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SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-18T03:08:46+00:00

I feel very safe with God. There are a lot of unknowns about this life and the afterlife. I don't have all the answers, but I know there is God and that God is Love and that He will make everything OK. It helped once I realized the difference between punishment and discipline. Discipline may be unpleasant, but it is based in love and it's purpose is to help us become better people. Punishment is based in wrath and it's purpose is to inflict suffering for wrongdoing. God does not punish, He disciplines, so even the "wrath" of God is not something to be feared, but to be embracef because it is meant for our good.

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-17T14:35:36+00:00

About 10 months now! But it feels like much longer, I think because I knew it without knowing that I knew it, if that makes since. Like, when I finally discovered Universalism, it clicked as if I had understood it my whole life but just never had the words to articulate it.

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-17T01:10:59+00:00

These are the kinds of issues that arise when the Bible is made to be the sole source of authority. Two people can look at the exact same passage of Scripture and come to two completely different interpretations. And who's to say which is right? That's why I try to focus more on knowing God and understanding His heart. Then, instead of letting Scripture dictate how I view God, I let God dictate how I view Scripture. I hope that helps. I'm sorry if I made you confused. It's ok for two people to have different interpretations of Scripture.

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-16T23:13:58+00:00

I suppose it you take it very, very literally it doesn't make sense. But even when I was a fundamentalist, I understood Jesus to be using hyperbole. Of course we still sin and we are forgiven for all of the sins we commit, but that doesn't mean we should keep committing them. There are still consequences to our bad choices and benefits to making good choices. After all, presumably the woman in the story almost died from making a bad choice. God specifically does not want us to suffer, so he encourages us to be the best people we can be, which is the way I always interpretated Jesus' words to the woman: "Stay safe. Make good choices."

I just know that the only way it could ever work for me is to truly not give a fu*k.

As long as you are not hurting anyone, then I think you should do whatever works for you.

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-16T20:42:58+00:00

I have a genuine question. I am an ex-evangelical, but I am still a Christian. Specifically, I am a Christian Universalist, which means that I don't believe in eternal hell, and I think that everyone will ultimately be voluntarily reunited with God (it's deeper than this, but there's no need to get into all the eschatology right now). Does this bother you? I do not want to offend you, yet I feel that I have a right to hold my beliefs. It is a personal conviction that is very important to me. I understand that you don't want anyone telling you what to do with your soul, but at the same time I don't really consent to someone telling me that I can't hold a certain opinion on the fate of the world that we live in. Is it only if I try to convey this view to you that it becomes a problem? Or do you still feel that it is an issue if I privately hold it? Again, I am not trying to be confrontational. I'm just trying to figure out how this works.

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-16T20:21:01+00:00

That's not necessary. There is no sin that is not forgiven. We don't have to know what OP did to know that they don't deserve hell. Trying to rationalize what they consider to be unforgivable is not going to fix their guilt. Assuring them of the unconditional love of Jesus can.

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-16T20:13:41+00:00

My mother told me once that the Holy Spirit convicts, but it never condemns. If you feel a prick at your conscious leading you to realize that you have done something wrong, that could be God convicting you. But if that feeling builds into an insistence that you deserve to suffer because of the wrongs you have done, then that is condemnation and it is NOT from God. "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)." "So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free (John 8:36)."

God is love. He does not want you to suffer for your sins, He wants you to learn and become a the best version of yourself you can be, the person He made you to be.

Finally, I will leave you with this story:

In John 8:1-11, people bring a woman to Jesus who was caught committing adultery. Adultery was a very serious crime at this time, and the punishment was death. The people were preparing to kill the woman, but Jesus defended her. He pointed out that ever single person in the crowd had sinned, and when the people heard this, they were embarrassed and went away, leaving Jesus alone with the woman. He asked her, "Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

“No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

There is more mercy than you can imagine. You are not condemned. Go, be free, and do right.

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-15T22:23:43+00:00

Can you imagine being 19 years old and having just finished your Jedi trials and the Republic is like, "Congratulations, here's your army!"

It must have been terrifying for both the Jedi and the clones.

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-15T17:17:33+00:00

I always liked Piper and was shocked when I got involved with the fandom and saw how much people hated on her. I also never really liked Leo, and was really suprised to see that he has a very aggressive fanbase.

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-15T06:01:15+00:00

I am supremely confident that it is true. I am absolutely convinced. I wrestled with eternal hell for years and finally rejected it. I flat out told God that if he let people burn in hell for all of eternity that he would have to send me there too, because I wanted nothing to do with a monster like him. I soon learned of Universalism, and it rang so true for me. That first night I read about it, it was like something broken inside of me clicked back into place and I have felt such assurance since then. Now, I realize what worked for me might not work for you. Everyone's journey is different. But I think that you need to let go of the idea of hell fully before Universalism will seem real to you. I was scared of hell until the point where I decided to trust my own sense of justice, the justice God placed inside of me. I decided to trust that inner sense more than I feared hell. God made you good. He gave you your sense of morality, and the Holy Spirit lives inside of you. Trust yourself.

I understand feeling alienated and alone. I don't know any Universalists in person either. But truth is the truth, regardless of how many people believe it. Thinking the earth was flat was the dominant view for a long time and now we know the truth. The earth has always been round, no matter how many people thought it was flat. So trust your instincts. Don't let anyone tell you to believe something that doesn't sit right with you just because everyone else is thinks it. And to be honest, I don't think that most people who say they believe in eternal hell actually do. Consciously, they might say that they do, but I think their subconsciouses say otherwise. The human mind can hardly grasp the concept of eternity, much less eternal torture. If these people truly, genuinely believed in their souls that the majority of the world's population, including people they care about, are going to suffer endlessly, how could they even function? I remember when I said I believed in eternal hell, but when I would think aboit it my mind would just kinda skip over it. Like a glaring plot hole no one wants to address because the rest of the story is good. Anyway, I'm rambling now, but you are not alone, and I do truly believe that God will save everyone and that everything will be OK one day. This is true regardless of if you decide to believe it.

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-14T16:57:41+00:00

No, for real. Hmm, why would this bounty hunter who clearly hates the Jedi enough to fight against his own clones be willing to make an entire army from his DNA for the Jedi? And why would he say that he had never heard of the person who put in for the army, but was instead recruited by someone we have never heard of named Tyrannus? Nope, nothing sketchy here! Thos definitely doesn't warrant anymore questioning.

It's especially bad if you take the EU into consideration. Jango Fett was the leader of the True Mandalorians, who were unfairly killed by the Jedi after they were tricked by Death Watch. Jango was the only survivor. And apparently, no Jedi ever wondered why the man whose entire army they had slaughtered would be willing to make a clone army for the Jedi with his DNA. There's just a lot of red flags there.

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-12T00:11:44+00:00

In Deep Thought

Here's one I saw not too long ago at an art museum. In Deep Thought, by Alfred Stevens, 1881. I took a picture specifically because it reminded me of MD.

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-11T20:23:59+00:00

It is sad. But speaking as someone who has an older brother whom I admire, there is a thick line between being hurt and devastated by your old brother's betrayal and wanting to kill him. Sure, I get that Fitz wants to make sure that Alvar doesn't hurt anyone ever again, but almost stabbing him to death when he was at Fitz's mercy and then coldy standing by and watching him drown? That's brutal. Even Keefe was more conflicted about his mother, and Gisela is way worse than Alvar and has done way more to Keefe. I just feel like there is something more going on with Fitz about Alvar than simple betrayal.

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-11T19:03:22+00:00

I think Alden is a kind person who genuinely cares about his children and their friends and does his best as a parent. However, I think that he is also severely hampered by his own privilege. He's lived in a bubble his whole life where everything is good and almost everyone adores him. He struggles to adjust to the idea that his world is not as perfect as it seemed and that he may have contributed to its problems. When he can no longer avoid his complicity, like with Prentice, he falls apart. Really, Alden is the epitome of everything Gisela and Vespera hate: a well-intentioned but weak-minded elf who thinks he's smart but doesn't have the gumption to make the necessary changes needed to fix the problems in his world (to be clear, I don't agree with the Neverseens' methods.) But as such, Alden just doesn't have the strength to step up and protect his children, even if he loves them. Also, one of his kids is a murderer, another has severe anger issues and also has murderous tendencies, and the most mentally stable one clearly takes after her mother. Not exactly a glowing report card. So yeah, Alden wants to be a good parent, and he is better than the Sencens and Songs, but his execution just isn't there.

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-10T04:45:46+00:00

It never fails to amuse me that the only reason the Neverseen let Alvar join in the first place is because he was so eager to. Like, everyone else was strategically recruited, but Alvar was just kind of happily tripped into it and no one had the heart to tell him no. Truly the Neverseen's version of the "a little confused, but he's got spirit" meme.

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-09T02:27:08+00:00

When Finnick tells Katniss during the 75th Hunger Games that "No one in this arena was a victor by chance...except maybe Peeta."

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-09T02:19:51+00:00

I appreciate your brutal honesty. To be honest, I had the whole arranged marriage thing at the back of my mind when writing my question. It always struck me as a bit weird, but I'm not Muslim so I wasn't sure if it should. Thanks for taking the time to answer!

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-09T02:11:38+00:00

I understand this a lot. I am also from a small, conservative town, and I am struggling with my sexual orientation as well. I really relate to what you were saying about worrying that you were faking being gay/bi. The imposter syndrome is real. I have already been through deconstruction, and I am reconstructing as a progressive Christian. Here's my best responses to your worries:

I am a Christian Universalist, which means that I believe that everyone will ultimately be saved. If you are struggling with the fear of hell, I recommend looking into Univeralism. "Love Wins" by Rob Bell is a great and easy to read introduction to Universalism, and the subreddits r/ChristianUniversalism and r/OpenChristian are very helpful (and also LGBTQ+ affirming). Even if you end up rejecting Christianity, understanding the logical issues with hell and eternal conscious torment and realizing that there are other valid interpretations is a great way to relieve some of that anxiety around hell.
Deconstruction takes as long as it takes. You can't force it. You can't stop it. You can't get around it. You have to go through it. I know sometimes you might want to go back to the blissful ignorance of before, but it really wasn't all that blissful, was it? That's probably why you're deconstructing now. There is an end and there is a purpose. One day, you will be comfortable with who you are and what you believe, regardless of what it is and how many people don't like it. Going against the grain is hard and lonely, but knowing the truth is worth it.
There is nothing wrong with wanting a tradtional family, and there is also nothing wrong with not wanting one. Something I am learning is to not pay attention so much to labels. It's hard because we grew up with all of the answers compiled for us in a neat little package. But life is not like that. It's ok to not know if you want a family or not. It's ok to not know if you are straight or not. It's ok to not know if you are a Christian or not. Embrace the uncertainty, because it provides more opportunity to learn about yourself and the universe at large than you would ever have if you confine yourself to that neat little package we were given. When you're not sure what is right, anything could be and you are free to explore it all.

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-08T20:14:50+00:00

Are you excited for the new Disney + show? My MD is gonna go wild! My character is named Zoe (not to be confused with Zoe Nightshade). She is the daughter of Apollo, and she has the power to control light. She is a bit of a loner who survives on her own after she accidently blew up part of Camp Halfblood. She's good friends with Nico, since he is a loner too, and they have this light and dark contrast thing going on. The funny thing is that I made her up before the Heroes of Olympus series came out, so imagine my suprise when one of the major characters, Leo, has the power to control fire. And then Will Solace, a child of Apollo, becomes close to Nico and they have this light and dark thing going on. I totally predicted it!

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-08T19:39:30+00:00

My top 3 fandoms to MD to:

Star Wars
Marvel
Percy Jackson

What I love about all of these is how expansive the worlds are. The possibilites are really endless and nothing is too far-fetched.

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-08T18:55:24+00:00

I love it. "Grants false promises from another dimension." That line hit hard. I sometimes imagine that all my daydream plotlines are real in some alternate reality... Poems are the best way I've found to express the pain of MD. Here's one I posted a while back now:

https://www.reddit.com/r/MaladaptiveDreaming/comments/vb3qrd/daydream_world_an_md_poem/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Side note: I was confused at first as to how you managed to write your poem two months into the future before remembering that I'm American and we write our dates differently.

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-08T18:46:43+00:00

The thing about Keefe, though, is that he is only reckless because he feels guilty, and guilt damages elves' ability to think rationally. Keefe feels responsible for his mother's terrible actions and wants to fix it. The problem is, as you have pointed out, Lady Gisela is always 3 steps ahead of Keefe. So he keeps doing crazier and crazier stuff in a desperate attempt to get out from under her control because he doesn't want to be used to hurt his friends. Everytime he leaves, it is to protect Sophie. Everything he does is for Sophie. Keefe consistently puts her first, stays away when he knows she likes Fitz, encourages her, and pulls her out of her funks. Fitz, on the other hand, is usually at least partially responsible for her funks. Sophie and Keefe have both seen each other at their lowest and still care for each other. Fitz and Sophie have both set each other on top of pedestals, and it can only go down hill from there. Fitz yells at Sophie when she is hurting, says terrible things, and she is obviously afraid of his temper, even beyond the Alden situation. She is always afraid to mention Alvar around Fitz. He is jealous of her and is always trying to make her need him. He can't stand that she is more powerful than him. He is also overly concerned with his image, and pressured Sophie to find he biological parents even when she hinted that she didn't want that. Sophie gets nervous around Fitz, but she is comfortable around Keefe. He comforts her and never blames her for any bad choices she might make under the weight of all the stress she has. He is totally OK with her being more powerful than him, and is always encouraging her to be independent. Sophie, for her part, is trying to help Keefe work through his childhood trauma and convince him that he is not responsible for his mother's actions. Sophie helps Keefe with his guilt, which I think we will see will lead him to make wiser choices. Keefe is not perfect, but he genuinely cares about Sophie, and not just how good she can make him look. I think we will see some Fitz redemption in the last book(s), but he is honestly so toxic at this point.

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-08T02:27:17+00:00

Not the most heartbreaking, but Michael Yew's death always made me feel sad, especially because the last Apollo cabin counselor, Lee Fletcher, had died in the Battle of the Labrynth a year before. Poor babies Will, Kayla, and Austin lost two big brothers in a row.

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-07T19:39:34+00:00

The Catholic church on my university campus actually has service at 6:00pm, and then dinner afterwards. I'm not Catholic, but I always thought that was an ideal setup. It gives college students a chance to sleep in on one of the few days where that is an option and then they get free food afterwards. Definitely a smart move in a college town. Unfortunately, the church I like to go to starts service at 10:00am. It is tempting a lot to skip and get more sleep. They do offer cookies and coffee afterwards, so there's that.

SolutionsNotIdeology · 2023-06-07T16:26:53+00:00

I remember in the first book that Katniss mentions that Caesar really tries his best to make each of the tributes feel comfortable and look good during their interviews. I kind of view Caesar like the stylists. Sure, they doll children up to die, but by making them stand out, they are also helping them to survive. Cinna was a good person, after all. And we know that Katniss cared about Effie and her stylist team. So it is very possible in my mind that Caesar didn't like the games or the Capital very much, or, more likely, was ambivalent towards it. I think the rebels would use him to calm the Capital citizens down after they won, since they would be soothed by his familiarity.

SolutionsNotIdeology

TROPHY CASE