Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Catholic sexism, Unitarian Universalism and Satanism...and Nada Surf.

I loved reading Emerson and Thoreau when I was in college. Transcendentalism is a poetic approach to life, some nice serene and self-actualizing ideas that written in a way that leaves no choice but to imagine an Eden like dream sequence in which his the motion of his pen is paralleled only by some New England river in spring. Emerson's essay entitled "Circles" was this beautiful assessment of the connectivity of all things, and God's bottom up infusion in all of it, or maybe I'm confusing that essay with another one he wrote called, "The Over-Soul". Although, now I think that those writings are mere poetry. There is nothing all that defining in the message. They culminate in a beautifully fantastical, abstract, non point. Unitarian Universalism and "Satanism" are so unimpressively similar. I am always puzzled by the aggrandizing validation of an empty thought in terms of it being labeled a "philosophy" or "movement". Essentially, both ways of thinking are nothing more than the appropriation of generally well meaning humanistic inclinations into some system, or organization of thought which, I can only guess, would never be executed consistently in a society of people whose behavior will always be subject to environment and external influence.. I wrote something about an article I read a while ago, the post was entitled "The Ethical Slut"..and basically, it is the same type of reaction to the same type of unnecessary justification of human behavior that plays out in no surprising manner when you consider certain aspects of human nature and it's interaction in a functioning society. While some application of religious or social beliefs can be quite perverse, the application of UU or Satanism really changes nothing in the order or direction of humanity, it's useless! There is no internalization of any convictions, and those convictions come only from one's own formation of ideas, which are probably dictated by one's own convenience, a convenience disguised in interpretation of "higher being which is a general God". (This idea can extend to Christianity as well)...

anyway, that was a big windbag of a rant...whatever.
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What about St. Thomas Acquinas's systematic approach to theology? It's kind of boring so far, but, I did find this gem of sexism when he was talking about the creation females. I'll just quote it...

"perfect animals however possess the active power of reproduction in the male sex and the passive power of reproduction in the female sex"

"Man, however, is directed towards a still nobler vital activity (said in relation to procreation) which is knowledge"

"With respect to her particular nature, woman is somewhat deficient and misbegotten. For the active power in the male seed tends to produce a perfect male like itself, while when a female is produced, it is because of a weakness of active power or some material indisposition or some external change...."

Ahh, medieval theology and science is humorous, although, at one time, it was considered the authority. It should cause us to put our own ideas today into question.
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After all of this cyclical, dead end thought, i put this song on and relax some. Sorry about the language Mom and Dad!!!

2 Comments:

Blogger Melanie said...

Well, I can at least relate to your rantings and share a large measure of agreement with them.

As for the music... would love it, but I'm not a fan of the language, either. It just wouldn't be relaxing to go around singing that all day for me. LOL I do like their sound, though.

1:30 AM

 
Blogger Najia said...

Hmm I was planning on leaving an interesting and intelligent comment about UU seeing as spent most of my childhood in one unitarian church or another but really all I can remember is sitting in their version of a sunday school painting, coloring, or doing some sort of artsy thing. Really it was great but that was not at all interesting or intelligent...haha

8:13 AM

 

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