Posted by Dinah on February 14, 2011, at 20:12:24
In reply to Enraged, posted by Annabelle Smith on February 13, 2011, at 15:38:17
I remember times when my emotions were raw and easily triggered. I remember feeling like a giant pink slug, unprotected against the world. Once the body reaches a certain point of overstimulation, it sometimes seems like there is a snowball effect. The only path to resilience for me at those times is to give my body a rest. Meditation helps some people, or exercise, or in my case as needed medications.
Perhaps you might find it useful to think, instead of how awful something is globally, that it is simply not something you want in your life. This religion would not be something you want in your life. Other people might want it, and it's fine for them, but you do not.
That could be helpful in a lot of ways. It might help reduce your anger, since you wouldn't see it so much of a problem in need of fixing. If enough people find it not to their taste, the church will have to change or wither. If people do find it to their taste, then they have the right to seek out that environment.
It might also help you get along better with people of that faith, since you would be saying it's not what you want instead of it's not what anyone should want.
FWIW, I've had intimate contact with three Christian religions in my life. Two had a male priesthood, one didn't. My experience of gender roles within the church (other than the priesthood) was that the three were very similar. There were strong women and strong men and yielding women and yielding men in all three churches. The women in the "patriarchal" churches wielded no less power in their lives. It depended on the person not the structure of the priesthood.
My parents were each from two separate churches that had a male priesthood. They never ever gave me the tiniest inkling that I should consider that anyone, male or female, had any great authority over me. The priesthood was carrying out the will of God not their own. If male priesthood members were to try to use their power to dominate women, they were not doing their jobs serving God and doing his will. There were good and bad members of the priesthood, not male ones and female ones. My parents never gave me the smallest sign that they thought a woman's role in life was any different from a man's. In our family, both genders worked, both genders took care of the house and the children, and both genders were expected to do their best and excel at academics and vocation.
I feel a bit sorry for churches who exclude half the population from the possibility of a leadership role in the church. They lose out on a lot of talent and dedication. (I feel the same way about priests and marriage.) But an organization has a right to set the rules of who can be a leader. They also have to recognize that their choices affect who will join and remain with them.
You aren't, if I understand correctly, of the Orthodox faith? Perhaps you could see this as one of the many elements of a faith that determines whether or not is one you would choose. Others might choose differently.
poster:Dinah
thread:979199
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20110206/msgs/979279.html