Do men cry?

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I tear up a little, usually with TV, movies, books at emotional moments… but its been years since I’ve had a full on real “cry”. Not by choice…just hasn’t happened.
 
Greenfields said:
Apart form when a loved one passes on, or at the news of serious illness…
do men cry?Is it 'acceptable ’ nowadays ? I know it’s an odd question ,but I’m very curios as a woman to know if men allow themselves this healthy outlet and when or why.
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We never cry. We just brood and don capes and cowls and fight crime. Just Kidding. Haha. Of course we cry. It wouldn’t be normal if we didn’t. Actually I think hiding our emotions or keeping them bottled up isn’t healthy.
 
Hoosier_Daddy said:
The shortest verse in the Bible is also one of the most moving.
“Jesus wept.”

Fully man, and fully God.
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On the other hand, one could make the case that He was just obeying the passage I quoted: “And for fear of being ill spoken of weep bitterly for a day, and then comfort thyself in thy sadness. And make mourning for him according to his merit for a day, or two, for fear of detraction.” Otherwise, we’re left pitting one part of the Bible against another like unbelievers.

Or, He was weeping for the mourners, but not Himself (this makes sense, since if I had had the power to bring my dog who died back to life, I would have had no need to cry); we, on the other hand, cry because we feel sorry for ourselves, when we need to either a) submit to divine providence and cheer up, or b) barring that, thank God for the chance to suffer, like the Apostles (Acts 5:41).

Frankly, I don’t know why we want to justify sadness. I can understand trying to justify sexual sin, because, as evil as it is, at least it gives pleasure to those who do it.
 
DlandFan06 said:
We never cry. We just brood and don capes and cowls and fight crime. Just Kidding. Haha. Of course we cry. It wouldn’t be normal if we didn’t. Actually I think hiding our emotions or keeping them bottled up isn’t healthy.
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I don’t think of not crying as hiding or bottling up emotions, I think of it as trying to maintain control over my emotions. I suppose it is true I don’t like anyone to see me cry or tear up, but even in private, it bothers me just as much. So it’s not hiding them, I will tell people how I feel when appropriate.
And I just don’t get the bottling up part. If I am angry, I don’t want to show it. I don’t think that is bottling it up.
To answer the OP question, yes we cry. I for one, do not like to cry at all. And I have felt extreme sadness in my life.
 
mathematoons said:
On the other hand, one could make the case that He was just obeying the passage I quoted: “And for fear of being ill spoken of weep bitterly for a day, and then comfort thyself in thy sadness. And make mourning for him according to his merit for a day, or two, for fear of detraction.” Otherwise, we’re left pitting one part of the Bible against another like unbelievers.

Or, He was weeping for the mourners, but not Himself (this makes sense, since if I had had the power to bring my dog who died back to life, I would have had no need to cry); we, on the other hand, cry because we feel sorry for ourselves, when we need to either a) submit to divine providence and cheer up, or b) barring that, thank God for the chance to suffer, like the Apostles (Acts 5:41).

Frankly, I don’t know why we want to justify sadness. I can understand trying to justify sexual sin, because, as evil as it is, at least it gives pleasure to those who do it.
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I don’t think anybody is justifying sadness. We are assuming sadness, and debating what behaviors in males can be justified in dealing with it.

ICXC NIKA
 
I’ve cried a lot the last 20 or 30 years. Nothing unmanly about it.

I just wish they were joyful tears for once.
 
GEddie said:
I don’t think anybody is justifying sadness. We are assuming sadness, and debating what behaviors in males can be justified in dealing with it.

ICXC NIKA
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What I see is a bunch of people ignoring what God’s Word says about sadness. When people ignore God’s Word, it is invariably to justify some cherished sin–and disobedience to God’s Word is always sinful.
 
mathematoons said:
What I see is a bunch of people ignoring what God’s Word says about sadness. When people ignore God’s Word, it is invariably to justify some cherished sin–and disobedience to God’s Word is always sinful.
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I think you are seeing things not there. I also think your biblical training and theology is off.
Almost Protestant off…
 
Hoosier_Daddy said:
I think you are seeing things not there. I also think your biblical training and theology is off.
Almost Protestant off…
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Instead of resorting to insults, which only serve to make me suspect that I am right (after all, why would you insult me unless you were defensive and found my opinion valid?), why not show me how I am wrong? I am open to correction, but shaming is out of line.

Even if I had not found the verses I quoted, I would still reason thus: All that happens, except for sin, is God’s will. If something happens to cause me suffering, then that is His will too. Therefore, if I am sad (or angry, or feeling any other negative emotion), then I have already made a judgment that something that has happened by His will is bad. Our desires need to be in accordance with reason and faith, and desiring something other than what God has ordained is neither.
 
mathematoons said:
Instead of resorting to insults, which only serve to make me suspect that I am right (after all, why would you insult me unless you were defensive and found my opinion valid?), why not show me how I am wrong? I am open to correction, but shaming is out of line.

Even if I had not found the verses I quoted, I would still reason thus: All that happens, except for sin, is God’s will. If something happens to cause me suffering, then that is His will too. Therefore, if I am sad (or angry, or feeling any other negative emotion), then I have already made a judgment that something that has happened by His will is bad. Our desires need to be in accordance with reason and faith, and desiring something other than what God has ordained is neither.
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Your position is preposterous. Please defend it.
 
Something that seems to have been forgotten is the fact that not all crying is based on sorrow. In Genesis when Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, he fell on Benjamin’s neck and wept, and wept over all of them. I don’t thing these were tears of sorrow.

Crying is the physical manifestation in response to many different emotions, of which sorrow is only one.
 
heidi_storage said:
I’m very sorry for your loss.
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I am also very sorry for your loss.

My DH and teen son cried three weeks ago, multiple times, after a freak accident I had in the ocean. If not for my son and the kindness of two women, I may have drown because I sustained a serious leg fracture.
 
mathematoons said:
Instead of resorting to insults, which only serve to make me suspect that I am right (after all, why would you insult me unless you were defensive and found my opinion valid?), why not show me how I am wrong? I am open to correction, but shaming is out of line.

Even if I had not found the verses I quoted, I would still reason thus: All that happens, except for sin, is God’s will. If something happens to cause me suffering, then that is His will too. Therefore, if I am sad (or angry, or feeling any other negative emotion), then I have already made a judgment that something that has happened by His will is bad. Our desires need to be in accordance with reason and faith, and desiring something other than what God has ordained is neither.
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Actually, all that happens, except for miracles, is our free will. God does not will bad things. Heck, he doesn’t even damn us to Hell. It is our lack of wanting to join Him in Heaven that causes us to end up in Hell. If you need a reference, I will ask DH. Your words sound a bit Calvinist.
 
Sure I’ve cried at times…when my Mom and Dad passed away…when pets I’ve had for years have passed away…I shed a few tears when 9/11 happened…I saw those poor people (on TV) jump to their death out of those burning towers…some sad movies… or documentaries about the Holocaust etc… although if I’m watching them with my wife I tend to turn away so she doesn’t notice…I guess it’s that hang up that men don’t cry…sometimes I’ve laughed so much I’ve cried.
 
1990Domer said:
Actually, all that happens, except for miracles, is our free will. God does not will bad things. Heck, he doesn’t even damn us to Hell. It is our lack of wanting to join Him in Heaven that causes us to end up in Hell. If you need a reference, I will ask DH. Your words sound a bit Calvinist.
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I never said God actually damns us to Hell or wills us to sin.

But if citing divine providence as the cause of all things is Calvinist, then St. Alphonsus must have been a Calvinist:

ewtn.com/library/spirit/uniformi.txt

The Catechism says this too (CCC 313):

313 “We know that in everything God works for good for those who love him.” The constant witness of the saints confirms this truth:

St. Catherine of Siena said to “those who are scandalized and rebel against what happens to them”: “Everything comes from love, all is ordained for the salvation of man, God does nothing without this goal in mind.”
St. Thomas More, shortly before his martyrdom, consoled his daughter: “Nothing can come but that that God wills. and I make me very sure that whatsoever that be, seem it never so bad in sight, it shall indeed be the best.”
Dame Julian of Norwich: “Here I was taught by the grace of God that I should steadfastly keep me in the faith… and that at the same time I should take my stand on and earnestly believe in what our Lord shewed in this time - that ‘all manner (of) thing shall be well.’”
 
What started out as a very simple thread to help me with my own understanding of men crying has gone a little skewiff, so please just bring it back to basics of your own experiences
Thank you and God bless
 
Greenfields said:
Apart form when a loved one passes on, or at the news of serious illness…
do men cry?Is it 'acceptable ’ nowadays ? I know it’s an odd question ,but I’m very curios as a woman to know if men allow themselves this healthy outlet and when or why.
Click to expand...
Yes, men do cry. Aside from the times you mentioned, I’ve also had a couple bouts of crying from things that I’ve witnessed at work (work in an ER).
 
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