@Draccy69 Hi I really enjoyed Blossom of Bone by Randy P. Conner as a general LGTB+ spiritual history. As a more specific masculine path, I didn't read many, but the last one (which I also enjoyed and recommend) was Le Masculine Sacrè by Antinoüs Seranill. Do you know any others?

In Peru it was a "Hunger Games" deal, each district would send child tributes. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30840642/ A mass sacrifice of children and camelids at the Huanchaquito-Las Llamas site, Moche Valley, Peru Here we report the results of excavation and interdisciplinary study of the largest child and camelid sacrifice known from the New World. Stratigraphy, associated artifacts, and radiocarbon dating indicate that it was a single mass killing of more than 140 children and over 200 camelids directed by the Chimú state, c. AD 1450. Preliminary DNA analysis indicates that both boys and girls were chosen for sacrifice. Variability in forms of cranial modification (head shaping) and stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen suggest that the children were a heterogeneous sample drawn from multiple regions and ethnic groups throughout the Chimú state. The Huanchaquito-Las Llamas mass sacrifice opens a new window on a previously unknown sacrificial ritual from fifteenth century northern coastal Peru. Archaeology proves "conquistador" reports of natives doing this. & they did it partly to................ .......wait for it.......... .............stop climate change. While the motivation for such a massive sacrifice is a subject for further research, there is archaeological evidence that it was associated with a climatic event (heavy rainfall and flooding) that could have impacted the economic, political and ideological stability of one of the most powerful states in the New World during the fifteenth century A.D.

Interesting discussion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GH8Hag5dUw Some bits new to me: Medieval artists always depicted Jesus as nailed through His hands. Today we know, Romans nailed victims through their wrists. Shroud has wrists. key specks of pollen & dirt have been located-dated to 1st century Jerusalem. Blood & dirt specks were deposited before the image. Again it fits narrative of a body that was entombed, later dissolved by some sort of radiation. the image is, again, "negative" (tho not 2-D photography; it's weirdly enhanced with foreshortening & depth info). For centuries, people never saw photo negatives. So they couldn't recognize this image. Only in late 1800s, as it was re-negatived or double-negatived by photography, did it leap out.

Video of Dec 31, 2019, where Francis is enraged at Chinese woman who makes contact. https://x.com/i/status/1212069459155914753 [image: 1745426912406-9395e882-8e96-4ae3-ba4a-bb2a02debcd5-image.png] To concede: She yanks him too hard. I'd be angry. Then again: I'm not Bishop of Rome at Christmas, she's desperate, & his double-slapping her was petty (if not racist). Longer video, which I could not find, is said to be worse - Francis shakes many hands but turns away from her specially. Demeaning. Pettiness has been rumored with Francis, for years. Pope St. John Paul II, or even Pope Benedict XVI, if grabbed too hard, might have at least smiled & waited for his guards who were right there. Here is JP2 forgiving & comforting his assassin, Mehmet Ali Agca. [image: 1745427466463-6a9f58b0-50cd-4faa-806f-2cb1102e8cee-image.png] Sorry, JP2 & Francis are not alike. ps. Just to illustrate things. To repeat what truly bothers me: [CIA-backed, and ] In covid, Francis was destructively pro-lockdown & pro-mandate - he was fine with churches closed (but bars & porn shops left open), Catholics denied important rites, people forced to die isolated from family visitors, people locked in homes & driven to suicide Could add: When Biden admin targeted USA Catholics who merely spoke at school board meetings - targeted them for monitoring, FBI raids, lawfare etc. Francis, that we know of, said nothing against it ever. Did he at least "love the poor" as his propaganda said? Again see covid time: Rich people barely-worked from home, while poor people worked in farms, stores & delivery services - if they didn't lose their jobs. If anyone ought to have provided moral leadership then, it was il Papa. But Francis was either big ol' nothing, or worse: advocate for the most inhumane policies. So I conclude, Francis pattern was: [he] did not care for human rights - whenever it mattered

Very interesting---thank you for sharing. Armenia has a very interesting history, often missed by people. The Roman Empire extended into Armenia some centuries earlier, and at least one temple from that time still exists (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garni_Temple ).

Oops, he did it again. https://nypost.com/2024/06/12/world-news/pope-francis-repeats-gay-slur-just-weeks-after-apologizing-for-using-it-reports/ Yesterday, [Francis] is accused of saying “There is an air of frociaggine in the Vatican” — a disparaging Italian term roughly translating as “f—–ness” during a closed-door meeting with roughly 200 priests at Rome’s Salesian Pontifical University on Tuesday, Italy’s ANSA news agency reported. The 87-year-old Argentine also allegedly suggested that it was better that young men with homosexual tendencies not be allowed to enter the seminary, the reports say. Again: conservative opponents of Francis say, not only does Pot call Kettle black; Pot tries to wear a beard now.

Another member of SPI religious group arrested. This time... guess.... child abuse. https://thepostmillennial.com/sisters-of-perpetual-indulgence-drag-queen-arrested-over-child-porn-allegations-in-wisconsin 'Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence' drag queen arrested over child porn allegations in Wisconsin Adam Westbrook is also the human resources director for Outagamie County, Wisconsin. While formal charges have not yet been filed, officials with the sheriff's office have recommended charges of four counts of possession of child pornography and four counts of sexual exploitation of a child. [image: 1708363588744-original_westbrook.jpg]

@eobox91103 Interesting. Thank you. @flozen Big reaction. OK.

@raphjd Yes, it turns out that the "making of the 2015/2016/2017 calendar" is live at https://www.gaytor.rent/details.php?id=9ab2ee94bf51613b3f627acd8bc2072fddce83a45d3a9613 . The "making of 2017" is dead at https://www.gaytor.rent/details.php?id=732bc6620d41e3363f627acd8bc2072fd8e78e14a66b4fa4 , but there are some good preview pics.

These are amazing. Where can I see more?

Pray to stop watching gay porn? Umm, no. Bisexual porn? No. Straight porn? Nope. I don't see how one is greater or is considered "more sinful" than the other, lol! Hell, if it weren't for porn, I'd never have "met" my porn husband Boomer Banks.

@nagysanci I think its not.Wasnt the final goal of buddhists to erase any kind of desires in order to achieve happiness? I dont know too much about this but i remember it was something like, when life gives y something not matching your expectations y suffer pain,and if life gives y all y expect your expectations rise so the only way to avoid pain(and thus achieve happines) is to erase any desirey have. How can that match with sexual desire? If y get blocked by the 10 in grindr, y will suffer, so y wont be happy according to buddhism XDD Excuse my english

@eobox91103 said in First Trans Lutheran Bishop: Religion, or something claiming to be religion, is a part of society and family, and something that will affect LGBT people in a variety of ways. It would be good to have discussion on that, especially since the religion topics don't seem dominated by bullies or cancel culture. I agree with the first part of the quote. On one hand, the historical Churches are certainly declining in attendance, but religion, the feeling of transcendence or the need to feel a transcendent, arcane and trans-individual "breath" is still very present (in yoga trend, the fascination of superheroes sagas...). On the other hand, the non-historical churches, e.g. charismatic churches, are very much flourishing. And these tendencies, institutions, gatherings, and movements do impact the life of LGBTQ people. Concerning the second part of the quote, I shall partially disagree. I have read posts in this forum in which the tones weren't always respectful, or weren't perceived as respectful by the party concerned. I guess there is always room for improvement! Anyway, in light of my personal religious path and my gay identity, I would be very much interested in sharing positive and negative interactions with religious institutions and persons with other members of this Forum and Community! Best, K.

I have found that religious people are LESS moral.. because they tend to be HYPOCRITES! For instance.. you have two men.. both of them get drunk.. one of them is a construction worker wearing a "Drink Budweiser" shirt, the other is a priest who preaches that getting drunk is a sin which one is behaving less moral?

@blablarg18 About "caring" -- I found K's pics of hard-core Lenten rituals very interesting, glad he brought this thread to the Forum. You can keep those blessings for me, and in return, I won't seek the guidance you need from my trusty Ouija board, lol, lol. End of comments. [image: 1650225983835-easter.jpg]