Thursday, July 7, 2011

Another gem

...to add to my must-read list. Simcha Fisher. Dare I say she's the female version of Mark Shea? But only in common sense, humour and writing with the mind of the church. Oh, and they both wear pants. (Thanks, Deborah Gyapong, for the blog post about her!)

Here's just a snippet:


Some Catholics think that pretty much any time a man sins against chastity, it’s a woman’s fault.  And so we have the ludicrous “pants are for harlots” argument.  We have women who think that dressing dowdily is a virtue.  We have men working themselves into a righteous froth over a woman in shorts, for instance, as if it’s her fault that he has a thing for legs.
Here’s the problem:  first, dressing with utter, lust-proof modesty is literally impossible.  There will always be some man somewhere who manages to lust, no matter what you’re wearing (just ask a hijab-wearing rape victim).
Second, an extreme “better safe than sorry” argument can lead to foolish and dangerous attitudes toward women. There is nothing pious about treating women like some kind of pestilent instrument of spiritual warfare, designed to infect innocent men with lustful thoughts by her mere presence.  At some point, the woman’s responsibility does end, and the man’s begins.  This point varies widely from culture to culture, age to age, region to region—and man to man.Women are designed by God to be attractive to men, because this attraction leads to all sorts of good things:  protective behavior, fidelity, hard work, and babies, not to mention happiness. Our goal isn’t to reject the notion that women are attractive to men, but to channel it in a way that benefits everyone.
So, yes, modest dress is an onus that is put mostly on women —just as self-control is an onus that is put mostly on men.  This difference is not because life is unfair or inherently sexist, but because men and women are made differently.  Men and women both have the responsibility to contribute to the decency of the world—in their own ways.  There’s no sense in pretending there is no difference between them.  Just as importantly, there is no sense in pretending the tension will disappear if either men or women just tried harder to be good. 

5 comments:

  1. Does she have a pathological obsession with Corapi as well?

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  2. I really like her too Mrs P. SHe worte one of my favourite ever homeschooling articles (next to yours), about doing very little 'school' with littlies - it made me less hard on myself on those days when it feels like we do 'nothing'.

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  3. Mrs. Blurn, I'll have to look up that article (unless you want to email me the link). It says on her blog she is "sort of" writing a book (how well I can relate!); I'll have to read it if and when it is published.

    Mr. Blurn: for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God: Corapi, Shea, me, you. Dismayed, disappointed, saddened we may be by the sinful behaviour of others*--never surprised.

    *those who fall as well as those who write about them.

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  4. Here it is Mrs P.
    http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/features/simple_school
    Mrs B xx

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  5. Thanks, Mrs. B. NOW GO PUT YOUR FEET UP.

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