A profound concept

I dropped most of the email lists and newsletters that I used to subscribe to, especially theological ones. They often were full of fluff, were a cleverly disguised way to make merchandise of the subscribers, were full of bickering or false doctrine, or I just plain didn't take the time to bother reading them any more.

One that I do still get I actually enjoy reading. Today's newsletter deals with an often misunderstood topic on both sides of the discussion regarding the roles of men and women in the Church.

There is one quote by Martin Luther in the newsletter that is rather profound. Wow, is it the truth. "God has created men with broad chests and shoulders, not broad hips, so that men can understand wisdom. But the place where the filth flows out is small. With women it is the other way around. That's why they have lots of filth and little wisdom." I know that women will get mad about that, and the newsletter is disputing the alleged hatred of women by Luther, or at least his theological interpretation of why a man should be in charge of a woman. Any man who has been married knows how true that quote can be.

There was one woman who disputed something I wrote in my blog months ago about women being more emotional rather than logical in their thought processes. He was a liberal from the midwest. He has worked in and around his state legislature and for the media, as I recall. Need I say more as to why he believes as he does?

Don't get me wrong, I disagree with many of Luther's masculine domination theology. He was quoted as saying things about women such as "If they become tired or even die, that does not matter. Let them die in childbirth -- that is why they are there... So that you could by God's will of suffering and perhaps dying (go) through these delicious pains." Luther was the originator of the saying "A woman's place is in the home." Another fun one is "There is no dress that suits a woman as badly as trying to become wise." I don't necessarily agree with Luther in these thoughts. Being married, I understand them of course, but don't necessarily agree.