[S1E5] A Question Of Faith

There is an ambiguity to Sister Alice throughout her storyline, but what is not ambiguous is that she runs away from her mother at the end of S1E7. This woman has been manipulating her for most of her life, going back at least to that day on the side of the road. At the end of the day, it would seem that Birdie is cynical and faithless. She views the Radiant Assembly as a business and thinks about things like faith healings in those terms.

[S1E5] A Question of Faith

I have been suspicious of Birdie since episode and this is my take. Birdie is a version of the huckster that Elmer Gantry; her preparation for the two of them to escape was just too well organized. She has a daughter who, at least until the end of ep 7, had enormous faith in God and who believed that He was speaking through her. She manipulated this into what was to be a gold mine, but with the bad investments, turned into a pit into which money had to be throw.

A-Train reveals to Homelander at Seven Tower that Popclaw has died, following a heroin overdose. Homelander questions A-Train's use of Compound V, with A-Train trying to convince Homelander that he isn't using anymore. A-Train promises to find The Female on prompt from Homelander.

At the Believe Expo, Starlight and Hughie get to know each other. Starlight introduces Hughie to her mother, who disdainfully questions if Hughie works at Vought International. Ezekiel makes an appearance on stage. Mother's Milk and Billy Butcher survey the area for CCTV and security. Billy shows Hughie a video from the club where Ezekiel was engaging in sexual acts with males. He tells Hughie that he must blackmail Ezekiel into revealing information about Compound V.

Hughie, M.M. and Billy engage in a conversation of beliefs. While talking to her mom, Starlight questions why she had to lie about sex in the teen roundtable session. Starlight expresses concern that she's uncomfortable: either the festival has changed or she's changed. Hughie asks Starlight if she can get him a special pass to see Ezekiel; she agrees. Homelander arrives at the festival, asking to see Madelyn, however, Ashley reveals that she isn't at the festival.

Instantly Homelander flies away, confronting Madelyn, questioning the speech he has been given. Stilwell, however, admits that the speech is geared towards getting The Seven into the military, which annoys Homelander, who is conscious of the fact that her son, Teddy Stillwell, is getting in his way.

At Ezekiel's meet, Homelander questions how Hughie knows Starlight. They hold a baptizing, in which Homelander uses this opportunity to hold Hughie under water for an extended period of time, presumably as a threat. Once Homelander leaves, Hughie tries to show Ezekiel the video, however, he finds his phone has suffered water damage and no longer works. Hughie improvises, pretending to be one of the men Ezekiel had sex with that night. Initially, Ezekiel denies and tries to choke Hughie. He only stops when Hughie tells him that there is a video, ready to be posted online. Hughie blackmails Ezekiel into revealing everything he knows about Compound V. Hughie reveals what he has found to Mother's Milk, including the location of the latest shipment. M.M. reveals the information to Butcher, who has just finished smashing Rebecca's headstone with a sledgehammer.

Propaganda: Wow, I've never been asked that question, at least in that way, my spiritual biography. Well, what is spirit? The Hebrew saw spirit as ... I'm just kidding. Yeah, I came to understand concept of God, at least in the way that I think I get it, pretty young. My grandmother's brothers were Southern Baptist preachers, you know what I'm saying. So, that's my early introductions to it.

Propaganda: Yeah, it wasn't ... So, I didn't know none of that existed. So, at our church, if you liked rap, you liked rap. There was no Christian clubs, I didn't know anything about that. We were just inner city kids, graffiti artists, we were skateboarders, and we did it at our church. After service, they didn't lock the doors, we could go on stage and record ourselves and make raps. So, I didn't not think to not put my faith in my music. I didn't know that was not a thing.

Propaganda: Then, when we went to hip-hop shops out here in Leimert Park and down in Pomona, these different ... These guys were Rastafarians, they were Muslims and no one hid their faith. Everyone just rapped what they knew, so you more trafficked in skills, you trafficked in your ability to rap and that was ... To me, we're all just rapping what we think. So, I didn't know to not. I didn't know that was a thing, that I was supposed to separate it.

Propaganda: They're all after my faith, and they're ruin ... Like you walk into this war and it was just like, I don't know dude, I think this guy's just trying to do his job and when I had to take biology, "They're going to tach evolution, you're going to walk away from Jesus." I had this anxiety for the moment and then I think I just need to ... The teacher has stuff she needs to teach me and I just need to repeat it back to her on a test. I don't know what war-

Propaganda: I think I'm going to have to change my number on homies. Making friends, meeting people outside of your norms, I had a number of ... I grew up very multicultural, so I had a number of friends outside of my faith, but we dint have to live together. In college, you got to live together and then it just really takes a lot of the mysterium away from ... I was very well taught in my spiritual formation at my church. I was pretty well taught.

Propaganda: I think I wanted to deparse ... I wanted to decompartmentalize politics, faith, religion, race. I wanted to decompartmentalize and say it's all happening ... You're one person and all of these our happening to one person. You're not a compartment, you're one person. So, I wanted to take all these compartments, remove them and just say, no, this is happening to us, now, all of it. It's hitting all of us from multifaceted, so I try to, in that album, go from political to personal to pointing out to reflecting back like I'm trying to keep you off balance. Go back and forth between all those things.

Sara Barton: Well, I notice in the album and just on your podcast you're somewhat public about marriage, about sex, about lust, it comes up, these themes are there. And you pushed back on objectification of women in multiple ways. So, what does that have to do with gospel, with faith, for you?

Propaganda: "How about that? How about you just ask me what I like?" I'm like, "No, I know what you like." "Well, clearly you don't." I feel like the fact that ... Which is back to the conversation ... It's a slight on my manhood that I don't already know what you like. I'm supposed to be this romantic, sweep you off your feet, I can just read your mind. So, that hits me in the way that I take my faith that way. I'm supposed to already know what God like. I know what you like, you want this.

Sara Barton: Amen. Well, thank you for taking just a moment to look at the scripture with me. I appreciate that and this conversation. I have 20 more questions I would love to ask, but even on a podcast that's too many, so we have to stop somewhere. Thank you for blessing our community in chapel today and for blessing our community more people will be able to engage through this podcast and for your lyrics and your poetry.

The past four episodes of Loki have explored questions of identity, destiny, and self-determination, asking whether Lokis can change for the better or if something essential about their character will always keeps them mired in chaos and pain. In "Journey Into Mystery," Loki (Tom Hiddleston) finally realizes he has a choice in becoming who he wants to be, which helps him unleash the best parts of himself. But before that can happen, he must witness the worst parts of himself.

Following the other Lokis back to their underground lair, Loki uses the opportunity to question his other variants, seeing if all of their destinies were supposed to end at the hands of Thanos or if there is another option. Classic Loki escaped Thanos through sorcery, but having grown lonely in isolation afterwards, he tried to seek out those who might miss him and was nabbed by the TVA. They wonder why Loki wants to get back to the TVA and kid that he left his glorious purpose there. Thinking of Sylvie, Loki softly admits that it's something like that.

Naturally, Mobius and Sylvie argue over who the bad guy really was in their battle, but Mobius eventually apologizes for hunting her for so long. Sylvie worries that Alioth has already gotten Loki, but Mobius has faith he's still alive. Their scenes are short, but Wilson and Di Martino demonstrate they have just as much chemistry with each other as they do with Tom Hiddleston.

Loki makes introductions all around, adding that it's best not to question the presence of Alligator Loki but to just go with it. Loki tells Sylvie his plan, but showing that she might truly be the superior Loki, Sylvie argues that it's stupid because Alioth is just a guard dog for whomever is controlling the TVA. Her strategy is to enchant it, which Loki says is just as crazy, but her confidence convinces Mobius that she's right.

Loki and Sylvie initially confront Alioth alone, with Loki trying to cause enough of a distraction to enable Sylvie to enchant the beast, but as they start to fail, Classic Loki comes to the rescue, digging deep into his well of power to create a version of Asgard that Alioth starts to devour. Because the show is an allegory for damaged people finding their inner strength, Loki realizes that all of them are more powerful than they thought, including him. Sylvie takes his hand, and though Loki says he doesn't know how to enchant, he puts his faith in her.

1) We rest and honor family, our people and God on the Sabbath, we refresh our souls. Rest is a restorative gift. How are you utilizing it? How could you be utilizing it more? 2) Which Sabbath was Jesus a part of? Which Sabbath would you have been at? 3) Simon Peter and Andrew were in a tough position, what do you think about how they handled it?4) When a miracle happens, are you one to question every detail, or just enjoy and celebrate it? 041b061a72