HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1975-07-23, Page 2Northern river
Amen
by' Karl Schuessler
I'll take St. Paul -- warts and all.
I don't care what the lady libbers say. They
put him on their enemy list, you know. He
qualifies as one of their male chauvinist pigs.
I can understand though why the 'ladies
have never liked him. What with all those
letters of his that told them to "submit
themselves unto their husbands". And to
keep silent in the church. To keep that veil
over their face. And to stay plain and
unadorned.
It never helped much either when he said he
permitted no woman to teach or to have
authority over men. He said the serpent fooled
Eve, not Adam. And women redeemed
themselves for that fatal mistake by bearing
children.
And if all that wasn't bad enough, he
advised men to marry because "it is better to
marry than to burn." But for himself, Paul
preferred the single state, the celibate life.
Now you can see why this kind of talk never
endeared him to the women.
In a recent church magazine article I read
where a man tried to make St. Paul palatable
for the women. Why, he even went so far as to
nominate St, Paul as patron saint of Women.
He pulled out his bottle of Wart remover and
made all sorts of applications on Paul's warts:
Now maybe Paul didn't write some of those
letters after all. bp Maybe the early church did
a little editing of them. Or maybe those
offensive words of his were actually the words
'of the opposite point of view. And St. Paul just
started off his paragraph with them, so he
could rebut them.
And then the man told the ladies to count all
the times Paul mentioned the names of
women in his letterS. See? Look at that big
number: He was sending his best regards to
them in all of those greetings. He was no
*entail' hater that one..
Then the author quoted Paul's glorious
passage about freedom. "There is neither Jew
nor Greek, slave nor free. neither male nor
female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus,"
But I don't think all this kind of wart
removingawa y a tall.worked. I don't think the warts went
For Paul did tell the women things that kept
them in their place. He greeted the women,
sure. But most of the women served in a.
helping and hospitality way. They were
waiting on. And the women libbers don't want
just those roles. They want a say in the
decision making and the power structures.
An religious freedom in Christ is one thing.
But it's a long way to stretch it to mean racial,
made
social th an ed sexual equality. quality. At least Paul never
So what if Paul didn't write one or two of
th oseis
undisputed
letters?Hesrtiitlilnhgsas? a lot t o answer for in h
But as I said in the beginning, I'll take St.
Paul --warts and all. I'll let him be the !Nil for
his age -- not much different from any other
man of his age. Back in his day; Men accepted
women as tinequals and inferiors, Just .as they
aceepted a fiat earth.
I'll let St. Paul be a man of his times, It was
a time when celibacy and the monastic life and
austerity were religiousg ideals. And besides,
he expected the end of the world at any
minute.
Times change. And so does our thinkiitg;
But the gr eat religious insights of Paul
have not changed. He preached faith, hope
and love. These three still abide. And so be;
his streSs on grace and mercy and
forgiVetiess.
So I'll still take St. Paul — warts and
IIRUSSE LS
ONTARIO
"SINK INN!,
Brussels Post
WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 1975
Serving Brussels and the surrounding community.
Published each Wednesday afternoon at Brussels, Ontario
by McLean Bros.Publishers, Limited.
Evelyn Kennedy - Editor Dave Robb - Advertising
Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association and
Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association.
Subscriptions .(in advance) Canada $6.00 a year, Others
CNA f $8.00 a year, Single Copies 15 cents each.
It's summer enjoy it
• "Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me
those have always been the two most beautiful words
in the English language."
When writer Henry James penned that praise of
the summer season a century ago, he probably was
basking in the sunlight as he wrote. Times have
changed, as have most things, but the summer and
the great outdoors continue to be one of nature's
greatest gifts.
You CAN get something for nothing in Canada
today - if you take the time to look around and
actively enjoy the outdoors - with family and friends.
One of the ironies of life for manyCanadians is that
they forever seem to talk about getting out and
getting active, but hardly ever get around to doing it.
Once they do, though, they quickly recognize what
they've been missing.
The summer season is an excellent time to get
involved with family and friends (if you're not
already an active outdoor participant), but once that
healthy lifestyle becomes habit, you' can make it a
four-seasons-of-the-year routine.
Leisure-time activities and exercises should be
regular to be beneficial.
There is no better investment than time spent out
of doors, enjoying a leisurely or brisk walk through
the park, an adventurous sailing trip or a
back-to-nature hike in the woods.
An inactive lifestyle is something most Canadians
can do something about, particularly when you
consider the kaleidoscope of opportunities offered
simply by stepping out .of the home.
The Canadian outdoors provides plenty of chances
for everyone to gpt out and get active. The rewards
are plentiful - good fitness leads to a healthier,
happier life - at low cost.
Our country possesses some of the finest
recreation facilities in the world. Thousands of
national, provincial and municipal parks, campsites,
beaches, lakes and rivers complement' community
facilities that provide for a score of activities ranging
from art classes to gardening to lawn bowling to
walks in the park.
The possibilities are varied and valuable. A recent
study of leisure-time activities revealed -that 40 per
cent of Canadians watch more than 15 hours of
television every week while 80 per cent engage in no
physical activity.
Exercise and fitness means getting more
enjoyment out of life. Physical activity helps prevent
stress, heart disease and, other illnesses - including
the common cold - and stimulates the body to burn
off excess calories, thus controlling weight and
reducing the risk of ,obesity.
And the, point is: the outdoors is great fun for
everyone: ..:under the sunl • (Contributed)
Abe Lincoln says
"YOU.. cannOt abaft prosperity by
discouraging thrift. YOu cannot strengthen the weak
by weakening: the strong. You cannot help the wage
earner by pulling down the wage. payer, YOU cannot
further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class
hatred, You cannot help the poor by destroying the
rich. You cannot keep out Of trouble by spending
more than you earn. YOU CannOt build character and
courage by taking. 'away man's initiative and
thdebehtletiCe,.YOU cannot help men permanently by
doing for them what they could and should do for
themselves.'
Abraham Lincoln