A reblog out of empathy, and a well written piece.
I stand quietly while you do somersaults on the bed as you aren’t being naughty, you are just trying to get your out of sync body under control.
I stand quietly by the toilet door every time you need to go, and come with you around the house, and sometimes even just across the room, because I know you can feel truly frightened when you are not near me.
I stand quietly at the supermarket checkout while everyone stares at you barking like a dog and blowing raspberries on my arms to cope with the buzzing lights.
I stand quietly while you tell the baffled shop owner that you are looking for shoes that feel hard like splintered wood because your skin can’t bear soft things.
I stand quietly when the attendant gives us scornful looks when I ask for the key to the disabled toilet because the hand dryer…
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The Benevolent Thou 
Apr 09, 2015 @ 16:43:47
I’m tired of arguing about whether “Jesus was a feminist” on my blog, so I will make one final comment over here, and then I’m done. All that happens is you keep repeating your arguments and I keep repeating my arguments and you think I don’t hear you but you are not hearing what I am saying.
Your comment:
I reckon, Georgia, I was not clear enough. The earliest writers seemed more prone to give the character, Jesus, a more egalitarian bent, although still leaving some aspects of female domination from the old laws in place.
That most of the old laws are no longer practiced, I attribute to both Paul, who made the Gospels more suitable for the gentiles, and to the Enlightenment–the age of reason. Many (most?) fundamentalist diehards are still prone to believe the wife is to submit to her husband’s will in all circumstances.
My argument was to show that one can pick and choose various lines from the Gospels and the OT to suit their previously indoctrinated views or choose the verses more compatible with the enlightened views of the liberal Christian. That was why I added the last paragraph:
I do not hold it against anyone who wants to continuing picking out the benevolent statements of Jesus or any other person in history (false or authentic), and living their life by them. I salute them all.
In particular, I was thinking of, “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” Luke 6:31. It is the Golden Rule.
My response:
“The earliest writers seemed more prone to give the character, Jesus, a more egalitarian bent”
Now why do you think that was? They just came up with gender equality on their own? You don’t think that they got that from being part of the unusually egalitarian Jesus movement?
And there is no proof either way: That the writers came up with equality on their own, versus learning it from Jesus in the first place. But it makes more sense that they learned from Jesus. Here’s why:
. There’s a pattern, that I described before: people tend to be drawn to great leaders — religious or not — who raise up those who are low. That was probably a huge draw to Jesus. And, great religious leaders are often unusually egalitarian: Buddha, Mohammed, so why not Jesus? Like I said, that is part of their draw.
And then you continue on: “although still leaving some aspects of female domination from the old laws in place”
As I said, things that look feminist at the time can look less feminist to later generations. So one possibility is that the transition was not complete. Somethings were changed others were not. That was true during Susan B Anthony’s time. That is true even now. Plenty of my students think that we live in a gender-equal society now because they are blind to the inequalities that still exist. I try to open their eyes to see what they haven’t seen before. And I’m aware that I could also be a cultural prisoner who continues to be blind to any qualities that will be clear to future generations. The fact that you are working toward equality, even if you are blind to some inequalities, does not disqualify you from being a feminist.
More from you: “Many (most?) fundamentalist diehards are still prone to believe the wife is to submit to her husband’s will in all circumstances.”
That comes from Paul, not Jesus. There is no sexism in any of the stories of Jesus’ life. But yes, there are contradictions. There is sexism that comes from Paul. In fact, all of the sexism comes from Paul. As I often say, where there is a contradiction between Paul and Jesus, it makes more sense for a Christian to go with Jesus — which should be obvious enough to not have to say it.
Finally, the whole reason I wrote this post is because fundamentalist Christianity is one of the biggest enemies of equality. If you can point out to them that their leader was for equal rights for women and minorities, then you will have more equality for women and minorities.
You won’t convince everyone, but you will convince some people. You will make progress.
I’m not sure if your agenda here is anti-Christianity, or what, but your argument here (which I strongly disagree with) only works to keep the status quo in place: less equality for women and minorities becomes written in stone and nothing can change for Christian believers because Jesus wasn’t really a feminist.
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Apr 10, 2015 @ 10:09:58
I will only say that if you ever read my lead post on my site, you should know that I certainly am not “anti-Christian.” I am anti “exclusive doctrine” in all religions. I believe that this form of territorialism one major cause of conflict in the world.
I’d love to answer other questions that you pose, but I respect your desire not to have these issues debated.
. . . fundamentalist Christianity is one of the biggest enemies of equality.
I couldn’t agree more. I will only add that religious fundamentalism in any religion is the enemy of equality unless the religious belief IS equality. I will leave it at that.
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