A remarkably engaging bit of journalism

[hudebnik]

Since conuly doesn't seem to have posted it yet, ...

the story of the woman who invented the rape kit

Oh, and this story of an assigned-female-at-birth person's experience taking testosterone.

From this op-ed, "In the case of 2,000 years of small “o” (and big “O,” for that matter) orthodox Christians, ... sexual expression is confined to the union of a man and a woman because marriage is an icon of the gospel union of Christ and his church." Wait: wasn't Christ male, like 95% of the Church leaders in history? Does this mean Christian marriage should be only between a man and another man, or only between a man and a group of men, or only between a man and a group of men cross-dressing as one woman? I'm so confused....

Comments

[hlinspjalda]

In early Christian theological writings, the Church was always personified as female.

[ilaine]

What hlinspjalda said. Not just female, but the Bride of Christ. Ephesians 5:22-33

[conuly]

The Church is conceptualized as female, isn't it?

And thanks for the links :)

[hudebnik]

Sorry, forgot to turn on joke mode :-)

Yes, I'm familiar with the "Bride of Christ" metaphor... but how did an organization led almost entirely by men, and uncertain at times whether women even had souls, get personified as the Bride of Christ? (Hence the whimsical image "a group of men cross-dressing as one woman")

As far as I can tell from Ephesians 5, Paul introduced the image as a justification for wives obeying their husbands. In other words, the Church was subservient, hence a bride, hence female. So using it as an argument for heterosexual marriage seems more than a bit circular.

[hlinspjalda]

Sorry, I didn't see what you were on about there. Mr. Fixer and Sparky have knocked most of the sharp points off my subtlety. :-)

But I was wondering why, with your background, you weren't familiar with that particular trope. Ahem. Never mind. </ Emily Litella>

[ilaine]

well yes, Paul is just problematical. It does make for some lovely hymnody though.