It's Personal...

Count Arioch the 28th · Wed Mar 25, 2020 1:14 am

They shut down the plant I work at today. It's bogus.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Mon Mar 30, 2020 2:58 am

A post on tumblr reminded me of this fucking hilarious exchange with my mother the other day. I was biting back my tongue so hard I almost literally bit my tongue.

So, I asked how the church was handling things due to COVID19. She said the church closed, and I was pleased that at least *her* church was doing the sensible and responsible thing. Before I could suggest it, she said that priests are livestreaming services, good. Great!

But the problem, she said, was that a lot of catholics are taking the loss of the eucharist really hard. They can take part in a "Spiritual Eucharist" but that it's not the same as the actual physical eucharist.
(Eucharist, for those who were not raised catholic, is the act of communion. It technically refers to both the physical bread, and the entire ritual)

I asked if/suggested that catholics viewing the streamed services could just have a piece of bread, and the priest could do the blessing of the eucharist, and handle things that way. Because, in my logic, it's all ritual and words and catholics believe that upon the blessing of the eucharist the blessed wafers are literally transmuted into the spiritual body of Christ. To my urban fantasy occultist mind, there is no reason why the priest and the bread need to be physically present in the same space.

Apparently, this is not how it works. The blessing cannot be transmitted via streaming, because there is something integral to the ritual in the priest physically being there. Apparently the blessing of the eucharist has an area of effect and cannot work over video. But now I want to test this. Like, what if the priest has a video feed of the bread over webcam? Can the priest bless the image and the blessing be transmitted that way? What's the range of the blessing? Is it close range only? Adjacent? Can a priest bless eucharist that's a hundred feet away from him? Do priests have a caster level that allows more experienced priests to bless bread from farther away?

Like... this is why, even if I were to believe in Jesus as lord and savior, I cannot be catholic. I'm of the opinion that if there is a god, and they want you to be devoted to them, that they will meet you where you are. If there's a pandemic, you should be able to meet the standards of your worship by having a priest bless your ritual food remotely. If you're lost in the woods when you would normally do your prayers, and you don't have a prayerbook, and know no prayers by heart, devoutly saying the alphabet and trusting that god understands and will put the words together should suffice. Catholicism is so set on precise proscribed rituals and methods and circumstances, that they cannot step even an inch outside the box even when circumstances require it. This is such a perfect encapsulation of the problem with organized religion. The organization, the rigid regimentation and dictation of precise standards and rituals that cannot be altered in any way except precise proscribed things that can only be enacted by figures of authority. It's a spiritual bureaucracy that demands absolute perfection from flawed and imperfect people, then excoriates them when they fail that demand, whether through circumstance or not.

Count Arioch the 28th · Mon Mar 30, 2020 3:30 am

I will say this about Islam: Despite my problems with the faith they at least have a "shit happens" prayer that they can do when they can't adhere to rituals or dietary restrictions.

The Adventurer's Almanac · Mon Mar 30, 2020 3:34 am

You aren't asking the real hard questions, Prak.
Like, "What is Jesus's caster level?"

Mord · Post by **Mord** » Mon Mar 30, 2020 4:15 am

Prak wrote:Apparently, this is not how it works. The blessing cannot be transmitted via streaming, because there is something integral to the ritual in the priest physically being there. Apparently the blessing of the eucharist has an area of effect and cannot work over video. But now I want to test this. Like, what if the priest has a video feed of the bread over webcam? Can the priest bless the image and the blessing be transmitted that way? What's the range of the blessing? Is it close range only? Adjacent? Can a priest bless eucharist that's a hundred feet away from him? Do priests have a caster level that allows more experienced priests to bless bread from farther away?

It's a physical contact thing. Transubstantiation is a touch-range Transmutation spell that requires ritual casting. Holy water blessing is also touch-range but can be done as a full-round action.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Mon Mar 30, 2020 4:53 am

Count Arioch the 28th wrote:I will say this about Islam: Despite my problems with the faith they at least have a "shit happens" prayer that they can do when they can't adhere to rituals or dietary restrictions.

I mean, it's why I stopped denouncing "abrahamic religion" as a whole, because both Islam and Judaism have the good sense to realize "shit happens, God will understand" and are far more open to individuals questioning and interrogating the religious texts. The problem really is Christianity.

The Adventurer's Almanac wrote:You aren't asking the real hard questions, Prak.
Like, "What is Jesus's caster level?"

Clearly he has a divine rank, and the more important question is what that is.

Count Arioch the 28th · Mon Mar 30, 2020 5:25 am

I've spent the past week watching straight youtube videos about nerd stuff. It turns out I practice sith meditation, it seems (focus on turning anger and pain into motivation, visualizing specific goals rather than clearing your mind, etc).

Also I'm concerned that the tornado alarms are going off at 12:25 at night... that's foreboding.

Maj · Post by **Maj** » Mon Mar 30, 2020 6:31 am

That's hilarious, Prak, but it's even worse in the Mormon church (and yes. I'm fucking calling them Mormons even though their dipshit prophet said not to). I started getting emails from the local ward (congregation) this past week, and apparently, church members are also upset about the same thing.

But the kicker is... Almost any household with a male over the age of 12 has an ordained priest who can say the prayers to bless the bread and water (they don't wine). But for whatever fucked up reason, the church isn't letting people do this in their own homes. Not only do they have to get permission from the local bishop (leader of the ward), they have to wait until a Sunday when the church decides that everyone will do it at the same time.

---

I've been a mental mess lately given that the one year anniversary of Ess dying is coming up, and my mom's coughing up blood. So I've started meditating, also. And I've roped Gi into it. It is very helpful.

Iduno · Post by **Iduno** » Mon Mar 30, 2020 1:35 pm

Maj wrote:That's hilarious, Prak, but it's even worse in the Mormon church (and yes. I'm fucking calling them Mormons even though their dipshit prophet said not to).

Their prophet was also a pedophile married to a 12-year-old, so...

Maj wrote: I've been a mental mess lately given that the one year anniversary of Ess dying is coming up, and my mom's coughing up blood. So I've started meditating, also. And I've roped Gi into it. It is very helpful.

Good to hear it's helping.

Chamomile · Post by **Chamomile** » Mon Mar 30, 2020 2:49 pm

Iduno wrote:
Maj wrote:That's hilarious, Prak, but it's even worse in the Mormon church (and yes. I'm fucking calling them Mormons even though their dipshit prophet said not to).
Their prophet was also a pedophile married to a 12-year-old, so...

The Mormon prophet is the supreme executive of the church. Maj is presumably referring to the current prophet, not the original.

Blade · Post by **Blade** » Mon Mar 30, 2020 4:23 pm

Prak wrote: Apparently, this is not how it works. The blessing cannot be transmitted via streaming, because there is something integral to the ritual in the priest physically being there. Apparently the blessing of the eucharist has an area of effect and cannot work over video. But now I want to test this. Like, what if the priest has a video feed of the bread over webcam? Can the priest bless the image and the blessing be transmitted that way? What's the range of the blessing? Is it close range only? Adjacent? Can a priest bless eucharist that's a hundred feet away from him? Do priests have a caster level that allows more experienced priests to bless bread from farther away?

Like... this is why, even if I were to believe in Jesus as lord and savior, I cannot be catholic. I'm of the opinion that if there is a god, and they want you to be devoted to them, that they will meet you where you are.

I wouldn't be surprised if there's actual canonical law explicitly defining the exact area of effect of the blessing
Yes Catholicism is very dogmatic... it's almost as if it wasn't meant for devoting to god but for devoting to the Church...

Maj · Post by **Maj** » Mon Mar 30, 2020 5:58 pm

Chamomile wrote:
Iduno wrote:
Maj wrote:That's hilarious, Prak, but it's even worse in the Mormon church (and yes. I'm fucking calling them Mormons even though their dipshit prophet said not to).
Their prophet was also a pedophile married to a 12-year-old, so...
The Mormon prophet is the supreme executive of the church. Maj is presumably referring to the current prophet, not the original.

That I am.

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Sat Apr 18, 2020 12:08 pm

Ok, this is a very petty complaint in the grand scheme of things, but:

Round where I live, we are in lockdown because of Covid and there's all sorts of travel restrictions that are very unclear, so people wanting to know if they face a fine for something they want to do will call up, be put on hold for 40 minutes and then be told "Dunno, call someone else" and the someone else will tell them the same.

Been moved sideways in my company, and it's now my job to be one of the "Dunno, call someone else" people, and that's about it.

Maj · Post by **Maj** » Sat Apr 18, 2020 5:10 pm

Around here, I would consider that a very important job, frustrating though it may be.

Because - at least, here - the answer is no. But if you give people a definitive no, then they will disobey the restrictions because there's no penalty. But you can't say yes authoritatively because it's not true. So you just make them wait, then tell them that you don't know and to call someone else.

This leaves them frustrated with the process of getting an answer, so they are less likely to pursue one. And the unknown has a tendency to put people in a semi-paranoid state, so they are more likely to err on the side of no... Just in case. And you aren't lying and spreading misinformation in order to get compliance.

Iduno · Post by **Iduno** » Sat Apr 18, 2020 6:37 pm

Maj wrote:Around here, I would consider that a very important job, frustrating though it may be.

Because - at least, here - the answer is no. But if you give people a definitive no, then they will disobey the restrictions because there's no penalty. But you can't say yes authoritatively because it's not true. So you just make them wait, then tell them that you don't know and to call someone else.

This leaves them frustrated with the process of getting an answer, so they are less likely to pursue one. And the unknown has a tendency to put people in a semi-paranoid state, so they are more likely to err on the side of no... Just in case. And you aren't lying and spreading misinformation in order to get compliance.

That's amazing, and probably the best solution I've heard.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Wed May 20, 2020 9:02 pm

In normal times (ie, not during The Situation), I go to a salon about every two weeks to get my undercut trimmed up. Actually, I go to a cosmetology school so that it's not, y'know, $30 a go with tip, but whatever.

So, during The Situation, my undercut has grown out, to the point where... you basically can't actually discern that it's an undercut. I keep my top very long, but the sides and back got so long that it just looks like long hair all over, tied back in a ponytail.

I just finally got around to using my roommate's trimmer and help to trim up the sides and back, and I feel gay again. It's kind of funny, and really interesting, how much image can play a role in one's self-conception, even, and especially, when that conception is an entirely non-physical thing. Like... obviously, there is no, inherent, visual aspect to being gay, but the way I keep my hair is part of my queer/trans/gay identity to the point where retrimming my sides had a huge mental aspect beyond just "my hair is back the way I like it."

The Adventurer's Almanac · Wed May 20, 2020 10:26 pm

All this extra hair's got me feeling like Episode 3 Anakin.

violence in the media · Thu May 21, 2020 11:32 am

I'm a little closer to Episode 4 Kenobi beard myself.

RobbyPants · Post by **RobbyPants** » Thu May 21, 2020 1:01 pm

Moving out to very rural Ontario 18 months ago ended up preparing me quite a bit for social distancing. I've already been cutting my own hair and we have groceries flown up when the roads aren't (safely) drivable. The biggest two changes we have now is my girls are home all day as the community moved to virtual school for the rest of the year, and we're still flying up groceries even though I could otherwise make the drive.

erik · Post by **erik** » Thu May 21, 2020 1:08 pm

violence in the media wrote:I'm a little closer to Episode 4 Kenobi beard myself.

I was alternating between light goatee and clean shaven but the stubble gets annoying with my fabric mask on all day so trying to remain shaven.

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Thu May 21, 2020 1:56 pm

I gave myself a buzz cut in I think 2017 and since then have just let what will happen, happen. No employer has yet complained about the resulting mop.

The Adventurer's Almanac · Thu May 21, 2020 8:54 pm

HA, HA! Time to collect unemployment!

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Fri May 22, 2020 7:32 am

...I bumbled my way into an office job, I wasn't intending to imply that I'm unemployed.

Kaelik · Post by **Kaelik** » Fri May 22, 2020 11:04 am

It might have been a personal announcement about finally getting fired.

The Adventurer's Almanac · Fri May 22, 2020 4:19 pm

More like my 'position was eliminated', but yeah, I was talking about myself. Corporate life has given me a very mercenary attitude towards working. I sure feel fired, though.