My name is Gregoria, and I'm an Orthodox Christian under the OCA jurisdiction. I study English Literature, Pastoral Ministry, and Islam. I'm learning Arabic very slowly, and my favorite way to learn is to pray.

My Patroness is Saint Elizabeth the New Martyr and I adore her mercy and seek to emulate it every day. Some of my favorite other saints are Saint Paul (my fav angry writer), Saint Gregory of Nyssa (to whom I am especially devoted), The Romanov Martyrs, and Saint Catherine the Great.

In my spare time, I write fiction, essay, and poetry. I've been getting more comfortable with formal poetry and I'm working on re-writing a novel I should have planned out better.

I'm a convert, and my background is Assyrian(Iranian)-American and I love experimenting with different veil styles.

Hello all,

This is my new account. My laptop was destroyed in a robbery and I lost all my old passwords. I will be continuing to post all the same things I used to, and I am sorry for my absence. I've written down a lot of what I've been meaning to publish here in the time I've been gone.

God be with you!

David Harvey, The Condition of Postmodernity

Yang - Yen

I hear "wanting a strong border doesn't make you xenophobic" but honestly it kind of does? it's about keeping foreigners out, that is kind of the definition of xenophobia; a "strong border" that checked for drugs and guns and bombs but let people through would not satisfy the demand to create a disenfranchised underclass that is denied full rights of travel and study and work.

To put it plainly, I am 100% willing to bite that bullet. I'd rather be called (what rounds up to) evil by people on the internet than have to suffer Rotherham-style gangs and bombings and vehicular attacks in my country.

(Although the argument that isolationists want an underclass seems so bizarre to me that I'm not even sure how to respond, from my perspective basically every western Europe country with the possible exception of Denmark does everything they can to have a combo of racialized underclass and permeable borders and fostering resentment in the native population.)

wanting a strong border is only "xenophobia" in the sense that locking your front door is "xenophobia" -- a definition of the word so tortured it conveys no useful information and exists solely as a means of attack. a group of people that have self-deternination have the right to decide who gets to join. the primary, and secondary, advocates of the "borders are evil and racist" theory also believe that certain ethnicities should not be allowed to cross borders into other communities because it's evil and racist.

and yeah the idea that a strong border that consistently keeps more people out is what creates a permanent underclass is openly nonsensical. it is the exact and literal opposite of the truth. not enforcing the border and thus letting in large numbers of people with no documentation who aren't interfaced with the government's records and programs is what does that. one of the most common arguments in favor of porous borders by Americans is "we need a permanent underclass to do the labor that we made it illegal to hire citizens to do."

In 1939 Poland was so xenophobic, trying to keep the Germans and Soviets out

@argumate the Native Americans were just xenophobic.

apparently, the natives were not xenophobic enough.

My priest is truly a good person and every Sunday he delivers such candid and touching speeches that I’m always left a bit teary.

Today he talked about how there is a crisis among men in the West and how their behaviour impacts the people around them, but especially women. How men’s conviction to be above others is what is dangerous to society and he proceeded by mentioning the spreading feminicides. He talked about how women have been mistreated and misjudged since the begging of time because people saw them as weak, when in reality in his eyes we are the most capable given our understanding of emotions and also all the struggles that women have to go through during their life, starting by motherhood but also the struggle of making ourselves convincing in the eyes of men that have an hard time putting their trust on us. Struggles that men could never understand, struggles that we have to suffer from in this society just because we are women. He also mentioned how a lot of those struggles come from the idea of some men that certain things are inherently “women’s stuff”, when in reality having empathy should be something to aim to for everyone. He said so many nice things, but I am afraid the rest of them wouldn’t matter to someone not interest in Christianity. I know that perhaps all of this will sound banal to some and I actually hope that it is the case for you, but in my reality I know all too well about men hurting women and how certain of them use religion to oppress women, but also everything that scares them. But in any case, women of this world or any nice soul reading this: you are strong so be kind to yourself and others, forgive and remember that you are not alone in this life<3

What the fuck is even happening in Syria anymore???

Every time I see someone post about how someone's life doesn't matter because they did something terrible, or that they deserve to die because of it, or that they don't deserve any pity or love or mercy or grace or forgiveness or redemption because they did horrible things... I just want to cry.

And it's worse when it's from a Christian. Because you know what?? That just doesn't seem Christ-like to me. God is a righteous and just God, but that's His job, not ours.

When it's you, it's sin.

The mantilla, a lacy, sometimes sparkly, transparent, half-circle or triangle-shaped garment, is often lauded as a traditional, reverent, catholic piece of church clothing, but it is none of the above. The mantilla is the long-lived fashion of the secular Spanish aristocracy, and until recently, was exclusive to those regions under Spanish influence and colonialism (absoloutly not universal or catholic). They were worn by women who didn't want to cover their pretty Catalan locks-- as good a reason as any to manipulate the traditions of the Church.

For a time, mantillas were even banned in the New World, and women wearing them would be denied communion. Why? Because the mantilla is not a veil. It's transparent-- in no way does it cover a woman's hair in the way Saint Paul described in Corinthians. He writes, "every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved. For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered." Women's heads and hair should be covered-- not adorned with glittering table coasters.

Fully ridiculous. Look me straight in the eyeballs and tell me this is what St. Paul had in mind when he told women to cover their heads. Be serious.

Though in Christianity, women do not veil out of any kind of modesty (or 'modesty'), the mantilla is immodest as it makes the practice of veiling into a fashion statement, which is what the mantilla always was since its very invention. It is not merely fashion (picking out a veil in a color that matches your outfit), but fashion meant to skirt the actual requirements of the church-- that is, a real, opaque veil that resembles something the historical church would've worn from the days of Pentecost to any time before the so-called Enlightenment. It would be better to wear no head covering of any kind or to simply braid your hair, than to engage in a practice of obstinate adornment. This is not my opinion as an Orthodox Christian (where proper veiling is more common but still not universal)-- it is the opinion of the historical Christian Church until about five seconds ago.

There is debate among Christians who study this teaching about whether Paul's words imply that the entirety of the hair (with the possible exception of bangs) should be covered, or if he means more specifically the head itself (allowing the length of the hair to hang out of the back of a veil). I do not feel strongly either way (in a theological sense) so long as the material is opaque and actually covers at least the area of the skull. That is the bare minimum of what Saint Paul writes.

Here are some examples of proper veils in a church environment:

I find this very pretty, but all I can think about is the satin slipping for all of the Divine Liturgy. I always have to clip and pin and have it tightly fastened before the curve of my skull.

Probably do not bring the sheep into the Church building.

The infatuation with mantillas in the non-Spanish/Latin world began, as far as I can surmise, piecemeal in the late 1800s, picking up to an almost universal practice after Vatican II. This is to say, now, when Roman Catholic women veil, they almost always wear a mantilla. Before the 60s, European and white American RC women mostly wore hats as their form of head covering, which are their own issue, mostly related to fashion and insufficient coverage. Is a "pillbox hat" really a head covering Saint Paul would find acceptable? But at least they're opaque, right? Well, I should pick my battles.

I believe the reason the mantilla is particularly popular among young Roman Catholic women is due to the way RC influencers and 'gurus' talk about the purpose of veiling.

The actual purpose of veiling is to submit to the commands of God as recorded by Saint Paul. This following of a commandment allows you to be properly reverent and to be in communion with the historical practices of the church, past, present, and future. It's a simple reason, not very wild, controversial, or entertaining. That's the problem for RC lady influencers-- there are only so many ways you can quote the letters to the Corinthians.

So, these women feel the need to make up other reasons to veil, all of which range from tangential, to irrelevant, to heretical. Here are some doozies:

Now, we do many things to imitate Mary-- notably, repeating her Magnificat. But Mary did not invent veiling. Veiling is a near-universal cultural practice, performed for many reasons. Of course, Mary rightfully and righteously participated in the veiling of Christianity, but she is not the reason why we veil (or ought to).

Notice how she covers herself?

2. To 'Express your Femininity'

Kill me now. Ok, it is fine and good if veiling makes you feel feminine or gets you more in touch with your femininity. That is a blessing. I know I never feel more beautiful than when I'm veiling, but this is not a reason we veil! Veiling is not about our internal feelings; it's about following a commandment.

Ohh yeah this is definitely Apostolic.

3. For Modesty

We've been over this one. Stop confusing Christianity with Muhammad's movement. Seriously, can we find a middle ground between imitating degenerate secular aristocracy and the false prophet's wives? At this point, I'm begging you.

4. To Show the Beauty of the Church

I am so sorry for you if you do not see the genuine beauty in the proper, traditional veiling of the Church. I don't know what else to tell you than that there is no tradition of the church that exists merely for your aesthetic entertainment. No statue carved nor icon writ, no paint spilled nor incense burned, no note sung, no vestment sewn has ever, ever been done merely because it is pretty. I understand the inclination to aesthetically prefer glittering lace that may dance in chapel light over a flat Pashmina or Pavlovsky Posad. However, I find it mind-boggling that this would seem a sufficient reason to abandon what the Scriptures actually demand. This is just as ridiculous as it would be to apostatize to Hinduism because you find their temples more visually appealing. You know what else is very sparkly and pretty? The Imam Ali Shrine in Iraq. Dazzling. But that does not make it part of the Christian Church. You must have the willpower and discernment to place what the Church demands above your personal fancies.

Women are so confused about veiling and the reasons why we must do it, is because veiling is no longer "simply what we do," as it has been both culturally and religiously until very recently. It is now, among RCs, an issue of controversy, somehow requiring justifications and auxiliary reasonings. It is not enough that Scripture demands it, the Church teaches it, and Her saints keep it-- there must be all these other reasons. This degradation of the veil began with things like the mantilla in Spain, the mesh bonnet and literal doyllie in Northern France and England, and other global innovations upon and rejections of the veil. We, as a Church, do not go from the wimple, to the mantilla, to a naked head over a few extremely progressive evenings. It was incremental, and participation in the mantilla only pushes us farther down the path of innovation.

If beauty is a real concern of yours, and no judgment if it is --the woman's heart years for beauty in a special and important way-- I think you'll find that the traditional veil allows just as much beauty and personal touch as the mantilla, if not much much more. Experimenting with veil styles is a small hobby of mine, and I feel accomplished when I can get the fabric to lay just right. My personal favorite is what I call the "cat ear" style, where there are two little peaks of fabric on the top of the head. Adorable.

Free yourself from mantilla mind slavery.

I think you're tilting at windmills, my friends. Experiences data does not make, but no reverent woman I know has ever worn what is effectively a doily on her head. And I fear for the (hopefully imaginary) ones that do.

Wear an actual veil.

Are you American (as in the Americas as a continental duo)? No idea how the veiling culture is in Europe, Africa, or East Asia, but the near exclusive form of the veil in the Americas is a lace, see-through mantilla, as I said because of Spanish influence. See-through mantillas of any length or size are still not acceptable, and that's the whole point of the post-- the first image is just a particurally egregious example.

can someone please tell me Bible lore/srs

like just the comprehensive story of the bible (Im not trying to sound like this is a joke,I'm being so fr rn)

edit: I found a anime version of the Bible...should help mypea brain for now

Necessary caveat: there are a lot of different versions of "the story of the Bible" dependent on how it's interpreted and what's emphasised. There would be significant differences between the story I'm about to tell and the story that, say, a Presbyterian or Methodist would tell - the one I'm going to tell is wildly different from the one a Jewish person would tell. In particular, I'll be drawing from books such as Wisdom of Solomon and 1 and 2 Maccabees that aren't in Jewish or Protestant Bibles, and those sections will be in red to highlight that. So, here goes my Orthodox layman explanation of the story of the Bible, drawing heavily on The Whole Counsel of God, a collection of exegetical essays by Fr. Stephen DeYoung, a priest and biblical scholar, On the Incarnation of the Word, a book about the reasons for and importance of the Incarnation by St. Athanasius of Alexandria, a 4th-century Egyptian bishop considered one of the greatest theologians of Christian history by pretty much all branches, and volumes 1 and 2 of Exposition of the Orthodox Faith by St. John of Damascus, a 7th century Syrian monk noted for his work in synthesising and summarising classical Eastern Christian theology:

The mantilla, a lacy, sometimes sparkly, transparent, half-circle or triangle-shaped garment, is often lauded as a traditional, reverent, catholic piece of church clothing, but it is none of the above. The mantilla is the long-lived fashion of the secular Spanish aristocracy, and until recently, was exclusive to those regions under Spanish influence and colonialism (absoloutly not universal or catholic). They were worn by women who didn't want to cover their pretty Catalan locks-- as good a reason as any to manipulate the traditions of the Church.

For a time, mantillas were even banned in the New World, and women wearing them would be denied communion. Why? Because the mantilla is not a veil. It's transparent-- in no way does it cover a woman's hair in the way Saint Paul described in Corinthians. He writes, "every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved. For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered." Women's heads and hair should be covered-- not adorned with glittering table coasters.

Fully ridiculous. Look me straight in the eyeballs and tell me this is what St. Paul had in mind when he told women to cover their heads. Be serious.

Though in Christianity, women do not veil out of any kind of modesty (or 'modesty'), the mantilla is immodest as it makes the practice of veiling into a fashion statement, which is what the mantilla always was since its very invention. It is not merely fashion (picking out a veil in a color that matches your outfit), but fashion meant to skirt the actual requirements of the church-- that is, a real, opaque veil that resembles something the historical church would've worn from the days of Pentecost to any time before the so-called Enlightenment. It would be better to wear no head covering of any kind or to simply braid your hair, than to engage in a practice of obstinate adornment. This is not my opinion as an Orthodox Christian (where proper veiling is more common but still not universal)-- it is the opinion of the historical Christian Church until about five seconds ago.

There is debate among Christians who study this teaching about whether Paul's words imply that the entirety of the hair (with the possible exception of bangs) should be covered, or if he means more specifically the head itself (allowing the length of the hair to hang out of the back of a veil). I do not feel strongly either way (in a theological sense) so long as the material is opaque and actually covers at least the area of the skull. That is the bare minimum of what Saint Paul writes.

Here are some examples of proper veils in a church environment:

I find this very pretty, but all I can think about is the satin slipping for all of the Divine Liturgy. I always have to clip and pin and have it tightly fastened before the curve of my skull.

Probably do not bring the sheep into the Church building.

The infatuation with mantillas in the non-Spanish/Latin world began, as far as I can surmise, piecemeal in the late 1800s, picking up to an almost universal practice after Vatican II. This is to say, now, when Roman Catholic women veil, they almost always wear a mantilla. Before the 60s, European and white American RC women mostly wore hats as their form of head covering, which are their own issue, mostly related to fashion and insufficient coverage. Is a "pillbox hat" really a head covering Saint Paul would find acceptable? But at least they're opaque, right? Well, I should pick my battles.

I believe the reason the mantilla is particularly popular among young Roman Catholic women is due to the way RC influencers and 'gurus' talk about the purpose of veiling.

The actual purpose of veiling is to submit to the commands of God as recorded by Saint Paul. This following of a commandment allows you to be properly reverent and to be in communion with the historical practices of the church, past, present, and future. It's a simple reason, not very wild, controversial, or entertaining. That's the problem for RC lady influencers-- there are only so many ways you can quote the letters to the Corinthians.

So, these women feel the need to make up other reasons to veil, all of which range from tangential, to irrelevant, to heretical. Here are some doozies:

Now, we do many things to imitate Mary-- notably, repeating her Magnificat. But Mary did not invent veiling. Veiling is a near-universal cultural practice, performed for many reasons. Of course, Mary rightfully and righteously participated in the veiling of Christianity, but she is not the reason why we veil (or ought to).

Notice how she covers herself?

2. To 'Express your Femininity'

Kill me now. Ok, it is fine and good if veiling makes you feel feminine or gets you more in touch with your femininity. That is a blessing. I know I never feel more beautiful than when I'm veiling, but this is not a reason we veil! Veiling is not about our internal feelings; it's about following a commandment.

Ohh yeah this is definitely Apostolic.

3. For Modesty

We've been over this one. Stop confusing Christianity with Muhammad's movement. Seriously, can we find a middle ground between imitating degenerate secular aristocracy and the false prophet's wives? At this point, I'm begging you.

4. To Show the Beauty of the Church

I am so sorry for you if you do not see the genuine beauty in the proper, traditional veiling of the Church. I don't know what else to tell you than that there is no tradition of the church that exists merely for your aesthetic entertainment. No statue carved nor icon writ, no paint spilled nor incense burned, no note sung, no vestment sewn has ever, ever been done merely because it is pretty. I understand the inclination to aesthetically prefer glittering lace that may dance in chapel light over a flat Pashmina or Pavlovsky Posad. However, I find it mind-boggling that this would seem a sufficient reason to abandon what the Scriptures actually demand. This is just as ridiculous as it would be to apostatize to Hinduism because you find their temples more visually appealing. You know what else is very sparkly and pretty? The Imam Ali Shrine in Iraq. Dazzling. But that does not make it part of the Christian Church. You must have the willpower and discernment to place what the Church demands above your personal fancies.

Women are so confused about veiling and the reasons why we must do it, is because veiling is no longer "simply what we do," as it has been both culturally and religiously until very recently. It is now, among RCs, an issue of controversy, somehow requiring justifications and auxiliary reasonings. It is not enough that Scripture demands it, the Church teaches it, and Her saints keep it-- there must be all these other reasons. This degradation of the veil began with things like the mantilla in Spain, the mesh bonnet and literal doyllie in Northern France and England, and other global innovations upon and rejections of the veil. We, as a Church, do not go from the wimple, to the mantilla, to a naked head over a few extremely progressive evenings. It was incremental, and participation in the mantilla only pushes us farther down the path of innovation.

If beauty is a real concern of yours, and no judgment if it is --the woman's heart years for beauty in a special and important way-- I think you'll find that the traditional veil allows just as much beauty and personal touch as the mantilla, if not much much more. Experimenting with veil styles is a small hobby of mine, and I feel accomplished when I can get the fabric to lay just right. My personal favorite is what I call the "cat ear" style, where there are two little peaks of fabric on the top of the head. Adorable.

Free yourself from mantilla mind slavery.

I feel so sad reading all these young women feel sad at only owning lace veils. The mantilla or lace veil is so today's standard, for one, no one can really be blamed unless they study the teaching and just choose to ignore it. A lot of girls, especially converts into a traditional space, are gifted mantillas by women around them. Of course that's what you have. It wasn't my intention to shame anyone. Like I said, we can always just wear nothing (If I don't have a veil with me, or if I'm unexpectedly in church, or just forgot one, I braid or tie up my hair if I don't feel like annoying the people I'm with by holding a builtin on my head (which would be my preference))

If you want to start veiling, it's as easy as just a regular scarf. I got my first veil on amazon, which I will link: Achillea Soft Silky Reversible Paisley Pashmina Shawl Wrap Scarf w/Fringes (Burgundy) at Amazon Women’s Clothing store

When you have more than one Pashmina (IMO, one of the most useful pieces of clothing in existence, so so many uses both fashion and practical), you start to develop a collection. People give them to you, you rescue them at thrift stores (or maybe that's just me), it's a little activity, and it doesn't need to be any pressure.

Remember, please remember, veils used to be, especially in deserts or cold climates, simply part of the everyday dress of women. They kept us warm or cool, kept snow or sand out of our faces, and so on. Do not let anyone tell you that you can't just use a regular scarf as your veil. I will list some more pictures, and you can't tell me that these women aren't using those scarves to bundle up in the winter too.