We're back. We wound up much more off-line than intended due to a range of fascinating technical difficulties.
While I and the Internet were not working correctly, the International Transgender Day of Remembrance took place. Trans people and those perceived to be gender non-conforming can be at extremely elevated levels of risk for violence. We must remember as a step towards stopping the violence.
Vatican shifts position on condom use in some cases. Too little, too late is one very valid response to this. But what interests me is the implication that preventing something that's been viewed as a punishment for sin is acceptable. Doesn't that imply that even if one is to suffer in hell in the afterlife, that's no reason to encourage suffering in this one? That's interesting to me.
So Warner Bros is having someone write a script for a Whedon-free Buffy reboot. Y'all know how far "someone writing a script" is from "film actually getting made" is, right? Really frigging far. Even with noise about "2012 or even 2011." Believing it when I see it. Feeling really bad for folks for whom this feels personal, though. It's not for me, but I know what these things are like.
Have discovered my access point to old Doctor Who may be novelizations -- that way I don't have to face the crap effects.
Aside from being generally wonderful, our 24 hours at the St Davids was Super Fucking Weird for the first 90 seconds thanks to Bad Fanfiction I Have Read, also some Good Fanfiction I Have Read too. Just saying. It was lolariously awesome.
Possible best thing about Hay-on-Wye? Reciting horrible back cover copy to each other. Especially of porn thinly veiled as sci-fi from the late 60s.
Also, Patty and I have watched some Sherlock. I have (and have had for some time) many things to say, but for now I'll just say, Euros Lyn can direct anything. It's the pacing that makes it so good.
These are all good points, though I'm going to quibble with a few of them. First, though, a question. Does Catholicism even have the idea that you can be punished (by God) for a sin while alive? I mean, I think it happens in the Bible, but I don't think it's floating around Catholicism. (It actually strikes me as a relatively recent idea in some strains of Protestantism, but I don't exactly have an encyclopedic knowledge of Christianity.)
While, as far as I've ever been able to tell, all non-procreative sex acts and all procreative ones outside the context of marriage are the same sin*, in some sense, I find it very hard to understand the Church as equally hostile to heterosexual and homosexual sexual activity outside of marriage or not hostile to gay people--the Pope's still not ended his campaign against gay priests, for instance. The Church is still a long way from "We like gay people" or even "Well, we like you, but we won't marry you".
I think it's very hard to parse, first, precisely what the Pope meant and, second, what weight it carries. There was initially ambiguity about whether he was referring to male or female prostitutes, which has been clarified to prostitutes in general, which seems to suggest that the fact condoms have a contraceptive use is an acceptable side effect of their use to prevent disease transmission. It's pretty clearly not an official change in the Church position, but I don't think it's so easy to draw a line between the Pope's personal statements and his official statements. Regardless of whether he's speaking as the Pope or Joseph Ratzinger, he's made a theological statement and, to me, that's different if he, I don't know, offered his opinion on a restaurant. The Pope's theological statements are going to carry more weight than another theologian's statements, particularly, I think, this Pope. If he's seen as being movable on the issue of condoms, suddenly the Church is movable, whereas it previously looked like this Pope was going to dig his heels in over everything.
*Though, if you scrutinise the Catechism, one might wonder whether the Church counts sex not involving a person theoretically once capable of producing sperm as sex.
no Catholicism officially doesnt hold that people get punished for sin while alive.
at least, not usually (there have been exceptional smitings) and not like that. people suffer, (Not are punished) because of sin in teh world. generically. we live in a sinful world and so many people suffer. period.
there are many many quibbles! certainly, i have a few myself...
one of the issues is the difference between "dogma" or official teachings, and the opinions of important people in teh church. that happens.
i suspect the hostility to gay priests is being fueled especially by three things (not agreeing with!!!!! simply pointing to issues)
1. the fact that the church is always accused of "harboring teh gays!" by other churches, and they specifically point at celibate priests as a "safe haven" for gays.. i suspect the reaction to that has been to dig in their heels a lot. 2. there have been instances of SOME seminaries having some very abusive gay teachers and seminarians, who were badly behaved, often AT the other seminarians. This led to at least a few would be priests leaving the church and joining other even less gay friendly churches, while proclaiming how the seminary was a hot bed of gay sex. what do you think the reaction in the church heirarchy was to THAT? it only has to happen once to blow up ..... 3. the constant confusion between pedophilia, which is often same sex, and homosexuality, which is not an attraction to children. as long as those two keep getting confused there will be issues. (basically a lot fo straight folk just see "but it was a male priest and a male child" they dont GET the difference)
honestly? i think lesbianism is one of those things that.. well teh church inherited the Jewish position on sex a lot. to over simplify? we are a tribe. we must reproduce. anything that leads to not reproducing is bad. also leaving teh tribe or marrying THOSE PEOPLE OVER THERE is bad. men making with other than the wimmin =no kids.
if the girls want to play with each other , as long as they make babies and dont endanger my paternity, its nothing we need to know about
honestly most of Catholicsim is layering on that tribal "must track lineage" stuff....
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Re: to clarify a point
While, as far as I've ever been able to tell, all non-procreative sex acts and all procreative ones outside the context of marriage are the same sin*, in some sense, I find it very hard to understand the Church as equally hostile to heterosexual and homosexual sexual activity outside of marriage or not hostile to gay people--the Pope's still not ended his campaign against gay priests, for instance. The Church is still a long way from "We like gay people" or even "Well, we like you, but we won't marry you".
I think it's very hard to parse, first, precisely what the Pope meant and, second, what weight it carries. There was initially ambiguity about whether he was referring to male or female prostitutes, which has been clarified to prostitutes in general, which seems to suggest that the fact condoms have a contraceptive use is an acceptable side effect of their use to prevent disease transmission. It's pretty clearly not an official change in the Church position, but I don't think it's so easy to draw a line between the Pope's personal statements and his official statements. Regardless of whether he's speaking as the Pope or Joseph Ratzinger, he's made a theological statement and, to me, that's different if he, I don't know, offered his opinion on a restaurant. The Pope's theological statements are going to carry more weight than another theologian's statements, particularly, I think, this Pope. If he's seen as being movable on the issue of condoms, suddenly the Church is movable, whereas it previously looked like this Pope was going to dig his heels in over everything.
*Though, if you scrutinise the Catechism, one might wonder whether the Church counts sex not involving a person theoretically once capable of producing sperm as sex.
Re: to clarify a point
Catholicism officially doesnt hold that people get punished for sin while alive.
at least, not usually (there have been exceptional smitings) and not like that.
people suffer, (Not are punished) because of sin in teh world. generically. we live in a sinful world and so many people suffer. period.
there are many many quibbles! certainly, i have a few myself...
one of the issues is the difference between "dogma" or official teachings, and the opinions of important people in teh church. that happens.
i suspect the hostility to gay priests is being fueled especially by three things (not agreeing with!!!!! simply pointing to issues)
1. the fact that the church is always accused of "harboring teh gays!" by other churches, and they specifically point at celibate priests as a "safe haven" for gays.. i suspect the reaction to that has been to dig in their heels a lot.
2. there have been instances of SOME seminaries having some very abusive gay teachers and seminarians, who were badly behaved, often AT the other seminarians. This led to at least a few would be priests leaving the church and joining other even less gay friendly churches, while proclaiming how the seminary was a hot bed of gay sex. what do you think the reaction in the church heirarchy was to THAT? it only has to happen once to blow up .....
3. the constant confusion between pedophilia, which is often same sex, and homosexuality, which is not an attraction to children. as long as those two keep getting confused there will be issues. (basically a lot fo straight folk just see "but it was a male priest and a male child" they dont GET the difference)
honestly? i think lesbianism is one of those things that.. well teh church inherited the Jewish position on sex a lot.
to over simplify?
we are a tribe. we must reproduce. anything that leads to not reproducing is bad. also leaving teh tribe or marrying THOSE PEOPLE OVER THERE is bad. men making with other than the wimmin =no kids.
if the girls want to play with each other , as long as they make babies and dont endanger my paternity, its nothing we need to know about
honestly most of Catholicsim is layering on that tribal "must track lineage" stuff....