BONUS Episode - CBS x Mavelinadu Collective: A Faith To Bite Into

It's Christmas 2022, and the persecution of Christians in this country is getting worse and worse; even as the terror rises, the apathy also seems to loom and grow. It seems obscene and inappropriate to be hopeful. I can't say I've experienced the worst of this hatred and bigotry, but where else can I locate my experiences and identity? Where else do I belong? Where else do I focus my anger than on behalf of those "among whom I was born?" 

It's the end of a long hard, confusing year. Looking to the future, looking to the result of the Supreme Court case on the expansion of SC status, even looking to the upcoming general elections - all of it seems too large to comprehend. Too big to face head-on. But I'm feeling a wind blow through that I haven't felt for years. I can stand up with my head held high because of Babasaheb, but that doesn't mean I want to convert to Buddhism. I'm a good Christian kid; we're taught that we only bow before God. 

My favourite Biblical character is Gideon. The image of this least of sons, from the smallest of Judaic tribes, being charged with freeing his people from foreign oppression by an Angel, then doubting God’s hiring process, is so funny. So human. Of course, the minute he gets the all-clear, he takes on the righteous sword of God. Through divinely sanctioned deceit, he chases away the encroaching armies and then goes on a rampage, tearing down idols. The narrative of Gideon’s wholesale destruction of false gods was used during the Protestant Reformation as a comparison to the removal of effigies of  Catholic saints from the midst of churches.

I still believe that God's promises are starkly simple compared to back-alley deals made to a pantheon of thousands. I think he loves me exactly as I am, hard and hating, bitter and angry. And in Isaiah 53:1, my favourite tragic prophet asks, "Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?" 

This coming year, I want to smash some idols. 

CREDITS
This bonus CBS S1: Experiencing Ambedkar episode is the result of a collaboration with the best in the game, the Mavelinadu Collective. 

Parai drums: Parai Instrument Sound Effect (Royalty free)

A crowd of Hindus burnt down a church - https://freesound.org/s/541014/ - This work is licensed under the Noncommercial 4.0 License.

Aime Cesaire- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkTDayrLZq4

But I’m Talking About Faith - https://freesound.org/s/634813/ - This work is licensed under the Noncommercial 4.0 License.

Peter the rash: Gregorian Chants Vs. Modern Trap/Rap Beats [prod. Ryz]

I made the episode art; big up to the Commons, praise be!