Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 15hIf we were using them as saints, maybe not. But this isn’t the case: Joan the icon is not Joan the Catholic saint. The construct that bears her name belongs to the world, so to speak. As such, it is fair game. 000 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 16hIt would be if they were talking Joan as the actual woman who lived in 15th century (à la Assassin’s Creed), but I don’t think they are. This Joan is a stand-in for “lady who talked to God, kicked butt and died horribly for it”, which is a bit of a Japanese gaming meme, TBH. 110 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 17hWhen she became part of a cultural construct, any discourse about her as an icon/representation that isn’t counterfactual should be allowed. De mortuis nisi bonum is disrespectful to the living and their right to question/reinvent their legacy and imagination. 100 0
Reposted by Paulo de SousaAdam Weinstein @adamweinstein.bsky.social · 21h'And the angel answering said unto Zacharias... behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak...' 0234 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 12/10/2026Hmm… In animus, I’d argue Drewermann could be ranked among the apocatastasis inclined theologians, and he very definitely argues against an institutional religion that mimics what he calls “the structures of Evil” (notably in Glauben in Freiheit), but… he left the Church a while ago. 010 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 12/10/2026Did you RACK Pecknold another butt hole or was it a thoughtful and engaging dialogue about how he should definitely be MANGLED into getting one? 000 0
Reposted by Paulo de SousaMike Register @mikeregister.bsky.social · 09/10/2026I can’t understand anyone who doesn’t get this. If you don’t your mind is completely filled with neoliberal capitalist propaganda. 011 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 07/10/2026And I commend you for your moral consistency. I’m not sure I would’ve been that loyal to the broader issue myself… 060 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 07/10/2026You have the lesson of the Thebaid at heart! 110 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 03/10/2026So… AI influencer: nemo judex in causa sua and all that… Election: He’s literally elected by other bishops. Mouthpiece: Actually part of the job description. 001 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Agreed. But Sheen’s PR package is way more readily palatable for a general Catholic audience than Black Elk’s, so… there’s that! And Neihardt’s well-meaning, New Agey “presentation” of BE’s “philosophy” probably doesn’t help… 030 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 26/09/2026We knew Barron’s a piss-poor theologian with an even worse taste in friends. We now know he does know his arse from his elbow when it comes to History as well. What an absolute embarrassment this man truly is… 110 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 26/09/2026The very brief success of actual Communist and Socialist movements has in America was due to the excesses of the Gilded Age his buddies are cheering for. And what really stopped them were the successes of Roosevelt’s Social Democracy and the war economy. So, none of this “Red scare” BS. 151 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 22/09/2026I’m not totally sure I know what the “Christian Left” is or even lools like but, for what it’s worth, I found you bc your posts on comics! Maybe they code “left” or something?? 😆 010 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Hmm… Mine would be “The Nephilim’s shadow: Are Midi-chlorians rapists?” 100 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Fair enough! 🙂 And, TBF, Tolkien’s way, WAY more nuanced take on the plight of the finite creature vs. the infinite consequences of their actions can be probably be best gleaned from The Children of Húor than from the fairly schematic Silmarillion myths… 120 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 20/09/2026I’m not seeing a substantive difference, though. 100 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Job and YHWH told them to get a grip, albeit for different reasons. The only satisfying answer, to me at least, is Job 19:25. And YHWH seems to have a soft spot for people that argue with him, for some reason: Job and Jacob (Gn. 32:38). So, I guess I’m safe! 😉 000 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Quite. OTOH, try selling that “it’s all for the greater good” (or “AMDG” as Tolkien literally puts in Eru’s lips) to the innocent people that endure unspeakable suffering because someone decided to exercise their God-given gift of doing bad stuff. Job’s friends have argued all of that before and… 200 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Anything but the Ainulindalë section of The Silmarillion! Unless you want them all to root for Melkor, that is… (Tolkien’s theodicy is, ermm… bad?) 201 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 20/09/2026I *need* it growl every time someone goes by… 010 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 19/09/2026TBH, I’m not even sure it gets to that degree of complexity or nuance… I’m not terribly well versed on “traditional” or “conservative” arguments, but the general vibe I get getting is just that liberty — as supposedly conceived by Modernity — is akin to self-indulgence (read, debauchery). Sad? 120 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 19/09/2026I make a deliberate effort to take Mt. 7:1–5 and 13:29–30 seriously, but, my God, do those people make it hard on me to do so… 110 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 19/09/2026that no “good action” is possible without, by necessity, an act of God (cf. Mk. 10:18, Mt. 19:17 & Lk. 18:19), that it’s actually hard to even understand how can someone reasonably argue for it. 🤷♂️ 010 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 19/09/2026gnostic (Hb. 11:1) sense, ranks in the Gospel hierarchy of theological virtues. There’s so much wrong with the sola fide approach, starting with the fact that the works referred to by Paul were the ones required by Mosaic Law (as filtered by the Pharisees), not “action” as such, particularly given 110 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 19/09/2026And that’s a quaint way to interpret it, because it means the exact opposite: Those who simply believe and act in a way contrary to the explicit mandates of Christ will not be saved; their faith will, in fact, be what damns them. Cf. 1 Cr. 13:13 to understand how belief (be it in its fiduciary or 210 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Indeed. But, that said, the Gospel itself does not shy from differentiating between the two: Case in point, Mt. 7:21–23 (and even Lk. 6:46). 110 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 18/09/2026“Spare the rod, spoil the child”, I always say! 010 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 16/09/2026I don’t know exactly which sanctions, if any, would be appropriate. What I do know is that his syllabus and classes should be subjected to the most stringent of scrutinies. His role seems to be tied to the missio canonica of his institution, and that is reason enough not to simply dismiss the issue. 010 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Is Barron low-key advocating for illiteracy?!? 😇 030 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 16/09/2026I don’t think you should be shattering the googly-eyed bishop’s fancies like that… It’s mean! 😢 020 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 15/09/2026I did, yeah. Curiously enough, it was part of my catechumenal conversations way back when, and one of the reasons why I ultimately decided to go the Catholic route instead of the Orthodox one, even if I had introduced to Christianity mostly via Orthodox thinkers and theologians. 120 0
Paulo de Sousa @paulogarciasousa.bsky.social · 14/09/2026I wouldn’t say that Balthasar even considers ars gratia artis worth, well, considering… 010 0
