Farewell

[I used to be a stranger 7,994]

There are three points I would like to make before I actually get into the crumb of this thread:

- Firstly, I am aware that I am not one for short phrases when it comes to matters I hold with seriousness. Those who seek a laconic version of this discourse will not find one made by me. No TL;DR for you.

- Secondly, I was hesitant to create it to the point that I have dilly-dallied about it for over three weeks.

- Thirdly, after thorough consideration, I thought I would be able to condense and filter this message without leaving out a "religious" influence on it but I eventually realized that a heartfelt message from me without Christ's effect on my life would be like trying to hand someone a cone of ice cream that had lost its cream, and also forgot the ice.

________________________________________________

 

I must convey, that I am likely to be decreasing my presence on these forums, possibly or likely to the point of non-presence in the near future. I can't technically say I'm leaving since I have no intention of asking a moderator or admin to permanently ban me or remove my membership, and I won't say goodbye for reasons I'll explain later.

 

Rest assured that this is in no due part to the actions or behaviors of the members of this forum, or respective content. Indeed, these regards are among the reasons why I am so hesitant to be making this missive. I have been part of five internet forum communities and this one is definitely in first place, were I to rank them. I would qualify that opinion, but no pro should be stated without its cons and so I won't provide more information beyond that since I'm trying to be heartfelt by conveyance and not critical by analysis.

 

My Little Pony has changed me, of that I am surely aware. Largely I think this is due to the fact that I never thought of myself I was a writer until (to my horror) I realized how easy it was to write a fan-fiction. Not to say that I will embark upon writing as a profession, it's simply a wonderful discovery of a new facet of my creativity. A great number of points in history (over the past year or a little more) have lead to where I am here and now, and this community and my membership in it is one of the more visible proofs of my change.

 

I thank God for every word I've read that's brought a tear to my eye in mourning, every breath of laughter, every whisper of tenderness, every droplet of spit in exultation, every pulse of the vein in anger, every timbre of sound, every palette of taste and every color of the rainbow, transcribed by this forum's usership.

 

But I must go.

 

As paradoxically as man both holds right and wrong as he holds right and left, I go with cheerfulness, excitement, and surprise, as much as I go with sadness, resistance and cynicism.

 

If you have ever noticed my posting habits, you will notice that I have made no point in trying to prevent the knowledge that I am a Christian- the fact of which I am all to happy to expound not only because of the doctrines of my faith but also the fact that the glorious maxim declared by Bronies "Love and Tolerate" means that I can say so without fear of being persecuted except by those who are hypocrites of the Brony creed.

As well, any Brony who knows what it feels to be hesitant with expressing their hobby (or love), can sympathize with the Christian who is recalcitrant to expressing their faith, and vice versa.

 

But an axiom is demanded of my faith, and to be perfectly honest, the faith was around a lot longer than ponies were. That statement is probably going to be the one that most readers will be turned off by.

Some time last year I decided to set a course for my life, since I (to borrow a colloquialism) "still do not have my cutie-mark". I know that I am a very talented individual and quite creative, but how to express this I do not know. And I do not know how to find out. Drawing upon advice from my Bible (ESV) I found a verse that guided me.

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

Matt. 6:33

Although the context for that verse is in regards literally to the day-to-day things like food and clothing, it can also be interpreted as the guidance for one's life and its course. Having nothing better planned for the year following, I enrolled at a Capernwray Bible School in Germany (Bodenseehof) which I will be attending in September, for seven months, with the hope that during it, I shall discern what is the best course for my life. Not necessary "getting my cutie mark" but rather getting a good pair of eyeglasses so I know which road to take.

 

The previously mentioned axiom is the fact that I think I have been idolizing ponies in some shape or form. Idolatry Timothy Keller defined as "taking a good thing and making it an ultimate thing".

Ponies are indeed good. I've read dozens of excellent fan-fictions, seen many wonderful works of art, and watched The Flim Flam Brothers song more times than I've seen my most-watched movie (Which makes the ratio about 17:15 for Star Wars Episode V) But the danger is that at some points I've woken up thinking about fan-fictions or ponies, or spend concentrated hours simply pondering about them. It's unhealthy and I knew it every moment I was doing it. Moreover, such dedication fearfully impacted me. Therefore I told myself, I will remove myself from ponies.

 

I don't know at this point if I should be saying the objective for myself would be cold-turkey cut off, a hiatus, some kind of tapering disinterest by force of will or what. Since I know that many of you find my presence interesting, and the effect also works reverse. In addition, I have two fan-fictions that I have yet to finish, and I am not one that would so obtusely leave my viewers hanging "because of Jesus". That would be most unrepresentative of Christianity. In addition, both of those fics aren't done.

(Here they are if you're so curious. Shamed self-plug acknowledgement)

 

But I wanted to inform you all of my feelings towards you and towards the matter, and how I have all along been prioritizing these things. I have in the past tried mixing them- Christianity is not very soluble with the Elements of Harmony, and my head-canon has never really permitted much religious inference in My Little Pony, just as little as it every has for sex or quantum particle mechanics or turbine maintenance or beef slaughter. My delightful discovery that Jesus Christ is a Brony was a pleasant surprise, but later I realized that I shouldn't have been, for I have unknowingly lived out a teaching of Saint Paul:

"I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some."

1 Corinthians 9:22b

Such mention is the fact that little miracles have played out in both directions- My Little Pony reinforcing my faith (in the most usual and surprising ways) and God pointing out the magnificence of his creation to me through the observance of My Little Pony (in the most usual and surprising ways).

 

I don't know if you believe in God but to a certain juncture it doesn't matter because I love you all.

if you don't and have been looking at this diatribe with a silent and invisible sneer at my line of thinking, you're all the more in my prayers because I love you even more.

 

I began my membership on this forum by quoting C.S. Lewis, paraphrasing conversion because of its perfect applicability, and such I would do again.

My first post contained the injunction (or something to this effect- the exact wording is lost wherever my first post is archived, which I could not find), paraphrased from Mere Christianity:

 

"You must picture me alone in that room [in Vancouver], night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of [Those] whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the final Term of [2011] I gave in, and admitted that [Friendship is Magic], and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all [Canada]."

 

and so my last directly Brony post will contain this one, quoted from Sheldon Vanaukan's A Severe Mercy:

"My dear friends:

Christians never say goodbye."

 

Happily,

Heartily,

Healthily,

Rambunciously,

Repeatedly,

Contagiously,

Outrageously,

Charitably,

Cheerfully,

 

Love,

 

Blue.

[Swordfishtrombone 384]

Wow... I don't know what to say about this. I wish you good luck on whatever you will do.

[Gizmo 206]

It's sad to see you go. Your Fan-Fics are amazing, and your creativity unsurpassed by any writer I've met. I'm happy that you're doing what you need to do to help you find your way, and I wish you all of the best of luck and good will. I can't say I believe in God, or that I'm highly religious, But I do believe one thing, your impact in this world is positive and I can't imagine any bad will or ill intentions to do you any harm. Your kindheartedness and will for good will keep you strong on your journey, that i truly do believe. I know I speak on behalf of the community when I say this, I hope you find what you're looking for and more. And if this is to be our final good bye, then I'll leave you with a quote from every Trekkie's knowledge from Mr.Spock in goodbye...

"May you live long and prosper and may I always deserve your good will and friendship—you always have mine."

Edited April 8, 2012 by Gizmo

[Steel Matt 250]

Blue,

 

First off, let me start by saying that it is very difficult to capture powerful emotion in a work of literature, or a post on the internet (such as this one). However, your passion for you faith, knowledge of the concrete flow of proper vocabulary, and overall a desire to explain to fellow internet-goers the justification for your reasoning, has come across very well. I can understand what you are facing, in that the idolization you fear has started to take over. I myself, have had similar thoughts. But I hope the following will be encouragement to you, and fellow Brony's and Pegasisters (overall, anyone out there!) as well. May the Holy Spirit type these words, and not be of my own:

 

As brothers and sisters in Christ, we should all understand that we are saved by faith, and not by works. What a relieve that is! Imagine if we were saved by our good deeds, but were just under the "cut" during the time of judgement. For Ephesians 2:8 (NIV) states

 

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--"

 

From that text, along with many others in the Bible, we can understand that God shapes and molds our lives so that we may become the very people we were meant to be (and this applies to everyone on this earth!). Sanctification is a life long process, not an immediate result. We must be content with the way our lives are in the present, but also expect to grow in Christ each and everyday. I am content with where I am, but I do not expect to be the same person in the future. By grace, and grace alone we are saved. But, because of the Lords grace, a Love inside of us starts to build up evermore...and we will want to freely perform works not for salvation, but to glorify God! So, in every aspect of our lives, we must ask ourselves...is what I am doing glorifying God? And if not, how can I change it around to glorify God?

 

On that note, we can easily spiral into a questioning face of asking ourselves "am I where I am supposed to be?". Most of the time, that is a good thing...as we develop a mindset of seeking, and keeping our focus on God. So, I hope it is encouragement to you in that you do not have to abandon your liking of My Little Pony (as you already stated) but the cool thing is, any situation can be turned around and glorify the Father. Your testimony above this post is proof of that. You have also confirmed in my own self, that is is perfectly fine to like these types of things, but we must not idolize such things. For such things as this are SOOO minuscule to the full glory that is God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

 

Do not let your heart be troubled, trust in God. Trust also in Christ. (Though one in the same).

 

And a really cool verse I found recently was the following in Matthew chapter 11:

 

"²⁵ At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. ²⁶ Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

²⁷ “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

 

How amazing is that! No matter where we go, what happens, the friends we meet or the trials we face...if we trust in the Lord, His burden is light. With the most amazing love of all (a love that we have yet to fathom) God loves us, each and everyone of us. My Little Pony is a show and a community with much love in it, and without some people knowing it, I truly believe God could be starting a movement...revealing Himself in many aspects of society. He may not be allowed in schools, public places, and even in some places on the web. But He will always be in our hearts, roaring like a lion. And one day He is coming back again, and the FULL glory of God will be revealed. For as Easter Sunday approaches, we can all celebrate that HE IS RISEN!

 

And as I think about shows like My Little Pony and other aspects of the art in our society, it reminds me that there is still hope. God reveals Himself in mysterious ways. So the main thing to take away here, and I hope this helps, but:

 

Indeed, no need to say good-bye! Just ask the following.

 

What can I do with my present struggles, and change them around to become sound with the Lords will and not my own. Ultimately, how can I glorify the Lord and savior Jesus Christ...who was, and is, and is to come.

 

God bless, and I will pray that God will give you the boldness to seek the answers in which your heart desires. For through the boldness of taking action, we will gain wisdom. God bless my friend.

 

-Matt

[Arylett Charnoa 4,919]

I'm not typically religious and I don't like goodbye topics as they're usually dramafests and people never truly leave. But this has combined two things that I'm not really into, and made a perfect product. You sir, have won the best goodbye topic I have ever seen.

 

Such eloquence, such sincerity! It really captures me. You worded yourself in such a way that even though I don't believe in God, I could understand your plight. I had no such sneer on my face, and no cynicism whatsoever. I understand that this is what you need to do, and this is what's good for you. Though I am sad to see you go, as you're probably one of the most intelligent and well-written members I have seen on the entire internet, I understand what you must do. I'll miss you a lot, pal. I wish I would've gotten to know ya better, but I suppose that's how it goes.

 

I hope that someday, you can return.

 

Goodbye, friend.

[Doctor XFizzle 8,669]

Good luck Blue and you're welcome to return whenever you see fit and we will be there with open arms.

 

[be my waifu 2,842]

Although I don't know you very well (I don't really know anyone here that well, actually...), nor am I a religious person myself, I will wish you good luck in your endeavors

 

However, I don't really see how an innocent interest in ponies is taking you away from your faith... You did say that you were "idolizing" them, but it's really just an interest when it comes down to it. You really haven't replaced your religion with ponies, have you? Maybe I just don't see your reasoning because of my lack of a religious belief, but meh

 

Good luck

[Jokuc 8,174]

:'( Iah well, bye!

[Lady Rarity Pony 4,892]

Awww, bye Blue :/

 

There goes an educated man ;__;

 

God bless you on your future endeavors! Hope to see you around one day. Hopefully

[Crispy 5,563]

Always sad to see a good user leave.

 

I wish you good luck in all of your endeavors, Blue.

[Croaks 251]

Aw, man.

It's sad to see you go, even though we haven't known each other for too long.

But I understand your reason to leave, and I respect it.

I hope for the happiest for you.

[I used to be a stranger 7,994]

HE IS RISEN!

HE IS RISEN INDEED!

Indeed, no need to say good-bye!

 

It is more of a goodbye-preemptive than a direct statement that I tip the hat and fare-thay-well of MLP forever.

A forewarning that my interest in My Little Pony will likely fall the wayside by my own will, as my interest in Team Fortress 2, Spore, Half Life 2, The Escapist Magazine dot com, Machinima and Pivot Stick Animator all have in the past. Unfortunately all those things waned by lack of interest, and therefore their tapering loss of presence in mind meant I never had a definitive point where I said "I've stopped loving them and it has faded to a casua-interest-or-less" in any of them.

 

A metaphor that could be used to describe this thread's purpose would be the funeral that was held for Morrie Schwartz in Tuesdays with Morrie. Morrie in the book has Lou Gherigs disease and therefore because (fact is, to this day) the disease which causes muscle atrophy means he will die within the space of a few years time. So in order to spite the mourning, they hold a Pre-death Funeral, remarking on his life, while he's still alive to appreciate all the nice things that happened to him and contrariwise.

While I do not want to sound as pretensious or ostenacious as one might think by directly applying that Pre-death funeral metaphor to this thread, I do declare that such a line of logic is the purpose for it:

A definitive point I set for myself whereby I state that such and such will be my limit for my interest in ponies, for if you give the devil an inch he will take a mile. I refuse to let myself become distracted from God's work or let Christ fall by the wayside for a children's television program.

I darenot say that this will be the end from here on out- only that I shall commit myself no deeper, and that since before this day was its pinnacle, after this point I may continually lose interest and thus may disengage myself from the community without warning or consent. -Which is where the Pre-death funeral metaphor applies far more aptly.

 

Just as easily though I could have convinced you all that I have breast cancer and doomed to die within the next 8 months.

Now that would've been drama.

Edited April 8, 2012 by Blue

[Marelin 38]

Capernwray Bible School in Germany (Bodenseehof)

Aha!

In september you say?

 

I think I'm gonna visit that bible school to say hello! Since one of my buddies is living in München, it wouldn't be that much of a detour and Bodensee is always worth a visit.

 

Thought you could get away huh?

[Nah 3,182]

Hey Blue, I'm gonna miss you. When you come back, you will be welcomed warmly.

[I used to be a stranger 7,994]

Aha!

In september you say?

 

I think I'm gonna visit that bible school to say hello! Since one of my buddies is living in München, it wouldn't be that much of a detour and Bodensee is always worth a visit.

 

Thought you could get away huh?

 

You would become the third person I've ever met via the internet, and the first brony IRL.

Hey Blue, I'm gonna miss you. When you come back, you will be welcomed warmly.

 

Did you read my second post?

[Zoop 8,384]

I will miss you, Blue, when you finally dial your participation here down to zero; posts of your quality are often difficult to come by. Doing what is best for oneself is not often easy - you've got my respect, and a little bit of envy over your self control.

[Key Gear 6,663]

I know that I have not been a member of this site for very long, but I spend a lot of time reading through old posts. Your wit, sense of humor, and deep perspective on many issues will be missed by me.

 

I only wish that I had been a member of this site earlier so that I could have gotten to know you a bit better. I am not normally affected like this, but reading your post, I am saddened as I feel as though I've missed the opportunity to make a friend. With that said, I understand and respect both your reasoning and your decision.

 

Goodbye Blue. I wish you all the best in your journey of self discovery!

[Guest]

Farewell, I very much admired your posts, they were always well structured and thought out. You shall be missed!

 

I wish you luck in your search and wish only happiness and good fortune for you!

[Fox 5,330]

Come back soon Blue!

[Kraznor 33]

Sigh, okay. I believe the MLP fandom encompasses everything worthwhile about Christianity and wisely sidesteps the extremely outdated and narrow minded tendencies of the Bible's numerous authors, but hey, if you're feeling self-conscious about your love of the show and community, it is your right to walk away from it. Just know that self-loathing is never a good thing and I don't believe Jesus Christ ever preached that it was. If you love ponies more than spending time in a building with old people singing or reading and re-reading a two thousand year old book with a highly specific context in mind (that being the Mediterranean region before the light of education had reached much of the world via the advent of science and critical thinking) that is just the way it is. Embrace it rather than run from it out of some misplaced sense of obligation.

 

Actually, if you have some religious leaders in your life (pastor, priest, teacher, etc.), I'd encourage you to tell them about the lessons in the show and what you've discovered through it. Maybe, just maybe, you found something better and they've been bluffing for some time now.

 

And sorry if this sounds hyper-cynical, my thoughts on religion often come across that way as I was more or less brainwashed by years in a private Christian school that subtly taught me I was nothing special at all and should really worry about how I'm impacting the kingdom of God before my own interests to the point where I was overweight, depressed and going nowhere. So religion CAN be great, it just can go extremely wrong as well and I fear the path you are debating may lead to where I was for too many years of my life.

 

But hey, bro-hoof, thanks for being part of this community and I'm glad you've permitted yourself to express your feelings creatively through writing, that is undoubtedly a great thing.

[I used to be a stranger 7,994]

This post has been redacted by the author.

Edited April 28, 2021 by Blue

[Demi 545]

Farewell, young and noble friend. I hardly knew you, and yet.. our bond feels as though we both grew up as childhood friends.

 

Goodbye, Blue, so loyal and true. May the rest of your days be filled with good luck and good cheer. Take care, or as they say, hasta la vista, baby.

[Marelin 38]

 

You would become the third person I've ever met via the internet, and the first brony IRL

 

Great!

 

Got an eMail address? Since your activity is going to decline further, it'd be hard for me to contact you within these sacred digital walls.

[Finesthour 7,287]

Wow.

 

Saw the title, was afraid you were going to leave.

 

Read the text.

 

...Have fun wherever you are going and what you shall do with you life.

 

You helped me through many problems, and I can never really thank you enough for the words of kindness you gave me in my time of darkness.

 

I love you man, cheers if you see this.

[RDashFan85 46]

 

 

 

Goodbye I will miss you a lot. Take care of your self and I hope to see you back here soon. Best of luck to you.