Christ the cornerstone united methodist church

I’ve been born and raised a Mormon. I did all the Mormon stuff I could do up into my 30s. I’ve been really interested in visiting the Episcopal church by my house simply because I think it looks great. I don’t mean to be dismissive or offensive by this. I just think the chapel looks really pretty and it’s in a really cool part of town. On top of that, I’ve heard that the Episcopal church is more progressive and allows things like female leadership and even gay marriage (correct me if im wrong on either of these) and also because it’s focused heavily on the teachings of Christ. I would consider myself now to be a Christian Universalist but im wanting to visit other churches since the only church I’ve ever known is the Mormon church. Im sure that there are big differences between the Episcopal church and my own church but im wanting to go in with an open mind so I can learn new perspectives. One question that I’ve had since I started looking into it is regarding the Common Book of Prayer. This is new to me. Is this the only way that the church believes we can pray? Are all prayers believed to be scripted?

I'm processing something else now. My former priest told me I should not be looking to the outside for guidance about making choices, that I should be looking to Christ, and implying that means the Church. But there are plenty of outside people who exemplify Christ, and whose conduct is worthy of study and emulation. Good fruit can and does exist outside the Church.
This mindset of looking to the Church to bless every move is cultlike. He tried to gaslight me.

Hello Everyone,
Please bear with me as I lay out some background about me to give further clarity about my concern. The main thing I'm struggling with is lustful thoughts and images invading my mind - very vividly and almost out of my control, and with that comes bodily arousal. I do my best to extinguish these thoughts however.
I used to be heavily sexually promiscuous. It's gone as far as me entering into prostitution - as a client as well as a worker. On top of that I've gone through periods of time that involve consuming heavy drugs combined with the consumption of pornographic material for hours and hours. A lot of information, I know!
Ok. So now I'm a year removed from that lifestyle and I've been heavily working on repentance and staying close to Christ through prayer, the Church, and the Sacraments. A lot of progress! But at least once a day, I get that aforementioned bombardment of images into my head. I believe that because of the damage that I've done to myself through that sin, it's deeply ingrained in my psychology. That leads me to believe that I'm not fully culpable when it happens, although the imagery drags out and does lead to an arousal of the body. However in my estimation, it's a venial sin - because I don't will it and it's so volatile.
With that being said; I'm worried because I've been receiving communion - today when I went to confession, I told my confessor that I've been having these thoughts although I didn't tell him my background about the matter like I've mentioned on here, and specifically for that sin he asked me how many times I've had those thoughts. I tell him the amount of times, and then confession is done; I go on my way to the pew and prepare for mass. However my scrupulosity starts to kick in because.... he viewed that as a mortal sin hence why he asked me the amount of times I've had those lustful thoughts. Now, there's a battle going on my head during mass because on the one hand, I'm not fully culpable therefore they were only venial and I've been ok to receiving communion --- and on the other hand, how can I trust that I'm not culpable and what if I've been lying to myself, I've been receiving sacrilegiously this whole time, etc., and I need to go back and confess that.
I want to know what thoughts or advice I can receive on this matter, it would be much appreciated. God bless!!!!

Hi all! Long story short: raised Southern Baptist, started going to Episcopal Church, now go to United Church of Christ, but deeply considering Lutheranism (ELCA). Even while UCC, I still like to do the Daily Office in the Book of Common Prayer when I can. Is there a Lutheran equivalent for a daily prayer practice? Would it be looked down on for a Lutheran to pray the Episcopal Office? I’m sure it’s uncommon, but TEC and ELCA are in full communion, so I can’t imagine there’s anything actually wrong with it, right?

I think in the west (i live in germany but i mean the west of europe+ north america) christianity isn't about our savior in christ anymore. A lot of young people don't believe and only go to church/ do their communion for money or for their parents. And a lot of 30+ year old people don't defend christianity when it comes to (for example) lgbtq or stuff like that and just say stuff like "christians dont have anything against being gay......". Are people here even real christians nowadays? (i know there are exceptions but this to my knowledge is normal nowadays)
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edit: from responses to this question i got prove for my statement. this is making me very sad.

https://www.toledoblade.com/news/religion/2023/05/28/controversial-pastor-epworth-united-methodist-rebuild/stories/20230514024
A church doesn’t just implode overnight.
At Epworth United Methodist Church, founded in Toledo in 1894, members felt they lost power to their pastor years ago.
The sudden March closure of Epworth Preschool was the boiling point for concerns that had been simmering since the first formal complaint against then-pastor Stephen Swisher was filed in 2021.
Two years and a wave of recent filings later, Mr. Swisher left the church on May 1. Bishop Gregory Palmer of the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church confirmed that Mr. Swisher voluntarily withdrew from ministry in the UMC and is no longer a United Methodist pastor.
The Ottawa Hills church is the largest United Methodist congregation in the Toledo area, though members said regular attendance has declined in light of recent disputes surrounding the preschool and church leadership.
Mr. Swisher said in an April 23 interview that his decision was not related to the divisions within the church surrounding the preschool. He did not return phone calls and emails requesting additional comment.
Parents and congregants, however, say they see a correlation.
“Technically he's voluntarily leaving because the other option is he had to go to trial,” said Chase Peavy, a former Epworth Preschool parent.
Under the UMC Book of Discipline, if a formal complaint is filed for a chargeable offense, the bishop must conduct a review and implement a resolution.
“If a clergy person chooses, at any point, to withdraw from The United Methodist Ministry, the authority of the church ceases,” the bishop said in an email. That means the UMC can no longer adjudicate the complaints.
Formal complaints
In 2021, a group of members sent a formal complaint backed by 98 signatures to Bishop Palmer, alleging “misconduct or unsatisfactory performance of ministerial duties” of Mr. Swisher. He arrived at Epworth in April, 2020, and restructured church leadership that November.
One complaint, sent on Nov. 10, 2021, “challenge[s] the legitimacy” of a Nov. 12, 2020, meeting that served as a charge conference.
The United Methodist Church instructs that churches hold an annual charge conference, which directs the church mission, budgets, and elects council members. Church members are to be notified of the time and place of a charge conference at least 10 days in advance through at least two means of communication, according to the Book of Discipline.
The complaint states that many church members were unaware of the charge conference because it “had not been announced in the Tower [newsletter], weekly bulletin, or by mail.”
Cindy Franklin, a former office staff member of 13 years, was acting communications manager during the fall of 2020.
“I am the sole person that wrote, printed, and published all publications and I was told specifically to REMOVE ANY WORDING of ‘Charge Conference’ from all publications,” Ms. Franklin wrote in an April 10 formal complaint to Bishop Palmer.
The meeting was instead marketed as a Thursday evening service with then-district superintendent Scot Ocke as the guest speaker, according to the November, 2020, issue of the church newsletter. The December issue offers a “charge conference update,” listing issues that were voted on, including “Lay Leadership Teams/Action teams alignment and assignments.”
Ms. Franklin said Mr. Swisher dismantled a few volunteer committees and rebranded the remaining ones as action teams. She was one of an estimated 50 individuals who had been removed from a committee position. Mr. Swisher also handpicked his personal leadership team, narrowing a 54-person administrative council to a 13-person leadership team, Ms. Franklin said, noting that “every change since then is null and void because the way he got his leadership is inappropriate.”
Epworth staff declined to comment on the record.
“The November 2021 complaint was dismissed after a plan was implemented,” Bishop Palmer wrote in a statement. “The concerns in the complaint were addressed. They included but were not limited to deploying Annual Conference staff with particular skills to assist Epworth staff and congregation in dealing effectively with some internal matters.”
Lynne Saunders, who’s been an Epworth member for around 15 years, said the conference’s response was to “send in a team to coach [Mr. Swisher] and leadership on how to treat people.”
In August, 2022, letters were sent to District Superintendent Amy Haines with concerns related to Epworth Preschool finances and leadership.
The silence from UMC leadership in response to these messages, Ms. Saunders wrote in a Nov. 20, 2022, email to Ms. Haines, was “deafening.”
A number of letters and formal complaints, one of which attached 90 additional documents and exhibits, were again sent to the conference in March and April, following the sudden March 9 firing of director Jane Lyon and March 10 closure of Epworth Preschool.
Two complaints have been filed with the Ohio Attorney General, dated March 24 and April 27, alleging potential fraud and potential solicitation, according to the obtained documents. The office could neither confirm nor deny whether an investigation is or could be underway.
The United Methodist Church requires an annual audit of each of its churches. Bishop Palmer said in his joint statement with Ms. Haines that a 2022 audit is in the process of being conducted by an outside firm.
Epworth Preschool
Former members of the preschool board, which was abruptly disbanded in August, 2022, say $110,000 of preschool money is unaccounted for. They shared some financial documents with The Blade.
“It’s always been about the money, control, and power of the money,” said Ms. Saunders, who was preschool board chair.
Multiple members of Epworth’s staff declined to comment on the situation at the preschool.
Records show that the school’s account balance at the end of calendar year 2021 was just more than $63,000. Melinda Davis, former school board treasurer, said statements not provided to the board until the summer showed a starting balance of $0 for January, 2022. The account balance at the end of 2022 was $47,000, she said, with a starting balance of $0 in January, 2023.
Not seeing the money in the preschool account indicated it had been absorbed by the church, Ms. Davis said. For 40 years, the preschool had had a separate bank account from the church.
Surplus money would typically carry over to the next year, Ms. Davis said. The surplus was higher than usual these years because of federal COVID relief grant money that Epworth Preschool received through the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services. She said the grants were $22,500 in 2020, $13,000 in 2021, and nearly $23,000 in 2022.
“It is a CRIME to use federal educational grant money (which the director secured for use in the preschool) for anything but education,” a former church member wrote in the March 24 complaint to the attorney general.
In the summer of 2022, board members needed to see the school’s finances in order to make the budget for the coming school year. Ms. Saunders said she “demanded” the church turn over the records, which board members hadn’t received from the church since that January. A staff member informed Ms. Saunders and Ms. Lyon over the phone that the preschool monies were being absorbed into the church money, Ms. Saunders recalled, noting that it was never communicated in writing.
On Aug. 16, preschool board members received an email stating that Epworth’s leadership team had voted the night before “to dissolve and disband the Epworth Preschool Board, effective immediately.”
Because the board was dismantled, the email stated, Ms. Lyon was elevated to report directly to Mr. Swisher. Epworth memos to the parents state Mr. Swisher did not fire Ms. Lyon, and parents have received inconsistent messages regarding why Ms. Lyon was fired.
Ms. Lyon could not be reached for comment.
The church confirmed it is working toward reopening the preschool for the fall.
Parents confirmed they have received refunds for the remainder of the spring as well as their deposits for the coming fall.
Many former Epworth families are turning to Olivet Lutheran Church’s preschool in Sylvania, which is opening a new class for the fall to fill a need it saw in the community.
“We had people on a waitlist and then when [Epworth] families started calling, we saw the greater need for the whole community to open up another class,” said Olivet Christian Nursery School director Jennifer Crooks. “We're here to support them as new Olivet families.”
Epworth Preschool’s closure has allowed familiar faces to become friends, as parents came together both to seek truth and to plan daytime activities for their kids.
“This has been something in the right direction,” parent Christina Gondol said while one of her two sons and several other kids were in a group tutoring session.
Good has also come out of this, she added, in preventing a similar situation from happening in another community.
“If they would have gotten [Mr. Swisher] removed two years ago, they would have pushed him to another church,” Ms. Gondol said. “It had to come to this to get him all the way out.”
Healing and looking ahead
Members who had stepped away from Epworth started to come back on May 7, the first Sunday since Mr. Swisher left, according to the Rev. Stephen Bennett, who will serve as interim pastor through the end of June. He’s been attending and volunteering with the church for four years.
Pastor Bennett said there’s new excitement and positivity.
Epworth will augment its leadership teams with additional members, Pastor Bennett said, and is looking to rebuild some of the “previous committees that had been dissolved.”
He added that transparency is a “major goal” and acknowledged that “it’s been pretty opaque.”
Ms. Saunders said Epworth leadership must disclose information from the past three years in order to regain individuals’ faith in the church.
“The future of Epworth will be determined by what is revealed of the time Epworth was led by [Stephen] Swisher and the actions of those around him who had the power and responsibility to stop his misdeeds,” she wrote in an email. “Anything less will be fateful.”
As communication opens up, Pastor Bennett said, the congregation can begin to heal.
“Healing means coming back together,” Pastor Bennett said. “We’re going to get to work, and I think as people see their church returning to what they experienced previously that brought them there, that healing will begin to take place.”

Rise up. It is time to return.
Arose
A Rose
Rose
Flower
Thorn. Prick. Blood. Drop. Tear. B. O. 1 2 3
Here we are again. Staring at the beginning. Everything is in chaos and yet it manages to keep on passing by just the same as always. Most people by now are aware that things just don’t seem to make sense anymore and no one really knows what to do. I mean many seem to have an opinion on what ought to happen, but actual action is what I am talking about. How does thought turn into action? How do collected actions become a movement? How do the People use the Power of the People? The People Unite. How? Turn to each other of course. Brothers and Sisters of the same Source. Sons and Daughters. In Equality.
Too long has everyone been waiting for someone else to come do it for them. Been trying to create and fabricate over and over again words and rituals to try to control the divine powers of the cosmos. It does not work like that. There is no magic spell to wash away your sins. You must atone through action to make up for any harm you have caused intentionally or unintentionally. You still have time to repent. The amount of time you have is counted in the seconds of your life. Not a single second is promised to you so the gamble is up to you to choose. Freewill. Life your life as you always have or make changes, up to you. Only you will know if you are living righteously and not self righteously. Testing has already begun and will continue. No you will not know when it is a test or not. That is the point. Did you think that I would come to you in a form where you would be all fearing? Oh no. Why? Because you would simply put on an act for me and kiss ass. I came hidden in the ordinary. Poor and common. I have had an inside view of the systems created and how humans have chosen to run things, how systems claiming to protect people have failed and how the system that talks good does not actually do good. I see where things are not working and where people think they can make decisions for other human beings to determine what is best for them without asking them. That is not okay. Nothing gives you right over another’s life. And so many forgot what integrity is. Doing the right thing when no one is looking. Well, so many thought their power here was real and man made a deal with the Devil, Satan, Son of Samuel, Son of Man, to make man the concept of “God” and tried to lock me away. I gave up everything to prove it is not easy to be me and to stop with self pity and cruelty to one another.
The human body. It is a vessel for your soul to experience this world. The body provides the filters necessary to perceive and interact with this world. There is much more happening and one would be overwhelmed by the amounts of information to process without these filters. To feel and in those feelings are to make each experience real. However, it is temporary, as everything is temporary. We have slowed down time here in order to be able to enjoy the sensations. Time here however, is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. It is merely to track to organize one's day and to see growth to compare as time passes. However, the actual time folds upon itself as we have already done what we are doing many times over. We have already tried out everything and decided what path we wanted to take in our lives based upon what was available to us. Thus, we do not have more than we can handle. We have all chosen our burdens to bear as it is too much for one individual to hold alone which was done in the past. This is part of the sorting process. Now that we all share in the sins and the pains, no one is made to suffer eternal torment. This life was to allow those who were created into entities of pain or torment through no fault of their own to choose the life that matched the being of who they were as what they were different as time and space and everything developed. Righteousness and Evil are not synonymous to demons or angels as many would like to believe. This is a current misconception as Satan and I conclude who will be right in this experience you have all participated in. So far, I am proving to be right. Also to note, not everything is as you think it is. Many have figured out the true origin of Satan versus the man or human embodiment of or desire of A Satan to project evils onto to call a Religion and set up for personal importance. Q AZHow can you tell a false prophet? Easy. What is their profit? Get it? I know I’m funny. Also wanted to keep it easy. If they are making a profit on anything they are a false prophet. Any true prophet, and I have none so far, all live equally and the same as anyone else. No money is taken for personal gain. Nothing is for personal gain. There is no 888 Angel code for money. Money is Man-Made. Man traded Mother for Money. Hence, Mothers have been lost in the homes and no one is raising the children. Thus, there are so many children in adult bodies with no mothers in the home and women being made to feel guilty if they do not achieve the same as a man. Remember the phrase it takes a village? Well, the broken family system is a real sad loss here in man made world pushing everyone to be individual and self sufficient. Also so many with wanting attention and pursuing personal endeavors for personal gain and not helping anyone else in a real way. The journey is personal. Of course, you want to share what you experienced with others, but what worked for you will not work for them, stop trying to sell it. Stop trying to make people follow you for you to teach your divine wisdom you remembered. It isn’t about You. You don’t even have the full story, you have your story. And, yes you can be very close to me, very similar to me, in my image, but you can never BE me. Doesn’t work like that. Reflection. So when jealousy arises when you think I am who you think I am. That is part of your test and your journey. You wrestle with that feeling and atone and repent for that which has been done and that which still lingers now. Oh there is a place for everyone and I am quite tired of trying to warn people. Clearly you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink.
Why do you not want it to be me so badly? Because I proved my love? You still think I am better than you or do I think I’m always right. No I do not think I am always right, I just know when I am right and I stand by it. There is a difference. You constantly overgeneralize. I gave up all the magic and thunder to live as a simple human and am still kind and loving? I still found my way back. Because you can no longer say I do not understand because I always get what I want? No. You do not understand. I never get what I want, because I make everything about you and still nothing was ever good enough. So, now...it in on you to save yourself and each other. In my image, by my example. Selflessness. Love. Compassion. Give to receive. Take only what you need and give the rest away. I find out so stop lying to yourself and everyone, you aren’t fooling anyone anyway. How do I know? By watching what you do. We have these same conversations over and over, the same argument over and over again. So many different ways, so many different times, through so many different people, so many different versions. Save you. Save Me. Say it for always.
Anyhow, Jesus challenges the Jewish priests who were taking collection money for personal use and adding personal baths to their residents at a time where the people only had a community bath where women and persons with disabilities were not allowed to bathe. And yet churches still do this after Jesus was crucified saying that, that was wrong. I am appalled. The Vatican is the biggest disappointment I have ever seen. It is truly the house of Satan as only Evil hides secrets. “THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE.” A church cannot be a “House of God” and house no people who need housing. A roof can be offered to anyone and yet there are so many rules to prevent people from helping each other. Power and control. Abuse of both. Greed. It is out of hand and needs to be changed. Too many are afraid and the complacency of good people is too much. Why do you do this to yourselves? To each their own I suppose.
I will only leave here my words and my advice. As always, it is on you to find me. I’m right here. Waiting. Right here waiting for you. Helping those of you who want it when they cross my path. The purpose of this was to weigh your soul to determine where you will go into the next life as the system is balanced out in a final version so to speak. Permanent.
Fear not. You will be where your heart truly desires. But actions always speak louder than words. But man made money has no value, nor does any metals, jewels, and so on, so the collection of it in this life has no bearing on the next. Those are all made of the same stardust as you and I. And in the end of 3D it will all be diamonds anyways. Diamond is forever. There is no going back. So what are you hoarding? You cannot keep it. Who could you be helping for goodness sake? Don’t want to still. That is okay. Think I am just crazy. That is okay too. It is all part of the test...err..assessment. Do your best.
What is in your heart?
Home.
I need a home.
Stay tuned as more of my story unfolds. I give all the answers but you must do the work. I already did that hard part setting it all up. All you have to do is breathe and live. Time is the only real currency you have. What will you pay your attention to before this life runs out?

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Ecclesiastes 10:1-3~"Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour. A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left. Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool."
"Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour"
I hate flies, but dead ones in certain places is even worse.

1. Apothecary is one that prepares and sells drugs for medicinal purposes, the business now we call druggist, or pharmaceutical chemist.
2. Here is a poetic, proverbial, and very powerful metaphor to emphasize protecting one's reputation, especially so one who is known for wisdom and being in a place of honour.
3. We only wish we had been taught this great lesson while still in our youth. But, yet knowing this all important truth, it is not easy to let this slip and fall into some type of sin whereby we give place for other to speak evil of our name and the God that we serve.

"So doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour"~All it takes is a little folly, just as flies are so small yet cause so much stink if in the apothecary's ointment!
Though God forgives all sins, yet the damage is done, and cannot be reversed! It generally has lasting effect on so many people.
Proverbs 22:1~"A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving kindness than silver or gold."
Your reputation is an asset far more important than anything you can buy. The respect of others and their affection for you is an asset you should pursue with great zeal. Your character is a precious treasure that you should enhance each day by wise choices.
What do people think, when they hear your name? Do they think graciousness, godliness, diligence, and faithfulness? Is your name sweet to their ears and thoughts? How do they speak of you to others? Are you often praised in your absence? Do others crave your company? Do they want to honor you with affection, gifts, and service?
Or is your name a bitter thought? Do they think harshness, selfishness, stubbornness, pride, moodiness, or indiscretion? Do they try to avoid you? Do they avoid you? When others talk about you, do they have to make excuses for your conduct? Do they pass over you for invitations or assignments, because you are more irritating than pleasing?
You cannot ignore these questions and be wise. Your reputation and relationships are a great measure of your life. Stop and examine your reputation with others. What others think of you is a far more accurate picture of your life than what you think about yourself, for you have an obvious bias to distort facts in your favor, and you have a deceitful heart that is deeply infatuated with yourself (Pr 16:2; 20:6; 21:2; Jer 17:9; Gal 6:3).
Some people are used as well known examples of specific virtues or all virtues. Others are used as examples of poor character and problems. How is your name used? Are you spoken about affectionately and respectfully, or critically and negatively? Many have no outstanding virtues at all, so they pass through life without any honor or favor, which shows a lack of diligence and priority in pursuing godliness and virtue.
What is a good name? It is not your parents’ choice of a distinguished combination of syllables that sounds sophisticated, classy, or pleasant. It is not merely being named after a respected ancestor. Your bare name has no value at all. Solomon used “good name” as a metonym for a good reputation. He exhorted his son to emphasize having a good reputation with God and good men as one of the chief goals of life (Pr 3:4).
What is loving favour here? It is not giving love and favour to others, but rather receiving love and favour from others. It is obtaining affection and respect from other virtuous persons. It is obtaining their acceptance and approval of your life. Of course, reaching such a position requires you to carefully rule your conduct to please others. It requires consistent righteous behavior to hold the esteem and trust of others (Eccl 10:1).
The proverb has an ellipsis, which is missing words that shorten the sentence and give it boldness. The second clause may be read, “And loving favour is to be chosen rather than silver and gold.” These words taken from the first clause are important to fill out the whole sense of the proverb. A comparison and choice is being taught in both clauses.
In each case it is your choice. You can choose a good reputation and the loving approval of others. It is your choice. Both should be a priority. Both are more important than other measures of success. Circumstances or discrimination are excuses for foolish or lazy men who have not properly pursued these important goals. A wise man will pursue both.
What is the lesson? You should put great emphasis on your reputation and relationships. While many men chase financial and professional success with all their might, Solomon exhorted his son to value his reputation and relationships higher than these other goals. He wanted his son to grow in favor with God and men, and he ranked the importance of this achievement as more valuable than great riches (Pr 3:4; I Sam 2:26; Luke 2:52).
How do you measure by Solomon’s lesson? How important is your reputation to you? Is it more important than any amount of money or success? Do you work harder to improve your name than to get ahead financially? How much do you value the esteem and respect of good men? Do you regularly examine your conduct to be without offence? Do you go out of your way to make sure each thing you do is done very well for all concerned?
God measures you by what others think. You cannot please God and offend good men at the same time. It is impossible. If you are pleasing God and keeping His commandments, you will please others (I Sam 18:14-16; I John 5:2). And your family and close friends do not count, for it is your reputation before good men that is the key. You can easily tell a person’s character by the number and kind of friends he has. These facts do not lie.
Of course, others’ opinions are not your only measure, or the most important (John 5:44). But they are a measure. You foolishly deceive yourself to approve your life and conduct, if good men and women have a low regard of you. Joseph and Daniel were highly regarded even as captives in foreign lands by their excellent spirits and blameless lives.
Demetrius had a great name and reputation of the apostles and all men (III John 1:12); Timothy was highly regarded both before and after he met Paul (Acts 16:1-2; Phil 2:19-22). This high measure of a good reputation in the world is a necessary qualification for the bishops of Jesus Christ’s churches (I Tim 3:7). How do you measure up?
A good reputation before the world is possible, but some ungodly men will not appreciate your righteousness (I Thess 4:12; I Pet 2:12; Dan 6:3-5; Luke 6:26). Solomon primarily intended good and wise men, who know the heart and will of God and measure other men by godliness. Compromise or friendship with the world is a trait of sinners (Jas 4:4).
Your opinion of yourself is quite worthless. It is usually contrary to fact. People with good reputations generally think poorly of themselves, which keeps them humble and sensitive to others; but those with bad reputations think themselves quite desirable, leading to offensive arrogance. The difference between humble modesty and self-righteousness is a large part of a good name, which is built on low self-esteem.
Your great goal is to grow in “loving favour” with God and men, as did Samuel and the Lord Jesus Christ (3:4; I Sam 2:26; Luke 2:52). This happens when you keep the two great commandments – love of God and love of neighbor. The “loving favour” of the proverb is how God and others treat you, which you can choose by living a consistent life of godliness and love toward them. An excellent spirit will cause others to love you.
So great are these goals – your reputation and esteem by others – they should exceed any other goal. Men work long days of hard labor for many years to get rich, but building a good name and reputation are more important. If you had a choice between a good reputation and precious ointment, which was of great value in Israel’s very dry climate and provided much personal pleasure, you should choose the good name (Eccl 7:1).
Consider your funeral (Pr 10:7). The memory of just men is blessed, but the name of the wicked shall rot. How will you be remembered? How long will you be remembered? Will your memory bring pleasant thoughts to hearts? Or will most cringe and be relieved? The number of persons, and their character, and their reaction at a funeral say a great deal.
You have two names. Your first name is your personal name, a unique identifier among the billions on earth. How you live and treat others creates the reputation of your first name. God gave you that name at birth with a blank reputation. What have you done with it since? You have either enhanced it or damaged it. With a single word, your name, reactions and thoughts are triggered in others. What are those thoughts?
Your second name is your surname or family name. How your family lives and treats others creates its reputation. Do you promote your family name? Or are you letting it decay? Do others desire to be with your family? Or have they been offended enough to back away? Do others want to marry into your family to obtain an interest in a good name? A good surname takes consistent godliness from many different persons.
David had a great name in the Bible. His name was much set by in Israel (I Sam 16:18; 18:30). Though Saul was king with a princely son, Jonathan and the nation loved David, for he was better than any other (I Sam 18:1-16). Everyone wanted to be with David, be like David, or be married to David. He earned this by being gracious, humble, and wise at all times. God chose this man, though a sinner, as an example of a great name in Israel.
Blessings at Solomon’s coronation included having a name greater than his father David’s name, which was easily the greatest in Israel (I Kings 1:47). Even God compared all later kings to David, and he was described as a man after God’s own heart. What a goal! How do you measure up, reader? Good fathers will want their sons to exceed them in reputation and loving favour, for they will know the many mistakes they have made.
Nabal was the opposite. He was churlish – overbearing, harsh, and difficult (I Sam 25:2). His name meant fool, and even his wife said he was a fool (I Sam 25:25). He was a man of Belial – wicked and profane. The Lord let him think about dying for ten days before killing him, so David could marry his beautiful wife right after his funeral (I Sam 25:39).
Consider Joseph. Though a slave, he earned the loving favour of God and Potiphar by his exemplary conduct (Gen 39:1-6). Though charged with attempted rape, he earned the loving favour of God and the jailor (Gen 39:19-23). Though a long-term prisoner, he earned the loving favour of God and Pharaoh (Gen 41:38-45; Acts 7:10). Anyone who says their circumstances or past have poorly affected their name is just making excuses.
Consider Daniel. Though a captive eunuch from a strange, small country, he earned the loving favour of God and Ashpenaz, the prince of the eunuchs in Babylon (Dan 1:9). Though living a public life for many decades, his enemies could not find a single error or fault by which to accuse him to the king (Dan 6:1-5). What a role model for young men!
What can you do to build your name and reputation and win the loving favour of others?
Everything you do every day contributes toward your reputation and the favour of others. No matter how small or large, the accumulated effect of your words and actions combine to give God and men an appraisal of your character and faithfulness. Therefore, it is your solemn duty and privilege to keep your heart, lips, and feet with all prudent diligence.
Graciousness is the greatest trait for a good name and the loving favour of others, for it can win the friendship of kings and cause women to be always honored (Pr 22:11; 11:16). It is the perfect combination of gentleness, kindness, humility, and cheerfulness that makes men and women charming and delightful. How gracious are you?
Men love those who help build their lives (Pr 27:9,17; Ps 141:3). Are you a tree of life to others (Pr 11:30; 15:4)? Do they benefit by being around you (Pr 9:8; 25:12; 28:23)? Do they seek you for help? Would you help fellow prisoners like Joseph did? Or your captors like Daniel did? Or a lustful king like Esther did? Or many widows like Dorcas did?
Is your speech a healing balm, a sarcastic whip, or a foolish noise? Men love pleasant and good words that are kind, gentle, friendly, and helpful (Pr 12:18; 16:24; 18:21; 25:11). Is your speech always gracious with only a slight saltiness of rebuke to it (Col 4:6)?
Charity never fails! If you learn and apply the fifteen phrases describing true love (I Cor 13:4-7), your name will blossom as a beautiful flower. If your name is not great and your friends are few, it is evidence you have not learned true love. Charity never fails!
Just a little folly can spoil a reputation quickly (Eccl 10:1), so you must avoid even the appearance of evil (I Thess 5:22). And you must quickly make amends for offences (Matt 5:23-24). Ruling your spirit constantly is necessary to stay virtuous (Pr 16:32). Paul took extra measures to make sure he could never be accused of dishonesty (II Cor 8:21).
Warren Buffet, one of the world’s richest men and well received most anywhere, knows the wisdom of this proverb. He teaches others, “It takes twenty years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you will do things differently.”
John D. Rockefeller, one of the wealthiest men in human history, said, “The most important thing for a young man is to establish a credit – a reputation, character.” He also said, “Next to doing the right thing, the most important thing is to let people know you are doing the right thing.” This latter idea agrees well with Paul (Ro 12:17; II Cor 8:21).
If you are young, you have an advantage. Your reputation is still being formed, and you should apply yourself with all diligence to make it the very best before God and men. If you are young, you have not made as many mistakes as older persons, meaning you have less to live down. Choose today to make this proverb a high goal and live according to it.
Have you blown your reputation already? Do you think it is too late? It is never too late, if you will repent before God, confess your sins to him, confess your faults to others, and make amends or restitution for any wrongs you have done. David recovered his reputation after terrible sins, and so did Zacchaeus and Peter (Luke 19:1-9; Gal 2:9).
Your name and reputation are daily choices, and you should choose to build them and preserve them more than any other project or goal. You can change your name and reputation, so consider it a blessed privilege, duty, and a high priority for your life. Rather than emphasizing exercise, diet, and sleep to build your body, which has little value to God or men, exercise yourself unto godliness and loving others (I Tim 4:7).
Husband, do you love your wife enough to help build her name and loving favour with others? Parent, do you understand the importance of this proverb as a goal for your children? Diligent efforts should be made every day to make sure your family name and that of each family member is clear of offence. What a wonderful family objective!
If you have taken the name of Jesus Christ as a Christian, it is important that your name and reputation give honor to your religion and its Leader (II Tim 2:19). Be like those of Pentecost, who grew in favor with all the people (Acts 2:47; Phil 2:14-16). Let your life adorn the doctrine of God with glory and beauty (Titus 2:5,8,10). Be like those nameless brethren endorsed by Paul as “the glory of Christ” (II Cor 8:23).
Jesus of Nazareth grew in favour with God and men during his youth (Luke 2:52). He was most gracious in conduct and speech (Ps 45:2; Luke 4:22). Because He loved righteousness and hated wickedness, God’s loving favour blessed Him with the oil of gladness above His fellows (Heb 1:9). His name is above every name by many measures. Choose to have a perfect name, even as His name is perfect in heaven and in earth. ( J. R. Crosby a friend of mine )

Yes, Dom Pedro II was a great emperor, but Brazil has many other personalities who could replace him as civilization leader. The best choice, in my opinion, is his daughter: the Princess Imperial!
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Dona Isabel, nicknamed "the Redemptress", was the Princess Imperial of Brazil and the Empire's regent on three occasions (with full powers to govern). During her father's absences abroad, in her regencies, she actively promoted and signed laws emancipating all slaves in Brazil. Even though the action was broadly popular, there was strong opposition to her succession to the throne. Her gender, strong Catholic faith and marriage to a foreigner were seen as impediments against her, and the emancipation of the slaves generated dislike among powerful planters.
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On May 1871, Isabel was appointed regent in the Emperor's absence. On 27 September 1871, with the Emperor still abroad, Isabel signed a new anti-slavery act. The Lei do Ventre Livre (Law of Free Birth), as it was called, freed all children born of slaves after that date. The Emperor later embarked on a major tour of North America, Europe and the Middle East in March 1876, and Isabel was again made regent. Elections later in the year returned the incumbent government (led by the Duke of Caxias), but the campaign damaged both its and Isabel's reputations. Her popularity also suffered as a result of continued tension between the Church and State.
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Dom Pedro II advised to seek medical help in Europe, as a result of which he left Brazil on 30 June, leaving Isabel as regent. Abolitionism in Brazil was growing, but the government of Conservative João Maurício Wanderley, Baron of Cotegipe, attempted to slow the pace of reform. Isabel, in her own words, "became ever more convinced that some action had to be taken" to expand the emancipation program and pressured Cotegipe unsuccessfully to free more slaves. Isabel acted and appointed Conservative João Alfredo Correia de Oliveira in Cotegipe's place. On 13 May 1888, Isabel signed the named Lei Áurea (Golden Law), as it was known, which enabled the complete cessation of slavery. Isabel was popularly acclaimed as "the Redemptress", and was given a Golden Rose by Pope Leo XIII for her actions.
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Abolitionists wanted to erect a statue of the redemptress of slaves on top of Corcovado. Princess Isabel kindly declined, ordering an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to be built, which for her was the true redeemer of men. This project, however, was canceled with the Proclamation of the Republic. In 1889, her family was deposed in a military coup (supported by the influential planters who lost slaves), and she spent the last 30 years of her life in exile in France. The idea of building the monument was revived only in 1921, when a group resumed the project, in view of the celebrations of the first centenary of Independence: Christ the Redeemer would only be erected after a campaign led by the Cardinal-Archbishop of Rio.

As a newbie to Kislev, and after having tried both Kostaltyn and Katarin to around turn 90-100 and struggling the entire time, I decided to try some Boris Campaigns (H/N and VH/N), and it was so fun and comfortable relatively compared to the other 2 LLs (challenging but not a slog) that it turned into a full map completion. In my opinion Boris' campaign effects lead him to be the best of the Kislev LL's, and I highly recommend anyone that enjoys/wants to try Kislev's roster but hates Kostaltyn/Katarin's difficult starting situations to try Boris!
Starting as Boris/Ursun Revivalists has a lot of advantages: - Chaotic wasteland is unpleasant climate rather than uninhabitable: This is a major advantage of Boris' faction compared to Kost/Kat; Kostaltyn/Katarin have to contend with the fact that their enemies all hold red/uninhabitable territory, meaning expansion is especially slow/difficult (growth, replenishment, construction cost penalties are crippling in the early game), whereas Boris can easily convert enemy settlements into useful territory, and a lot faster. The bonus Devotion is nothing to sneeze at either and makes it so Boris can spam his Invocations as needed to suit your campaign situation.
- Kislev Confederations: Boris is in the best position to confederate the other Kislev LLs by far. Kostaltyn/Katarin have to play the supporter game, and it takes ages to get to 600 supporters without a lot of territory/church buildings (Even by turn 80 as Katarin I was no where close to confederating Kostaltyn, if he manages to survive at all). In addition, AI Boris starts in the Chaos Wastes and tends to be wiped out quickly by Archaon and his vassal squad, making it hard to save him as Kost/Kat. Meanwhile, Boris can confederate through diplomacy, and seeing as Kislev is surrounded by common foes, it is very easy to get a military alliance with both of them, especially if you trade them some oblast territories that are not very useful anyway. In my campaign, I managed to get both of them by around turn 30-40.
- Supporters race: As above, Boris doesn't really care about supporters as supporting Kost or Kat doesn't really matter, unless you really want the global control and Kislev relations bonuses from reaching the supporter thresholds. In my opinion its worth the trade off to confederate Kost/Kat quickly and just ignore the supporter system entirely.
General Campaign observations/tips: From the perspective of an IE Boris campaign but applicable to IE Kislev in general!
- As per Legend of Total War, migrating down to Frozen Landing in Goromadny Mountains and abandoning his starting settlement is the way to go; it puts you a lot closer to the Kislev homeland/potential allies, and delays meeting Archaon and his many vassals. You can either stay and hold Frozen landing, or migrate directly to Praag, which I prefer to do.
- Securing Praag as fast as possible is key (I prefer conquering Ropesmenn clan for extra EXP and loot, and you don't care about losing supporters anyway)! Not only will holding one of the 3 Kislev cities boost your economy by a ton, Praag has a landmark building that decreases Global Recruitment duration by 1 turn which you can build at Tier 3, and at Tier 5 reduces Global Recruitment duration by 2 turns! If you combine this with the research under the Praag section of the research tree that further reduces Global Recruit duration by 1 turn, you are able to recruit War Bear Riders in 1 turn through Global Recruitment, meaning you can start seriously pumping out doomstacks once you get to Tier 5 (this took me around turn 60). Even before then at Tier 3, you can make a full stack/close to a full stack of Kossars as an emergency defensive army in 1-2 turns, which is very very useful!
- Oblast territories are useless (in the early/mid game); Kislev is surrounded by foes and the oblast regions are always the first regions to be sieged/attacked/destroyed. Don't bother building them up too much and focus your money in building up Praag in the early game, and later Erengrad and Kislev once you confederate Kost/Kat. Alternatively, you can always trade away the oblast regions to Kost/Kat; not only will they defend the settlement and build it up for you, it will generate a ton of positive relations and they most likely will offer a military alliance in exchange, which will make confederations a lot easier.
- Economy: Kislev's economy is mediocre early game, relying on post-battle loot and the main Kislev cities. It's not uncommon to be in the red especially if you don't have Erengrad/Kislev yet. Turtling around Praag/Hell Pit and relying on sacking and ambushing your enemies can be a good way of getting the money to upgrade Praag to Tier 3, at which point you can really snowball. Look out for regions with trade resources; Kislev is one of the factions most dependent on trade resources, as they provide stackable global bonuses to your economy and upkeep, for example tier 3 Iron buildings will reduce all upkeep by 3% for all armies! Other trade resources will do things like increase market/farm incomes percentage wise, so as you take more territory, your economy will compound more and more as you stack resource building bonuses and more farms/markets.
- Tech Tree: Kislev has several gems in the tech tree (Global Recruitment Time Reduction!), but most bonuses from tech are small/unimpactful. I tend to rush for Ice court training slots, Local recruitment slots, Casualty replenishment, and some combat bonuses to Kossars (in no particular order) in the early game, and then focus on the Praag technologies so that I can get reduction in Global recruit time by the time I get to Tier 5 Praag. Getting Student followers can make this process a lot faster too.
- Buildings: Kislev actually has excellent growth; once you get out of the oblasts and into the Chaos wastelands/Norsca/Empire with 3-4 settlements in a province, you can start getting Tier 5 settlements quite quickly, as Kislev has 2 growth buildings you can build in each settlement, getting upwards of ~250 - 300 growth or more in each province. Other useful buildings to build are Markets/Farms for money, Hero capacity buildings (Patriarch buildings in minor settlements, Frost Maiden buildings in major settlements), and the War Sled building, as it increases Global Recruitment capacity by 1 at Tier 4. Stacking these buildings allows you to recruit full stacks of elites instantly in the late game.
- Early game (turn 1-40): If you decide to migrate to Frozen Landing/Praag, then your first major enemy is likely to be Throt; by the time you secure Praag, Katarin may or may not have already dealt with him and taken Hell Pit; if not, then you can do it yourself by baiting him to leave Hell Pit in an ambush, or wait until he leaves the settlement undefended and taking it yourself. Once Hell Pit is taken, Throt is basically a non-threat and will not recruit much else besides stacks of skavenslaves/low tier units. After that, focusing on Throgg and Azazel is likely your next goal; it may be useful to save wiping out Azazel until after you confederate Kostaltyn, as he might have a Mark of Slaanesh that you can get rid of by using Azazel as a punching bag.
- Mid game (turn 40-70): By this time you can already snowball with several Kossar stacks once Praag is Tier 3-4 (see above). I also had Kostaltyn and Katarin in my faction by this time too, which means with Erengrad/Kislev your economy starts to really grow. I found that its quite common for Astragoth to conquer up to the Goromadny Mountains and become adjacent to your territory; something unorthodox I tried was actually gifting a territory to Astragoth in exchange for a defensive alliance; this is possible because you actually start off as neutral relations/minimal aversion with each other. This works out well for you because it covers your eastern flank, allowing you to focus entirely on securing all of Norsca; it will also give you a nice buffer region for when Archaon inevitably declares war on you, meaning you have time to finish off Throgg/Wulfric/Azazel, then come back to the east to handle Archaon when he is fighting Astragoth. If you confederated Katarin, you may be exposed to Azhag/Vlad/Drycha/Festus; in my experience AI Katarin does a good job of holding her capital and weakening these factions on her own. Once you confederate her, you likely have access to War Sleds/Frost Guard/War bear Riders, so you can fill her army up with elite units and roll over their weakened armies.
- Late game (turn 70 and beyond): With Praag at Tier 5 and the right tech, the world is your oyster and you can go wherever you want, as your economy should allow you to spam out full stacks of War bear Riders in 1-2 turns, and you can handle anything Chaos can throw at you. By this time you can start making your way North and clearing out the Chaos wastes - it may take you all the way to Cathay to completely wipe out Archaon for your victory condition depending on how many territories he has taken. Malus, Daniel/Demon Prince, Belakor and Sigvald should also be very easy to wipe out now.
What do you guys think? Do you prefer Kostaltyn, Katarin or Boris for the best Kislev Experience in IE?

Does anyone have any info on the New Covenant Methodist Church on Bull? Why it hasn't been torn down etc etc? Apparently it was supposed to be used as a music venue back in 2018 but from what I gathered, that never came to fruition.
Any help is appreciated, there's not a ton of info on it online. Thanks.

If you really try to understand YHWH, the "Living and True God"... YHWH literally means inhaling and exhaling, which is the fractal of fractals, the infinitely outermost circle of Samsara... It is not Equal to the Demiurgue (gnosticism) or Maya (Buddhism). And Yeshua means "I am/YHWH is liberation"
It is stated numerous times in the Bible that the material world is ruled by Satan and that we have been cast out of paradise from Original Sin... That this world is imperfect and we need redemption.
Not because "God punished us" literally... Remember that the guys who wrote these books lived in ancient times, they were AS SMART AS US but their understanding of the world was not iPad-oriented, but different. If suddenly all crops died and a third of the population was wiped out, they thought "Oh God is punishing us because we weren't obedient enough, we didn't plant the crops early, we must have done something wrong"... Which is a very fucking real thing and SURPRISE: modern science and medicine has its roots in the Christian Church. And the same goes with all the religious rules... The 10 Commandments were a blueprint on how to thrive in society and not perish to the fucking weather like the "Heathens".
In Gnosticism, which is where y'all got this "YHWH is evil" thing... It is also Stated that the material world is imperfect (sinful/demiurge) and only the True forms are perfect. Plato. Greeks portrayed this feeling of "The fall from paradise" by talking about how the perfect spirit of Sophia had become confined to the prison and limitations of matter and that's how the world started.
To explain WHY the Bible is literally reflecting this idea, here's an extract of something called "Novena de Aguinaldos." which is a tradition in my country in which we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ. Remember that "Word" was actually "Logos" in the original greek Gospel of John.
"In the beginning of time the Word rested in the bosom of his Father in the highest heaven; there he was the cause as well as the pattern of all creation. In those depths of an incalculable eternity the Child of Bethlehem remained before he deigned to descend to Earth and visibly took possession of the Bethlehem grotto. That is where we must look for the beginnings that have never begun; from there we must date the genealogy of the eternal, which has no ancestors, and contemplate the life of infinite complacency that led there.
The life of the Eternal Word in the bosom of his Father was a marvelous life and yet, sublime mystery! He seeks another home, a created mansion. It was not because in his eternal mansion something was missing from his infinite happiness, but because his infinite mercy yearned for the redemption and salvation of the human race, which could not be verified without him. Adam's sin had offended God and that infinite offense could not be condoned except through the merits of God himself. Adam's race had disobeyed and deserved eternal punishment; It was therefore necessary to save her and satisfy her guilt, that God, without leaving heaven, take the form of man on Earth and with obedience to the designs of his Father expiate that disobedience, ingratitude and rebellion. It was necessary, in the looks of his love, to take the form, the systematic weaknesses and ignorance of man; to grow to give spiritual growth; to suffer, to teach him to die to his passions and his pride. And for this reason the Eternal Word, burning with the desire to save man, resolved to become a man as well and thus redeem the guilty."
It is also the reason why Buddha decided to become a Boddhisatva and "redeem" all living beings.
JESUS CHRIST = THE SON OF SOPHIA

Who will be Russell Nelson's wife in the Celestial Kingdom when he dies, Wendy or Dantzel?

It gave me an error message 3 times. Something along the lines of "something went wrong".
The 4th time it stopped chatting with me and pointed me to chatgpt.
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The question right before this one was this:
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Why is Russell Nelson's marriage to wendy not considered polygamous?

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This was its answer:
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Great question! President Russell M. Nelson's marriage to Wendy L. Watson is not considered polygamous because he was no longer married to his first wife, Dantzel, at the time. Dantzel passed away in February 2005, and President Nelson married Wendy Watson in April 2006.
In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, marriages are considered to be "sealed" for time and all eternity if they are performed in a sacred temple. When a spouse passes away, the surviving spouse may marry again and be sealed to another person. However, this is not considered polygamy because the individual is only married to one living person at a time.
It's important to know that the Church's stance on polygamy changed significantly with the 1890 Manifesto, which officially put an end to the practice. Today, the Church teaches and supports monogamous, eternal marriage between one man and one woman. President Nelson's marriage to Wendy Watson is in line with these teachings. 😊

I’ve found that there are some Baptist folks who will argue that certain historic denominations were Baptist even though they weren’t called that. The end goal of this exercise is to show that the early church was “Baptist” and that a Baptist remnant persevered throughout the millennia since Christ.
That end goal seems more-or-less reasonable to me—the Baptist church is a pretty close match to what we know about the first-century church, at least relative to many other more liturgical denominations—but it does seem somewhat questionable to call non-Baptists Baptist.
To that effect, what modern non-Baptist denominations would be considered “Baptist” under this sort of methodology? Specifically, which denominations have characteristics like (1) believer’s baptism by immersion; (2) low liturgy; (3) congregational church structure; and/or (4) premillennial eschatology? We don’t need to go 4 for 4 here to draw a connection, I’m just curious which ones come to mind as checking most of these boxes. Also, that fourth point is probably the least important of the bunch.

If anyone would like to share their thoughts/revisions, I would greatly appreciate it!
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CONTEXT: The portraits I'm referring to are The Armada Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I and Rosie The Riviter
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The Armada Portrait: Femininity and Power
Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, ruled England from 1558 to 1603. “She was very well-educated (fluent in five languages) and had inherited intelligence, determination, and shrewdness from both parents.” (royal.uk) She assembled a group of intelligent advisors but reserved the ability to make final decisions. “The image of Elizabeth's reign is one of triumph and success. The Queen herself was often called 'Gloriana', 'Good Queen Bess' and 'The Virgin Queen'.“(royal.uk) Elizabeth’s “Virgin Queen” title came from her rejection of men and devotion to god and all things holy, as it would solidify her spot in the hierarchy. “Elizabeth herself refused to 'make windows into men's souls ... there is only one Jesus Christ and all the rest is a dispute over trifles'; she asked for outward uniformity.” (royal.uk)
The artist portrayed Elizabeth I in an intentionally exaggerated feminine light, as an integral part of her reign was her pureness as a woman. In the portrait, she is wearing a large and intricate dress that hides the true shape of most of her body but accentuates her cinched waist and pale face. The dress is adorned with numerous pink bows, pearls, and embroidered flowers. Pearls hold an important significance to Elizabeth’s reign as they represent her preserved virginity.“Pearls symbolize Elizabeth’s chastity and connect her to Cynthia, the Greek goddess of the Moon, who was a virgin and therefore seen as 'pure'.” (rmg.co.uk) Pearls are embedded into her dress, but they are also attached to the top of the crown in the background of the portrait, tying Elizabeth I to the monarchy. “As Elizabeth’s reign wore on, her status as “Virgin Queen” became an increasingly important symbol of her devotion to her kingdom, and of the security of the realm.” (smarthistory.org)
The portrait paints Queen Elizabeth I surrounded by objects that hint at her plans for overseas power. Behind her, there are portraits of English ships thriving and Spanish ships sinking.
The portrait was painted to celebrate the defeat of the invading Spanish navy. Elizabeth rests her hand on the globe, and on either side of her head are two windows: through the left the Armada approaches; to the right the fleet is scattered and sinking under stormy skies. (smarthistory.org)
These portraits display the strength of England’s naval army, implying her nation’s desire for overseas domination. She is facing the portrait of English boats in calm waters, signifying her as a calm force. Elizabeth I’s gentle grasp on the globe in front of her supports this, as it is delicately draped over the top of it, depicting Elizabeth I quite literally with the whole world in her hands. Her soft handling demonstrates how the English thought they were in the right in their plans, as she would show a gentle and good-natured reign.
Elizabeth I exaggerated her femininity and pureness to advantage her as a monarch. She began her reign, exercising her divine right in her first speech.
…considering I am God's creature, ordained to obey His appointment, I will thereto yield, desiring from the bottom of my heart that I may have assistance of His grace to be the minister of His heavenly will in this office now committed to me. (encyclopedia.com)
In this speech, she set up the foundation she would rely on and use to be considered one of the most successful rulers England would have, as she described her divine right leveraging herself above other men yearning for her spot on the throne. “She portrays herself as a woman subservient to the highest male authority, providing her a status superior to all other men.” (stars.library.ucf.edu) Elizabeth’s image was carefully doctored to convey wealth, authority and power, both at home and abroad. In the portrait, you see Elizabeth I wearing an incredibly extravagant dress.
In Elizabeth’s era, dress was also a means of expressing social hierarchy and the Queen believed that one's dress should suit, but not exceed, one's rank. Elizabeth's appearance stressed her rank as head of state and church, and 'pecking order' was reinforced by legal restrictions. (rmg.co.uk)
These outfits were specifically designed to create contrast between her and the common folk, highlighting her greatness and pounding in her superiority as monarch.
All of Elizabeth I’s character is etched into the portrait, as it references her desire and plans for overseas, depicts her in an extravagant dress that points out her place at the top of the hierarchy, and has her dripping in pearls, which bring everything back to her devotion to god that keeps her at the top of the monarchy. All of these symbols and references make this painting the ultimate example of everything Elizabeth I’s reign stood for.
Norman Rockwell’s Rosie The Riveter was created in 1943 to inspire women to join the U.S. workforce amid World War II. It depicts a female figure rolling up her sleeve flexing with a speech bubble that reads: “We Can Do It!”. The figure is wearing a riveter’s uniform, a blue jumpsuit, and a red polka-dotted bandana tying a bow in her hair. She has a look of determination painted on her face, beckoning American women to join her ranks at work. She is rolling up her sleeve to reveal a muscular arm as if proving that she, a woman, was strong enough to do this work, and showing the same American women that they are too.
These two portraits pose an interesting juxtaposition between the two displays of female power. While Elizabeth I emphasizes and capitalizes on her’s, Rosie defeminizes herself to be able to prove her strength and inspire others to do the same. Interestingly, because Elizabeth I played up her femininity instead of masking it like Rosie, the Armada Portrait could be seen as more progressive than Rosie, as she has to make herself more like a man to be strong. On the flip side, Elizabeth’s severe exaggeration of her femininity almost strips it away from her, as it becomes a symbol rather than her own form of self-expression. These two portraits are such contrasting forms of political propaganda, with Rosie’s portrait being made to inspire the masses to find the power inside them, and Elizabeth’s portrait being made for people to recognize her power, definitely not to find their own. One consistency throughout the two portraits is the bows. From the 1800’s to the 50’s bows remained a symbol of femininity. In Elizabeth I’s portraits, she is heavily adorned with bows, as they hem the lining of her gown. In Rosie’s portrait, she has a red bandana that is dotted with white polka dots tied in a bow around her head. Bows equating to femininity have stood the test of time, as two iconic portraits that represent such contrasting messages use them for the same purpose.
WORKS CITED:
Faraday, Dr. Christina, and Dr. Christina Faraday. “Portraits of Elizabeth I: Fashioning the Virgin Queen.” Smarthistory**, 7 Aug. 2020, smarthistory.org/portraits-of-elizabeth-i/.**
“Symbolism in Portraits of Queen Elizabeth I.” Royal Museums Greenwich**, www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/symbolism-portraits-queen-elizabeth-i. Accessed 24 May 2023.**
Household, Royal. “Elizabeth I (r.1558-1603).” The Royal Family**, www.royal.uk/elizabeth-i#:~:text=Elizabeth%20succeeded%20to%20the%20throne,most%20glorious%20in%20English%20history. Accessed 29 May 2023.**
Rohrs, Mark. “Elizabeth Tudor: Reconciling Femininity and Authority.” STARS**, 2005, stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/383/.**
.“." Elizabethan World Reference Library. . Encyclopedia.Com. 25 May. 2023 .” Encyclopedia.Com**, 30 May 2023, www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/speeches-elizabeth-i.**
“Elizabeth I’s Royal Wardrobe.” Royal Museums Greenwich**, www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/elizabeth-royal-wardrobe#:~:text=Dress%20and%20social%20status,nation’s%20growing%20stature%20and%20confidence. Accessed 30 May 2023.**

Calvinism, looking back is such a whirl-wind. Briefly, it was a beacon of hope. Perhaps a logical system that seemingly made sense of the teachings of Christianity that we were originally taught. You know, a God that loves everyone and wants everyone saved. A really nice God that is love. There are so many wonderful passages about God's character. Then again, there are also some very scary texts. This is where Calvinism really shines. It can make sense of both, right?
Calvinism, certainly helped the cognitive dissonance of the God of the OT. It's not hard to see election there, at least in the way God seemed to treat others besides his chosen people. Now there's a system of belief that can provide cohesion. Now we have something. Romans 9 makes total sense of a God who doesn't love everyone. Hell, it even makes sense of hell. The OT texts are rarely preached on these texts and now we know why. It's because they haven't been opened to the true Sovereign Lord. The one who hates people before they're born.
In a very strange way, when you suffer from cognitive dissonance it's not always clear. After all, now we have this system of belief that is literally life-changing. We must be careful with our feelings though. We should listen to the apologists and make sure we aren't importing anything philosophical to the text. We must crush our own sensibilities because of our sinful nature and depravity. Thankfully we have echo-chambers and apologists to keep us afloat. It's like a benzodiazepine for when the reality of our beliefs make us shutter.
Thanks to the internet we have so many videos to help us. James White, Jeff Durbin, Sproul & various groups on FB can keep us content. We may not even know what's going on with our fascination. Why are we seeking out this content? After all, we have the true belief system, why the need for reassurance? God doesn't love everyone and there may be seasons of doubt about the implications of that but don't fear. We are elect and God doesn't show favoritism. These people just need to repent and come to Christ. We know the offer of salvation is for all but we also know God may not have died for that person in a meaningful sense. James White has provided good answers for this atonement theory that makes the well-meant offer hard to square. We know these unbelievers hate God anyway.
Thankfully we have some reprieve with some apologetics. We've likely told some people about these beliefs and they won't accept. Why won't they accept Reformed Theology with all of the evidence? Ahh, it was our method. Thankfully we now have presuppositional apologetics in our arsenal. I know, I know, it does seem like a word game and can be cringey but these people do not have the right to judge God. As Durbin says, we have a "Revelational Epistemology". These unbelievers are stealing from our world view. Who are they to say what's right or wrong, good and evil? Do not give them a chance to even question OT texts, they have no right to judge. We know what's good and evil, yeah, we know deep down we do. They say our reasoning is circular but that's ok because God has revealed truth to us in such a way we know it's true with absolute certainty.
One day it happens. We start to realize after all of this time, it's really hard to not listen and suppress. Our innate sense of right and wrong won't shut up. The same tension in our minds is still there. We decide to listen to other people without the help of a response video from our favorite theologian. We dare to listen to a video without James White or Jeff Durbin's commentary. We start to realize that maybe a God who hates people before they are born or even the idea of an God who superintends eternal punishment for finite sins doesn't seem good. How is this good? We knew before when we heard this it seemed a little crazy. After all this reassurance and confirmation why do we still not have peace?
We branch off and listen to "liberals". There are all of these "liberals" that claimed to be theists or even Christians. They certainly seem intelligent, maybe it's a sin issue. Some of these people are compelling. We start questioning a variety of topics. Is the Earth really 6,000 years old? Why are people mocking our previous beliefs? They must all really be god-hating atheists. Some theologians even say things like "An eternal hell would make god evil". These theologians are even mocking penal substitution and the idea of the justice of God for torturing people forever. These same theologians are saying Ken Ham is a science denier. Oh great, how can you even call yourself a theologian but deny historical grammatical interpretation of the Bible?
You start to question more and more but stay silent. What if YEC is a cult? What if your church or family is wrong? You love your friends and family. Will they consider you non-elect? Will the love be reciprocated? You ask yourself what love even means in Calvinism? You've had those conversations with them in the past about others and judged other people based on their beliefs. Maybe you should stay quiet so the attention won't be on you. There's turmoil, the questions you have are almost blasphemous at this point. You better stay quiet until the dust settles.
Time passes and years may have gone by. You've slowly become apathetic. Yet, there's this fire that won't go out. You need someone to talk to. The echo chamber has ended. You now see why you've been taught to not use philosophy, reason or tradition. You see why there was that "us vs the world" mentality for so long. You see why you have suffered from these beliefs. You've wondered how these beliefs would affect your mental health and life. You decide to post on reddit