Just been talking to a 'Christian' who thought they might put me straight - not that they asked me whether I needed to be put straight or even had the grace to find out if I agreed with their views before they launched into their view of what Church should be.
And it goes like this (don't think she even stopped for breath):
'Church needs to stop being so sexist and stop being homophobic and stop supporting Israel and stop being so stuck in the past and should realise that marriage isn't the norm' anymore and should lock up all the paedophile priests and get rid of the Pope and stop lending money to people that can't afford to pay it back and should stop trying to make everyone feel guilty just because they are having fun and should leave Christmas alone and stop going on about God and Jesus and making everyone feel like they're doing it all wrong. If Church just told everyone that they're doing alright and got on with helping the poor and doing what it was supposed to do then it would be more popular!'
So I asked if they were Christian and the response was in the affirmative.
So I asked what church they attended (thinking of praying for their pastor/minister/priest) and the response was, 'Oh, I don't go to church, I don't believe in God!'
'But you started by telling me that you were a Christian,' said I (just a little confused by now).
Her response placed the cherry on the whole pile of patisserie she had just baked for me: 'I am, I was christened!'
So I thanked her for her advice and said I'd pass it on (Justin, Ruth, Gavin - are you watching?) and left her to her campaign of world domination and the sunshine (and looked for a suitable wall to bang my head against)
And it's only ten to nine in the morning!!!!!!
ps. assume the lending bit referred to Wonga - glad Justin has stopped doing that :-)
I used to enjoy these clips from the Harry Enfield show and often they would lead to us discussing issues relating to women's equality and their role today. Mind you, it does seem to me that many of the women today have truly forgotten that they are women and are striving, and in some cases become, merely blokes in dresses!
I get so tired of hearing people tell me how Christianity has denied women a place and subjugated them for two thousand years. Obviously many of those who bleat on about discrimination and misogynistic tendencies don't realise that it wasn't that long ago that women, along with slaves and children, had no legal status. they were merely property to be assigned over to another bloke. When Christianity turned up on the scene, one of the things it did was to remove the 'non persona' status from women (and slaves), not in the way that so many, unknowing, people tell me was part of Jesus' communistic tendencies, but because people were regarded as people.
I got engaged in a short dialogue regarding a piece on R4 today. I actually missed the piece because I was doing a cremation but I understand it was regarding women's lib' and women's rights. I was silly enough to point out that a body I was a member of some time back did a senior management survey and found that women on the top floor liked to keep two layers between them and any other woman who might be considered to be a 'threat'. Men on the other hand were more generous and supported up and coming types on the basis that, if they rose up the ladder, they would have a friend and ally and if the passed them in the career chain, would have a friend in a higher place.
Apparently there are a number of films out at the moment showing how women are taking the places of violent crime that were once the province of nasty chappies that the East-End gangland films love to portray. When away on a CofE course some six years back I was shocked to hear that women should be ordained into pastoral roles because they are 'naturally caring and sensitive'. The blokes should be given the jobs where there was paperwork, drain clearing and 'insensitive blokey stuff'.
I, of course, complained and we went down the, "All men are potential rapists," argument from some of the slower witted among us. "Ah yes, I replied (joyfully) but then let's be fair and admit that all women are potential prostitutes!" Strangely this did not go down well and I was apparently being sexist! Seems equality has to thrive by engaging in inequality and ad hominemns.
Well it appears to be the case that as the women become more like blokes (rather than merely enjoy the opportunities that were once the province of the males) they are seeing their life expectancy decrease, they're getting more illnesses and seeing even more negatives besides. I meet so many women who, "Don't do maternal!" and see this as one of the greatest shames of our Western culture - we have mad woman in our image :( .
How I wish women could enjoy being women and take opportunities without having to become blokes in skirts. They don't need to be harder, tougher, crueller or anything else - just being women is surely enough? Take the opportunities but celebrate the difference (please).
