feminine-genius

Sorry if this ruins your Sabbath...

Who can take these men seriously??

Hojjat al-Eslam Ali Borhan, Friday prayer leader of Mahriz, says he and the authorities of Mahriz would not tolerate the presence of any woman dressed in manteau (sort of like a raincoat) rather than the traditional chador. The Friday prayer leader said that some people may get used to the presence of naked donkeys without getting sexually excited, but now that the people of Mahriz are used to see women dressed in chador, the manteau would instigate immorality.

What the men "get used to" is the problem, not the objective definition of modesty. Honestly, as I consider a response to the "Biblical" standards of keeping women at home (here), I see more overlap than I like.

Oh brother

There are Christians unimpressed with Sarah Palin as Veep:

At this point, Americans must consider the real possibility that the United States may have a mother of young children serving ultimately as commander-in-chief of the military and chief executive over one of the most influential nations in the world. Today, our friend Janice Crouse of Concerned Women for America offered a press release in which she declared: “Here is a woman of accomplishment who brings a fresh face to traditional values and models the type of woman most girls want to become.”

I respectfully disagree with part of that statement. I am confident that Mrs. Palin is a delightful, sincere, thoughtful, and capable woman with many commendable virtues. But in fairness, there is nothing “traditional” about mothers of young children becoming career moms, chief magistrates, and leading nations of three hundred million, nor is this pattern the biblical ideal to which young women should aspire. At a time when motherhood and marriage is so under attack, the message Republicans are sending is this: Winning political elections is more important than the following proposition given by the Lord: “That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, [To be] discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed” (Titus 2:4-5).

I need to compare some translations and collect my thoughts. This is important. Of course, the overall thesis is here, which explains the larger picture.

Thoughts on the potential veep

"Being Called; Remaining Third"

By Genevieve S. Kineke

Many are very familiar with the classic visual tool that explains priorities and time management. One is given some sort of container and a mess of rocks of various sizes to put inside. After several strategies fall flat, the answer is revealed: the largest rocks should be inserted first, then the medium-sized ones, and finally the pebbles are scattered therein, slipping down to fill up the spaces. Voila—everything fits!

The translation to real life is the understanding that if one has the proper priorities, the secondary and tertiary items will find their place. Football legend Gayle Sayers applied it to his life by saying simply, “The Lord is first, my friends are second, and I am third.” Christianity demands this of all disciples, although where to offer the gift of self in the second category requires constant prayer and reflection.

For women in particular, it becomes obvious that arranging priorities varies widely from one person to another. When applying these thoughts to the riveting choice of Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as vice presidential nominee on the republican ticket, one is easily fascinated—and perhaps overwhelmed.

Considering these priorities, Mrs. Palin seems never to have wavered in her Christian faith, being raised as a Pentecostal and later moving to Evangelical circles. She has also shown a heroic commitment to family, as wife to high-school sweetheart Todd, and mother to five children.

Now what intrigues onlookers are the “pebbles” in her life. After using a beauty pageant to win a college scholarship, she amazed many with her skills at basketball, hunting, fishing, and snow-mobiling. (For those struggling to find the stamina to fold one more basket of laundry, it is difficult to imagine her stockpile of energy, but then the Gospel reminds us that talents aren’t distributed evenly.)

Interestingly, some mothers carried on a skeptical discussion on-line, wondering if Mrs. Palin’s decision would prove detrimental to her younger children. While recognizing that the governor’s credentials are solidly pro-life, they suggested that her vocation as mother required her to forego this particular honor. In fact, they opined that the authentic pro-life position would demand that she defer.

Whether political aspirations would snowball from pebble to boulder in the life of Sarah Palin is a matter between her and God. Whether the children would be negatively impacted by her election as vice-president is a matter between Sarah and Todd, to whom the children have been entrusted, and who together have the grace of state to make such a decision. Much has already been asked of her, and now she has been given the opportunity to oversee the welfare of millions more.

In Mulieris Dignitatem, we read, “A woman is strong because of her awareness of this entrusting, strong because of the fact that God ‘entrusts the human being to her’ … herself. This awareness and this fundamental vocation speak to women of the dignity which they receive from God himself, and this makes them ‘strong’ and strengthens their vocation.” John Paul II then reminds us that, occasionally, “whole nations” should be grateful for the work of specific women (MD, 30). 

Mrs. Palin’s vocation is unique and personal, and her journey will require discernment and clever balance. If her acceptance speech was any indication, she is moving forward wisely—feeling her way with a “servant’s heart.” How Marian, how motherly, and how privileged are we to watch events unfold in the coming months. Her witness can do so much to remind all women what is possible when pebbles remain pebbles and the largest stone of all remains the Rock of Ages.

Sigh

Note that these young girls didn't do anything; only threatened to do something. Odd justice. Five dead women at the hands of family members.

The shocking reports of this horrible incident reaching the capital from different quarters revealed that the girls studying in classes 10 to 12 [read: still teenagers] intended to marry men of their choice through a civil court by defying the centuries-old tribal traditions. When the fuming elders of Umrani tribe came to know about the intentions of these girls to appear before a local court, they picked them up from their homes along with two of their elderly women relatives. The crying girls were pushed into official cars and driven to a deserted area. There they were pushed out of the cars, made to stand in a queue and volleys of shots fired at them.

As the bleeding girls fell on the sand, the tribesmen dragged them into a nearby ditch and levelled it with earth and stones before the girls could breathe their last. As the two shocked elderly women tried to rescue the hapless girls, they too were gunned down and buried in the same manner.

No charges. No accountability. No sense at all -- yet all too common.

First line of defense

How absolutely marvelous of this woman to go to the mat to protect the innocence of children:

Time is running out for JoAn Karkos. The Maine woman has until 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29 to return the sexually explicit children's book It's Perfectly Normal to a public library in Lewiston.
If she does not, the 64-year-old grandmother may face jail time. "I'm not giving the book back," Karkos said. "Every citizen has an obligation to protect the innocence of children."

Karkos said she was inspired to check the book out of the library in September 2007 after reading an American Life League alert about the pornographic cartoon sex content in the book by Robie H. Harris. The book should be nowhere near children, according to Karkos.

Meant as sex education for preteens and adolescents as young as 10, It's Perfectly Normal contains cartoons of naked men and women in various sexual poses, long-winded descriptions of masturbation and homosexuality as depictions of 'perfectly normal' behavior.

She's gone through all the right steps, taking out the book, offering to pay, and then refusing to go against her conscience. How many libraries across the country have purchased such books with tax dollars? How many students of library science have checked their brains at the door of the office, defending "freedom of speech" that is barren of common decency? How many more citizens will now be aware of what is accessible to children?

It's all good, and her cause should be made known as widely as possible.

"JoAn is a courageous hero standing against one of the vilest examples of Planned Parenthood's war on families and hatred for childhood innocence," said Judie Brown [of American Life League]. "We hope her trial will alert parents, who can no longer trust libraries to be free of pornography, even in the children's section. We now know the abortion industry is willing to invade our public libraries to distribute inappropriate information and get our kids hooked on sex."

[Interesting aside here, for those who don't think about addiction.]

Brilliant!

Additionally, critical distinction made by the eminent Fr. Zuhlsdorf:

I am irritated by something I have heard over the last couple days. The pols and newsies keep talking about the anniversary of "giving women the right to vote" in the USA.

No!

Women always had the right to vote. Their right to vote was finally recognized.We must avoid, in discussing human rights and government, falling into the trap of thinking that the state grants rights. We have rights because our Creator made us in His image and likeness. They are written into our being. We grant the state its rights and obligations.

That distinction must be kept in mind as we proceed with the privilege of maintaining this republic. God's will in all things.

UPDATE: Excellent thoughts here. I think we have to agree that women arrange their lives in different ways. As long as the basic tenets of faith and vocation are not trampled, there are lots of variables and settings. Remember that suburbia is one small example of the way families live. [Also, I recall an intriguing conversation with the foundress of a certain Catholic home-schooling curriculum that most of us have looked into or used. She had eight children, I think, and each from infancy grew up around her desk in her office. She had so much energy and brains that she had to create and be very active.] In other places and centuries, all sorts of arrangements were possible--especially when extended family and hired help/servants were available. 20th/21st century America is just a sliver in the big picture.

A tragic fall

Evidently, ten days before Beijing's opening ceremonies, there was a terrible accident at one rehearsal, resulting in the paralysis of one of China's most lovely dancers.

Liu [Yan], a graduate of the prestigious Beijing Dance Academy, was widely considered one of the country’s leading classical dancers. Dance experts call her movements incredibly fluid, and say her beauty radiates on the stage. Over the years, some of her performances have also been popular on YouTube.

She has won most of the nation’s top dance and drama awards, including the Lotus Cup. She also performed last year at the country’s New Year’s Eve Gala, which is televised nationally every year and draws some of the country’s most famous singers, dancers and actors.

Liu, who recently married, is the only child of a judge and a doctor and grew up in northern China. She entered the middle school of the Beijing Dance Academy at age 11.

Her planned performance in the opening ceremony, The Silk Road, was the only solo dance in a show that was rich in traditional imagery and synchronized performances. Another dancer took her place.

Liu said it was a dream that she could be chosen for such a role. But Wednesday, she said she was hoping for a miracle, so that she might some day walk again.

I know you'll join me in praying for a miracle for this dear sister.

Waaay TMI

When will I stopped being shocked at folks' full disclosure? Brazen disclosure? Over-the-top in-your-face disclosure? Must we find this on the home page of family news outlets? Will these two cute young things read their parents' book? Will they be harassed on the playground for this? Who will play the kids in the movie version??

In the hilarious, romantic book, “Just Do It – How One Couple Turned Off The TV and Turned On Their Sex Lives For 101 Days (No Excuses!),” Doug Brown highlights how he and his wife set out to accomplish what seemed at times an impossible goal. Recently optioned by 20th Century FOX, there is the possibility the book could make it to the big screen.

The story starts in September 2005. At the time, Doug and Annie were living in Denver, Colo., and Doug, a features writer for the Denver Post, told his wife about an unofficial club of people who had gone 100 days without sex.

That’s when Annie suggested they try the opposite.

They're married--it's okay. But why do they have to air their bedroom sheets on my desktop? And then, they insist on making sure that we all know that those sheets weren't always in play.

What's not okay is the deliberate sterility of the whole thing. While evidently the notion of embarrassing existing off-spring was no obstacle, one cannot embark on quotidian conjugal relations, it seems, with the possibility of expanding the family circle. They made a list, checked it twice (stocking up on appropriate porn and novelties) and then checked with a doctor for his advice:

Keep the bedroom door locked. Lubrication – and lots of it. Doug should eat fruits, since semen is “basic,” and the vagina is “acidic.” Annie, of course, would go on a birth control pill. Male ‘vitality’ herbs couldn’t hurt. Oh, and free samples of Viagra!

A slathering of eco-friendly input bludgeoned under a chemical steam-roller, just to make sure the fruit wasn't fruitful. Since the "experiment" is over and the book's been delivered, it seems as though the Viagra-herb combo was rendered impotent for the duration, with nothing to show for so many embraces but the royalty cheques. Scandalously blind, and woefully empty. (Let's remember to check in on them in ten years to see if this book doesn't find a happier sequel in time.)