Mary's Boy Child Jesus Christ

"Christ in the House of Mary and Martha", c.1654-1655, by Jan Vermeer.

My doctor, a Canadian of Greek heritage like moi, has a lot of Greek-speaking patients. A couple of months ago, I was sitting in his waiting room, waiting, waiting, waiting, with my head buried in a magazine.

Also there were two men and two women jabbering away in Greek. I paid no attention until one of the men started railing against the Greek Orthodox Church and its regressive ways. The other man, backed by the Greek chorus of the two women, were not only defending the Church but also condemning the first man for having the audacity to attack it. Wasn't he ashamed?

Which is when I quietly spoke up, knocking them off their chairs because (1) I don't ''look Greek'' to most Greeks here who tend to be shorter in stature and darker of complexion, and (2) I backed the man attacking the Church, citing Biblical chapter and verse of what was wrong with it.

The second man called me a ''putana'' (whore) for my criticisms while the women became increasingly uncomfortable. I laughed at him and said his reaction was to be expected from a sexist Greek man who leans on the Church to oppress women.

After the men went in to see the doctor, I turned to the women -- who, incidentally, were not with the men -- and asked what had the Church done for them lately. Were they able to become priests? Were their daughters allowed to be altar girls? Were they allowed to take communion while menstruating? Weren't they at all concerned that, in the 21st century, the Church they so venerated was acting as it it were in the first?

And, last but not least, did they not believe that Jesus had more respect for women -- from his Mother Mary to Mary Magdalene and on -- than the priests do? After all, weren't the women his messengers when he was resurrected?

The women in the waiting room had no answers. They knew I was right.

So anyway, that's my introduction to today's treeware column -- triggered by last week's Vatican edict against women priests -- which has the mail, mostly positive, pouring in. This latest decree has it that not only would women priests be excommunicated, but also the bishops who ordain them. Here's an excerpt, with some links:

Monsignor Angelo Amato of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said the Vatican "does not feel authorized to change the will of its founder Jesus Christ."

This from a Church that does little more than pray for the pedophiles in its priesthood.

As for women, doesn't the Bible say: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus?" (Galatians 3:28)

Clearly, some are more one-with-the-Lord than others.

And yet there is plenty of theological research arguing that Jesus included women among his disciples. Plus, according to the comprehensive WomenPriests.org, most Catholic scholars agree with the ordination of women on the grounds that's there's a historical foundation for it.

For example, the Last Supper, in fact a Passover Seder, would have, as a matter of course, included the women who prepared it. It was there that Jesus established the Apostles as priests, and there is nothing to indicate that he shut women out.

Another example: There's a documented trail of names of female deacons, dating back to the Church's beginnings and continuing through some 900 years.

Nay, verily I say unto you, there is no case at all to be made for Jesus Christ being as sexist as the Church would have us believe. All indications are the opposite: he was far more feminist than the society to which he preached.

But papal bull finds otherwise.

Here is a release by one pro-female priest organization:

The Women's Ordination Conference is outraged by yesterday’s Vatican decree, which reminds Catholic women once again of the animosity they face from the hierarchy, despite being the backbone of most Catholic parishes throughout the world.

Out of fear of the growing numbers of ordained women and the overwhelming support they are receiving, the Vatican is trying to preserve what little power they have left by attempting to extinguish the widespread call for women’s equality in the church. It will not work. In the face of one closed door after another, Catholic women will continue to make a way when there is none.

We reject the notion of excommunication. In our efforts to ordain women into an inclusive and accountable Roman Catholic Church, we see it as contrary to the gospel itself to excommunicate people who are doing good works and responding to injustice and the needs of their communities. While the hierarchy prattles on about excommunication, Catholic women are working for justice and making a positive difference in the world. 

Yeah Girls. They'll take your babymaking, your charitable work and your pie-baking but leave the peacemaking and preaching to the men.

Comments

[sooey]

Churches operate top down, not bottom up - BECAUSE they are patriarchal institutions. In my opinion, they are anathema to female power.

[steve]

Great column today. I believe that churches are all about control. Historically they were somewhat useful as a means to keep semi-lawless people in control but of course with human nature being what it is, the church attracts the crazies who used the church to exert control first and anything good a distant second. What better way to eliminate half of the population for control purposes, than to just deny their
existence to start with? Keep them in the kitchen making coffee and cookies for the kletch after church, that is helpful, but force them into continuous submission otherwise and prevent them from being uppity. Do the same to any other group
besides white, wealthy but generous men, and voila, you have narrowed the people in charge to a couple of percent. Prevents any kind of challenge to the clergy and thus they can do what they want and preach ridiculous notions from the pulpit and not be called out for it. People buy into it all because they are raised with it being infallible, but more importantly they bought into the need for control of the community, keeping it all "nice". I think that is why the almost complete denial of
sex abuse exists, no one even wants to contemplate that an institution so important to their sense of normal and right, can be so screwed up! I believe churches as we know it are dying a slow death due to these issues. The ones that are doing well are "new age" and treat everyone as an equal. Other than the US bible belt, who would embrace an institution stuck in the 1500's. They are the equivalent of a store still stubbornly having a huge stock of horseshoes, might have worked once, but not anymore.

[M. Lucy]

And furthermore...

... it WAS women who discovered Jesus was no longer in the tomb after his crucifixion. Plus he had lots of gal pals. Plus, plus, plus, I totally agree.

It seemed bizarre when I was little that nuns only got to do the crappy stuff, and weren't allowed to deliver the mass. I thought nuns and priests were the same at first, but then learned priests were way above, and it made no sense. My totally cool aunt was a nun (who later left the nun-life). She's one of the best people I know (and is very open about how much she likes having sex with her hubby, god love him - I'm sure he's still thanking his lucky stars - they're both in their late 70s).

However, with regard to alter boys, I thought boys HAD to be alter boys to help make them not be so rotten. Girls were already good, so we didn't have to endure it. Plus I thought it was slightly hilarious that they had to wear dresses.

[licketysplit]

Wow! that is certainly a column worth commenting on.

I was brought up Anglican, although not strict. I have been railing against organised religion, specifically, roman catholic and orthodox religion for some time.

It bothers me greatly at the amount of pedophilia that is allowed in the church. Any other institution would call the police on the bugger to have the perpetrators arrested.

My grandfather was an immigrant from Lebanon and a lapsed muslim. He ran a grocery store in PEI. My mother and her siblings were brought up surrounded by Catholics who at that time, in the '40's, had the best paying jobs just because of their religion and not anything to do with qualifications. Ironically, despite the Catholics' hatred of my immigrant grandfather, those same families would show up in his grocery begging for food. The fathers would spend their paycheque on drink and the kids would go hungry - and shoeless.

When my parents were first married, my father was a cabbie here in Toronto. His favorite story was about picking up the nuns on Friday nights to take them to the priest's residence. The next cabbie taking over a shift would then return to the priests home to take the nuns back to their residence.
I will let your imagination run.

Has anyone read The Lost Apostle by Rena Pederson? It is filled with historical accounts of women who were priests during the days of Jesus and even shortly after his death.

I will never belong to religion as long as I see the contradictions that are still preached today.
For instance, has anyone pieced together that God chose a murderer and an adulterer to lead the Hebrews out of slavery. I talk of none other than Moses. Initially Moses married a Midianite, Zipporah. But later he dumps her for an unnamed Cushite. God gets angry at Aaron and Miriam, Moses siblings, for being angry at Moses for dumping Zipporah and casts Miriam as a leper for standing up for righteousness.
How about that?
This same man is given the 10 commandments? really? Somehow I see something horribly wrong with this picture.

[arthurdecco]

Posting a comment after licketysplit's latest is kind of like going on stage right after Led Zepplin has ended their 2008 concert to announce that licence plate # AGQ 169, light blue Chevrolet Impala, 4 door, has left their lights on in Parking lot D.

But,

Antonia, I really liked today's column, but after reading your blog post, I'm wondering why IT wasn't your treeware column.

The intro is hot! ssssssssst!

[Antonia]

A reader sent me this spoof story:

http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s3i36200

"(Vatican City) - The Vatican today announced that anyone attempting to ordain a woman into the priesthood would be excommunicated, as would the woman herself. The decree was signed by Cardinal William "Misogy" Levada, prefect of the congregation for the doctrine of faith, and was itself a compromise doctrine when Vatican officials realized they could no longer order people burned at the stake..."

[Allison Jones]

Hi Antonia,

Just wanted to reiterate what I said to you in my e-mail earlier today. Well done - well said! I'm neither Greek Orthodox nor Catholic, but you've zeroed in on some of the bits of organized religion that really trouble me. Kudos to you!

Cheers,
Allison.

[Chris Moorehead]

I was always under the impression that being a misogynist was a REQUIREMENT for the priesthood. Pederasty, apparently, gets you extra points.

[Big Dave]

AZ; Women are oppressed by the Catholic churches because they have allowed themselves to. Vote with your feet and leave that worse than mediaeval behemoth to rot in its own greedy patriarchy. Railing against the church is futile. Women: spend your energy in other directions. The world needs you.

Dave

[Antonia]

Uh Chris? Thanks for your comment but it's a little harsh, no?

[Chris Moorehead]

Not as harsh as you being called a "putana" for daring to question the absolute authority of a group of woman-hating, self-loathing closet cases.

What's truly frightening is that the Catholic church (Roman or Byzantine) is a bastion of intellectualism compared with the Orthodox church and its adherents...

[Diana Marie]

Way to go Chris! Churches, all religion in fact, belongs to the ancient past when folk had no education and were kept firmly in their place. Wasn't raised in any religion, and truly don't understand why anyone needs it in this day and age, honestly!

[Chris Moorehead]

I'm not necessarily anti-religion...I do attend church, but my religious denomination is the United Church of Canada, which has a somewhat different take on the role of women than the Catholic or Orthodox churches. Religion can be a force for the public good, and has been, particularly in Canada...James Shaver Woodsworth, the founder of the CCF (now the NDP) was an ordained minister, as was Tommy Douglas, the "father of medicare", and Stanley Knowles, the "conscience of Parliament". Current NDP MP Bill Blaikie and Ontario NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo are United Church ministers as well.

Unfortunately, many religious denominations consider the oppression of women and enforcement of male privilege as their primary functions for existing. The Roman Catholic church has an authoritarian, anti-intellectual streak (with the possible exception of the Jesuits), which is still felt in Quebec today. Indeed, the reason that Montreal has so few public libraries is because until recently the church opposed encouraging the masses to read at all.

Religion has the potential to be a force for positive change, but more often is used as a tool of social and state control.

[Vera]

I read your article and felt like you had read my thoughts exactly.

As someone born into a Russian Orthodox family, I remember as a child wondering why all the restrictions and negatives were only directed at women - and questioning how God could possible have made it that way. Any attempts at dialogue were met with horrified "you are going to hell" looks, silence or the "thats the way it is" response.

Do you know that is customary in Russian Orthodox churches, at the end of the baptismal ceremony, for the priest to take boy infants for a tour of the altar. On the flip side I have witnessed infant girls simply dumped on the floor for the parents to retrieve. How disgusting is that?

I decided a long time ago that this religion has no place in my world. Thanks for bringing this issue into the light.

[johnnykap]

Antonia, your knowledge and understanding of Biblical issues is very impressive. I am sure you were a worthy opponent to those men in the waiting room. I do have one simple yes or no question for you: do you believe that there are invisible entities with supernatural powers looking down upon us as we lead our lives?

[Chris Moorehead]

Vera, it's common practice in all Eastern rite churches (Orthodox and Catholic) to take male infants behind the ikonostas, but not female infants. In fact, all women are forbidden. This I know from personal experience, as my wife is a member of one of the Eastern rite churches, and both my children were baptized there.

In the case of my son, his godmother was actually allowed to take him behind the ikonostas, much to the horror of the entire congregation. But this was only because the priest was drunk...

[DonH]

Antonia,
While incredibly powerful, I think the fundamental assumption in your column is that all roles in the Church are entitled to be held by both men and women. You are using the lens of feminism and human rights to interpret Christianity whereas for the Catholic Church does the opposite.

I am hardly knowledgable enough to comment extensively. But I do know that the founder of Amnesty International was a devout Catholic, as was Trudeau, and as is the most important human in the Catholic Church.

Most forget that the Virgin Mary is the role model for all Catholics...

Peace