Hoping, hoping for more paper learning and less screens in 2024. SO much research at this point, but honestly if we were listening to our gut we knew the results long ago.
Great recommendations and links - especially the one about the boarding school. And you also hit the spot with Calvin and Hobbes and the Far Side (which regularly make an appearance at our breakfast table) :)
I've been looking forward to introducing my kids to Calvin and Hobbes and the Far Side. We'll see just how easily the humor transfers from one generation to the next. :-)
Calvin and Hobbes is an absolute favorite with our boys and they have collected all of the books (even in duplicate and triplicate) to ensure that their kids will have them as well:)
I don't understand why christians feel the need to be so hateful and controlling over people who aren't exactly like them. You're completely disrespectful and arrogant. Jesus said to love everyone unconditionally. Jesus said to focus on yourself and your own life and issues, not others. The queer community has no affect you in any way. People want to live the way they want to and to be happy, just like you do. Why do you take the time to be so hateful towards someone who has done nothing to you? Someone who wants to be seen and treated as a human being. You don't seem to be a christian who wants to spread love like Jesus told you to. Instead you put yourself on this pedestal and feel that you have the right to speak down about others who aren't like you.
Also, as a man I don't see why you feel you have the right to comment on women and their bodily autonomy. What other people choose to do with their bodies should be nobody's business but that person alone. It isn't the 1950s anymore. Women have every right to do wish. Men have always had the luxury of doing whatever they please and having zero consequences. Men can have sex with whoever, whenever and the world won't call the a "slut" and force them to birth and care for a child with zero support. Sex does not and should not always be procreational. Yes, it is recreational. Sex is an activity between two consenting adults. Sex is a need for a lot of people. Women should never be forced to go through the trauma of birth or keep a child that they can't afford to care for. And it is completely okay for someone to not want to be a parent. Just because you think that's women's "biological destiny" doesn't mean you get to control their life. You are a privileged man who has always had the luxury of being a "figure of authority" both in your religion and society. You have the luxury of finishing one time, watching your partner do literally 100% of the work with pregnancy and birth. It's traumatizing, there's no doubt about that. You have no grounds to comment on these things.
Life is so short. Why do you feel the need to waste your time and energy being hateful and controlling of other human beings? Just live you own life and stop trying to make it miserable for the rest of us. Stay in your lane and actually do what Jesus told you to if you really believe in that.
Thanks for the comment, Maggie. Please forgive me if I don’t understand the source of your frustration. What exactly in my post made you feel I’m a hateful, arrogant, and controlling kind of person? Could you clarify?
You deliberately misgender Andrea Long Chu. It's incredibly disrespectful and unwarranted. She doesn't affect you in any way, yet you choose to be ignorant and hateful because of you religion.
The excerpt you included from Mary Harrington is also entirely unnecessary. Why do you, a man, feel the need to include an excerpt that talks about what sex should and shouldn't be for a person? That contraception is bad? Pregnancy and birth affect one person and it should be up to them and them alone what they want to do. No one but them should ever have a say. It's traumatic, painful and life-changing, both good and bad. It's especially frustrating when forced birth is being pushed by so many, but then there is absolutely zero support whatsoever. People like you are condemning others to a life of struggle and a life they may not want. And its horrible.
Coming from a man, its incredibly frustrating because it doesn't affect you in any way, yet you feel the need to control or at least have a say in what other people can and can't do with their own body.
And again, as a Christian why don't you focus on teaching and spreading love and joy and equality and acceptance, like jesus did? Christians have a bad rap for a reason. Christianity isn't seen or respected as a "loving, christ-like religion." It's turned into a political party at this point. Christians trying to make America a "christian nation" and getting a say in laws that are passed in this country. There's a separation of church and state for a reason. And trying to turn the entire country into a "christian nation" is pushing us towards a handmaid's tale reality.
Thanks for clarifying, Maggie. Furthermore, I appreciate your willingness to engage.
Once again, I'm sorry that I've so deeply offended you with my opinion. I feel I'd rather not respond to most of your accusations here because it feels like maybe you're heaping your pent up feelings about Christians, conservatives, and men all together upon me as the apotheosis of what you think is wrong with the world.
What I can say, rather, is that I am part of the human race, and as such I have opinions on other humans' words and actions, whether I find them helpful or harmful, life-affirming or life-rejecting. You clearly have your own opinions and feel very comfortable thrusting them upon me regardless of how it affects me or anyone else reading this post. You clearly have ideas about how you think Christians and men ought to act and think, even if you yourself are not a Christian or a man. If you, as a non-Christian woman, feel at liberty to tell a Christian man how to behave or even think, what's stopping that same Christian man from having his own thoughts?
Since your primary complaint seems to revolve around my commentary on Mary Harrington's post, I should at least mention that Mary Harrington is neither traditionally conservative nor Christian. She's a woman and feminist, and if I had to guess, I'd say she is generally in support of contraception's and abortion's availability to women. In fact, I'm sure there are several issues she and I disagree on. I believe, however, that it's important to find not only points of discord but also points of commonality with others, so while I might disagree with her on some things, I'm happy to find something I can agree with her on, which here happens to be her approach to the idea of men claiming to be women and very aggressively demanding approbation for it.
To say that a man who claims to be a woman, who publishes a book and wins a Pulitzer Prize for such work, and who asserts that, "Getting fucked makes you female because fucked is what a female is," doesn't affect me in any way seems at best naive. I'm part of the human race, yes? I came from a woman, yes? I have a wife and four daughters, yes? Though I am not a woman, Andrea Long Chu espouses a view of women that I can either accept and apply to the women / girls in my life or reject (and work to overturn if I find the view especially egregious, as I do this one). Furthermore, Andrea Long Chu has written a book with a national audience and has been given prestigious awards. His influence is far greater than mine ever will be, but he should feel assaulted and I should feel ashamed for "misgendering" him?
Frankly, I disagree with your assertion that he does not have any impact on my life. His entire ethos -- if it is adopted by the surrounding culture -- will have a supreme impact upon my life and the lives of those I love. Hence, if I disagree with it, and I live in this nation where we are guaranteed the right of free speech, why should I simply shut up and "stay in my lane"?
Well defended and done in patience, courage, love and wisdom.
The wicked flee when no man pursues: but the righteous are bold as a lion. (Pro 28:1)
For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged. (Pro 28:2)
They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them. (Pro 28:4)
Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things. (Pro 28:5)
Hoping, hoping for more paper learning and less screens in 2024. SO much research at this point, but honestly if we were listening to our gut we knew the results long ago.
Great recommendations and links - especially the one about the boarding school. And you also hit the spot with Calvin and Hobbes and the Far Side (which regularly make an appearance at our breakfast table) :)
I've been looking forward to introducing my kids to Calvin and Hobbes and the Far Side. We'll see just how easily the humor transfers from one generation to the next. :-)
Calvin and Hobbes is an absolute favorite with our boys and they have collected all of the books (even in duplicate and triplicate) to ensure that their kids will have them as well:)
I don't understand why christians feel the need to be so hateful and controlling over people who aren't exactly like them. You're completely disrespectful and arrogant. Jesus said to love everyone unconditionally. Jesus said to focus on yourself and your own life and issues, not others. The queer community has no affect you in any way. People want to live the way they want to and to be happy, just like you do. Why do you take the time to be so hateful towards someone who has done nothing to you? Someone who wants to be seen and treated as a human being. You don't seem to be a christian who wants to spread love like Jesus told you to. Instead you put yourself on this pedestal and feel that you have the right to speak down about others who aren't like you.
Also, as a man I don't see why you feel you have the right to comment on women and their bodily autonomy. What other people choose to do with their bodies should be nobody's business but that person alone. It isn't the 1950s anymore. Women have every right to do wish. Men have always had the luxury of doing whatever they please and having zero consequences. Men can have sex with whoever, whenever and the world won't call the a "slut" and force them to birth and care for a child with zero support. Sex does not and should not always be procreational. Yes, it is recreational. Sex is an activity between two consenting adults. Sex is a need for a lot of people. Women should never be forced to go through the trauma of birth or keep a child that they can't afford to care for. And it is completely okay for someone to not want to be a parent. Just because you think that's women's "biological destiny" doesn't mean you get to control their life. You are a privileged man who has always had the luxury of being a "figure of authority" both in your religion and society. You have the luxury of finishing one time, watching your partner do literally 100% of the work with pregnancy and birth. It's traumatizing, there's no doubt about that. You have no grounds to comment on these things.
Life is so short. Why do you feel the need to waste your time and energy being hateful and controlling of other human beings? Just live you own life and stop trying to make it miserable for the rest of us. Stay in your lane and actually do what Jesus told you to if you really believe in that.
Thanks for the comment, Maggie. Please forgive me if I don’t understand the source of your frustration. What exactly in my post made you feel I’m a hateful, arrogant, and controlling kind of person? Could you clarify?
You deliberately misgender Andrea Long Chu. It's incredibly disrespectful and unwarranted. She doesn't affect you in any way, yet you choose to be ignorant and hateful because of you religion.
The excerpt you included from Mary Harrington is also entirely unnecessary. Why do you, a man, feel the need to include an excerpt that talks about what sex should and shouldn't be for a person? That contraception is bad? Pregnancy and birth affect one person and it should be up to them and them alone what they want to do. No one but them should ever have a say. It's traumatic, painful and life-changing, both good and bad. It's especially frustrating when forced birth is being pushed by so many, but then there is absolutely zero support whatsoever. People like you are condemning others to a life of struggle and a life they may not want. And its horrible.
Coming from a man, its incredibly frustrating because it doesn't affect you in any way, yet you feel the need to control or at least have a say in what other people can and can't do with their own body.
And again, as a Christian why don't you focus on teaching and spreading love and joy and equality and acceptance, like jesus did? Christians have a bad rap for a reason. Christianity isn't seen or respected as a "loving, christ-like religion." It's turned into a political party at this point. Christians trying to make America a "christian nation" and getting a say in laws that are passed in this country. There's a separation of church and state for a reason. And trying to turn the entire country into a "christian nation" is pushing us towards a handmaid's tale reality.
Thanks for clarifying, Maggie. Furthermore, I appreciate your willingness to engage.
Once again, I'm sorry that I've so deeply offended you with my opinion. I feel I'd rather not respond to most of your accusations here because it feels like maybe you're heaping your pent up feelings about Christians, conservatives, and men all together upon me as the apotheosis of what you think is wrong with the world.
What I can say, rather, is that I am part of the human race, and as such I have opinions on other humans' words and actions, whether I find them helpful or harmful, life-affirming or life-rejecting. You clearly have your own opinions and feel very comfortable thrusting them upon me regardless of how it affects me or anyone else reading this post. You clearly have ideas about how you think Christians and men ought to act and think, even if you yourself are not a Christian or a man. If you, as a non-Christian woman, feel at liberty to tell a Christian man how to behave or even think, what's stopping that same Christian man from having his own thoughts?
Since your primary complaint seems to revolve around my commentary on Mary Harrington's post, I should at least mention that Mary Harrington is neither traditionally conservative nor Christian. She's a woman and feminist, and if I had to guess, I'd say she is generally in support of contraception's and abortion's availability to women. In fact, I'm sure there are several issues she and I disagree on. I believe, however, that it's important to find not only points of discord but also points of commonality with others, so while I might disagree with her on some things, I'm happy to find something I can agree with her on, which here happens to be her approach to the idea of men claiming to be women and very aggressively demanding approbation for it.
To say that a man who claims to be a woman, who publishes a book and wins a Pulitzer Prize for such work, and who asserts that, "Getting fucked makes you female because fucked is what a female is," doesn't affect me in any way seems at best naive. I'm part of the human race, yes? I came from a woman, yes? I have a wife and four daughters, yes? Though I am not a woman, Andrea Long Chu espouses a view of women that I can either accept and apply to the women / girls in my life or reject (and work to overturn if I find the view especially egregious, as I do this one). Furthermore, Andrea Long Chu has written a book with a national audience and has been given prestigious awards. His influence is far greater than mine ever will be, but he should feel assaulted and I should feel ashamed for "misgendering" him?
Frankly, I disagree with your assertion that he does not have any impact on my life. His entire ethos -- if it is adopted by the surrounding culture -- will have a supreme impact upon my life and the lives of those I love. Hence, if I disagree with it, and I live in this nation where we are guaranteed the right of free speech, why should I simply shut up and "stay in my lane"?
Well defended and done in patience, courage, love and wisdom.
The wicked flee when no man pursues: but the righteous are bold as a lion. (Pro 28:1)
For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged. (Pro 28:2)
They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them. (Pro 28:4)
Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things. (Pro 28:5)