Could the Christian sect have been the Shakers? They certainly believed in total celibacy for all, though I have no idea what their justification were (past tense, of course - they died out some time ago). And there were other such groups around too.
I seem to recall Jesus once told a young man that he could care for his family, or follow Jesus, but not both, and that the latter was the only way to God. Sorry, but I cannot remember for certain where I read it. Certainly, if (like Jesus) you believe that Armageddon is coming within a matter of years, sex would seem a distraction from what mattered, and for the inevitable resulting children, an extremely cruel choice.
Back in the 1980s I recall reading about communities of lesbians who sealed themselves into communities which didn't let men in - like enclosed orders of nuns, though with a different logic, and no priest allowed in. I don't know if there are any such communities around nowadays, and they were always a small minority within the lesbian community as a whole. Maybe the feminist you are reading (I cannot find her name in her blog, but that might be me) emerged from such a group.
Also agree with the point about "Mother Nature" in the comments. Though I would point out that evolution produces practical solutions, not always solutions that match our sense of right and wrong.
Many of the problems feminism is fighting are a result of the fact that evolution has made us a species whose males are generally physically bigger (and stronger) than our females are, and also very aggressive.
And then there is the common moral belief that sex should only be within marriage, and how well that prohibition works in harmony the hormones of teenagers. But ... let's not go there.
Is there a middle way which is fair to everyone, regardless of gender? Yes - though I am unsure it will be the one I think it should be. Is it practical? I believe so. Will Humanity ever create a society which follows that middle way? I am certain I won't live to see it, but I hope so.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2014-07-18 08:48 am (UTC)Could the Christian sect have been the Shakers? They certainly believed in total celibacy for all, though I have no idea what their justification were (past tense, of course - they died out some time ago). And there were other such groups around too.
I seem to recall Jesus once told a young man that he could care for his family, or follow Jesus, but not both, and that the latter was the only way to God. Sorry, but I cannot remember for certain where I read it. Certainly, if (like Jesus) you believe that Armageddon is coming within a matter of years, sex would seem a distraction from what mattered, and for the inevitable resulting children, an extremely cruel choice.
Back in the 1980s I recall reading about communities of lesbians who sealed themselves into communities which didn't let men in - like enclosed orders of nuns, though with a different logic, and no priest allowed in. I don't know if there are any such communities around nowadays, and they were always a small minority within the lesbian community as a whole. Maybe the feminist you are reading (I cannot find her name in her blog, but that might be me) emerged from such a group.
Also agree with the point about "Mother Nature" in the comments. Though I would point out that evolution produces practical solutions, not always solutions that match our sense of right and wrong.
Many of the problems feminism is fighting are a result of the fact that evolution has made us a species whose males are generally physically bigger (and stronger) than our females are, and also very aggressive.
And then there is the common moral belief that sex should only be within marriage, and how well that prohibition works in harmony the hormones of teenagers. But ... let's not go there.
Is there a middle way which is fair to everyone, regardless of gender? Yes - though I am unsure it will be the one I think it should be. Is it practical? I believe so. Will Humanity ever create a society which follows that middle way? I am certain I won't live to see it, but I hope so.