Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
Sun Jun 17, 2012, 12:10 PM Jun 2012

Women Who Disagree With Catholic Church Now Accused of Radical Feminism Instead of Witchcraft

http://jezebel.com/5916890/women-who-disagree-with-catholic-church-now-accused-of-radical-feminism-instead-of-witchcraft

BY ERIN GLORIA RYAN JUN 8, 2012 2:40 PM




Change has come to the Catholic Church. After centuries of accusing women who disagree with them of witchcraft, they've abandoned their antiquated ways and embraced a more modern way of thinking — accusing women who disagree with them of "radical feminism." And you say the Church isn't progressive!

TIME's Tim Padgett has a great take on how the modern Catholic Church has doubled down on fighting the forces of progressive women in a last-ditch effort to preserve its waning power, and argues that these efforts will ultimately end up expediting the Vatican's global irrelevance. Case(s) in point(s): declaring the ordination of female priests a "grave sin" on par with pedophilia in 2010 (so I guess that means that the Church will exert great effort to shelter people who do it from any sort of punishment?), launching a bizarre inquisition into the "radical feminist agenda" of American nuns, accusing the Girl Scouts of preaching "feminist theology," and very publicly, very loudly fighting the Obama administration's Preventative Care Mandate that would have required that most religious employers give female employees the option of using their insurance to purchase birth control. Their latest anti-lady tirade was against Yale professor emeritus Sister Margaret Farley's book Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics, which condones female masturbation, same-sex relationships, and non-procreative sex.

The Vatican's reaction to Farley's six-year-old book is not just staunchly conservative; it's downright regressive. In fact, the Church's approach to a similar work by another nun was decidedly more muted ... in the 1100's. Sister Hildegard of Bingen, a German nun and leading feminist thinker, wrote all sorts of stuff the Church would scoldingly dismiss as "feminist" today — that men and women are equal, that God's true nature is maternal, and that sex for pleasure is ok. But the dudes in funny hats at the top of the hierarchy left Sister Hildegard alone.

It's clear that the Church believes that calling something or someone "radically feminist" will cause everyone to recoil and dismiss, which is both a gross overestimation of how important the Church's grandiose proclamations are to the daily lives of everyday Americans and an underestimation of how few fucks most people give over whether or not something is declared "feminist" by a bunch of old guys. What should have been a witch hunt that gathered the faithful into a wagon circle of mass hysteria (minus the 60,000 or so dead people who were probably not witches) has turned into an alienating, feeble fist shaking. Accusing women of being out of line doesn't have the gravity it had in, say, 1540.

more at link
8 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Women Who Disagree With Catholic Church Now Accused of Radical Feminism Instead of Witchcraft (Original Post) cbayer Jun 2012 OP
That picture is very strange and kind of freaky to me ButterflyBlood Jun 2012 #1
Ash Wednesday. Most of the parochial schools in New Orleans cbayer Jun 2012 #2
Maybe, but it's still strange ButterflyBlood Jun 2012 #3
(aside) I wore a uniform when at Parochial school, and, in public school - slacks, shirt and tie. pinto Jun 2012 #6
The church is so afraid of women Angry Dragon Jun 2012 #4
Photo description: "Children being brainwashed." nt daaron Jun 2012 #5
Good read. The author writes really well and pulls no punches in the process. pinto Jun 2012 #7
Agree. I really like her up front style. cbayer Jun 2012 #8

ButterflyBlood

(12,644 posts)
1. That picture is very strange and kind of freaky to me
Sun Jun 17, 2012, 12:19 PM
Jun 2012

It's obviously from a Catholic school, but seeing people dressed like that at church is very strange and kind of freaks me out. I mean I go to a church now where "well dressed" probably would be best defined as wearing jeans without holes, so actually wearing a tie like those boys is just WEIRD.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
2. Ash Wednesday. Most of the parochial schools in New Orleans
Sun Jun 17, 2012, 12:21 PM
Jun 2012

require ties and jackets on the big holidays.

ButterflyBlood

(12,644 posts)
3. Maybe, but it's still strange
Sun Jun 17, 2012, 12:28 PM
Jun 2012

Obviously not at the top of my list of reasons I'm not Catholic despite being raised that way (I won't say "no longer Catholic" because I kind of the mindset I was never really Catholic to begin with.) but any church that can make a fuss over that isn't one you'll ever find myself in. And not likely in any one where any person is wearing a tie (unless of course they are doing it to be "ironic".)

pinto

(106,886 posts)
6. (aside) I wore a uniform when at Parochial school, and, in public school - slacks, shirt and tie.
Sun Jun 17, 2012, 01:37 PM
Jun 2012

Every day. It was required in New England and obviously dates me a bit...

Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Religion»Women Who Disagree With C...