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I just saw this and I’m cackling:

why is religious Christmas imagery all so joyful and pleasant? where is the inherent horror of the birth of Christ? A mother is handed her newborn child, wailing and innocent. Her hands come away sticky. Red. Simply by giving her son life she has already killed him. He is doomed from the beginning. Her love will not save him from suffering. Because the thing cradled in her arms is not a baby, it is a sacrifice: born amongst the other bleating animals whose blood will one day be spilled in the name of what demands it. the night is silent with anticipation. Mary, did you know? That your womb was also a grave?

Imagine a bee rn in a hive muttering "the beekeeper is not real because he is not intervening or helping me at all with this disastrous relationship I have with another bee". now imagine that's you talking about the good lord. now imagine a dog with a propeller hat on

I tried praying again, but it felt just so empty. Maybe it's just cus I'm in a depressedive episode, or that I sinned and turned off the state path, I wount be let back in the fold, idk.

So there’s this famous phrase in Genesis, “לא טוב היות האדם לבדו" (“lo tov heyot ha'adam l'vado”), which means “it is not good for man to be alone.” I was thinking today that it might make a nice Jewish friendship bracelet or wedding ring inscription or something. Problem is, if you try to split it up it becomes

לא טוב היות האדם לבדו

“Existence is not good.” “Man is alone.”

All the other ways of splitting them up are similarly awful. And on the one hand, I think this is really kind of beautiful—how this phrase, which is about togetherness, is so beautiful as a whole but cannot be broken into parts without itself becoming splintered and distorted. The language mirrors the very nature of humanity that it describes.

But on the other hand it totally ruined my friendship bracelet idea so @G-d this is a callout post

why is religious Christmas imagery all so joyful and pleasant? where is the inherent horror of the birth of Christ? A mother is handed her newborn child, wailing and innocent. Her hands come away sticky. Red. Simply by giving her son life she has already killed him. He is doomed from the beginning. Her love will not save him from suffering. Because the thing cradled in her arms is not a baby, it is a sacrifice: born amongst the other bleating animals whose blood will one day be spilled in the name of what demands it. the night is silent with anticipation. Mary, did you know? That your womb was also a grave?

I just saw this and I’m cackling:

Do you think God is genderless, a woman, or nonbinary? I see people make claims about God’s gender and want to know what the Islamic perspective is. You don’t have to answer if this is weird!

i’m not a sheikh or even a student of knowledge so i’m not qualified to say really

but i’ll quote you a favorite line of sufi poetry about the nature of God instead:

“I am the universe, the spirit, and the dream, The banks I overflow of time’s unending stream.

The stars, the silent orbs, and fate are part of me. Be mute. No tongue can paint my image truthfully.

I am the golden sun whose glory never wanes; Describe me not in words, for I will burst their chains.”

- Nasimi

I think you once talked about a powerful prayer that was forbidden to recite in history? This sounds very interesting, could you please talk about it more when you have the time?

Sorry for this awkward ask, I am not a Muslim

no need to apologize and no awkwardness at all!

here’s a quote from Sh. Hamza Yusuf on the prayer, called the duaa nasiri:

“The Power of this prayer of Imam Muhammad al-Dar’i lies in its simplicity, its purity, and its sincere supplication. It is essentially a plea to God that our transgressions be overlooked, that divine mercy be bestowed upon us, that social justice be restored in spite of us, that wrongs be righted, and that righteousness reign once again in our lands, so that the destitute may no longer be in need, the young may be educated, the animals' purpose fulfilled, rain restored, and bounties poured forth. It is a plea to be freed from the aggression of foreigners in lands over which they have no right—a plea much needed in our modern world, rampant as it is with invasions and territorial occupations.

Ultimately, it asks not that our enemies be destroyed, but simply that their plots, and the harm they cause, be halted. Its essence is mercy, which in turn is the essence of the Messenger of God, Muhammad(saw): "And We have only sent you as a mercy to all the worlds."

on a more historical note, this prayer in particular was used widely in places like morocco and algeria during french colonialism. it inspired so much resistance and unity against the colonizers that the french president at the time actually outlawed it from being recited in mosques

many of our leaders are encouraging us to recite it now for our brothers and sisters in palestine because of this powerful history

some facts for western christians this holiday season:

jesus’ birthplace is under military occupation

bethlehem is surrounded by military checkpoints, an apartheid wall, and over 20 segregated illegal settlements built on stolen land - all designed to keep palestinians (including palestinian christians) under the thumb of oppression

palestinian christians are not allowed to move without restrictions, meaning that many have never and will never see their own holy sites in jerusalem. jerusalem is less than 30 minutes away.

they are often harassed, beaten, or even killed on holidays like christmas and easter.

palestinian christians are forced out of their homes as israel continues to build apartheid walls and illegal settlements

churches have been deliberately targeted in airstrikes, arson attacks, and settler violence

nuns and other clergy have been targeted in violent attacks

indigenous christians of the holy land have begged for help from christian communities abroad, fearing for their lives and even a possible extinction, according to christian religious leaders there

and finally, a message from the archbishop of jerusalem:

sometimes i think about the history of coffee culture in islam and how it spread like it’s so funny

discovered by sufis who decided it was a miracle from Allah since it allowed them to stay up late into the night for night worship

miracle beans = UNLIMITED DHIKR

cue scholars debating for years about whether it’s haram or halal and if it should be classified as an ‘intoxicant’ or not

fast forward to 16th century ottoman empire, where a woman had the legal right to divorce her husband if he failed to provide her with enough coffee

europeans called it the “mohammaden gruel” or “devil’s drink” bc they believed it to be a “bitter invention of satan and his followers”

fast forward to pope clement viii finally giving in and tasting it to see what the hype is about and then stating: “This Satan’s drink is so delicious that it would be a pity to let the infidels have exclusive use of it.”

pope clement viii then proceeds to BAPTIZE THE COFFEE BEANS

Jeanne d’Arc - Eugene Thirion // Joan of Arc’s Death at the Stake - Hermann Stilke // Sun Bleached Flies - Ethel Cain

Christian Heresy: "I think Jesus was a ghost and a big spider. Here's my book about it whoops I started a European war."

Jewish Heresy: "What do you mean there's another one we just HAD a false messiah."

Islamic Heresy: "The danm easterners are syncretising with us again- yeah they're adding mysticism of course they're adding mysticism."

I need a sign from God and not some wishy washy vague shit I need a vision beamed directly into my brain with clear instructions please and thank you

“Resurrection”

A Prayer That Will Be Answered

by Anna Kamieńska

Lord let me suffer much and then die

Let me walk through silence and leave nothing behind not even fear

Make the world continue let the ocean kiss the sand just as before

Let the grass stay green so that frogs can hide in it

so that someone can bury his face in it and sob out his love

Make the day rise brightly as if there were no more pain

And let my poem stand clear as a windowpane bumped by a bumblebee's head

Sylvia Rivera at the 1983 Christopher Street Liberation march. Her banner features the S.T.A.R (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) Logo, and reads "And God Created He and She But He Also Created Me!"