spare us the 'highest calling is parenthood' folk

[tielan]

Someone is wrong on FB.

I argued the point against, and she was all "haha, love you" which...no. You don't get off that easily. I told her I hoped she was more compassionate towards the barren and childless women she meets daily who must deal with the knowledge of her belief in their inferiority face to face, while all I'm doing is arguing with a stranger on the internet because this doesn't hurt me. (People apologise a lot when I point this out, but it's not me they're hurting. IT'S NOT ME, I AM NOT INJURED BY YOUR STUPIDITY; BUT THINK ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO WORDS BECAUSE THEY'RE CRYING INSIDE, YOU THOUGHTLESS IDIOT.) Because I have the energy and time and words to speak this to some smug Christian idiot who's all "parenting is the highest calling!" Which, outside of Christianity, just, no. And inside Christianity, most definitely OH JESUS CHRIST NO.

Ironically, the post was about activism in Christianity by an Australian Christian leader who I respect and admire, and the comment thread all this took place in was begun by someone asking, "But what if you don't have time for activism?" After my comment about 'energy, time, and words', I noted that if commenter can't be involved, then he should support those who can give energy, time, and words.

I'm not 100% that this was the question he was asking; it might have been a 'gotcha' question - like "but who is my neighbour?" But I treated with him in good faith. Don't know if he'll answer in the same vein, or if he'll answer at all...

Comments

[scribblemyname]

Blessed are those who have not had children is what I remember regarding the end times and the ministry. Better to be single, devoted to the work, but if you must, marry rather than burn.

Highly paraphrased but still.

[tielan]

Both are valid quotes: Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5), and Paul (I never remember which letter that one's in).

As I said, I don't need the reassurance. I'm just here to point out that it's a shitty thing to set a 'your life is meaningful if...' bar that not everyone can actually achieve, and all the more in the Christian faith.

[scribblemyname]

I'm really just agreeing with you as someone who does not ever, ever want kids. It wouldn't be fair to them, and it wouldn't be fair to anything God might actual have called me to do.

[novel_machinist]

Highest calling, huh? I must be tone deaf cause I've never wanted children. That doesn't mean that I haven't felt a loss when friends who desperately want children have complications or are unable to get pregnant at all. Humans, multi-faceted. Amazing.

[monanotlisa]

Oh, shit. I feel you. Thanks for fighting the good fight.

[tielan]

I thought about backing down and was just "nope, can't let this one through to the keeper".

[beatrice_otter]

:facepalm:

[tielan]

Eyup!