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Jacob W. Torbeck

@jacobtorbeck.bsky.social
894 followers 399 following 750 posts

Professor of Theology, Religions, Philosophy, and Ethics | Mysticism & Spirituality | Attention, Memory, and the Divine Ideas

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Reposted by Jacob W. Torbeck
Jonathan Heaps @jonathanrheaps.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
You made today a special day, just by being you. There’s no one else in the whole world just like you. People can like you (& God loves you) just the way you are.
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Gwen C. Katz @gwenckatz.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Things Gavin Newsom has vetoed this week: -A ban on secretly recording people with smart glasses -A ban on ICE agents working for the state government -A ban on websites selling your data -A bill giving native tribes more say over water rights -A bill protecting transgender healthcare providers
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Jordan Haynie Ware @godwelcomesall.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Somebody marked on the door of the cathedral “hey god ya man’s hungry holla back” and I have never heard a more honest prayer
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Jacob W. Torbeck @jacobtorbeck.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The art on this card is one of the reasons I got into Magic in 1994.
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Jacob W. Torbeck @jacobtorbeck.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Oh hey, since we’re talking about it, 9 games that shaped me. There’s a strong theme…
9 games that shaped me: dragon warrior, Zelda, castlevania, Chrono trigger, ff7, ocarina of time, Baldur’s gate, NWN, WoW
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Jacob W. Torbeck @jacobtorbeck.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Over the past few years, I've really noticed that my favorite things to teach are introductory-level ethics and upper-level mystical and systematic theology. I think this is partially due to student engagement... Does anyone teach an intro-level theology course that they think goes swimmingly?
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Jacob W. Torbeck @jacobtorbeck.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Just a bit of encouragement for the day:
An image from a Fred Rogers calendar that says “there’s never been anyone exactly like you before, and they never will be again. Only you. And people can like you exactly as you are.”
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Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
AP Stylebook warns against anthropomorphizing AI systems: “Avoid language that gives them human characteristics… Instead, explain what a system does, how well it performs, who built it and who could be affected by it.”
APStylebook @APStylebook
X.com
Artificial intelligence systems do not think, feel, want or understand. Avoid language that gives them human characteristics. This is called anthropomorphizing, when we ascribe human traits, emotions or behaviors to non-human things, such as animals or inanimate objects.
Instead, explain what a system does, how well it performs, who built it and who could be affected by it.
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Ron Foster @ronmfoster.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
YOU’RE LISTENING TO SISYPHUS FM, THE HOME OF NON-STOP ROCK!
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Charles Pulliam-Moore @charlespulliam.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The Emma Frost x Miss Piggy comic has hit the internet and it's so, so, so much more magnificent than I ever could have hoped for
Emma Frost: "Emma Frost, darling. I'm a telepath. May I read your mind to ascertain if you're telling the truth?"

Miss Piggy: "But of course, darling I am an open book, a tell-all memoir."Emma Frost telepathically witnessing the entirety of Miss Piggy's life.Wolverine: "Frost? She legit?"
Emma Frost: "She's..She's... She's everything. And I would die for her."
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Jacob W. Torbeck @jacobtorbeck.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
In my Christology course for upper-level undergrads last Friday, we were discussing the move from Chalcedon to later developments, and the board notes looked a lot like this. Synchronicity!
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Peytral @peytral.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
reached the town of Bluesky
Young Man: They scamper hither and thon, japing and jesting and otherwise sowing discord. But their bodies are those of grown men and women, and must surely soon suffer the consequences.
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Jonathan Heaps @jonathanrheaps.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Headed to bed but just a quick reminder: You’re someone worth being on purpose and out loud. Folks have already got that other person you might be trying to be instead. And you might not know yet who desperately needs you just the way you are.
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Shivam Bhatt @shivambhatt.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
This whole fucking story has been the Bhagavad Gita, with Vraska's Krishna saving Jace's Arjun. Like every part has been the search for meaning, the struggle with death, the notion of death as simply a state change, the struggle with Dharma and Karma. Damn.
You are who you chose to be. Not Jace Beleren, not the Guildpact, not the creator of a Multiverse, but a man who does what is right without glory." Her eyes are golden, beaming, and her face is as open as he's ever seen it. "I've never been more proud."
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Jacob W. Torbeck @jacobtorbeck.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
My students are either going to love me or hate me tomorrow… 🎭🏛️
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Working Families Party 🐺 @workingfamilies.org · 07/09/2026
This Labor Day, take 2 minutes to listen to the words of Mario Savio and Martin Luther King Jr.:
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Rich Raho @richraho.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
USCCB Labor Day Statement: “Pope Leo expressly acknowledges the great risks of AI for workers: de-skilling, surveillance, rigid and repetitive tasks, reduced agency and creativity, unemployment, job insecurity, concentrated power, and increased inequalities.”
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Shaily Patel @vox-magica.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
“That the university is under attack and that the university is complicit with the very terms of engagement that place it under attack should not be seen as a contradiction.” well goddamn, this is an essay.
canadiandimension.com
The university is the crisis
The crisis of the university is its inability to be honest about the nature of its self-induced crisis. Its leaders or senior managers often share the perspectives of those who wish the university to ...
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Rudo Judo @rudojudo.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
This is almost word for word how I feel, and pushes me towards doing some custom designs out of pique. Great piece
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Jacob W. Torbeck @jacobtorbeck.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I was initially really excited by news of the Masters of the Universe Magic cards... and then I read the cards. More of my thoughts on the MotU x Magic collaboration at Hipsters of the Coast: #mastersoftheuniverse #skeletor #secretlair #MagictheGathering www.hipstersofthecoast.com/2026/09/does...
hipstersofthecoast.com
Does the Masters of the Universe Superdrop have the Power?
Jake kept his passion for He-man burning bright into adulthood. But now that the cards are here, why don't they shine like his memory?
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Ben Horst (bluecheck.jpg) @moriamarmalade.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
this is just like when skeletor went thru the portal and then smashed it from the other side to prevent others from following
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Jacob W. Torbeck @jacobtorbeck.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I’m never able to go to @cubecon.org but I am running a public (play and take!) cube event this weekend at Sioux City Geek Con this weekend! If you’re in Siouxland, stop by and say hi!
static.klipy.com
Smite Magic The Gathering
Alt: Neon Magic The Gathering icons flickering
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Jacob W. Torbeck @jacobtorbeck.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
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Jacob W. Torbeck @jacobtorbeck.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
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The Assisi Project @assisiproject.com · 25/08/2026
We will always love you. #DollyPartonRIP
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Jacob W. Torbeck @jacobtorbeck.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Ironically, not a cat.
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Jacob W. Torbeck @jacobtorbeck.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
I'm going to have a piece at Hipsters soon and it's partially about my many thoughts on why this SL drop is really disappointing from a flavor perspective. The art is fantastic, but the card choices feel ...mostly bad. Stay tuned.
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Annie, MLIS, Schrödinger's librarian 🍄📚🥌 @dharmascholar.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
#DailySkeletor #affirmation
Skeletor from the chest up with a cave wall behind him. Caption reads: I am proud of the person I have become.
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Jacob W. Torbeck @jacobtorbeck.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
…one of the earliest artists for Masters of the Universe, too!
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Shaily Patel @vox-magica.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
i’ve hated on AI a lot today, lol. in my defense, it’s a technology that’s designed to flatten all the complication and messiness that make us human. It’s the opposite logic to doing good history, imo. personally and professionally, AI offends me.
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Jacob W. Torbeck @jacobtorbeck.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
There are at least four different projects that have exploded here. :-/
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Jacob W. Torbeck @jacobtorbeck.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
This is about magic but it could just as well be about any space in gaming, or work, etc. people want to be recognized and validated. Being seen is crucial.
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Andy Radde-Gallwitz @argphd.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
YES to this!
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Jacob W. Torbeck @jacobtorbeck.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
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Jacob W. Torbeck @jacobtorbeck.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Bullseye
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Shivam Bhatt @shivambhatt.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
That realization that all of your childhood friends were autistic and that you were all in "advanced" classes together
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r o o @jakepaulsartre.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
"Bluesky is dying" bro you're talking about a website full of 38 year olds who have fringe political beliefs and listen to black metal bands with >1000 listeners on spotify, nobody here cares about popularity
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Jenna Stoeber @thejenna.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
(This is part of a huge relaunch of ALL my social media, including my COOL NEW HEADSHOTS. I made a post all about that as well, in case you have any questions!) www.patreon.com/thejenna/pos...
patreon.com
I've rebranded! Slightly. | Jenna Stoeber
You might have noticed that all of my graphics and text across all my socials have changed! This is part of a push to refresh and update all
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Jenna Stoeber @thejenna.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Fell in love with prestige horror and not sure what to watch next? Want to improve your media literacy? Love to talk about movies and horror? You're in luck! I am launching a monthly HORROR FILM CLUB on my Patreon! Click through to learn all the details! www.patreon.com/thejenna/pos...
A circular badge that says Horror Film Club in the middle, with "get smarter about media... one scream at a time" around the edges. In the middle, there's a wavy tv grain with the outline of a (friendly) ghost.
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Jacob W. Torbeck @jacobtorbeck.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Image for my syllabus for this year's "Topics in Franciscan Ethics - Joyful Service." I like how it turned out. (some of these are authors we're reading, some of these are figures that will be discussed. Not all authors we're reading are pictured here, nor all the figures to be discussed!)
A decorative image for a syllabus featuring a 3x3 collage of figures: Dorothee Sölle, Daniel Berrigan, Therese of Liseaux, Oscar Romero, Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King Jr., Dorothy Day, Francis of Assisi, and Thea Bowman.
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Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Tapping the sign
Avery Edison @aedison
X.com
I wrote "I am alive" on a piece of paper, and placed it into a photocopier. What I saw next has shocking implications
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Jacob W. Torbeck @jacobtorbeck.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Kudos to the designer of this magic the gathering box. Very clever, and really gorgeous! (Also, I went 4-0 on RW dwarves.) #magicthegathering #thehobbit #mtghob
Photo of the Magic the Gathering x The Hobbit prerelease kit box, featuring a perforated zipper that pulls down to reveal the words “in a hole in a ground there lived a Hobbit.”The inside design of the MtG x Hobbit prerelease box, featuring illustrations of the door to Bag End, and the unexpected party of dwarves and Gandalf around Bilbo’s table. Two “book cover” mtg cards, made to look like aged paperback covers.
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Museum of Twitter @museum-of-twitter.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Tweet from dustin Couch (@Dustinkcouch):

doctor: i'm afraid i have some bad news

me: better than having fox news ;)

doctor: hahahaha :)

me: i'll be here all week haha :)

doctor: haha give or take
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Br. Gregory Morris, O.S.B @meinradmonk87.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
A retired priest, a seminary formator, a director of ongoing priestly formation, reminded me that a priest obsessively preaching, speaking, or dominating a conversation over one hot-topic issue either is projecting, hiding something, or loves his own voice.
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Jacob W. Torbeck @jacobtorbeck.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Research. Coming soon to an academic conference book fair near you in late 2027.
A photo of journal article about Thomas Traherne.
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Burke, vt, To kill w/out marks & selling body for med dissection @bleaktheology.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
One of the best reviews I’ve read so far.
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Jacob W. Torbeck @jacobtorbeck.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Anne’s been thinking about this show and this question for a long time — really lovely to see some of the fruits of that.
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Bridget O’Brien @bridgetemob.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
guys I CAN. NOT. with our Midwestern US Bob Dylan-quoting pope.
americamagazine.org
Pope Leo quotes Bob Dylan song in book foreword calling for nuclear disarmament
In a new essay, Pope Leo cited lyrics from an unpublished 1963 song by Bob Dylan, “Go Away You Bomb” and he praised Dorothy Day as an example of someone who worked for peace.
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Jacob W. Torbeck @jacobtorbeck.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
I chuckled.
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Danleofer @danleofer.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
#MaDivagationDuJour
L'attention et la forme la plus rare et la plus pure de la générosité.
 Simone Weil
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