Dec. 10th, 2003

sophiaserpentia: (Default)
Instead of going to the Quarter, [livejournal.com profile] lunablue talked me into going with her to her friend [livejournal.com profile] axiomatical's house. Anyone who has a mathematical name can't be all bad, and I liked [livejournal.com profile] axiomatical instantly. :)

The theme for the evening was beer (something I very rarely drink, actually) and this TV show, "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." I had never seen it before so this was a new experience. This show is total fluff; five gay guys take on the challenge of transforming a caveman into a 'metrosexual' with a few decent things in his wardrobe, a skin care regimen, and at least a little bit of culture.

Even when I was in high school I knew that women tend to prefer the friendship of gay men over straight men. Neurological research suggests one strong reason why -- gay men often have brains which are closer to the typical 'female' configuration than straight men, so they think and socialize more similarly. Even so, I'm not sure that adding a touch of gay to a straight guy is necessarily going to improve things. Time will tell.

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach (never one to shy away from pontificating) wrote some interesting thoughts on this show for Beliefnet recently. His essay started out with an interesting insight:

As I watched this clueless cowboy being taught how to clean up after himself, dig wax out of his ears, and speak romantically to a woman rather than his horse, it suddenly struck me that this is exactly what the women in my life did for me.


But, then he sticks his foot in it:

But how can women teach men these things today? Raised in a world where they get attention by flashing a thong strap rather than a kind smile, immersed in a workplace where masculine aggression rather than feminine sensitivity earns a promotion, there are precious few ladies left.

And in a world where there are no ladies, there can be no gentlemen.

Honestly, what can a college girl who flashes her breasts for the "Girls Gone Wild" videos teach a man about civility? What can a woman who prances around in her underwear on the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show teach a guy about dignified bearing?


Is this what passes for "insightful social commentary" in religious circles these days? Would every female on my friends' list who has ever flashed her breasts for a "Girls Gone Wild" video or pranced around in underwear in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, raise your hands please? Is that not the most demeaning comment you've read in a while?
sophiaserpentia: (Default)
Paul says that Christians are "freed from the letter of the law," unless of course it is necessary to invoke the Mosaic Law to make implicit threats.

In this Beliefnet essay about Leviticus 18:22, "Bring Back the A-Word," David Klinghoffer says it is a Christian's duty to point out that God believes homosexuality (and homosexual marriage) is an abomination. Pull no punches, he says, for

If the Bible possesses any real authority as a communication of God’s thoughts about man, then a country’s safety and stability are related to the kinds of sexual relationships it endorses.


In other words, do what God says (even if we will claim when it suits us that the Old Law was supposedly superceded by the sacrifice of Christ), or he's gonna SMITE you!

At its very core Christianity is based on a foundation of implicit violence. This implicit violence seeps out through every doctrinal pore, and, at periods in history, from the realm of implicit violence into the realm of actual violence.

Crossposting to [livejournal.com profile] challenging_god

Profile

sophiaserpentia: (Default)
sophiaserpentia

December 2021

S M T W T F S
   1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
2627282930 31 

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jul. 9th, 2025 05:32 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios