u/Which_Shift_7242

Hi, all.

This is another post that isn't quite necessarily about being a queer Christian, but as one, I don't feel comfortable talking about religion in a sub where I have a good chance of running into someone who is not affirming. I hope this post is OK to put on here.

I am a member of my church's board, and last night we got the announcement from our pastor that he will be leaving and moving to another state because his husband got another job. He will still be around for a good while, but he will be leaving sometime in 2027. To be completely honest, this upset me. I know that I shouldn't be. I know that I should be happy for him and his husband. I feel guilty for being upset.

I feel this way because, while he is not the only part of the church that I enjoy, he is a major part of it. I found this church at a really tough point in my life and he welcomed me. His sermons always reached me and I feel that I've really grown because of this church (again, he isn't the only reason why, but he is a major component). I can assume that whoever takes over would be similar to him in many ways as he would want to hire someone who matches his values, but how can I be so sure?

What if this church stops becoming affirming and a safe place?​ What if the replacement has regressive world views? What if the fun events our church has disappears? What if they have a personality or sermons that I don't connect with?

I feel like a horrible person for thinking about these things. I feel very selfish. But I can't help but feeling disappointed and nervous.

I'm not sure if I will remain a part of the church when he officially leaves, we will have to wait and see. And I predict that many others will leave as well. Also, there is no other affirming church accessible to me at this time, so I would probably be churchless in that event.

I'm sorry, everyone. I guess I just needed to vent. But I still want he and his husband to be happy. I don't want to make this about me. He should go despite how I (and others feel).

Thank you for reading this post.​

Hi, all. Forgive me if this sort of post is not allowed here. I didn't see anything on the list of rules that sounded like it wasn't.

For comic con/Halloween, I want to cosplay as Papa V. Specially the outfit of him in the silver blazer and his hat. Unfortunately, all of the shops on Etsy are either too expensive or look like scams (or both). I'm having a hard time trying to find one for me to buy (as well as a wig that looks like his hair).

I'm wondering if anyone else on here has bought similar items for their own cosplay and may be able to help point me in the correct direction and help myself avoid overspending and/or getting scammed.

Thank you, everyone! :)

Hey, all. I know that I just posted on here recently. I hope that I'm not being too annoying.

I really need concrete reasons as to why I should be optimistic about the LGBTQ+ community. It seems like we are becoming a hated group and that the discrimination we are facing is everywhere and at unforseen levels. I am very afraid. I know that things will likely remain hard for a while, but I wish that things would get to be less bad than they have been over the last few years.

Please help me understand whether or not I should fear that most people are hateful or hold regressive ideas. Should I be optimistic that things will improve for our community? Why should I be happy to be a queer person alive today? Please help me understand.

Thank you.

Good morning,

I recently saw that hundreds of white nationalists marched in DC on July 4th. This has me spiraling. I was wondering if anyone has some optimism specifically regarding anti-fascism that they could share with me. This could be either some helpful things to keep in mind or specific stories.

Thank you for all of your help. I hope this is ok to post here.

Hi everyone,

One of my transgender friends sent me this article from the government about the scotus decision regarding the recent decision regarding transgender participation in sports.

This is a pretty scary sounding article. It's even making me anxious. I tried to say some things to help my friend feel less afraid without disregarding her feelings. I was wondering what else I could say to help her or if I missed anything.

The things I told her were that these decisions can be overturned, the administration likely won't get away with their plans and this is just them getting excited, progress continues, the trans community is resilient and they will never be erased, most people aren't bigoted, etc.

Thank you for helping me help my friend. I apologize for the cruel sounding article title. I didn't know how to change it whilst still meeting the post requirements.

Hey, all.

I know most of the Ghost lore, but there's a few things that I don't entirely know. I found this website with the lore timeline plus articles that explain things in further detail, but I thought that I would ask this sub if this is even accurate at all to the real lore.

If not, what is a better resource to look at?

I know this is kind of random. But thank you for helping me understand. :)

Hey, all.

Lately, the user named Dan McClellan, who posts videos on a more data-driven analysis of the Bible instead of a more dogmatic one, has been recommended to me quite frequently.

I really appreciate his more affirming stance and that he chooses facts over dogma, but I'm getting strange vibes about some of his stances on Jesus not being the son of God, etc.

I was curious about what the other users here think of his work. I was also wondering if anyone can recommend me any other YouTube channels with affirming theology but they also try to avoid dogmatic approaches.

Thank you. :)

Edit: recommendations for left-wing Christians are greatly appreciated!

To begin, I know that I am WAAAY late. But, today I was surprised to find out that a significant amount of fans do not like this album.

I personally love it. My favorite album is Meliora, and I would say Skeletá is closely behind. I actually like the 80s sound, and I feel like the lyrics reach out and grab me. I would even say that Umbra is perhaps my new favorite Ghost song, or it is at least up there.

In my opinion, I think a lot of the criticism comes from expectations for it to be like the previous albums. Which is ok. To me, this album certainly sounds different, but I think it still fits within the realm of Ghost's sound.

I completely respect the opinions of others when they say that they dislike this album. But I've heard some fans say act as if this is the worst piece of audio ever created. I respectfully disagree, but I still think other opinions are valid.

Again, I know I'm quite late, but I'm someone who likes to share my thoughts on things. I hope this is ok. ​

Hey, everyone. This is my first post here, so please forgive me if I made any mistakes. I read the sub's rules, but I didn't see anything that said I couldn't make a post like this.

I'm most likely to get some flack for this post from other Americans, but I need to get this off my chest. Besides, this post could be seen as targeted to non-Americans.

The title speaks for itself. I'm ashamed to be from a country that has elected a dictator like this. A country that brings nothing but destruction and despair around the world. And I'm ashamed to be from a country in which the citizens are characterized as being dumb, ignorant, and obnoxious. While the current administration is playing a major role, the whole history behind this country makes me sick. I would move out if I had the means to. Unfortunately, I do not.

The anger that other countries are feeling about the US makes complete sense. I promise that people here are working to fight against what is happening, but I still feel so much shame.

To the rest of the world. I am sorry.