Back again...again

Sorry for the long absence.  I have recently been feeling that this blog is a bit redundant in the world of atheist blogs and have been considering taking it in a slightly different direction.  Anyhow, I haven't quite figured that one out yet.

Regardless, this post is not about that.  This post is just another one of me complaining about something that I read.  No surprise, it was the Catholic Church that got me going again.  No one, and no organization seems to be able to get me to fly into a blind fury quite like our friends in Rome....or in this case, Toledo, Ohio.

Perhaps you have heard about it already, but there is an attempt in progress by the Church to rebuke the Leadership Conference of Women Religious for not being vocal enough in attacking issues that the Church frowns upon (please read the second half of that sentence in the voice of Sam Eagle).  It is definitely worth noting that the LCWR represents 80% of American nuns.

Anyhow, today on NPR there was posted an interview with Bishop Leonard Blair of the Catholic Diocese of Toledo.  Bishop Blair is the dude in charge of the above mentioned rebuke.  I would like to go on the record as saying that Terry Gross is an excellent interviewer, and that if you have the time please listen to this story in its entirety.  It is almost 50 minutes long so you need a good chunk of time to check it out.  I listened to the whole thing with my mouth hanging agape as Bishop Blair said things like the following in response to the fact that women are not represented in the theological decision making of the church:

Well, I would say that the interpretation of theology is a work of not just bishops but also theologians. There have been great saints, women saints and men, who have contributed tremendously to our theological understanding, and I'd be the first to admit that in the past women were not represented so much in theological faculties and things like that, and now they are.

The problem with this is not that these women's ideas did not make a contribution to Catholic theology (which is nuts, by the way), but that they had no say in whether or not it would become Catholic theology.  That was decided by the menfolk.  These saints and theologians had no vote on the matter.  Anyhow, there were many such moments, and if you can stomach it for an hour, I recommend listening.  I felt like I was losing my mind.   I kind of enjoyed it.  If you don't have that kind of time, please watch the following video instead while thinking misogynistic and homophobic thoughts (the effect will be about the same):