Is the patriarchy a good thing?

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Who said that women are better than men? A woman who brings her skills and training to the work place does not add anything of value?

It seems like in this forum, a woman’s value is solely her womb since everytime a feminism thread comes up, motherhood seems to be the sole feature of femininity.
 
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Not accusing in any way, but on the interwebz, things can be taken completely wrongly. As to the subject, any problem that we have with the action of God is definitely our difficulty in understanding and no fault of His!
 
Not from some of the comments here.
Motherhood while honorable seems to be the default characteristic of womanhood.
 
blackforest said:
Says who?
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Well I guess my first response is who says it’s not? and then I would say look at Jewish -Christian history and plus numerous biblical passages in the New Testament that point to patriarchy, at least in the family structure.
blackforest said:
Christ challenged a number of old Mosaic practices, which explains why we Christians adhere to the seventh commandment but don’t stone each other when we don’t.

This is why he disregarded the scorn of the Pharisees judging him for hanging around tax-collectors and prostitutes, the latter of whom would have also been stoned.
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While these things are all true and I completely agree with you that he did those things, no where do they say anything about patriarchy or family structure and male and female roles. He wasn’t challenging the Mosaic practices. He is God. He gave them the Mosaic law. He was challenging their lack of love and forgiveness toward their neighbor and their pride and abuse of power. He Himself said He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it.

I agree we no longer follow Jewish laws, we follow Christ’s new commandment to love one another and Scripture and Tradition show us how we are to do that.
 
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Sarcelle said:
Motherhood while honorable seems to be the default characteristic of womanhood.
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“Motherhood is not only biological maternity.”

Alice Von Hildebrand, a wonderful Catholic woman who never had any children of her own had this to say about motherhood:

Motherhood is not only biological maternity. It is spiritual maternity. There are hundreds of people all around who are desperately looking for a mother. A number of people have come to me to tell me about their problems. I listen to them. And I love them. And I say very little. But they know that I care for them. In this sense, I have become their mother.

Therefore, it’s not a matter of either having biological or legally adopted children, or being childless. No! A mother is the very essence of femininity. We have got to be mothers! It’s interesting that sometimes even little girls already understand this in the way they help their little sister or brother. I totally reject the idea that you are not a mother unless you have children of your own.
 
I have the highest respect for women. That hasn’t changed. What has changed is a social engineering experiment that is about to happen in California. I would appreciate it if people didn’t twist my words.
 
Sure women should be able to do those things. But the question is will it make them happy? I’ve heard of countless “career” women who wished they had been mothers.
 
I never said all women are called to be mothers. I said that motherhood is their highest calling. Mary was a mother.
 
If you don’t have children of your own, biological or adopted, you are not a mother.

Honestly, I do not understand what is spiritual maternity. To me, there is no such thing.

Alice von Hildebrand is correct. Motherhood is not just biological since one can adopt.
 
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So women who are not mothers are not considered as good as women who have children?
 
I wouldn’t say they are “not as good”. I would say they are less satisfied. I mean just interview any woman who chose career over family
 
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I did interview my aunt who never married.

She is a trained pediatric neurologist and has volunteered her time helping the poor in Mexico and Central America with her medical skills. She is also a devout Catholic. She tells me she has no regrets. She has used her God given skills and talents serving the poor and oppressed.

Nothing wrong with that in spite of the fact that she did not have children and has chosen her career instead.

We all have our path to carve out in life and it will be different. As long as we are living life for God whether in marriage or motherhood or as something else. Women are not all identical and not all women are supposed to get married and have babies.

Why do you think all women who are not wives and mothers dissatisfied with their lives?
 
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Well technically these people are in a relationship… with Jesus. Jesus is the bridegroom the church is the bride. My point is not that all women need to be mothers but that women need men. And if they aren’t going to get married to a human man, then it will be Jesus. I’m not married yet. However my parents have a traditional marriage. My mom has been a homemaker for many years and she couldn’t be happier
 
My mother was also a homemaker and she told me if she would do it over she will not choose marriage and motherhood.

I don’t blame her.
 
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I included where she speaks of adoption in the quote above. In the article she also states: "Spiritual motherhood is more important than biological motherhood. There are plenty of women who are biological mothers and yet are not mothers at all". As I said she had no children of her own but considered herself a mother in the Church;
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Pope Francis even said in 2013 to an audience of nuns that they must be “spiritual mothers in the Catholic Church not spinsters”, and that their vow of chastity should be a “fertile chastity” generating “spiritual children in the Church”.
Sarcelle said:
My mother was also a homemaker and she told me if she would do it over she will not choose marriage and motherhood.

I don’t blame her.
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I am sorry she felt that way. Sometimes whether we are married or not, life is hard and things sometimes look better on the other side.

Once when my father was very angry with us, he said if he could do it again he would never have children but I realize now he was just saying that to make us feel bad at that time for something we were probably doing to get on his nerves. I believed it for years though and then one day when he was older he told me that raising us kids was the best time of his life and he missed it very much. You never know why somseone might say something .
 
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Well there are always exceptions. It all depends on who you are and whom you’re married to. Anyways, I wonder if anyone knows exactly the meaning of the phrase " Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you" in Genesis. I’ve heard a priest say that originally men and women were created to have equal authority over each other and then because of the fall, men would be in authority. Others have said that originally man was made to be in charge in the relationship, and because of the fall, men and women would struggle against each other
 
I know with priests and spiritual fatherhood and therefore a priest is called father.

How come nuns are called Sister instead of mother?

What does spiritual motherhood look like?

Speaking as someone with autism and marginal social skills I struggle with this. I don’t think I can do this spiritual motherhood thing.

Does Pope Francis have a low view of spinsters? Technically, I am one. I practice chastity but it probably is a infertile chastity.
 
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She was frustrated with me because I was a challenge to raise being autistic and all.

I don’t hold it against her.
 
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