Exploring How Obey Me!'s Portrayal Of The Celestial Realm Mirrors That Of The How The Christian Heaven

Exploring how Obey Me!'s portrayal of the Celestial Realm mirrors that of the how the Christian heaven is used as propaganda, and how Simeon, Luke, and Raphael tie-in with real-life people's experiences of the Christian faith.

-

to preface: I was born Christian and was raised as such, but renounced my religion when I was around 18. Experiences vary in different parts of the world of course, however, I will also be tying in things I see from online conversations about Christianity. Admittedly a lot of my insight comes from my experience (and by extension, my family and friends) of Christianity in my area of the world (southeast asia).

Additionally, this post is purely for fun and speculation, and my fascination with subversive portrayals of religion, particularly of Christianity. Please note that I will use the word "religion" as a whole, but this post will specifically go into Christianity, and by proxy, its branches.

As this post is a spur-of-the-moment thing, it is not proofread, so I apologize for any spelling or grammatical errors!

‼️This post will contain spoilers‼️

To start, let's lay out the things we know about the Celestial Realm from the story.

The Celestial Realm is home of the angels, and in contrast to the Devildom, it is a realm of permanent daylight.

Michael acts as its authority, however, we know that its most supreme being is the Father, who we can presume created the realm and its angels. Unlike the sleeping Demon Lord, we are at least aware that Father is still active, although presumably leaves the governing to Michael.

Similar to real-life angelology, the Celestial Realm also divides its angels by ranks. The current known ranks are Seraphim, Throne, Cherubim, Principality, Dominion, and Archangel.

Key observations:

Angels can either fall to become demons (demon brothers) or be stripped of their blessing and become human (Simeon).

Luke's current angel rank is unknown. We can assume this is from inexperience, as despite being implied to be at least a thousand years old, he acts and behaves like a typical ten year old.

Although "falling" can be a punishment by acting out of defiance against its virtues, we know that angels can still be morally grey, and in some cases, dubious, and still not be stripped of their blessing.

Now to the bulk of this analysis.

I. Christianity as a tool for propaganda and colonization

This is pretty basic history - western colonizers have used religion as a basis of conquering "new worlds" in the name of spreading their faith and belief systems. The effects of this still persist until today - racism, homophobia, etc. in general can be traced back to the colonial era. In more present-day scenarios, religion is also used as a leverage for morality and what people deem as "right or wrong". For some parts, it aligns with basic humanity, however, we know very well that it can also be used to spread bigotry and false moral high grounds as a justification for mistreatment of people.

In many countries, politics and religion go hand in hand. Many politicians will use their beliefs as a basis for bills and laws, and it trickles down to the justice system, where judges can display religous bias (whether consciously or not) in favor of their personal beliefs. As such, many politicians will use religion to forward their name and agenda, in the pretense of being a devout practicioner, in order to garner relatability and bias from people of the same faith. In Christianity, for example, many politicians will use the term "Lord's servant" as a subtext for people to latch onto.

In a societal context, we are very familiar with the phrase "Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve" as a rebuttal for homosexual relationships, and in general, relationships that bigoted Christians believe do not follow in their God's text. Cherry-picking bible verses and anecdotes to further their justification for acting the way they do is also a very common occurence, even though that very same Bible they read also emphasize the value of spreading love, with hate having no place in heaven.

II. How it ties to the Celestial Realm

Behind its perma-daylight nature, we learn that the Celestial Realm is a place of strict rule and order, and an angel can easily get demoted, as was the previous case for Simeon, who we know was originally a Seraphim, and in some cases, even falling to demonhood, like the brothers. This walking-on-eggshells type of ordinance is very tricky, as the reasoning for being casted out of the realm can get very blurry. In Lilith's case, it was her act of using Celestial Realm medicine in order to heal a human she loved; this then led to Lucifer questioning why her act was tantamount to falling, as he always believed love to be a precious thing. This doubt and questioning, however, then led to his own falling, which led to the rest of the brothers siding with him and Lilith, resulting in the Great Celestial War.

We can then paint a picture of the Celestial Realm as a false/disillusioned utopia - externally, it is very lavish, warm, and golden, but taking a closer look reveals its suffocating, anti-freedom, gray nature, where one wrong move could spell your last day. Simeon is very much aware of this, and has, on multiple occassions, openly expressed disdain on how the realm operates.

It is then a matter of Self vs. Governance; at what point does the Celestial Realm draw the line between individual autonomy and total subjugation of its angels? If Lucifer, once one of its most prominent, respected, and powerful angels, gets casted due to defiance for asking a very valid question regarding a value that is taught and propagated within the realm, as he believes Lilith's punishment directly goes against that value, then what of the lesser angels who wish to ask the same? If standing up for those you hold dear is tantamount to unholiness, then why teach the value of love and family in the first place?

I hope you can see where I'm going here - the teaching of these values in the Celestial Realm being the same ones that can get you ostracized VS. using these values to advance a real-world political agenda and cherry-picked beliefs is intrinsically linked.

People that use religion as a means to justify cruelty or feign moral superiority despite the main point of their religion being to "love everyone equally, as you do yourself" are setting a status quo that they built for themselves and their hivemind - if you don't follow these specific rules and beliefs, you are not a true devout. If you question or point out inaccuracies on the beliefs that we want you to follow, you are a deviant.

Sound familiar yet?

III. The three main angels

Excluding Michael and the demon brothers pre-fall, there are three other angels the story focuses on: Luke, Simeon, and Raphael. Despite all three being angels, they cannot be any more similar from each other. One is a brash, tempermental, and an overexcited youth with a sweet tooth; one freely lies and openly involves themselves in un-angelic deeds; and the other is a quiet, stoic, and blunt individual with a questionable taste in cuisine. These three angels encapsulate, almost perfectly, a religous pipeline.

IIIA. Luke

Luke represents the first entry to a religion (I'd use the word indoctrination, but I don't want to unknowingly portray it negatively as some people are born into a religion by default). He is young, inexperienced, idolizes a high-ranking angel who he follows with no question, and above all, naive. We know that he does not know the full reason of why the brothers fell, nor does he know of Lilith. Similarly, children and young people in religion often follow their parents/guardians blindly without question, their understanding of faith being minimal and surface level, something easily digestible for a young, developing mind.

IIIB. Raphael

Raphael is compliance. He knows and understand the ins-and-outs, the ifs-and-whys of the realm, yet continues to follow its order. Although he did not side with Lucifer, we eventually learn that he wishes he did (most recently in NB), yet unlike Simeon, does not actively wallow in his choice and continues to fulfill his duty as a Seraph. Whether we see a development with this in Nightbringer, time will tell. In a similar vein, many people will silently comply with their own faith, regardless of doubt. In my experience, this compliance, either out of familial pressure or feeling indebted to a religion, starts to happen during major developmental stages, either as a late teen or early adulthood, when you can freely do your own research and start to understand the deeper intricacies of a particular religion.

IIIC. Simeon

Simeon is representative of actively going against the status quo. He is an angel that has, on numerous occassions, displayed manipulative and wrathful tendencies, and has admitted to freely partake in lies and deceit. He has also stated that his biggest regret in life was not siding with Lucifer during the war, which is why he actively tries to help him and the brothers as much as he can, not caring if his action could be deemed as heresy. Although we see bits and pieces of it in the original game, Nightbringer Simeon fully procalims this, as asking him to ally with the brothers will result to him in saying that he always will be on their side. In real life, people have their own breaking point that leads them to this path, no matter how personal or educated the reasoning may be. Denouncing one's faith, especially one that was given to you by birth, can be considered an act of both defiance, and in the case of Christianity, becoming unholy, or impure.

IV. The Celestial Realm as a commentary of how religion, particularly Christianity, is used in real life as a tool to further a cherry-picked, propaganda-ridden agenda, despite it being a contradiction to its teachings.

It is no secret that a lot of societal problems nowadays regarding bigotry, refusal of understanding, and unacceptance of others outside your status quo can be traced back to religous conservatives. This is a walking contradiction, of course, as Christian teachings always puts love above all, yet bringing this up as a rebuttal will elicit anger, not reflection. The Celestial Realm is the same, as its blurry definition of defiance goes against its importance of love and familial relationships, so much so that in its eyes, an angel trying to elicit defiance by acting un-angel-like is ultimately a lot more angelic than one who dares question why its teachings are being used as a leverage of defiance.

Of course, a lot of this can be chalked up to mere coincidence, and some might even say that I'm stretching a lot here, but it's still very interesting that a portrayal of heaven is morally ambigous at best. In some ways, the Devildom, or what's supposed to be hell, feels like the better place to live in out of the two.

Anyways, if you made it this far, thank you for reading my random spat-out ramble that i started writing out of nowhere and I fixated on finishing 💀 Share your thoughts with me too, if you'd like. I'd love to hear what you guys think.

How to be a Healthier INTP, by an INTP

Create a system and build your day around it. And no, I’m not talking about a schedule because we know we suck at following them. For instance, I bet you forget to drink water if you are not reminded in a way or another. I make sure to drink a glass of water every three hours. “Oh, but wouldn’t that make things harder?” Not at all! I wake up at 6, drink a glass of water. Then again at 9. Then at 12 when I have lunch. And then at 3pm and so on. We’re always looking at the time. Might as well put that to good use. Also! Try to pick three things you want to do the next day before you go to bed. And then switch doing them throughout your day. If I choose to study, update my blog and work out, I might study a little, then go and work out. And then Update. Then back to studying.

Reward yourself. Between those 3 things sneak in some fun. We’re too impatient to reward ourselves at the end of the day. Start small!

Sleep early and wake up early. Sleep is so important! The better you sleep the easier it will be for you do grasp a hold of your inferior functions. By default we are not very aware of our surroundings. Getting enough sleep will help you keep your mind sharp. If your sleep schedule is disastrous, start slowly. Let’s say you sleep at 3 am. Try going bed one hour earlier than that for a week. And then always reduce the time by an hour week by week. “But I won’t fall sleep even if I lay down.” That’s alright. Try to do things that relax you before bed. Listen to podcasts, play a game on you phone for a bit, read a book. Anything that you find relaxing.

Use your bed only to sleep and bang. (At least try to reduce the time you lay in your bed.) Seriously, if you’re not going to bed for any of those reasons, don’t go at all.

Never go to bed if you’re hungry. It’ll just make you feel uncomfortable and you’ll have a harder time going to sleep.

Work out!! This is so important. It’ll help you feel more present in the moment. Teaches you how to be okay with being uncomfortable, creates discipline (which we INxPs really lack) and it’s good for your health. Also it’ll make you feel more confident with yourself. Start with working out 2 minutes a day. Jumping rope is a good idea as well! Don’t worry to much. You’ll see that soon your time will get longer.

Try grasping information randomly about the subject you’re studying at least a few days before your exam. We grasp information easier when it’s thrown at us randomly but that in our logic makes a lot of sense. I really don’t know how to explain this that well. But let’s say that you’re learning a foreign language. It’s probably easier for you to learn words at random periods of time, rather than when the teacher makes a list of them and gives it to you expecting you to master them for the upcoming exam. You’ll learn them anyway, I’m sure, but you’ll probably forget them once the exam is over if they didn’t make a logical sense in your brain.

If you don’t know what you want, then know what you don’t want. A lot of people take the route that will take them to their goal. But what if you don’t have one? Then do your best planning at avoiding things that you don’t want happening. I know this seems obvious, but we often fall down a rabbit hole and forget where we are, or who we are.

Take alone time even when you’re not feeling apathetically antisocial. Make it clear to people who know you that from x to y time, you want to relax. Soon you’ll have a better grasp of your tendencies to isolate from the world.

Learn to distinguish your feelings from those of other people. Contrary to popular belief, we’re extremely empathetic thanks to our buddy Fe. And we struggle a lot with emotional outbursts that come from others. If said emotions are too intense, we might get ill even physically. Take deep breaths down to your belly, and use you Ti to logically make sense of the situation. Is there any reason for me to feel sad/angry/hurt/whatever right now? Explain to yourself why you shouldn’t be feeling like that and get the situation back in control.

Don’t let people step on you. Honestly, if someone is taking advantage of your good nature then call them out on it. If they are not willing to talk about it and instead deny the facts, then leave. Do whatever you can to get out of that situation.

You are more important than what other people expect from you. No matter how nice you are, people will always be unhappy. That said, always give people a chance, and if they miss it that’s on them. You can go back to taking care of yourself.

Realize that you can’t help people who are too stubborn and refuse to help themselves. Don’t beat yourselves over it. Give advice and a helping hand, but if you see that they are not taking them, leave them to take responsibility for themselves. It is absolutely not your job to take upon yourself the responsibility of other’s actions, or the lack of them. I know it sounds harsh, but the sooner you realize this, the better; not only for you, but for those who you tried to help as well.

Don’t share your opinions where you know they are not welcome. Sometimes, people will refuse to see the truth, and that’s on them. Do not try to convince them otherwise. Shrug it off and go on with your day. Often times our ideas seem a bit too ‘out there’ to other people. Especially to certain sensory types (looking at you XSFJ), but of course they are not the only ones. You might have a harder time having a deep conversation with them, but don’t let this stop you. If you see that your idea gets ignored, just sit back and watch the world burn. Have some popcorn while you’re at it.

That said! Don’t be afraid to share your ideas and opinions. Never let fear decide for you. If you’re feeling fearful and anxious just ask yourself: What am I afraid of? List your fears, and then conquer them one by one.

Never allow people to use guilt against you. Realize when people are doing this to manipulate you and break free from it. Realize that whatever happened, happened. It’s okay. Learn from it so it won’t repeat itself and then move on. You don’t need to beat yourself over it every day for the rest of your life. Forgive yourself. We’re human. Mistakes is what we learn from.

A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one. Learn to incorporate your inferior functions in your daily life. Look up videos and information on your type and especially pay attention to unhealthy patterns. See if any of them resonate with you. The first step to getting rid of a problem is by acknowledging it.

Try do get out of your comfort zone sometimes, but don’t go and throw yourself off a cliff. Being out of your comfort zone might be stressful, but it shouldn’t give you a mental breakdown. If you’re feeling that it is too much for you, then retreat (mission failed, we’ll get them next time) but don’t be afraid to try again. However, if it is something that isn’t for you, don’t try to force it upon yourself. Being comfortable is just as important. Try to balance out the two. For example, I am not fond of loud places with a lot of people so going to a pub for me is too much, especially because I’m not interested in whatever is going on there. Going to the gym however is out of my comfort zone, but I enjoy working out, so I’m more willing to try it. After you break your comfort zone enough times it becomes ordinary, and you won’t such a hard time with it anymore.

Keep a journal to sort out your ideas and things you learned. Especially those that you know will help you to develop your personality. You don’t have to write on it every day. I certainly don’t, but when the need arises I know where to turn to.

Take notice of the patterns of your life and see what works and what doesn’t for you.

Use a little bit of that Fe with people you trust. It becomes extremely destructive when we let it sleep and awaken only when our Ti is having a breakdown. Tend to it from time to time. As much as we do not like it, we can’t deny that it is a part of us.

Lastly, go with the flow. Don’t try to control things that are out of your grasp!

That’s it for now. I hope this helps!

561 notes View Post

tinyhampter liked this · 3 weeks ago
emeliepastelskiesxox liked this · 9 months ago
cormolevont liked this · 9 months ago
sktxhs-blog liked this · 9 months ago
iwillmarrybeel liked this · 9 months ago
reulililililie liked this · 9 months ago
mangacupcake liked this · 10 months ago
leslietomie liked this · 10 months ago
look-away21 liked this · 10 months ago
bonumbun liked this · 11 months ago
scarlettcloudsxx liked this · 11 months ago
idontknowsoimgoingtogorandom liked this · 11 months ago
rosachii57 liked this · 11 months ago
supivague liked this · 11 months ago
amxnanodalhard liked this · 11 months ago
soft-dango liked this · 1 year ago
plumpedough liked this · 1 year ago
hobbiesofkinks liked this · 1 year ago
baddiekaren liked this · 1 year ago
oa-trance liked this · 1 year ago
llolian liked this · 1 year ago
5mary5 reblogged this · 1 year ago
5mary5 liked this · 1 year ago
merichandkitaara liked this · 1 year ago
th30sstuff reblogged this · 1 year ago
crystaldollxo liked this · 1 year ago
bellowbear liked this · 1 year ago
qoiwf liked this · 1 year ago
voidreo liked this · 1 year ago
alexhababa liked this · 1 year ago
misplacedmyorgansoops liked this · 1 year ago
banana-split-bitch-club liked this · 1 year ago
tleeee liked this · 1 year ago
kelkafka liked this · 1 year ago
obeymearmageddonau liked this · 1 year ago
earlgrey-teacups liked this · 1 year ago
pequenodose1 liked this · 1 year ago
twelvephaedra liked this · 1 year ago
tinamisan liked this · 1 year ago
eybarocmi liked this · 1 year ago
riskrov liked this · 1 year ago
the-green-knight liked this · 1 year ago
earl-grey-love reblogged this · 1 year ago
earl-grey-love liked this · 1 year ago
shyvien liked this · 1 year ago

papilonblanche

Papillon Blanc

20 something yo dreamer The birds were singing Under the darkest sky above A sinister melody Flowing beyond our world Follow my instagram too: papilon_blanche

242 posts

Explore Tumblr Blog

Search Through Tumblr Tags

Exploring How Obey Me!'s Portrayal Of The Celestial Realm Mirrors That Of The How The Christian Heaven