes that cults are skilled at taking advantage of people's anxiety and fear, as well as depriving them of the ability to think independently.

Religion or mind manipulation?

On the other hand, some experts, including religion scholars, are wary of imposing restrictions based on the state of mind of individuals.

Yoshihide Sakurai, a professor at Hokkaido University, said that mind manipulation is extremely difficult to define.

“For many of us who study religion, ‘mind control’ is a term that we find so hard to use,” he said. “Who judges whether someone is under ‘mind control’ and on what grounds?

“Religion changes people’s beliefs significantly, for better or worse. Is that a result of mind control?”

Sakurai said that victims of the Unification Church can be helped without the use of the term.

“I think it’s fine to just say that it is socially unjustifiable to take advantage of somebody’s anxiety to force them to donate exorbitant sums with no regard for their financial conditions,” he said.

Hirokazu Matsuno, the government’s top spokesman, has also said that the opposition’s bill presents some issues, such as the ambiguity regarding what constitutes an act that hampers free decision-making, and the possibility of some people’s rights being violated.

#unification church in japan #abuse #unification church #cults #religion #deceit #manipulation #lies #spiritual sales #scams #fraud #japanese church #mind control

[wandererinwonder]

Stefandom, Vienna, June 10th, 2017 (iPhone SE)

#photography #vienna #wien #cathedral #gothic architecture #gothic #architecture #pic for sale #religion #medieval #monument #christianity #austria #europe #central europe #church