Part 2: Death of the old feminist series
If there were a competition to find the institution most despised by feminists, surely first prize would be awarded to the Catholic Church. As far as institutions go, we are patriarchal, that is we consider God as our father and our clergy are all male. We renounce promiscuity, contraception, divorce, and of course the list goes on.
But contrary to the beliefs of the radical feminists, and indeed others in the broader society, women have actually enjoyed much respect and dignity in the Catholic Church.
Women and the early Church
Historically speaking, before Christianity came along, women had a really rough time. The Greek and Roman empires of the first century AD were overrun with divorce, abortion and infanticide.
Men greatly outnumbered women as male offspring were desired. As a result female offspring were aborted or ‘exposed’ (this practice continues today in China).
There was a high mortality rate of women who had abortions and often girls were forced into marriage before they had even reached adolescence. They were expected to be pure, and virgins, upon entering marriage. However, men were encouraged to be promiscuous and looked upon women as their property.
Christianity, although in its infancy, became so attractive to these downtrodden women, because it taught that abortion and infanticide were morally wrong. Promiscuity was also deemed morally wrong and marital fidelity was held up as something to aspire to.
As a result, Christian women far outnumbered Christian men and it was their faith that led to what is known as secondary conversions. That is, these faith filled women converted their husbands to the Catholic faith.
It followed then, that as their husbands discovered the equality and dignity of their wives and indeed, women in general, women were no longer treated as their husbands’ property and their unique contribution to society was recognized. Their importance as wife and mother too was better understood and appreciated.
Whilst I cannot, with any absolute certainty, say that women were treated wonderfully from this time onwards, as I am sure that both women and men have been treated disrespectfully throughout history at different times, I can say, however, that even in the middle ages and prior to the Industrial Revolution, were treated as equals and with respect.
In fact, up until that point women in England engaged in business and it is estimated that women produced half the goods needed by society and were just as well educated as men. History tells us that of all the guilds around in this time, women were members of the great majority and in fact, some were started up for women alone.
Equal and complimentary
From the very beginning of the Bible, and the account of the actual Garden of Eden, God reveals to us two very important things about the sexes; they are equal and complimentary. That is, they are made for each other, are equal to each other and compliment the other.
It follows then, that women have always been equal to men. That we have had to fight for this equality during our history is a result of Original Sin, our disobedience of God. We are both equal in the image and likeness of God.
The complimentarity of the sexes is evidenced most completely in the Sacrament of Marriage, here, as man and woman become one flesh they bring different elements to the marriage and to their family life. The most succinct way to understand this is to think of the man as the head and the woman as the heart.
God created man to be the head of the household, protector and provider of the family. He is more sensitive to the head, that is, the practical and rational. He is more suited to the role of disciplinarian as he is more emotionally detached. His very masculinity is defined in his desire to protect and provide for his family, thus he is called to be the primary breadwinner. Above all else he is called to lay down his life for his wife and his family.
On the other hand, God has created woman to be the heart of the household, the nurturer and child bearer because of her sensitivity to the heart. Her emotions are more sensitive and she often has trouble detaching from things and can find it difficult to be a disciplinarian. Her genetic make up connects her to her husband and her children in a way that men can never experience. Above all, she is called to submit to her husband because of her high capacity for self-giving. That does not, however, make her his servant.
The ideal marriage then, is one where both spouses give themselves without reserve to the other, they make a gift of themselves and desire their spouses’ happiness above their own. In this way the head serves the heart and the heart serves the head.
Feminism and femininity
Feminism tries to take away these very characteristics of masculinity and femininity as given to us by God. In essence, by creating a genderless society, radical feminists are seeking to become, not equal to men but like men.
How can women become like men? By disrespecting, devaluing and dishonouring their beautiful gift of bringing life into the world.
They become more masculine, thus emasculating men by taking away their role as protector and provider by saying that they do not need men to make them happy or to provide for them. If this is the case, then why are so many of the radical feminists embittered, disillusioned and still not happy?
Because, whether we like it or not, we need men and men need us. It is written in our very biology, and in our heart.
Read part 3 here.
Originally posted 2013-11-09 06:07:42.