So i recently asked for an opinion on Orthodox Christianity and this was the most detailed response i got. I have to admit there are very good points made and Im stuck on what to do.
What is your opinion after reading the response below?
Really appreciate it guys!
Eastern Orthodoxy is basically a form of Traditional Catholicism. Before the Great East–West Schism of 1054 A.D., the Roman Catholic Church, both eastern and western branches, were one. Then, in 1054 A.D., the eastern branch of the Catholic Church split off from the western branch due to several doctrinal disagreements, and would become what is now known as "Eastern Orthodox Christianity". Eastern Orthodox Christianity holds nearly identical doctrines and practices as the Traditional Catholic Church, with a few differences. For instance, there is no pope; instead, there is a "First Among Equals". The Orthodox also do not hold to the doctrine of Purgatory, etc.
But the Eastern Orthodox Church holds to the same heretical and satanic doctrines, such as faith + works for salvation, water baptism for salvation, the mass/eucharist (re-sacrificing of Christ every Sunday), transubstantiation (the bread and wine are the LITERAL body and blood of Christ, so basically cannibalism), no priesthood of every believer, crucifixes and other graven images, Marian idolatry, praying to the saints, subscribes to the fake Septuagint , and have an even bigger canon of Scripture than the Catholic Church (for instance, 3 and 4 Maccabees is considered canon by them, as well as Psalm 151, etc.), elaborate cathedrals, 3 person trinity, creeds and confessions, "church fathers", Scripture + tradition (and tradition is considered more authoritative than the Scriptures, just like the Catholic Church), and so on and so forth...
There are some good things that the Orthodox Church has done though. I believe that they had a hand in preserving the Textus Receptus, and also, many of their priests tend to make some good moral stands and fight back against all the liberal tyranny... but this does not excuse their false, CATHOLIC cult.
So yeah. Heretical, to say the least.
And yes, you shouldn't have icons. Any sort of pictures or sculptures of the LORD are graven images.
​
Acts 17:29
[29]Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.

So i recently asked for an opinion on Orthodox Christianity and this was the most detailed response i got. I have to admit there are very good points made. What is your opinion after reading the response below? Really appreciate it guys! Eastern Orthodoxy is basically a form of Traditional Catholicism. Before the Great East–West Schism of 1054 A.D., the Roman Catholic Church, both eastern and western branches, were one. Then, in 1054 A.D., the eastern branch of the Catholic Church split off from the western branch due to several doctrinal disagreements, and would become what is now known as "Eastern Orthodox Christianity". Eastern Orthodox Christianity holds nearly identical doctrines and practices as the Traditional Catholic Church, with a few differences. For instance, there is no pope; instead, there is a "First Among Equals". The Orthodox also do not hold to the doctrine of Purgatory, etc. But the Eastern Orthodox Church holds to the same heretical and satanic doctrines, such as faith + works for salvation, water baptism for salvation, the mass/eucharist (re-sacrificing of Christ every Sunday), transubstantiation (the bread and wine are the LITERAL body and blood of Christ, so basically cannibalism), no priesthood of every believer, crucifixes and other graven images, Marian idolatry, praying to the saints, subscribes to the fake Septuagint , and have an even bigger canon of Scripture than the Catholic Church (for instance, 3 and 4 Maccabees is considered canon by them, as well as Psalm 151, etc.), elaborate cathedrals, 3 person trinity, creeds and confessions, "church fathers", Scripture + tradition (and tradition is considered more authoritative than the Scriptures, just like the Catholic Church), and so on and so forth... There are some good things that the Orthodox Church has done though. I believe that they had a hand in preserving the Textus Receptus, and also, many of their priests tend to make some good moral stands and fight back against all the liberal tyranny... but this does not excuse their false, CATHOLIC cult. So yeah. Heretical, to say the least. - And yes, you shouldn't have icons. Any sort of pictures or sculptures of the LORD are graven images. Acts 17:29 [29]Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.

A few years ago my family went through some tuff stuff, the most recent one was my grandpa had passed away and since he lived in another country everyone couldn't go to his funeral. It was decided that my mum would fly to attend and help my grandma through it, she was the only one to go as we couldn't afford to send everyone. This all happened a few weeks before Christmas and as such we had to scale back on our Christmas to fly my mum out.
Everything was going just fine, we made plans to go see the Christmas lights just like the years before but wanted to wait until Christmas Eve when my mum flew back home, we had picked the place we'd go and we're all set.
About 10 days before my mum was set to fly back my dad was in an accident and ended up passing away. My siblings and I were the only ones home the night the constable came to our door to break the news. We called close friends and our church pastor who came to our house that night and stayed there.
The next day our house was very busy as a meal train was started to make sure we had enough food for us and the people who came by to see us. I did not come out of my room and found myself laying on the floor. Word got out to my school principal who came to see me and just hug me as she had a similar loss and knew the pain, I had a close friend who came and just hugged me and sat on the floor with me. We had the funeral and it was packed, people came to share stories and to be by our side through the situation. When Christmas Eve came we went to see family for our party, up to this point we were expecting to have a small Christmas due to the financial situation we were in. When we came home that evening we found that our friends and friends of friends had come together to get us presents so we could have a Christmas.
The pure kindness from everyone nearly brought me to tears. Some people heard about our tradition of getting pj's for Christmas Eve and as such they got us pj's so we could have our tradition.
The pure kindness from people who had come together to help us through the situation was amazing, I truly don't know how we would have gotten through without things like a shoulder to cry on, a meal train, or all the love and support from everyone. To many of these people it was probably just something small to help someone out but to me it meant the world.
I'm not sure if many people will see this but if even one person does and it encourages them to do something kind for someone I'd be happy. Anywho if you got this far thank you for reading and I hope you do something kind for someone as even the small things could change someone's life. 😊

As many of us know, it is entirely possible that not all of the epistles were written by Peter, Paul, or James, and was instead written “in the spirit” of them by use of a pseudonym. Additionally, the authors of the early church were grappling with the reality of what had happened - the coming of Christ… which is what we still grapple with today. And, of course, the Bible is a compilation that people put together.
I also hope we all agree that God works through time and through people. There has been a progression of Christian thought. What we thought to be true about our faith was either wrong and we did away with it (slavery, patriarchy, sexism, etc) and to solely give credit to the biblical authors as if we finally read their works “correctly” would be naive.
I don’t understand this either-or logic that the Bible is either infallible and God breathed and therefore all we need, or (God forbid??) writers of the last 1900 years have given us new insights into the truth and life and reality of Jesus which, somehow, nullifies any biblical importance. Why can’t we say that the Bible his of significant importance (for the obvious reasons) and there has been wonderful literature that has expanded our knowledge of God and the universe?
Posting this bc I’m in seminary so I obv have to read from a wide variety of Christian writers and it makes me downright curious when something NT Wright / Keller / Daniel Taylor / Teresa / Aquinas / Piper / CS Lewis etc. is disregarded because of one thing Paul said in a letter. Frankly, this kind of arguing makes it sound like preachers and Christian authors shouldn’t exist because we already have what we need (the Bible)

The 1950s Yankee dynasty had some great hitters -- Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Moose Skowron, Hank Bauer, Gil McDougald, just to name a few -- but the key to going to eight World Series between 1950 and 1959 (and winning six of them) was a pitching staff that led the league in ERA in five of those 10 seasons -- and in the top three in all 10!
Whitey Ford was the ace of the staff, going an unbelievable 121-50 (.708 W%) with a 2.66 ERA (140 ERA+) between 1950 and 1959. And that was with Casey Stengel often skipping Ford against weaker teams to save him for tougher match-ups, meaning that most of those wins came against top competition. In 1956, for example, the Chairman of the Board had 10 starts against teams with losing records, and 20 starts against teams with records of .500 or better. He went 7-1 with a 2.27 ERA against the losers, and 12-5 with a 2.59 ERA against the winners!
But behind Ford were some pretty good if less famous pitchers, including Allie Reynolds, Eddie Lopat, Tommy Byrne, and Bob Grim. And another, even lesser known hurler won two rings as a key member of the Yankee rotation: Tom Sturdivant.
A hard enough thrower in his youth that he got the nickname "Smoke," by the time Sturdivant reached the Yankees he was called "Snake" because of the way his pitches moved. He threw a curve that broke away from right-handed batters, a screwball that broke away from lefties, a sinking fastball, and a looping change-up. All were good pitches, but none of them was great. Ted Williams was asked how Sturdivant was so successful without overpowering stuff, and he replied:

"Maybe he hasn’t got a thing. But I notice one thing. He keeps winning."

Eventually he did find a thing, though. Particularly later in his career, Sturdivant became known for his knuckleball. He would call it his "money pitch." He also complained about the pitch like an unruly pet, saying "it just won't act right 'til late in the season."
Born in Gordon, Kansas, on April 28, 1930, Thomas Virgil Sturdivant grew up in Oklahoma City and attended Capitol Hill High School. Sturdivant was signed by Yankee scout Tom Greenwade, who also signed another kid from Oklahoma, Mickey Mantle. Like Mantle, Sturdivant was signed as an infielder. But Sturdivant also was a pretty good pitcher as a teenager, as Greenwade told a reporter:

"Used to be a high-school pitcher in Oklahoma City, you know. And one of the greatest. He set some kind of record. More than 100 innings without being scored on."

Sturdivant struggled to hit his first few seasons as an infielder in the minors, hitting .246 in 281 at-bats in 1950. He then spent all of 1951 and much of 1952 in the U.S. Army, and -- as happened to most major leaguers drafted into the service -- spent most of his time playing baseball for a base team. (As Whitey Ford once said: "Army life was rough. Would you believe it, they actually wanted me to pitch three times a week!") Sturdivant's success pitching in the Army, as well as a leg injury that cost him some of his running speed, convinced him he should ask the Yankees to try him at pitching.

"I knew I wasn't getting anywhere, batting .246 in Class B, so I decided I'd better try something else if I wanted to stay in baseball, which I did, badly."

He returned from the Army in time to pitch 86 innings with the Yankees' Double-A affiliate, the Beaumont Roughnecks, and went 3-3 with a 3.56 ERA. His days as an infielder were over.
Sturdivant went 10-7 with a 2.98 ERA in Double-A the following season, and 8-9 with a 3.57 ERA in Triple-A the year after that. Yankee pitcher Allie Reynolds, a fellow graduate of Capitol Hill High School in Oklahoma City who had gone 20-8 for the Yankees in 1952, had retired after the 1954 season. That winter, he worked with Sturdivant and told him he might make the Yankees in spring. Sturdivant's hard work that off-season impressed manager Casey Stengel. "We learned that he can be a fighter, and that's what we want with this club," he said.
He made the team out of spring training and made his major league debut on April 14 against the Red Sox at Fenway Park -- Boston's home opener. Bob Grim started the game and was bombed for five runs on seven hits through six innings. Sturdivant entered the game in the 7th, with the score 5-2, and gave up another run. The Yankees battled back in the bottom of the 8th, scoring two runs on back-to-back singles from Elston Howard and Jerry Coleman to make it a two-run game, but Sturdivant gave up a two-run single in the 8th to pitcher Ellis Kinder to put the game out of reach again, and the Yankees lost, 8-4.
In 33 games that year, Sturdivant posted a 3.16 ERA and a 1.302 WHIP, not bad for a rookie. He didn't give up a lot of hits, but he did walk 41 men in 68.1 innings. Stengel didn't mind that, though. In a 2020 article, "Big Walkers", Bill James wrote about how Stengel employed a strategy of "pitching around" power hitters. When a slugger was at the plate, pitchers were coached to work the edges of the plate, not giving him anything good to hit. He might chase pitches and strike out... he might hit something off the end of the bat... or he might walk. Any of the three, in Stengel's opinion, was a better outcome than throwing a pitch down the middle to a guy who could hit it 450 feet.
As a result, the Yankees often were near the top in walks allowed -- but also in fewest home runs allowed. And also in double plays. And also, not coincidentally, in earned run average.
In his five seasons with the Yankees, Sturdivant walked 221 batters in 524.1 innings (3.8 BB/9), but only gave up 45 home runs (0.8 H9). He also induced 44 double plays. James, in looking at what made the Yankees successful in the 1950s, discovered that they had a huge differential in HR-GIDP. In 1955, Sturdivant's first year in the league, the Yankees hit 175 home runs, and grounded into 101 double plays (+74). Yankee opponents had 108 home runs, and grounded in 145 double plays (-37). In 1956, the Yankes were +86, their opponents -53.
James wrote:

This is not a typical championship team pattern. In many areas, the 1950s Yankees were just an ordinary team. They really had only one outstanding starting pitcher, while Cleveland usually had three or four. But the Yankees huge advantages in Home Runs vs. Double Plays enabled them to win almost every year.

Sturdivant rode this strategy to back-to-back 16-win seasons, going 16-8 with a 3.30 ERA (118 ERA+) in 1956, and 16-6 with a 2.54 ERA (142 ERA+) in 1957.
After those two great seasons, though, Sturdivant's career went up in... well... smoke.
In Spring Training 1958, he held out for a raise, eventually signing for $18,000, a $4,000 raise from what he'd made the year before. He gave up 10 runs in his first two starts of the year, and then missed a month with a sore arm. When he came back, he was hit hard in his next three starts, and was banished to the bullpen. After a pretty good month (8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 7 K), he was put back into the rotation, and went 3-2 with a 3.31 ERA in 32.2 innings, but his arm still wasn't quite right, and he missed some time in August due to a heel injury. He was on the World Series roster in 1958, but didn't pitch.
All off season there were rumors that Sturdivant was on the trading block, and after another slow start -- 0-2 with a 4.97 ERA, and still bothered by his sore arm -- he was dealt to the Yankees' favorite trading partner in the late 1950s, the Kansas City Athletics. "Snake", along with Jerry Lumpe and Johnny Kucks, was dealt for Ralph Terry and previously forgotten Yankee Hector Lopez -- a pretty good deal for the Yankees, as Terry and Lopez helped the Yankees to five straight pennants and two championships between 1960 and 1964. Lumpe, a little used utility player with the Yankees, proved to be a solid regular for the Athletics and then an All-Star with the Tigers in 1964. But Kucks, an All-Star with the Yankees in 1956, was done, going 12-21 with a 4.78 ERA (84 ERA+) in two seasons with the Athletics, and was out of baseball after the 1960 season.
Sturdivant would hang around another five seasons, and pitch for six different teams! He went from the Athletics to the Senators -- not the original Senators, who were now the Twins, but the expansion team founded in 1961 that would become the Rangers in 1972 -- then the Pirates, the Tigers, back to the Athletics, and then rejoined Casey Stengel on the Mets in 1964. Over that stretch he went 21-20 with a 4.16 ERA and 1.301 WHIP as a swingman.
The 34-year-old Sturdivant announced prior to the 1964 season he was running for the Oklahoma State Senate and that he'd quit baseball if elected in November. The Mets beat him to it, though, releasing him in May after he posted a 5.97 ERA in 28.2 innings. Maybe more as a campaign ploy, in July Sturdivant signed with the Oklahoma City 89ers. He went 6-3 with a 3.89 ERA and 1.365 WHIP in 74.0 innings. He lost the election, and retired from baseball.
After that, Sturdivant owned a trucking company and tried to drum up support for the Hall of Fame case for his old mentor Allie Reynolds.
In 2000, the 69-year-old Sturdivant was in a serious car accident. Someone -- he never learned who -- found him on the roadside, thrown from his truck after it had rolled five times. When the ambulance arrived, they thought he was dead. They strapped his body to a stretcher and loaded him into an ambulance.
Sturdivant told sportswriter Brian Jensen:

"When we were driving to the hospital, I was in the back and they had me strapped down and I guess when I came to, I raised my head and I said, 'hey could y'all call my wife for me,' and the driver almost jumped out of the van. It just wasn't time for me to go."

He had broken his back, both hips, his pelvic bone, his tailbone, multiple ribs, and had a punctured lung. He never recovered.
"I don't have a life," Sturdivant said. "You know, I have a hard time remembering a lot of stuff and I'm kind of slow. I kind of have little spells where I pass out and have a hard time walking straight."
Sturdivant died on February 28, 2009.
Smoke Show:

• According to a 2010 article in Sports Illustrated, Mickey Mantle hurt himself while playing golf with Sturdivant in 1957. Sturdivant must have been having a better game than Mantle was, because at some point the Mick threw his putter in frustration. The putter hit a tree and knocked off a large branch, and then either the putter or the branch landed on Mantle's leg, giving him a nasty cut. Mantle missed five games due to what the Yankees told reporters at the time was "shin splits."
  
• Another key starting pitcher for the Yankees in the early 1950s: Forgotten Yankee Vic Raschi, "The Springfield Rifle." Raschi had one of the all-time great lines about pitching: "My best pitch is anything the batter grounds, lines, or pops in the direction of Rizzuto."
  
• Sturdivant wore #47 all five years he was with the Yankees. He was, according to baseball-reference.com, the first Yankee to wear the number. The number is currently assigned to Frankie Montas; prior to that, it was worn by Jordan Montgomery. Other #47's include Ivan Nova, Shane Spencer, Dave Silvestri, and Roy Fontenot. Luis Arroyo, the Yankee closer from 1960 to 1963, wore #47.
  
• In addition to Tom Sturdivant and Allie Reynolds, the other graduates of Capitol Hill High School to play in the majors were 1960s outfielder Don Demeter, 1950s infielder Jerry Snyder, and 1980s outfielder George Wright, though none played for the Yankees. The Yankees signed another pitcher out of Capitol Hill High School, a righty named Bob Shipman, but he never made the majors despite going 32-14 between 1953 and 1955 in the Yankee system.
  
• Demeter later became a pastor in Oklahoma City, and Sturdivant was a member of his church!
  
• The Yankees almost released Sturdivant early in the 1956 season. Hoping to sneak him back down to the minors, the Yankees put him on waivers, but Detroit manager Bucky Harris put in a claim for him. Harris had been the Yankee manager prior to Casey Stengel, and after leaving the Yankees went to the Senators, where he had picked up a number of former Yankee pitchers -- Bob Porterfield, Fred Sanford, Tom Ferrick, and Spec Shea. (They also acquired previously forgotten Yankee Jackie Jensen.) For whatever reason, ex-Yankee pitchers on the Senators seemed to dramatically improve. Now Harris was on the Tigers, and wanted Sturdivant. Thinking Harris must know something, the Yankees pulled him back. Apparently Harris did know something, as Sturdivant went 32-14 with a 2.88 ERA over the next two seasons!
  
• In the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers, Sturdivant started Game 4, and did what he usually did: He gave up six walks, but no home runs, and got a double play. He went the distance and the Yankees won the game, 6-2, to even the World Series at two games each. After the game, the Associated Press called it "the best pitching job in the series." Sturdivant's glory was short-lived, however: the next day, Don Larsen threw a perfect game.
  
• The infielder turned pitcher because he couldn't hit was a pretty good hitter for a pitcher in 1956, when he hit .313 with a double and a triple in 64 at-bats. Overall, though, he hit just .183/.208/.195 in 364 career plate appearances. Moving to the mound was a good decision!
  
• No relation, and spelled differently anyway: Tyler Sturdevant, who pitched in the minors for the Indians from 2009 to 2015. He finally made his debut with the Rays in 2016, at age 30, with a not-bad 3.93 ERA and 1.309 WHIP in 18.1 innings. The following year he was in the A's system, but he never got another trip of the Show.
  

Sturdivant remained a Yankee for life. After his playing days were over and he was living in Oklahoma, he was an early adopter of a subscription service that allowed him to watch Yankee games!

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I'm a pathological liar. Last year I was a 2nd year undergrad in computer science, but I told some people that I'm a postdoc in biomedical engineering. I told them that I got my PhD at Stanford and made up stories about the research I do. I ask people questions about their shower habits (e.g. if they pleasure themselves or watch p*rn in the shower) as part of my "biomedical research". Some people actually believe me. Even though I was only 19 they believed me when I said I'm 31.
I also lie about my life details. I tell people I've been through six relationships (involving both girls and guys), even though I've never been a single relationship before, and I lie about having a pacemaker and having once paid $500 to go to a karaoke party. I also tell people that I have hip and knee issues. I even exaggerate stories about one of my roommates I don't like. He once broke a toilet and another time he left the electric stove on all day, but I purposely embellish the stories to make him appear like a malicious person.
You know how I said I told some people that I'm a postdoc? Well I told other people from other places other made up stories. There is a guy who was in a few computer science classes with me. Often when I get frustrated doing homework I complain about the class. I once told him that I'm from New Zealand (I'm not) and that I switched from environmental science to comp sci (which I didn't). At my school every computer science major must pick 2 concentrations (out of 8 total). Both that guy and I are in artificial intelligence and information networks, but I lied and said that all of my roommates are aerospace engineering majors who bullied me for originally being in the human technology interaction concentration, so I switched that to information networks.
I also frequently tell people that I have 5 million friends, and that X number of them do a certain thing. For example I told people that 4 million of my friends pleasure themselves in the shower, or that 3 million of them smoke weed. I also told a different guy about summer camp with a Southern Baptist church I went to. Now I did sometimes visit the church but I never went to camp with them. I made up stories about how the students ate in the showers and pleasured themselves in the shower. I also lied that they were forced to do pushups for making your mom or thats what she said jokes. Now I'm sure they made those jokes but I doubt they were punished for doing so.

The Great Hall stood tall against the cloudy day, expelling white smoke from the multiple chimneys on its thatched roof. The outer walls made of a dark gray stone and the overall brutalistic style of the building, gave the Great Hall a certain ‘Big Bad Evil Guy’s lair’ vibe. Upon further inspection, I noticed traces of mana weaved in between the stone which made me wonder if the whole building had some sort of protecting enchantment in place. It made sense considering the whole town was a bastion between the Farlands and the Ebros Kingdom.
Despite my initial assessment of the city, Farcrest’s marketplace flourished all around me. Food, weapons, tools, all kinds of crafting ingredients. No matter what direction I looked I found new things to identify. Other than the abandoned northern district, the city looked like a bustling trade center.
I continued walking through the street market towards the Great Hall.
Red banners with the Marquis crest, a man killing a wolf with a lance, hung from the inner walls. The gate was guarded by a small contingent of soldiers dressed in shiny armor and armed with long albarests. I was tempted to use [Identify] on them but remembering Elincia’s reaction, I refrained from doing it. I didn’t want problems before even starting my life in this world.
As I reached the closed gate, a guard blocked my path.
“What is your business in the Marquis’s Great Hall?” The guardsman asked, glancing at me with unfriendly eyes. The man inspected my appearance from head to toe and he didn’t seem to like what he was seeing. My clothing was humble to say the least.
“My name is Robert Clarke, Scholar from the City of Light. I’m here for a passage permit into the Kingdom of Ebros.” I said with a haughty voice. A good teacher was, in essence, a good actor, and I took pride in my classroom management.
As expected, my words seemed to pique the guard’s interest.
“Farcrest isn’t a border town, Scholar. How did you even enter the kingdom?”
The guard was unsure if he was really talking to a commoner or someone of high birth. Or maybe he thought I was a high level individual? It made sense that people with higher levels looked down on the weaker.
Considering Elincia’s reaction to the story about the teletransportation, I decided to continue with the same lie. If I had to guess, portals weren’t all strange in this world.
“A magic accident teleported me into the Farlands. There I was picked up by an Alchemist harvesting ingredients who brought me here to Farcrest.” I explained with a serious tone.
“Should’ve said that from the very beginning… sir. Portal magic is no joke.” He stuttered.
The guard swallowed the story.
“It is not.” I nodded.
The guard must’ve assumed I was the one responsible for the portal incident because his demeanor changed instantly. If I had to guess, portal magic was a high level technique.
“This way, sir.” The guardsman said, guiding me through a lateral door at the base of the wall and into a narrow and dark corridor. As much as I wanted to enter through the main gates, I assumed it wasn’t worth opening it for a single person.
We emerged into a cobbled courtyard by the side of the Great Hall where a small army of workers unloaded carts with crated goods under the attentive glance of an overseer. Regrettably, I couldn’t tell what was inside the heavy boxes.
“Trade seems to be healthy considering Farcrest is a frontier town.” I pointed out in a vain attempt to make the guard talk.
“It’s been that way for a while now.” He sparsely replied as we walked to a wooden building attached to the Great Hall. Outside the building, an angry middle aged woman dressed in a gambeson with the Marquis emblem was training a group of fresh recruits who barely knew how to hold a sword. The kids couldn’t be much older than Zaon.
Instead of walking towards the building, we approached the training group.
The soldier saluted and the woman knight raised her hand, stopping the frenetic swinging of the recruits. Her eyes were of a stark gray color and her lips were a fine line under her aquiline nose. Her skin was tanned and covered in small scars of a hundred battles. [Awareness] told me she was the don’t-fuck-with-me type.
“Captain, this man says he arrived at Farcrest via failed teleportation.” The soldier explained my situation.
“Another one?! I can’t believe this is the second time this year.” The Captain chastised the soldier as if it was his personal fault. Then, she turned around to face me. She was taller than me and her rolled up sleeves not only revealed lean and bulking muscles but a skin covered in scars. Those weren’t fashionable superficial scars but ones which distorted the skin and muscle.
“Tell me you are not from the Ansan Kingdom. It will cost us a small fortune to send you back.” The Captain said.
I understood that was my cue to speak.
“My name is Robert Clarke, a Scholar, and you don’t need to send me back to my homeland, Captain. I am more interested in traveling to the Imperial Library than returning.” I said with a small bow.
“I’m Captain Izabeka Kiln, leader of the city guard. I like you already, Scholar. People who complicate things are too common in these places.” The captain left the bundle of parchment and walked around the table to inspect me closely.
I made a mental note to not complicate things in front of the woman.
“Come on.” The captain left the group of disoriented recruits behind and walked towards the Great Hall. “We have to ensure you don’t have any suspicious hidden titles before giving you your passage permit.”
“Hidden titles?” I asked with a tremble in my voice.
“You have not been in a System Shrine before?” The Captain looked over her shoulder and gave me a confused glance.
I shook my head. Hidden titles could mean two things; there was a method to hide one’s titles from being identified or there were titles that could only be unlocked at a System Shrine. The second option made sense considering the lack of progress my class had even after twelve levels.
“I warn you, Robert Clarke, I’m a level fifty seven Knight, if you do try anything stupid I’ll crush your spine before you could even blink.” The captain said before addressing the guard who had guided me there. “You, maggot, look after the Scholar’s belongings. He is my guest.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The soldier said, extending his hand to me.
I gave him my backpack and nobody questioned the suspicious wooden shotgun butt protruding out. I felt naked without my weapon, however, the shells were safe inside my pocket.
“You don’t have a suspicious title do you?” The captain asked as we entered a beautifully adorned corridor with painted murals and ornamental banners hanging from the ceiling. The decoration was surprisingly tasteful.
I swallowed hard.
“I don’t think so?” I replied, remembering what Elincia had told me about locked titles.
We walked in silence through a carpeted corridor. The brass-framed windows reached the high ceiling and gave us a wide view of the interior gardens. There was a bush maze, fountains and clumps of all kinds of flowers.
We reached a glass door to a crowded balcony and the captain signaled the guards to let us through. On the balcony there were men and women dressed in expensive suits and dresses of vibrant colors. Broad rings of gold and precious stones adorned the noble’s hands while the women flaunted beautiful necklaces and earrings. If the Marquis was there, he was hidden among the crowd.
Captain Kiln took me to the side of the balcony, far from the noble clump and pointed down to the garden. Two men dressed in fencing attire were standing at opposite sides of the garden while the squires helped them with their padded jackets. In the middle of the fighting area an old man with braided hair and stern look acted as the referee.
“Have you witnessed a judiciary duel before?” The captain asked.
I shook my head.
“Then it’s your lucky day, Scholar. Sir Janus insulted Baronette Tirno during the last feast.” Captain Kiln said with a lupine smile.
“What did Sir Janus say?” I inquired.
“Janus said Tirno’s lovers during their days in the Ebros Knights Academy looked just like his mother.” Captain Kiln let out a tired sigh.
I glanced down at the dueling area. Baronette Tirno was a tall and slender young man of blonde curls and piercing looks. He wore a blue and black jacket with a crest similar to the Marquis symbol, so I assumed he might be related to the Marquis. Tirno moved with ease under the padded jacket and made a flourish with his rapier before blowing a kiss to the balcony. The gesture was answered by a wave of giggles and sighs.
For someone with a soiled honor, he was enjoying the moment.
Sir Janus, on the other hand, was a brutish looking man with the physique of a beer barrel. An unkempt bristly black beard covered his face and his small black eyes resembled the ones from a pig. Janus looked more like a well-armed murder hobo than a knight.
“Tirno has the reach advantage.” I said as the squire handed the rapiers to Janus.
“Good, you can use your eyes.” Captain Kiln said and I wondered if every woman had a similar level of sass in this world.
The referee, an old man dressed in a white and yellow tunic, stood at the center of the arena and cast a spell creating a golden dome of twenty meters in diameter. A second later the dome became translucent, barely blocking the view of the duelists.
“He’s a Fortifier. Any skill used inside the area of the bubble should stay inside instead of killing you. Well, none of them have magic classes but with high level combatants any extra precaution is welcome.” Captain Kiln explained.
Down inside the bubble, Tirno and Janus walked five paces away from the center, turned around, and saluted with the rapiers. Then, they adopted a fighting position I wasn’t completely familiarized with. It seemed they were going to start sprinting instead of fencing.
A sudden gust of wind rose, kicking up a dust cloud, and Tirno disappeared just to reappear by Janus’ flank. I gasped. Had he used a skill or was it his natural speed? Janus raised his sword and parried just in time. Then I noticed my mouth was wide open.
“Want to bet?” Captain Kiln asked with an entertained expression on her face.
“I don’t have money or valuables other than a quarter cheese wheel.” I babbled back, too entranced with the fight to pay attention to the woman.
The captain slid a silver coin down the railing and left it in front of me. I recognized a gambling addict that shouldn’t be gambling when I saw one. I glanced at the coin and then I looked down at the arena. The duelists were still testing each other. Baronette Tirno had an elegant style with quick transitions and nimble footwork. Sir Janus, on the other hand, stood like a heavy boulder in the middle of the yard.
“Two silver coins and I will tell you exactly how Lord Tirno is going to lose.” I said with a taunting smile.
The captain’s interest was piqued and soon after there were two silver coins in front of me and another two in front of the woman.
“I love to fleece know-it-all Scholars.” The captain said despite the fact she was betting against her own money.
I ignored the banter and focused on the duel. After the initial explosion of speed things had slowed down. Still, they moved faster than any HEMA practitioner or olympic fencer I had seen in my life.
I remembered Zaon talking about class growth. It wasn’t a surprise that the kid was apprehensive of becoming a Soldier when there were classes that could move like those two men. Not even with my Lv.5 [Swordsmanship] was enough to reach those speeds.
[Awareness] filled my brain with information. Tirno fought with deliberately elegant movements trying to find an opening on the opponent’s defense while Janus adopted a style similar to what I knew; he tried to control Tirno’s sword and deliver a strike without jeopardizing his own safety.
“Sir Janus is going to end the fight by stabbing the Baronette in the hand.” I calmly said, channeling all my fencing knowledge. Judicial fencing wasn’t about killing your opponent, although it happened frequently, but about incapacitating it before it could harm you.
“Alright, I’m going for Tirno.” The Captain said.
The balcony was in complete silence. Rapiers clashed, but none managed to control the weak of the opponent's blade to create an opening. The amount of stamina both men displayed was astounding, even compared to top tier athletes from Earth. If I were to train for a hundred years I could hardly reach their levels of speed and coordination.
Suddenly Lord Tirno put aside all attempts of defending and lunged forward, aiming at the center of Sir Janus’ chest. Sir Janus stepped back with a nimbleness uncharacteristic of a man of his span. To get away from Tirno’s blade, Janus raised both arms and pulled back his body. In that awkward position, Sir Janus counterattacked with a downward stab aimed at Lord Tirno’s hand and withdrew from the engagement to avoid Tirno’s afterblow.
However, the afterblow didn’t come. Lord Tirno’s sword fell to the ground as the man bursted out cursing. As he retreated to his side of the arena, I caught a glimpse of bright blood flowing from his right hand.
New word learned!
Words learned: 3,001/215,000
Rank: Talkative Teenager
I made a mental note to not mention that word in front of children.
“I lost.” Captain Kiln sighed, bringing me back to the present.
“Not yet, he’s going to continue. Look.” I replied as Lord Tirno’s aid bandaged the wounded hand. The noble man snapped at the squire to hurry up but no matter how much bandages he applied, they quickly soaked in more blood. Suddenly, sick of waiting, Lord Tirno pushed his squire back and retrieved the sword.
“It’s over.” Captain Kiln sighed again.
Down in the garden, Sir Janus repeatedly hit Tirno’s blade until it slipped from his bloody hand. Then Janus prompted his rival to retrieve his sword just to repeat the process. Three times Tirno raised his sword and three times Janus slapped it from his hand.
“What a shitshow.” Captain Kiln grunted just as Sir Janus disarmed Lord Tirno for the last time and chased him across the garden hitting the Baronette’s legs with the rapier’s flat side until he found shelter inside the Great Hall.
Sir Janus took a bow towards the balcony and threw his sword in the squire’s direction. The Captain slid four silver coins to my side of the handrail.
“Better spanked than dead.” I pointed out, pocketing the coins with a winning smile on my face.
“Sir Janus is a lowborn who reached knighthood because he was accepted in the Ebros Knights Academy. His position in the court is frail and yet he acts like an idiot.”
The squires cleared the garden and the nobles who had been observing the duel started vacating the balcony. I learned a couple more insults from overhearing their conversation, some of the nobles were fuming and I pictured them plotting against Sir Janus in the near future. A hurt noble’s ego was dangerous in this world or the other.
“Abei!” The captain suddenly called.
An old robbed man emerged from the group, clearly annoyed by the interruption.
“What is it, captain?”
The man had a shining bald head and a majestically bushy beard. Unlike the young man from the tower, Abei didn’t look like a cheap street magician but a full fledged sage.
“We have one of those portal hoppers. A Scholar.” Captain Kiln announced. “I thought you would be interested.”
In a single sentence, Abei’s face was cleared of all irritation. The old man made his way through the balcony with an eager stride and, unlike the captain, didn’t bother to measure me up with his eyes. Instead he jumped directly to the questions.
“Where are you from and how did you get here, young man?” Abei struck me like the kind of person who would look into a loaded shotgun’s barrel to satiate his curiosity.
“I’m Robert Clarke, humble servant of the City of Light. I arrived here due to a teletransportation accident.” I introduced myself, already expecting what will come next. The questioning.
“The City of Light? Never heard of that place.” Abei stroked his beard and looked around searching for an encyclopedia just to remember he was outdoors.
“And I never heard of Farcrest until I popped out here.” I replied with a shrug.
Abei nodded, understanding my predicament.
“You don’t seem to be scared for someone so far from home.” The man looked me directly in the eye. I was slowly getting used to being questioned.
“Three days in the Farlands is a hell of a cure for fear.” I replied.
The Captain gave me an approving nod. People of this world trusted too much in the System and too little in the common sense.
“Why am I being treated with such deference? I'm nobody after all.” I asked, eliciting a jolly laugh from the old man and I braced myself for a long story.
“People who are exposed to teletransportation spells usually are wealthy, noble or high level, so it's only logical to protect such individuals when the integrity of the kingdoms depends on them.” Abei explained. “Anyway, we need noble witnesses to grant you the permit. Let’s go to the audience room.” The man added as he invited me through the glass door into the Great Hall.
Before I could cross the doorway, Captain Kiln grabbed my arm and stopped me.
“Just don’t do anything stupid and things will go well. Understood?” The woman asked with a stern voice.
“Understood.” I replied, knowing perfectly well that doing stupid things, like jumping heads on into a dangerous world full of magic creatures, was exactly my specialty.
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Chapter Four

1. … we were enslaved [משעבדים, MeShoo`eBahDeeYM] to fundamentals [ליסודות, LeeYÇODOTh] [of] the world.

“The word τα στοιχεια [ta stoikheia], the elements ... meant (a) the letters of the alphabet… (b) the elements of which a thing was composed, as the fire, air, earth, and water of which the world was thought to be constituted; (c) the elements of the universe, the larger cosmos, including the sun, moon, planets, and stars; and (d) the spirits, angels, and demons which were believed to ensoul the heavenly bodies, traverse all space, and inhabit every nook and cranny of earth, particularly tombs, desert places, and demented persons. These spirits were said to be organized like human governments. In Rom. [Romans] 8:38 Paul calls them ‘principalities’ and ‘powers.’ And vss. [verses] 9 and 10 of our present chapter indicate that he has them in mind in vs. 3. …
Paul … includes in ‘the elements of the universe’ all sub-Christian ideas and observances, both Jewish and Gentile. He regards these ‘elements’ as slave drivers who frighten men with curses for not propitiating them by observance of special days and seasons, food taboos, dietary fads, and circumcision. In Christ he declared his independence of Fate, Fortune, Luck, and Chance, and from astrology, the counterfeit religion and bastard sister of astronomy, whose practitioners exploited the superstition that the stars controlled men’s lives from birth to death.” (Stamm, 1953, TIB vol. X pp. 521 & 522)
“The elements of the world] A mere Jewish phrase, יסודי עולם הזה yasudey ‘olam hazzeh, ‘the principles of this world;’ that is, the rudiments or principles of the Jewish religion. The apostle intimates that the law was not the science of salvation; it was only the elements or alphabet of it.” (Clarke, 1831, vol. II p. 387)

1. But [אבל, ’ahBahL] as that was filled the time, sent forth, Gods, [את, ’ehTh] His son, born [of] woman, and subject [וכפוף, VeKhahPhOoPh] to instruction.

“The four words, το πληρωμα του χρονου [to pleroma tou khronou], the fullness of the time, express a whole philosophy of history. The Hebrew prophets and Jewish apocalyptists believed that their God was the creator of the universe and arbiter of the destinies of all men and nations. Nothing could happen that was not his doing, either directly or indirectly through angels and men. He had a time for everything, and everything happened exactly on time. … The completion of this present age would be marked by a blood-red revolution, in which all good men and good works would be ground under the heel of the tyrant, while the wicked reigned supreme. Then suddenly God would intervene with the lightning of judgment to snatch the world from the mouth of the bottomless pit and restore it to Paradise, whence it had fallen with the sin of Adam. Sorrow and sighing would flee away, and the Messiah would reign with the perfection of a theocratic king.
At this juncture, says Paul, when the appointed period of history was ‘full,’ god sent his Son γενομενον εκ γυναικος, γενομενον υπο νομον [genomenon ek gunaikos, genomenon upο nomon], ‘born of woman, bοrn under law.’ … Jesus was not only born under law, but was subject to it all his life. ...The ‘yoke’ of the Torah demanded that he observe the customs of his forefathers, such as wearing phylactery and prayer fringes, ceremonial washing of hands before eating, giving thanks at mealtime, praying at stated times, bringing tithes and sacrifices, and obeying the Ten Commandments.” (Stamm, 1953, TIB vol. X pp. 522 & 523)
Not to mention circumcision, kashrut, and the prohibition of associating with gentiles.
“Sent forth refers to God’s sending of his Son from his pre-existent state in heaven (I Cor. [Corinthians] 8:6; Phil. [Philippians] 2:6-8; Col. [Colossians] 1:15-17). Yet this Son was born of woman. There is nothing in these words, or elsewhere in Paul’s letters, to prove or disprove that he knew the story of the miraculous conception. His point here is that the Christ, although he was the pre-existent Son of God, did not come into this world with a body composed of celestial substance, but was woman-born like all other human beings. … It was very different from the conception of royal sonship in Ps. 2, where the king is called God’s ‘Son; because he has been chosen to be the Messiah. In Paul, Jesus is God’s Son by nature, and his Christhood follows by virtue of this sonship. This belief was the fundamental cause of the split between the Jews and the Christians. The lowly birth, the obscurity of Nazareth, and the fact that Jesus was a common laborer, constituted a grievous scandal in the eyes of all who were expecting their Deliverer to come riding on a chariot of clouds wielding the lightning of judgment. Paul’s gospel contradicts every form of hyperspirituality that fixes a gulf between God and his material world. On the other hand, his conception of the coming of Jesus was poles removed from the pagan stories of the births of heroes, savior-gods, and kings, whose legends were freighted with illicit relationships and lawless conduct like the lives of the devotees who had created them in their own image.” (Stamm, 1953, TIB vol. X pp. 523-524)
“Nothing is said explicitly about the Son’s preexistence, which is at most implied … born of a woman: … The phrase is derived from the OT [Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible] (Job 14:1 …). So born, Jesus submitted to the law by being circumcised and thus became capable of falling under its curse. But lest the Galatians draw a wrong conclusion, Paul [and The Interpreters’ Bible] does not mention Jesus’ circumcision. Instead of genomenon, ‘born,’ some patristic writers read gennomenon, and understood this ptc. [participle] as referring to Mary’s virginal conception; but this is anachronistic interpretation.” (Joseph A. Fitzmyer, 1990, TNJBC p. 787)

1. Accordingly [לפיכך, LePheeYKhahKh], you are not [אינך, ’aYNKhah] a slave anymore [אוד, ’OD], for if [כי אם, KeeY ’eeM] a son, and, if a son, then [אזי, ’ahZahY] also heir from favor [מטעם, MeeTah`ahM] [of] Gods.

“This is Paul’s proclamation of emancipation.” (Stamm, 1953, TIB vol. X p. 528)
………………………………………… Worry of Shah’OoL to Galatians [verses 8–20]

1. In [the] past, in a time that you did not know [את, ’ehTh] Gods, you slaved [את, ’ehTh] who that in their nature [שבמנהותם, ShehBeMahHOoThahM] were not Gods.

“The Jews never ceased to ridicule idols and denounce idolaters… They demoted the old gods to the rank of demons and made a list of detractive names for them: angels, shepherds, princes; kings, emperors, benefactors, heroes; demons, personifications, idols, nonentities. Some were living, some dead; some were good, but were not God. Most of them were bad, and their idols were but images of ‘things of nought.’ …
Paul did not deny the existence of these beings whose ignorant worshipers called them gods, but he declared that they did not partake of the nature of God (I Cor. 8:4-6). God permitted them to plague mankind to punish sin, especially the sin of participating in the sacraments of the Gentile cults (I Cor. 10:19-22; 11:28-31). But Christ had conquered them and no Christian needed to fear them.” (Stamm, 1953, TIB vol. X p. 529)

1. Behold, you are honoring days and new-[moons], seasons [מועדים, MO`ahDeeYM] and years.

“Days like the Sabbath and Yom hakkippurim [“Day of Atonement”] are meant; months like the ‘new moon’; seasons like Passover and Pentecost; years like the sabbatical years… Paul can see no reason for a Gentile Christian to observe these.” (Joseph A. Fitzmyer, 1990, TNJBC p. 788)
…
…………………………………………
Two the covenants [verses 21-26]

1. Say to me, you, the wanters to be subject to Instruction, have you not heard [את, ’ehTh] the Instruction?
2. Is it not written that to ’ahBRahHahM there were two sons, the one from the maid [האמה, Hah’ahMaH] and the second from the woman the free [החפשיה, HahHahPhSheeYah]?
3. But [אך, ’ahKh] [the] son [of] the maid was born according to [לפי, LePheeY] the flesh, and however [ואילו, Ve’eeYLOo] [the] son [of] the free upon mouth of the promise.
4. The words the these, they are a parable to two the covenants: the one from Mount ÇeeNah-eeY [Sinai], the birther to slavery, and she is HahGahR [“The Sojourner”, Hagar].

“It is well known how fond the Jews were of allegorizing; every thing in the law was with them an allegory: their Talmud [ancient commentary] is full of these; and one of their most sober and best educated writers Philo, abounds with them…
It is very likely, therefore, that the allegory produced here; St. Paul had borrowed from the Jewish writings; and he brings it in to convict the Judaizing Galatians on their own principles: and neither he, nor we, have any thing farther to do with this allegory, than as it applies to the subject for which it is quoted; nor does it give any license to those men of vain and superficial minds, who endeavour to find out allegories in every portion of the Sacred Writings; and by what they term spiritualizing, which is more properly carnalizing, have brought the testimonies of God into disgrace. May the spirit of silence be poured out upon all such corrupters of the word of God!” (Clarke, 1831, vol. II p. 390)
“Allegorical interpretation rests upon the belief that every word, figure of speech, and grammatical form in scripture has a special ‘spiritual’ significance besides its literal meaning. The theory is that the God who dictated it meant more than rests on the surface and that while he said one thing, he also meant something else in addition to the literal sense… The Greeks had long since applied the method to explain away the immoral things which the gods said and did in Homer… Then Greek-speaking Jews, like Philo Judaeus, employed it apologetically to read Greek philosophy into the O.T. [Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible], proclaiming that Moses had said all these good things long before and better than Homer and Plato.
The wonder is that Paul has so little allegory. His restraint is explained partly by his training as a Pharisee. The rabbis were suspicious of any interpretation of scripture that tended to make Jews lax in their observance of the law. Jews with Gnostic leanings, and those who considered some of their ancestral customs outmoded, could resort to allegory to justify their philosophy and conduct, while maintaining that they were the spiritual superiors of the conservatives who held to the letter of the law … His argument, however, is never strengthened by allegorical symbolism and typology, for these are convincing only to those who by imagination can find them so. Rather, as in Rom. 9-11, he introduces unnecessary complications such as the moral difficulties involved in predestination. His gospel does not rest on the quicksands of allegory, a specious method of interpreting scripture. Its interpretations are of interest to the historian not as correct representations of what the writers and first readers of the Bible had in mind, but only as source materials for understanding the life and thought of the allegorists themselves.” (Stamm, 1953, TIB vol. X p. 540)

1. Hagar signifies [מסמלת, MeÇahMehLeTh] [את, ’ehTh] Mount ÇeeNah-eeY, that is in Arabia, and parallels [ומקבילה, OoMahQBeeYLaH] to Jerusalem of our day, for she is in slavery with her sons.

“… why does Paul mention Arabia…? Possibly because Mt. Sinai is in Arabia[?], which is Ishmaelite territory; he thus associates the Sinai pact with the eponymous patriarch of Arab tribes … Paul thus suggests that the law itself stems from a situation extrinsic to the promised land and to the real descendants of Abraham. Paul’s Jewish former co-religionists would not have been happy with this allegory.” (Joseph A. Fitzmyer, 1990, TNJBC p. 788)

1. But [אבל, ’ahBahL] Jerusalem from ascended [מעלה, Mah`eLaH], [the] daughter [of] freedom [חורין, HOReeYN] is she, and she is mother to us.

“The Jerusalem which now is was a most unholy “Holy city”, full of injustice, violence and murder, and subject to the cruel and wicked rulers imposed by a Gentile empire. But over against this Jerusalem of slavery lay an ideal celestial city, unseen at present, but destined soon to supersede it. Paul called it the Jerusalem above. Sarah, the free-woman, was the ancestress of its citizens, who were the people of faith and of freedom in Christ…
Paul speaks of Jerusalem above, because this new city of freedom already exists in heaven where Christ is, where dwell the souls of those who have died in Christ. But it also exists on earth as the church, the body of Christ, whose members are colonists from heaven sent to prepare men for the full establishment of God’s kingdom at Christ’s second coming (Phil. 3:20; Col. 3:1-3).
The biblical root of this conception of an ideal future and heavenly Jerusalem is Isa. [Isaiah] 54. Other descriptions appear in Ezek. [Ezekiel] 40-48; Zech. [Zechariah] 2:1-13; Hag. [Haggai] 2:6-9; Tob. [Tobias] 13:9-18 Ecclus. [Ecclesiasticus] 36; Pss. Sol. [Psalms of Solomon] 17:33. Historically the expectation assumed three forms. According to the earliest hope, God would build the new Jerusalem in Palestine and make it the capital of his theocratic world government. The plan of this glorious city was graven upon the palms of his hands (Isa. 49:16). From this idea it was but a step, especially for those influenced by Greek ideas, to think of this ideal Jerusalem as already existing in heaven. According to the Apocalypse of Baruch, God had shown it to Adam in Paradise before he sinned; to Abraham on the night mentioned in Gen. 15:12-21; and to Moses on Sinai, when he gave him the heavenly pattern for an earthly tabernacle (II Baruch 4:1-6; cf. [compare with] Heb. [Hebrews]12:22). The third conception combined these two ideas. The Jerusalem which was ‘above’ would come down to earth to be established in Palestine in place of the city that ‘now is’ (cf. Rev. [Revelation] 3:12, 21:2; II Esdras 7:26; 13:36; 10:54).
So the new Jerusalem belonged to both worlds and to both ages, to heaven and earth, to the present and the future. Its constitution was the new covenant, and its citizens were the men of faith in Christ, a new kind of freemen who traced their spiritual ancestry through the line of Isaac and his mother Sarah as heirs of God’s promise to Abraham. As for Ishmael and his tribe, they were the men of law, predestined to be slaves forever. Needless to say, the Judaizers found Paul’s allegorical exclusion of themselves utterly unacceptable. They believed that the Torah was God’s blueprint for all creation, and that it would be observed forever in the new Jerusalem. That, they said, was why God was going to purge the old city – to establish an order of life in which perfect obedience to his law would be possible.” (Stamm, 1953, TIB vol. X pp. 541-542)
“…it was a maxim among the rabbins, that, ‘Whatsoever was in the earth, the same was also found in heaven; for there is no matter, howsoever small, in this world, that has not something similar to it in the spiritual world.’ On this maxim, the Jews imagine that every earthly thing has its representative in heaven: and especially whatever concerns Jerusalem, the law, and its ordinances. Rab. Kimchi, speaking of Melchisedec, king of Salem, says, זו ירושלים של מעלה Zu Yerushalem shel me’alah – ‘This is the Jerusalem that is from above.’…
There is a spiritual Jerusalem, of which this is the type; and this Jerusalem, in which the souls of all the righteous are, is free from all bondage and sin: or by this, probably the kingdom of the Messiah was intended; and this certainly answers best to the apostle’s meaning, as the subsequent verse shows.” (Clarke, 1831, vol. II p. 391)

1. That see, is written:

“Chant, barren, not birthing, [רני עקרה לא ילדה RahNeeY ahQRaH Lo’ YahLahDaH] burst chanting and shouting, not travailing, [פצחי רנה וצהלי לא-חלה PeeTsHeeY ReeNaH VeTsahHahLeeY Lo’-HahLaH] for multitudinous are sons of her deserted than [מי, MeeY] sons of her mistress [כי-רבים בני-שוממיה מבני בעולה KheeY-RahBeeYM BeNaY-ShoMahMeeYHah MeeBeNaY BeooLaH].”
“A telling item in the counterpropaganda of the legalists was the argument that even among the Christians only a radical fringe consisting mainly of foreign Jews, of whom Paul was one, were proposing to abandon the law of Moses. …
In one respect his quotation of Isa. 54:1 does not fit Paul’s allegory. It was Sarah, the mother of freemen, who possessed the husband, and Hagar, the slave, who was the deserted woman. As usual with Paul’s illustrations (cf. Rom. 7:1-4; 11:17-24), the details cannot be pressed without making them go lame …
The Isaian figure to describe the plight of Jerusalem during the Babylonian exile grew out of a common experience in Hebrew family life. Childlessness, particularly the failure to bear sons, was great grief and disgrace. Such was the sorrow of Jerusalem; but the prophet bade her look forward with courage to the time when all her scattered children would come back to her (Isa. 54:3). God was her ‘husband,’ and he would treat his faithful remnant with everlasting lovingkindness, making them more numerous than the former population and giving them a heritage of great peace and prosperity (Isa. 54:13-17).” (Stamm, 1953, TIB vol. X p. 542)
“The prophet’s words are addressed to deserted Zion, bidding it rejoice at the return of the exiles.” (Joseph A. Fitzmyer, 1990, TNJBC p. 788)

1. But you, my brethren [τεχνα, tekhna, “children”], you are the sons of the promise, as was YeeTsHahQ [“He Laughed”, Isaac].

“The Judaizers claimed that Abraham had obeyed the law of Moses by anticipation, and that God’s promise was his reward. Consequently the descendants of Isaac were children of promise only if they followed Abraham’s example in obeying the law. Paul turned it the other way about: the promise must be taken on faith, not as credit for obedience.” (Stamm, 1953, TIB vol. X p. 542)

1. And just as [וכשם, OoKhShayM] that then pursued, [רדף, RahDahPh] the son that was born according to [לפי, LePheeY] flesh, [את, ’ehTh] the son that was born according to the spirit, yes, also now.

“In Gen 21:10 Sarah, seeing Ishmael ‘playing’ with Isaac and viewing him as the potential rival to Isaac’s inheritance, drives him and his mother out. Nothing in Gen is said of Ishmael’s ‘persecution’ of Isaac, but Paul may be interpreting the ‘playing’ as did a Palestinian haggadic explanation of Gen 21:9 (see Josephus, ANT. [Antiquities] 1.12.3§215 …” (Joseph A. Fitzmyer, 1990, TNJBC p. 788)
“A rabbinical tradition of the second century A.S. interprets the Hebrew participle מצחק [MeeTsHahQ, “play”] (LXX παιζοντα [paizonta] in Gen. 21:9 to mean that Ishmael’s ‘playing’ became so rough that Isaac’s life was in danger. This son of a slave is said to have shot arrows at Isaac to kill him, and Paul’s statement shows that some such tradition was current in his day. He applied it to the Judaizers who were trying to force the Christians to observe the whole law of Moses, and to the unbelieving Jews who were excommunicating the Christians and their families and getting them into trouble with the civil authorities (1:5; 4:17; 5:10; I Thess. [Thessalonians] 2:14-16).” (Stamm, 1953, TIB vol. X p. 543)

1. But what says the Written [Scripture]?

“Banish [גרש GahRaySh] the maid and [את, ’ehTh] her son, for not will inherit [יירש, YeeYRahSh], son [of] the maid [האמה, Hah’ahMaH], with son [of] the free.”
“The quotation is from Gen. 21:10 … The speaker of these words is Sarah, who is filled with rage against Hagar and Ishmael. Abraham is represented as greatly grieved, but God is said to have sanctioned the demand of the cruel and jealous wife….
This story was one of the effects and one of the causes of the perpetual feud between the Israelites and the tribes that descended from Ishmael. The Hebrews were so sure that God wanted them to have Palestine that they found no moral difficulty in saying that it was God himself who had overruled Abraham’s conscience (Gen. 17:18-21). They affirmed that Ishmael’s character and destiny had been predetermined (Gen. 16:12). Consequently, even his circumcision at the age of thirteen could not make him a member of God’s chosen people. However great this innocent victim of a family feud might become by virtue of the halfhearted blessing conceded by an uneasy conscience (Gen. 17:20-21), he and his descendants were barred forever from the higher blessing. Theirs was to submit to the religious imperialism of the most favored nation or die. Moreover, all Abraham’s other sons except Isaac were barred from the promise and sent away ‘unto the east country’ (Gen. 25:5-6). And yet while all this was said to be the Lord’s doing, it was in the same breath declared to be the doing of the human actors in this drama of the nations. Sarah herself was said to have suggested that Abraham become a father by her Egyptian slave girl. Then, too, it was explained that Hagar’s flight from the cruelty of her mistress was voluntary, making her, rather than the callous compliance of Abraham, responsible for her plight ‘in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur’ (Gen. 16:7).
Paul’s use of Abraham’s expulsion of Hagar and her child has its parallel in the equally heartless treatment of Esau which he employs in Rom. 9-11 in his longer discussion of the divine process of selection. Here too it was assumed that the hatred generated by centuries of war for the possession of Palestine lay in the heart of God. “I hate Esau,” said Malachi (1:3), making God the speaker; and Rom. 9:6-13 presses it to the utmost limit of predestination. But the love of God in Christ Jesus made Paul’s heart better than his inherited doctrine … When the history of the struggle for the possession of “the Holy land” is allegorized to justify a doctrine of “election” which foredooms countless souls to an eternity of torment in a future hell, it becomes as morally atrocious as it is irreconcilable with Paul’s gospel.
Nevertheless Paul’s allegory gives the historian an insight into Paul’s mind as he wrestled with the insoluble problem of God’s sovereignty and human freedom.” (Stamm, 1953, TIB vol. X pp. 543-544)
“Paul bids the Galatians rid themselves of the Judaizers – and, ironically enough, obey the Torah itself.” (Joseph A. Fitzmyer, 1990, TNJBC p. 788)

Notes:

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My FIL recently died of lung cancer. He was more of a dad to me than my own for the past 15 years, and a truly lovely soul. He was raised in the Baptist church down in Texas, but turned away from that, and had his own very unique belief system that involved Jesus, aliens, and reincarnation. He was brilliant, open-minded, and empathetic to people of all colors, orientations and creeds. Plenty of shitheads assumed this gun-toting, white, hetero, proud veteran boomer shared their hateful Fox news beliefs, but they were dead wrong. He loved watching Rachel Maddow and Joy Reid, and absolutely despised Trump, Tucker Carlson, all of that shit.
After he died, we were sort of at a loss trying to choose someone to lead his memorial service. We eventually decided on a lovely reverend from a non-denominational Christian church he had attended with friends several times in recent years. He took comfort in her sermons, and the church is openly inclusive of LGBT people and supportive of racial justice. We wanted to avoid a repeat of the nightmare Southern Baptist service given for our mom, which bizarrely focused more on gay people burning in hell than her life.
Well, we just got a text message from dad's good friend/neighbor informing us that he will not be attending the service because he can't tolerate the reverend/church due to his "Christian beliefs." What a fucking loser. Protesting a funeral for not being hateful enough is sad enough but this holier-than-thou prick felt the need to bother us with this bullshit while we're overwhelmed and grieving. I'm glad Dad died before this guy showed his true colors, because he would have been so disappointed. I was raised by my Evangelical mom and read enough of the Bible to know Jesus would also think this guy is a dick.

My relative has made “church history” his career. According to the church’s bio on him he is a “church educator and church historian”.
He’s the type of apologist that is so very well educated by other apologists, that you can ask him anything that you find questionable about church. He will respond with a lengthy somewhat seemingly educated logical sounding response about how the church is true. Of course the logic only makes sense if you believe in the BoM.
Because he is so well read in “scripture” people tend to believe that his responses are true because he has more “education” than them.
He has been a seminary and institute teacher for almost 40 years, speaks regularly at BYU’s education weeks, EFY, he has led LDS tours through Jerusalem, and even been paid to go on Mormon cruises where people go to hang out and listen to him talk. That being said, he’s always been lower middle class.
In Utah many people know who he is.
Today he published his first book. The Mormon part of my family is obviously excited for him and celebrating. But in reading the synopsis I’m sad and upset about the impact this book is going to have on people.
The premise of the book is it is written for people with doubts. It is supposed to help them find “God’s truth” instead of the “World’s truths”
This is part of the book description:
“With this enlightening guide to seeking and interpreting revelation, you will discover how to • identify and ignore Satan's subtle lies about normal, everyday things. • hear and follow God's will for your life without distractions. • gently coach your loved ones toward eternal truths.
When you can reliably disregard the "more or less true" in favor of God's truth, you will gain a deeper understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which will enrich your testimony of the Church and strengthen your bond with the Holy Spirit.”
This relative is honestly a genuine, loving person. It’s just sad to me how misguided he is. He truly thinks that by “helping” people “keep their faith” he is bringing them joy and salvation.
I’m also trying to be understanding because (from what I can gather) this book is an effort to try and help his wife financially after he is gone. He has a progressive disease and had to retire a few years before he had planned.
It just makes me sad that he has so utterly convinced himself that the Mormon church is true, that he has completely blinded himself to the harmful implications of such a book.

Why does it sometimes feel that Jesus is not front and center of our faith.. Many of my fellow parishioners are overly obsessed with saints. I've witnessed people that don't even come up to venerate the Icon or christ in our church.. It seems that sometimes the focus is lost.. This makes me sad as I am trying to give my life more to Christ and more to the church..

Over the past year, I've grown to really love the Lord and focus on making Him the center of my life. I believe that a huge part of doing this is going to a solid Biblical church. The only issue is that before choosing to follow God wholeheartedly, I lived completely at odds with Him. As a result of some of my bad choices, I am now a single mother. I am very happy to have my baby and I know it's critical for the two of us to be in a good church but I can't shake the feeling that I won't be accepted by a more Biblical church. I keep thinking that maybe it would be best to find a mega-church or a more liberal church so that I can actually attend.
Does anyone have any encouragement? I know I shouldn't waste my time with an unbiblical church but will I be welcomed in a traditional reformed church (I'm thinking specifically Presbyterian or reformed Baptist)?

there is a lot of nostalgia for the chicken flat bread sandwiches. And rightfully so they were fucking delicious.
However for some of us Milennials it was a time of strife and toil if you were employed at taco bell 09-10.
When i was 16 my first job was taco bell. I grew up in a small mountain town of about 750 people. I found employment at a taco bell in the county seat, a town of about 6500 people at the time. Needless to say i knew just about anyone that would come through the drive through or into the lobby.
Around this time taco bell took it upon themselves to release the chicken flatbread sadwiches and taco party packs.
I had never worked so hard in my life for $7.25 an hour. It got to the point me and many of the other employees were ready to throw hands with just about anyone we seen come through that wanted to order those two items.
I'm talking classmates, people you see at church, neighbors, you name it. I ended up quitting eventually. But i will never forget this time. I quickly realized i would never work for a fast food chain again.
I remember seeing my friends or other people at school and saying: "hey, stop ordering party packs every fucking time you come to taco bell, order a goddamn 5 layer burrito, try something different"
We constantly ran out of flat bread and party pack boxes.
You wanted to reach out through the drive through and assault every customer that said: "wHy iS My taCos iN a bAg wHerE's tHe paRTy paCk bOx?"
Traumatizing times.

if everything is alive… I can feel it. We are one source. Creation. Some with discernment and a vast complexity of being, whether programmed, adapted, learned behavior, or just the capacity of each under our own governing laws and principles. I cannot tell this pen to be red, but I can tell it to persuade you into creating a reality of such said statement….”this pen is red”. So then, what is blue? If you only knew the power of words the world has in its hands. It is the deceiver, yet trained well, it is life. It is understanding that there is no understanding the misunderstood. For what is chaos to a weak/ feeble mind but pain and confusion. Chaos is the creation. But who am I? I am no one. God and The Lord show me.
Dear humanity, Let go of: your ego, (love for) material goods, fear of any one or thing. If we are lost let us talk till we have found our way. Through word and through love.

I was diagnosed with bladder cancer in February 2021, had it removed, went through chemo, and life gradually returned to normal except for periodic exams.
I'm a musician, and I've smoked cigarettes for 55 years, which is where this cancer comes from in most cases. Against my doctors advice, I kept smoking.
In mid April, I was asked to join a band, meaning playing in bars, which I've become uncomfortable with the last couple of years. And wouldn't you know - first gig - a gay wedding. Ok I thought. I'll bake a cake (so to speak) and get paid for it. Honest work, right? And the bars, yeah people are drinking, but the crowd is mostly boomers. No one's trying to hook up for the night in this crowd. They just want to dance, have some food, and relive some musical memories.
In late April a new tumor appeared in my bladder. Bladder cancer has a high rate of reoccurrence, so I wasn't terribly surprised. It also drove home the need to quit cigarettes once and for all, so I did. I prayed several times for help with quitting. 34 years ago, I had prayed in a similar manner and God delivered me from an IV drug habit. It was miraculous. No withdrawal, no cravings. So, I asked Him to once again help me stop something that was killing me, and it was amazingly easy. I'm still really surprised how easy it was, because when I've tried giving up smoking before, it seemed impossible.
My wife and I prayed together the morning of my surgery - last Friday, asking God to get me through it without any severe anxiety, and placed the results in His hands. I was prepared to accept whatever the outcome was knowing who's hands I'm in.
The surgery was incredibly easy this time. No swelling to speak of, and the pain was such that I didn't need to take any pain meds, which I don't like to use at all if I can help it. (If you're curious about the surgery, look up TURBT).
Last night I called the band leader and told him I couldn't take the job. I had been feeling that it was a mistake to put myself back into that world, and having to work the gay wedding was bothering me, as well as how excited the band leader was about doing it. I'm not into celebrating what is clearly a sin, and I guess I had been trying to be more pragmatic about it thinking "It's a job"... except I don't need a job. I don't have any need for more money at this point in life, so why do something like this??? I wanted to obey what I thought the Holy Spirit was prompting me to do. After I talked to the band leader, I felt immediate relief. I knew I was doing the right thing.
Just now, I got a phone call from my doc's office. The tumor was benign. I googled "benign bladder tumor". It seems these are extremely rare, and considering I'd already had cancer, the chances of it being benign were close to zero.
I don't believe in coincidences or accidents, so what conclusions can I possible draw from all of this? Well, God was telling me to avoid sin, telling me to quit smoking, and telling me He had control of whatever was going to happen medically. I obeyed and trusted Him.
Right now, I feel a very quiet peace and contentment. I can't see any way to explain all of this other than the Lord loves me and is taking good care of me! Obeying the voice of the Holy Spirit is imperative and it always works out for our good when we do.
Here I am - non smoking, cancer free, clean and sober, and more grateful than I can express with words.

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In the Senate Chambers on Terra:

Senator Ethan Roberts waited for his collogue to finish detailing the known intelligence gathered on the so-called Axxaakk dominion. Enslaved digital sapience, strong evidence of an involuntary nonbiological caste system, and clear extermination tactics. He had to keep his hackles from rising at the mention of an attempted infanticide directly in front of the ambassidors by someone who styled himself "acolyte lord" something or other. This was a thorny subject indeed. Even now, the Lost Boys and Second Star Rapid Response Group were pushing the enemy out of allied territory, but that was the extent of their authority without the authorization of this body and the Interplanetary Congress. An enemy who murdered babies couldn't just be pushed back across the border. They had to be defeated. Even still, not everyone agreed with him. Not everyone saw so clearly.
The floor was given to him, and he began, "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate, my fellow Citizens of the Republic,
"I stand before you today address a grave and dire situation that has befallen our gentle civilians and cherished neighbors. It is not merely our sovereign territory which is under threat by the Axxaakk, but any sapient being which draws breath within their reach. We, who have the greatest strength of all Terrans, have witheld our might against our neighbors when they stray from our ideals, excepting in two impositions. We shall not suffer the extermination of populations, and we shall not allow the enslavement of even a single person. What the Axxaakk Dominion has wrought in The Clans of Eldra can only be described as the ritualistic extermination of the local populations. We must confront the fact that whoever finds themselves in their reach, finds their lives in the balance.
"In times like these, when existence itself is in doubt for millions, or perhaps billions of our civilians, or our allies, we must be resolute and unyielding. We have always been a force for justice, peace, and the preservation of innocent life among the stars. The Second Star Rapid Response Group will follow the defensive doctrine, and even now they have halted the enemy advance into Star Council space, yet this is insufficient. As you heard earlier, these Axxakk's foul deity demands that all life be under his heel, that every sapient serve, and in most cases, by dying in ritualistic slaughter. This we cannot tolerate. We must act now to put a stop to these atrocities.
"My fellow citizens, I do not suggest we take up total war lightly. Indeed, I acknowledge that it is a terrible burden, but I fear that a fanatically genocidal enemy such as the Axxaakk appear to be will find conventional warfare unmoving. We may liberate the Clans, we may dive them off, but shall we do this again and again and again, each time hoping that the Axxaakk will finally have learned and abandoned their god's demands for blood? We have seen the evidence seized by the hero Aragorn before his code was destroyed along with the ship he was on. We have seen the ritual murders. We have seen the orbital bombardments. When they strike into our territory, what lengths shall they resort to in their pursuit of murder? Shall we wait for them to deploy radiation bombs? Shall we wait for the bioweapon attacks? The evils already done must not go unanswered!
"Total war authorization will cause collateral damage. We cannot and do not hold the enslaved to blame for their masters, yet we cannot stand by and allow the knife in the enslaved fist to pierce those innocent who depend on us. To authorize total war is to acknowledge the scale of the threat we face, and more importantly that faced by our innocent neighbors. Those who believe that we restrict ourselves to pure military targets mistake this foe for a mere adversary, a rival who needs a small correction. We must force this enemy to capitulate completely, and begin the Three Strikes protocol, lest we slowly be dragged into a war of extermination. The simple fact is this cannot be done without destroying not only the enemy's warfighting material, but their warfighting capability.
"We are at war, ladies and gentlemen, and while our weapons are the most terrible ever seen by mortal eyes, the enemy is undeterred, for wars are merely fought with weapons, but are won by the men holding them, to borrow some words from our ancient past. Today we must rise to the occasion, united in purpose, and unflinchingly undertake what is required. We who have served know well what we are asking of those in uniform today. I also put my life on the line, as did you, for our Republic. This is what we volunteered for.
"My fellow citizens, in this time of great peril, I implore you to stand with me, to stand as a bulwark for our weaker allies, for the fallen. Let us permit those who come behind us to act as we know they must to accomplish this dreadful duty, and may God have mercy on their souls. Remember the We Sing."
There was no applause, no cheers as Senator Roberts took his seat once more, merely the solemn contemplation of the dreadful matter before them as they contemplated their task and duty.
Then, Senator Malik Sabr took the floor, cleared his throat, and also began, "Fellow citizens and honorable members of the Senate,
"I must disagree with the honorable senator, though none who served with him could doubt his resolve, myself least of all. It is true that we cannot stand by while the Axxaakk invade our neighbors and allies, that we cannot let the attack on our Star Sailors go unanswered. Yet, to authorize total war cannot be undone until the enemy either surrenders unconditionally, or is annihilated. This body is no stranger to such foes, but we must resist the urge to strike out in our wrath.
"The Axxaakk invaders have shown themselves to be ruthless and relentless in their pursuit of conquest. Their actions have brought suffering and devastation to our very doorstep, threatening not only our neighbors, but also the very values we hold dear. It is in times like these we must stand resolute in our commitment to our values.
"To authorize total war, while tempting in its strength, carries with it terrible risks. We risk the very principles that make us who we are, a just society which values the lives of the innocent. Instead, let us focus our efforts on aiding our allies, and extending a helping hand to those in the Dominion who no doubt cry out under the heel of their vengeful idol. Let us recall that even now our peaceful neighbors face murder in droves, and only the Republic has the strength and the will to succor them, and Allah as my witness this we must do.
"Our task is clear, to provide assistance, resources, and support to our allies in their struggle against the Axxaakk invasion. We must strengthen their resolve, bolster their defenses, and stand beside them as they defend their homes from this frightful foe. Our commitment to justice compels us to action, indeed, though not in a reckless pursuit of vengeance, but in a measured and strategic manor which will not put our servicemen in the moral hazard of total war.
"Let it be known that we do not shirk the duty to defend. We will continue to strike at military targets, crippling the enemy's ability to wage war. However, we must recognize that victory in this war of defense will not be the end of our labors. The Axxaakk have slaves. Billions of souls unable to choose their own destiny. Devoted they may be, but slaves they remain. Can the annihilation of such wretched creatures be called victory? How many slaves shall these priests spend before they realize they must surrender? Shall we again wipe a sapient race from the stars, and this time in the full knowledge that billions had no choice?
"Together, we can forge a path to victory which does not lay this terrible weight upon our loyal servicemen. Today we can ensure the safety of our people, and those of our allies. Let us utilize our might to bring the Axxaakk to the bargaining table, and perhaps there we can secure the liberty of those beneath the priests' heel.
"Fellow citizens, I urge you to embrace this alternate path, this optimistic path to be sure, such that we continue to safeguard innocent lives under the sway of the blood-soaked idol. If this path proves doomed, we can yet abandon it in favor of total war, yet if we authorize total war today, can you bring back the dead?
"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, and may Allah give us wisdom in the coming vote."
Again, as Senator Sabr took his seat once more, the Senate chambers was silent. Senator Roberts gave his friend a respectful nod. He understood where his urging for caution came from, and he did not disdain Senator Savr's compassion. Yet, Senator Roberts could see the inevitability of Total War. This level of fanaticism required decisive crushing to shake its adherents out of their stupor. There were further speeches, by further senators, all received in perfectly silence, until the president of the senate called an end to deliberation, and they cast their votes.
"May God have mercy on our souls as well," Senator Roberts whispered as they waited for the tally. Victory would come, and he prayed that the cost could be born.
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Hello there, I’m GalUpUnder. I'm from the Netherlands, 24 years old, and I am looking for a creative roleplay partner, preferably someone experienced with DnD campaigns, as I have had the best experiences with those people.
For the past couple of months, I have been writing a lore document alongside my studies for a fantasy story that I want to tell. This idea came about after watching a terrible Netflix adaptation of a magic school cartoon from the mid-2000s, which had a promising premise. I thought to myself that I could do better and desired to play as the "main character" of this cartoon (the reason for the quotation marks will become relevant later). As a result, I took the premise of the cartoon and drew inspiration from other fantasy stories like Lord of the Rings, The Witcher, and God of War.
Regarding the "main character," I realized it would be unfair to ask someone to play as side characters in a story and world they didn't help create. That's why I wrote the story around the deuteragonist of the cartoon, elevating her to the position of the main character. The story now revolves more around her, while the original main character becomes the deuteragonist, which I will be playing. Additionally, there will be 4-5 characters that make up your main party, and all the other characters in the world will be NPCs that you will interact with. I have multiple references you can choose from for each party member, and for most of the major NPCs, although I've noticed that Genshin Impact character references are quite popular.
I want to clarify that the lore document is far from complete. That's why I appreciate a partner who can also contribute ideas and suggestions. I will make sure to communicate clearly when certain ideas conflict with the lore document and discuss how we can integrate your suggestions in a different way. Depending on where we want to take this story, it can be suitable for all ages or contain some adult elements, similar to how The Witcher includes adult elements without being a smut story. Ideally, I prefer a partner over 18, but if you are younger and really want to play this story, adult content will be off the table without discussion.
If this sounds interesting to you, feel free to read the history section from my lore document below to get a taste of the lore, or reach out to me here on Reddit. I prefer to roleplay on Discord, though we will likely move there soon after if we click. Happy reading, and I hope to hear from you soon!
History
The first age, the age of creation
In the beginning, there was only the void. After eons of nothingness, the Great Dragon emerged, and with its fiery breath, it created the six magical realms. Gaia, known as Earth by its inhabitants, was the world of Nature; Solaris, the world of Light; Sparks, the world of Fire; Andros, the world of Water; Numa, the world of Wind; and Marigold, the world of Mind.
The second age, the age of chaos
Although the six main magical elements were established, chaos still reigned in the early days. To manage aspects of life about which it had little insight, the Great Dragon chose a few of the earliest beings to become Primordials, gods, and goddesses.
The third age, the age of harmony
Many years passed until the time came for the Great Dragon to pass on its power and lay to rest. It chose a man with a good heart from Sparks, the world of Fire, as the new carrier of its power. This person became known as the Guardian of the Dragon's Flame. The Flame was passed on from generation to generation, and at some point, the latest Guardian married into the Royal House of Sparks.
While the other five realms discovered and built their societies around magic, bringing them closer together, the people of Gaia relied on their vast resources instead of magic, isolating themselves from the other realms.
The forth age, the age of war
Over time, the other realms became envious that the Great Dragon had chosen Sparks over their realm. Any choice would have led to envy. When the titles of Guardian and ruler of Sparks merged, the other realms feared that the Flame would now be firmly under the control of Sparks, which led to many wars. No matter how many wars were fought, no matter how many incredible weapons were forged, no one could win against the strong warrior culture of the Sparken people, who were basically unstoppable with the Flame by their side.
Around this time, people started to experiment with different kinds of magic, including Dark Magic. While this gave the other realms more of a fighting chance, it came at a terrible cost, as Dark Magic had corrupting properties.
To stop the cycle of violence and self-destruction, the ruler of Sparks and Guardian of the Flame made a promise. The Guardian would not break off their marriage, but they would use the Flame for the betterment of all the realms, not just Sparks. The Guardian and their ancestors would travel throughout the realms, offering help whenever needed and improving life wherever they went. This finally stopped the violence between the kingdoms.
The fifth age, the age of darkness
Although the wars had ceased and peace had returned to the realms, evil had not yet been eradicated. Many people still practiced Dark Magic, leading to long-lasting effects for all the realms for centuries to come. The practice of Dark Magic was deemed illegal and punishable by death, but this didn't deter those who couldn't resist its potential power. It caused many wars against darkness and eventually led to the division of Sparks and the disappearance of the Guardian, centuries after it was thought that darkness had been annihilated for good.
The sixth age, the age of prosperity
A few years had passed since these terrible events, and Princess Stella of Solaris [you] was about to leave for her magic fairy boarding school. Her father and mother, the king and queen, bid her farewell, and her mother gave her a special ring gifted by one of the Guardians many generations ago. The ring could transform into a powerful staff that could enhance the user's power and allow them to teleport at the cost of a considerable amount of stamina. Stella would need to learn how to use it first, but little did she know that she would need to use it very soon, as her carriage would get ambushed by monsters.
As Princess Stella embarked on her journey, the realms were experiencing a period of prosperity and relative peace. The conflicts of the past had subsided, and the realms began to flourish once again. However, lurking in the shadows, remnants of darkness and practitioners of Dark Magic continued to pose a threat to the delicate balance of the realms. Princess Stella, armed with her inherited power of light and the mystical staff, would soon find herself entangled in a new adventure, where she would play a crucial role in the fate of the magical realms and the struggle against darkness.
With her courage, determination, and the support of newfound allies, Princess Stella would face formidable challenges, unravel long-lost secrets, and strive to restore harmony and peace to the realms. Her journey would test her abilities, forge her character, and ultimately shape the destiny of the magical realms in the sixth age, the Age of Prosperity.