This is the best thing I've read about this so far: "Everyone involved in the awful affair sinned grievously; everyone was implicated and no one was innocent. That’s the demon-haunted world we’re living in, no different here and now than it was two millennia ago in Jerusalem."
There are SO many people "involved in the awful affair"-- Lily, her staff and parents, the men, whoever agreed with them it was a good idea to do this, Only Fans, the guy who made the "documentary," the Only Fans subscribers who don't follow her but whose money keeps OF going, the internet providers who let it stream, the banks who let the money flow... and now ME, just for watching clips of this woman cry. If getting women to voluntarily volunteer to be virtual (and sometimes actual) prostitutes on Only Fans (have you seen the number of women who have accounts?) and using that to degrade as many people as possible isn't demonic, what is?
I do believe she was, at a minimum, demonically oppressed - her and probably most others involved. I think I can see her in the way you mean Jesus must have meant - I think I can see the woman God may have wanted her to be, but hidden by a badly spiritually bruised and beaten version of it. It is in fact like watching someone committing suicide but being still alive - she’s trying hard to destroy herself and regardless, she’s still there.
Luke 8:1-2 And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,
2 And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,
The woman mentioned in that gospel story recognized the enormity of her sins and prostrated herself in a more full way than any of us do in confession; words were not necessary, in that her tears and actions indicated her repentance and acceptance of Jesus as her savior. St. Francis of Assisi apocryphally said “preach without ceasing; if absolutely necessary, use words”. Actions do speak volumes, and there are times when speech is superfluous. Her actions were a a testament of her contrition and an example of how we should approach Christ should he appear incarnate (as he is promised to come at the end of time, and certainly when we die). Our sins will be laid bare.
This poor woman and indeed a lot of our society has been so corrupted that we don’t even recognize the corruption. Such is the power of social media today. She and the others choked and poisoned by the lies of today need our prayers and support, while DW and others attempt to claw back the culture.
A particularly horrible aspect of this culture is the “right” to not be offended to the degree that these generations feel threatened even to speak to anyone who doesn’t “affirm” them or hold any contrary views. How does one communicate with a person who refuses even to speak, even to only say “I hate you”? I once read a book titled “May I Hate God?”, written, of course by a Jesuit. The theory is that even stating that you hate God is the beginning of a conversation, and indicates that the hater has at least thought about it and opened a conversation. It is a beginning, not an end. God can take such things and turn them to good, but not by coercion, only if the person is open to conversation.
I watched a clip of Lily a few days ago. Not the one Andrew played in his weekly podcast, but the one where she describes what it was like when she reached 30 men. She was crying, if not opening sobbing, certainly tearing up and sniffling. My heart broke for her and I wanted to cry.
I could write to her with hopes and prayers, but it would just be white noise to her, I’m sure, if she even read it. If I could forgive her, I would, but that is not for me. All I can really do is pray for Lily, but I am also not so cold-hearted that she would get shame from me.
Maybe it would be white noise, and maybe not; We don't know, only God does. So often we have no idea the effect we have and how Providence uses our passing words. Much in the same way that a random baseball player said in a radio interview "...sometimes, you gotta play through the pain." and thus a wonderful writer and artist decided to NOT commit suicide.
That ball player never heard of Andrew Klavan, and probably never again thought about what he said in that interview; and yet the Spirit of the LORD moved through that simple passing phrase to save Andrew Klavan. Don't dismiss what God can do with a willing vessle.
Perhaps after all of the horrible press Lilly’s act has generated, her follow up of sleeping with 1000 men in 24 hours will fail due to an inability to entice enough men to put it on? If Lily can’t be trusted to act in her own best interests, maybe good men will do so to prevent this even greater harm.
I thought I saw in her face the sad realization that 100 (1000?) men would "sleep" with her without knowing her or caring about her at all. Yes, what if good men did not take part and even begged her not to do it, told her she was better than that? Stood outside the next AirBnB, or wherever, in February and told the other men why what they were going to do was wrong? And brought armfuls of white roses for Lily.
This was well thought out and level headed take on the situation. How much pain and suffering can one take before they are tired of it? Hopefully her and all those guys find peace before it’s too late for them.
One of the more horrifying features of the documentary was the reaction of the elderly woman, perhaps a grandmother, upon hearing the basics of Lily's impending soul-suicide ("Oh, how interesting." "God bless."). She might have been reacting to news of a new vicar at her parish.
Spencer, I am a great admirer of your writing, but I wonder at your participation in this particular bit of dreadfulness. Isn’t the endless internet commentary part of the whole process?
I had that thought as well, but as with the outcry at graphic pictures of infants ripped out of the mother's womb and pieced together in a stainless-steel tray to ensure that all of 'it' was removed, or photo-documentaries of phalloplasty surgery or of young teen women - post double mastectomy, one sometimes must see what the thing that they whole-heartedly advocate has wrought. Women have for far too long strived to achieve 'bodily autonomy' without knowing really what that entails. This story is just so profoundly tragic to me. As one who fell prey to the culture's allure that sexual liberation would free us from the drudgeries of life (you know, marriage and child-rearing and making a home that children would want to live in and could feel safe in), I learned the hard way that sometimes those appetites that we are sure should never be suppressed are not God given, but are the voice of that demon inside who really does not want to see anyone truly happy or fulfilled.
I can recall about 20 years ago trying to start a conversation about what I was reading about the coming push to normalize and mainstream pedophilia. This was when I first read the term 'minor attracted persons', and when I tried to sound the alarm, everyone looked at me like I had three heads, as if to say, 'if we don't talk about it, it doesn't exist'. But it does - just like this young woman exists, as do the men who exploited her - and she's going down a very dark path. Perhaps giving voice to this story might save another from making the same mistake.
"....God incarnate offers mercy." Ugh! My heart! And I - though living a very different life - am no different a sinner than Lily and have such a great need for that mercy.
This is the way of unhealthy addictions and obsessions. As people become accustomed to a certain level of high or stimulation, they become desensitized to it. The have to seek out something more intense in a never ending escalation until they end up unable to be satisfied with anything, up to and including, the most powerful and dangerous drugs or the most perverse sexual fetishes in order to satisfy their numbed minds and senses.
This is the best thing I've read about this so far: "Everyone involved in the awful affair sinned grievously; everyone was implicated and no one was innocent. That’s the demon-haunted world we’re living in, no different here and now than it was two millennia ago in Jerusalem."
There are SO many people "involved in the awful affair"-- Lily, her staff and parents, the men, whoever agreed with them it was a good idea to do this, Only Fans, the guy who made the "documentary," the Only Fans subscribers who don't follow her but whose money keeps OF going, the internet providers who let it stream, the banks who let the money flow... and now ME, just for watching clips of this woman cry. If getting women to voluntarily volunteer to be virtual (and sometimes actual) prostitutes on Only Fans (have you seen the number of women who have accounts?) and using that to degrade as many people as possible isn't demonic, what is?
I do believe she was, at a minimum, demonically oppressed - her and probably most others involved. I think I can see her in the way you mean Jesus must have meant - I think I can see the woman God may have wanted her to be, but hidden by a badly spiritually bruised and beaten version of it. It is in fact like watching someone committing suicide but being still alive - she’s trying hard to destroy herself and regardless, she’s still there.
Evil Spirits:
Luke 8:1-2 And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,
2 And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,
The woman mentioned in that gospel story recognized the enormity of her sins and prostrated herself in a more full way than any of us do in confession; words were not necessary, in that her tears and actions indicated her repentance and acceptance of Jesus as her savior. St. Francis of Assisi apocryphally said “preach without ceasing; if absolutely necessary, use words”. Actions do speak volumes, and there are times when speech is superfluous. Her actions were a a testament of her contrition and an example of how we should approach Christ should he appear incarnate (as he is promised to come at the end of time, and certainly when we die). Our sins will be laid bare.
This poor woman and indeed a lot of our society has been so corrupted that we don’t even recognize the corruption. Such is the power of social media today. She and the others choked and poisoned by the lies of today need our prayers and support, while DW and others attempt to claw back the culture.
A particularly horrible aspect of this culture is the “right” to not be offended to the degree that these generations feel threatened even to speak to anyone who doesn’t “affirm” them or hold any contrary views. How does one communicate with a person who refuses even to speak, even to only say “I hate you”? I once read a book titled “May I Hate God?”, written, of course by a Jesuit. The theory is that even stating that you hate God is the beginning of a conversation, and indicates that the hater has at least thought about it and opened a conversation. It is a beginning, not an end. God can take such things and turn them to good, but not by coercion, only if the person is open to conversation.
I watched a clip of Lily a few days ago. Not the one Andrew played in his weekly podcast, but the one where she describes what it was like when she reached 30 men. She was crying, if not opening sobbing, certainly tearing up and sniffling. My heart broke for her and I wanted to cry.
I could write to her with hopes and prayers, but it would just be white noise to her, I’m sure, if she even read it. If I could forgive her, I would, but that is not for me. All I can really do is pray for Lily, but I am also not so cold-hearted that she would get shame from me.
Maybe it would be white noise, and maybe not; We don't know, only God does. So often we have no idea the effect we have and how Providence uses our passing words. Much in the same way that a random baseball player said in a radio interview "...sometimes, you gotta play through the pain." and thus a wonderful writer and artist decided to NOT commit suicide.
That ball player never heard of Andrew Klavan, and probably never again thought about what he said in that interview; and yet the Spirit of the LORD moved through that simple passing phrase to save Andrew Klavan. Don't dismiss what God can do with a willing vessle.
Perhaps after all of the horrible press Lilly’s act has generated, her follow up of sleeping with 1000 men in 24 hours will fail due to an inability to entice enough men to put it on? If Lily can’t be trusted to act in her own best interests, maybe good men will do so to prevent this even greater harm.
I thought I saw in her face the sad realization that 100 (1000?) men would "sleep" with her without knowing her or caring about her at all. Yes, what if good men did not take part and even begged her not to do it, told her she was better than that? Stood outside the next AirBnB, or wherever, in February and told the other men why what they were going to do was wrong? And brought armfuls of white roses for Lily.
This was well thought out and level headed take on the situation. How much pain and suffering can one take before they are tired of it? Hopefully her and all those guys find peace before it’s too late for them.
One of the more horrifying features of the documentary was the reaction of the elderly woman, perhaps a grandmother, upon hearing the basics of Lily's impending soul-suicide ("Oh, how interesting." "God bless."). She might have been reacting to news of a new vicar at her parish.
Spencer, I am a great admirer of your writing, but I wonder at your participation in this particular bit of dreadfulness. Isn’t the endless internet commentary part of the whole process?
I had that thought as well, but as with the outcry at graphic pictures of infants ripped out of the mother's womb and pieced together in a stainless-steel tray to ensure that all of 'it' was removed, or photo-documentaries of phalloplasty surgery or of young teen women - post double mastectomy, one sometimes must see what the thing that they whole-heartedly advocate has wrought. Women have for far too long strived to achieve 'bodily autonomy' without knowing really what that entails. This story is just so profoundly tragic to me. As one who fell prey to the culture's allure that sexual liberation would free us from the drudgeries of life (you know, marriage and child-rearing and making a home that children would want to live in and could feel safe in), I learned the hard way that sometimes those appetites that we are sure should never be suppressed are not God given, but are the voice of that demon inside who really does not want to see anyone truly happy or fulfilled.
I can recall about 20 years ago trying to start a conversation about what I was reading about the coming push to normalize and mainstream pedophilia. This was when I first read the term 'minor attracted persons', and when I tried to sound the alarm, everyone looked at me like I had three heads, as if to say, 'if we don't talk about it, it doesn't exist'. But it does - just like this young woman exists, as do the men who exploited her - and she's going down a very dark path. Perhaps giving voice to this story might save another from making the same mistake.
I think this might be one of your best, if not the best, piece you have contributed to this dialogue with your father Andrew (no relation). Thank you.
I wonder if there would have been such publicity if a man had done this with 100 women? That's not a feministy type question. It's just a question.
I don’t think guys can go 100 times in a day 😂 plus there are guys in the porn industry who multiple “films” with multiple partners daily.
Speak for yourself. 😂
"....God incarnate offers mercy." Ugh! My heart! And I - though living a very different life - am no different a sinner than Lily and have such a great need for that mercy.
This is the way of unhealthy addictions and obsessions. As people become accustomed to a certain level of high or stimulation, they become desensitized to it. The have to seek out something more intense in a never ending escalation until they end up unable to be satisfied with anything, up to and including, the most powerful and dangerous drugs or the most perverse sexual fetishes in order to satisfy their numbed minds and senses.