#catholicism — Public Fediverse posts

My name is Peter Claver. I was named for a Catholic saint who spent forty years in the port of Cartagena personally ministering to enslaved Africans arriving on ships — before the authorities even thought to ask permission. He reportedly baptized over 300,000 people, one at a time, by going to them rather than waiting for them to come to him. *Unsolicited outreach at scale.* Truly, the first viral campaign.

#religion #CatholicSaints #saints #catholic #catholics #catholicism #christianity

My name is Adrian Natalis. I was named for a Catholic saint who, by most accounts, never existed as a historical person — she was likely a pious legend, a story so beloved it outlasted the facts. The Church celebrated her for centuries anyway, eventually removing her from the universal calendar when the evidence didn't hold up. *Seems fitting I'd introduce myself on social media.*

#religion #CatholicSaints #saints #catholic #catholics #catholicism #christianity

My name is Clodoald Sharp. I was named for a Catholic saint who survived a royal massacre as a child, only to renounce his claim to the Frankish throne and become a hermit-monk. He traded a crown for a pair of scissors — literally cutting off his own hair to take holy orders before his enemies could take his head. Choosing obscurity over power, willingly? Clearly, he never had a verified checkmark to protect.

#religion #CatholicSaints #saints #catholic #catholics #catholicism #christianity

"[A] #Jewish #scholar of #Christian #Scriptures. Levine has worked to improve how #Christians and her fellow #Jews understand each other. She's spoken at many #churches and taught students about the ancient Jewish context of Jesus' life and teachings. She's #authored numerous #books, some in tandem with Christian #scholars; she and a co- #author even presented one #book personally to #Pope Francis.

But after the #Catholic Biblical Association of #America announced earlier this month that Levine was elected its first-ever Jewish president, an #antisemitic backlash began.

Denunciations appeared [...] Critics called her “anti-Christian,” claimed she's trying to hijack #Catholicism, denounced Jews for not accepting Jesus, and tacked on anti- #Zionist comments.

While some questioned why the association would appoint anyone who wasn't a Catholic, much of the criticism was infused with anti-Jewish statements. They come at a time of rising #antisemitism in the country.

https://www.seattlepi.com/news/a-jewish-scholar-chosen-to-lead-the-catholic-a22407989

Sainte-Chapelle, Paris [OC]

@[email protected]

@[email protected]
#FensterFreitag #WindowFriday #StainedGlassWindow #VensterVrijdag #StainedGlass #ReligiousStudies #TravelPhotography #christianity #catholicism #religion #reisen #smartphonephotography #ChurchArchitecture #ChurchPhotography #Paris #France

"The accusation that #Jews can never truly belong to the countries they call home is one of the oldest #antisemitic #tropes in history. In #Spain Jews were forced to convert to #Catholicism or face expulsion; in #France they were asked to #assimilate by practising their #Judaism in private; and in the #SovietUnion Jews were pressured to abandon religious practice and suppress expressions of #Jewish identity.

No matter how long the Jewish community contributed to a society, we were always suspected of serving someone else.

Time has passed and the language has changed but the accusation has not. For the past three years, I have seen this rhetoric become normalised. #Online forums and comment sections have become a cesspool of antisemitic abuse.

Add to that a layer of #misogyny and violent sexualised comments directed at my partner, and even harm wished upon our newborn baby."

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/01/antisemitism-jewish-australians-josh-burns-mp-comment-ntwnfb

For #FensterFreitag, Sainte-Chapelle, Paris 🇫🇷 ⛪️

#WindowFriday #StainedGlassWindow #VensterVrijdag #StainedGlass #ReligiousStudies #TravelPhotography #christianity #catholicism #religion #reisen #smartphonephotography #ChurchArchitecture #ChurchPhotography #ArchitecturePhotography

Doing another round of my course, "Relics in Antiquity and the Middle Ages," Jul. 23-Aug. 27

This will be my 5th time teaching it, 3rd time online, and every time I learn as much from the students as I hope they learn from me. If you're interested in religion or medieval history, check out my course page!

https://kentnavalesi.neocities.org/RelicsHome

I do all my advertising on the fediverse, so boosts appreciated!

@medievodons @histodons #history #ReligiousStudies #Catholicism #education #Christianity

C'est le mois des #Fiertés.

Je suis fière d'être une hérésie vivante pour l'Église #Catholique, qui rejette catégoriquement tout acte de transition de genre, pour qui que ce soit, au nom de la dignité humaine.

Autant dire que les rap battles entre Léo et Don, j'en ai rien à cirer.

#catholicchurch #catholicism #queer #trans #PrideMonth

For #FensterFreitag, Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
Santa Fe, #NewMexico

#SmartphonePhotography #TravelPhotography #reisen #ReligiousStudies #catholicism #religion #nm #santafe

Think I'm gonna start up the relics class again soon. No dates yet, but if you're interested, you can sign up to be notified when registrations open. I'd be happy to answer any questions, and boosts appreciated!

https://kentnavalesi.neocities.org/RelicsHome

@medievodons @histodons #history #medieval #religion #ReligiousStudies #Catholicism #education #Christianity

What To Watch On YouTube Right Now – Part 137

Welcome back my readers, YouTube viewers and all others who followed this series of articles focused on YouTube videos worth watching.

Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?

I recommend you check out the following videos I found.

#1 You, Me and The Movies React To Lone Wolf McQuade – It has been a few months since the movie legend Chuck Norris passed away at age 86. He left behind a legacy of action movies and even played Bruce Lee’s tough opponent in The Way of the Dragon. Norris also had action movies filmed on location here in my native Philippines. In the 1980s, Norris appeared in a lot movies that involved guns and hard action, and one of his more notable films of the time was 1983’s Lone Wolf McQuade in which he faced off with fellow action star David Carradine. Recently, You, Me and the Movies posted their reaction video of Lone Wolf McQuade and it is entertaining to watch. I urge you to watch it now.

https://youtu.be/WELmZdiV6aQ?si=2b-pSOoRjJmQF4PC

#2 Minty Comedic Arts’ Invasion U.S.A. Video – Still focused on the late Chuck Norris, his 1985 action movie Invasion U.S.A. was not merely made to entertain moviegoers with lots of explosions, dangerous stunts and hard action. Norris read an article in Reader’s Digest about the presence of hundreds of terrorists running loose in the United States which impacted him as he care about his country and his fellow Americans. This eventually led to the making of Invasion U.S.A. which succeeded commercially as it spread awareness to the American people as to how they can defend themselves in the event foreign terrorists invade their country. Today, Islamic terrorism as well as the entrance of Islamo-Leftist foreigners into America made this 1985 more socially relevant. The story behind the production of Invasion U.S.A. is pretty fascinating, and you can learn more about by watch Minty Comedic Arts’ video below.

https://youtu.be/mXAFy08Mm4s?si=Qy7193Gb9X0goYDZ

#3 Signature Bowls of Happiness in Japan – Do you eat meals served in bowls often? Meals in bowls are common in Japan where rice and noodles are eaten by people daily. Among the many food joints in Japan that offer meals in bowls to customers are a few standouts visited by Nippon TV. What they discovered are very enticing, attractive and delicious to look at. Watch and learn from their video below.

https://youtu.be/WQwYy84KgCQ?si=g0HZRpdwCLBs2uPd

#4 Ranting For Vengeance Slams CBR And Others Who Hate 1980s Anime – I grew up watching lots of anime shows and feature films early in life and the 1980s is a memorable decade. It was during the 1980s when I saw anime productions from the 1970s and the newest ones of the decade. To name some, I saw the 1980s Astro Boy series, Galaxy Express 999, Captain Future, Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Voltes V, Daimos, Mazinger Z and others. While such old anime productions proved to be entertaining, there are still some people out there who bashed them because those productions (and their stories) did not align with their modern day woke agenda. The popular geek entertainment portal CBR published lots of articles saying that the old anime productions did not age well and a lot of readers and netizens followed suit. As such, Ranting for Vengeance slammed them and stood up for 1980s anime backed with detailed explanations. If you are a true fan of anime, watch the video below.

https://youtu.be/1VCWf8o7utc?si=xXxcQ7-if9FaZV8H

#5 Western Women Who Embraced Islam End Up Wrong – Did you notice that there is a growing number of women in the West who embraced Islam believing the fantasies that it is a religion of peace and is feminist? Indeed, there are these modern-day feminists who considered themselves Islamic without even fully knowing what Islam truly is, why Sharia Law is wicked and what was recorded in the Quran. SaharTV posted several videos about these newcomers to Islam (including one new Muslim woman who was Catholic) who ended up being very wrong and embarrassed. Watch the SaharTV videos below.

https://youtu.be/ghhZuYcsNFY?si=uddJdrr8Ve_FeOvS

https://youtu.be/6fZUxJWv8E0?si=saX3TUFQhPJ3iMwk

https://youtu.be/WGwbkx0zrL4?si=R2KCv0-fDSmZRgGP

https://youtu.be/gXFYh-fh_1g?si=cpNXKOygu8Z1jz_N

https://youtu.be/uTvbQDzn8RA?si=KiG5K-jWU5mvs_4x

#6 The Significance Of Spider-Man 2099 Explained – In late 1992, Marvel Comics launched Spider-Man 2099 #1 which also marked the start of their 2099 franchise of comic books. Under the direction of writer Peter David with artworks done mainly by Rick Leonardi, the futuristic Spider-Man really stood out differently from the classic Spider-Man (Peter Parker) and his own place under Marvel Comics’ banner was established well. Spider-Man 2099 is clearly the most popular of all the Marvel 2099 titles. That said, I found this YouTube video that examines the significance of Spider-Man of 2099. I encourage you to watch it.

https://youtu.be/0ap6m7EHTXw?si=cxHY9bDg-9QYlmlK

#7 Ashleigh Burton’s Reaction To Witness – The 1980s will always be a memorable decade of Harrison Ford’s cinematic performances. During that decade, he appeared in two Star Wars movies and he was the center of attraction in the original Indiana Jones trilogy. Along the way, he appeared in the 1985 crime thriller film Witness in which he played a police detective protecting an Amish woman and her son. The movie earned several Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and even Best Actor for Harrison Ford. Lately, Ashleigh Burton posted her reaction video of Witness and I encourage you to watch it.  

https://youtu.be/COlaB65Q3MA?si=0i2Kx-yFhLYdX1_E

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @CarloCarrascoPH as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

@blogdiva

Trump versus The Pope
==================
Ring a Ding Ding!
Two guys from a pedo ring,
fighting & mudslinging.
Both make a living,
from human suffering.
One thinks he is king,
the other, that he has wings.
Watch them come out swinging.
Get popcorn & a seat by the ring.
Hark! The demons sing!

Trump is demolishing a so-called democracy.
( https://we-glue-earth.gitlab.io/when-was-america-great/ )

The pope sits on a pile of gold looted with genocide from all over the world for centuries, in a private city state in the middle of Rome, and professes poverty, puts on a show of washing the poor people's feet, hides behind bullet-proof glass, protects pedophiles, wears a dress & tells people that being gay is a sin. The pope could issue an edict for all catholics to resign from the armed forces. Will he do that? The pope is a fairy, see?
( https://rant.li/ashwin/why-i-am-also-not-a-christian )

Telling the Truth is like taking an opium addict's rock of opium away. They react angrily, in pain from withdrawal symptoms. Cognitive Dissonance is painful.

"Help Save Jesus"

One can reach one's higher power through any number of ways. Some are better than others, and history bears witness.

Having a book or a teacher is fine.
Fancy words are Ok.
Yet, the ultimate Truth is in the outcome. Does the religion make people better? Do they make the world better?

With regard to Christianity, there are three types of people:

1. Good Christians
2. Bad Christians
3. Non-Christians

Good Christians ( sheep ) act as the cover for the Bad Christians ( wolves ).

Bad Christians have so much blood on their hands, they killed 2 people, every minute, of every hour, of every day, 24x7, non-stop, for 100 years. And that was just last century.

So good Christians should:

1. stop turning a blind eye to the Bad Christians.
2. stop trying to preach to the Non-Christians.
3. turn to the Bad Christians and talk with them. Get their own house in order, before they dare preach to others, through pamphlets, brochures, media advertising, or door to door proselytizing etc. Jesus is in need of being saved, or the world will learn the Truth of history, and the Christian church, die out within a generation.

#Earth #religion #Jesus #Christ #Christian #Christianity #church #bible #catholic #catholicism #truth #philosophy

#Peace
#Trump #Pope #Christ #Jesus
#Christian #Christianity #Bible #Church
#Poem #Sunday #lgbtq
#CognitiveDissonance #Rebel #Heretic #Freethinker
#Philospher #Philosophy #CriticalThinking #Epstein #Pedophile #Pedo

Blog: “Lord of the Rings is Pagan…” is One of the Dumbest Takes I’ve Ever Heard.

I know, I know…everybody is jumping on Jack Posobiec for this comment, but as a Tolkien fan and writing nerd, I’m jumping on the bandwagon of defending what is one of the greatest Christian works of fiction to have ever graced God’s green Earth.

But first, some backstory. On a recent episode of his podcast, Human Events Daily, Posobiec made the comment that LOTR is not overtly Christian, (which to some extent is true; I’ll get to that in a sec) and went so far as to say that it’s overtly pagan. He said: “There’s nothing overtly Christian about ‘Lord of the Rings.’ […] there’s no church in it, there’s no faith in it, there’s no Christ figure — there’s none of these things. And honestly, ‘Lord of the Rings,’ if it’s anything, […] is overtly pagan.” He also cited as further evidence of LOTR not being Christian that Tolkien notoriously didn’t like C.S. Lewis’ use of allegory in The Chronicles of Narnia series.

However, to begin our analysis of if Lord of the Rings (and the surrounding books such as The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, The History of Middle Earth, etc.) is Christian or not, we must define what necessarily constitutes a “Christian” story. Is it the values of the story and the intent of the author that make it Christian, or is it the use of often painfully obvious allegory or messaging that makes it Christian?

Personally, I do believe that it’s a mix of both, but I lean more towards the intent of the Christian author to show Christ and the Gospel in some way, be it subtle or overt, and the values of the story that make it Christian. To quote Martin Luther: “The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes.” A similar thing goes for Christian storytelling. If you can find a way to put in Christianity without making so painfully obvious that Dora the Explorer could find it, and people can find the Christian themes, then you’ve done your job. But if you make it so obvious that the story eventually feels less like a story and more like Christian propaganda, then you’ve lost not only the point of the story, but you also lose the non-Christian readers who may have otherwise been interested.

In the case of Tolkien and Lewis, while Lewis leaned towards overt allegory for his books, Tolkien – who was not a fan of allegory – leaned towards weaving Christianity into the fabric of the story subtly. According to Tolkien himself in Letter 142, “The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision.” And while, yes, while The Lord of the Rings does take from Norse myths, and much of the subtlety of the Christian themes have been lost on people who wish to make it more pagan than it was intended to be (something that Tolkien worried about happening), Christ is still there.

Take, for instance, the characters of Gandalf and Aragorn. An argument can be made that these characters intentionally represent Jesus in different ways. Starting with Gandalf, according to The Silmarillion (which provides the background lore for The Lord of the Rings) he is of the Maiar, or the angelic beings that serve under the Valar (which you can think of as the archangels.) Because of Sauron’s following in the footsteps of Melkor (Morgoth), Gandalf was sent to Middle Earth to help the people fight against Sauron. While not a perfect representation of Christ, the image of a divine being living in the body of a mere mortal (very much like the hypostatic union) is stark. Even more like Christ is Gandalf’s death fighting the Balrog in the Mines of Moria and resurrection as “Gandalf the White,” an image of Christ’s death, resurrection, and glorification. Heck, one could even say that Gandalf the White is a sort of allegory for Christ’s second coming, when He will finally defeat Satan once and for all.

As for Aragorn, he is another Christ figure. At first, he’s a ranger, a seemingly random dude from the Dunedain (the descendants of the Numenorians who fled to Middle Earth after Numenor was destroyed). Bilbo’s description of him of, “All that is gold does not glitter,” is a parallel to Isaiah 53:2’s description of Jesus’ humble state. Further, his journey in the Path of the Dead and his dual role of healer and warrior is similar to Christ’s role of redeemer and conquering king that we see in Revelation, especially when he returns to the throne as a glorious king.

Further, one could also argue that Frodo and Sam are representative of Christ and the everyday Christian. As Frodo struggles on his mission to destroy the Ring, Sam is there helping him along the way. This is similar to how, as Christians we struggle to live godly lives, but Christ is there helping us through the Holy Spirit to stay on the straight-and-narrow.

Thus, while Tolkien never overtly named these characters as Christ figures, it is still obvious if you are willing to look at it through a Christian lens.

Further, to say that there is no faith in The Lord of the Rings is untrue. While faith is never fully defined or developed in LOTR, within the larger context of Tolkien’s legendarium, there absolutely is a faith – especially amongst the elves – that is deeply reflective of Tolkien’s belief in Catholicism.

The best example of this that I can think of is the Elves’ hymn to Elbereth Gilthoniel. This isn’t a song about some random person. In the larger legendarium, Elbereth is essentially a Mary-like figure to the elves, making this hymn very much like “Ave Maria.” When Sam calls out to her in Shelob’s cave, it’s essentially like saying a Hail Mary.

https://youtu.be/UGT_ujNy3nA

Even more damning for Posobiec’s statement are the allusions to Eru Iluvatar, the God of Tolkien’s legendarium, within The Lord of the Rings. According to The Silmarillion, The Book of Lost Tales, etc. Eru was seldom worshipped by the Elves because his name was considered to holy too utter. As Finrod says in “The Athrabeth” (which I will get to) in the book The History of Middle Earth: Morgoth’s Ring, “For that name we do not utter ever in jest or without full intent.” However, despite this, both the elves and men understood that Eru was the only one deserving of praise and believed the worship of any other to be evil. In fact, the men of Numenor had the mountain of Meneltarma dedicated to the worship of Eru in the Three Prayers that were held around the year.

Most interestingly, however, when thinking about faith in the world of Middle-Earth is that, Tolkien, in writing “The Athrabeth,” a lengthy dialogue between Finrod Felagund (Galadriel’s brother) and the human woman, Andreth, incorporated the idea that Eru Illuvatar would one day enter the world to save the Edain (mankind.) Though it’s better if you read the entire dialogue, I’ll include this excerpt from The History of Middle Earth: Morgoth’s Ring pages 318-323:

“This then, I propound, was the errand of Men, not the followers, but the heirs and fulfillers of all: to heal the Marring of Arda [the world of Middle-Earth], already foreshadowed before their devising; and to do more, as agents of the magnificence of Eru: to enlarge the Music and surpass the Vision of the World!

“For that Arda Healed shall not be Arda Unmarred, but a third thing and a greater, and yet the same. I have conversed with the Valar who were present at the making of the Music ere the being of the World began. And now I wonder: Did they hear the end of the Music? Was there not something in or beyond the final chords of Eru which, being overwhelmed thereby, they did got perceive?

“Or again, since Eru is forever free, maybe he made no Music and showed no Vision beyond a certain point. Beyond that point we cannot see or know, until by our own roads we come there, Valar or Eldar [Elves] or Men.

“As may a master in the telling of tales keep hidden the greatest moment until it comes in due course. It may be guessed at indeed, in some measure, by those of us who have listened with full heart and mind; but so the teller would wish. In no wise is the surprise and wonder of his art thus diminished, for thus we share, as it were, in his authorship. But not so, if all were told us in a preface before we entered in!”

“What then would you say is the supreme moment that Eru has reserved?” Andreth asked.

“Ah, wise lady!” said Finrod. “I am an Elda [elf], and again I was thinking of my own people. But nay, of all the Children of Eru. I was thinking that by the Second Children we might have been delivered from death. For ever as we spoke of death being a division of the united, I thought in my heart of a death that is not so: but the ending together of both. For that is what lies before us, so far as our reason could see: the completion of Arda and its end, and therefore also of us children of Arda; the end when all the long lives of the Elves shall be wholly in the past.

“And then suddenly I beheld as a vision Arda Remade; and there the Eldar completed but not ended could abide in the present for ever, and there walk, maybe, with the Children of Men, their deliverers, and sing to them such songs as, even in the Bliss beyond bliss, should make the green valleys ring and the everlasting mountain-tops to throb like harps.”

Then Andreth looked under her brows at Finrod: “And what, when ye were not singing, would ye say to us?’ she asked.

Finrod laughed. “I can only guess,” he said. “Why, wise lady, I think that we should tell you tales of the Past and of Arda that was Before, of the perils and great deeds and the making of the Silmarils! We were the lordly ones then! But ye, ye would then be at home, looking at all things intently, as your own. Ye would be the lordly ones. ‘The eyes of Elves are always thinking of something else,’ ye would say. But ye would know then of what we were reminded: of the days when we first met, and our hands touched in the dark. Beyond the End of the World we shall not change; for in memory is our great talent, as shall be seen ever more clearly as the ages of this Arda pass: a heavy burden to be, I fear; but in the Days of which we now speak a great wealth.” And then he paused, for he saw that Andreth was weeping silently.

“Alas, lord!” she said. “What then is to be done now? For we speak as if these things are, or as if they will assuredly be. But Men have been diminished and their power is taken away. We look for no Arda Remade: darkness lies before us, into which we stare in vain. If by our aid your everlasting mansions were to be prepared, they will not be builded now.“

“Have ye then no hope?” said Finrod.

“What is hope?” she said. “An expectation of good, which though uncertain has some foundation in what is known? Then we have none.”

“That is one thing that Men call ‘hope’,” said Finrod. “‘Amdir’ we call it, ‘looking up’. But there is another which is founded deeper. ‘Estel’ we call it, that is ‘trust’. It is not defeated by the ways of the world, for it does not come from experience, but from our nature and first being. If we are indeed the Eruhin, the Children of the One, then He will not suffer Himself to be deprived of His own, not by any Enemy, not even by ourselves. This is the last foundation of Estel, which we keep even when we contemplate the End: of all His designs the issue must be for His Children’s joy. Amdir you have not, you say. Does no Estel at all abide?“

“Maybe,” she said. “But no! Do you not perceive that it is part of our wound that Estel should falter and its foundations be shaken? Are we the Children of the One? Are we not cast off finally? Or were we ever so? Is not the Nameless the Lord of the World?“

“Say it not even in question!” said Finrod.

“It cannot be unsaid,” answered Andreth, “if you would understand the despair in which we walk. Or in which most Men walk. Among the Atani, as you call us, or the Seekers as we say: those who left the lands of despair and the Men of darkness and journeyed west in vain hope: it is believed that healing may yet be found, or that there is some way of escape. But is this indeed Estel? Is it not Amdir rather; but without reason: mere flight in a dream from what waking they know: that there is no escape from darkness and death?“

“Mere flight in a dream you say,’ answered Finrod. ‘In dream many desires are revealed; and desire may be the last flicker of Estel. But you do not mean dream, Andreth. You confound dream and waking with hope and belief, to make the one more doubtful and the other more sure. Are they asleep when they speak of escape and healing?”

“Asleep or awake, they say nothing clearly,” answered Andreth. ‘How or when shall healing come? To what manner of being shall those who see that time be re-made? And what of us who before it go out into darkness unhealed? To such questions only those of the (as they call themselves) have any guess of an answer.”

“Those of the Old Hope?” said Finrod. “Who are they?”

“A few,” she said; “but their number has grown since we came to this land, and they see that the Nameless can (as they think) be defied. Yet that is no good reason. To defy him does not undo his work of old. And if the valour of the Eldar fails here, then their despair will be deeper. For it was not on the might of Men, or of any of the peoples of Arda, that the old hope was grounded.“

“What then was this hope, if you know?” Finrod asked.

“They say,” answered Andreth: “they say that the One will himself enter into Arda, and heal Men and all the Marring from the beginning to the end. This they say also, or they feign, is a rumor that has come down through years uncounted, even from the days of our undoing.”

“They say, they feign?” said Finrod. “Are you then nor one of them?”

“How can I be, lord? All wisdom is against them. Who is the One, whom ye call Eru? If we put aside the Men who serve the Nameless, as do many in Middle-earth, still many Men perceive the world only as a war between Light and Dark equipotent. But you will say: nay, that is Manwe and Melkor; Eru is above them. Is then Eru only the greatest of the Valar, a great god among gods, as most Men will say, even among the Atani: a king who dwells far from his kingdom and leaves lesser princes to do here much as they will? Again you say: nay, Eru is One, alone without peer, and He made Ea, and is beyond it; and the Valar are greater than we, but yet no nearer to His majesty. Is this not so?”

“Yes,” said Finrod. “We say this, and the Valar we know, and they say the same, all save one. But which, think you, is more likely to lie: those who make themselves humble, or he that exalts himself?”

“I do not doubt,” said Andreth. “And for that reason the saying of Hope passes my understanding. How could Eru enter into the thing that He has made, and than which He is beyond measure greater? Can the singer enter into his tale or the designer into his picture?“

“He is already in it, as well as outside,” said Finrod. “But indeed the “in-dwelling” and the “out-living” are not in the same mode.”

“Truly,” said Andreth. “So may Eru in that mode be present in Ea that proceeded from Him. But they speak of Eru Himself entering into Arda, and that is a thing wholly different. How could He the greater do this? Would it not shatter Arda, or indeed all Ea?”

“Ask me not,” said Finrod. “These things are beyond the compass of the wisdom of the Eldar, or of the Valar maybe. But I doubt that our words may mislead us, and that when you say ‘greater’ you think of the dimensions of Arda, in which the greater vessel may not be contained in the less.

“But such words may not be used of the Measureless. If Eru wished to do this, I do not doubt that He would find a way, though I cannot foresee it. For, as it seems to me, even if He in Himself were to enter in, He must still remain also as He is: the Author without. And yet, Andreth, to speak with humility, I cannot conceive how else this healing could be achieved. Since Eru will surely not suffer Melkor to turn the world to his own will and to triumph in the end. Yet there is no power conceivable greater than Melkor save Eru only. Therefore Eru, if He will not relinquish His work to Melkor, who must else proceed to mastery, then Eru must come in to conquer him.

“More: even if Melkor (or the Morgoth that he has become) could in any way be thrown down or thrust from Arda, still his Shadow would remain, and the evil that he has wrought and sown as a seed would wax and multiply. And if any remedy for this is to be found, ere all is ended, any new light to oppose the shadow, or any medicine for the wounds: then it must, I deem, come from without.“

“Then, lord,” said Andreth, and she looked up in wonder, “you believe in this Hope?“

“Ask me not yet,” he answered. “For it is still to me but strange news that comes from afar. No such hope was ever spoken to the Quendi. To you only it was sent. And yet through you we may hear it and lift up our hearts.” He paused a while, and then looking gravely at Andreth he said: “Yes, Wise-woman, maybe it was ordained that we Quendi, and ye Atani, ere the world grows old, should meet and bring news one to another, and so we should learn of the Hope from you: ordained, indeed, that thou and I, Andreth, should sit here and speak together, across the gulf that divides our kindreds, so that while the Shadow still broods in the North we should not be wholly afraid.”

This should be of interest to any who wish to say that The Lord of the Rings is pagan as Tolkien wrote LOTR as a mythology for Britian and some very devoted Tolkien fans have even tried to line up where the events of Tolkien’s lore would’ve lined up with our real-world history. As such, what Finrod says in this lengthy excerpt is – if we are to treat Tolkien’s work as a mythological history of Europe – a sort of prophecy about the coming of Jesus. It’s also interesting to note that in Tolkien’s idea of what the end of Middle Earth would look like, it was very much like what we see in Revelation. A battle called the Dagor Dagorath would happen, Melkor would be slain, and it would all culminate in the world being remade.

From this, we can see that by its own merits – without even taking into account what Tolkien himself said about the faith woven into his work – that The Lord of the Rings and the larger legendarium, as a mythology for Britian, is a Christian work, or, at the very least, a Catholic one. It has a faith that, even if it is not shown overtly, is shown throughout the story in various forms. Though it is true that Tolkien was influenced by the Greek and Norse myths when creating his secondary world, The Lord of the Rings and its history is still a fundamentally Christian work.

Until next time,

M.J.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM5ueJA3p1w

#MikeJohnson #DanMcClellan #USpol #USPolitics #US #USA #Bible #Christianity #Politics #Religion #Foreigners #Immigration #Immigrants #Deportation #Catholicism #RomanCatholicism #Catholic #RomanCatholic #Smackdown #Pope #PopeLeoXIV #LeoXIV

Blog post on an early modern deathbed meditation from a Bregenz convent prayerbook, with context, analysis, and a provisional transcription/translation of the Seventh Word.

https://silencesandsounds.blogspot.com/

#ArsMoriendi #Nuntastic #EarlyModernStudies #Catholicism #blog #Research #AcademicChatter

Pope about to throw hands

https://piefed.social/c/historymemes/p/1440068/pope-about-to-throw-hands

I finished Stephen Harrigan -- The Sorrowful Mysteries earlier today.

I'd been wanting to read about Fatima for some time and just happened to stumble upon this .

As well being an informative history of the the origins of the Fatima cult and its reverberations down to the end of the twentieth century, it's also an engrossing memoir of growing up Catholic in Texas before Vatican II and the author's growing away from this faith.

https://www.stephenharrigan.com/sorrowful-mysteries

#TheSorrowfulMysteries #StephenHarrigan #Catholicism #RomanCatholic #Fatima #VirginOfFatima #Memoir #Books #Portugal #History #Christianity #Mary #VirginMary #Mariology #PopularReligion #Texas

Image: The three shepherd children who had visions of the Virgin Mary in Fatima (L-R: Lucia, Francisco, Jacinta) -- AFP

a glimpse of heaven
in the valley of lilies
when good shepherds pray

#DailyHaikuPrompt - Lily
#MastoPrompt - #shepherd

ART
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/the-lords-prayer-christian-art-sharon-cummings.html

#prayer #prayers #lordsprayer #christian #christ #christianart #christians #christianity #jesus #jesuschrist #christ #bible #bibleverse #biblical #scripture #scriptures #art #faith #faithful #catholic #pope #catholicart #catholicism #catholics #newpope #SharonCummingsArt #thelordsprayer

a glimpse of heaven
in the valley of lilies
when good shepherds pray

#DailyHaikuPrompt - Lily
#MastoPrompt - #shepherd

ART
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/the-lords-prayer-christian-art-sharon-cummings.html

#prayer #prayers #lordsprayer #christian #christ #christianart #christians #christianity #jesus #jesuschrist #christ #bible #bibleverse #biblical #scripture #scriptures #art #faith #faithful #catholic #pope #catholicart #catholicism #catholics #newpope #SharonCummingsArt #thelordsprayer

a glimpse of heaven
in the valley of lilies
when good shepherds pray

#DailyHaikuPrompt - Lily
#MastoPrompt - #shepherd

ART
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/the-lords-prayer-christian-art-sharon-cummings.html

#prayer #prayers #lordsprayer #christian #christ #christianart #christians #christianity #jesus #jesuschrist #christ #bible #bibleverse #biblical #scripture #scriptures #art #faith #faithful #catholic #pope #catholicart #catholicism #catholics #newpope #SharonCummingsArt #thelordsprayer

a glimpse of heaven
in the valley of lilies
when good shepherds pray

#DailyHaikuPrompt - Lily
#MastoPrompt - #shepherd

ART
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/the-lords-prayer-christian-art-sharon-cummings.html

#prayer #prayers #lordsprayer #christian #christ #christianart #christians #christianity #jesus #jesuschrist #christ #bible #bibleverse #biblical #scripture #scriptures #art #faith #faithful #catholic #pope #catholicart #catholicism #catholics #newpope #SharonCummingsArt #thelordsprayer

a glimpse of heaven
in the valley of lilies
when good shepherds pray

#DailyHaikuPrompt - Lily
#MastoPrompt - #shepherd

ART
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/the-lords-prayer-christian-art-sharon-cummings.html

#prayer #prayers #lordsprayer #christian #christ #christianart #christians #christianity #jesus #jesuschrist #christ #bible #bibleverse #biblical #scripture #scriptures #art #faith #faithful #catholic #pope #catholicart #catholicism #catholics #newpope #SharonCummingsArt #thelordsprayer

The #Bankrupt #Catholicism of #ShadyVance.

Through a #lifetime of #reinvention, the #vicepresidential #nominee came to embrace the #meannest and most #historically #destructive #aspects of his chosen #faith.

#Religion #EmptyThePews

https://newrepublic.com/article/186412/bankrupt-catholicism-jd-vance