The slide to First Century paganism continues relatively unabated. One of the recent examples, I Look Down On Young Women With Husbands And Kids And I’m Not Sorry sparked controversy, consternation and outrage this past weekend. I have to admit that I am surprised that so many are surprised and shocked at this blog piece. FOX News’ Tucker Carlson referred to this as a “Manifesto for selfishness.” I not only agree with him but, as you might guess by now, borrowed it for this blog:D
The writer, Amy Glass, begins with:
Every time I hear someone say that feminism is about validating every choice a woman makes I have to fight back vomit.
Do people really think that a stay at home mom is really on equal footing with a woman who works and takes care of herself? There’s no way those two things are the same. It’s hard for me to believe it’s not just verbally placating these people so they don’t get in trouble with the mommy bloggers.
Well, at least there is no question where she stands. Being self-obsessed is far superior to bearing & rearing children. Marrying, having and raising a family are, to Ms. Glass, “average.” Worshipping self, now there is the ticket.
Like Amy Glass, the culture of the First Century was fundamentally self-centered. The focus was pleasure, self-gratification and worked itself out in huge eating binges, groups orgies, temple prostitutes and nearly anything which elevated self to the center. Marriage was between a male and female but homosexual practices and pedophilia were engaged in for recreational reasons. We get a glimpse of this in Romans 1:126-32 as Paul laid out how humanity had degenerated:
For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is [r]unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing [s]indecent acts and receiving in [t]their own persons the due penalty of their error.
28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
I won’t take address each aspect of this passage at this point but it is descriptive of very self-centered and selfish group. Amy Glass misses some very important aspects in her rhetoric. She has every right to prefer singleness and to not have children but I am not sure why that gives her the right to condemn others who choose to live a more self-sacrificial life.
She may not realize that marriage is not simply walking down the aisle, muttering a few words and getting lots of good stuff as wedding gifts. Commitments are made, theoretically for life. They are made to one another, before the family, friends and larger community and the newly created relationship will add to the lives of one another and the community in ways that single individuals cannot but from which they too can benefit. The husband and wife are making commitments to place the other before themselves. Self-sacrifice! It is true that many seem to get a bad case of short term memory afterward and let their selfish drive being to dominate the marriage but because some behave badly that does not mean that the commitment is bad or inferior to Amy Glass’s preferred lifestyle. Actually, it demonstrates the destructiveness of selfishness.
Similarly, having children is not as simple as, to use her words, getting “knocked up.” The process of bearing children is enormously difficult on women and raising children will be one of the most challenging endeavors someone will ever do. It is a long term commitment which requires tremendous self-sacrifice to little sinful humans that are rarely thankful until they get old enough to have their own and realize how much their parents gave up for them.
Those who live a single life, either by choice or by circumstance also have a great deal to offer and unfortunately are not included or valued to the degree they should be. They are too often excluded from family and even church events, feeling like a fifth wheel. Finding ways to extend our family and friendship to serve one another is really a bit part of what the Christian faith is about. Celebrating the big events and accomplishments in the lives of singles is important but, in response to Amy’s question:
Do people really think that a stay at home mom is really on equal footing with a woman who works and takes care of herself?
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want to express my gratitude to those women who have worked so sacrificially to be the glue that holds families together, encourage their husbands, children and yes, single friends, to go on and do great things, some of which she aspires to but set aside for the benefit of others. Thank you.
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