“Don’t leave the church because of the people who hurt you. Nobody is perfect, only God”

I’ll explain why this comment is not only not helpful at all, but also very harmful.

1/

The comment assumes we can’t tell the difference between people and toxic theology, it assumes our issues are with a few people who are outliers and misrepresented God, and we just seem to think that’s the totality of divinity. Which makes us appear unintelligent and petty.

2/

But, that’s not the case at all. I didn’t leave because a few people hurt me in the name of God, in fact I stayed long enough to get hurt again, and again, and again, and again. Because it’s not a few bad apples hurting people in the name of God what we are dealing with.

3/

Instead we are talking about systemic abuse due to toxic theology that is taught as righteousness.

Go to any white evangelical church today and conduct all the tests you must to ensure only those who are “good Christians,” remain. I guarantee you people will be harmed there.
4/

Not because people just hurt people, not because Christians have good intentions but sometimes make mistakes; instead because the harm is caused due to indoctrination into toxic theology and a belief that their social and theological framework is not only good,

5/

60 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BEARERS & WOMEN OF QURAN

A THREAD 🧵

1. The first matter that it befits her to employ is taqwa (fear) of Allah secretly and openly, by exercising caution (wara') with regards to the sources of his food, drink, dress and earnings.

2. She is perceptive about her time and the corruptions of its people, that she may beware of them regarding her religion.

3. She concentrates on her own situation, having the aspiration to reform whatever is corrupt in her affairs, guarding her tongue and choosing her words.

4. If she speaks,, she speaks with knowledge when she sees speech to be correct.

5. If she remains silent, she remains silent with knowledge when she sees silence to be correct.

6. She rarely delves into that which does not conern her.

7. She fears from her tongue things more severe than she fears from her enemy.

8. She imprisons her tongue the way she imprisons her enemy, so that she may be safe from its evil and bad consequences.

1/ Thought it was strange to see an ostensibly hard Left "No Pasaran" publisher come out with a "Jewish Pride" text so decided to do a little digging into the company.

2/ Not much detail on their Twitter other than the usual stuff plus being "against Left antisemitism"

3/ Website equally vague

4/ Noted the address and put it through Companies House to see who is really behind "No Pasaran media."

5/ Found the result. Time to click on "People."

The Contingency Argument for God's existence, in simple language (thread):

When we look at the world around us, we see many things that change. For example, at one time a man may be standing, but at another time he may be sitting. Yet he is the same man. (1/)

Philosophers express this fact by saying that the man's posture is contingent, i.e. that it could be different than it is. Humans are contingent beings because they could be different than they are at any given moment. The same is true of everything we see in the universe. (2/)

Living things like people, animals, and plants all grow and develop. Inanimate things like your car, phone, or computer may be turned on or off. Even rocks and gems can be cut, polished, or moved from one place to another. (3/)

All the things in the physical world are contingent: they could be different than they are.

But is absolutely everything contingent? Let's consider a man who is standing. Why is he standing *now*? (4/)

This question can be answered in different ways. You might appeal to something in the future (he's standing to reach something on a shelf) or to something in the past (he just got out of bed), but we're not interested in these. Why is he standing *right now*? (5/)

#Ramayana #LecturesOnTheRamayana

In the past, we had a glimpse of Lakshmana's devotion towards Sri Rama, his brother and father figure.

However, it is interesting to note his unique relationship with Sita, especially as seen by from her perspective.

Thread below

1/

We all know about the Golden Deer / Maricha incident and the way Sita influences Lakshmana to go in search of his brother.

Personally, I am unable to get 2 strong emotional points in one thread and hence, I will skip this incident for today.

2/

In Sundara Kanda, when Hanuman meets Sita, she says the following

सिंहस्कन्धो महाबाहुर्मनस्वी प्रियदर्शिनः।
पितृवद्वर्तते रामे मातृवन्मां समाचरन्।।

Lakshmana, who has lionshoulders and strong arms, who is handsome, who takes Rama as his father & treats me as his own mother

3/

ह्रियमाणां तदा वीरो न तु मां वेद लक्ष्मणः।
वृद्धोपसेवी लक्ष्मीवान् शक्तो न बहुभाषिता।।

Heroic Lakshmana, did not know while I was borne away. He is prosperous, foremost in serving elders. He is energetic and reserved in his speech like my father-in-law ..

4/

He is a prince dear (to his brother).

These are from Sarga-38, shlokas 60 and 61.

There are 3 distinct points which I want to draw the attention of the reader to.

1. She also compares Lakshmana to Dasaratha much like how Rama did when he constructed the hut in panchavati

5/

I want to do a brief deep dive into my frequent assertion that Messianic "Jews" are, in fact, Christians and that Christians cannot be Jews. Every time this comes up a bunch of people - mostly Messianic "Jews" and appropriative Christians - show up to argue with me.

They assert that if a Jew converts to Christianity, they remain a Jew and therefore Jewish Christians are a thing. And *technically* this is true - "once a Jew, always a Jew" is a thing. *Technically* it would be more accurate to say that "Jewish Christians" are apostates.

But while it's more *technically* accurate, it's more misleading. Because unless you know that apostasy is a complicated thing in Judaism, and that there are different classes of apostate, and what the legal restrictions and status are for them, it creates a false impression.

Converts from Judaism to Christianity are meshumadim, as distinct from apikoros and koferim. There's ambiguity in the status of meshumadim going back at least as far as 100 CE, but there is a general consensus that they are treated as non-Jews in all aspects *except* familial.

What that means practically is that *except* for matters of marriage and parenthood, a meshumad is treated as a gentile. They cannot pray with Jews. They aren't mourned as Jews when they die. They aren't counted in a minyan, and they cannot receive Torah honors.

The revelation of the mystery: BODY OF CHRIST

Ephesians 3:6 KJV
That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

Gentiles have become heirs of God and ALL MEMBERS of the same body (Rom 8:17). Just like...

a human body is formed by God, each believer is 'put into' (baptized) Christ's body by one Spirit (Holy Spirit).
1 Corinthians 12:12-13 KJV

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ...

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

And this body is a NEW MAN, made up of Jews and Gentiles, reconciled to peace by the cross...

Ephesians 2:15-16 KJV
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; [16] And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross...

having slain the enmity thereby:

..of which Christ Jesus is the HEAD, and this body declared to be the CHURCH

Ephesians 1:22-23 KJV
And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, [23] Which is his body,...