tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post972182902447036194..comments2023-08-21T03:51:17.425-06:00Comments on Enlightened Catholicism: Sorry Pope Benedict, At Least In The US, We Do Need To Redefine Gender Expectationscolkochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432916690101599393noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-86510089876820795222012-12-29T11:36:28.081-07:002012-12-29T11:36:28.081-07:00I'm glad you wrote this Rat. I too have previo...I'm glad you wrote this Rat. I too have previously written that the teachings of Jesus most certainly call for radical redefinition of masculinity and what is considered 'strength' in our definition of 'strong men'. St Peter, in this scheme of thinking, then becomes almost a caricature of the status quo definition male, and is crippled in his understanding of what Jesus is teaching. Peter is the 'old wineskin that can't hold new wine' and John the Beloved disciple, is the 'new wineskin who can hold new wine'. Hence Peter betrays Jesus, while John stands at the foot of Jesus' cross and receives Mary into his care.colkochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03432916690101599393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-50723503472770078202012-12-29T11:30:42.754-07:002012-12-29T11:30:42.754-07:00Maybe you can afford to be blind to gender differe...Maybe you can afford to be blind to gender differences in violent crime, but I don't have that luxury. Post partum depression is a problem for mothers. It is not a problem for fathers. It is directly linked to female physiology. There most definitely gender based differences in how mental illness plays out in men and women. We ignore those differences at our own peril.<br /><br />The link was interesting, and doesn't actually surprise me, even though it's limited to a couple of States. What I was interested in knowing, and couldn't find, is the percentage of these murders that happened in single parent households. Because women are the primary care givers, single parent households are most likely to be led by women, which definitely reduces the number of men in the data base. It also amplifies the stated reasons for the rage explosions that result in these deaths. colkochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03432916690101599393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-48226056819932015922012-12-28T23:43:33.309-07:002012-12-28T23:43:33.309-07:00IMVHO, it is not masculinity that is a problem, bu...IMVHO, it is not masculinity that is a problem, but a false - & utterly unChristian - identification of masculinity with readiness to be aggressive. Lashing out and hurting people (or nations) is nowhere near what Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount or anywhere else. He commands things that are far harder, like patience, not retaliating, not showing off how pious one is, doing good in secret, loving enemies, forgiving people from the heart, refusing to hate or even to resort to insults, stuff like that. These are not suggestions. <br /><br />It's probably no coincidence that a lot of conservative Catholics seem to worry a great deal about "Catholic manhood", whatever that is. IMO this is ever so slightly sick - it strikes a false note. Real men (Mychal Judge is an example) just get on with being who they are, they don't feel the need to advertise themselves. And they are strong enough not to feel umanned by showing compassion and kindness & love of others. I think the aggression of many conservative Catholics may be based on fear of seeming weak. The trouble there is, that Christianity is based on weakness. You can't get much weaker than being crucified. Rat-biternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-36938411114055519732012-12-26T03:21:05.269-07:002012-12-26T03:21:05.269-07:00Unfortunately, your statistics do not distinguish ...Unfortunately, your statistics do not distinguish between their own children and the children of the partner or the wife. Obviously I was referring to the biological parents killing their own child.<br /><br />here I read:<br /><br />"Locally and nationally, children in the most danger are those under age 4, an age group that accounts for 80 percent of last year's deaths, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration For Children and Families.<br />The most common perpetrator -- the mother.<br />Nationally, mothers were most likely to kill their children, twice as likely as fathers, according to the administration's findings."<br /><br />http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/dec/17/infant-deaths-from-violence-02/<br /><br />Again: I do not blame womanhood for this, as I do not blame manhood for other tragedies.<br />domicsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-44449119218635042822012-12-24T11:12:35.888-07:002012-12-24T11:12:35.888-07:00Here are the stats on infanticide from the Bureau ...Here are the stats on infanticide from the Bureau of Justice:<br /><br />Of all children under age 5 murdered from 1976-2005 --<br /><br /> 31% were killed by fathers<br /> 29% were killed by mothers<br /> 23% were killed by male acquaintances<br /> 7% were killed by other relatives<br /> 3% were killed by strangers<br /><br />54% were killed by men, if the last two categories split out 50/50, it's about 60% killed by men. <br /><br />Even if it were true that women were responsible for most infanticides ignoring the gender component would be indefensible. You can not solve what you refuse to define as the problem.<br />colkochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03432916690101599393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-79158976553379579242012-12-24T03:39:52.432-07:002012-12-24T03:39:52.432-07:00Domics, re: filicide or infanticide, from what I u...Domics, re: filicide or infanticide, from what I understand of it, for example, in post-partum depression, is not mass murder and that is what we are talking about. Forgive me if I misunderstood your point. I'm used to dealing with those who kneel down in front of the Magisterium and the Pope as if they were god.<br /><br />FranAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-48300441801016077332012-12-24T03:32:50.715-07:002012-12-24T03:32:50.715-07:00Domics, what is your point?
FranDomics, what is your point?<br /><br />FranAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-40259887227797384642012-12-24T03:29:46.302-07:002012-12-24T03:29:46.302-07:00Thank you for the post here. I don't know what...Thank you for the post here. I don't know what else to say except the men are on a gun buying frenzy and it is mentally ill, imo, to think that guns are the answer. <br /><br />http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/23/worlds-largest-firearms-supplier-sells-3-half-years-worth-ar15-clips-3-days_n_2356286.html<br /><br />FranAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-52536030575185053142012-12-24T03:25:31.226-07:002012-12-24T03:25:31.226-07:00wait, I was referring to the mothers killing their...wait, I was referring to the mothers killing their newborn babies (filicide or infanticide). Very interesting your reaction and interpretation Fran.<br />Domicshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02108175024624509183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-10749043366313054632012-12-24T02:39:28.830-07:002012-12-24T02:39:28.830-07:00Women are not killing their babies. Take a look!! ...Women are not killing their babies. Take a look!! Open your eyes! There are billions of people on this planet and they were carried to term by women. Some women naturally miscarry, but you want to count that as killing. You probably want to count birth control as killing. It is insane to say that women are killing their babies. Insanity to say they are killing. <br /><br />Men are killing the women and children in all their wars and in domestic disputes. Men think they are better and more superior than women. We have our own minds, thank you. We will use them and make our own decisions with our bodies.<br /><br />Men do not want to take responsibility for the world's children. They are starving in many countries. Do you care about the living children and mothers who don't even have enough food to eat? Many women wind up single parents. The men in those situations are dream killers and life killers and women do not have the same opportunities as males do. <br /><br />That is mentally ill to have all these wars, guns and enough nuclear weapons to annihilate all of us. That will be the mass killer if we do not address that huge issue. The answer is not violence. The answer is Peace. Make peace with the women and the children and quit cheapening the value of women. We are equal in the sight of God whether you or the Pope agree with that or not. The Truth is the Truth. <br /><br />Fran<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-71507966685317570732012-12-24T01:54:25.923-07:002012-12-24T01:54:25.923-07:00"Even if SOME of these violent men are or wer..."Even if SOME of these violent men are or were "mentally ill,"... <br />Incorrect.<br />Of the 62 mass shootings in the United States over the last 30 years (25 in the last seven years alone), at least 38 of them displayed signs of possible mental health problems prior to the killings.<br /><br />http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/11/jared-loughner-mass-shootings-mental-illness<br /><br />To add that mentally ill men kill most than mentally ill women, it is as I say that women kill their babies more than men: have I to say that mothers kill their babies because they are women? do I have to blame the femininity for this?Domicshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02108175024624509183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-12494976007935860992012-12-23T21:04:46.432-07:002012-12-23T21:04:46.432-07:00Colleen,
Your comment that Benedict is the perf...Colleen, <br /><br />Your comment that Benedict is the perfect man is interesting. I think it better to say he is the person at a great time that forces change. He is rather exclusive and a great proportion of humanity is choosing to exclude him from their realm of people that they would listen to. So many of us prefer Bishop TuTu and the Dali Lama as spiritual guides. What has happened to John XXIII. The Christ in him has been rejected by the awful leadership of this pope and his predecessor. dennisrdp46https://www.blogger.com/profile/04427786268228285222noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-66339143025486892612012-12-23T20:22:27.743-07:002012-12-23T20:22:27.743-07:00Mark, I don't disagree. Benedict grew up in a ...Mark, I don't disagree. Benedict grew up in a very male centric fascist culture, both religiously and politically. Where I disagree is if a person is supposedly on the Christian path they are always prompted to get beyond their upbringing and knee jerk agreement with mommy and daddy's culture. That was the principle message of St Francis of Assisi, and certainly the message in the conversion of Dorothy Day. Benedict talks about conversion in a way that tells me he hasn't undergone such a thing because his talk is all head and no heart.<br /><br />I don't mean to be mean in this comment. It's an observation, not a judgement. If I was judging Benedict I would say he is the perfect man at the perfect time because he is forcing Catholics to make a choice: inclusion or exclusion.colkochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03432916690101599393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-6849263793689319632012-12-23T20:17:38.229-07:002012-12-23T20:17:38.229-07:00Jordan, I read your link and at this point I have ...Jordan, I read your link and at this point I have nothing to say except that, Adam Lanza was not your typical teen age male and assuming he was, as this article sort of does, isn't accurate. <br /><br />I find myself returning to point number six in Katz's article and that is that mental illness seems to manifest very differently in men than it does in women. We have to find out why and have to figure out how much is genetic and how much is culture. My best guess is culture is far bigger than genetics.colkochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03432916690101599393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-29222724113772678672012-12-23T20:03:11.179-07:002012-12-23T20:03:11.179-07:00I've read the part about the influence of the ...I've read the part about the influence of the Cardinal AB of Munich elsewhere. Actually might have been John Allen's biograpy when he was Cardinal Ratzinger, but please don't quote me.<br /><br />Your take on his family is very important. How many families have all their children dedicated to the Church in one form or another? Very very few I would guess.colkochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03432916690101599393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-9984623230260668132012-12-23T18:17:41.472-07:002012-12-23T18:17:41.472-07:00That is a really interesting insight. Wonder how m...That is a really interesting insight. Wonder how much it plays into his beliefs.Carla Schmidt Hollowayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12947846629735463824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-89601360849565296452012-12-23T17:36:06.763-07:002012-12-23T17:36:06.763-07:00Very good article. Interesting comments, Sue. I ...Very good article. Interesting comments, Sue. I think the culture that Pope Benedict grew up in was very unhealthy and this had a damaging effect on him. It was a culture in which power, control and violence were dominant and some people were considered less than fully human. Mareczkuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13122584421854834046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-62359287588748252772012-12-23T13:35:08.263-07:002012-12-23T13:35:08.263-07:00A random thought about this pope. He is one of thr...A random thought about this pope. He is one of three children. Not five or fifteen but three. He and his brother became priests at the same time. His one sister has never married and managed his cardnial's household until her death in 1991. I can't find any other information about his mother including when she died. In short, he doesn't have any nephews, no nieces. No brother or sister in laws. His family of origin never expanded. Never welcomed new members, never had to bend and stretch and grow. As a matter of fact, his family of origin has now ended (or will when he and his brother pass away.) And this during a time of extreme pressure to repopulate Europe after the devastation of the War. Much to ponder. <br /><br />Also something I found on Wiki so consider the source: At the age of five, Ratzinger was in a group of children who welcomed the visiting Cardinal Archbishop of Munich with flowers. Struck by the cardinal's distinctive garb, he later announced the very same day that he wanted to be a cardinal. Sue Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-39585739405188076012012-12-23T13:02:56.541-07:002012-12-23T13:02:56.541-07:00Thought this was interesting. Though I don't h...Thought this was interesting. Though I don't have the historical/ sociological knowledge to really argue or agree with it. It seems like an interesting start. <br /><br />"The unabashed hyper-masculine militarism he performed was, as William James suggested, a hysterical reaction formation against the “pleasure economy” we have created but denied—as if we could still locate the source of manhood in the demands of necessary labor, in the rigors of military discipline, in the sacrifice of war."<br /><br />http://www.salon.com/2012/12/19/adam_lanza_americas_crisis_of_masculinity_personified/jordan st. francisnoreply@blogger.com