I do like the cool sand-being-formed-into-shapes-on-a-drumhead opening. Wasn't there another opening filmed with molten metal pouring down ring molds, though? Is that being saved for later?
What's with the tattered awning thing? Does this franchise actually remember that orcs can't handle sunlight very well -- unlike a certain Peter Jackson I could mention?
So, the presumably-Numenorian sailor uniform looks cool but I can't help but think long jerkins and gambesons will be constricting if they have to go aloft. Don't you boys have to reef the topsails sometimes? Keep your legs free!
Top two pictures are from the show: bottom two are what I'm guessing are the real-world inspirations. Greco-Roman islander, but with some kind of twist.
The unexpected hug. Classic Rogue move. Okay, I think I've got this guy just about statted out in my head. High DEX, high CHA, decent but not above average WIS, mysterious backstory...
Anin -- from "anha," "give"
apsene -- from apsen, "release" "forgive"
"Forgive me."
Both words can be seen in "...ar ámen apsenë úcaremmar sív’ emmë apsenet tien i úcarir emmen." ("Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.")
They tell us that Christian Nationalism is not about white supremacy, that what Wolfe and Wilson and Rigney and Sauve are promoting is just wanting to follow God's laws and live in a "Christian Nation."
But shall we peek under the "hood" and see for ourselves? A 🧵
1/12
"But we the unhyphenated, who trace our ancestry to Western Europe... We, the White Anglo-Saxon Protestants who founded, built, died for and led this country for most of its history, we are not permitted in this New America to have a... place that is distinctly ours."
(😬)
2/12
"There's no distant place that we call home. We have nowhere else to go. But THIS is our home. THIS is our native land. *WE* are Native Americans, born of those who didn't immigrate, but who SETTLED here."
1) Eternal Conscious Torment (Dante style). Hell is God's *retribution* for your sins. The fire is literal. Level of punishment is scaled to fit your sins, but the worst part is the separation from God forever. Held by: Augustine.
2) Eternal Conscious Torment (Evangelical style). As above, but more emphasis on spiritual/psychological torment of God's Absence, less sense of physical punishment. The fire is a metaphor. Held by: Alphonsus Liguori
3) Eternal Conscious Torment ("The Great Divorce" style). Hell is self-exclusion from God's presence, in which we make ourselves eternally miserable without God. The doors to Hell are "locked from the inside." Held by: C.S. Lewis, some Catholics
Theories of Atonement as GIFs from The Office -- a thread.
1: Ransom Theory (Origen) -- Jesus's death was a ransom given to the devil in exchange for humanity's freedom
2. Moral Example Theory (Socinius) -- Both Jesus's life of self-sacrifice, and his martyrdom, were examples for his followers to emulate.
3. Moral Transformation Theory (Abelard) -- Jesus's death is the demonstration of God's love for us, a demonstration so powerful it can change our hearts and turn us back towards God.
1 - The SBC had a "Resurgence" where one theological faction seized power from by cultivating an "US vs. THEM" mentality. The "Resurgence" was led by two men. One was an abuser, and the other was later fired for covering up abuse.
2 - The SBC's now-dominant faction grew up seeing those two men as heroes who won a victory against "THEM."
And perhaps because their faction engaged in dirty tactics, they believe "THEY" would do the same if given the chance. (As though any of THEM are even left?)
3 - Thus a big portion of that faction still believes those two men did nothing wrong. They think credible charges against them must be baseless allegations as part of a power grab by "THEM."
And so this became their default setting when hearing of credible charges of abuse.
Re: people faking credentials to claim authority in evangelical circles:
The "Satanic Panic" of the 80s was driven by the testimonies of alleged former witches, who were later proven be frauds (Mike Warnke, Rebecca Brown, Michelle Smith).
Laurel Rose Wilson was one.
1/5
Under the name Lauren Stratford, she wrote an book describing her past as a baby breeder (for human sacrifices) in a satanic cult.
She spoke on Oprah. Her books were carried in church libraries.
But a 1990 investigation by Cornerstone Magazine revealed it to be fabrication.
2/
Less than ten years later she tried again.
In 1999, she called herself Laura Grabowski, pretended to be Jewish, and claimed to be a Holocaust survivor. She gave lectures, speeches, and collected thousands of dollars in donations intended for Holocaust survivors.
WHOOSH fancy transitions! Look at our mostly-white slate of male pastors and female "directors"! Learn about Our Vision™! Shiplap! Who knows what denomination we're affiliated with -- it's a mystery! We're not your grandma's church! WELCOME HOME!
Types of church websites: 2
Join us EVERY Sunday at 10 am for our IN-PERSON Worship Service. (Posted around April 2021)
(The rest of the website is just a bunch of old YouTube sermon recordings and obsolete Zoom links from March 2020 through March 2021)
Types of church websites: 3
We want our church to be a haven for your spirituality! Come check out our slate of community service events! Our book club is reading "White Fragility"! We have a daycare AND a thrift shop! What's a Bible study?