I keep running into good things from Katha Pollitt this week. Pollitt has published an article on feminism in Democracy Journal: "What Happened to Women?" The subhead reads "Instead of moving to the center, liberalism should try embracing people who are actually liberals—starting with women."
Meanwhile, right on cue, the Pope and the Vatican are in the news this week, too. Not about their offer to open the church's coffers to taxation (kidding!)--just (a) another sex scandal involving one of the Pope's "Gentlemen" (ceremonial usher) and a hunky member of the Vatican choir who were found to be part of an all-guy prostitution ring, and (b) Randall Terry's delegation to the Vatican to see if the Pope really meant what he said about denying Catholic politicians the Eucharist if they support abortion.
Where would the Roman Catholic Taliban be without women to either pretend they don't exist or push around?
LOL How true!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI used to root for the church..But I've lost patience. Not just with the Catholics, but with the Protestants...oh lordie those Right wingers! and Jews..omigod those folks who want to make Israel fascist.
ReplyDeleteIts gotten so bad I gotta prop open my very small mind just to listen without screaming to the Dalai Lama. And I'm starting to think we should capitalize Secular.
Seems humanity can't be holy in any organized way without becoming extremely sinful.
Cat
wot's the dalai lama done now?? goddess...you can't even trust him!?
ReplyDeletei like desmond tutu, though. his daughter is a priest in virginia!!
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid most religions have delegated women to the back burner. We just have to keep pushing until we change the 'old boys club' mentality.
ReplyDeleteI cannot understand how any thinking woman would belong to the Catholic Church.
ReplyDeleteActually, I don't understand why people want to belong to churches at all.
I guess it's a cluby sort of thing. A way to have a social life with other people who don't want to think.
You think the problem with feminism is that it never developed a churchlike way? Are women more drawn to hierarchies? Always question!
ReplyDeletei spent five years in a convent, and my community was a perfect feminist organization--without claiming to be. all the people in charge were women, and when the archbishop rolled around with a new edict that they thought was foolish, they'd say "yes, your excellency" and then keep on doing what they pleased. some of the strongest and most active feminists i know are still nuns, though we're all a bit long in the tooth now. it's getting harder for them to stay in jail when they get arrested.
ReplyDeleteas for women being drawn to hierarchies, why exclude men from that? there's hardly a man anywhere who isn't nuts about hierarchies--except when the leaders are women.
I think that the future generation in America will be even more religious. The Texas Board of Education which oversees textbooks sold to many other states and the home schooled set is now made up of super fundamentalist Christians. Associated Press says: “A far-right faction of the Texas State Board of Education succeeded Friday in injecting conservative ideals into social studies, history and economics lessons that will be taught to millions of students for the next decade. Teachers in Texas will be required to cover the Judeo-Christian influences of the nation’s Founding Fathers, but not highlight the philosophical rationale for the separation of church and state. “ Their aim is to reclaim America for Christ through education. They removed Thomas Jefferson as too secular. It is hard for me to believe that Americans won’t do anything about all this. Are they asleep? This country has changed so much since I came and it will be even more conservative and repressive in the years to come.
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