Monday, April 28, 2008

HA! I post this because I find it funny.

I got this list from another blog. I am not serious about any of these things on the list, but it just goes to show the logic behind some people when you look at the flip side of this list.

Top Ten Reasons Why Men Should NOT be Ordained:

--A man’s place is in the army.
--The pastoral duties of men who have children might distract them from the responsibility of being a parent.

--The physique of men indicates that they are more suited to such tasks as chopping down trees and wrestling mountain lions. It would be “unnatural” for them to do ministerial tasks.

--Man was created before woman, obviously as a prototype. Thus, they represent an experiment rather than the crowning achievement of creation.

--Men are too emotional to be priests or pastors. Their conduct at football and basketball games demonstrates this.

--Some men are handsome, and this will distract women worshipers.

--Pastors need to nurture their congregations. But this is not a traditional male role. Throughout history, women have been recognized as not only more skilled than men at nurturing, but also more fervently attracted to it. This makes them the obvious choice for ordination.

--Men are prone to violence. No really masculine man wants to settle disputes except by fighting about them. Thus they would be poor role models as well as dangerously unstable in positions of leadership.

--The New Testament tells us that Jesus was betrayed by a man. His lack of faith and ensuing punishment remind us of the subordinated position that all men should take.

--Men can still be involved in church activities, even without being ordained. They can sweep sidewalks, repair the church roof, and perhaps even lead the song service on Father’s Day. By confining themselves to such traditional male roles, they can still be vitally important in the life of the church.

I post this both because it's funny, but also because it shows how illogical this thinking is. Yet, I hear some of the exact same things from some people as to why women shouldn't be allowed to teach in the church (or at least, from the pulpit). Just something to keep in mind...

3 comments:

Dan said...

Bravo! Good find :)

Lee Jones said...

Bwah ha ha ha haaaahh!!! That was great! Especially the "vitally important in the life of the church" one... Oh, that's great.

Besides, didn't Paul say that a married man cares for the things of this world? We should only ordain single men!

Seriously, though... it is a good illustration of the problems possessed by most arguments against women in ministry.

Yeah, there's a line to be drawn, but I think it should be drawn higher than it is in most churches. Anyway...

Kate said...

Oh this makes me laugh! YAY! :)