CD has blogged about a conversation I had with him on New Leaven. I had to laugh. Girls have cooties?? Read his post. (Actually, both girls and boys have cooties.) CD's post is based on a conversation starting approximately here on New Leaven about the creeds and heresy.
I do want to say something a little more frank than normal - if that is possible - on a different topic.. There are many great guys listed on my blogroll of a wide range of persuasions. There are many more not listed, all who have been good friends for the journey. Here is my angst. I sometimes wonder what I read like, what impression my rants make. I know that I am not anti-male, but I am sure I must sound like it sometimes. Forgive me.
I don't know what else to say, but I want to share that my older brother, who has been a good friend for my entire life, has recently retired from his job as a science consultant in the public school system, and is now in a second career and will be receiving his M.Div. next week. He is a thoughtful and moderate Christian leader, who defies categorization, as do we all. By writing warmly about my brother, I wish to also honour and thank all my male readers.
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5 comments:
Actually, I find your ranting to be quite modest. I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not, but I always look forward to reading your blog entries.
Having been a 1st grader I'll have you know at least in my school cooties originate with girls. Boys can catch them but are unable to be carriers (in general). Though if they were kissed by a girl and not just touched it the infection was so virulent that other boys had to be careful for all of recess.
On a more serious note, as a man let me just comment you aren't arguing that:
* Men should be relegated to subservience in the home.
* That a man's primary role is as a helper to his wife and a father of children
* That a man should serve his mother until he marries and then serve his husband.
* Men should not hold employment
* Men should not hold positions of leadership in government
* Men should not hold positions of leadership in the church
* Men should not receive the same educational opportunities as women
You are arguing against that nonsense most often with men who are quite often indifferent or even supportive of those doctrines. Then to compound that you are finding that even men who are somewhat supportive are completely unwilling to see female suppression in the same light they would racial or national suppression. Given all that, you have remained remarkably non-bitter towards men.
No problem here Sue. I enjoy your posts or rants as you call them, because they cause me to think critically about Christianity and for lack of a better label, "gender issues".
Aside from the essentials of the faith, (virgin birth, bodily resurrection of Christ, etc.) I left fundamentalism (American variety in Calif.) years ago and have not looked back.
I especially enjoy the legitimate textual criticism of Holy Writ that you employ, and how it deconstructs the myth of patriarchy as God's norm from the beginning.
It's hard not to see someone as an enemy when everything they say indicates a desire to see you oppressed, controlled, and stuffed into a one-size-fits-all-women box for their own benefit.
In all my readings of your work, Suzanne, you have never done that. You rebut what they say, but you do not treat patriarchalist men as enemies. Kudos to you for that.
Having studied the subject of cooties rather extensively, here is my monograph on the matter.
Cooties are invisible rays that emanate from every person and are potentially harmful to anyone else that comes close enough to be exposed to them. There are basically two wavelengths of cooties: Male Cooties and Female Cooties. Here are some of the principles by which people protect themselves from overexposure to cooties:
1. Males are insensitive to Male cooties, unless they are perverts.
2. Females are insensitive to female cooties, unless they are REALLY perverts.
3. Brothers are highly resistant to their sisters' cooties; sisters are totally impervious to their brothers' cooties.
4. The danger of overexposure to cooties is a factor of both time and distance.
5. Age is also a factor in cooties; babies, for instance, only emit "cuties" and exposure to these is considered beneficial. As an adult ages, his cooties lose their intensity.
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