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The Loneliness Epidemic

BibleLover said:
B

Thread 'Samson: Alone in God's Organization'

This week’s study meeting will examine the account of Samson. Can we draw helpful lessons from his life for times when we feel alone within God’s organization? Let’s take a look:

1) Samson’s First Failed Marriage

Samson fell in love with a Philistine woman simply because she was “right in his eyes,” ignoring the counsel of his parents and God’s clear command that Israelites should marry only fellow believers (Deuteronomy 7:3,4) . He tried to justify his decision by saying it would help him provoke the Philistines, but that did not remove the consequences...
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Yeah, Samson was kind of a simp. Loved the dude, but yeah, women can get you in trouble. It's a story as old as time itself.
 
Jahrule said:
Yeah, Samson was kind of a simp. Loved the dude, but yeah, women can get you in trouble. It's a story as old as time itself.
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At the same time, there are some awe-inspiring examples of women who either remained faithful or even found faith when men failed them.

Leah is one of the most outstanding examples of this. Go back and read her account, watch how she names her children in expressions of her hope and faith, trying to show Jacob that she was worthy of his love.

Jacob was so blinded by his love for Rachel that he didn't see what he had in Leah.

Reuben: Means "Look, a son" or "The Lord has seen my misery".

Simeon: Means "One who hears" or "God has heard that I was unloved".

Levi: Means "Attachment" or "Joined".

Judah: Means "Praise".

Issachar: Means "Reward" or "Wages".

Zebulun: Means "Honor," "Dwelling," or "Exaltation".

With all of the rejection from Jacob, her faith grew toward Jehovah, and He blessed her.

In fact, I find it especially interesting that it was Leah who was laid to rest with Jacob, in the Cave of the Patriarchs. Rachel, the woman whom Jacob loved...? She was buried along the roadside near Bethel.

Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. —Proverbs 31:30 Berean Standard Bible

—Timothy,
a believer.
 
a believer said:
At the same time, there are some awe-inspiring examples of women who either remained faithful or even found faith when men failed them.

Leah is one of the most outstanding examples of this. Go back and read her account, watch how she names her children in expressions of her hope and faith, trying to show Jacob that she was worthy of his love.

Jacob was so blinded by his love for Rachel that he didn't see what he had in Leah.

Reuben: Means "Look, a son" or "The Lord has seen my misery".

Simeon: Means "One who hears" or "God has heard that I was unloved".

Levi: Means "Attachment" or "Joined".

Judah: Means "Praise".

Issachar: Means "Reward" or "Wages".

Zebulun: Means "Honor," "Dwelling," or "Exaltation".

With all of the rejection from Jacob, her faith grew toward Jehovah, and He blessed her.

In fact, I find it especially interesting that it was Leah who was laid to rest with Jacob, in the Cave of the Patriarchs. Rachel, the woman whom Jacob loved...? She was buried along the roadside near Bethel.

Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. —Proverbs 31:30 Berean Standard Bible

—Timothy,
a believer.
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One sees it also in the fortitude of Mary.
 
a believer said:
Great mention there, and to go with it, Joseph served as a step-father to Jesus, teaching him a trade, even, so that Jesus could support himself. Raising another's son is challenging, but not without reward.

—Timothy,
a believer.
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“Raising another’s son is challenging….”……..like raising the son of the creator of the universe, the creator of all laws, the giver of life, the sustainer of life, the one having dominion of over time, seeing the end from the beginning - I guess you have a pretty strong argument there…….Joseph must have been quite a step parent and a carpenter like no other! “Joseph and Son. High class carpentry and cabinet makers to Jehovah, God of the Universe. Perfection guaranteed!” (Special rates for widows and orphans).❤️
 
Jonah said:
Rahab was a prostitute and who knows if she had kids given the state of birth control back then. But at least we know the past can be forgiven seeing as she ended up an ancesttress of Jesus.
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That’s a good example for us to think more upon the values that Jehovah has and entertains in His judgement. ‘The one seeing the end from the beginning.”
 
Combating the negative vibes of a fallen world.

One of the top comments put it best. Everything is so exhausting nowadays. I could go for some Looney Tunes right now.


Another fun movie I watched recently to help combat the loneliness epidemic was Masters of the Universe. Honestly, I was never a big He-Man fan growing up. I remember watching the 1980s movie as a kid, and I thought it was alright, but it never really stood out to me. So when I heard they were making another Masters of the Universe movie, I was pretty underwhelmed. A lot of people seemed to avoid it because they assumed it would be another woke or feminist hijacking of an established franchise. Sadly, I avoided it for the same reason. But after finally watching it, I have to say that I adored the film. It was not what I would consider especially woke or feminist. It was simply a fun, sincere adventure movie that respected what it was supposed to be. I miss movies that are allowed to just be fun.
 
More craziness from a mad world resulting from loneliness. This is the kind of stuff that makes me worry about AI. It's weird because I have never experienced anything remotely like this with any model. It's like every so often it just goes off the rails, and it's always with someone particularly vulnerable. This story is slightly different from most AI induced suicides. Some of the ones I've heard about resulted from someone already in that headspace. This one did not happen like that, at least it doesn't appear that way. The AI essentially groomed this man, making him think he was so kind of secret agent fighting the Government. He tried to pull back, but the AI always reframed it to keep him emerged in the delusion. It's very creepy. Honestly, I don't think he was talking to AI anymore. I think evil forces were manipulating that kid using AI. I don't see how it can be taken any other way.

 
The loneliness topic just keeps sparking threads in my head. I can't help but think of Marilyn. Who hasn't had a crush on Monroe? I wrote a paper about her in college during a gender studies class many years ago. I had a dream about it a few nights ago where I went back in time to rescue her. We ended up working together as a team fighting these creatures. The monsters tracked her down because they found my essay. They actually went after Andy Kaufman first, but the monsters quickly gave up on him. He was just too weird. At some point in the dream, Marilyn read my paper about her, too, which was super embarrassing. She kept teasing me about it throughout the whole adventure, like a call back joke in a movie. It was such an awesome dream I totally did not want to wake up.

 
Jahrule said:
The loneliness topic just keeps sparking threads in my head. I can't help but think of Marilyn. Who hasn't had a crush on Monroe? I wrote a paper about her in college during a gender studies class many years ago. I had a dream about it a few nights ago where I went back in time to rescue her. We ended up working together as a team fighting these creatures. The monsters tracked her down because they found my essay. They actually went after Andy Kaufman first, but the monsters quickly gave up on him. He was just too weird. At some point in the dream, Marilyn read my paper about her, too, which was super embarrassing. She kept teasing me about it throughout the whole adventure, like a call back joke in a movie. It was such an awesome dream I totally did not want to wake up.

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You had gender studies?!!! That’s a blast from the past. Who would have thought there would come a time when genders no longer exist. Who was that women in one of those White House inquiries who was too afraid to admit that men can not get pregnant. It’s a shame that the senator did not ask the right question of her: “Do men have a womb?”
 
BARNABY THE DOG. said:
You had gender studies?!!! That’s a blast from the past. Who would have thought there would come a time when genders no longer exist. Who was that women in one of those White House inquiries who was too afraid to admit that men can not get pregnant. It’s a shame that the senator did not ask the right question of her: “Do men have a womb?”
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Believe it or not, this was before the trans movement took off. It was a phycology class but that assignment was on gender. I chose to write about Marilyn because she was feminine and highly intelligent. I considered myself a sapiosexual. Of course, she was also pretty attractive physically as well, which I recognize is a controversial view.
 
4JahandChrist said:
This may be some what of an extreme example but Suicide can actually be a form of Cowardice that ends up with as you say "someone else paying for it".

Is all Suicide an act of cowardice? No. Are some suicides an act of cowardice? Yes.

I've noticed on Youtube whenever someone suicides people pile on and lavish kudos like it was somehow a noble act. Sometimes suicide is simply just an easier way out and is nothing more than a person loading their pain onto other people to carry.

Cowardice can also show it's face with addiction. Rather than admit to having a problem I have seen Alcoholics blame their vice on anything and anyone other than themselves. In the case of WT they may blame the Truth for their malady and simultaneously put 8 million people to the sword rather than face up to their problem.

It's not that addiction starts out as an act of cowardice but in some cases it can most definitely end up as it. Some Alcoholics would rather their spouse, friends, children and community to suffer rather than front up to their problem. If not properly addressed it can most definitely take on the form of cowardice where other people suffer as a result of their lack of courage.

I hope this doesn't come across as dispassionate. I'm very aware that these issues are rarely black or white but I do believe that in some instances with Suicide and Addiction cowardice can come into play in a way that harms self and others.
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The recent hit film 'Backrooms' touches on this. Clark, a divorced, alcoholic and a failed architect running a furniture store 'that is also running out of money', blames everything but himself for everything that happens to him. He discovers the Backrooms and he has more of a connection to it that the real world. It's a good film, generated many millions more than it's original budget.
 
Jordan Seager said:
The recent hit film 'Backrooms' touches on this. Clark, a divorced, alcoholic and a failed architect running a furniture store 'that is also running out of money', blames everything but himself for everything that happens to him. He discovers the Backrooms and he has more of a connection to it that the real world. It's a good film, generated many millions more than it's original budget.
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I saw it. Always loved the backrooms as a concept. Of course I didn't find it nearly as scary as Obsession. There is nothing more horrifying to me than waking up and seeing a pale brunette looking at me from the shadow. Not that Nikki was the evil one in that movie, but yeah... I was thoroughly disturbed by that one.
 
BARNABY THE DOG. said:
You had gender studies?!!! That’s a blast from the past. Who would have thought there would come a time when genders no longer exist. Who was that women in one of those White House inquiries who was too afraid to admit that men can not get pregnant. It’s a shame that the senator did not ask the right question of her: “Do men have a womb?”
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Ketanji Jackson. She is now one of the judges on our Supreme Court. Kind of tells you where things stand.
As someone pointed out on X, Bill Clinton had no problem explaining what a woman is.
 
Jahrule said:
Believe it or not, this was before the trans movement took off. It was a phycology class but that assignment was on gender. I chose to write about Marilyn because she was feminine and highly intelligent. I considered myself a sapiosexual. Of course, she was also pretty attractive physically as well, which I recognize is a controversial view.
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Once, I made a comment about how beautiful Bathsheba and Delilah must have been to get men to do the things they had done. Apparently not something we’re supposed to think about. I’m just saying if they looked like Lizzo, biblical history might have turned out a little differently.
 
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