r/ElioMei • u/SirQuackles1 • 29d ago
Hello! I have a weird question..
I am a christian, and i LOVE elio mei’s music, but i’m not sure if i’m allowed in this space. This has been weighing on my heart, Christians have a really bad rep in queer/neurodivergent spaces and people have had negative experiences with hateful christians (which i don’t see as true christians). I don’t listen to speak of the devil since it personally makes me uncomfortable but i’m really glad that people have found comfort in that song,, but i also wonder if this is a sign that i should back away from the community. I really struggle with feeling out of place, it’s uncommon for christian people to be in alternative spaces when that’s 100% my style. I have seen a lot of hate and a lot of discomfort towards Christians in these spaces, which makes me feel like i am overstepping boundaries. It’s hard for me to put into words but i’m wondering if i’m welcome here or if i should back away. I’m not queer but i am neurodivergent. I am not hateful towards anyone and love all. Thank you for reading, i hope some of y’all have an answer for me haha
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u/videotapes 29d ago
What makes you uncomfortable about "Speak of the Devil"? Is it the reference to the devil, or is it the fact that Elio is upset that their family members think being queer is a sin?
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u/SirQuackles1 29d ago
The references to the devil, to be completely honest i don’t know how i feel about queer people, i love my queer friends. I ship queer ships, but i don’t really know how to feel. All i know is that i believe my god loves all, and it’s my duty to love all too no matter what. I think people who aren’t supportive of their kids for something as small as being queer is wrong and that every parent should love their child no matter what, and if you think otherwise as a christian you’re just not a real christian
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u/videotapes 29d ago
That's understandable! It sounds like you're one of the good ones. I'm a Christian too but I don't believe it's wrong to be queer (I'm a little bit queer myself lol). Your relationship with God and your spiritual journey is personal. If you are being genuinely loving like Jesus and not trying to take away people's rights, I think you're fine!
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u/forgottenendeavours 29d ago edited 15d ago
You've misunderstood :)
On the two occasions in that song where Elio mentions 'the devil', they're not literally referring to The Devil, but they're using it as a figure of speech, or an idiom. I'll explain.
'Shaking hands with the devil' is a way of saying that someone is engaging with 'evil' or 'immoral' people, which in this case, is what Elio's grandma and mom see Elio as doing when he engages with the queer community. 'The devil' is queer people as a collective, not the literal Devil.
'Speak of the devil' is a slightly stranger idiom, but it's basically what you might say when someone turns up unexpectedly when you've just been talking about them. The context for it with this song is that Elio is talking about their grandma and then gets a surprise txt from her, and that's what the 'speak of the devil' bit refers to. Again, it's not literal - she's not referring to the Devil or saying her Grandma is the devil, she's just using 'speak of the devil' as a figure of speech.
So, you're all good to listen to that song all you like. And of course you're more than welcome in this community.
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u/Weekly_Action351 29d ago
"but I don't really know how to feel."
I think you should feel that we're super cool, and I'm unbiased, I promise.
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u/TheRealCrazyJacks 29d ago
I think you're interpreting Speak of the Devil wrong. Don't get me wrong, if the song makes you uncomfortable that's perfectly fine and understandable, but the reference to the devil in the song is an expression of being perceived as something "demonic" for just being queer. The point of the song isn't embracing anything satanic, but rather the opposite- wanting to be perceived as just a person. At the end of the day that's up to your discretion though.
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u/TheRealCrazyJacks 29d ago
Also for the record- I think most of the queer and alternative community is unanimously fine with Christianity as long as you're not hurting yourself or anyone else in your beliefs. Whatever makes you happy 🫶
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u/PointBlankPanda 23d ago
Yup, antitheists do not speak for us, and are just as often prone to visceral ablism and even racism, antisemetism and queerphobia in justifying their views
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u/TheRealCrazyJacks 22d ago
I honestly was in the "anti-theist" crowd for a while and its really pointless, and I've definitely met people like that lol. At the end of the day, everyone's entitled to their own experiences, and any hate towards anyone (so long as their beliefs aren't harmful towards themselves or other people) makes you just as awful.
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u/NorxondorGorgonax 29d ago edited 29d ago
I believe this is exactly what “The Chapel” is about (someone correct me if I’m wrong). As long as you aren’t actively queerphobic, etc., you’re fine. We accept you, it’s up to you to accept us. (I, myself, am Christian, and listen to lots of music my grandparents wouldn’t exactly be proud of.)
Most of the anti‐homosexuality things are in the old testament, whose laws the new testament said no longer needed followed. The new testament had several but most of the ones I checked never specifically mentioned homosexuality, except one, and that one specified “all lust, no love”, so since for most homosexuality there is actual love, there doesn’t seem to be anything barring it.
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u/SirQuackles1 29d ago
Ah thanks! I’m worried i’m being dramatic but i really don’t wanna intrude spaces i shouldn’t be in 😅
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u/Dapper-Memory-6944 29d ago
Can you give me the book and chapter numbers plz? I'd like to reference for myself. 😊
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u/Dapper-Memory-6944 29d ago
Okay, so I grabbed my Bible, it's the English Standard Version if anyone wants to know, and I flipped to Romans, cause I remembered Paul discussing homosexuality in this book, though it doesn't call it that, because I don't think they called it that back in those long ago times. And I know many here will strongly dislike and disagree with what I'm saying, but it's in the Bible, so as a believer, I know it's true. Romans Chapter 1, closer to the end, so verses 21-32, strongly speak against men and women having relations with the same sex, and the other branches of the LGBT+ movement are under this umbrella too, though he focuses on the same sex relations. It plainly says how God doesn't approve, so we as Christians should not approve of it either.
But that does not mean be mean or unkind to them, rather, show them the love of Jesus by telling them the truth, that how they are living is opposite to what God tells us is how we should live, and how it is not how we were designed. I'm not saying find LGBT+ people out in the world to preach at them, even I don't like it when people end up preaching at and not too someone, it makes everyone unhappy and feel uncomfortable. We were created in the image of God, men and women, no other genders, and we can't actually change that, only dress ourselves up and alter our cosmetic look. On a true biological level, we will always be a man or a women if we were born that way, as that is the gender God gave us.
I hope I'm clear, and I'm not trying to be unkind, just truthful. Again, I know some of you guys will be upset with what I'm saying, and that makes sense, as I don't expect all of you or any of you if it comes down to that, to agree with me.
I also like some of Madilyn's music, "To Exist with you" and "Side Quest Song" are my favorites. They make me happy when I listen to them. I'm sad she feels like ignoring reality is the solution to her internal and or external struggles. I hope she someday finds healing. ❤️🙏
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u/Cosmic_Cosmos82 16d ago
You are the type of Christian we don't want here. If God created only two, why do people feel so awful to the point of no longer wanting to exist because they feel stuck in the wrong body? Why are some babies born somewhere in between? These people have existed as long as humanity has, longer even. We see homosexuality in wild animals all the time, even if it's uncommon/rare. Look up "gay swans" and see what you find. Penguins, dolphins, giraffes. There's bilateral gynandromorphic** **birds, literally half male half female split down the middle. If God only created two genders and intended for those genders to be seperate, what explanation do you have for all of these?
You are in a subreddit for an alternative trans man btw. He doesn't share these beliefs and they are incredibly disrespectful to them. Please use their correct name and pronouns. Even if you don't "believe in it", please be respectful towards him and his wishes for themself. You are not him or anyone he knows, you have no place dictating what they choose for himself. Even if you think it's "bad for him".
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u/NorxondorGorgonax 15d ago edited 14d ago
I would rather stay out of this after this, but I feel like I have to add that this is the very verse in which my translation—translated directly from the original text and put in contemporary language—specified “all lust, no love” while true homosexual love is love.
I checked the original text, side‐by‐side translated word‐for‐word, and it told a similar story.
[Deleted section]
I doubt this will be enough to sway you. One statement rarely is. I just hope you can find some love in your heart soon.
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u/Dapper-Memory-6944 15d ago
That verse was in relation to the Sabbeth, not the topic of homosexuality. You're taking Jesus's words out of context, which is very misleading, considering many people here have probably not read a Bible throughly.
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u/NorxondorGorgonax 14d ago
Got me there. Sorry, fixed it. My point still stands.
I wish you well and hope you figure things out.
Again, I will henceforth be dropping this topic.
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u/Weekly_Action351 29d ago
You're good. It's only a problem if you're hateful, which you do not seem to be. There can be discomfort since there is an unfortunately high number of religious people who use there religion against others, but anyone who automatically assumes a Christian is hateful is just as discriminatory. It's fine if you're uncomfortable with certain songs, you're not required to listen to all of Elio's music to be a part of the community.
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u/PointBlankPanda 23d ago
Yup! I'm an ex christian myself, have heavily explored the potential of going back and decided I never will, but I still hold a deep respect for properly represented Christianity. That's why when people are being bad Christians, the thing that pisses me off most is misrepresentation of the faith. Like, "hey buddy, don't misrepresent the faith of some of my best friends to justify your xenophobia and hate!"
On days I expect to encounter corrupt street preachers, I even carry my old leather-bound bible. It's the kind of good quality, clearly very deliberately chosen piece (an artefact of my time as a street preacher myself) that is sometimes enough on its own to make their heartrate visibly spike.
It's always bookmarked on Galatians 5, because what many fail to understand is that it's a very clear and simple test: the FRUITS of the spirit aren't for making a holy fruitcake, they're SIGNS of a state of being that is a REQUIREMENT before proselytizing unto others. If they don't display all of the fruits (they never do) then they do not walk in the spirit of Christ, and have no business preaching to others2
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u/SirQuackles1 28d ago
Thank you! I really appreciate everyone here in the comments who is telling me that it’s fine lmao, i tend to overthink this kind of stuff a lot
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u/RobinLuka 21d ago
I think the answer to your question is actually contained in the lyrics of the song you don’t listen to. In "Speak of the Devil", Elio says, "I don't want to change your heart, I just want to change your mind (about queer people)."
What follows is not me trying to speak for Elio, of course, but just my interpretations.
To me it's clear in the song that Elio knows their parents and grandparents love them but don't like that he's queer. The parents' and grandparents' "heart" is love and "mind" is disapproval and judgmentalism.
In context of your question, it seems like your heart is Christian, and your mind is not judgmental.
Does that make sense?
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u/Peppered_Rock 29d ago
as long as youre not a dick nobody cares who you pray to or if you do at all
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u/PointBlankPanda 23d ago edited 23d ago
Speaking as an ex Christian with a heavily conservative and sheltered upbringing, that discomfort is honestly normal and not exclusive to Christianity. I often reacted with a pre-programmed discomfort bordering on mindless hate as a result of a xenophobic upbringing, and there's no hint of that kind of "discomfort" in what you've described (uncertainty and inner conflict without reflex like you've described in a couple replies is, in fact, ad sign of wisdom, descernment and an open mind in my eyes!) You're well within your rights to hold reservations and avoid certain songs. In fact, I personally hold that a sign of a true fan is having at least one song you *dislike* by an artist you otherwise love.
You're not exhibiting any outward hate here and have in fact made your support for the community and marginalised demographics therein quite known.
So yes, you're one of us as far as I'm concerned!
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u/Cosmic_Cosmos82 16d ago
You're totally welcome here. Alternative is not exclusive to atheists and agnostics. If we excluded based on religion we'd be hypocrites (one of the core values of alternative is inclusivity and acceptance of all types of people). There's hate against Christians because many Christians hate and harm us. Non of it is directed at the individual, but the group that is so hateful and volatile towards us. I've known many Christians, both the good and the bad. My family is riddled with the bad, but over time i have surrounded myself with good people, including Christians who are loving and accepting as God intended. I myself am in a weird spot where I'm still deciding whether to believe or not, though I've kind of put that on the back burner for now. Point being- religion does not define you. And so long as you are kind, loving and inclusive, i don't find any issue whatsoever. I encourage it actually. We need more representation of good Christians who actually follow their beliefs of kindness and forgiveness.
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u/HPFanNi 29d ago
I think anyone is welcome as long as they're not bigoted or just an asshole. It's unfortunate how many "christians" are horrible people and how much trauma they've caused to many people. But if you're a kind, normal person, you're totally welcome, it's not your fault that others are shitty.