

37 years old
Not Specified
from Memphis, TN

  • Activity

    • America's Divorce

      1 year ago

      Priest NonSequitur OCC Consular

      So America decides to divorce itself over political attitudes.  The Federal Government dissolves and each new area will be populated only with people who share certain political alignments. They are required to setup their own governance and elect their own leaders. Everything needs to be divided up. 

      - How many new states are there and where are they located?

      -What type of governance will each new state have?

      -Who is the most iconic leader of each state?

      -What is their motto?

    • Michelle Wolf

      1 year ago

      Priest NonSequitur OCC Consular

      So I watched the bit. Look, I get roasts and I get comedy. I wasn't a fan of the bit. Sure, its free speech, and freedom does not equal taste. I wouldn't go so far as saying that I was offended, but I didn't like it.  I'll tell you why.

      Edit- I should probably say why.

      I get that comedy does sometimes exercise speech in a way that is controversial and offensive. Comedy is the canary in the coal mine of freedom of speech. I believe what she said WAS comedy and I really appreciate the fact that we are free enough to have someone so publicly emasculate powerful people without worrying about being dragged out of their house in the middle of the night and sent to a secret prison. So, while I found many of the things she said troubling, I by no means support anyone who would tell her that she wasn't free to say what she said. Just to get that out of the way. On one hand, I understand her. The 'facts' that she thew out there were correct. Trump has said many things that she lampooned and his Presidency has been wrought with 'truthiness' issues.  But on the other hand...should stones be thrown in response to stones? I felt, at times, like she crossed the line. Comedy doesn't have to be funny. Comedy doesn't have to be appropriate; but if I have the right to my own agency, I can listen and my opinion matters...if it is only to me. It was mean spirited and misplaced.

      Something else came up after I wrote this that I wanted to talk about . I watched the Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota interview with Matt Schlapp.  There is one HUGE exception that I take with their interview. Instead of dealing with Schlapp's points, they grilled him on if he supported Trump's making fun of disabled people. This is a really weak argument. Let's turn it around: if they take exception with Trump making fun of disabled people, then aren't they hypocritical if they don't also condemn this?  Wolf's comedic attacks weren't just on facts, she emasculated Paul Ryan, she attacked Sarah Huckabee-Sanders in ways that were super personal, and the list goes on. Why is it when a left-leaning comic just rips into a conservative it's downplayed as a 'roast?'  There doesn't need to be a comparison...that's what gets me: if you think it's wrong on one side, than you should think it wrong on the other.

      The entire set annoyed me. There were funny parts, and she is a very talented comic; but she was so eager to twist the knife.  She went to hurt. And I'm not okay with that...I don't care who you are.   

    • State of the Union

      1 year ago

      Priest NonSequitur OCC Consular

      We are constantly inundated with messaging that the sky is falling. In regard to our President, I've made it clear that while I'm conservative...I'm not a fan. Still, I am aware that all the information that we bring in is curated by systems that are designed to create sensationalism and bias (as it sells views.) 

      With that being said...

      Objectively, what is the current state of the United States? I'm not saying how people feel or perceive things to be, but from a strictly data-driven perspective, how are we doing?

    • Plugging excellence and looking back to look forward

      1 year ago

      Priest NonSequitur OCC Consular

      So I realized that I haven't trolled around the "everyone" or "staff" feeds in a long time ( @EricHVela would have words with me on this. One of the things that I quickly realized is that there are people out there still that have fantastic things to say. One of them, a staff member @ericvespe has a really cool job and I didn't know that he existed until a few days ago. His journal entries are fabulous and I have enjoyed reading them all. I've had to fight the urge to comment on each of them (that would make me stalkerish) but his work in his journal is easily the best thing that I've seen at RT in the past few months.  Of course, he could be incredibly famous and I've just been living under a rock for a long time and the last to the party...but I'm okay with that.

      So I want to take a second to plug him. This latest journal only has +3 Cool, despite the fact that it is an interview with the director of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. How cool is that? And yet, only three of them being mine.  If you read this, please go out, give the guy some love, go to his twitter and RT him (BTW, he is pointing people TO to read his journal) THIS is the type of interaction we need here. We need people like him doing really cool things like this in the community and it needs to be celebrated.  We need people to come to the community and experience really cool content here. 

      That being said, I want to talk about the current state of cinema. I can't tell you how happy I was back in the middle 2000's when superhero flicks began to take off. I graduated High School in 2000 and back then it wasn't cool to like sci-fi or comicbook media. I was a HUGE Star Wars fan, and while people liked the movie, they thought it was weird for me to read the books and comics as well. It was not cool to be a nerd. The fact that this genre began to eek into mainstream really made me happy.

      But the older I get, the more tired I am of it. I feel like I've seen the same movie several times over. Origin stories are all Spiderman. A reclusive person who just lives an ordinary life suddenly becomes extraordinary. There is an external opposing force that must be fought and is vanquished once the hero truly embraces themselves. I worry that we've been so oversaturated on hero flicks that I'm just never going to be excited about another one.  But as long as they make money, they'll churn them out.

      The other type of movie, the sequel, the prequel, and the reboot rely entirely on nostalgia. We watch these things to feel the way we felt when we first saw the thing this thing is based on. Its stuck riding the expectation of the past on rails that are completely subjective. Will the next Star Wars flick be as good as Empire? Nope. And yet we always have that expectation which always leaves us disappointed. The Last Jedi was a great movie, but because it didn't fit into the mold of the expectation it was panned by fanbois. Go back and re-watch it. It holds up well (except for Leia in Space...and the Porgs.)

      I want to know what the next thing is going to be. Once we cross the hill of this time of mediocre storytelling that relies too much on nostalgia or formula...what is next? What is the next thing that really is going to matter?

    • Passion/Perception. Pondering Profession Possibilities.

      1 year ago

      Priest NonSequitur OCC Consular

      So rolling through the Everyone feed sooner or later you will come across a post that goes something like this:


      I love you guys! Rooster Teeth has always been my passion as long as I can remember. I want to go to school and do X or Y so that someday I can work for you!!! I love you so much!"

      As a fan, I get it. I grew up here with a community of people who have invested in me and I in them. I always had a thought rolling around in the back of my mind that RT really could use me. I'm not an artist, per se.  Sure, I have a degree in vocal music performance, but I don't see how that would be applicable here. Actually...I do see how it is a cautionary tale.

      When I graduated High School, I didn't know what I wanted to do. I was an above average student, but I was still relatively average. I had moderate self-esteem issues and I really didn't feel like I would be good in any real 'profession' that was available. I did one thing really well: I sang.  I still sing really well. I thought that if I went to school to learn to sing better, or perhaps teach it, that I would be able to apply my 'passion' to my profession. I had serious thoughts about producing an album, moving to LA or Nashville, and trying my darnedest to get noticed by some producer. Heck, I even thought I could make it on the New York Broadway scene. Parts of me still think I could.

      But that's not the story.

      When I got to college, I realized how hard the vocal music path was.  I was naturally good, but that made me technically lazy. Still, I wanted to be good, so I worked at it. For three years I grew better, but I lacked the drive and the ambition.  

      Think about that for a second: I have one talent, one that arguably I possessed in better quantities than anyone around me (even not putting in the effort I still out-classed my peers in proficiency) but in my really was a dead talent. I didn't like doing it. I didn't practice because I didn't WANT to sing.

      What I wanted was the result. I wanted a little fame, I wanted a growing crowd of people around me. I wanted people to say "That's Jared, he's amazing!" I wanted people to take pictures with me and feel special that they met me. I wanted a little fame, but more to the point, I wanted to fit into that niche that everyone craves, crawling out of the mire of impersonality and into the realm of the unique. 

      I didn't realize this until much later, of course.  So I burned out. I got tired of the singing, even though I was better at it than ever. I graduated with a degree in vocal music performance without the barest desire to even use the degree. Instead I went into customer service.

      Looking back, I still wouldn't change a thing. I had fun and I did learn some stuff. The most important thing I have learned, though, is that, like meeting your idols, it is dangerous to sign on the line with your talents. I thought it would be something great; but now I sit here, in an office at 3:01 AM doing Human Resources tasks, and I am HAPPIER than I ever was studying music.  

      So, a bit unconventional but here is some advice: Before you chase your dreams, be sure you actually want to catch them. From what I hear, working at Rooster Teeth is not for the feint of heart. 

    • Open Letter to Rooster Teeth

      1 year ago

      Priest NonSequitur OCC Consular

      Dear Rooster Teeth  

      There was a moment in the RT Podcast where you discussed the health of the Community site. As a fairly regular member of the Forums, I thought you might like my take on the issue as this site means a lot to me and I want to see it thrive and succeed. So first, a little bit about me and the history of the community site as I know it, then a brief discussion of the points you raised on the podcast, and finally a few ideas and words of encouragement.  Note; I'm not expecting y'all to respond back, I'm just tagging you so you can read this if you choose. My hope is that I can add context to your strategic planning and help present a case on why the site has died, and what I believe needs to be done to resurrect it. 

      My first exposure to RoosterTeeth was in 2005, my senior year of college. My buddy got me hooked on RvB and so I came to the site. At the time, I wasn't terribly active: I spent more time at TheForce.Net, but over the course of time THIS site became my internet home. Sometime after 2010 I became really involved in the site. We tended to congregate in the LvL20 General Welcome thread. It was a grab bag of personalities and we thrived on long form communication and community. To give you an example: in 2011 I announced my wife's pregnancy. This was the FIRST place I thought to do that because the relationships that I had been building here mattered more to me than many other 'real' relationships I had. 

      There was a group of us that wanted to have more 'structured' dialog, and so we started the Oxford Comma Cafe. In its heyday, the OCC boasted several hundred REAL posts (not just one-line responses, but serious long form thoughts) a day and we talked about ANYTHING. Religion, Politics, Guns, Sexual Orientation, Social Justice...anything was up for grabs. Whats more, we didn't agree on everything. We'd spend weeks holding court with each other, presenting cases and arguments but in such a manner as to protect the integrity of each other and build each other up instead of tearing down. Iron sharpens Iron and so we viewed these discussions as making us better PEOPLE in general. We weren't just bullshitting...we, and I'm speaking for all of us but encourage others in the Cafe to add their two cents, all became better people because of this place.

      Then the site died.

      I know that there were things behind the scenes. I know that blip going down was hard and you had to rush in new code to keep something. I'm not going to belittle that point; we all know that the situation was not ideal, it was what it was. The one thing that I want to address is the fact that I felt that the support we received during that time was...underwhelming.  There was little meaningful communication and I felt like there needed to be some stronger, more personalized actions coming out of RT to ensure that people (like the OCC) felt like the home they had built over years of activity wasn't just going to poop out. It did...we lost our entire history in the lvl 20 forums as that did not pass over; but it was never truly addressed and I believe that was the moment where users felt a breach of trust between RT and the community.

      but we moved on. Functionality was still a great hindrance to the site, things worked....okay and we memed things (like the forum yeti which forced us to @LoZelda as tribute at the top of every new page.) In addition to technical issues and the distrust that came with miscommunication, we also began to see an emerging trend where RT talent relied on other forms of social media, pushing YouTube, interacting more on Reddit other than walking through the streets of their own community. Because of that, users flocked out to other social media sites where they felt like they would get more up to date communication than on the site.  This is true: Twitter and Reddit consistently get notified about things on the site before the site itself is updated with the communication. This frustrated the user base which fell off even more.

      To this point, we have seen little advancement in strategy to engage with the Community side of things. We are bolt on to the overall mission of RoosterTeeth.  The store, for example, has had numerous re-launches (two of which I know) and yet when I check the box "open link in new window" putting a link in this very does not open link in new box.  The Search function is terrible and useless. Finding and cross-pollinating between groups has become tedious if not all together impossible. Whats more, the user base has dwindled to the point that I consistently am in the top five users each week with under 100 posts a week and there are really less than 10 active threads in general discussion. As a matter of fact, there are some top level forums that haven't seen activity in over 3 years.

      So here we are today, There is an acknowledgement that 'something' has happened to the forums, but I don't know if RoosterTeeth has really acknowledged the root cause, nor placed a lot of effort in resolving it. I get it. You don't owe me anything. Pizza Hut used to be a dine-in restaurant with delivery options, but now its impossible to find a dine-in Pizza Hut because their market changed to focus on delivery. They're not telling me I can't have a pizza...they're just telling me that they're not supplying me with a dining room. RoosterTeeth needs to either acknowledge that the community is not a priority and cut it with the understanding that they will survive it. We all know they would.  But, if they are community focused and just haven't figured out how to do it, they need to influx resources into a massive campaign and restore trust and faith with us.  I'll get to that in a minute. So with that said, I want to address the points you brought up on the Podcast.

      1. Is the decline because of all the social media that RT uses?  YES. Think about the movie Cars. Radiator Springs used to be a booming town on RT66, but when the highway bypasses the town only those who live there and have a sustainability that is attached to the community are able to thrive; everyone else moves on.  That is what has happened here. You create fast-lanes prioritizing access to content that doesn't involve interacting here, and in fact you actually incentivize people to use other paths by interacting through those mediums and providing more value there. If I want to know immediately what is up, I go to Twitter, not to  There is no value in coming to the community, because the road completely bypasses us.

      2.Is the decline because users do not get gratification by interaction (from RT Staff/Cast) because it isn't there?  YES. This is also a bit of an issue. Now keep in mind, I am more of an adult than some of the people around here, and I understand that it takes an incredible amount of energy to engage with people on the level that you would have to engage with them on. I can't imagine you responding to every single summons (which is why I'm not expecting you to respond to this) as you have a life. You can't kiss every baby, and community members who expect you to be at their beckon call to satisfy their validation need to re-evaluate their priorities. Still, being active and present should be a priority in SOME capacity.  We feel like this was a town you built, and then moved out of. 

      3. People are intimidated by long form communication.  That's so pessimistic Gus!! Seriously, though, you do have a point. Many people today have been taught to communicate online through Twitter. As such, things like this journal entry are far too much of an investment in time for them. Still, I believe that this behavior can be learned, and I think that there is explicit value in maintaining the art of online communication in this form. That's why we have the OCC.

      4. This place is for discussions (on Gaming or movies, or anything you want to discuss.) I paraphrased you Burnie. While I partially agree with you I want to point out the flaw: It is a community, not just a place to discuss stuff. This is a place where we come to meet people and then exchange ideas. Some of the best people in my life are here. I met @Desayjin because of this site, and our families have had dinner together several times (we need to do that again, James before bambina tres comes along.) It's not just about discussions...its about a thriving cohort of PEOPLE. It's the interaction that happens when people know they have a voice and are able to connect with each other. Discussions are better the more you know the person. 

      So finally, let me lay out a few things that I think could help you in your discussions. 

      First, RoosterTeeth needs to re-earn the trust of the community. It has come to the point where we feel like the community is irrelevant. Heck, even a link to the Forum was overlooked with the site update. 

      Second, we need more interaction. Social interaction is necessary for community. I suggest that RT staff and cast take to their other outlets and try to funnel people back to the community. Have RT do some large, heavily promoted community events that are only discussed on the site. Link from Twitter and FB and Reddit BACK to the Forum. Draw people in.  

      Third, don't waste time in starting the refresh of the community: Prioritize it. Its...not ideal right now. As far as I know, the OCC is the largest, most dedicated posting body on the Forums other than RWBY (I'd love to see metrics on that btw.) Also, please don't destroy our homes. It took over a month before we could re-create the OCC, and it really never was the same. If we lose everything we have, I don't foresee us staying on the site. We'd most likely end up in Discord, which really doesn't achieve the Forum like communication that we champion. 

      Fourth, communicate. We need to know what and why. We need timelines. We need to be able to give feedback and know it's being heard. We need to know that RT values our input and our desires. Again, I am not are a for profit organization and I'm sure that you have tables that show the amount of revenue to expenditure that the forum represents, and I guarantee that even including FIRST (god I hate that, go back to subscribers) members it doesn't pay for itself. I get it. If we really are not a priority, then just cut the line and stop pulling the bait. But if we are; please make good on your promises.

      Again, I love this site, and I appreciate all of you. Burnie, I want you to know that my wife was pissed off when you guys didn't win the Amazing Race; She has no time for RoosterTeeth and thinks I'm an incredible nerd...but she loved the way you and Ashley ran.  Barbara, I thank you for the number of times that you have come and talked with us at the OCC, and still think that you could give Margot Robbie a run for her money playing Harleyquinn. Gus, You are my spirit animal. If you ever get to Memphis, I'll try to see if I can get you a ride in our simulators. Becca, I don't know you very well, but I appreciate your dedication to this site and Chelsea...You rock. Thanks for putting up with us in the Old Person's Home, and thanks for always being willing to listen.

      Sincerely and with respect,

      Jared "Priest" C 







    • The Question Game

      in Forums > The Question Game | Follow this topic

      Priest NonSequitur OCC Consular

      Here's the way to play:

      Tag someone and ask them a question, and they will answer honestly. Once they have answered, go back and edit your question to make them look like a monster.  First one:


      Who is the most overrated and useless comic book hero? 

      65 replies

    • What's next?

      1 year ago

      Priest NonSequitur OCC Consular

      So back in December I attained my Project Management Professional Certification (PMP.) To be honest, I am prouder of this accomplishment than I am of my degree. In all possible worlds, me going down this path makes absolutely no sense. I am not built like a project manager. I am a project manager's worst nightmare.

      I am a free spirit at heart and to be honest VERY scatterbrained. I literally went to school to learn how to sing, and when I got out five years later instead of going and singing my lil heart out...I decided that I wanted to take the raw-end of customer service and go work in an insurance call center. Yes...that's fun... From there, I worked for a bit, moved into the Marketing Space where I thought I'd get to play with crayons, but instead I had to be process driven and focused. This wasn't me...but I was pretty good at it (so long as I made myself pay attention.)

      Then I met a girl, fell in love, and asked her to marry me. She moved me to Arkansas where I went to work as a supervisor of a benefits team for this company that moves a whole bunch of packages by truck.  I wasn't so good at the supervising, but I was really good at solving problems and figuring out how to do things that hadn't been done before. Again...just a guy who spent days of his life plunking clumsily on a keyboard trying to figure out his part leading. I wanted to perform, to intrigue and beguile audiences, and here I was in a cubicle trying to figure out how the hell a pivot table REALLY worked.  Wasn't what I thought I'd be doing...but it was a job.

      I then got a shot to move to a BIGGER part of the company, one that still moves packages but does it by airplane.  Cool, huh? The coolest part? I was hired to talk. Yep...That's my dream job. The second most terrifying thing that most humans hate...I love. Whats more, I was hired to go directly into hostile environments and give them information on benefits changes which...unless you're a child, you realize that NEVER EVER EVER change to be more rich.  What's more, I bid specifically to get the most 'at risk' groups. So I spent a few years going into hostile situations, letting people yell at me about things I couldn't change and being held personally responsible for any and all adverse situations.  I LOVED it. If employee engagement was Star Wars, I'd be freaking Darth Maul (without the whole...bisecting situation.)

      Sadly, as things go, the company changed strategies and moved the ENTIRE department off to a 'special' segment that did IT, HR, Comp type stuff. Keep in mind, I have NO marketable skills for this. I am a singer and vagabond, roaming across the wastes of the US telling people that they're going to have to pay $50 more a month for benefits that weren't as rich as last year. This was no longer a priority, and everything that we had been no longer. What ever will I do?

      I rolled with it. I adapted. I got thrust into the world of project management...I just didn't know that's what it was, nor what it actually meant. I was getting a nice paycheck for not knowing what I was doing...but I'm really good at projecting confidence and responding intelligently. It's amazing how many people think you are really smart so long as you never really say anything.

      So I sat back and watched. And watched. And watched.  I learned what a 'deliverable' was. I learned what a specification was, but I got it confused with requirements and had to figure that out. I learned about change orders. I learned about User Acceptance Testing. All of this made not one lick of sense to me starting out, mind you...but I learned anyway. I made mistakes, asked dumb questions (after I realized that I had a kick ass manager who didn't fire you for asking questions that revealed your deficiencies.) I learned. Slowly but surely, I learned.

      One day, I learned that there were certain certifications that were available that could give you a good knowledge base AND make you more marketable. This PMP thing sounded interesting and since I was wanting to earn more money and really needed to learn some stuff, I did it.  IT WAS HARD!!!! I took a week long bootcamp that totally went over my head. After that, I read several books and over the course of the next few months I failed to study like I needed to. Personal life happened and I soon passed the window to register for the test. booo.

      Two years pass.

      I decide to try to do the PMP thing again. I talk my MD (who had already paid for me to go through the bootcamp once) to pay again. He agrees. They also agree to pay for the test. I go through the bootcamp again and am STILL lost.  I fail to start studying when I really should (again) But this time, I decide that I'm going to take it more seriously. I start to really dive into it. I take advantage of resources I have at work (skillsoft ftw) and I really dig deep. You know what?  It starts to make some sense. I start to memorize all process groups, all knowledge areas and the important input/outputs and tools/techniques. It starts to make sense, and not just in the 'hey pass this and you get a certification' way, but 'hey, if you just follow these steps, you can, you know, like, build something really cool.' Still, I didn't have the confidence I was going to pass. I went into the test with a heavy heart, KNOWING that I was going to fail. I didn't. I passed. Not only did I pass...but I passed solidly. I exceeded expectations.

      That is why it is so important for me.  I realized that I had gone to school to sing because I was ALREADY good at it. I learned some stuff, yes...but I really just did well enough to pass my classes and never really pushed myself to LEARN something I didn't organically know how to do. This was the first time I had taken an off-ramp and done something COMPLETELY outside my comfort zone, learning a skill that I had no real grasp on, and I did a good job. I learned I wasn't just limited to the brilliance that I just normally exude (yes, I'm smart..not as smart as many of you, but I am an excel GOD in my old org.) I feel like this was the first time I TRULY earned something.

      So...what's next?  SHRM-CP? PHR? PMI-ACP? I learn to play the Tuba? 

    • RT Radio DJ Spot

      1 year ago

      Priest NonSequitur OCC Consular


      @MauriceV has asked me to do a guest DJ for RT Radio tomorrow.  Please tune in at 4:PM CT and hang out in Chat

    • Galatians

      1 year ago

      Priest NonSequitur OCC Consular

      The book of Galatians was written by Paul the Apostle to the Church at Galatia. It is one of his earlier writings.  Basically the theme of the letter is urging the Galatians to avoid the legalism in the practice of the Mosaic Law and instead focus on how it is contextualized in the Covenant act of Jesus on the Cross.  You see, what was happening here was that the Jewish converts were requiring that gentile converts follow the law of Moses which requires significant sacrifice (specifically in Paul's argument circumcision.)

      The first two chapters are typical Paul: He greets the church, he reminds them of the Gospel of Jesus as well as his own path and subsequent conversion and then the issues he faced with the Apostles and specifically Peter (Cephas.) And THIS is where the crux of the letter begins.

      Peter had been hanging with the Gentiles and being lax in his own Jewish purity rules, but then when some hard line supporters (he calls them the circumcision group) comes, he draws back...and distances himself from the gentiles. Paul calls him out on this and basically outs Peter as living like a Gentile when his friends weren't watching.  Hard core, bro. Paul then goes into a masterclass on how Christians should relate to each other and he also passes some really deep theology on salvation in general. There are several things I want to point out here.

      1. We are not justified by faith in our religion, we are justified by faith in Christ (Galatians 2). Paul outlines the flaws in looking to 'the Law' for salvation. The Law was never meant to justify. You can't do anything good enough, be a good enough person, follow the rules and earn justification. Justification, by the way, is a form of the greek word "dikaiosis" which speaks to 'being freed from.' 


      2:19-20 states that in the law "I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." It is clear- no amount of righteousness, holding onto traditions or law can save you...only the mystery of the death and Resurrection of Christ. In other words: being a "good person" doesn't free you from your guilt.  You can never be 'good' enough. It is granted to you.

      2. It don't matter who yo daddy is (Galatians 3). The Jews in Galatia were acting as if their upbringing as Jews somehow gave them a special standing with God. Paul gets a little snarky with them and asks them if they believed in Christ because of their adherence to their law...or by hearing the Gospel? He then points out the fact that Abraham, the father of their entire belief structure, was credited righteousness by believing God...not by doing works. He states through 3:4-9 that the Gentiles, who had no connection to Abraham, would HAVE to be justified by faith and not works, and that God had used Abraham not to create a fast pass for the Jews to heaven, but rather to create the method for the entire World to access God. He further twists the knife by telling those who believe that the law is salvation are 'cursing' themselves needlessly. Jesus became the curse, and is the key for both the Jew AND the Gentile to access the same fast lane to God. It makes no difference if you can trace your lineage back to still have the same requirement of redemption at the Cross.  True Diversity comes with faith. Galatians 3:23-29 is Pauls mic drop on the matter. 



      Take a moment and understand how unsettling that statement would be to the First Century Church? No male or female? No Jew nor Gentile? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills! Everything that the world was built on is completely destroyed in that sentence. 

      3. It matters who HIS daddy is (Galatians 4).  Once we are justified by faith in Christ, we all have access to the inheritance owed Jesus as a Son. We are not slaves to anything like circumcision or holy days or purity laws or the equinox or any other thing. We are freed from the need to meet the requirements of the law and have inherited equal right across the board. We are all the same in front of God, provided we have faith in Christ.

      4. FREEEDOMMMM!!!!!! (Galatians 5). Because we are heirs of Christ's inheritance and not of the law, we are FREE. If we choose to bow to the law, we have to go all the way. Paul's suggestion to the sect that was pushing for circumcision was that they go all the way and cut of their entire...ahem... (Galatians 5:12.)  Dude knew how to throw shade.

      Paul cautions, though that Freedom doesn't mean that we have the right to just indulge in sin. Sin are the "acts of the Flesh" In Paul speak:


      They are mirrored by the Fruit of the Spirit:


      5. Be Excellent to each other (Galatians 6). Finally Paul ends the letter telling the church to be nice, correct each other gently and to be good.

      Why write all this here?

      I know that there aren't a lot of people here who have time for Christian theology, but I just want to throw it out there in the event someone wants to learn a little bit about it. I hear about the intolerance of Christians, the racism, bigotry, hatred. Some of it is warranted as I believe many misrepresent what the Bible says. Yes, the Bible has rules. There are things that are sinful that aren't especially popular to be lumped in those categories. 

      The important thing to get from the letter is this: There is no fast pass to God, Just because you were born whatever doesn't mean that God loves you any less or any more. We all have the access to God with faith in Jesus, and it doesn't matter what our skin, hair, or plumbing looks like. Forcing others to adhere to holiness traditions that are traditions of imparting salvation (like sacrifice, circumcision, drinking grape juice instead of wine....) are all bad juju. Yes, there are things that are morally wrong and God hates them...but If you honestly place faith in Jesus, then the Spirit of God works to change your heart on these things. 

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