Hi Flower, I really love your blog and I have a question burning a hole in my pocket. I was raised in a Calvinist church and was on the youth leadership council and went to church twice a week for years, then I fell out of belief because Calvinism is kind of a bummer (look up TULIP if you’re not familiar 🙄). I figured most Christianity was similarly a huge downer until I met my (Catholic) fiancé. For a few months now I’ve attended mass but I can’t bring myself to join an RCIA program because it seems demeaning tbh I know more about the Bible and Catholic doctrine as compared to other sects than all of the Catholics I know (I went to a Catholic college in the Midwest so that is a lot), and since Catholics practice infant baptism why make it so darn hard for adults? On a similar note, most of the “cradle Catholics” I know don’t take the church seriously at all as compared to my Calvinist roots, so I cannot fathom why the church is so “gatekeepy” for lack of a better term. I don’t say this to be combative at all, I’m just kind of baffled.

My church practiced open communion and was one of the most inviting places I have ever frequented, but it almost seems like Catholics are hostile to adult conversion with how exclusive they are with their sacraments

Thank you for sharing your experience with me.

I can understand why you feel disappointed and a bit let down with RCIA. Believe me when I say I know what you mean about how difficult it is to join. I was raised Catholic and had to go through RCIA because I was technically a convert. It’s extremely “gatekeepy” because they want to instill the seriousness of Catholicism.

I wish all people who were going through Confirmation went through such rigorous schooling, but most parishes want to seem fun to teenagers so their programs are lacking for that age group. And for that reason I stopped going to confirmation classes as a teen. It’s really hard to keep going when no one else is taking it seriously including your instructor.

Baptism is meant as an initiation into Christianity. When you’re baptized, your parents and godparents are taking on the responsibility of your religious education. Some parishes are very strict on who you may ask to be the godparent. But as time goes on, people lose contact with their godparents and fall through the cracks. Many Catholics I know are in that category.

The reason the Eucharist is closed to non-Catholics is because of how incredibly sacred it is to us. That is literally Jesus’ Body and Blood. This is the whole reason we go to Mass and it is an obligation for us to partake in it weekly. If someone doesn’t believe in the Eucharist, why should they participate in our most holy of sacraments?

As for being a downer, I don’t know much about Calvinism but from the little googling I did (which is admittedly, not much) it seems the core principles are based on St. Thomas Aquinas’ teachings and may be quite similar.

One last thing. I truly hope you do not take this the wrong way, but if the only thing stopping you from doing RCIA is that you think you’re more knowledgeable than other Catholics, I would think about that. Yes, I am sure you are very well-informed about Christianity but that doesn’t mean there is more to learn.

Narinder but as a lion. Scar vibes, dare i say

Also reblogs are very appreciated 🙏

I got kidnapped by a cult and were going to use me as a human sacrifice, but instead of chanting something creepy they chanted the lyrics to Big Lizard by The Dead Milkmen.

Did the evil color wheel

messing around with concept art

lizard!!

old bishop draws from last year, back when I was still figuring out how to draw them all fkjdhkdfjg kallamar isn’t here bc i could not for the life of me sketch him on model

Commissions?? Ah, yes! Commissions! I started drawing art so quickly that I began to wonder what the meaning of my life was now.

Oh white lizard my dear beloathed

The fact I cant have these in my game is destroying my crops and wrecking my livelihood

Hello again Flower!

Thank you for your very thoughtful response to my question! I really struggled with whether or not to send a follow up because I honestly didn’t figure you’d respond to the first one. I’m in a bit of an ongoing conversion angst though, so here goes. I think I did a poor job explaining the heart of my trepidation about RCIA, it really seems to me that candidates are held to a higher standard then those born into the faith, and are singled out because of their not having the same background. Thus my confusion about sacramental stinginess.

At my church, RCIA candidates are dismissed before Eucharist every Sunday, and during Easter they were paraded around for weeks in various rites and initiations. I feel so ashamed at the thought that I am not good enough to receive and have to be singled out for all this special training and kicked out of mass. Like I don’t mean to say I’m too good for more education (a couple months ago I thought holy water was just a thing for the movies, Protestantism has a very very culture and even has fewer books of the Bible! It’s wild!), only that I don’t see why it’s so hard to join when it seems the standard seems lower if you’re grandfathered in. It makes me sad that I’m not allowed to participate and that the only way in is made to be such a lengthy and public initiation. The thought of having to go to the front of the church and be dismissed in front of everybody? Horrifying. And it really seems that this level of othering doesn’t happen to those who go the traditional route, their actual commitment or seriousness notwithstanding, whereas I would be sent to remedial religion school and not allowed to participate until I prove myself in a way that wasn’t necessary for others. Thank you again though, it was really cool to see your response!

This is another long one

I am not a fan of the dismissal during Mass. That is very old school. Nowadays most parishes don’t do this. I know why they do it but as you said it’s embarrassing for some people.

The reason people who are born into Catholicism stay for Mass is because of habit. If you were baptized Catholic but never received first communion, you probably went with your parents or grandparents to Mass and stayed the whole time. The type of parish you went to does not want that to happen, even to born Catholics who have not had first communion or confirmation. But they cannot kick out the ones not visible in RCIA.

It goes back to the sacredness of it. The parish is assuming as an adult convert you still don’t quite understand the severity of what you’re doing. Also, it’s probably going to be less embarrassing to leave beforehand and then being denied Eucharist one-on-one, especially for someone new in conversion. Oh goodness, this reminds me of myself as a kid. I was late to first communion and was embarrassed seeing my friends go ahead of me.

I am so thankful though that I didn’t go through it until later. I am also thankful that I went through the RCIA process as an adult so I understand the seriousness of confirmation and how permanent it is.

Confirmation is a sacrament and is a permanent admittance into the Church. Marriage is a sacrament and we don’t let teenagers go through with it so young. I wish the Church was more consistent with education of RCIA v teenage confirmation. Because you’re right, it’s a double standard.

If you want to talk more privately, my DMs are open.

"He's bald! He's bald and he's torturing people who have hair! " @miniyellow5 (hope you don't mind the tag 😭)

It’s that time again, that time being when Ouija does something really weird

I edited a bunch of monitor lizards into Dave. Don’t ask questions. Just enjoy lizard.

Big full render commission for @/vynesauce on twitter! Had a blast working on this! Been awhile since I've done a big piece like this, but gave me a chance to work on something new and different! Love Cult of the Lamb, and I’m happy I got to do something for it featuring a fun lizard oc.

not a mammal, not a reptile, not an avian, but a secret 4th thing

lil root guy by me. Tried to replicate the lizard cult art quite closely, turned out pretty decent