WOMEN IN RELIGION WILL NEVER BE FREE UNTIL THEY SEPARATE

Cross posting this from a reply I made on CBE, this is something I've been wrestling back and forth with and I believe, it will be Survival Necessity for Women's Human Rights, to eventually separate from the culture that requires our Assimilation, as a GENDER. for full discourse, go to: http://blog.cbeinternational.org/2010/02/thank-you-but-what-else/

UPDATE: MORE ON THIS DISCUSSION, I WILL BE WRITING ON THIS ISSUE, AFTER COMPLETING A FEW OTHER TOPICS HERE, BUT THIS I FEEL, GOES WITH A LOT COVERED HERE ON THIS BLOG.

Comment by Jane

February 6, 2010 @ 6:29 pm

And Again, I still don’t think we are looking at this in the Full reality,

If we continue to perpetuate the ‘its ok for Pastors and male leaders’ to set a type of beauty standard [by measuring or public referring to that in regards to wives/women YET at same time, diminishing and even more so, SILENCE to the many other contributions women make OUTSIDE the Bedroom and Kitchen--we are then setting up and perpetuating a Culture standard that is yes, World based [and misogynist at that, based on the 'images and fantasies' of male desire--

NOT only that, but lets look a bit Deeper into this whole 'I like beauty Aesthetics shall we', because lets NOT FORGET,

AESTHETICS IS DEFINED BY 'WHITE' DEFINITION OF BEAUTY,

don't believe me, TAKE this argument to the forums to Women of Color, and tell them, the Aesthetics is NOT Euro-Male Centric defined.

Who defines what Beauty is? Whites, that's who, white construct, SO, if we are going to in any form Perpetuate or support, THEN lets be honest, we are Perpetuating Darwinism.

Survival of the fittest, and the who fits into the Aesthetics.

And Evidence of this is GLARING, from Asian women having their Legs sawed in half [China-FACT] and stretched in Extreme torture/pain for weeks in hospitals to be Tall like Western women to having their eyes operated on to rid of the slanted eyes…

from Black women having their skin lightened with toxins and chemicals, to Brown women having shaved off facial hair, to Women not only shaving their pubic region [to look like those six year old girl fantasies in PORN] but also having their Labias cut off and vagina’s sewed up [and that Includes WHY we have Episiotomies (sic) after Childbirth, NOT a necessity mind you, but to Fit the 'defines' of male sexual desires for virgins, FACT],

from girls starving themselves, Bulimia and Anorexia to models who are so thin that even the Model world-Fashion industry is up in arms over this right as we speak–

from job discrimination [fact] based on Lookism and Ageism [a HUGE one and one that effects Women] to that make up,

you put on that has most likely, been tested on Animals that requires horrid Torture.

Still want to Hold up Beauty [in even the subtle Innocent remarks] as THE aesthetics Standard that women hear and Measure themselves by, in positive OR negative?

Then do so, but know this, when we Do, we are aiding in the Misery of not just the souls of women but in the destruction of the planet [cotton and silk pillaging for fabrics/toxic dyes, made and harvested by Child Slaves so WE can be Beautiful] to the destruction of Animals via testing for products so WE can be Beautiful to hundreds of women of color who Torture themselves [and white women, breast implants to botox--we don't KNOW the impact THAT will have years later, injecting Botulism so close to the Brain] and then,

we Think, we will influence women through our Imperialist Culture eyes in Africa and Middle East to reject FGMs?????

This is So much more, than the innocent compliment to a woman here and there, and we ALL KNOW IT.

In solidarity,

Jane

”we are called to be light and salt and can all do something to change this situation, both here and overseas. May we demonstrate a far better way to live and influence the younger generation.”

Agreed Liz,

but let me ask a serious question that needs to be looked at Truthfully.

[I do not know the influence of culture, how Deep it is entrenched/other than the influence of Colonization in Europe and other nations--I realize the development in Australia/culture is also far different, from her conception to the issues with the Aborigines, i.e. culture conflicts, Aborigine rights and what has been at conflict where children's rights are concerned, etc. I know that part of because it is a Huge controversy among the women of color in THIS nation, why I know a bit about it BUT even then, I don't know enough about the cultural 'thinking' development there--just know there are some Stark differences, in many ways far more progressive and in many ways not, etc. goes for any country and we do NOT keep that in mind Near enough--Culture among 'whites' in nations is Not Hegemonic, including Christian Culture]. so with that fact in mind,

Looking at it from what I know of the American Culture, CAN women Truly be a ‘light’ in the churches where these issues are concerned WITHOUT EVENTUALLY HAVING TO ASSIMILATE TO CONTINUE TO BE A PART OF?

And THAT question is not asked nor Realistically looked at BECAUSE those Culture influences are NOT just in the Church they are in the World but to Have them Reinforced in the Church WITH THE ADDITIONAL ‘INTERNALIZATIONS’ OF GENDER, WITH THE ‘INTIMATE SPACES’ IN WHICH WOMEN’S CONSTRUCTS ARE USED TO ‘CONFINE HER INCLUDING WITHIN HERSELF’

can she Truly be FREE enough to stand Alone and NOT be Influenced to Assimilate?

I say NO, she cannot, NOT only that, SHE cannot seriously expect to not see her Daughters influenced and pressured to Assimilate even IF the mother does not. So then, we basically are looking at Sacrificing our Daughters on the altar of Culture and this IS what is occurring.

Spiritually we cannot Sit at TWO TABLES, Jesus said so, a LITTLE LEAVEN LEAVENS THE ENTIRE LUMP.

And this is why Liz, I believe that Eventually the course of Separatist Movements Will have to be looked at, to Separate and be Sanctified, because if not,

the movement WILL DIE. OR it will be So repressed and defiled by COMPROMISE that eventually it will Wither away. And the next generation, it simply will be a ‘moment in passing, a Phase the women went through, etc’.

UNTIL women arrive at a CONSCIOUSNESS of BEING THE OPPRESSED AS A ‘GENDER CLASS’ AND FACE

the COLONIZATION OF THEIR MINDS,

they will Never be able to Break the Chains that bind them.

What women in the church need more than Anything is a DECOLONIZATION OF THE ‘MIND’, and That will NOT happen with the daily and weekly and intimate Identification with the ‘mastas’ and the doctrines that so keep them Colonized as a GENDER CLASS.

Women in Religion to day are the WRETCHED OF THE EARTH,

there will Never be Freedom, until she Rises up and Separates herself, as a Separate Human Being, apart from ALL CONSTRUCTS.

And that, truly is at the heart of the issues here…the Conflict arises from the basis of the Unity Belief, that we are to be Unified in Christ,

but like in anything else, CAN there be Peace WITHOUT Justice?

NO, there cannot, and there cannot be FREEDOM FROM ASSIMILATION WHEN THERE IS COLONIZATION.

“Liberate the minds of men [WOMEN] and ultimately you will liberate the bodies of men. [WOMEN]” Marcus Garvey

Can’t Liberate the Minds of Women while those Same Women are in a Culture where they are Forced to Assimilate even if temporary without expecting Internalizations to occur and to be Deep, especially with all the Reinforcements of the world. Its an Oxymoron to think it can work.

Someone said on CBE years ago [I've been reading] that what this movement needs is a MLK. I say, NO, what this movement needs is also a Malcom X.

We FORGET that part, it wasn’t MLK alone that created social and Cultural change, it was Also the Decolonization of hundreds of African American Minds from the Internalizations of the hierarchy of White system, that was the Message of Malcolm X and others like Black Panthers, Puerto Rican–Young Lords, Students for Democratic Justice, so forth.

We forget that the Civil Rights and decolonization of the oppressed ‘minds’ and the rise of Consciousness did NOT just happen in an isolated bubble of MLK and Freedom Marchers, oh no,

it took a Mass movement that included separatism, action, strikes and sit ins,

hell, we can’t even get Women to Strike as a Solidarity Sisterhood, against Domestic Violence in the Church–this is 2010 people,

there IS no solidarity for one, and there will Never be, as long as their is continued Compromise for the Sake of ‘Unity’.

And the Benevolent Masta sister, ain’t gonna set us free,

out of the kindness of his Benevolent velvet glove fist. And NOT when they are rewarded for their Benevolence with our own Bodies-WILLINGLY, both intimately and in service.

And not Think that Colonization of or minds is Still not reinforcing the Strongholds that so keep women BOUND IN CHAINS.

In solidarity,

Jane