#Love Laban

[notyourtypicalguyx]

Halos 100k attendees for Pride event!

Patunay na mas nananaig ang pagnanais natin magkaroon ng pantay pantay ng pagtingin sa lipunan, regardless kung ano man ang iyong sexual orientation. Ang Pride ay hindi lang basta isang celebration, ito ay isang protesta para sa ating karapatan at hustisya sa mga naging biktima ng pang aabuso at deskriminasyon..

Mula sa aming pagtindig, nawa'y balang araw wala ng bata ang maaabuso ng dahil isa siyang bakla, wala ng trans ang mapapatay dahil isa siyang trans, walang babae ang mamaliitin ng dahil isa siyang babae, wala ng mga tao ang magtatago ng kanilang kasarian dahil hindi sila matanggap ng kanilang pamilya.

Sana dumating yung araw, makamit natin yung kalayaan at kapayapaan kahit sino pa tayo sa lipunan.

HAPPY PRIDE EVERYONE! 🌈

[ghoulgeists]

ooo it's been a while since I posted any ink art! I got a bottle of miscanthus hills for myself for the new year and tried it out for some highlights on my pretty elf boy :]

[xiewho]

had to do a double take for beardsley's fit next ep cause. they look so fucking good jesus christ

[labannori]

One of my sci-fi girls ( and her girlfriend :3 )

[iggyguyy]

When you're trying to continue on your animation meme but the dog invades your space >:[

[ jk he's too cute to be mad at him ]

- Iggy🦎

[redemptivexheroics]

@aquamanandfriends Man tell Laban to stop doing this to Ellis...XD

CHAD MICHAEL MURRAY Mother of the Bride (2024)

[revolant]

Saw somebody on instagram adding a big scoop of Laban to their idk stew or something that’s not the point the point is the scoop of Laban came from a big ass container full of Laban and I didn’t know u can just buy that godly shit from a store. I thought it was restaurant only and now I can’t rest until I find out which one carries giant container of Laban for my own purchase and irresponsible use

[redemptivexheroics]

Laban Riley

[archangels-bible-annotations]

Chapter 29

29:1-3 Jacob continues his journey and comes across a well surrounded by 3 flocks of sheep. The sheep are watered from the well, the well is covered each time after watering. Shepherds are not explicitly mentioned, only "they."

29:4-6 Jacob asks the shepherds where they are from and if they know Laban. They replied that they were from Haran and that Laban is doing well, and his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep.

29:7 Jacob states that it is the middle of the day and not time to gather sheep; he says to water them and then feed them.

29:8 The shepherds say that they need all the shepherds together to move the big stone cover from the well.

29:9-10 When Rachel arrived, Jacob helped move the stone that covered the well. This part makes it very distinct that Laban is his "mother's brother" by mentioning it every time Laban is mentioned.

29:11-14 Jacob kissed Rachel and wept while raising his voice, meaning he was happy to see his kin. Rachel took the news of Jacob's arrival to Laban, and Laban brought Jacob into the house for a month.

29:15 Laban states that Jacob should not work for free, asking him what he would like for wages.

29:16-21 Conversation shifts towards Laban's daughters. Leah was the older daughter and had "delicate eyes." Rachel was the younger daughter, "beautiful in form and appearance." Jacob proposed seven years of service to marry Rachel. Laban agrees, stating that it is better he gives her to Jacob than anyone else. Jacob finishes his seven years and asks Laban for Rachel as his wife.

29:22-23 Laban prepares a wedding festival but prepares Leah to be the bride.

29:24 Laban gives Zilpah, his maid, to Leah as a handmaiden.

29:25 Jacob is shocked because he was prepared for Rachel, not Leah. Jacob questions Laban for his deception.

29:26-27 Laban states the younger child should not be married before the older, so Laban requests Jacob to "fulfill her week" and he will give Rachel in exchange for another 7 years of service.

29:28 Jacob "fulfilled [Leah's] week," and was given Rachel as a second wife. Laban gives Bilhah, his handmaiden, to Rachel as a handmaiden.

29:29-30 Jacob "went in to Rachel" and loved her more than Leah. He served Laban for another 7 years after they got married.

29:31 God saw that "Leah was hated" so He opened her womb while making Rachel barren.

29:32 Leah conceives Reuban, stating that God saw her humiliation. She continues saying that since she had a son, Jacob should love her now.

29:33-35 Leah continues to conceive children for Jacob, each time giving praise to God and saying that now Jacob would love her. She gives birth to 4 sons until she stopped bearing. In all, her children--in order--are Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. Judah was the only child that Leah did not explicitly say that Jacob should love her in exchange.

Other Remarks:

Jacob points out it is the middle of the day due to the heat. I am assuming that cattle are "gathered" when it is time to move them from one location to the next. Why are the shepherds trying to gather them at this time? (v.7)

This is one of the verses of the Bible that is romanticized, "So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the lobe he had for her." (v.20)

The only qualities that are explicitly mentioned of the daughters of Laban are physical properties, such as eyes and form. Does this tell us that the attraction that Jacob feels for Rachel is mostly comprised of lust? Arguments can be made against that claim. Since Rachel is from the same family, they serve the same God; this shows us they are spiritually and culturally compatible partners. It is also important to note that lust is self-serving while love serves others. In verse 21 it mentions that Jacob wants to take Rachel as wife so he "may go in to her." His statement could be interpreted as he kept himself chaste for Rachel for the past 7 years. This act would be one of love rather than lust because lust has no patience. The previous statement can also be interpreted as going to greet Rachel as a husband, which would have the same implication; the distinction is that the phrase utilizes "in to" rather than "into." (v.15-21)

It is ironic to see that Jacob is the one being deceived here. Seems like karma is coming back for deceiving Esau. (v.25)

Laban seems to purposely withhold the plan that he was going to offer up Leah instead of Rachel. Or it was because Laban believed that he could find someone for Leah before Jacob's first 7 years of service was completed. (v.22-27)

It is explicitly seen here that one man has two wives. This tell us that it was common to have more than one partner during this time. (v.28)

Previously it was said that Rachel was loved more than Leah by Jacob. Only in the next lines we see that relationship clarify as "Leah [being] hated." However this does not specify who Leah was hated by, it could be by Jacob, Rachel, or the people of the land. It could be a mix of all because of her position. This is unfair treatment to Leah, simply because of the culture she inhabited and of her physical appearance. This imbalance in the relationship between one husband and two wives sheds insight to why having more than one partner is frowned upon. (v.31)

In v.31 we see God's direct intervention in the dealings of man by choosing whose womb to open and whose to close. It seems that God is trying to get retribution for the treatment towards Leah. However, I am not sure this interpretation will hold if we continue down this chapter because 'retribution' and vengeance has never motivated God's actions in any of the wrongs that man has done previously, even including the flood. (v.31)

Leah uses her son to procure love from her husband, Jacob. This is not a good way to go about things as the love she would receive is more transactional than stemming from 'true love.' (v.32)

The name Reuben translates to "Behold A Son" and can also be interpreted as "Son of Vision." (v.32)

Leah continues to essentially plead for love from her husband, Jacob, and thinks that transactional giving him sons would gain his love. Nowhere in these verses is her claim justified. On a good note, she praises God for each of her offspring. (v.33-35)

The name Simeon translates to "One who Hears;" referring to the Lord who "heard [Leah] was hated. (v.33)

The name Levi means "Joiner;" because Levi was supposed to join Leah with her husband. (v.34)

The name Judah means "Let Him (God) Be Praised." This signifies a shift in the praises Leah offers God. After the birth of Judah, her focus is solely on praising God, rather than looking for Jacob's acceptance. It seems she finally realized that she cannot force love from another, that true love should be freely given rather than being 'earned' transactionally. Her realization might be what caused her to stop bearing. (v.35)

The OSB states that "one week" in this case equates to seven years. (v.27)

Questions:

What does it mean that "[Jacob] went in to [Leah]?" This is before the wedding, so it must not refer to copulation. (v.23)

What is the role of a handmaiden? (v.24)

What does "fulfill her week" mean? (v.27)

Things to Add to Prayer:

Help us to understand the love given to us, allowing us to provide love in the world around us.

-Mikhael

[opencommunion]

"Issam Hajjaj, 27, survived the massacre and spoke to Mondoweiss. 'We were running away from bombing and killing. In all directions, there was either bombing, an Israeli tank, or Israeli gunmen shooting at anyone in their path,' he explained. 'While we were running away from death, I saw dismembered bodies on the road as a result of the bombing, and I saw those who left their loved ones under the rubble and fled to save the rest of the family. We did not know from which direction death would come for us.' ... 'During our escape, we saw bodies being loaded into cars heading to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Women were screaming in the streets, and children were crying and screaming,' Hajjaj recounted. 'I saw a family that was fleeing together. A shell fell on the father and killed him in front of his wife and young daughter. After the mother got up and carried her daughter, she discovered that her husband was killed; she left him on the ground and fled to save her daughter and herself.' Hajjaj explained that the targeted location was two buildings near Al Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat camp, but to reach these two buildings, the Israeli army destroyed an entire residential square. 

... Tawfiq Abu Youssef, an 11-year-old child, sits in Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis where he was referred to for treatment. His face is bloodied and his eyes are swollen blue after he was pulled from under the rubble of their home in Nuseirat. He says he doesn’t know how he escaped death. ... 'Before our house was bombed, we saw people in the street across from our house on the ground cut up. We saw missiles hitting the people fleeing in the streets, how they cut them off, and how the planes bombed everything moving in the streets – cars and people. The street was full of people, and suddenly, all of them… They were on the ground, and smoke and blood filled the place. Everywhere we looked, shelling and shrapnel were flying.' ... The operation was carried out near a central market, where Amjad Abu Laban, 43, was selling some food items on the road. He survived death but suffered various injuries to his hand and foot. He says that everything started at once: planes, tanks, shooting, and people were in the middle of bombing and death and did not know how to react or where to turn.

'Intense bombardment began in several areas in front of us, around us, and behind us, and people began falling to the ground by the dozens near Al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat camp. Before our eyes, we saw bodies being torn apart and scattered on the roads, and we saw soldiers hidden in civilian clothes and in people’s cars running and killing everyone they met on their way without distinguishing between a child, a woman, a young person, or an old person. We saw the bodies of our brothers cut up, without heads, lying on the ground,' Abu Laban told Mondoweiss. 'These massacres that occurred before my eyes cannot be described.'

In the same hospital, Mahmoud Al-Hawar, 27, lies on his back as a result of an injury to his leg. Al-Hawar witnessed the massacre as he bravely attempted to save his family and neighbors from the bombing. 'The planes bombed our neighbors’ house, and there was a girl under the rubble screaming to be saved. I went with my friends to try to save her, but the rubble was heavy, and we could not dig her out or even lift it to reach that girl, so we waited until the civil defense team arrived. A large number of young men gathered to try to rescue them. But the planes bombed us,' he told Mondoweiss.

Al-Hawar recounted that he felt the missile hit him and his group of friends and they were thrown to the ground. Minutes later, Mahmoud regained consciousness and found himself covered in blood and saw his friends next to him, on the verge of death. 'Before we were bombed, if I told you that I saw more than 10 drones above our heads, you would not believe it. We were looking at the sky and did not know what was happening.' After the bombing, Al-Hawar tried to stand up to save himself and his friends. 'I tried to stand up, but I couldn’t. I was covered in blood. I looked at my leg and it was cut off. I looked at my best friend next to me, and I found him taking his last breath.'

Their injuries were all severe, and when someone arrived who could take them to the hospital, the five friends were placed on top of each other in a small transport truck, with Al-Hawar underneath them all. 'I was in pain from my injury, but I was feeling more pain because I could hear my friends pronouncing their martyrdom and taking their last breaths. All my friends were dying above me, and I was hearing and feeling everything. They were all killed. Some of them were martyred on the road before my eyes, and some of them died later.'

Al-Hawar agreed that the scenes he saw of the dead in the streets will never be forgotten. 'I have not slept since the incident. I cannot sleep. I cannot forget anything I witnessed and saw. I cannot forget the people who were running in panic and fear, searching for their relatives and families amidst the destruction and dismembered bodies.' Rescue teams are still working in Nuseirat with limited capabilities in an attempt to recover the bodies that remained under the rubble. Many residents remain missing due to the massive bombing in the area, and the many homes that were demolished, some on top of their residents. Many others were killed in the market as they tried to meet the needs of their families."

[dilutedh2so4]

What do we think of this? Explanations below 😭

Jezebel x Ahab - The Phoenician princess Jezebel was married to king Ahab of Israel as part of a political alliance. She was key in the attempt to replace the Israelite state religion with her own, killing a few people along the way. She also got Ahab the vineyard he wanted (..through some murderous means..) when his own negotiations failed. Definitely the top in that relationship ;)

Jesus x Judas - something something, must you betray me with a kiss, something something, do what you are here to do, something something, he went and hanged himself

Eve x Lilith - Now, in the Bible, Lilith is only actually mentioned in Isaiah (as an evil spirit), then expanded upon in later tradition (to explain the two Creation accounts in Genesis). In this later tradition, she was said to be Adam's first wife who wouldn't submit to him, so God made another from his rib: Eve. I don't think they ever met, but I have seen some fanart, so here they are

Ruth x Naomi - MY OTP. Canon, because I said so. Tragic, because basically all their male relatives die and then Ruth has to marry Boaz for security. Ruth 1:16-17 my beloved 💔

Jacob x Leah - Put this here as a joke about the fact that Jacob always preferred her sister Rachel over Leah herself, and was tricked into marrying her by Laban.

Mary x Joseph - Two thirds of the Holy Family: the ever-compassionate Mother of God (in Christianity) and the step-dad who Stepped Up. See Matthew 1 & 2, Luke 1 & 2, or the (apocryphal) Protoevangelium of James for more

Devorah x Jael - Doesn't make sense as they never actually meet, but when you have two gaslight-gatekeep-girlbosses in the same chapter, they gotta be together. Don't usually recommend reading Judges (for your own mental health), but maybe look into Judges 4 just for them ;)

David x Jonathan - Where to begin? With how Jonathan's soul was said to be bound with David's, and how he loved him as himself? (1 Sam. 18:1-5) Jonathan risking his life to help David escape King Saul's wrath? (1 Sam. 19 and 20) The pair weeping and kissing before they part? (1 Sam. 20:41) David, in his mourning for [spoilers] Jonathan's death, calling his love more wonderful than that of women? (2 Sam. 1)

Absalom x Mephibosheth - David's son and Jonathan's son, whom David adopted. The two fans are @anniflamma and @sir-davey

Daniel x Darius - King Darius the Mede and the eunuch from Judah he falls for at first sight. Or something. Idk, ask anniflamma

Judith x unnamed maid - It does make sense, I swear. Probably unpopular because it's in the Deuterocanon, and also you have to be really looking for it -- but it is there, I promise!!!

St Paul - Just see 1 Corinthians 7

Don't take this too seriously lol, it's all in good fun :))

Feel free to add what you would have done differently / your own propaganda!

[two-white-butterflies]

best friend | LN4 | part three

Description: Lando has a crush on you, and everyone knows it. Everyone except you.

Pairing: lando norris/actress-singer!reader (filipina coded reader)

series masterlist | part two

Carlossainz55: He wants you to know that his twitter was hacked.

liked by yourname and 1,291,011 others

comments

landonorris: IT WAS NOT

yourname: DM ME FOR PICTURES OF LANDO'S DELETED TWEET!!!!!!!!

Carlossainz55: 🤣

yourname: akyat bahay caught on cam 🧡

(translation: robber caught on cam)

liked by landonorris, leasalonga and 82,192 others

comments

landonorris: Too handsome to steal 🥱 - yourname: are you a nurse din po? 🤣 (translation: are you a nurse too?)

Carlossainz55: Lando 😳

landonorris: She's not our August or our Betty. She's our Juliet. Happy birthday champ! 🧡😍

comments

yourname: landocakes, i'm gagged but YOU did not write that caption. 😅 - landonorris: mb I was supposed to put "She's my Juliet." - yourname: boom capiche uwian na hahahhahahaha - yourname: PICK UP THE PHONE I'M SERIOUS

danielricciardo: Happy birthday Y/N! Sending love from Melbin. 🇦🇺 - yourname: HAHAHAHA Melbin 🤣

danielricciardo: Might delete later.

liked by landonorris and 1,290,192 others

comments

landonorris: MIGHT DELETE LATER?

yourname: Bring Heidi and let's turn it into a 2 date. - danielricciardo: Sorry we only eat around people who's ages are past 25 💞 - yourname: Daniel Ricciardo, u r on my death note

yourname: Kunware p sha pero crush niya pala ako. Side note: He kinda looks like one of those dudes who played DOTA a few decades ago😭 Still looking good tho 😝 #ThankYouToMyMan

(Translation: He be acting like he tolerates me but he be crushing on my secretly.)

comments

landonorris: that's ur man - yourname: he doesn't have roaches or nothing

danielricciardo: Ship him back to the factory

maxverstappen1: Congratulations ❤️

echieee21: ITAAS MO ANG BANDERA NATIN MAMSH 🇵🇭 - yourname: Laban pilipinas! 😁

landonorris: Ganda mo naman te. May jowa ka na? (Translation: You look good miss (alt/direct trans: older sister). Do you have a boyfriend?)

comments

yourname: yeah but he doesn't have to know ;) - landonorris: pass sa gusto maging kabit - yourname: tngina mo (translation: pass to people who want to be mistresses) (translation: fuck you)

yourname: Kuya, pls ruin my life. Luluhuran, pagsisilbihan, chuchupain, jujugjugin tas tubig lang pahinga. 🤤

comments

landonorris: KUYA??????????

maryjane_L/N: Anak is this your new boyfriend from England,,,? - yourname: yes pu tita 😭 - - maryjane_L/N: Pogi,,,,👍🏻

@ssararuffoni @inejghafawifesblog @love4lando @hiraethrhapsody @allenajade-ite @driveswiftly13 @shouq @fdl305 @iloveyou3000morgan @lpab @ietss @inejghafawifesblog @ldynblack @jessblack394 @iissza @iamahallucinationnn @sialexia @allenajade-ite

[heathersdesk]

Confession Time:

I don't like Come Follow Me and never have. And I haven't been able to articulate why until I tried to buckle down and start with the Book of Mormon this year.

The first paragraph of the first section for 1 Nephi 1-5 ends with this sentence:

"Overall, there is power in this imperfect family’s examples of faith."

I was rocked by that a little bit the first time I read it.

I thought to myself, "Wow. Are we really going to confront the hero worship and unhealthy worldviews our community has internalized about this book because of the way the negative behaviors of the characters are never challenged or confronted for what they are? That many of the details are included because they're cautionary tales about what NOT to do, but you'd never know that based on how the material is presented and talked about by our people at large because the conversation is driven by the needless compulsion to focus on the same tired perspectives of faith promotion that the subjects sometimes don't deserve?"

*reads the section, which is full of the same "I will go and do" about Nephi that they always do, without once confronting the conflicts, doubts, and struggles of anyone but Nephi in any serious way, some of which are exacerbated (if not cause) by Nephi being insufferable and self-righteous to everyone around him*

Nephi is an unreliable narrator, y'all. You're not supposed to believe everything he says, thinks, and does. Especially when he's younger. His view of the people around him and their motivations lack depth because he was totally unconcerned with their feelings and struggles. He was bad at helping and honoring people in their darkest moments, having nothing better to offer them for support than glib and shallow assertions that they would be struggling less if they were more like him. An attitude he learned from his father's blatant and unapologetic favoritism.

Nephi is not an example of what to do when there is conflict in your family. And it takes him until "O wretched man that I am" to realize he's not the most important man in every room. His disrespect for other people in his leadership is the reason they want nothing to do with him, and it takes him a lifetime of chasing people away from God to realize he's not as good of a person as he thinks he is. He has failed people from his need to be seen as being better than he is, better than everyone else is at loving God and knowing what that means. And this becomes a cultural artifact, a baked-in foregone conclusion in the minds of his people that ends up shaping their self-perceptions until it destroys them. His personal failures, viewed for their long-term ramifications and consequences, is part of what this book is supposed to be about.

But sure. Let's do "I will go and do" again, without pondering in any serious way if Nephi's interpretation of his interaction with the Holy Ghost might be lacking in credibility because the alternative is to say something closer to "We really botched this job and killing Laban was not a forgone conclusion or a necessary evil that I can acquit myself of because God said it was okay."

Maybe we don't have to believe that. Maybe we can examine how our culture in the modern church has perpetuated this same logical fallacy with vigilante violence, justified by appeals to this exact story.

Point being, never read the story of Nephi without keeping it firmly fixed in your mind that he's going to regret and repent of most of this later. That cross reference to 2 Nephi 4 is probably the most important thing you can have in your margins every time he says or does something totally uncalled for. 🖖

[apollos-olives]

What are some of your favorite things about Palestine & Palestinian culture?

ayyy so i made another post about how much i love the mountains, but i also love our olives. i am NOT fighting the stereotypical palestinian olive lover allegations. i know a lot of people don't like olives but that's just bc they don't do it right i think. my grandmother ages the olives, adding lemon and salt and other sorts of "spices" and whatnot into an olive jar to mix with the olive oil and then keeps the olives sitting there in the juices and oil for many months. after aging them for a very long time, she takes them out and they end up becoming all soft and the olives would have soaked up a ton of the oil and juices and so when you bite into it it's soft and the oil floods your mouth and it's DELICIOUS 😩😩😩😩 that one saying that's like "palestinians drink more olive oil than water" is TRUE !!! olives are very special to us and we love them so very much.

i think palestinians really like our food sour. i don't know if this applies to all palis but in my family specifically, we LOVEEE sour foods. not the gross type of sour, but the sour that's like really enjoyable and fun and flavorable. we love making our waraq diwali (grape leaves) extra sour when we eat them, we like our laban (sort of like plain yogurt in a way) on the sour side, we have many different types of sour pickled foods and vegetables that you can buy from anywhere downtown from a store on the street, and my grandma and i eat straight up lemons whenever we have a meal. a lot of palestinian dishes have summaq in them, and that's a slightly sour sort of spice we always use.

another thing i love about palestine are our castles! castles, palaces, mansions, whatever you wanna call them. i've seen many around the city of ramallah, and they are GORGEOUS. i don't know if people actually live in them long term but they're a very pretty sight to see on the road. they're kept very clean and good looking so i bet people regularly attend to them. i think most people who own castles only come to live there when they're on vacation to palestine, but many of the castle owners don't permanently reside in the country. still a cool sight to see though!

i hope this was somewhat interesting to you lol

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Jacob Meets Rachel

1 Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the people of the east. 2 As he looked, he saw a well in the field and three flocks of sheep lying there beside it; for out of that well the flocks were watered. The stone on the well’s mouth was large, 3 and when all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone from the mouth of the well, and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the mouth of the well.

4 Jacob said to them, ‘My brothers, where do you come from?’ They said, ‘We are from Haran.’ 5 He said to them, ‘Do you know Laban son of Nahor?’ They said, ‘We do.’ 6 He said to them, ‘Is it well with him?’ ‘Yes,’ they replied, ‘and here is his daughter Rachel, coming with the sheep.’ 7 He said, ‘Look, it is still broad daylight; it is not time for the animals to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go, pasture them.’ 8 But they said, ‘We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and the stone is rolled from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.’

9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep; for she kept them. 10 Now when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his mother’s brother Laban, and the sheep of his mother’s brother Laban, Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of his mother’s brother Laban. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and wept aloud. 12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s kinsman, and that he was Rebekah’s son; and she ran and told her father.

13 When Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he ran to meet him; he embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things, 14 and Laban said to him, ‘Surely you are my bone and my flesh!’ And he stayed with him for a month.

Jacob Marries Laban’s Daughters

15 Then Laban said to Jacob, ‘Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?’ 16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah’s eyes were lovely, and Rachel was graceful and beautiful. 18 Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, ‘I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.’ 19 Laban said, ‘It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.’ 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, ‘Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.’ 22 So Laban gathered together all the people of the place, and made a feast. 23 But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. 24 (Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.) 25 When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, ‘What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?’ 26 Laban said, ‘This is not done in our country—giving the younger before the firstborn. 27 Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me for another seven years.’ 28 Jacob did so, and completed her week; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife. 29 (Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her maid.) 30 So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. He served Laban for another seven years.

31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. 32 Leah conceived and bore a son, and she named him Reuben; for she said, ‘Because the Lord has looked on my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.’ 33 She conceived again and bore a son, and said, ‘Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also’; and she named him Simeon. 34 Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, ‘Now this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons’; therefore he was named Levi. 35 She conceived again and bore a son, and said, ‘This time I will praise the Lord’; therefore she named him Judah; then she ceased bearing. — Genesis 29 | New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved. Cross References: Genesis 4:1; Genesis 12:11; Genesis 12:18; Genesis 16:11; Genesis 24:10; Genesis 24:24; Genesis 24:28-29; Genesis 24:67; Genesis 28:10; Genesis 29:31; Genesis 30:26; Genesis 30:28; Genesis 31:15; Genesis 31:41; Genesis 33:4; Genesis 46:25; Exodus 2:16-17; Numbers 34:20; Deuteronomy 22:13; Judges 6:3; 1 Samuel 9:11; Matthew 1:2; Acts 7:8; Romans 11:14

Jacob Falls in Love

[brothermouse]

Since you said in an earlier post that you try to have silly debates to introduce the idea of debate as *not* attack to other Mormons and Mormon culture in general, here are some more serious but still hopefully fun ideas to throw out:

1. Lehi saying in 2 Nephi 2 that God must be both merciful and just during his sermon implies that God is operating according to moral principles that they did not create nor that they control. There are some issues in the philosophy Lehi presents, like the assumption of dualism ("for it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things"), but contrasting this with debates surrounding Divine Command Theory ("we can know things are good because God commands them" and debating whether God commands it because it is good or whether it is good because God commands it) brings up some interesting ideas to explore wrt how ethics and morality intersect with religion.

2. The philosophy of "by their fruits ye shall know them" presented in Matthew 7 and the justification the Holy Ghost gives Nephi in 1 Nephi 4 for killing Laban ("It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief") both imply that God is operating on a utilitarian or utilitarian-adjacent moral framework.

Both of these ideas probably have more stakes than the 'the WoW technically allows cannibalism' tbh, so like...don't feel too pressured to post these if you think it won't go over well.

Yes! I would LOVE to see these kind of faith promoting debates! The key, I think, is to approach it all from the idea that, no matter the answer we arrive at, or even if we arrive at no answer at all, the process will make us all better Saints!

The idea that God operates on a moral framework that He did not create is fascinating to me. If we believe that "as man is now, God once was" then that leads to a whole lineage of God's and creators who are, in my opinion, building upon a moral structure passed down from God to God. We talk about eternal progression and this is, potentially one way it manifests. It also could mean that the flawed morals we develop in mortality are essential to improve and perfect the divine morals of Godhood.

But what if the divine morals don't grow like that? What if they were carefully calculated by divine minds? What if all things right and wrong can be expressed by some algorithm too complicated for mortal minds to hold?

So many interesting stuff in there.