In the Whisper

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

[loonamoonland]

between bouts of rain

[in-the-whisper]

something about the way that following your conscience is viewed as not being careful/being disrespectful/not being intellectually rigorous by the conservative christians i have worked with.. something about being told that most people who study women in the bible end up publishing in liberal journals because theyve "fallen off the deep end"... something about being told i have to choose between believing rape is wrong and believing in God... . . something about being told misogyny in the bible isnt real and im just emotional.. im just an abuse victim, im just too traumatized to understand what im seeing...... something about those things has made me think that it is important to make sure you listen to your good common sense.

And good common sense, when in conflict with the Bible, should always win.

[in-the-whisper]

reading episcopal writing is hard for me because their perspective is so beautiful and Christ like and honorable and well studied. And for my whole life the conservative church has had the gall to act like this is a less legitimate faith, like they're just weak minded and less scholarly. im going to kill someone.

[in-the-whisper]

conservative theologians wont even study women in the bible but liberal theologians suggesting that maybe the bible isnt the fourth member of the trinity makes THEM the less rigorous theologians?

[in-the-whisper]

reading episcopal writing is hard for me because their perspective is so beautiful and Christ like and honorable and well studied. And for my whole life the conservative church has had the gall to act like this is a less legitimate faith, like they're just weak minded and less scholarly. im going to kill someone.

[uroko]

♡ 

[in-the-whisper]

I used to be scared to criticize parts of the bible because i was raised to believe that if there is one part of the bible you disagree with you have to reject the whole thing.

it's taken me a long time to work through this and I don't think I'm done, but I think one problem with this is that religion isnt about certainty.

religion is about faith. it's quiet gentle meditation. noticing the world in awe. being gently guided by your conscience. loving one another and forgiving and being forgiven.

I think choosing to believe in something just to have the easiest philosophical position to defend isn't really the point. And maybe if you're 100% sure you're going to heaven, or that you know what heaven even is, maybe your worldview doesn't challenge you enough to observe the limits of your humanity and knowledge .

Idk though lol

[in-the-whisper]

Also an extremely impolite fuck you to everyone who tried to gaslight me into thinking there is no sexism in the Bible you were worse than useless. An honorary fuck you to people who tried to gaslight me into thinking rape isn't wrong that take is so bad that it almost didn't hurt me it's just so fucking stupid. I mean it did cause me to regress a little but it illustrates my point so I almost don't care. More on this at some point.

[in-the-whisper]

[fuzzystims]

fireflies

[lilacandladybugs]

I went to a tiny little episcopal church today and it was the most magical experience.. I haven't felt so safe at church ever in my life. And the pastor texted me after and it was so dear and so precious and i love her. There were only 12 people there besides me it was truly an angelic experience I loved it so much

[lilacandladybugs]

hey you mentioned john green and i did not understand a single other word in that sentence but am curious, why do you know/like/remember him?

🌱

hello!! i actually know john green primarily from his Hit Spotify Podcast Dear Hank & John (or Dear John & Hank, as it will be known in 3 years) but I think I'm really drawn to John Green because of a lot of reasons, the biggest being that he is so earnest. I'm pretty annoyed that I can't come up with the word I want to use here and it isn't earnest but earnest is pretty close to the right word.. he just cares about things very deeply and he says things he feels and he lets things be meaningful and significant and I love that.

I'm also deeply curious about John because he's a very happy Christian who finds deep meaning in God and in life and in relationships and I am a Christian who is in the middle of what the Green brothers might call a Journey of Meaning where I'm trying to learn how to redefine my relationship with God as an adult who's able to have thoughts about religion that are a more my own than my parents (although the impact of my family/culture/context is not lost on me) and I haven't figured it out yet. I've been thinking a lot about hell recently and John Green doesn't even believe in hell and I want what he has I guess? I need to read more Episcopalian literature but I'm not sure it will help me because my background is so almost cultishly Baptist I'm not sure I can separate the Biblical literalism I'm used to from the religion itself although he did say he doesn't think hell is evident in the gospels and I want to know more about that because it seems like Jesus talks about hell a lot and I'm not sure what he means.

Anyway I just find their podcast really nice and comforting. It's nice to know that he exists and is happy and it makes me feel like maybe I can exist and be happy too and it makes me feel like it's okay to take things seriously and be earnest

[wahejendk]

okay man we get it you’re being tested by god

[ohholydyke]

Job’s friends

[lilacandladybugs]

Probably one of the worst takes on God I've heard was that being afraid is a sin as if Jesus didn't sweat blood in the garden of Gethsemane before being crucified. We aren't expected to be fearless we're meant to trust that God has better plans

[the-ellia-west]

This actually Comforted me TwT

[spirit-of-water]

Yknow. Even on my more atheistic days? I still feel like I, personally, need God, even if it turns out there is no substantial theological reality to the idea at all, because if nothing else, I want there to be something out there I can say thank you to. There are birds chirping in the first full-leafed trees of mid-spring right now, and the sky is clouded enough to highlight the enormity of the blue. I am still able to breathe fresh air, to do work enough for a solid night's rest. I need to send out a thank-you, even if it's into the void.

But beyond that, I also want something I can hold accountable. Something to take my frustration and rage out on, something that will graciously accept it, at least enough so that I can move to more productive states of mind to help fix whatever it is I'm outraged my Maybe-God would allow.

And beyond that still? I want something that will suffer with me, that will rejoice with me, within me, beyond me. And so I, personally, need this idea of God, if nothing else.

And because I need all this specifically of my God (and not a little because of the culture that taught me my first language of divinity), I always find myself turning back to Christ.

[in-the-whisper]

I have been doing so much biblical research I want to share but I think it's tied up in some deep seated hurt I haven't recovered from yet and I'm just so tired and incoherent:( but at some point I hope I can finish it and I hope it will help other people too

[lilacandladybugs]

i LOVE women and im a christian and sometimes reading commentaries on the Bible makes me feel fucking crazy stay safe out there girls

[lilacandladybugs]

are angels alive?

[lilacandladybugs]

Do they have cells