Blogaround

Links not related to the antichrist:

1. If you are a North Carolina voter- The Griffin List: Find N. C. Voters Whose 2024 Legal Votes are at Risk of Not Counting "On April 4, 2025, the North Carolina Court of Appeals sided with Griffin’s argument that over 65,000 votes should be tossed out – including those of military members serving overseas." Check to see if you need to "cure" your ballot to make sure your vote is counted. Spread the word.

2. A Ragamuffin Band - My Deliverer (by Rich Mullins) (video posted 2019 but the song is much older than that) I like this song.

3. Montana Adult Trans Bathroom Ban Blocked In Court: "No Evidence" It Protects Women (April 3) "Rather than protect women’s safety, operators of domestic violence and homeless shelters testified that the bill would actually endanger the very people it claimed to protect."

4. Why Your Brain Blinds You For 2 Hours Every Day (March 18) 12-minute video from Kurzgesagt. I am really interested in this- how our brains take all the raw data we constantly experience, and compress it down to some kind of model of how the world works which makes sense to us. Filtering out a lot of things because it's just not possible to handle all of that data. It means our awareness of reality is an imperfect model- it can never be the real reality.

5. Is this a real orange owl — or AI? (March 26) This is so cool! So beautiful.

6. our place in the justice paradox (March 24) "In this reading, the text in question becomes a charge to work for the structural changes that will eventually bring about the end of poverty while also meeting the pressing needs of those around us."

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Links related to the antichrist:

1. After Marathon Senate Speech, Cory Booker joins Rachel maddow (April 2) 

2. Chuck Schumer Is Pushing Young People Away From the Democratic Party With His Toothless Leadership (March 31, via) "Whether it’s watered-down climate policies or half-measures on student debt and health care, the Democratic Party’s reluctance to take bold, unapologetic stances clashes with what young people expect from a so-called progressive movement."

3. US defends tariffs on remote island of penguins and seals (April 7)

4. Jewish Students Chain Themselves to Columbia Gates to Protest ICE Jailing of Mahmoud Khalil (April 3)

5. This:

Image source.

6. Posts online correctly cracked the formula for Trump's tariffs (April 3) "This is an insane objective. There is no economic reason to have balanced trade with all countries"

7. Around 1,000 march in Sackets Harbor to seek return of family taken by ICE (April 5, via) "These people are part of the fabric of our community, and we’re not going to let things like this happen without some outrage."

8. Photos: See demonstrators around the country rally in 'Hands Off!' protests (April 5) I'm really proud of all of you who went to these protests.

9. Why has Trump revoked all South Sudanese visas? (April 7)

Blogaround

1. The kingdom of heaven is like: “We Keep People Alive”: As Summers Get Deadlier, a Tiny Church Is Fighting Back (September 21, via) "On June 1, they set up a 'Cooling Center' sandwich board sign out front on Southern Avenue, and soon, 15 to 25 unsheltered, exhausted, and often addicted visitors were showing up each day, frequently with dogs."

2. Genetically Modified Pig’s Heart Is Transplanted Into a Second Patient (September 22) "The heart transplanted into Mr. Faucette came from a pig that had received 10 genetic modifications. Scientists removed three pig genes that cause rapid rejection of pig organs by the human immune system, while inserting six human genes that allow the immune system to accept the organ."

3. Penguins, Postcards & Preservation: Antarctica's Hidden Postal Gem! (September 25, via) The southernmost post office in the world, surrounded by penguins.

4. An Attempt At One Of The All Time Greats (September 27) 1-hour-22-minute meidjuluk/fillomino solve video. If you don't know what that is, don't worry, Simon will explain it.

5. Texas’ ban on certain drag shows is unconstitutional, federal judge says (September 26, via) "'The Court sees no way to read the provisions of SB 12 without concluding that a large amount of constitutionally-protected conduct can and will be wrapped up in the enforcement of SB 12,' the ruling reads. 'It is not unreasonable to read SB 12 and conclude that activities such as cheerleading, dancing, live theater, and other common public occurrences could possibly become a civil or criminal violation.'"

6. MEGAMIND and Nice Guy™ Syndrome (2022) 34-minute video from Cinema Therapy. I love the movie "Megamind" so much.

And also this one: Villain Therapy: LOKI (2021)

7. The Hollywood Writers Strike Proved That Collective Action Works (September 27, via) "They thought the general public wouldn’t support the writers. They were wrong. They thought they could starve the writers out. Once again, they were wrong."

8. What’s the worst job? (September 22) "Human beings are not adapted to microgravity and high radiation. We’ve got enough data now on the consequences of long-term living in space (where long-term is a matter of months — no one is going to be able to live their lives in space)."

9. I hate this article from "Christianity Today": Shannon Harris Wasn’t Content with Being a Purity Culture Stagehand (September 28) It's a review of Shannon Harris (ex-wife of Joshua Harris)'s new book, "The Woman They Wanted," which is about how she was required to give up her own dreams in order to fit the church's idea of what a good pastor's wife is supposed to be. The review starts out well, talking about how it was wrong that the church forced Harris to fit this role. 

But then it starts getting into how Harris has now come to an incorrect view of Christianity. When I say "incorrect," I mean incorrect by Christianity Today's standards. Like, oh now Shannon Harris is advising people to connect "to our own wisdom, to nature and our bodies, to our own fulfillment in work and pleasure, and to our own ways of being and doing." This is, apparently, according to Christianity Today, wrong.

So... basically, what Christianity Today wants to say is, it was wrong that the church forced Harris into a very narrow view of how she was supposed to live. It was wrong not because it was narrow, but because it wasn't the right narrow view. Instead, she is supposed to believe whatever narrow view Christianity Today has about what "the gospel" means.

Ugh, why can't you just let people live their lives? Why can't you just let people tell their own stories, and find meaning in the things that feel meaningful to them? 

Why is it that good Christians can only support survivors up to a certain point- yes, we can listen to them talk about the bad things that happened to them, yes we can agree that those things were wrong, but then when the survivor starts to talk about how their beliefs have changed as a result, oh no, stop, we have to write articles to warn people away from listening to this heresy! Come on.

It's like I said in my post When Christians Say "We're Sorry":

If Christians really are sorry, they know that people need to heal on their own terms.

But of course, like I said earlier, believing in hell screws this all up. Because how sorry can you really be, and how much freedom can you really allow a victim to have, when you believe in a God who won't care about that on judgment day? When you believe in a God who doesn't care that church people hurt this person, and for their own mental and emotional health, they never went to church again... when you believe in a God who says you're out if you don't believe these specific doctrines about Jesus- no excuses.

How sorry can you really be when you worship a God who puts "the gospel" above caring for victims?

How sorry can you really be if you still believe you have all the right answers and everybody better listen to you?

Anyway, I'm definitely interested in reading Shannon Harris's book.

Blogaround

1. World’s first 100% complete T-rex skeleton found locked in battle with a Triceratops (posted November 20) Wow this is incredible.

2. Wow I feel this (though yeah, I'm extremely privileged compared to other immigrants):

one thing i have been continually struck by this year is how many people don’t realize that this situation of being unable to see your family for unfair reasons beyond your control is simply regular life for so many immigrants and people in diaspora

— bettina makalintal (@bettinamak) November 22, 2020

3. Watch penguins take over an NFL field (posted November 24) Adorable!

Blogaround

A memorial for Dr. Li Wenliang. Image source.

1. A few links about Dr. Li Wenliang:
Li Wenliang, Chinese doctor who sounded alarm on coronavirus, has died
Chinese social media lights up at death of coronavirus whistleblower, Dr. Li Wenliang
Doctor’s Death Unleashes Mourning, Fury at Chinese Officials
Li Wenliang: Chinese academics call for justice for coronavirus whistle-blower
Li Wenliang, China's hero doctor, was punished for telling truth about coronavirus (opinion)
Death of coronavirus doctor Li Wenliang becomes catalyst for ‘freedom of speech’ demands in China

2. The Philosopher’s Stone Created Aurelius Dumbledore [Harry Potter Theory] (posted January 28) Oooh I like this fan theory.

3. Climate Change is Decimating the Chinstrap Penguins of Antarctica (posted February 11)

4. Officials say more than 300 Hmong, Lao in Wisconsin might face deportation under reported negotiations (posted February 11) Oh this is bad.

5. Well I'm sure Tim Challies didn't mean for this to be funny, but: 8 Sins You Commit Whenever You Look at Porn (posted 2017) As an asexual, I LOLed through the entire thing.

Blogaround

Image source.

1. Find Out What Your Name Would Be if You Were Born Today (posted May 13) This is fun.

2. Mattress Protest at Columbia University Continues Into Graduation Event (posted May 19) "Aided by four friends, and to the cheers of some of her classmates, the student who protested Columbia University’s handling of her sexual assault complaint by carrying a mattress around campus all year hoisted it for the last time on Tuesday as she crossed the stage at a graduation ceremony."

3. According To Science, This Is The Perfect And Best Road Trip You Can Possibly Take (posted in March?) Cool.

4. Government says four cancer charities are shams (posted May 19) Oh god.

5. These adorable penguins. I want one!

6. White America’s Waco insanity: The shocking realities it ignores about racism & violence (posted May 20) "It’s why street protestors in Baltimore are referred to as violent thugs for burning buildings, but murderers in Waco get called 'bikers.'"

7. Links about Josh Duggar: [trigger warning for sexual abuse]

First of all, you MUST read Libby Anne. She grew up in the Christian homeschooling culture which produced the Duggars, and she's been blogging about it for YEARS. She gets it. Here are her posts: What You Need to Know about the Josh Duggar Police Report, What Did Josh Duggar’s Counseling Look Like?, and Anna Duggar and the Silencing Power of Forgiveness.

More posts from other bloggers:
how Josh Duggar is getting away with it
Josh Duggar says he’s sorry. So what?
In faith communities like the Duggars, abuse victims are encouraged to be filled with grace. It’s not that simple.
What Josh Duggar did 12 years ago still matters. Here’s why.
The Duggars’ dangerous cult of purity

And here's what I think: A lot of the reactions I saw on twitter seemed to be almost celebrating this news, celebrating Josh Duggar's downfall because we oppose the ideology that the Duggar family promotes. People on twitter were like "the Duggars said transgender people are child predators, and look at them now!"

That's not justice, that's a revenge fantasy. Josh Duggar sexually assaulted several children. This is bad. This is not something to be excited about, no matter how much you hate the Duggar brand. Don't forget, most of the victims are also members of the Duggar family.

Justice means, first and foremost, caring for the victims. What do they need? Are they safe? We don't really know- we don't have any statements from them, and we don't know their identities (which should be kept secret in order to protect them). According to Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, the victims totally forgave Josh and everything is fine. Really? I find that hard to believe.

Justice also means preventing this in the future. And, the way I see it, that means the destruction of purity culture.

Blogaround

"u lucky he holdin me back." Image source.

1. The Price of Shame (posted March 21) TED talk by Monica Lewinsky. It's fantastic.

2. Monogamy Isn’t Biblical, It’s Roman (posted March 24) "Indeed, the entire Old Testament is, to my knowledge, bereft of any suggestion that marriage is only to be between one man and one woman. Instead, polygamy is treated as normal and accepted and, for the wealthy and powerful, even expected."

3. A Conversation Between The Two People I Assume Design All Restaurant Bathrooms (posted March 25)

4. Everyone's Trying Really Hard Not to Call the Germanwings Co-Pilot a Terrorist (posted March 27) "White people can't be terrorists."

5. Duck Dynasty’s loveless ethics and ... the Aristocrats! (posted March 26) "What Robertson is telling us — proudly! — is that there is one, and only one reason that he personally refrains from breaking into a family’s home, raping and murdering the children, decapitating the wife, and castrating the husband."

6. Let's get this straight: depression does not make people a danger to society (posted March 29) "By casually linking depression, in general, with the nightmarish image of a devastating plane crash, and by suggesting that it was dangerous for Germanwings to employ someone simply for having depression, it sent a worrying message."

7. Dear Christianity, I Have a Few Questions (posted March 23) "Save your Bible verses and your doctrines about original sin and utter depravity. You had one job. I don’t trust you anymore."

Blogaround

Image source.

1. Jesus really wasn’t born in a stable (posted December 22) "In the first place, it would be unthinkable that Joseph, returning to his place of ancestral origins, would not have been received by family members, even if they were not close relatives."

2. Product Review: The Invisible Backpack of White Privilege from L.L. Bean (posted December 18) "The Invisible Backpack of White Privilege is great for carrying questionable things like weed, Ponzi schemes, and sex crimes. I have lived in dense urban areas my whole life, and the cops never once search my Invisible Backpack. Then again, that’s probably just because, like people always tell me, I have a really trustworthy vibe as a person."

3. A Love Bigger Than Our Shame (posted December 19) "And this is the lasting effect of purity culture – not a generation of holy Christians saving themselves for marriage but a generation of people – women, in particular – who are ashamed of their bodies, ashamed of things that happen to them, ashamed of being perceived as sexual beings."

4. NFL Announces New Zero-Tolerance Policy On Videotaped Domestic Violence (posted September 9) "I also want to stress that this utterly reprehensible behavior is something we will in no way tolerate as long as the footage is completely uninterrupted and the entirety of the assault takes place within frame."

5. Lifting up the lowly and bringing down the powerful from their thrones (posted December 25) "And that, Theophilus, is what Christmas is all about."

6. China tightens church control ahead of Christmas (posted December 24) China is really inconsistent about this- persecution like this happens, but generally churches exist (yes, with large obvious crosses on the roofs) and seem to be operating just fine, and Chinese people are aware that Christianity is a religion that exists in China (but most haven't heard about any persecution).

7. The Longsuffering Godly Abused Wife (posted December 23) "If you are in a relationship gone bad and your partner isn’t willing to work with you to fix things, leaving is probably your best option. But then, for evangelicals, leaving is not presented as an option."

8. This tumblr post from Dianna Anderson. (posted December 17) "Because purity culture teaches us to have superhuman and super unrealistic expectations of our future spouse, and it inevitably sets us up for disappointment because there is no way a human being can hold up to all those expectations. Your spouse is not going to be the person you pictured in your head at 12 years old when you made that purity pledge. And that’s okay, because if they were, there’s something weird going on."

Blogaround

Image source.

1. Big Bang breakthrough announced; gravity waves detected (posted March 17) "Scientists believe that in the fabric of space-time, there are tiny ripples called quantum fluctuations. If you could look at space-time on the smallest scale possible, you would, in theory, see them, even today." Sounds like Star Trek.

2. Respecting Every BODY (posted March 12) "Thinking about it, I realized something. Bobby wanted back in the bucket because he trusted me. He knew I would listen to him and get him out as soon as he was done. He knows I respect him and his body."

3. Lies, Damn Lies, and [Church Divorce] Statistics (posted March 14) "Think about it. You and your wife both attend church faithfully. You have your marriage difficulties and get divorced. The chance of both of you still attending the same church are pretty much nil."

4. The Particle Zoo: Subatomic Particle Softies. So cute.

5. Finnish reindeer now have glowing antlers to protect them from cars (posted February 18) "Bonus: Now ANYONE can guide the sleigh!"

6. Setting the record straight on Jesus, ‘the friend of sinners’ (posted March 20) "I asked him about the notions espoused by Carter and others that the 'sinners' with whom Jesus fellowshipped were actually followers. Burge replied, 'I’m surprised that someone would actually say that.'"

7. Poke2048, another variation on the game I linked to last week.

8. India beats the odds, beats polio (posted March 22) Great!

9. Guy Sings Katy Perry's Dark Horse in 20 Different Styles and It's Awesome (posted March 21) Wow.