If you're like me and enjoy goth, punk, or alternative clothing, you might notice a consistent pattern in its imagery and marketing. Or, it's possible that you've never even given it a thought because you're so enamored by "how cool" the styles are. (I can relate)

Just this past year, I had to throw out half my wardrobe because I felt so ashamed that I had essentially become a walking billboard for death without even realizing it. A lot of the stuff I wore had patterns and slogans printed on it that depicted drugs, demons, violence, etc. and it got me thinking:

"Why are these symbols synonymous with that style of clothing?"  

Come to think of it, this realization probably explains why first-time viewers of my channel assume I'm crazy just based on my haircut, nose ring, or stage name. 

I don't believe alternative clothing should be dominated by degeneracy or the occult, nor do I think followers of Christ should force themselves to adapt styles that are more palatable to other believers.

With that in mind, I pitched an idea to the guys at No_System who hosted my previous merch line. I told them that I wanted to create a series of designs that represented different passages in The Bible, hoping to bring new life, to a style that's dominated by death. And as someone who recently became a believer this past year, these designs meant more to me than just a t-shirt.

Even if you don't consider yourself religious, I hope you'll still give some thought to the passages I selected and consider why darkness and the occult are so glamorized, in a society that constantly accuses followers of Jesus for pushing their beliefs onto others. 

Psalm 96:5 - "For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens."

Philippians 4:7 - "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Every day our lives are inundated with junk, and we often accept it wholesale by scrolling endlessly on social media or watching the news in hopes we'll hear something bad. Stop that! Cling to what's good and reject the trash. 

Checkout my full merch line by visiting gothix.tv/merch

Warning Against Idleness 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

• I think it's reasonable to say that we're are all products of our environment. Some might be more susceptible to influence than others, but generally speaking, the more time we spend with positive and ambitious people, the more we'll begin to mirror their behavior. Likewise, if we're always around drunk, lazy, party animals, there's a high likelihood we'll become a sloppy degenerate. Proverbs 13:20 explains this perfectly: "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."

• Why do you think doctors recommend exercise or learning a new skill to help combat depression? And why do some people choose to hang outside liquor or convenience stores for hours at a time? It's because they lack purpose. When depression begins to take hold of your mind, its harder to fight it off when you don't have something productive to focus on. Likewise, we can assume those who stand idle on street corners all day are probably up to no good. I know the typical response to this something to the effect of "well, maybe their poor! Maybe their homeless!". This part of scripture explains the importance of working for your food because it helps encourage perseverance and duty, which you wont learn by always expecting others to help you. 

• There's a famous quote that goes: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." This concept is lost on many social justice ideologues when they infantilize the very people they're trying to help. If we're capable of achieving something positive in our lives, then the next rational step should be to lead by example as opposed to treating others like victims. 

• Think of all the angry 'online activists' who spend their entire day online trying to "cancel" or shame a stranger for something they thought was wrong. These people are called busybodies. They waste all their time meddling into the affairs of others to "hold them accountable", instead of taking necessary steps to lead by example.

Additionally, there's a huge difference between not being ABLE to work, versus not WILLING. For those who are truly incapable of working (though, I believe that number is much smaller than people think) God commands us to be generous, kind and forgiving. But he also commands us to  build others up according to their needs (Ephesians 4:29) and sometimes people NEED encouragement so they can be inspired to practice self control, perseverance and discipline. 

• Pretty self explanatory. 

In case you haven't figured it out, God is NOT compatable with socialisim, and the Bible has an abundance of other sections that can be used to challenge marxisim, communism and social justice ideas (gender theory, anti-racism, etc.), which ironically, are all forms of religion in their own right. 

But If we're not careful, we're going to end up living in a society that normalizes hostility, bitterness and prejudice as opposed to kindness, forgiveness and love. I can assure you that while the world won't ever be perfect, following Karl Marx will certainly make it worse.