• Christian Tells SC Lawmakers Not to Hang “Evil” Photo of Female Legislators

Christian Tells SC Lawmakers Not to Hang “Evil” Photo of Female Legislators 

I’m surprised that this news story didn’t make more inroads on Twitter or on some of the abuse survivor blogs that sometime cover sexism against women by men in the church.

Even when I was a very devout Christian, I never wanted to live under a Christian theocracy in America (as some Christians fantasize about having) precisely because of kooks like the one mentioned below.

Even when I used to be a Christian gender complementarian, I did not agree that the Bible limits women as severely as some male complementarians teach.

When I was a complementarian, I saw nothing in the Bible  that taught that women were less intelligent than men, that women were more naive, more easily deceived than men, or said anything that prohibited women from holding public office or taking on other roles for all time (many of the Bible’s apparent prohibitions on female behavior in the church, and so on, were cultural and not intended to be timeless). But complementarian interpretations, as taught to me by complementarian pastors and web pages, told me, or gave me the impression, that God felt that women were lesser than men.

Speaker at Hearing Who Says Women Not Fit for Office Stopped

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A panel of lawmakers stopped an activist from speaking at a public hearing after he spent three minutes saying women are not fit to run for office and called feminism “destructive and evil.”

Christian Tells SC Lawmakers Not to Hang “Evil” Photo of Female Legislators

Snippets:

by Hemant Mehta

[Women members of South Carolina’s legislature wanted to put up portraits of women members on State House grounds to inspire other women to enter politics]

…Columbia Christians for Life director Steve Lefemine argued that women are unfit for public office because something something the Bible. Even South Carolina legislators thought he went too far in pushing his faith and ranting against “destructive and evil” feminism.

Just as Lefemine began to explain Tuesday why the “Biblical doctrine of the headship of man disqualifies a woman from civil office,” state Rep. Russell Ott interrupted.

The Calhoun Democrat said he also is a Christian but has found nothing in the Bible that “backs up anything that you are saying.”

“I don’t think this committee or the people behind you deserve to have to sit there and listen to that,” Ott said, moving to put a one-minute cap on Lefemine’s remaining testimony.

Rep. Ann Thayer, R-Anderson, the only woman on the committee, told Lefemine that female legislators feel called to their positions, and that some pray before taking them.

“We are heirs to the kingdom, and being heirs to the kingdom, that makes us all equal,” she said. “Ladies, we can’t let things like this stand in our way.”

Lefemine also read from what appears to be this document [document since pulled] titled, “The Feminism of the Mothers is the Destruction of the Daughters.”

It’s primarily anti-abortion and condemns divorce, daycare, working women, military women, and shameless hussies (“How many feminists ­pro-aborts ­do you know who dress modestly?”). It also tells women they must “delight in being keepers at home.”

No wonder it didn’t sit well with women who decided to do something different with their lives.

More information on this story:

Speaker at hearing who says women not fit for office stopped

by The AP
JANUARY 16, 2019

A panel of lawmakers stopped an activist from speaking at a public hearing after he spent three minutes saying women are not fit to run for office and called feminism “destructive and evil.”

Tuesday’s hearing was over a request to hang a group photo of the General Assembly’s female lawmakers at the Statehouse.

The State newspaper reports Columbia Christians for Life Director Steve Lefemine signed up to speak and handed out literature of his view that the Bible says women should not lead men.

Democratic Rep. Russell Ott of St. Matthews interrupted Lefemine to end his testimony. No other lawmakers objected.

Pro-life activist opposes photo of SC women lawmakers, says they are unfit to serve

by Avery G. Wilks
Jan. 9, 2019

A request to hang a group photo of the General Assembly’s female lawmakers in the State House led to an uncomfortable debate Tuesday in which a pro-life activist urged lawmakers not to endorse such symbols of “destructive and evil” feminism.

The 10-member State House Committee, made up of nine men and one woman, rebuked Columbia Christians for Life director Steve Lefemine, shutting down his testimony after three minutes.

By then, Lefemine had passed out packets of anti-feminist literature, expressed his view that the Bible says women are not fit for public office, and read aloud from an article titled, “The Feminism of the Mothers is the Destruction of the Daughters.”

Lefemine frequently is in the State House lobby, greeting lawmakers with anti-abortion posters and pamphlets. However, his activism has drawn scorn from fellow evangelicals who say it crosses the line.

Just as Lefemine began to explain Tuesday why the “Biblical doctrine of the headship of man disqualifies a woman from civil office,” state Rep. Russell Ott interrupted.

 The Calhoun Democrat said he also is a Christian but has found nothing in the Bible that “backs up anything that you are saying.”

“I don’t think this committee or the people behind you deserve to have to sit there and listen to that,” Ott said, moving to put a one-minute cap on Lefemine’s remaining testimony.

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More On This Blog:

Conservatives Are Wrong to Dismiss Feminism by S. Quinlan

Let’s Say Good-Bye To The Straw-Feminist by Cordelia Fine

The Anti-Feminism Conservative Bias – (written by a Conservative)

The Words “Feminism” or “Feminist” – Why They’re Problematic And Aren’t Clear – And Why I Don’t Use the Label for Myself

The Growing Partisan Divide Over Feminism by Peter Beinart – The Republican and Conservative Women Who Want to Remain in Denial About American Sexism

On Men Not Believing Women and Being Blind to the Sexism and Harassment Women Often Endure

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• A Spot On Analysis of Narcissism by L. Dorn

 A Spot On Analysis of Narcissism by L. Dorn

 A Spot On Analysis of Narcissism by L. Dorn

A forthright essay written by Jim Can’t Swim offers a spot on analysis of narcissism. He explains that the narcissistic individual lives in a constant state of insecurity, is a master manipulator and their perception of the world is through the lens of how other people see them.

While admiring one’s own selfies on social media may appear to be narcissistic, actual narcissists at varying degrees have a distorted perception of reality that causes them show little to no empathy, even to those with whom they are close.

• U.S. Immigration Authorities Approve Thousands of Visas For Child Brides

U.S. Immigration Authorities Approve Thousands of Visas For Child Brides

Well, this is disturbing and disgusting. Reports say it’s mostly girls being exploited under these American immigration loopholes.

(And many men in this nation paint themselves as being victims over a razor blade ad that asks them to stop behaving like sexist ass-hats and over an APA report that points out that certain types of behavior in men are harmful to men and to women.

Let me know, gentlemen, when you’re – your biological sex as a group are – regularly being forced to be married to men who are more than twenty years your senior, then get back to me on victimization…)

U.S.GOVERNMENT APPROVED THOUSANDS OF REQUESTS TO BRING CHILD BRIDES TO COUNTRY OVER A DECADE

The United States government approved thousands of immigration requests by men seeking to bring brides younger than age 18 into the country over the past decade.

1000s of minors in US subjected to child marriage due to ‘loopholes’ in law – govt report

Thousands of requests to bring child brides to the US were approved by immigration services between 2007 and 2017, a new government reports shows. The “loophole” bears grave dangers for minors, especially girls, the paper warns.

Immigration officials let 8,000 child brides into the US, say laws will need to change to stop that 

Government data reveals US Immigration issued visas to thousands of child brides, spouses

Jan 12, 2019

As debate rages over US immigration policies, shocking government data reveals that thousands of child brides have been admitted into the country.

Thousands of requests by men to bring in child and adolescent brides to live in the United States were approved over the past decade, according to government data obtained by The Associated Press.

In one case, a 49-year-old man applied for admission for a 15-year-old girl. The approvals are legal: The Immigration and Nationality Act does not set minimum age requirements. And in weighing petitions for spouses or fiancees, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services goes by whether the marriage is legal in the home country and then whether the marriage would be legal in the state where the petitioner lives.

But the data raises questions about whether the immigration system may be enabling forced marriage and about how US laws may be compounding the problem despite efforts to limit child and forced marriage.

• Five Scientific Tips for Getting Back to Sleep After You’ve Woken Up in the Middle of the Night by J. Serafino

Five Scientific Tips for Getting Back to Sleep After You’ve Woken Up in the Middle of the Night by J. Serafino

Five Scientific Tips for Getting Back to Sleep After You’ve Woken Up in the Middle of the Night

Snippets:

We’ve all been there: You fall asleep just fine after a long day of work, but at around 2 a.m., something happens. You’re suddenly wide awake, and no matter how many sheep you count or glasses of warm milk you down, nothing seems to get you back to bed.

While most people associate insomnia with the inability to fall asleep in the first place, it also applies to people who find themselves unable to fall back to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 30 to 35 percent of U.S. adults experience “brief symptoms” of insomnia, while 10 percent suffer chronically, with symptoms three or more times a week for at least three months. Though some severe cases may prompt a visit to the doctor, the occasional occurrence can be helped with these five science-backed tips.

…2. IGNORE THE CLOCK.
While you’re ignoring newsfeeds and social media, you’re going to want to stay away from your smartphone’s clock, too. In fact, don’t worry at all about the time when you’re trying to fall back to sleep, because it’s only going to increase your stress.

• Conservatives Rage Over (APA) Report That Finds Toxic Masculinity is Bad For Men’s Health by Z. Ford

Conservatives Rage Over Report That Finds Toxic Masculinity is Bad For Men’s Health by Z. Ford

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Disclaimer. I’m offering this reminder and disclaimer upfront for anyone who may be new to this blog, or who is not familiar with me: I am a conservative.

I have never been a liberal, and I don’t go by a feminist label.

However, I do find some merit in some points liberals or feminists have to say on some topics, with Toxic Masculinity being one of them.

Unfortunately, most conservatives misunderstand what the phrase “Toxic Masculinity” means.

In very brief terms, here is what Toxic Masculinity does NOT mean:

-it does not mean that masculinity is bad or wrong;
-it does not mean that all boys and men are rapists, sexists, or abusers of girls and women;
-it does not necessarily mean that boys and men should have to take on traits considered feminine and behave like stereotypical girls

So although I am a conservative, and the following appears on a liberal website, I find it has some merit. Just because an idea or view comes from liberals or feminists doesn’t necessarily mean it’s wrong.

I, a conservative, agree with most of the article…

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I have a lot of comments to make below this really long excerpt…

Conservatives Rage Over Report That Finds Toxic Masculinity is Bad For Men’s Health

by Zack Ford
January 2019

New psychological guidelines for improving the health and safety of boys and men have conservatives outraged.

The American Psychological Association has issued new guidelines designed to improve both the safety and mental health of men and boys. Many of the recommendations involve dismantling aspects of masculinity that inhibit wellness, which has conservatives up in arms that men are under attack.

In the ensuing debate this week, conservative pundits, columnists, and religious figures have indicated that they believe masculinity is biological and fundamental, leading them to conclude that the report is purely political.

But what the APA actually highlights is that men themselves are harmed by the way society conditions them to conform to traditional stereotypes of masculinity.

Not only are those stereotypes not inherent, but there are ways men can be men without conforming to them.

• A Blue Pigment Suggests that Women of That Time Were More Involved Than Thought in Producing Religious Texts

A Blue Pigment Suggests that Women of That Time Were More Involved Than Thought in Producing Religious  Texts

A Woman’s Work Was Sometimes Blue by Steph Yin

Snippets:

A rare blue pigment, discovered on the teeth of a Medieval nun, suggests that women of that time were more involved than thought in producing religious texts.

[Photo caption below photo of teeth]
Blue flecks of lapis lazuli in the fossilized plaque of a 10th-century nun. Researchers believe they suggest the woman likely was an accomplished painter and manuscript illuminator, and used her teeth to shape her paintbrush.

…But several years ago, when studying the dental plaque of a nun from medieval Germany, Dr. Radini [Anita Radini, an archaeologist at the University of York, in England, who studies ancient tartar (dental plaque) on teeth] saw something entirely new: particles of a brilliant blue.

She showed the findings to Christina Warinner, another tartar expert, who was shocked.

• Preacher Murdered His Wife Because Divorce Was Considered Unacceptable In His Denomination – What Does This Say About Legalistic Christian Teachings On Divorce?

 Preacher Murdered His Wife Because Divorce Was Considered Unacceptable In His Denomination – What Does This Say About Legalistic Christian Teachings On Divorce?

I watched a televised program about a preacher who hired two hit men to kill his wife of 20+ years, and one comment on this program that stood out to me was one that went something like this:
“He had his wife murdered because divorce was not acceptable in his denomination.”

This murder happened in the late 1980s.

The police detectives started suspecting the Church of Christ pastor, Charles Sennett (Senior), was behind the murder, one reason being, they discovered he was having an affair – and I believe he was having an affair with one of the women in his congregation (how much of this was 100% affair vs. a case of Clergy Sex Abuse I do not know, because the show did not go into great detail about this relationship).

As it turns out, the preacher lied to his mistress, Doris Tidwell.

Sennett lied and told Tidwell that he needed her to give him $3,000 for a legitimate reason (I think he may have told her he wanted to repay a loan) – but in reality, the preacher had to pay two hit men a few thousand to have them bump off his wife, who was about 45 years old at the time.

The mistress gave him the money – which he used to pay for the murder.