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rachelbethhines · 4 years

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Tangled Salt Marathon - One Angry Princess

There’s two halves to this episode. The first is a well constructed, if over simple, mystery for the kiddos to solve. The other is a failed attempt at being ‘deep’ and ‘mature’.

Summary: Attila is finally opening up his own bakery, but people generally don't want to stop by because of his scary helmet. The next day, Monty's Sweet Shoppe is destroyed, and Attila is arrested. He is about to be banished from the kingdom, but Rapunzel makes an appeal to investigate the matter further.

The Episode is Meant to be a Homage to 12 Angry Men, but Misses the Point of the Original Film

So for those who haven’t seen the movie, (though really you should) 12 Angry Men is about a jury trying to decide if an accused person is guilty of a violent crime. At first the evidence seems clear, but one lone juror refuses to vote guilty until the evidence has been gone over again. One by one he convinces the other men to vote not guilty as they each have to face they’re own personal biases.

Sound familiar?

In the show Rapunzel is the sole believer in Attila’s innocence despite evidence to the contrary. She insists on investigating herself while challenging everyone else’s personal biases.

The difference?

12 Angry Men is a hard hitting look at how privilege, prejudice, and cognitive bias can interfere with the American judicial system. None of the jurors are named, but they are all middle class, presumably Christian, white guys. And that is the point. They are all different from the accused; a young, poor, arguably non-white teen (the play is intentionally vague about the kid’s race so that you can slot any minority in there) who has a history of getting into trouble. If you were to change the ethnicity, race, gender, class, or age of any of the 12 characters then you would suddenly have a very different story. It’s their backgrounds and pre-formed opinions that inform their decisions. Even the main protagonist is not exempt from re-examining his own personal biases.

Meanwhile the writers of Tangled: the Series are too busy showing off how clever Rapunzel is to actually deal with the themes of injustice and bigotry that they added in themselves in the first place.

Rapunzel Knowing Attila Before Hand Weakens the Message

In 12 Angry Men none of the jurors know the accuse. In fact, they can’t know him. It’s against the law. In order to have an impartial jury, no one can have any ties to either the defendant or the prosecution, and they must not have knowledge of the case or have had specific experiences that might cause them to be biased or unfair.

Rapunzel being Attila’s friend means that she already has her own bias and an invested interest in making sure Attila goes free. She’s not acting out of the simple goodness of her heart here. She’s doing something that directly benefits herself.

I don’t expect a children’s fantasy show to recreate the US judicial system with all of the complexities there in, but I do expect it to uphold it’s heroine as the selfless person it claims her to be. Yet the show constantly undermines this supposed character trait by only having her help the people she befriends, and only if that help doesn’t require anything emotionally challenging or mentally taxing from her.

How much more powerful would this episode be if Rapunzel was defending a stranger or someone she actively disliked? Imagine if it was Monty who was being accuse and Raps had to swallow her pride in order to do what is right. But that would require the show having Rapunzel actually learn something instead of placing her on a pedestal. It would also mean giving Monty a reason to exist rather than keeping him around to be a convenient red herring.

Rapunzel Shouldn’t Have to Prove Attila’s Innocence

Rather than have a courtroom drama the show opts to have a ‘whodunit’ story instead. This unfortunately gives the implication that Corona’s judicial system runs on a ‘guilty until proven innocent’ mantra, which is backwards to any humane legal system. ‘Innocent until proven guilty’, ‘reasonable doubt’, ‘due process’, are the cornerstones of our modern social ethics.

In 12 Angry Men, we never find out if the accused actually committed the crime or not. That is because his actual innocence isn’t the point of the story. It’s about whether or not the system is working like it should or if it’s being compromised by human error.

Once again, I don’t expect a recreation of the US judicial system, but if you’re writing a story for a modern audience then you need to reinforce modern morals. Simply crouching Corona’s legal system as ‘of the times’ or ‘fantasy’ while ignoring why we no longer have such systems in place reduces the story to puerile fare.

It also means that show’s writers didn’t put enough thought into their world building.

No One Calls Out the Obviously Corrupt System

The show has interwoven throughout its ongoing narrative themes of classism, injustice, abuse, and authoritarianism, but then fails to follow through on those themes by not having any of the protagonists actually examine any of these issues. They just sit there in the background, even as the show tries it darndest to present Rapunzel as an arbiter of reform. However a person can’t bring about change if they can’t even admit that there is a problem to begin with.

In this episode alone we have

Banishment is considered a reasonable punishment for an act of vandalism. A crime that is usually considered only a misdemeanor unless the damage goes over a certain amount. Keep in mind that not even most felonies would be given such a punishment in the real world

Introduces the prison barge that regularly carries away convicts. In the past ‘undesirables’ would be shipped off to prison colonies as a form of persecution. Attila and every other person we see subjected to Corona’s legal system are of a lower class.

Many prejudge Attila based off his appearance, lower class, and past upbringing. However, it is either Attila who is expected to change or Rapunzel who is expected to win people over. At no point is anyone told that they shouldn’t be prejudiced to begin with.

There is no judge, jury, or lawyers. The king alone decides the fate of criminals, the Captain is expected to be the both the prosecutor and the ‘executioner’, which is a conflict of interest, and the defendant has no one to represent them unless they so happen to know a kind statesperson. Meaning you have to be either rich or well connected in order to even have a chance to defend yourself.

Oh and there’s this...

Uh, yeah you do. You’re the flipping king. You make the law. You’re the one to bring charges against Attila, and nearly every other criminal in the show, in the first place.

The show constantly wants us to view Frederic as simply an everyman who is only doing his job, but he’s not. He’s a ruler and as such he has powers and responsibilities that no one else has or ever will have. The series gives both him and Rapunzel all of the privileges of being in charge without holding them to account for the consequences of their actions.

By not pointing out how wrong these actions are, the show winds up avocating them instead. When I call Tangled the Series authoritarian, this is why. Because authority is never questioned even when clearly wrong and nepotism is presented as the solution to conflicts as oppose to being the problem itself.

The Show Introduces Complex Issues but Then Oversimplifies the Conflicts Surrounding Those Issues

The creators of the show have constantly declared that the series is ‘not for kids’. That they were shooting for an older audience than the pre-school time slot they were given. Now ignoring the fact that Tangled was always going to have a built in audince of pre-teen girls and ignoring that children’s media can be mature, TTS lacks the nuance needed to viewed as anything other than a pantomime.

As stated before, this episode alone ignores the very real issues interlaced within the conflict in order to give us an overly simple mystery that anyone over the age of five could figure out.

It’s frustrating to watch the show constantly skirt towards the edge of complexity only to see it chicken out and go for the low hanging fruit instead. As a consequence the series winds up being for no one. Too shallow for adults and older teens, but too confused in its morals to be shown to small children and younger adolescents.

I wouldn’t recommend this show to a parent, not without encouraging them to view the series either before or alongside their child in order to counteract it’s ‘lessons’ and I know parents within the fandom itself who’ve stopped showing newer episodes to their kids; stating that they want their child to be old enough to point out the harmful messages to before doing so.

Once Again No One Learns Anything

Rapunzel doesn’t learn that the system is flawed. Attila doesn’t learn to open up to people. Nobody learns to treat people with respect and to not judge others based on appearances alone.

The whole point of the episode is to just show off how much ‘better’ Rapunzel is than everyone else. The show constantly feels the need to tear down other characters in an effort to make its favs look good as opposed to just letting the mains grow as people.

Conclusion

Tangled the tv series is no 12 Angry Men. It’s no Steven Universe/Gravity Falls/Avatar:TLA/She-Ra/Gargoyles/Batman:TAS either. It barely reaches the same level as the likes of DnD, Sonic SATAM, or Voltron. Interesting ideas but poor pacing, build up, and lack of follow through, with some naff decisions thrown into the mix bring things down in quality. And unlike the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon from the early 80s, TTS lacks the benefit of being a pioneer in the field of animation, where such flaws are more forgivable.

#tangled #anti-tangled #Rapunzel #rapunzel's tangled adventure #king frederic #critique #salt

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youngdisciples · 3 years

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For today’s verse, we will learn something from an ending verse of chapter four of the book of Ephesians. Paul ended the chapter with a complete conclusion on how a Christian should live. We all know that our main goal is to live our lives Christ-like but in this verse, Paul listed a Christian life characteristics in a manner that we will really understand and in a short but concise one.

First, Paul wants us to be kind. This is not just being helpful to others but this means being compassionate. It is not about how helpful we are but it is about being compassionate to others. God wants us to show this compassion towards our brethrens because He knows that it is really hard to always deal with people of different attitudes and preferences. As human as we are, we easily get irritated, we lose our temper a lot and we succumb into shaming other people most of the time.

Being compassionate to others is the complete opposite of these characteristics. God wants us to do this because as Christians, we should not fall into the deceitfulness of the world. Satan will always use our emotions to contradict what we believe and to use us like puppets— emotional puppets. The enemy likes to toy with our emotions because he knows that we are all emotionally inclined and most of the time we use our emotions as the basis for our decisions. Therefore, God wants to remind us that whatever we feel, whatever situation we are in, it is very important for us to show kindness and compassion to our brethrens.

Basically, Paul wrote on the same clause the kind and compassionate because this really sums up and these words are really partners. Compassion also means being sympathetic and empathetic to others feelings. We have to always understand that our responsibility to the people around us especially non-Christians is to become a good witness to Christ’s love. With our life, they will be able to know and see how much Christ’s love has changed us. So, being kind and compassionate to others are really essential because Jesus has been compassionate and kind towards us also. He was being sympathetic and empathetic to our feelings to the point of dying on the cross for us.

Lastly, Paul also wrote that we should forgive each other. Now, this is the hard part of being a Christian. It is very hard to forgive people who really sinned so gravely against us. Some people would say, “What if he cheated on me so many times? I can forgive him for the first five times but now he keeps on doing it again, what can I do?” or “He killed my brother, how can I forgive him?” or “She stole my husband, how can I forgive her?” Indeed, it is very hard to forgive, especially those big sins. We can never understand that it is really important for us to forgive.

As Christians, we are really put into situations where we are tested to extend our patience and our forgiving side but we must not fail to complete this test. Everytime we feel that everything is so hard, we must understand that those people who sinned against us are like us who sinned gravely against God. If those people sinned against us five times or more and we felt so cheated and betrayed, imagine what God must have felt that for the course of our life, we have been sinning against Him but still He managed to forgive us and to give us everlasting life? It is because He is a loving, gracious and merciful God.

God does not expect us to be completely gracious and merciful because He knows that it is really hard for us to do that because we are also sinful by nature. However, God wants us to reflect Christ’s forgiveness and grace in our lives. He wants us to be forgiving, kind and compassionate to everyone because it is not us who lives anymore but it is Christ. After all, this is not for ourselves but it is for Christ. It is not us who must increase but it should be Christ. We forgive others not because for ourselves but because for them and also to reflect God’s goodness in our lives.

Fair warning too, God said that we should be compassionate towards others but we should always remember that compassion is different from compromise. We should watch ourselves and be mindful because we might become so compassionate that we compromise what we believe; we compromise our faith; we compromise our stand. Indeed God wants us to be kind and compassionate but He doesn’t want us to compromise His teachings because we are compassionate. Instead, He wants us to rebuke each other but in a gentle and loving manner.

Therefore, as Christians who tasted and witnessed the love of Christ and His grace, we should live our lives Christ-like— kind, compassionate and forgiving one another just as Christ has forgiven us over and over again. Let us always remember that the key to a Christian walk is to journey with Christ always— not compromising anything. May the God who is gracious and loving bless us always. Amen.

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azdoine · 4 years

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I think it’s no great secret that I have a pretty complicated relationship with my Judaism, to the point that it’s gotten me into a fair bit of trouble and it’s gotten me to say some pretty stupid shit. I am, to put it irreverently, a heretic, or just a dumb kid on the internet - that I’m now an adult seems of no consequence in the face of the desolate confusion and alienation I still feel towards my religion, have always felt since I really was a child, have been irrevocably characterized by. such is the scope of my big fat idiot mouth that I hesitate to say anything more, on these topics and on others.

But why the alienation, and what of its kind?

In many respects, it’s probably a common story, so I won’t belabor the point too far: I was raised performatively into my religion - at the behest of a mother I still have a complicated relationship with! - not to believe in it with all my heart, but to find a community and a culture in it, and even back then, I was already too much of a fag and a fuckup to ever fit in with the world that had been presented to me in bits and pieces. My experience with Judaism is a decade of passively absorbing Torah anecdotes that I didn’t even believe in while my peers ignored me or laughed at me for being the little bitch that we all knew I was. C’est la vie.

But if my disconnection from the Jewish religion feels embarrassing, my lingering attachment to it is even worse, because here we come up on the k-word - no, not that k-word. I’m talking about the Kabbalah, and perhaps no element of the Jewish religion is more charged, easily disrespected, or frequently misappropriated. Were I not so wounded in my attachment to Judaism, as it were, I would feel no such need to explore the Kabbalah as I do, and thus have nothing to rationalize, but were I not still ethnically Jewish, I would have no rationalization for it which I could accept. I would have turned back at the gate rather than be another idiot pretending he knew anything whatsoever about a tradition that wasn’t his to claim.

Why am I talking about this now? In part it’s nothing more or less than what it is: a rumination on some of my eclectic traumas and interests. (If you can’t use tumblr as a sounding board in the absence of a therapist or religious leader in your life, what good is it even for?)

But it’s also a disclaimer and a contextualization. Because although I would have no basis otherwise to comment on the appropriation of Kabbalah by various vulgar mystics, I wouldn’t feel confident or honest talking about that appropriation without also contextualizing my own place in that discussion, as someone who may indeed have participated in that appropriation.

Why is the Kabbalah so appropriated as it is, and what is the significance of its appropriation? Why did the Kabbalah catch my eye when the lore of a more mainstream or conventional Judaism could not?

In his Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, Gershom Scholem speaks not as a vulgar mystic but as a dedicated Jew. And yet, although Scholem does not perhaps forgive the vulgar mystic for his trespasses against Jewish lore, Scholem’s profoundly and aggressively historical approach immediately forecloses the possibility that anything else could have come to pass:

The great Jewish scholars of the [1800s] whose conception of Jewish history is still dominant in our days... had little sympathy—to put it mildly—for the Kabbalah. At once strange and repellent, it epitomised everything that was opposed to their own ideas and to the outlook which they hoped to make predominant in modern Judaism...

It is not to the credit of Jewish scholarship that... the greater part of the ideas and views which show a real insight into the world of Kabbalism, closed as it was to the rationalism prevailing in the Judaism of the nineteenth century, were expressed by Christian scholars of a mystical bent.... It is a pity that the fine philosophical intuition and natural grasp of such students lost their edge because they lacked all critical sense as to historical and philological data in this field, and therefore failed completely when they had to handle problems bearing on the facts.

The natural and obvious result of the antagonism of the great Jewish scholars was that, since the authorized guardians neglected this field, all manner of charlatans and dreamers came and treated it as their own property.

Scholem and others similarly contextualize the “great Jewish scholars” in their own time, explaining their steadfast refusal to engage with the mystical discourses of Judaism, but we needn’t concern ourselves with the reasoning of those great scholars here, beyond acknowledging its existence and its essentially reasonable character. (We should by no means imply that the final “fault” for the appropriation of the Kabbalah by other religious bodies somehow lies with the Jews who dismissed the subject, after all.)

The more important and interesting takeaway here is that this “emergent” mythologization of the Kabbalah by non-Jews is, in fact, not so different in character from the mysticism of the Jews who formulated the Kabbalah in the first place! For Scholem likewise characterizes the formulation of the Kabbalah as, among many other things, a kind of metaphysically (rather than politically) reactionary response to the sterile rationalist discourses of the Judaisms that were predominant at the time: a historically-necessary and inevitable attempt to reclaim the possibility of a mythic theology and a personal (and mystical) experience of God, despite the oppressively transcendental and impersonal formulation of monotheism that held so much more authority. The Kabbalah is implicitly a heretical foil to a more traditional canon - an ecstatic and pre-Othered body of work which always threatens to dissolve and lose all integrity under the immense weight of the purpose it was created to serve. The unleashed spiritual thirst of the deprived devours beyond restraint.

In this respect, there is no strain of Kabbalah which we can isolate, shining and unsoiled, as the thing which was later appropriated by vulgar syncretists, because the Kabbalah itself was always vulgar, and both the creation and the appropriation of the Kabbalah are products of the same human drive for mystical experience. It’s heresy all of the way down! The phone call is coming from inside the house. The genie was always already out of the bottle. Lord English was always already here.

Scholem bitterly appreciates this problem, I suspect, for even in charting the self-destructions of mysticism and in identifying the psychic universality of the mystical experience - the mystic’s unmediated contact with an absolute - he rejects out of hand the notion that mysticisms are fungible, or that our study of mysticism should treat it as infinitely plastic. A Jewish mysticism is not a Christian mysticism, nor are they merely two different forms of some “pure” archetypal mysticism. A mysticism, however transcendental, can neither be divorced from or escape from the historical context that created it. And nor should it, at least in Scholem’s estimation.

So what, then, is the historical context which created the appropriated forms of the Kabbalah that proliferate western esotericism, and how does it still imprison or inform those mysticisms?

Answering such a question with any degree of depth is, at least for now, beyond me... but I wonder, sometimes, whether we can escape from the infinite plasticity and universality of mysticism any more than we can escape from its specificity and boundedness.

Such a dialectic is a thing that Scholem does not speak of, a reach his expertise does not want or need know.

#religion #judaism #brain noise #bluh bluh #take this one with a whopping grain of salt

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islamicrays · 5 years

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Salam , recently divorced , he left me for no reason , Allah is my witness that I never failed to please him , I’m still getting over him , but I ended up back at my mums, dealing with a non- practicing family on a daily basis , music , swearing etc, can’t even find a place to pray in without being interfered , sleeping on a couch, no space for me , emotionally abusive mother , blaming me for what happened to me , making me depressed even more , Patience , Alhamdulilah .

Walaikum Assalaam,

I understand you are going through a tough time and its even more difficult when you don't have a supportive family but remember Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is with you and He won't burden you with something that you can't handle. With every hardship; their is ease. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala test those whom He loves. If possible go for counselling if you can't then I am posting here an article how to heal after divorce and some quotes that will help you in shaa Allah

"Divorce…

The daunting and awkward topic that no one seems to want to discuss in public because of the stigma attached to it. Yes, divorces can be messy due to a number of factors; and when children are involved, it’s twice as complicated. You feel a whole array of mixed emotions that are difficult to internalize or accept. To be honest, this is perfectly normal because the reality is, the person you were so certain you would spend the rest of your life with, is no longer your life partner. A number of thoughts bombard you at once; how will I manage as a single parent, will I ever forgive my former spouse, how will society view me? How will I heal my broken heart?

The hardship of divorce

People often don’t realise how agonizing a divorce can be. On the surface, it may seem like two people are being unreasonable or irresponsible, but the truth is, most people do not realise the transgressions that have taken place behind closed doors which have caused a couple to decide to divorce. The reasons can be so vast; it could be an abusive partner, whether that is physical, mental, verbal or emotional abuse. At this point, I should mention that it’s important to realise the severity of any form of abuse. It could lead to psychological damage being embedded in an individual which in turn makes positive change difficult.

It could be that your partner is cheating on you, or that your spouse has left Islam, or just the simple fact that you both do not get along anymore. Whatever the reason behind the divorce, never forget thatAllah subhanahu wa ta'ala never leaves you and it is He who will bring you ease after hardship.

I personally find that in all situations that we perceive as a calamity, there is always wisdom behind it. Throughout this difficult period, it is absolutely vital for you to always be conscious of the fact that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tests those whom He loves, and that you should never lose hope in His Mercy.

Divorcing can be painful but it is one of many tests we may face in this life. During my experience, I have learnt a few things that I want to share with you to overcome this trial.

1. Hold on to your salah

Salah is the primary step to healing one’s self. I am a mother so I completely sympathise with mothers who are unable to pray their salah on time, but during this time of difficulty, you need your sujood! During a divorce, not only do you become consumed by all of your responsibilities, especially when there are children, but your emotions can paralyse you.

This is the time to reconnect with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in solitude and to release stress by speaking to Allah and asking Him for help. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala commands us:

“O you who believe seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with those who are patient.” [Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 153]

2. Look for happiness in the mundane

During a divorce, it is very easy to let all the negatives be at the forefront of your mind rather than all of the blessings that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given you. This is a dangerous mentality to have that can depress you. So whenever the hardships in life consume you, remember this ayah that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala revealed to the people of Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) when they were being persecuted:

“If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor].” [Qur’an: Chapter 4, Verse 7]

Take a moment to reflect on what you have to be thankful for. This could be a supportive family, children who smile, or even something as basic as having a hot coffee in the morning, or the fact that you get to wake up in the mornings and have functioning limbs…

We forget that even the simple things in life are blessings. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala reminds us 33 times in Surat ArRahman:

“So which of your Lords favours will you deny?” [Qur’an: Chapter 55, Verse 13]

3. Take up a hobby

Find a way to occupy your time so that you do not become consumed by your emotions.

For me, a friend encouraged and pushed me to take up memorizingthe Qur’an. This honestly helped me in more ways than I could imagine. Not only did it help me develop my relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, but it also pushed me to take the steps in learning Qur’anic Arabic.

SubhanAllah, words alone can not describe the beauty of learning the Qur’an and the sense of tranquility that encompasses you. The way Allah’s subhanahu wa ta'ala words can humble you in seconds and put you at ease, or how some verses correct your affairs through obedience to Him.

Alongside my memorization, I also started to take steps towards a healthcare profession, alhamdulillah,and I am still currently pursuing it. Give yourself something to strive for, and give your time a purpose with an achievable goal. Even if it just for an hour or two a day, if you take your mind away from the stresses of divorce, it will really benefit you spiritually and mentally.

4. Control your tongue

Divorcing with children is not the easiest of things to deal with while remaining patient. It is so important to control your tongue and not letshaytan allow you lose your composure, not only as a mother or father, but also as a person who fears Allah suhanahu wa ta'ala . There may be times when you are angry, but in this situation, your words can be like a sword andsuch words uttered in this state may not be forgivable or forgotten. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“He who believes in Allah and the Last Day must either speak good or remain silent.” [Sahih Muslim].

Sometimes you are angry, you don’t want to forgive. You are hurt, and you feel violated. Divorce is hard. Especially when it drags on back and forth and there is animosity between the spouses, but it is for this reason that you need to be extra cautious of the words you utter. This is a time where shaytan knows you can accumulate sins by letting your emotions take control. So, don’t let him win.

5. Seek help

Talk to someone, a friend or a therapist and seek emotional support for internalizing your emotions. I was fortunate enough to have a very supportive family with me, however if you are a victim of abuse, then it is important to seek professional help.

Isolation may be okay for a short period of time when you are internalizing what has happened, but for long periods of time this could be detrimental to your deen and this is what shaytan loves. Surround yourself with people who remind you of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and encourage you to seek knowledge so that your relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala strengthens.

6. Know that it gets better

This brings me to my final, and possibly, my most important point. Who can honestly say alhamdulillahand sincerely mean it when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has decreed a hardship for them? The majority of us struggle with accepting the last pillar of faith: qadar.

How many times do we ask: “why did this happen to me? What did I do to deserve this? If I could go back, I would have done things differently!”

In this situation, we need to put our trust in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and with no doubt in our hearts know that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has decreed what is best, and whether we see the wisdom behind it in this dunyaor in the akhirah is up to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala only tests those He loves and these tests are designed to strengthen you and prepare you for what’s ahead.

One of the mothers of the believers, Ramlah bint Abi Sufyan (Umm Habiba), upon emigrating to Abyssinia, her husband had left Islam and became Christian. When faced between remaining with him or choosing Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, she chose Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Her husband died shortly after from consuming too much alcohol. Being in a foreign country without family meant that she wasn’t left with many options, and so she decided to put her complete trust in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and live her life for His sake.SubhanAllah, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala then replaced her husband with the greatest man to walk this earth. She married the beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Divorce is not the end, nor is it something that tarnishes a person or diminishes their worth. Sometimes relationships do not work out and it is important to remember that when you die, you die alone. When you meet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, you meet Him alone. It can be heartbreaking to lose the person you thought you would spend the rest of your life with, but no matter what happens, you will never lose Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. He will always be there for you. Don’t let a divorce have permanent negative effects on you, use this calamity as a catalyst to get closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and I promise, just like I did, you will come out a stronger person."

- Iman Umm Samara

“Being divorced is not the end of the world. It could be the biggest blessing & lead to something much better, bringing about much goodness. Many people have found more compatible spouses & are leading happier lives. There is no point in holding grudges or becoming depressed over a marriage that did not work. Make an effort to look for a more appropriate spouse & the Almighty will open the doors!"

-Mufti Ismail Menk

"Dear fathers, there is no dishonour for you if your child return backs to you if things didn't work out and it ended in divorce.

Rasūlullāh ﷺ took back two of his daughters after they were unjustly divorced - and he showered them with even more love, honour, and affection. That is the essence of manhood."

Shaykh Mohammed Aslam

"To all those individuals going through relationship problems, separation, divorce, don’t despair! Live in faith. What may seem like a series of unfortunate events may be the first steps to an amazing journey"

-Qasim Rafique

You are in my prayers. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make things easier for you.

Allahumma Ameen

#question

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giftofshewbread · 4 years

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If God Says, ‘No More’, to America

America, once known as the city on a hill, is losing her brightness: Christian obedience (Matthew 5:14) shown in loving God first and then neighbor.

I love America, and I know she has documented foundations in Judeo-Christian values, laws, and principles. However, I still pray the Lord’s Prayer which includes the potential for God’s judgment: “Thy will be done on earth as it is heaven.” God’s holiness tolerates no sin in His glorious realm, so I can only imagine His righteous anger at America’s current behaviors.

Right now, America seems to flout disobedience to God’s laws.

Lawlessness is called sin in the Bible, and sin always brings judgment. America is like a house in the torrential waters of sin being rushed toward a waterfall with her destruction imminent. Who can rescue us in such a horrible and terrifying situation? Only God.

Christians who fail to repent for following other loves instead of Christ will affect America’s future more than anything else. God desires repentance leading to obedience (see Psalm 51 for a guide). Have American Christians become too proud in their American independence and their faulty desire to “be true to themselves” that we can no longer admit the value of a broken spirit before God?

For the non-Christian, it will seem strange that believers’ internal reaction and agreement with God – what He rules is sin – followed by external obedience is MORE important than all the potential external factors which could destroy America.

Christians must remember the power of our glorious God. As the Judge of the quick and the dead, God can change things faster than we can gasp in astonishment or horror.

Have we experienced enough pain in 2020 to repent yet? Are we at the troughs of the pigs finally realizing we should return to our Father – even as a servant instead of as a child? Are we ready to completely surrender ourselves to God instead of our selfishness? Are we tired of playing pretend and willing to do what God calls us to do – even if it hurts or is culturally unacceptable?

I am afraid we aren’t. I wish we were.

And he who does not take his cross and follow after me is not worthy of Me. He who finds His life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it (Matthew 10:38-39).

Taking up the cross in today’s culture is more than wearing one around your neck, having a tattoo, or referencing the ones hanging in your home or car.

The cross is a sign of the world’s hatred of true righteousness (Jesus) while proclaiming itself right above all – especially God. The cross isn’t pretty and shiny. It is covered with the blood of the only One who can save those who admit their sin according to God’s standards and Word.

The Devil wants us to misunderstand or disregard what God calls sin, because if we do that, then we can neither ask for forgiveness nor understand the need to repent. Satan’s eternal torment will be lessened by the sadistic glee that he concocted just enough truth in his lies to tickle so many ears deceiving those who are so sure they are saved (Matthew 7:21-23).

Jesus never said following Him would be easy. If anyone told you so, the Bible doesn’t support it.

Romans 12:1-2 tells us to be a living sacrifice. Jesus called people to count the cost while simultaneously reminding them, “What does it profit a man to gain the world but to lose his soul?”

To gain the world is to deny the profit of the Holy Spirit leading each of us to repent through an understanding of sin as God defines it through the Bible. But beware, don’t let the Devil or his minions mislead you.

God may still let America fall, but please, if you call yourself a Christian, don’t let it be because the Devil has fooled you about what God calls sin. Pray for wisdom and the ability to see yourself as God sees you according to Scripture. Dare to pray that God would open your eyes to the evil that you call good so that you might repent. All of us.

Let’s love God more, not because He may rescue America, but because He is worthy of glory and praise.

Dr. Robert Youngblood

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thetaboochristian · 4 years

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Just A Moment About Christians and Honesty

Honestly, (pun intended), I’m shocked at how many Christians I find who don’t place a high priority on honesty. I get it, it’s one thing if you don't want to tell the truth because something is embarrassing to you or about you... but it’s another thing altogether to blatantly lie to someone who is being open and vulnerable with you, someone who is putting themselves in a situation where they need to trust you.

For example... I’m not going to try to infringe on these folks’ copyrights, but in the online course called “Conversation Chemistry” by Mirabelle Summers & Amy Waterman, coined under the name “Anna Wilson”, there is a section about not trusting everything that people tell you and not taking everything they say literally or at face value, but to instead try to determine what they likely mean by their words. This is specifically being referred to in the context of dating and talking to new potential dating interests, but it made me think. Yes, yes... if you look up this course you will see that it’s loaded with women in lingerie and lots of connotations of how to “get the girl” but supposedly in a non manipulative way... and the course was made by women. It’s supposed to be primarily a course for men to learn how to have better authentic communication with women, not pick up lines and mind games to get her in bed. While I am not fond of the images present in the program materials, the information contained within it is very important to learn.

That is specifically the reason why I got this program, because I just never learned all the right conversational techniques and “rules” to be good with women outside of the friend zone space (for the most part), and who better to learn it from than two female dating coaches who specialize in helping both men and women in the dating sphere. I never had any good female influences or enough female friends who could (or cared to) teach me the do’s and don’ts of being accepted and desired by girls/women as a whole. And yeah, the people who made this program criticize pick up artists a lot, and for good reason. I bought a few PUA programs because I wanted to learn how those guys are so successful even though I’ve never had any desire to hook up or fling or swing. It shouldn’t have surprised me however to find that almost none of that information was authentic or applicable for a Christian who is looking for a marriage partner.

Now, with that being said, while the “Conversation Chemistry” program is intended for and specifically addresses the secular crowd, I do have to acknowledge that outside of the Christian world, it makes sense to not trust everything people tell you and look for ulterior motives and hidden meanings. But, things are supposed to be different within Christianity. I know that you can’t trust everything that everyone who claims to be a Christian says, but they should be a lot more trustworthy than the world. I get how a Christian who’s filled with the Holy Spirit can have some fleshly desires and temptations, mainly related to lust, food and drink, but I just can’t comprehend how someone who’s filled with the Holy Spirit can be comfortable and at ease lying to people, especially other Christians. I know that there can be some instances where it’s really hard to tell the truth like if a family member, girlfriend, boyfriend or spouse asks you something that you know they won't like the answer to, but even in those situations, they should have the kind of character that they would rather you tell them the truth even if it hurts than for you to lie to them to make them feel better about themselves.

That’s what I’m like... if someone withholds the truth from me or fudges some stuff in order to not hurt my feelings it makes me more angry, hurt and feeling distrustful than if they told me the cold hard truth bluntly, boldly and upfront... that’s what I’d really prefer! Actually, when it comes to close relationships, that’s what I need in order to maintain a healthy relationship with that person, whoever it is. I just can’t handle (for long periods of time), people who want me to tell them only what they’d like to hear, even if it means lying to them or withholding very important constructive criticism.

That’s what I’m looking for in my next wife too. I have to hope that when I meet Kristen (or some other spelling of that name), or at least talk to her before meeting in person, that she is the kind of person who will want me to tell her the truth even if it hurts, and I hope she’ll be that honest with me. However, considering what she looked like in the visions, I don't think I’ll have any critiques of her based upon outward appearances! :) But, you know... I just want someone to be my life partner who has “thick skin” metaphorically speaking and who wants to be that way to me, so that our “Yes” really does mean “Yes” and so that our “No” really does mean “No.” In fact, that is going to be a requirement for me... if I meet and date a woman named Kristen (or some other spelling of that name), who is like the traditional worldly woman who frequently doesn’t mean what they say, and if she is like that but cannot change to make her “yes” always mean “yes” and her “no” to always mean “no” then I would dump her after a reasonably short “grace” period, no matter how hot she is, no matter how great she seems in other areas, no matter how closely she seems to resemble the woman that God promised me and described to me in my visions and prayers.

I would know that she could not be the “one” who God has for me, if I never know when I can believe the words that come out of her mouth. Promises made to me that she fails to keep because of some outside circumstances beyond her control (while knowing that she made a sincere effort)... of course I can forgive and accept that. That won't break my trust in her. But making promises to tickle my ears while she has no intention of keeping them, or making well meaning promises but putting in no real effort to try to keep them... that will bring everything down quickly. I will never ask or expect anything from someone else that I would not be willing to do for them. I always have and always will treat people how I would expect to be treated if the roles/positions/shoes were reversed, if they were in my shoes and I was in theirs. I’ve been judged unfairly for things that were affecting my life that I could not help, change or stop. I hold the same consideration towards others, but just as I will accept responsibility for an area in which I do have ability, control and say-so, I hold others to the same standard and I believe that it is right to do so.

Jesus said that what I’ve described above is how Christians should be regarding honesty in all areas, I don’t see why it seems so hard to find or expect in today’s Body of Christ, from a date, spouse, friend, family member or neighbor.

Until next time,

Luke Davidson, Author of the Taboo Christian

#honesty #Christianity #Christian #Jesus #Jesus Christ #dating #romance #communication

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spaceasianmillennial · 6 years

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A Clan Wren Tale Based on Song Number

A/N

I decided to experiment where I write a fanfic to this song number “The Sad Tale of the Beauxhommes” from Once On This Island as a prompt.

Before I get to the story, I will talk a bit of my experience seeing this beautiful, but pretty problematic, love-story musical on Broadway. In the vein of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, the musical is about a young black Caribbean peasant girl who falls for a biracial wealthy white boy (and unfortunately, ultimately dies for him like in the original tale).

There was a fascinating choice for the “Sad Tale of the Beauxhommes” that utilizes shadow play to tell the backstory of Daniel. The Tale of the Beauxhommes was basically a huge commentary on the chain of colonialism and the barriers it creates.

“I curse my son / Your black blood will keep you forever on this island... / While your hearts yearn forever for France!”

+++

“Before you go search for your Jedi friend, Sabine, this is a tale I have meant to tell you.”

“Mother, I know it from the books.”

“I am aware of it. But let me tell you the spoken story, which I never had the chance to do. Tristan knows this story, but I fear you may disappear before you will hear it.”

Centuries before Tarre Vizsla, a faction of Clan Vizsla came upon Krownest to drill into the planet for its beskar, led by Count Abel Vizsla. There was a tribe there and its chieftain. The natives did not know what to do these Mando visitors, who poisoned the lands with their machinery. Although they were a warring tribe, the dominant tribe judged it unwise to fight back.

The chieftain of the dominant tribe planned to assassinate Abel, but she could not go against his blasters. Then after a duel, she tossed down her spear and offered her hand in marriage to Abel, convincing him that if he could marry a chieftain he could inherit a dowry of the land and many soldiers of the tribe. She reached his ego. He wanted to establish himself from the Vizslas of Mandalore and prove self-sufficiency. She made him swear to take on her tribe name, to become a Wren, and to carved her a throne they could both share. He agreed to become a Wren on Krownest, though remained identified as Vizsla to the Mandalorian space.

They married and had their wedding throne forged. She became his Countess. She had two daughters. But she continued her conspiracy to assassinate him. In her wedding bed with Abel, her mind whispered plots. Unwise decisions were made. When Abel found out, he exiled his tribal bride. She uttered a curse to her husband.

He took much of the native Wren tribe into a servitude below their warrior capacities. Still, he did not expel his Krownestian daughters who lived to continue the Vizsla generations.

After the assassination attempt on Vizsla, Abel Vizsla sought to cleanse themselves of Krownestian bloodline, out of shame, with leading members married off to viable Vizsla relatives from beyond Krownest.

About seven generations down Abel Vizsla’s line was yet another Abel Vizsla, Count of Krownestian with barely a look of a Krownestian. He married an off-planet Vizsla warrior who bore him two daughters and sat on the throne with him.

But the Count Vizsla of Krownest took his pleasure in the tribal women beyond the stronghold. And one of his tribal mistresses bore him a fine girl, a young Wren.

Vizsla had enough of a heart to allow his bastards a place in the stronghold, deciding to help them unlearn their savagery, though much to the distaste of his wife.

The young Wren dreamed of the stars, and not knowing what birth pangs her mother endured that resulted in her, she thought it an honor to be a part of a Vizsla household. This tribal mistress gave her daughter a farewell song before her girl was to be molded into a Vizsla.

My girl, my girl

hear the voices from the fog

And you’ll find salvation.

The mistress made sure her Vizsla daughter won’t forget where she came from, she told her daughter about the failed conspiracy against the first Abel. This young Wren trained herself to become a favorite bastard of her Vizsla father, outshining her sisters in skills. Her father gifted her with his blaster. She forged her armor with him and his countess heirs.

She even earned the begrudging respect of Abel’s wife, the Vizsla Countess, who harshly tutored her in the Mando language to purge her tribal tongue out of her. However, Abel’s wife, in an attempt to erase the girl from her life, convinced Vizsla to send his favorite bastard daughter away, “So she could have the honor of fighting true Mando wars.”

Abel sent the young Wren to Mandalorian Space where she received an education, and she fought wars with other Mandos.

The young Wren returned a decorated warrior, loved by off-planet Vizslas and Krownestians Vizslas alike. Her father was thrilled with her self-made status. He rewarded her labors by deeming her a countess equaled to his legitimate daughters, “Because she has earned the advantages of a noble title that her bloodline may invest in.”

For her homecoming education, he and his heir-apparent, her eldest half-sister, taught her to keep the natives at bay, into slavery. The Wren had to investigate rumors of a “returning Chieftain to take vengeance.” Knowing it was a sign that her father’s life was in danger, the Wren sought to get friendly with her own native Wren tribe to find the answers. She passed them rations and aid, convincing her father it could keep them appease from fighting back. She proved to be a useful translator.

She herself was convinced she was doing right. But still the tensions boiled. Despite her Krownestian features, she not understand why Krownestians gazed upon her with hatred.

She would sneak visits to her mother in the village.

I share their face, why do they shun me?

Her mother slapped her daughter.

Are you blind?

Do what you must to keep breathing

Do what you must to keep Vizsla’s love

Do what you must to keep this armor on

But do not expect love in return

for those you have sinned against, young Vizsla.

Young Wren never could weed out the that rumored “returning chieftain” among the natives. But she was at a turning point in her life. The young Wren was shirking her translating duties, feeding her Vizsla households lies about the natives’ feelings.

She asked her father and sister if she could train her own brigade of Krownestians to augment their army. The sister, Abel’s successor, disagreed, but was overruled by the consent of the father. She had her brigade of her native people, trained them to forge their beskar amor, shoot blasters, and pilot shuttles and transports.

Then the faithful day came. She challenged her father to a duel.

It was not out of nowhere, it came at a low point for the economy of Krownestian Vizsla, who were too prideful to accept help from the off-lander Vizslas. She had a case against him.

You poison this land toward longer and colder winters.

You waste the resources of this land.

You are weak, an untrue Mando.

For the principles of Mandalore, I challenge you

She was surrounded by her own brigade of Krownestians.

Enraged and baffled, he accepted the duel so he wouldn’t appear weak in front of native Krownestians. She whipped out the blaster that he gifted her with. Her first shot whipped his blaster out of his hand. Her second and third sliced into his heart through his armor.

When it was clear she was victor,

She ran as her father’s knees hit the floor.

not to strike more blows,

but to gathered her father to her arms,

And she did not emit remorse,

but she asked forgiveness.

And the dying Count said,

“My girl, I cursed you since the day I planted myself in your mother.” And his hand left a bloody handprint on the armor she forged with him and her half-sisters.

“I don’t have to curse you, you were always cursed

Always chained here, while longing for the stars.”

The Wren let her father slip from her arms where his final thud was the killing blow, and no absolution. Blooded hands and all, she reclaimed the seat of Krownest for Krownestians as Chieftain, her Krownestian army bowing down to her.

This was not the end of the epilogue. There were notable disputes and wars. The wife of Abel Vizsla dueled her and lost. She exiled the other two sisters on Krownest to keep them from disputing the throne. Then she shot the younger one when one made an attempt on her life. The elder Vizsla daughter never touched a blaster again and died of old age in a village of Krownest, and it was reported she discovered a peace she had never known.

The Wren had the off-worlder Clan Vizlsas to contend with.

What I have done was in service to Clan Vizsla and House Vizsla

And my tribe,

I have proved my tribe stronger than the Vizslas here.

I will not reject the Vizsla blood, but I insist that we be called by

a different name

One that was had been intended for us

And we will remain in service to you.

She negotiated to prevent further plague on Krownest. She contended in Mando.

She had built a respected warrior name beyond Krownest, so the off-worlders Clan Vizsla did not mind her bowing down to them, when she contended her case for conquering the Krownest throne citing the incompetency of the last leader, a duel won fair-and-square before witnesses of Vizslas, and promising she can train new warriors to ally with Clan Vizsla beyond Krownest, which would later extend to wars fought with Mandalore ruler Tarre Vizsla. Soon they were recognized as their own Clan Wren, spawning back to the first Abel’s promise to take on the Wren name.

My bloodline, a blessing, a curse.

She had children, in that she gathered children from the native villages that Vizsla made orphans. Despite previous courtships with off-worlders, she married a Krownestian woman. Vizslas and non-Krownestians that married into the Wren family were ordered to assimilate into the family name.

My bloodline, a blessing, a curse.

She opened routes for Krownestian children to find their fortune in Mandalorian Space. They came out with Mando tongues but scant traces of there native language.

My bloodline, a blessing, a curse.

She sent soldiers to Clan Vizsla to help them conquer other worlds.

My bloodline, a blessing, a curse.

When her time came, she was burned in the armor with her father’s bloody handprint.

“Such an ideal Chosen One she was. There were many candidates noted in history, but she was the one who stepped up to the title, resourceful and fortunate all at once.”

“Mother, what do you take from a story like this?”

“That Clan Wren survives.”

“By playing along with the curse.”

COMMENTS OR REBLOGS APPRECIATED

This version will like be modified for AO3 release.

Check out my other fanfic on AO3

Tip me on Ko-fi or leave a comment

#sabine wren #swr #star wars rebels #ursa wren #tristan wren #mandalorians #mando #fanfic #broadway #musicals

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cazort · 6 years

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Christianity’s Decline in the U.S.: It’s Not All A Good Thing

There is a long list of stuff I disagree with about most Christian denominations or churches, both in terms of their official beliefs, and how they actually tend to act. And I think that there are a lot of good things coming from how the church and Christianity is having less of an influence on our society and culture.

That said, there are some things I see as a problem with this decline:

Most of the decline has been in the more progressive, LGBTQ-friendly congregations. Mainline protestant denominations, much more likely to have pro-LGBTQ views, are the most steeply declining; Evangelical denominations, which usually include the churches with the strongest anti-LGBTQ views and other highly reactionary views, are only declining slowly. (Source) This is having the effect of making Christianity as a whole, more anti-LGBTQ even though society has been becoming much more progressive on these issues. This can be very hard for the few Christians and churches with more progressive views as they find themselves increasingly isolated in the broader Christian community. Some years back a Baptist church I attended almost got their building taken away by their regional convention because they had pro-LGBTQ views; they had to do some bureacratic wrangling to keep their building.

Many of the functions that churches used to fulfill, often free of charge, are now being served by for-profit businesses and also pushed over onto government. Churches are a community space, both hosting their own events, and renting out their spaces cheaply or for free, especially to charity groups and other nonprofit clubs and organizations. Church pastors often fulfill a role a lot like marriage counselors, and also provide individual help and guidance, and supervise groups that can provide support for people struggling in life. Many of the counseling roles are now being replaced by for-profit counseling services, which often drive up health care costs for society as a whole. In some cases the community spaces are just being lost and not replaced by anything. They can also be replaced by for-profit spaces like cafes, bars, hotels, and conference centers. The for-profit nature of these spaces can make them less accessible to people and organizations with less money. When these roles are picked up by government (such as government-subsidized healthcare, government-run community spaces, or government-funded social welfare programs) there is an increased need for taxes. Whereas churches are funded by voluntary contributions, taxes are mandatory and coercive, and the tax system isn’t always fair (i.e. in our society, people can be failing to earn enough money to make ends meet, yet still owe tax.)

People and society are losing positive aspects of the value system presented by churches. Churches are, and have probably always been and always will be, a complex mix of good and bad qualities. I think it’s good for us to throw out the problematic and harmful values, ways of thinking, and behaviors in churches, but I think it’s bad if we blindly or universally reject everything associated with Churches and their value systems. Some of the best values I’ve seen advanced in Christanity and Christian communities include a love of all people, and a special emphasis on loving people we see as “enemies” or “outsiders”, an emphasis on only judging the moral status of people’s actions (i.e. “sins”) and not condemning the person themselves, a cultivation of humility anchored to the idea that we all sin and none of us are perfect, and the idea that when trying to get through to people, it is best to start by examining and owning up to our own shortcomings. There is also a lot of emphasis on forgiveness. I think a lot of these things are being lost in our society, and what has bothered me the most is that I often see active hostility towards some of them. For example, over the past few years I’ve been actively criticized for voicing the viewpoint that I care about people who have political views different from my own. I also see very little public support for the idea that it is most effective, at working towards goals, to start by looking inward and working out your own problems first. This is especially true in the political dialogue, in which there seems to be a lot of jumping to conclusions and demonizing of people with views different from our own.

I would really like us to try to retain the positive aspects of Christianity in our society. Ways you can do this include:

Avoid making sweeping negative generalizations about Christianity, and instead target the specific ideas, behaviors, practices, or churches or denominations that are advancing them.

Actively seek out examples of Christians denominations and churches that have views closer to your own. Even if you personally don’t want to ever attend or engage with them, know that they’re out there so that you (a) can use them as examples in your own thought and speech (b) perhaps refer other people to them who might be interested in looking.

If you are someone who has left or is leaving or moving away from Christianity, don’t blindly reject all values or ways of thinking associated with Christianity. It might be helpful to write in a journal or on a blog post and make a list of the qualities about the type of Chirstianity you experienced that you dislike and/or want to reject or change or move beyond, and, and the qualities of it that you still like and appreciate and want to retain in your life.

You can also seek out, participate, advocate for, or even found or build or contribute to religious and non-religious movements and organizations that fill some of the same functions in society that Christianity used to address. These functions can include the community aspect, the charitable functions, and the idea of having an institution promoting a particular value system or set of beliefs and practices.

Please share this post!

#christianity #religion #lgbtq #community #society

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calliecat93 · 6 years

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Callie Reviews: TMNT 2012 Season One (Part Three)

(Part One) (Part Two)

Here is where we look at the season as a whole. For this, I will be looking at four things: Animation, Voice Acting, Characters (Heroes, Villains), and Story. I’ll be going more into depths about some stuff I skimmed over here as well. So lets dig in!

Animation

This is the Turtles first CGI show... okay yeah the 2007 movie was CGI, but that was a movie. When I first heard this, I was reluctant as I felt like 2D was becoming more and more of a lost out. But the CGI was really good! Mind you it looks a tad bit dated now as every season they pushed more and more to improve it. But still, it’s very well done. I can’t recall any point where I thought it looked bad or cringy...aside form when they wanted you to cringe anyways. What helps is that the show does add in some 2D elements, There’s the comic-style flashbacks of course, but even past that. They use these anime-like quirks like the sweatdrop, blushing, wide blank eyes when reacting in shock, vein burst when a character is angry, all these tiny little things that give it a more cartoony feel. I can’t recall any other Nickelodeon CGI shows that were doing this prior, so it helped it stand out among the other shows.

Another plus side? The character designs. Aside from a few background characters they re-colored, none of the important characters look the same. Like I know that some don’t like April’s design, but at least they gave her and Karai their own distinct character designs. Then there are the Turtles. Something I don’t like about the upcoming show is how much.. accessorizing they add in to make the Turtles look distinctive. 2k12 kept it very simple. Different heights, eye color, shade of green, and of course body build. For example Donnie, the genius who is mroe invested with machines than training, is both the tallest and most slender. Raph, the strongest, is the most buff and Mikey, the youngest, has larger eyes and freckles to show his child-like nature.And even with Raph,a ll four boys have kind of high school athlete-like builds. Nothing over the top like say... the Michael Bay films. Basically, I can believe that these guys can do the ninja-like agility more than I can with the overly buff, giant versions that have been used.

When ti comes to the mutants, the animators get creative. There are so many unique mutant sin the show. Snakeweed, Spyder Bytez, Dogpound, Fishface, Splinter, Leatherhead, all the mutants have their own unique design that work for them. They also know when to get creepy, like with the mish-mash... thing... from The Alien Agenda. That was disturbing as heck, and it’s not even the creepiest one they come up with! Oh just wait for next season, haha... but yeah, mutant designs are great!

Now the settings are kinda... meh. I mean The Lair is cool, but it’s mostly just either the the Lair, the New York landscape, Shredder’s lair, or an empty warehouse most of the time. It’s nothing really... creative I guess is the right word. We also don’t explore new York much, mainly settling on skyscrapers as the setting. It’s understandable why since New York is the setting, but still it juts gets kind of boring after awhile. But for what it’s worth, they do try to do creative stuff when they can like in Baxter’s Gambit with the black and white screens.

And of course, there is the fight choreography. As I said before, it’s fantastic. All the fights in the series are fluid, well-paced, and fun to watch. If I had to give some examples off the top of my head, there’s New Friend, Old Enemy when the Turtles rise form the water. The mix of black and red is absolutely perfect. There’s the first fight against Shredder in The Gauntlet which despite the boys getting constantly knocked down by Shredder, they give it everything they have. It looks freakin’ badass. Then there is any Splinter fight scene. There’s not many, only about three in this season (It Came From the Depths, I, Monster, The Showdown two-parter) but they are excellent. I said that the Splinter vs Shredder fight was the best and nothing after ever topped it, right?

So yeah, if I was going to rate the animation on a 1-5 scale...

Rating: 4.5

Voice Acting

The series was voice directed by veteran Andrea Romano, so you know that the performances are gonna be solid. As far as casting goes, they got in a LOT of big names both in the voice acting industry and out. There’s of course Greg Cipes (Mikey), Mae Whitman (April), Nolan North (The Kraang), Kevin Michael Richardson (Shredder), Phil Lamar (Stockman), Clancy Brown (Dogpound) and of course Rob Paulsen (Donnie). Rob’s casting was actually a pretty big deal as along with being a veteran with nearly 30 years of experience, he was also the voice of Raph in the original 80′s show. So getting him back even as a different Turtle? Yeah... that’s pretty big!

Then you have more well-known on-screen actors, like Sean Astin (Raph) and Kelly Hu (Karai). Now they both actually have very solid VA-ing careers and still do voice work to this day, but if you’re say... a Lord of the Rings fan and known Sean only for that, this may entice you. The newcomers to voice acting are Jason Biggs (Leo), Christian Lanz (Fishface) and Hoon Lee (Splinter). There’s also guest actors like Jeffrey Combs (The Rat King) and Roseanne Barr (Kraang Prime), so a solid mix of professional voice actors and a few newcomers. The result?

The voice acting is fantastic. Like even as the show goes on and you see more and more mixed reception, the acting is NEVER one of the things you see go down. If anything, it is one aspect that continues to improve episode by episode. All four Turtle actors do an amazing job conveying their characters, able to go from comedic to dramatic in a split second. I’d say that out of everyone, Hoon Lee impressed me the most since he’s the only one aside from Biggs (and... e’ll talk more about him next season) I hadn’t heard of. And he gave a very solid performance. Everyone did. Even for just minor characters like Pulverizer (Roger Craig Smith... yes Pulverizer is Sonic the Hedgehog) or some of the villains like Snake (Danny Jacob who voices King Julian outside the Madacgascar films) or Spyder Byte (Lewis Black), they convey their characters perfectly. Like Black’s character is a rude slob you want to punch, and he does such a great job in making you feel that way!

So yeah, you got a strong cast, a veteran voice director, and a crazy group of characters for them to voice. All of them nail it. And just wait, this is only the S1 cast. Wait until you see who they bring in for future seasons!

Rating: 5

Characters

As I said in Part One, this is the best part of the show. I know a lot of people who fell off TMNT as it went on, but still kept interest because of the characters. To me, this is always the most important part of storytelling. Yes having a good story itself is important, but a good story will be nothing without likeable characters to move it. A cliched story may be annoying, but if the characters are likeable and strongly written, people are usually more forgiving because they care about the cast. This show is no different. To this day, the thing that kept me attracted to the show was the Turtles, April, and Splinter and what they’d get into next. All of them have strong personalities that get you to care about them, or at least see where they’re coming from. I could gush about each of them one by one... so on we go!

Lets start with Mikey because he is the least developed this season... and most of the show sadly. I’d even say that his focus episodes dropped massively in quality after this season as he was forced mroe and mroe into the comedy relief/designated victim/little brother role. It’s a shame too because this season did an excellent job in balancing out both the comedy relief and the more innocent side of the character. Mikey is the most naive of the brothers and the least serious among them. It’s not to say that he can’t take situations seriously, it’s just that he’s more easy-going and fun-seeking than the other three. His biggest problem is his inability to focus and goof around, which has caused several instances of accidentally setting off alarms.

While not the best of the four, Mikey is a talented ninja and the best at going off just raw talent. He doesn’t think through fighting moves, he can just go with the flow and be perfectly fine. His strongest skill hpwever is his empathy and desire to make friends. While this has backfired on him before, like in New Friend, Old Enemy, where Bradford used and then kidnapped him for a trap, Mikey is incredibly non-judgemental and open-minded. It’s why he could befriend Leatherhead so easily in It Came From the Depths. He saw that the Kraang were attacking him and decided to simply talk to him like he would anyone else, even pointing out that maybe LH only acts like a monster because that’s how he was treated for so long. Mikey may not be book smart, but he’s very emotionally smart. As I said, Mikey’s character sadly devolves into annoying comedy relief as it goes, but for this season he had a strong start. No meaningful development aside form slow progression on paying attention (Parasitica being the final payoff... also if you’re afraid of wasps then avoid that one), but his character is strong enough to carry him through.

Raph is the brawler of the group and the quickest to anger. Hie’s the strongest fighter and incredibly confident... unless he has to deal with bugs. His biggest flaws are his both his anger and his jealous towards Leo. The first half of the season has Raph frequently back-talks and argue with Leo all because he got made the leader over him. For example, in Never Say Xever he is unhappy with Leo using mercy because bad guys don’t deserve it. Leo does eventually use the more Raph-like approach when kidnapping Bradford... and it fails miserably. What saves them? Leo’s act of mercy causing the Purple Dragon to repay the favor sand saving their shells. While he does slowly get a better grip on his temper once Splinter tells him of how dangerous it can be (Turtle Temper), it takes until New Girl in Town for him to overcome his jealousy once and for all. It’s very well done too by having Leo finally get fed up and give Raph what he wanted. Ultimately Raph can’t handle the pressure once things get rough and comes to understand both what Leo deals with essentially every day and how his own actions made it worst.

After that, Raph becomes the perfect example of a follower. While he’s still question Leo, he has good reasons for it, like everything involving Karai for instance. But he actively looks out for him more and stops mocking him outside just brotherly messing around. And even during that point, while Raph could be an insensitive jerk, he does love his family and will make amends when he goes too far. When he mocked Mikey wanting friends in New Friend, Old Enemy, at the end he comforted him after the fallout with Bradford and assured him that he’s a good person. When he mocked Donnie’s crush in Operation: Break-Out and led to Donnie going on a mission solo, Raph was worried about him, realized that he way too harsh, and tried to make amends by giving Donnie all the credit once back home. While Raph doesn’t conquer his temper completely, over the season he does get a better grip on it, can admit when he goes to far, became overall nicer, and by the end is a much better person. It was good stuff!

Donnie is probably the most... divisive of the four. Not because he’s badly written per say. He’s intelligent, but also high-strung and prone to stress. He’s not a bad ninja, but because of his focus on machinery, he’s the least skilled. The two episodes that focus on this are Metalhead and Monkey Brains. Metalhead has an admittedly meh plot where he gets sick of his bo staff and therefore creates the robot Metalhead to act as his weapon. The ‘meh’ plot is IDT it addresses the message of ‘the weapon doesn't make you a good fighter, you do’ very well, ut still Monkey Brains does a much better job, demonstrating Donnie’s tendency to over-think everything and how that is detrimental in a fight. By the climax, he’s able to get himself to rely on his instincts against a mind-reading villain (we’ll get to him later) and kick his ass.

Then there’s The Pulverizer episodes, which are the most interesting but sadly don’t go anywhere after this season. It has Donnie accept Pulverizer as an apprentice of sort, mainly so the kid can have some form of self-defense if he’s going to put himself into danger. It’s ultimately ineffective, but mainly because of Pulverizer wanting to rush and not listening properly. The most important part though is Splinter telling Donnie that by doing this, anything that happens involving him after will be his responsibility. Which we see in The Pulverizer Returns where Pulverizer decides ot let the Foot mutate him to gain awesome mutant powers. Donnie tries to save him, but sadly he fails and Pulverier.. it’s not pretty. While Donnie does still save him after, he’s left with the guilt of ultimately failing his student. I’ll go into mroe about how horribly the writers wasted this next season, but here? It was interesting to give Donnie this plot since you’d expect t to go to say... Leo. I think it really worked for what it was worth and let us see a side of Donnie outside just being the smart one.

So with that said, why is he divisive? Well... it’s because another major part of his character is his crush on April. He doe snot... manage it well, to say the least. He is rather, well... stupid and kinda creepy with it. But I do want to point this out. Yes, it is annoying but I think there’s a good reason for it: he’s an awkward teenager. Yeah him asking her to feel his goosebumps (Metalhead), accidentally calling her ‘his April (The Gauntlet), accidentally saying awkward things when she acknowledges him (pick any episode) are incredibly facepalm worthy at best. And yeah, they should have done better setup than have him just find her pretty when seeing her once. However he does genuinely care about her and int he premiere, he was driven more because he saw an innocent girl scared and was unable to help than his newfound crush. The feelings are genuine and Donnie being awkward about is because... well, Donnie is awkward in general and he does slowly improve. Honestly I’ll have mroe to discuss about this next season cause haha... boy is THAT a clusterfuck. But ultimately while Donnie can be annoying, overall it’s pretty bearable and he has plenty of positive traits to balance it out.

Finally, we get Leo. He’s the group leader, but unlike the past series where he pretty much grew up with that role, here he gets the role halfway through the first episode. He starts as a goody-two-shoes with a mischievous side who had a very basic view of leadership. He see sit as a position of authority, greatness, and unstoppable. That’s not to say that he doesn’t take the role seriously, he does. He devises plans, does his best to keep his brothers focused, and frequently asks Splinter for advice on how to best do things. But he also frequently uses cheesy one-liners and does his best to be as over the top with his heroics as possible, thinking it’s cool when it isn’t. It gives Leo a more naive feel to him, someone who is serious but also is still a teenaged kid who has a lot of learning to do.

The pressures of leadership are Leo’s primary focus as a character. While he has some doubts, the biggest blow to his confident comes in The Gauntlet after there massive defeat against Shredder. The following episode has him unsure of if he can properly lead the team and feeling guilty when things go wrong. But the ultimate meltdown comes in New Girl in Town where Raph finally pushes him too hard and he quits. He’s realized at this point that leadership is not like it is on TV. it’s unforgiving, stressful, and you’re gonna be the one facing the consequences when things go wrong. His difficulty dealing with this is what attracts him to Karai. She’s fun, does whatever she wants, and doesn’t care about the rules. She offers him a form of freedom that he hasn’t had before. It’s why he tries to get her to change sides, he doesn’t want her to be an enemy. Unfortunately things end badly between them this season, but you can see where Leo is coming form no matter how naive he was about it.

Leo evolved a lot over the season. He went from a naive teenager who quoted old TV episodes to a serious, determined leader who was willing to do whatever it took to get his team through. He never quit being optimistic and he does still have his stress with leadership later down the road. But the season is about him easing not the role an understanding the weight of that role. It’s very easy to feel bad for Leo because he tries incredibly hard, but he doesn’t receive a lot of gratitude or payoff, and he just has to accept that. By the finale, he’s willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure both success and his family's safety... something that becomes a bit of an issue in later seasons (looking at you Space Arc). I’d say that because we got to see Leo actually having to come to terms with the role, it makes this imo the best version of the character. We actually have to see him accept the role and how he hate show it limits his free time, something IDT the past versions really did. And all while having this dorky, idealistic side that keeps him likable and all the mroe relateable. Overall, I’d say that the leader in blue was handeled very well here!

April is my favorite character in the show, but her writing this season has some issues. Now as a character herself, she’s perfectly fine. She’s an independent sixteen year old and incredibly proactive. Whenever she finds info on the Kraang or about her dad, she looks into it. When everyone is ready to quit in Panic in the Sewers, she’s the only one who actively tries to do something and get everyone else to not give up. When Splinter offers to train her, she accepts it and we see bits and pieces of her progressing. But it’s done realistically as demonstrated in Karai’s Vendetta where it’s very clear that April is nowhere near her level. But it also demonstrates her determination and how she never gives up, getting back up after every blow and at east trying to put up a fight. While she’s forced to sit most things out and does on occasion get kidnapped, she still tries to be an asset and does very well as an intel gatherer. She’s also incredibly stubborn and can get in over her head without thinking things through, like in Metalhead and the finale episodes. But ultimately her proactiveness and need to take action are her strongest traits and what makes her a useful ally.

The issues with April are in the writing of the plot. I already mentioned how the early episodes could have done mroe in having her ease into the group. There’s also after Karai’s Vendetta where despite living with the guys, we don’t see her until the penultimate episode. We see her express hating it in that episode, but we don’t get to explore the fallout of her losing her normal life. In fact we...d on’t see April’s life outside Turtle stuff until next season, and even then not by much. Now of course the show is about the Turtles and you gotta keep the focus on them, but still we get a bunch of ‘show, don’t tell’ problems with April. We’re told things like she’s living with her aunt, but we never see them interact. Hell, IDT April’s aunt is ever mentioned outside the pilot. We also find out that April is the Kraang’s target... and we never see how she feels about it. If she’s scared, if she’s worried. We can assume that she has some stress about it, as indicated when she vents in Karai’s Vendetta, but little to no showcase of how she feels about it. Mind you we don’t with the Turtles either, but still. Still, overall April is a solid character imo.

That brings us to Master Splinter, the best written character by far. Splinter is the perfect balance of a mentor and a father. He’s firm, strict, and not afraid to dish out punishment when it’s necessary. But he’s also gentle, patient, knows how to give his sons proper guidance, and when to let them figure things out for themselves. He’s also snarky as Hell, so it’s good that he has a sense of humor. He’s also a flawed person. He lost his wife and daughter because of hat is essentially a sibling rivalry that went WAAAY too far and his own inability to control himself worsened things. He lost his family and then his humanity, ending his life as Hamato Yoshi. Since then, he’s hidden int he sewers and tried to focus his energy on raising and protecting his sons. It makes letting them go topside difficult, as it is for any parent whose children are growing up. He can make mistakes, like letting his fear control him and press his sons far too hard in Panic in the Sewers, but he can admit those mistakes.

Splintr’s largest plot in the season, outside mentoring the boys and April, is accepting his mutant status and overcoming his fears. Many epsiodes such as the premiere, Turtle Temper, Monkey Brains, Panic in the Sewers and the finale show how much pain the rat master carries and while he’s move don to a new life, it still haunts him. The episode that best displays this however is a filler episode called I, Monster. In it we get this version of the Rat King, the mind reading villain from Monkey Brains, who uses his power to swarm New York. When he senses Splinter, he proceeds to try and brainwash him too. The episode does an amazing job at showcasing all of Splinter’s fears. The boys outgrowing him, his past tragedies, ending up alone, and the Rat King slowly uses all of it to break him down. Splinter fights back, but the thought of the boys moving on without him is ultimately what defeats him until the boys remind him of who he is. He is Hamato Yoshi, Master Splinter, but most of all their father. They need him and always will. Which lets Splinter overcome the mind control and essentially Airbend Rat King through a wall. It was awesome~

Despite that episode being filler, it’s one of the season's best. It is a strong character exploration piece about a father who has gone through Hell and is faced with the fear of his kids not needing him. It is very relatable and makes Splinter all the mroe sympathetic. And we see Splinter truly embody who he is now when faced with the Shredder again and upon learning that his daughter had survived. He went into full rat mode and gave Shredder the beating that we all wanted. And the season ends on a perfect lead in for the next one. Splinter now knows that Karai is his daughter while she was raised to hate him. It’s any parent’s worst nightmare. He now has to deal with that revelation as well as how he’s going to break it to his students. Splinter has some solid growth int he season, something that a lot of mentor figures in cartoons don’t get, and it’s done perfectly. He has his flaws, but is still a strong father figure to his sons. Add that to Hoon Lee’s absolute perfect performance and you have what is in my opinion the best incarnation of Master Splinter in any TMNT series.

While the main cast is strong, the supporting cast and villains are... not so much. There isn’t really a supporting cast honestly. The best we have is Leatherhead, who is awesome. He’s a damaged character. One treated like a monster and tortured for who knows how long. It left him damaged and prone to trauma-induced outbursts. But he is a good person who knows that what happened to him was wrong and can be quite sweet when given the chance. He didn’t have to save humanity, especially since most would scream and run if they saw him, but he didn’t want anyone else to endure what he did. It’s best exemplified with his sacrifice in TCRI, going back to Dimension X and knowing fully well what’ll await him there. But he does so to save his friends and give them the chance to save the Earth. LH is freakin’ badass and I love him!

The villains though are... kinda boring. Most of the mutants, while the designs are cool, are incredibly one-note. Not all of them, like the Rat King is so dramatic and twisted and his VA does such a great job with the delivery that you both love him and want to strangle him. But others like Snakeweed or Spyder Bytez are just... well, evil for the heck of it. The Kraang are the worst though since at least the mutants are only in like one or two episodes. The Kraang are annoying as HELL. They can be dangerous but the redundant speech pattern and all fo them having essentially the same personality (aka none) is so... boring. Min you in Season 4 we kind of get an explanation to why, but it doesn't change how grating they can get. That being said in large groups they can be dangerous and with things like the Technodrome, they’re not to be taken lightly. Still, GAH I HATE THEM!!!

The Foot are somewhat better. Stockman is pathetic and remains pathetic throughout the entire series. Bradford is a pompous asshole. Xever is a little more interesting in that he kidn of was forced to work for Shredder or go to jail... but sadly after that reveal, he reverts to typical henchman status sadly. Shredder is the Big Bad and a no-nonsense leader. He has no empathy and is more than willing to inflict physical violence on his troops if they fail him. He even threatens to harm Karai, his daughter (kinda...) if she questions him. He is a very single minded perosn, his only goal beign to kill Splinter and his students by any means necessary. Hell. he only starts caring about the Kraang when he realizes that they can advance his goal, but has zero issues letting humanity fall to them. Oh, and there’s his glee when Karai tries to kill Splinter. WOrst? THis isn’t even the worst that he does int he show. Oh just wait for next season. JUST WAIT. Otherwise though, while a powerful fighter, he just mopes in his throne for most of the season, but Richardson’s badass voice acting was nice to hear.

The most interesting villain by far is Karai, and Thank God for it. While Leo is a good-good, Karai is a bad girl. She’s laid-back, does what she wants her way, and doesn’t play by the rules. She’s introduced as a competent fighter, but unlike the other Foot she’s more interesting in talking to the Turtles than killing them. I think she did become genuinely fond of Leo, but ultimately she’s going to be loyal to what she thinks is her family. She also started off realizing that there were bugger problems, like the Kraang, that required more attention over the vendetta until the Turtles betrayed her. Then she pretty much went ‘screw it’ and decided to go with the vendetta, which only got worst when she met Splinter for the first time. Still, ti was nice to have someone actually question Shredder and try to be sensible. She’s definite the most well-written of the villains, and the revelation about her being Splinter’s daughter means that there is MUCH more to come for her. Like I said, just wait for Season 2!

Okay, this section was a LOOOT longer than I thought. So I’ll just finish by saying that the villains aren't all that interesting, but the main characters are very well written. They have strong personalities, plenty of room for growth, and their interactions always gel really well. Very well done!

Rating: 4.5

Story

The main plot threads are the Turtles against the Foot, and the Turtles feud against the Kraang. All with some subplots, like Pulverizer and the mutant of the week stuff, and filler episodes thrown in. I say that the plots are handled very well. For example well go with... say two or three Kraang-centric episodes. Then we may or may not get a filler episode before shifting over to the Foot Clan for awhile. It never felt like we got smothered with one faction over the other, which is good. The plots also slowly intertwined and it felt like they came together at just the right time during the last six or so episodes. Hence hwy the finale worked so well, giving some kind of payoff on both ends.

Many of the episodes were very basic and outright bizarre. Like Cockroach Terminator having a mutant cockroach tr to murder Raph... it’s kinda gross, but entertaining! Every episode normally has at least something small that’ll carry over as the story goes along. For example, Donnie built Metalhead in... well, Metalhead and brought him back in the finale, plus it helped him learn mroe about Kraang tech. In Baxter’s Gambit, April finally gets her own weapon and she attempts to use it in Karai’s Vendetta. The episodes all play a part, even if just minor, in the larger narrative and I feel some of the later seasons kind of slacked on that. This season had a perfect balance.

That’s not to say that it was perfect. Like at the end of TCRI, we find out that April is the Kraang’s true target which makes us wonder why... and the next episode is about Raph’s fear of bugs! So TCRI was episode 17, we don’t even mention this fact again until Karai’s Vendetta, which is episode 21. Five episodes later, and even then we get one tiny hint (April doesn't get damaged by mutagen-laced water) and... that’s it. The.show has a bit of an issue with not exploring fallout, which is weird because Panic in the Sewers did and id it excellently. Maybe it’s because they have to make episodes to sell toys, IDK. It doesn't do too much damage, but it makes it feel like they both wasted character opportunities and like there’s something missing. But at the very least the episodes remain entertaining, so there’s that.

Rating: 4

Final Thoughts

You know what I like about this series and why I ran it above the other ones? Well it does something that I feel that the previous incarnations lacked: The Teenage Mutant Nina Turtles felt like teenagers. They felt like a bunch of kids truly entering the world for the first time. They screw up, they have problems to overcome, and they don’t always learn it immideatly. Like their cockiness is a frequent pain in the shell for example. But the reason that I like pretty much all of the episodes aside form Episode 11 is because it feels like we’re watching a group of kids truly starting to grow up and learn about how rough life can be. How they have to change, how they have to fix their mistakes, and just become better people. As a nineteen year old who was just staring to figure my life out, when I started the show, that drew me in. I related to these characters so much. I felt like I was growing with them and coming to understand who I was due to it.

It felt really nostalgic to go back over this season. Imo, it still holds up big time. It’s funny, action-heavy, well animated, and the characters are just as enjoyable as I remember. Would I call this the best season? Hmm... maybe. I still have three more to look over. But it was a really fun ride and it got TMNT 2012 off on the right track. Can they stay on it during Season 2? Come back next week, and we shall see!

#tmnt #2k12 #tmnt 2012 #callie reviews

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dfroza · 3 years

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A True story of Light and eternal Love:

“Know this, dear brothers and sisters: the good news I brought to you isn’t the latest in fiction or the product of some creative mind. It is not a legend I learned or one that has been passed down from person to person, ear to ear. I was gifted with this message as Jesus the Anointed revealed Himself miraculously to me.”

A set of lines from Today’s reading of the Scriptures in the New Testament Letter of Galatians (chapter 1:11-12 in The Voice)

with the whole first chapter in The Message:

I, Paul, and my companions in faith here, send greetings to the Galatian churches. My authority for writing to you does not come from any popular vote of the people, nor does it come through the appointment of some human higher-up. It comes directly from Jesus the Messiah and God the Father, who raised him from the dead. I’m God-commissioned. So I greet you with the great words, grace and peace! We know the meaning of those words because Jesus Christ rescued us from this evil world we’re in by offering himself as a sacrifice for our sins. God’s plan is that we all experience that rescue. Glory to God forever! Oh, yes!

I can’t believe how you waver—how easily you have turned traitor to him who called you by the grace of Christ by embracing an alternative message! It is not a minor variation, you know; it is completely other, an alien message, a no-message, a lie about God. Those who are provoking this agitation among you are turning the Message of Christ on its head. Let me be blunt: If one of us—even if an angel from heaven!—were to preach something other than what we preached originally, let him be cursed. I said it once; I’ll say it again: If anyone, regardless of reputation or credentials, preaches something other than what you received originally, let him be cursed.

Do you think I speak this strongly in order to manipulate crowds? Or court favor with God? Or get popular applause? If my goal was popularity, I wouldn’t bother being Christ’s slave. Know this—I am most emphatic here, friends—this great Message I delivered to you is not mere human optimism. I didn’t receive it through the traditions, and I wasn’t taught it in some school. I got it straight from God, received the Message directly from Jesus Christ.

I’m sure that you’ve heard the story of my earlier life when I lived in the Jewish way. In those days I went all out in persecuting God’s church. I was systematically destroying it. I was so enthusiastic about the traditions of my ancestors that I advanced head and shoulders above my peers in my career. Even then God had his eye on me. Why, when I was still in my mother’s womb he chose and called me out of sheer generosity! Now he has intervened and revealed his Son to me so that I might joyfully tell non-Jews about him.

Immediately after my calling—without consulting anyone around me and without going up to Jerusalem to confer with those who were apostles long before I was—I got away to Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus, but it was three years before I went up to Jerusalem to compare stories with Peter. I was there only fifteen days—but what days they were! Except for our Master’s brother James, I saw no other apostles. (I’m telling you the absolute truth in this.)

Then I began my ministry in the regions of Syria and Cilicia. After all that time and activity I was still unknown by face among the Christian churches in Judea. There was only this report: “That man who once persecuted us is now preaching the very message he used to try to destroy.” Their response was to recognize and worship God because of me!

The Letter of Galatians, Chapter 1 (The Message)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 65th chapter of the book (scroll) of Isaiah that points to the creation of new heavens and a new earth and forgetting what is past (tense):

Eternal One: I was ready and willing to help before anyone even asked.

I was found by people who did not seek Me;

I showed My face and said, “Here I am! I am right here!”

to a nation which did not call on Me.

I kept extending Myself to a people who don’t care a whit.

All day long I opened my hands to those who constantly work against Me,

Those busy pursuing their own rotten path, inspired by their own rotten schemes.

These people continue to insult Me, right to My face,

pursuing other gods, sacrificing in gardens

And offering incense on altars made of bricks.

They sit among the graves and spend their nights in secret rituals;

they eat the flesh of pigs and pollute their pots with unclean meats.

They have the gall to say, “Oooh, not so close! I am holier than you!”

These unholy people are smoke in My nostrils,

A fire that burns and burns all day.

Look and see what stands written before Me:

“I will not remain silent and watch this disgrace;

But I will pay them back for what they have done.

I will pour their pay directly into their laps.

They will pay for their sins and the sins of their parents too.

For they turned to other gods, burned incense on the mountains

And insulted Me on the hillsides.

I will bring everything they deserve back to them, to their very core.”

This is what the Eternal has to say:

Eternal One: It’s like noticing the promise of new wine in a cluster of grapes.

One will say, “Don’t destroy them all; some of them are bound to be good.”

So for the sake of My servants,

I won’t destroy absolutely everyone.

But I will bring up children from Jacob’s line to inherit this land.

To Jacob’s son Judah I will give My mountains.

These, My chosen ones, will inherit it;

these, My servants, will live there and call it home.

From the plains of Sharon to the valley of Achor,

My people—who look to Me and no other—

Will have pasture for their sheep

and safe places for their herds.

But those of you who ignore Me, the Eternal One—

who turn away from My sanctuaries

And reject My holy mountain

to chase Lady Luck and cater to Destiny—

Will find yourselves a bit unlucky and your destiny an early death.

You’ll bow down and be killed like sheep brought to the slaughter

Because when I called you, you did not answer;

when I spoke, you refused to listen.

Instead you did all the wrong things and made terrible choices—

what I expressly said that I hate.

So this is what the Lord, the Eternal, has to say:

Eternal One: My servants will eat and eat well, while you go hungry;

My servants will drink and be satisfied, while you are parched with thirst;

My servants will celebrate with joy, while you are put to shame.

My servants will sing with gladness in their hearts,

While you cry out in anguish and despair and bemoan your brokenness.

And when you are gone, your name will become a curse—

a repugnant byword—to My chosen people;

The Eternal God will put you to death

and call His servants by a new name altogether.

Whoever speaks a blessing in this special land

will invoke the God of truth;

Whoever takes a vow in the land of promise

will make his pledge by the God of truth.

For the bitterness and pain of earlier times will nevermore come to mind;

they’ll be hidden even from My eyes, God says.

Eternal One: Now look here!

I am creating new heavens and a new earth.

The weary and painful past will be as if it never happened.

No one will talk or even think about it anymore.

So take joy and celebrate with unending gladness

on account of what I am creating.

Look carefully! I am making this place I’ve chosen, this Jerusalem, a city of joy.

I’m making her citizens, My people, a people of gladness.

This Jerusalem, My pride and joy, and her people will be a delight to Me.

Though you listen at every corner,

You will never hear crying, never hear despair or grief.

Never again will a person not live a full life,

for the young will live to be a hundred

And any who die earlier will be considered cursed.

People will confidently build houses and make them their homes;

they will plant vineyards and enjoy their fruit for years to come.

They won’t worry that someone else will come along, drive them out,

and take it all away.

For My people will live as long as these age-old trees;

My chosen will use up and wear out whatever they make.

They will not work hard for what others take away;

they will not lose children to sudden terror and death.

For they are the offspring of those blessed by the Eternal;

they and their descendants will enjoy God’s blessings.

I’ll anticipate their prayers and respond before they know it;

even as they speak, I will hear.

But they’ll all eat together like friends—wolf and lamb, lion and ox,

and the biting snake will feed on dust.

When that day arrives, there will be no evil, no violence, no hurt or wrong

in all My sacred mountain.

The Book (Scroll) of Isaiah, Chapter 65 (The Voice)

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for Thursday, August 12 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A set of posts by John Parsons that looks at humility and turning the heart to God for healing:

The advent of the “Season of Teshuvah” reminds us that we all fail, that we all are broken people, and that errors and mistakes are part of our daily spiritual life... We journey toward humility rather than struggle for perfection; we confess our need for forgiveness and seek reconciliation with all those we might have harmed... During this season it is common enough to hear messages about our need to turn and draw near to God for life, but it is equally important to remember that God turns and draws near to the brokenhearted for consolation. As it is said, the Lord is near to the nishbar lev (נִשְׁבָּר לֵב), the one with a broken and crushed heart (Psalm 51:17).

Brokenness is the means through which God performs some of His deepest work within our hearts. A.W. Tozer once said, "It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply." Likewise Alan Redpath once wrote, "When God wants to do an impossible task, he takes an impossible individual – and crushes him." William James called this deep work of the spiritual life Zerrissenheit, a term that roughly can be translated as "torn-to-pieces-hood," or a state of being utterly broken and in disarray... The brokenhearted live in day-to-day dependence upon God for the miracle... [Hebrew for Christians]

Perhaps you (like me) once learned Psalm 19:7 as, "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul." However, the Hebrew text might better be translated as, "The instruction (i.e., Torah) of the LORD is perfect, returning the soul." This is the message of teshuvah (תְּשׁוּבָה), or "repentance," of course. We turn away from ourselves to discover that only the love of God given in Yeshua gives life to our dead hearts (Mark 1:15). Teshuvah is therefore first of all a matter of faith, of trusting in the miracle of God. And though it is indeed a great gift from heaven, it requires that we pass through the "narrow gate" of humility by confessing the truth about who we are (Matt. 7:13). We turn away from our pride; we acknowledge our inner poverty, our neediness, and we mourn over the loss and hurt caused by our sin. Teshuvah turns us away from our attempts to defend or justify ourselves and instead turns to God to heal our separation from love (Rom. 8:3-4). The miracle of love buries our old nature and transforms us into a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). [Hebrew for Christians]

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Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

August 12, 2021

God Our Savior

“But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared.” (Titus 3:4)

Six times in the pastoral epistles Paul refers to God (evidently meaning the Father) as our Savior (1 Timothy 1:1; 2:3; 4:10; Titus 1:3; 2:10; 3:4). Usually, however, he and the other New Testament writers identify Jesus Christ as our Savior. “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18, for example). In the same fashion, Paul relates that his commission to preach the gospel came from “God our Saviour” (Titus 1:3), while elsewhere he says his commission came “by the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:12).

Is this a contradiction? No! In fact, references to God as our Savior should not surprise us, for it is found in numerous places in the Old Testament. (See, for example, Psalm 106:21.) Furthermore, our understanding of the Trinity insists that all three persons of the Godhead are One in God. Of course, Christ made many references to the fact that He was not acting on His own but came to do “the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38). Paul himself seemed to be comfortable with this seeming overlap, for in one sentence he wrote, “God our Saviour;...Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour” (Titus 1:3-4). Such usages further confirm also that Jesus is God.

While Christ was the primary instrument of salvation as the perfect sacrifice for sin, God the Father is the source of all human salvation, and the application of the title Savior to Him is proper. Indeed, we derive great comfort as we see the role of all three Persons of the Godhead involved in our salvation.

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). JDM

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