You make some good points. However, as a Catholic, I must quibble with you on one: That no WOMAN redeemed Eve's fall.
Mary was conceived without original sin (which is why her conception is called immaculate) in order to be the perfect candidate for Jesus' conception. She *helped* bring about redemption for everyone, because without her, Jesus wouldn't have been born.
Good point! There is Mary. From an atheist point of view, I dare say an all powerful god would have been able to produce an heir without the help of a human woman, but since the whole point was that Jesus should be half god, half man to redeem the sins of men, so he had to be born out of a human woman, and so Mary was essential. I don't want to rain on her parade... but as a feminist, it grates on me that the one thing a woman is good for in the great story of Christianity is giving birth... :/
And you know, there's nothing wrong with giving birth. But if that's the only significant thing a woman does, I find it a bit depressing. Are there any other female heroes besides Mary in Christian mythology
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Very forgivable--I was raised in Christianity and I don't understand all of it. :P
Well, technically speaking, the Church tends to glorify women saints who were a) virgins, b) nuns, or c) mothers. Joan of Arc, while extremely badass, gets even more saint cred because she was both a martyr and a virgin.
But never let it be said that nuns couldn't be badass, too! Saint Catherine of Siena, for example, was a super-nun. She didn't just pray for change, she "laid siege to Heaven" when she wanted something done. She could survive on only the Host (the wafers served at communion) and once nearly got in trouble for gagging when a rich woman came to church--because she could *smell* how sinful the woman really was.
Wow, bad ass nuns! I guess Joan of Arc kind of makes up for the lack of proper heroines in the Bible. Actually, she has a lot in common with Eowyn - she went to war (actually commanded an army) and she did something no man had been able to do. It's a pity they had to burn her! I guess a woman in a position of power wasn't palatable.
By the way, I didn't mean to come across disrespectful in my previous comment! It's just that the discussions I've had about the Bible have usually been in the context of literary analysis rather than theological. But even though I think of myself as an atheist, I've had some pretty amazing spiritual experiences while meditating... and even if I hadn't had those experiences, I would still want to be respectful of other people's religion or spiritual life, or the lack of it.
Oh, no disrespect taken. I was told in high school that it was our job as Catholics to be "soldiers for Christ" and that meant converting every non-Catholic we crossed paths with. Well, as the song "All These Things That I've Done" goes, I got soul, but I'm not a soldier. The way I see it, I have no right to tell other people what to believe, especially if I see nothing at all wrong with *their* chosen system of beliefs. "God" is the most open-ended and complex idea there is, and there are very few "wrong" ideas about what God is about.
(I say "very few" because nothing will convince me that any deity WANTS us to murder, slander, persecute or make each others' lives a living hell in their name. Nuh uh, not buying it.)
Point being, I am glad you have your own way of being spiritual. It sounds like it works for you, and that's what counts.
Mary was conceived without original sin (which is why her conception is called immaculate) in order to be the perfect candidate for Jesus' conception. She *helped* bring about redemption for everyone, because without her, Jesus wouldn't have been born.
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And you know, there's nothing wrong with giving birth. But if that's the only significant thing a woman does, I find it a bit depressing. Are there any other female heroes besides Mary in Christian mythology ( ... )
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Well, technically speaking, the Church tends to glorify women saints who were a) virgins, b) nuns, or c) mothers. Joan of Arc, while extremely badass, gets even more saint cred because she was both a martyr and a virgin.
But never let it be said that nuns couldn't be badass, too! Saint Catherine of Siena, for example, was a super-nun. She didn't just pray for change, she "laid siege to Heaven" when she wanted something done. She could survive on only the Host (the wafers served at communion) and once nearly got in trouble for gagging when a rich woman came to church--because she could *smell* how sinful the woman really was.
Her biography is fascinating. I recommend it.
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By the way, I didn't mean to come across disrespectful in my previous comment! It's just that the discussions I've had about the Bible have usually been in the context of literary analysis rather than theological. But even though I think of myself as an atheist, I've had some pretty amazing spiritual experiences while meditating... and even if I hadn't had those experiences, I would still want to be respectful of other people's religion or spiritual life, or the lack of it.
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(I say "very few" because nothing will convince me that any deity WANTS us to murder, slander, persecute or make each others' lives a living hell in their name. Nuh uh, not buying it.)
Point being, I am glad you have your own way of being spiritual. It sounds like it works for you, and that's what counts.
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