Comments on: Women Can’t Teach?

By: Bryan

Bryan — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 14:22:18 +0000

You don’t do something guaranteed to annoy the generally more active majority of your congregation if you have “other reasons” for your decision. This is the sort of thing that results in domestic strife and lost membership.

By: andante

andante — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 11:26:50 +0000

I've wandered a bit around the church website and statements released by the pastor and Diaconate Board. They both indicate 'other reasons' are also behind the decision, and state the lady taught adults...among them - (gasp) adult men. I don't know what those other reasons might be, and perhaps they're valid. If so, you'd think they would be more damning than an octogenarian flaunting herself in front of grown men.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 02:57:20 +0000

Hah, I knew that Timothy quote was familiar. In Misquoting Jesus Bart Ehrman points out that it is generally accepted that this was not written by Paul, but by someone later, and conflicts with other statements Paul made in Galatians and Corinthians.

CDDS, you would hope that the realities of a harsh winter would keep people sensible, and not go off on these tangents. After a four-foot snowfall you need all the help you can get.

Anya, you would think that someone who would think of themselves as a conservative would understand that women have always been the primary teachers of children. I wonder if this guy’s church has been interviewing new pastors.

By: Anya

Anya — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 01:28:55 +0000

Old saw: Teach a man and you teach one man. Teach a woman and you teach the community. The Central Asia Institute has plenty to say about what it means to educate girls, who will eventually educate their own children. Cat Daddy & Dr. Squeeky: Ancient Pagans were an eclectic lot. Let's just say they gave equal time to deities of either gender.

By: cat daddy and dr squeeky

cat daddy and dr squeeky — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 01:16:19 +0000

Watertown NY, or Whatever town, Georgia, when it comes to religious fanatics, it’s all the same… God told him to fire her, let’s forget that we had thousands and thousands of years of the Goddess…

By: Bryan

Bryan — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 00:04:52 +0000

I can’t believe that this guy can get away with this in New York. This would be American Baptist, not Southern Baptist, and there is no history of this kind of garbage.

They don’t say, but I have a feeling that this guy is a Republican and has drunk the Koolaid. This is a wannabe Falwell, who is looking for a media contract.

Exactly, Andante, what organization, religious or otherwise, doesn’t depend on women to teach children. If this guy thinks he can keep the attention of a roomful of young children, he has never tried it. It is a skill, an art, and it may be sexist, but there aren’t many men ready or willing to do it.

Bobby, Pope John Paul II did that for Catholic clergy in 1980, feeling that you cannot serve two masters and you should not render unto Caesar what belongs to G-d. The American Taliban are alive and well.

By: Mustang Bobby

Mustang Bobby — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 23:30:08 +0000

I just let fly my own rant on this topic; I saw it earlier today and couldn’t wait to dig into it.

Notice that this “minister” is also on the city council. I propose — in my posting — to ban all clergy from holding positions of power in government. Why not? It’s just as outrageous an idea as his of banning women from teaching Sunday School.

By: andante

andante — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 23:19:31 +0000

Heh.

I saw this on ABC’s nightly news, and thought – if all the female Sunday School teachers in every church were “fired”, there would be no Sunday Schools. In our 400-some member church, I can think of only 2 or 3 men who teach the children & youth SS classes on a regular basis, none who sponsor the children’s and youth fellowship groups, and maybe four who teach adults.

If ministers are stupid enough to ‘fire’ female Sunday School teachers the ministers won’t hold their own jobs very long.