I guess the so-called Christians in the US don't really give a damn about this because these Christians aren't white. Or they are just so desperate for their delusional "rapture" that they are fine with turning a blind eye. It is their permanent position after all.

How is it that my 14 year old casual-Christian brother can understand and enjoy the film ‘Nimona’ without being upset about its themes, but whole ass Adults - Christian or not - have to spread their hate and rage of a film that focuses not on the love between two men, though it is there and it is NOT hidden nor should it be, but of a literal child battling an entire kingdom that wants them killed just for being who they are???

He understands that a warning should not be used against people being who they are, against two men being openly in love as they should be.

‘Warning it has gay people and anti-institution, which in a way indicates these are bad things.’

A young boy, barely a teenager, understands that these things should not have warnings. That they should be accepted, just as any other love story is, or any other coming-of-age film will be.

So how is it that full grown, should-be-mature Adults have only this to say?

“This movie is an attack from a dark agenda to indoctrinate the youth, who are easy to mould and shape.”

That sure sounds like Christianity to me. Shoving beliefs and ideals down young children’s throats and shaping them exactly how you want them to be.

Except some of your children are these people that you don’t want to see on your tv. Those children that just want to be seen, to be loved for who they are, to not be alone.

And I understand that not all Christian’s are like this, but those aren’t the ones I’m talking about.

I’m going to stop here before I get too worked up but my final note is that to those who don’t like the film Nimona because it is ‘shoving lgbtq+ themes down young peoples throats’, just remember that it is exactly what you do with your own beliefs.

It is hypocrisy in its finest form.

Christian hypocrisy at its finest

So someone decided to be a shitty person and talk about me behind my back, but tumblr sends emails my dude.

To @punkrockboifriend

Edit: forgot to add - @not-a-walking-uterus

I said I have some DOUBTS - not that I don’t believe in it. I clearly indicated that conversion therapy was extremely damaging, which, if you have reading comprehension, implies I believe transitioning to be the best option that we know of at the moment. Don’t twist my words when you put the evidence of what I said, right there. Also, SYABM is not a transphobe. The Shinigami Eyes program has been proven on multiple occasions to be verifiably untrustworthy to anyone who has fucking brain cells.

I didn’t say Christians are oppressed in the US anywhere. I simply reblogged someone mocking Lil Nas X and his recent controversy. Again, twisting the situation when you disproved yourself in your own evidence.

There’s a thing called oppression of the majority. Look it up.

I think that if you’re trying to steal from me or damage property that belongs to me, you deserve to get shot. That’s why we have the second amendment folks and I don’t feel bad about it.

I’m a woman actually, not a he. You would think that for someone who claims to be trans, that would be an important thing to get right. Oh well, hypocrisy at its finest, right?

(Hey look guys, I got a hate post about me, encouraging others to block me. That means I’m smarter than them in tumblr language right? This is such a momentous occasion for me)

Devotional Hours Within the Bible

by J.R. Miller

God's Works and Word

Scriptures: Psalms 19:1-2 Psalms 19:7-8

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge."

"The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes."

We have two Bibles. One is written on the pages of nature - and the other on the pages of the inspired Word. In this Psalm, we have the summaries of the teaching of both.

In the earlier portion, the poet tells us about the teachings of the heavens : "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge." And if in David's days God's glory was declared in the heavens, how much more now, since the telescope has revealed such marvelous things about the extent of the starry world that were not known then! Only remember that nearly all the stars we see are suns, probably centers of systems of planets; and that those we see, are but the merest fraction of the actual number - only those that our telescopes can bring into view. The truth is, that there are millions of suns in the heavens, some of them so far from us that it takes thousands of years for light to come from them to us.

Anyone who has given even a little attention to the study of astronomy is prepared to appreciate the thought of this verse. The heavens declare the glory of God. Think what glories of the night there are - which the day hides! If our sun never set - we would never see the splendors of the heavens. A poet imagines our first parent watching the sun nearing the horizon the evening of his first day. He was in great terror as he thought of the sun sinking away - and leaving the world in darkness! But when the orb of day disappeared quietly, lo! a new universe had burst upon his vision. Night revealed far more than it hid!

Think of the power that called into being, such a multitude of worlds, and that sustains them age after age. Think of the wisdom that made such a universe of flying suns, planets, and comets, so perfectly adjusting their orbits and their motions - that they never clash in their orbits, that they move age after age, so that perfect harmony prevails among the spheres. Science, instead of being an enemy of religion, is its best friend. The more we learn of the marvelous things of God's world, the more do we see, for which to praise and adore the divine Maker and Sustainer.

This is true of all things in nature. There is more beauty in a single little flower - than in the finest work of art ever fashioned by human hand! From the minutest insects to the vast stars, every department of the universe declares the wisdom, the power, the goodness, the faithfulness of God. We ought to study nature more; it is one of God's books .

"Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge." Evermore, nature speaks of God. DAY has its glories, when in the sunshine we see the beauties of field, garden, mountain, valley, forest, river, flower, and plant. Then NIGHT comes, and instead of making desolation in the darkness, it unveils to us its marvelous splendor of sky and stars. Creation widens then, in man's view, and to a devout mind - everything speaks of God! There are spiritual revealings in all nature's pages - to him who has eyes.

Then the Psalm passes from the teachings in nature - to the revealings of the divine Word. The works of God declare His glory - but not His will. For this - we turn to His Word. We never could learn by study the stars, the flowers, or the rocks - how we ought to live; what is right and what is wrong, what will please God or displease Him. We never could learn what God Himself is, what His attributes are, how He feels toward us. We may learn from His works - that He is great, powerful, wise, unchanging, good; but we could not learn from the stars - that He loves us with a tender, personal affection, that He is merciful and gracious. We never could find a gospel of salvation for lost sinners - in the works of God. How thankful we should be for His Word, which tells us all these things!

"The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes."

Here we have His law, revealed by His own Spirit. It teaches us how to live. It is a perfect law; not only perfect in that it is without flaw - but also in that it is complete as a revelation, containing all we need to know to be saved - and to reach the full stature of Christian men and women. We may turn to the Word of the Lord with every question of duty - and we shall always find the right answer!

Then, it is a beautiful statement also, of the ministry of the Word which we have. It revives the soul. Every human soul needs to be revived. It is ruined by sin; its beauty is tarnished, its grandeur is destroyed. The Word of God is able to build it up, to transform it, to revive the lost splendor, to bring back again the defaced image of God. We know the power the Word of God has over human lives. It first shows men that they are condemned and lost - as it holds up before them the requirements of the divine law. Next, it shows them the cross with its salvation for the guilty. Then it declares to them the will of God by which they are to learn to fashion their lives. As they begin to obey this holy will, it leads them on higher and higher, until they enter heaven's gates and wear the likeness of Christ! Thus The Word revives the soul, transforming it into the likeness of God, which sin had defaced.

"The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart." Many people think that a godly life is gloomy. They suppose that Christians have no joy. They have to deny themselves many pleasures. They cannot have the 'good times' worldly people have. They have to live strictly. They have to follow conscience in all things. It must be very hard. Life must be dreary and joyless to them.

So the people talk, who boast of being free from the restraints of God's Word, and who imagine that they themselves have the happiest times possible. But, as a matter of fact, the happiest people in this world - are those who are keeping God's commandments. Who ever heard of sin giving true joy to the heart? Disobedience never made anyone happy; but obedience always gives peace.

There are fresh - water springs in the sea, which always pour out sweet water beneath the brackish tides. So in the obedient heart, under all self-denials, there is a spring of joy ever flowing. The Christian has sorrows - but he has comforts which turn his sorrows into joy. He practices self-denials, and lives under the restraints of holiness - but he has rewards which far more than compensate for the cost of his service to Christ.

"Moreover by them is your servant warned ." The Bible flames with 'red lights '. Every point of danger is marked. Every perilous path has its lamp hung up, warning us not to enter it. We are warned against the Devil and his helpers. We are warned against bad companions, against false teachers, against all wrong courses.

"Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults." There are different kinds of hidden faults. There are those which we try to hide ourselves, which are done in secret. Then there are those which have not been wrought out in act - sins of thought or imagination, which from lack of opportunity, have never been actually committed.

But the reference here, is to faults or sins which are hidden from ourselves, of which we are not conscious. We all have faults of which we ourselves are not aware. Perhaps other people see them, although we do not. Certainly God sees them. We may be sure at least that there are faults enough in the best of us. Our aim in Christian life should be so high that we shall desire to be cleansed even from all these hidden faults and sins. No fault is so small as to be a trifle, or not to be a blemish in our character. Small faults grow.

We have a beautiful prayer at the close of Psalms 19 : "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." There could be no higher standard of life, than is set for us in this prayer.

The conduct may be blameless - while the thoughts are stained with sin. It is easier to keep our acts without fault - than our feelings, our desires, and our affections pure. We may do no outward act of cruelty or unkindness; while our hearts may be full of jealousies, envies, and all selfishness. We are to seek that our thoughts be so white and clean - that they will be acceptable in God's sight.

The prayer covers our words, our thoughts, and our meditations; each a closer test than the one before. It is a great thing to be faultless in speech. But perfect grammar is not enough. Our words may be beautiful and graceful - and yet our thoughts may be full of hypocrisy, of deceit, of all evil! The prayer here is that our thoughts may please God. This is a higher spiritual attainment, than merely faultless words.

Then, a still higher test of life - is our meditation. Meditations are our deepest thoughts, the quiet ponderings of our hearts. Meditation is almost an obsolete word in these times of hustle and bustle. The word belongs rather to the days when men had much time to think - and think deeply. We meditate when we are alone, when we are shut away from others. Our minds then follow the drift of our own desires, dispositions, and imaginations. If our hearts are clean and good - our meditations are pure and holy. But if our hearts are evil and unclean - our meditations are of the same moral quality. Thus, our meditations are an infallible test of our real self. "As a man thinks in his heart - so is he." Proverbs 23:6

This prayer is, therefore, for a life of the highest character - one acceptable to God, not only in words and thoughts - but also in meditations. Such a life everyone who loves God and would be like God - should seek to live!

This prayer is, therefore, for a life of the highest character - one acceptable to God, not only in words and thoughts - but also in meditations. Such a life everyone who loves God and would be like God - should seek to live!

The hypocrisy.

I remember when Christians tried to cancel Teletubbies. It's funny how conservatives get mad about cancel culture, as if they didn't participate in it either. Reverend Jerry Falwell (a loathsome, evil, truly disgusting man) called for the purple Teletubby to be gotten rid of, stating that it was "gay". Apparently the color purple was a gay color, a boy carrying a purse was gay, and the triangle symbol on Tinky Winky's head was symbolic of homosexuality.

You may think I'm making this up, or that I'm misinformed, but this is real. I was a teenager at the time this started, and I thought it was completely ridiculous. They were freaking cartoon characters--there was no "gay agenda"! The LGBT+ community was not trying to brainwash or indoctrinate anyone's children. It was homophobia, fear, and control at its finest. It is not any religion’s job to dictate what a child can and cannot watch. That is up to the parents/guardians of the children.

But Christians got all up in arms over this. So I don't want to hear any noise from the far right crowd about how the left and Democrats perpetuated cancel culture when that is NOT the case at all. And that’s just one example that I remember vividly. There are many others I could talk about, but I don’t have the spoons to. 

at least it’s nice to know that my mother is a tone deaf, aggressive asshole to everyone, not just me?

no but seriously she approached me asking for my advice about a situation that’s going on in her Church Craft Group, and how she “just can’t seem to say anything right”, she’s offended people and “just doesn’t understand why” and i’m internally like here we go, what shitty thing did you say this time?

from her perspective, she very nicely asked the pastor’s wife who runs a Rival Group at the same time as my mum’s Craft Group to tell her group not to take the biscuits my mum bought for her Craft Group.

except she showed me the actual text she sent and it was a rude as fuck guilt-tripping manipulative ESSAY (now you know where i get that from)  about how her Craft Group is made up of poor, vulnerable elderly ladies who are treated as invisible by society, and it is up to my mum alone to stand up for them! the Rival Group are from a younger generation and are inherently selfish and entitled, and it’s the pastor’s wife’s job to teach them to Respect Their Elders!

then when the poor pastor’s wife and the pastor himself said “um, coming off as a little aggressive there, not exactly what jesus would do” my mum immediately doubled down (like she always does) and went on her usual spiel of “well i’m so sorry i’m not perfect, you’ve made mistakes too you know, we’re all born sinners, i’m not overstepping you’re overstepping” etc.

and as she was reading this aloud to me i was like... okay how do i gently explain that she’s being a colossal asshole without her then turning her assholery on me

and she goes on to explain that the pastor wants to meet with her to smooth all this over, but my mum doesn’t want to do that, she wants to wait until one of her church friends comes back from holiday to go with her (because she feels very attacked by other people telling her that what she’s said is maybe the slightest bit not okay) and she’s just going to QUIT Craft Group anyway because nobody appreciates her and i’m thinking oh my god, what a fucking dummy spit

and it’s very ironic that this is all taking place in a CHURCH where sharing and empathy are supposed to be the core values (but from what i’ve heard from other people this type of petty drama happens in practically every church and is just Christian Hypocrisy at its finest)

i know this isn’t just about the biscuits, she’s had other issues with running the Craft Group treasury and lack of communication with the pastor who is supposed to handle the group bank account, and the other ladies in her group have complained about certain things but they don’t do anything about it, they just complain to her, and when she takes it upon herself to handle things (poorly) she feels like Everyone sees her as the Sole Bad Guy when she’s Only The Mouthpiece (she’s still being rude as fuck, though)

so i said, all you really needed to say was the first bit when you asked them not to use your group’s stuff, the rest was unnecessary and you wouldn’t like it if someone sent you a message saying everyone in your generation was selfish and entitled, would you?

then i said, i know you said you had good intentions, but in reality, it doesn’t really matter what those good intentions were, the result of your behaviour was someone having their feelings hurt. i know you’re frustrated, but you should still say sorry for taking those frustrations out on her.

i literally used the example of going over to her and standing on her foot and saying “see how i’m standing on your foot? if you told me “hey, you’re standing on my foot”, and i reply “oh well i didn’t mean to, and also you’re not perfect either” and still don’t move, that doesn’t do anything for you. and if i continue to stand on your foot and say “well in future i guess i just won’t wear shoes because me wearing shoes is just so offensive to you” that’s just continuing to avoid responsibility and dodging the issue entirely. what you need me to do is take my foot off of yours and apologise for hurting you”.

she seemed to understand that, and even had me proofread her apology text that said “upon reflecting, i realise i was taking my frustration out on you and i’m sorry” and i was like, yes very good, well done, thank you

i’m glad she seemed to realise the problem was with her this time instead of blaming everybody else for “attacking her for no reason”, and asked for advice. this might have been the straw that broke the camel’s back, apparently this Church Drama had been going on all year, one of her long-time friends and neighbours just unfriended her on Facebook (because, again, my mum was being a rude asshole), and i’m trying to move out. 

she even said to me “i know i have anger issues and don’t handle things well, maybe i should go to therapy too” and i’m actually very proud of her for recognising that. i said (trying to be diplomatic) “yes, you should, i don’t mean that in a mean way, but everybody should go to therapy to learn how to communicate better”

(but also, secretly, oh my god PLEASE go to therapy because your world view, much like mine, is incredibly distorted and i know it’s a product of your own traumatic and abusive upbringing, and you used to feel powerless and passive yourself, but you’ve swung too far in the other direction - you think being aggressive and insulting is standing up for yourself and when other people are rightfully upset by the way you treat them, you think they’re attacking you, not the other way around.)

but it’s kind of a shame that it took her pissing off literally everybody around her for her to realise “maybe i might be the problem”. and she didn’t even think of apologising by herself, i had to prompt and coach her to do that.

and it’s just a very funny reversed parent and child situation where i’m the parent and she’s the child, and i know that’s a very common feeling among adult children of abusive or Not Great parents

And if he does worship the devil that’s his life no amount of heat he can receive from Christians is going to change that. It was the homophobic Christians That shamed him for being gay,He did something about it, and they continue to shame him. Christian hypocrisy at its finest(again I am Christian)

I was going to say the same thing anon. But yeah honestly just let the guy rock

If he like guys, okay

Girls, okay

Both? None? Okay. As long as they’re happy and being true to themselves

That’s it you can’t really stop in person if they’re happy with one thing or the other. You can’t change that if you’re not comfortable with it, or if your community doesn’t agree with it, because that’s how that person is and are they are going to be. I personally am constantly debating with my dad because he sees the LGBTQ community as a sin and I just go .—. 

Silent Planet’s Everything Was Sound

22 May 2021

A wee bit of background before we get to the main event:

Silent Planet is an American post-rock metalcore band from California headed by retired psychologist/therapist Garrett Russell, and Everything Was Sound is their second studio album. Released in 2016, this concept album did nothing short of blow my mind; the total runtime is 41 minutes, but it took me a couple hours to write out everything I picked up from each song. 

Everything Was Sound has thirteen tracks, standard, so that is the album I listened to for this review! For the purpose of sticking with the album’s story concept, I’ll be adding my standout lyric quotes with the description of the song, rather than sticking them at the end. 

- I want to post a warning before I get into this album: this one covers topics some may view as disturbing. There are mentions of death, suicide, war, several mental disorders including depression and eating disorders), politics, and generally dark themes. This is where you should stop reading if any of these will bother you. -

The concept for this album revolves around the idea of the “panopticon,” which describes a circular prison surrounding a central guard tower. There are bright lights shining down from the tower so that the prisoners cannot see into the tower, where they are told there are guards watching them constantly. The prisoners are isolated from the guards and each other, being unable to see into the tower or other cells due to the walls and the lights. This setup removes the autonomy of the prisoners, and the paranoia that the guards are constantly watching (whether there are truly guards in the tower or not) removes the will to try to escape or act out. 

This concept is introduced in the first track of the album, Inherit the Earth. This first song begins by referencing the events of the previous album’s last track (Depths II from album The Night God Slept, in which the viewer has a vivid vision in the forest before falling asleep) as having happened only a few hours before, and now the viewer is waking up in the woods to find it is starting to rain. The viewer (us) stumbles through the rain and the forest under they find a structure: the panopticon. They enter the prison to escape the weather, and so we are pulled into the story of the album -- a metaphor for the human condition. 

“We inherit the earth, we inherit the war / I inhabit the wound, I dwell in the harm / Oh how far we fall: We’re casualties of time / Oh how far we fall: Forgive existence.”

The second track, Psychescape, (and each subsequent song, except the last one) introduces us to the contents of one of the cells: Schizophrenia. The theme of this song is paranoia and delusion, and the tower’s lights and watching guards are revealed to us; there are two distinct, conflicting voices. 

“I waited on the tracks of reason / But my train of thought never came / It never came.”

“Scrawled across the walls the suffering saint cries out: / ‘Is it madness to retreat from the myopic gaze that holds us captive?’”

Dying In Circles, the third track and second cell, holds the prisoner Organized Religion. Heavily rooted in Biblical principles, I was surprised to find this track used those principles to highlight and call out the hypocrisy of the modern church; the gatekeeping, neglect of those in need, the isolation of outsiders. Silent Planet calls on systematic religion (particularly modern Christianity) to return to its original purpose: to care for others, rather than turn them away or determine their worth as an organization. They are charged with trading their religious superiority for the awe and compassion for humanity they once had; to return to being a religion about the life of God, rather than being solely about his death. I really do love the idea of the “Image of God” being represented by a homeless person sleeping on church steps. 

“Beside the shadow of a frozen chapel / Under the marriage of cross and crown / Outside the privilege of the ‘chosen ones’ / The Image of God is sleeping on the ground.”

“We are the eulogy at the funeral of God.”

“Trade your certainty for awe.”

The fourth track took me for a spin, personally, as I’ve encountered the prisoner described here myself. Understanding Love as Loss opens with a few brief lyrics outlining the suicides of writers Sylvia Plath (“Searching for solace in a toxic temple--” death by toxic inhalation), Earnest Hemingway (“Fragments of lead climbing through your head--” death by shotgun to the skull), Virginia Woolf (“Stones load your coat as you wade through the winter current / Dancing with the dead on the riverbed--” death by drowning), and David Foster Wallace (“Wanton hanging of the wise pale king.” death by hanging). 

The line immediately following the deaths of these writers stuck out to me, as a fellow writer who has struggled with depression: “And I see myself.”

The title of the song explains that love is sacrifice; you lose a piece of yourself when you love someone else. Lose that piece, Silent Planet urges in this song; lose that piece to another person instead of losing yourself to your suffering. 

Lead vocalist Garrett Russell: “[Sometimes with depression,] the world feels like there’s no color. Even if you can’t see the color, be bold enough to ask someone to describe the colors of the world to you.”

This song was my favorite this far into the album, for its bare, unflinching honesty on the subject. The footnotes for this song in the album booklet include the number for the National Suicide Hotline. I respect that. 

The fifth track, Tout Comprendre, draws its title from the first half of a French quote, and translates loosely to “To Understand All.” This song is an interlude, meaning it does not contain any lyrics, and it is the first of two interludes on the set. 

Immediately following Tout Comprendre comes Panic Room, a track that tells the story of a veteran who has come home, but is mentally haunted by the war. The lyrics take us to bloody battlefields in desert sands, and lay out the plague of terror-memories. Panic Room’s prisoner is PTSD, and it delves into the American treatment of returned veterans and their struggles with armed-conflict trauma. 

“Praise me for my valor, lay me in a crimson tower / Justify my endless terror as my ‘finest hour’ / Treat me as a token to deceive the child / Whom we fatten for this scapegoat slaughter / I learned to fight, I learned to kill, I learned to steal / I learned that none of this is real, none of this is real / None of this is real, NONE OF THIS IS REAL”

Just after this verse, there is a brief, almost total silence, before the song resumes. There are several breaks like this in the music; periods of calm between the intense music. 

We move on to the fifth cell and seventh track, REDIVIDER. This song threw me off at first; I thought the words were being reused and rearranged before I realized the song is a palindrome. About halfway through, the lyrics flip to mirror the first half of the song. 

“Death ran away then life flooded in world / This I am: Imbalance, beautifully so / Hands connected, perhaps… / Then dead reflections saw you / I did, didn’t I? / I didn’t, did I? / You saw reflections dead then / Perhaps, connected hands… / So beautifully imbalance: Am I this world? / In flooded life then away ran Death.” 

The fifth prisoner is Bipolar Disorder. 

Nervosa is the name of the eighth track; this one disturbed me the most out of all of them. My first impression of this song was, if you’ll excuse my Irish here, “Holy sh*t.” None of the imagery prior to this song was nearly as vivid and disturbing as it was here. The clean vocals (singing instead of metal-screaming) are very well done, capturing the desperation of the situation in a very raw way, which is fitting for the theme of the song -- this cell’s prisoner is the deadliest of psychiatric disorders, bulimia nervosa. The entirety of the lyrics are well-written (although, again, vividly disturbing), so I chose the most poignant of them.

“I am not my own reflection / I am not myself, I am not myself / I am haunted by a non-existent lover / The spectre, the ghost, the self-starving host / I am haunted by a non-existent lover / I was gifted with the vision but cursed to be the witness.”

This song, too, contains links to help services for eating disorders in the footnotes of the album booklet. 

We come now to the second interlude, C’est Tout Pardonner, titled after the second half of the French quote, the entirety of which translates to “To understand all is to forgive all.” The prisoner held in the two of these is ignorance. 

Just as C’est is the second, contrasting half of Tout, which was followed by war-themed Panic Room, so Orphan, the second, contrasting half of Panic Room, follows C’est. 

Orphan relays the perspective of orphans of war, the prisoners of this track. Particularly focusing on crimes against peaceful civilians (especially in the Middle East), Orphan also describes the reunion of two brothers on opposite sides of war. 

“I’m finding the violence -- it looks like me.”

“Terrified little son, encumbered by your sword / You can hide your fear, but won’t shed the weight of your humanity -- Humanity / You can face me toward the mountains / Where I meet our mother’s gaze / Too blinded by this hatred / To recognize your brother’s face.”

The eleventh track, No Place to Breathe, was both ahead of its time and should not have had to be written in the first place. The prisoner in this eighth cell is fascism, specifically within enforcers of the law. It dives into how easy it is to turn a blind eye to issues like systematic racism, police brutality, and inherent injustice, if these things do not affect us personally. There are three murder victims, (Eric Garner [2014], Hernan Jaramillo [2013], and Kelly Thomas [2011]) all killed by police, whose last recorded words are attributed in the song: “I can’t breathe.” 

Does that sound familiar from more recent news? This album was released in 2016, to give some perspective on how things have changed. 

“We shout at fascists, hands fixed on asphyxiating those in need / Place your hands to the pulse of this city / Keep your ear to the ground / Hear him gasp, / ‘I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe.’”

The ninth and final cell is explored in the twelfth track, First Father (which is the partner of a song called First Mother from their previous album). The final prisoner is the grief over losing a loved one. Switching between a rushing, loud tempo and a low-toned quiet of guitars and vocals, the song captures the process of moving forward through personal loss. 

“‘You pulled me through time,’ through the edgeless night / I’ll learn to love as you learned to die / I’ll begin to feel again and finish the chapter you couldn’t write / Candles in the dark, defiant to the night / Defiant to the shadow / You pull me through time, through the edgeless night / I learned to love as you learned to die.”

With the thirteenth and final song, we’ve literally come full circle and are finally at the prison’s central tower, where we discover we are the guard watching the prisoners. Titled after a line from the first track’s lyrics (”We inherit the earth[...] We inhabit the wound”), Inhabit the Wound tears down the guard tower, freeing the prisoners from the confines of their situation or disorder. Each of the nine prisoners reaches into themselves and retrieves a seed, which is planted in the place of the tower. The album closes with this image:

“The earth, with a final gasp, shook free from our inventions. Grace and nature reconciled as I heard ‘it is finished.’ The final seal was broken, the concussion blew me back -- I teetered on the edge of re-creation and the wrath. The nine lovers stumbled out of their shells of brokenness, they reached inside their wounds to find the seeds borne from their suffering. Coalesce upon me to plant the tree of life inside the heart of the machine. Reach inside -- heal the wound -- make us whole.”

I found this album to be an absolute masterpiece, and metal isn’t usually a preferred genre of mine. I’ve got to give this one five out of five symbolic and vivid frogs. Well done, Silent Planet, both in composition and in raising awareness about different types of struggle.

Next week I’ll be reviewing an album that was recommended to me, and that was released today: Twenty One Pilots’ Scaled and Icy.

Thanks for listening with me!

I'm sorry but you are two faced, you just criticized a person for stating that Buddhism helped them to understand God more and draw closer to Him. Yet you say that you have seen secular movies and listened to secular music that reminded you of God in a deeply moving way and led you to worship. Also that you have been inspired in your walk with God by heroic elements in video games. Hypocrisy at its finest.

Not at all the same thing.

Consider:

1) The secular entertainment I mentioned were not false religions, or promoting false religious ideas that contradict Christian teaching;

2) I did not blend false religious teaching into my practice of Christianity.

Being inspired by virtuous things in the world that are consistent with Christian teaching is not the same thing as supplementing Christian teaching with false religion.

Be blessed!

Sometimes I just can't stand Mrs. McCarthy 😡

Screaming Sanctimony

A condescending attitude is often mistaken as piety. Removing that illusion however, will reveal hypocrisy at its finest, the main reason Jesus reproached the Pharisees for being like whitewashed tombs that are beautiful in the outside but filled with dried bones and rotting flesh inside.

Now that paints an ugly picture especially when viewed from the outside. Because in as far as witnessing is concerned, nothing comes off as a surefire “turn off” than a hypocrite pretending to be a saint.

If we as Christians are to convert the gentiles and bring the wayward sheep of Israel back into the fold, we should instead come from a place of love.

How?

Recall the story of Mary Magdalene and Zacchaeus. Jesus did not cite the 10 commandments to condemn them right then and there of their sins, nor did He summon heaven’s fury to devour their wretched sinful souls. He instead showed love and mercy through forgiveness, as His standpoint which eventually led to their conversion.

Out of love came forth mercy and actions within the context of love.

But a condescending attitude is begotten from a sanctimonious “holier than thou” mindset. And that, is the exact opposite of our mission as children of God which we claim to be, which is to spread His message of love to a lost world.

You’re a hypocrite. If by that logic you dismiss climate change as an “ideology” or maybe you mean atheism, then literally anyone can dismiss Christianity for the same reason. Because I’m sure you’re ignorant of this, but Christians curse at atheists all the time. They make death threats. They’ve bombed abortion clinics. “God hates fags.” There are lots of Christian antisemitists including your beloved Martin Luther. So yeah, hypocrisy at its finest. You’re fucking ridiculous

At least I’m not a coward hiding in anonymity… 

I’m talking about whatever ideology it is that has made you the way that you are. It’s sad. You should get some help. Or don’t… it doesn’t really matter to me. I’m gunna live my life the same either way. But as a word of advice, the desperation and vile behavior you’re exhibiting makes your ideas look all the more repulsive. Like I said… your cause would be better off if you just kept to yourself.

Be blessed.

The song "Sex Change" by local Calypsonian Billboard has been making its rounds as Crop Over Season has come into full swing. While I acknowledge Freedom of Expression, that does not exist with a lack of social accountability or consequence. The problematic song makes a quite deliberate effort to denigrate the existence of LGBT people, in particular transgender people.

It is shameful, unwarranted, irresponsible and extremely dangerous to promote blatantly discriminatory messages which contribute to the very real violence towards a vulnerable community within our society.

Contrary to what was published in today's Nation, at the House of Soca Tent on Friday the 13th July, Billboard performed the song to an audience which a community member was a part of. Shelly, as a lesbian, was negatively affected and from her seat, chastised the singer's hypocrisy; Speaking of Christianity while casting judgement and promoting hate.

The emcee, Yolanda Holder heard the criticism, as Shelly was sitting closely to the stage. Yolanda then used her platform to call out to the audience, asking, "Is there a doctor in the house? We need some "trydickagain" medication for this lesbian", identifying Shelly to the entire audience (whose reactions were polarising). A rightfully mortified Shelly then went on stage, affirmed her confidence in her sexuality and drew reference to popular Bible passage Matthew 7:1, before returning to her place in the audience. Yolanda personally approached Shelly after the show and apologised to her. Shelly still remains understandably shaken, violated and hurt by these unjustified incidents.

This entire scenario brings light to the rampant and unwarranted hostility, intolerance and atmosphere of discrimination against gender and sexual minorities. LGBT people are expected to have their identities criticised, mocked, scrutinised and left to be public objects of speculation without expressing the hurt and frustration that comes with internalising such hate. The community, already vulnerable is expected to take dehumanisation, humiliation and outright hatred, in stride; at the risk of further persecution if they dare to respond. This is typical gaslighting at its finest.

We take a strong stance against the attitudes of bigotry, intolerance, homophobia, transphobia and lesbophobia that continue to be spewed and perpetuated by persons in our community who should be using their platforms and reach much more responsibly.

Much more focus should be put on uplifting the vulnerable and celebrating our differences, rather than subjugating those who are different.

"Hymns for the Churchless" (Chris Thile)

What follows are some excerpts and summaries from this thought-provoking article: "Mandolinist and singer-songwriter Chris Thile writes psalms for those who struggle to believe — or belong" by Elyse Durham https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2021/09/16/chris-thile-laysongs-mandolin-review-241284

A brand new phenomenon: "psalms for those who struggle to believe - or belong" - "hymns for the churchless." Renowned sInger-songwriter Chris Thile was raised a fundamentalist evangelical Christian who used to sing about his faith as a teen. Today, at 40, he is an agnostic who belongs to the "nones" group who reply "none" to the survey question asking for the respondent religion. Today his songs are "simply and honestly about his struggle to believe".

"Though now churchless, Thile still feels a pull to belong to something larger than himself. But where to find it?" His latest solo album "Laysongs" arises out of this "feeling of rootlessness" and is an attempt to recreate "the feeling of oneness" that comes from gathering together in song - even as the pandemic keeps everyone apart. "Thile also imagined “Laysongs” as a collection of hymns for the churchless."

"In a deft nine tracks, it spans the entire emotional range...doubt, despair and even ecstatic outpourings of praise. For people of faith, “Laysongs” also provides an opportunity to glimpse inside the religious longings of those outside the church."

"Bookended by the hymnlike “Laysong” and “Won’t You Come and Sing for Me” (a Hazel Dickens cover), “Laysongs” extols the value of community. Gathering together brings comfort, catharsis and shared wisdom to the afflicted.

And yet Thile laments the disorientation of the post-religious landscape, where “our souls are untethered/ And nothing’s sacred or profane,” a state that has left everyone “out of breath” (“Laysong”). Humans are “a species at war/ With itself since the day it was born” (“Dionysus”). Death is ever-present and greatly feared (“Salt (in the Wounds) of the Earth”), and the narrator of “Won’t You Come and Sing for Me” yearns for an afterlife, “where there’s no more sad parting.”

The album’s ecstatic zenith is “God Is Alive Magic Is Afoot.” An effervescent reimagining of a 1969 song - the lyrics are a poem by Leonard Cohen, set to music by Buffy Sainte-Marie. “God Is Alive” displays Thile’s virtuosity at its finest. He plays (and sings) like he has found the news the world has always waited for.

[hear Thile's version below]

“God Is Alive” is the closest “Laysongs” comes to a declaration of faith. Its lyrics were penned by the late Jewish singer and poet Leonard Cohen, who was fond of referring to Christ in his work. In mystical, twisting language, Cohen tells of foolish unbelievers (“Though mountains danced before them/ They said that God was dead”) and the resiliency of faith (“Though his death was published/ Round and round the world/ The heart did not believe”), of God’s purposes persisting in spite of the hypocrisy of those who “locked their coffers.” Most surprising of all, Cohen writes—and Thile sings—of the reality of the Resurrection: “Though his shrouds were hoisted/ The naked God did live.”

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The entire article is excellent, read it at https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2021/09/16/chris-thile-laysongs-mandolin-review-241284

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Here is Chris Thile's recent version of "God is Alive," with lyrics by Leonard Cohen and music by Buffy Sainte-Marie.

‘Will follow the legal process on NRC’: Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad - india news

Ravi Shankar Prasad, the Union minister of law and justice as well as communications. electronics and information technology, says citizens should not be apprehensive about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). In an interview with Hindustan Times, he also said the government was committed to going ahead with NRC, but only after undertaking due legal processes and talking to all stakeholders. Edited excerpts: In the past few weeks, we have seen the Opposition, some of your own colleagues (allies) in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), voicing concerns about the new law on citizenship, NPR and NRC. How do you, as the law minister, view the situation in the country?Let me be very clear, there should be no ground for concern. It has been clarified by the Prime Minister, home minister, me and others that the three issues in contention: CAA, NPR and NRC are not interconnected. NRC is a separate chapter. CAA does not apply to any Indian, including the Muslims of India. It only and only relates to Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Jains, Buddhists and Christians who are victimised for their faith in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.In the past, this was given by Indira Gandhi to those who came from Uganda. Then it was given again after the 1971 war. This was given by Rajiv Gandhi to Sri Lankan Tamilians...Manmohan Singh talked about it in Parliament; Tarun Gogoi and Ashok Gehlot wrote , saying citizenship should be granted to the persecuted minorities.When Congress does it, then it is okay, and when we take a humanitarian stand, then it becomes a cause for concern...In many ways, the opposition is sponsored. As far as our allies are concerned, we will talk to them. They have supported us and we will talk to them more.As far as NPR is concerned, it’s the usual count of residents and has nothing to do with citizens. For NRC, there is a proper legal process that needs to be followed. Under the relevant rules, a notification has to be issued to begin the process; a date has to be fixed; then objections, considerations, verifications. There is whole legal requirement to be met. Nothing has been done. I repeat nothing has been done about NRC at all.To compare the three – CAA, NPR and NRC – is baseless. We respect all Indians, including Muslims. India is home to all of them. We are willing to listen to them if there are grievances.Your own loyal allies have gone on record to say CAA should not have excluded Muslims. Sukhbir Singh Badal and Naresh Gujral have given statements complaining against the exclusion of Muslims?The two are esteemed leaders of our alliance partner and we will talk to them . We would not speak with them through the press. They have supported us and we will definitely talk to them.Let me clarify again that CAA has a very simple focus, which is to let the persecuted minorities who fled from the three countries to live with dignity. These three are declared Islamic countries and people of non-Islamic faith have suffered. It is not an individual suffering, but they have suffered due to their faith.A Muslim from either of three can always seek asylum in India. Individual Muslims can seek asylum and over 2,000 have been given in the last five years and we are still open to it. However, Muslims from these countries leave because they suffer at an individual level, not due to their faith. Therefore, if they come and request for asylum, we will given it to them in accordance with our laws. CAA is only for the minorities from the three countries.Opposition has mounted an attack over the recently announced NPR. They say it is the first step to NRC, while the government has denied it. So is there a plan to have NRC?Our commitment is there to NRC. But the government is very clear about it...whenever it is done, it shall be in accordance with the legal requirement of the Citizenship Act and the rules therein. Also, it will be done after consulting the states. As of now, nothing has been done, not even the preliminary exercise to notify the date.There is a proper statutory background for NRC, which basically will be a register containing names of Indian citizens. Under NPR, there will be a population register containing details of persons usually residing in India.For a population register, whatever you say is recorded. NPR helps the government, including states, to ascertain household requirements and formulate welfare measures. NPR is separate from census wherein details such as whether a household has gas connections or not cannot be disclosed. Hence, the need for NPR arose and this exercise was first conducted in 2010 under the then Congress regime. It was done to focus on targeted delivery of service to the needy. Congress party had rightly welcomed it. But today when we are implementing the same law and rule, then it becomes a curse. This is nothing but irresponsible, double standards and hypocrisy of the worst order. Unfortunately, Congress is competing with aggressive and extremist elements for vote bank politics.Some former judges of the Supreme Court and high courts have questioned CAA on legal ground and have termed it unconstitutional.I respectfully disagree with them, on the legal point. The law is very clear. Article 246 gives Parliament the exclusive right to frame law on citizenship.Article 14 mandates the government to ensure citizens’ equality before law and equal protection of laws to them. But if a law is meant for a specified group, which is a reasonable class by itself, the law is legally valid and there are Supreme Court judgments upholding this reasonable classification. In CAA, minorities from the three countries are described as a class by themselves who, because of being persecuted, are being driven out in the most arbitrary and unreasonable manner.Thirdly, Article 21 is right to life, which courts have said includes the right to live with dignity. By giving them citizenship we are giving them dignity, without depriving anyone of their life or dignity. One Article, which is rarely spoken about, is Article 25 of the Constitution. This allows professing and practising one’s faith and religion. By giving them citizenship, we are enabling this right of the persecuted minorities, which is being denied to them. Therefore, CAA is perfectly constitutional, permissible and reasonable.Do you think the government’s objective behind changing the citizenship law has been mis-communicated and that is why people are equating CAA with NRC?...it has been clarified repeatedly that there is no link between the two. CAA is meant for persecuted minorities from the three countries and this is not an exercise done for the first time. P Chidambaram as the home minister had on May 7, 2010 declared in Parliament that NRC will be a subset of the population register. UPA government had then justified the linking of NPR and NRC. Section 14 (A), which makes it compulsory for the government of India to register every citizen and issue a national identity card, was brought into effect in 2004, when Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister. If Congress had the guts, it should have then said we would not do it...Passage of the Triple Talaq bill is a feather in your cap and it had a good reception. Do you think the kind of dividend you gained from the passage of this bill has got impacted by the recent developments?Muslim women know Narendra Modi stood for their cause. In the most strife circumstances, in spite of dogged opposition of women leaders, we stood by them and they acknowledge that. Conventionally, we (BJP) have got fewer Muslim votes but our policies of inclusion have changed the trend. It has changed since 2014. Schemes such as Ujjwala, housing for the poor, and Ayushman Bharat have brought about the changes. Our policies are not for vote bank politics, but are an extension of our constitutional duty...CAA has been opposed in the North-east for different reasons and not on the ground of religion. Their concern is more linked to their identity.A fresh chapter was added to the citizenship law when Section 6A was included in it under the Assam Accord (in 1985). This provision talks of taking steps to conserve Assamese and North-east culture. However, nothing was done by Congress governments. Our government has set up a committee and we are committed to maintain the sanctity, heritage and social fibre for the people of North-East. Their interests will be taken care of.There are concerns over the economic fallout of internet shutdowns witnessed during the recent protests against CAA. As the telecom minister, what is your view on this?We respect right to access internet as it is derived from the right freedom to free speech and expression. But this right is subject to reasonable restrictions. India today is a rising power and government is committed to its Digital India programme. Internet is the finest creations of human mind, but is abused by a few, especially terrorists and separatists, to spread violence and mayhem. Even the SC says in its privacy judgment that terrorists or criminals do not have right to privacy.Therefore, it is necessary to maintain a balance between freedom of internet, freedom of speech and the compelling constitutional duty of the government to maintain law and order.Don’t you think police has been over-enthusiastic in using its force against protestors, particularly in UP?The chief minister and the top cop there are looking into the issue and if a wrong has been done, then it will be addressed. But that does not mean those who commit violence, destroy public property, burn buses should go unpunished. Every right is subject to restriction. State’s primary duty is to secure security and law and order. Read the full article