Out side of sexuality, how are Man and Woman Complimentary?

[MalteseFalcon]

The Bible seems to imply that gender is a gift from God. Currently the modern culture seems to say that outside of our bodies, men are women and women are men. Even Christians seem unwilling to ask what makes men, men and women, women for fear that we will stereotype the one or the other. I feel though to not ask the question would be to ignore an important part of God’s design.

I don’t think this is settled doctrine, but outside of our sexuality what makes men men and women women? Also, can anyone recommend any good philosophy/theology books on the subject?

God Bless!

 

[LongingSoul]

It all boils down to the mother/father role in the end. All the other variables are fluid and negotiable in relationships. When women start impregnating their men and men start giving birth to their children… then we can know that gender doesn’t matter. Otherwise gender is the most significant and necessary element of any ‘marriage’ that is relevant to humankind.

 

[MalteseFalcon]

Maybe it is just the bodily difference. But just to be clear, I am not implying that malehood or femalehood should come with a rigid “job description.” I was just curious as to whether there was any other sense in which male and female could be considered complimentary.

On a separate note, I am reading Love and Responsibility by JP2. Just got started, but so far it is an interesting read.

 

[stephe1987]

Men’s and women’s brains are wired differently as part of our biology. I think we should celebrate our differences and stop trying to make everyone the same. Equal in dignity but different in other ways.

 

[phil_at_dayboro]

Males are the muscle , the builder, the warriors , the architect , the fishermen ,

Women are the nurturers , the colour coordinators , the designers , multi task experts…
Women see things for what they are,, while men have there head in the clouds,,,,

 

[Cat]

Males are the muscle , the builder, the warriors , the architect , the fishermen ,

Women are the nurturers , the colour coordinators , the designers , multi task experts…

Women see things for what they are,, while men have there head in the clouds,,,,

Not always. More often than not, it’s just the opposite.

We have to be very careful here. Various personality traits and preferences cannot be pinned down as “male” or “female.”

Even the way the brain is wired can be male or female. Generally speaking, in men the logical and the emotional “sides” of the brain are separate (this happens in the womb), while in women, they are fused. This is why many women have “instincts” that most men don’t have.

BUT…there are exceptions. In many men, the separation of the brain lobes is incomplete, and that means that they think like women!! This is true biology/embryology, not speculative psychology! In fact, many times it is the is the left-handed males who have an incomplete separation of the emotional and logical sides of the brain, giving them the ability to think more like women.

Also, the brain is an amazing organ, and women can and do learn to think more with the logical side than the emotional side.

OP, complementariansim is really is all about sexuality, but human sexuality emcompasses a lot more than just sexual intercourse. Men and women have a totally different genetic makeup, and are totally different.

In all other respects than sexuality, though, men and women are more alike than different. Truly, anything a man can do, a woman can do, too. It would be an interesting study to try to find something that men can do that women can’t do. (Yes, even bathroom practices–devices have been invented to help women do it like men do!)

Yes, complementarianism is mainly about sexuality, but again, that means more than just intercourse. I think it’s obvious from the conflicts in many marriages and relationships that men and women are not necessarily complementary.

 

[Sarcelle]

Males are the muscle , the builder, the warriors , the architect , the fishermen ,

Women are the nurturers , the colour coordinators , the designers , multi task experts…

Women see things for what they are,, while men have there head in the clouds,,,,

Hah! I suck big time at multitasking and I’m a woman.

As for designers, designing what?

Clothes, flower arrangements, bridges?

I hope this thread does not devolve into women liking pink and hoarding shoes to men liking football.

 

[BlueEyedLady]

Males are the muscle , the builder, the warriors , the architect , the fishermen ,

Women are the nurturers , the colour coordinators , the designers , multi task experts…

Women see things for what they are,, while men have there head in the clouds,,,,

Huh? I’m not a visual artist, but my husband is. He’s our designer and coordinator. He grew up in a wealthy suburb, I grew up in a rural area as one of the boys. I’m the one who does the building, repairing, shooting, and if I must, fishing.

You know women have brains in their heads too, right? We’re good at more than pretty colors.

 

[Iheartcoffee]

There are far too many exceptions to the stereotypes to ever just say, “Men do x and women do y.” (Though in my house, when it comes to unwelcome visitors, I deal with spiders and my husband deals with roaches and that’s a division of labor we will never change!)

Therefore, I always feel like the best way to see the complimentarity is to look at a happily married couple you know. Ever notice how they seem to fill in where the other spouse lacks? My husband said he had a conversation with his best friend in college when he realized he thought he would probably marry me. His friend asked him what it is that makes him realize this relationship is something different. He told him that it really seems like each of us has talents where the other lacks. The more I think about it, the more I realize how great a way that is to look at complimentarity without trying to assign a chore list to each gender. You will have some women that are 100 times better at fixing a car than their husbands ever will be. God gave her that talent and there’s no arguing with that. To suggest that she is out of her realm would go against our view of the Proverbs 31 woman who appears to have been the epitome of resourcefulness. If she had owned a car then I would bet she would be the type to fix it herself whenever possible because it’s part of making sure her home runs smoothly. You will have husbands that are much better at picking out coordinating color schemes for a room than their wives ever will be. There’s nothing wrong with that and to suggest otherwise would go against our Faith’s celebration of the many wonderful male painters and artists (who obviously must have known a thing or two about design).

God gives us great talents and I think we often see those talents nuanced by our gender. (Not bettered or worsened, just nuanced).

 

[Cat]

There are far too many exceptions to the stereotypes to ever just say, “Men do x and women do y.” (Though in my house, when it comes to unwelcome visitors, I deal with spiders and my husband deals with roaches and that’s a division of labor we will never change!)

Therefore, I always feel like the best way to see the complimentarity is to look at a happily married couple you know. Ever notice how they seem to fill in where the other spouse lacks? My husband said he had a conversation with his best friend in college when he realized he thought he would probably marry me. His friend asked him what it is that makes him realize this relationship is something different. He told him that it really seems like each of us has talents where the other lacks. The more I think about it, the more I realize how great a way that is to look at complimentarity without trying to assign a chore list to each gender. You will have some women that are 100 times better at fixing a car than their husbands ever will be. God gave her that talent and there’s no arguing with that. To suggest that she is out of her realm would go against our view of the Proverbs 31 woman who appears to have been the epitome of resourcefulness. If she had owned a car then I would bet she would be the type to fix it herself whenever possible because it’s part of making sure her home runs smoothly. You will have husbands that are much better at picking out coordinating color schemes for a room than their wives ever will be. There’s nothing wrong with that and to suggest otherwise would go against our Faith’s celebration of the many wonderful male painters and artists (who obviously must have known a thing or two about design).

God gives us great talents and I think we often see those talents nuanced by our gender. (Not bettered or worsened, just nuanced).

I agree with you, but with a sigh.

You see, your post is exactly what a same-sex couple will say in response to the “complementarianism” argument. They will point out that each has talents and skills that the other lacks.

(Same will be said by multi-partner marriages someday–"All of my wives have different talents and skills, and the combination of talents and skills is what makes our home and marriage happy.)

So complementarianism as taught by the Catholic Church has to mean more than just each spouse possessing talents and skills that complement each other.

 

[Giggly_Giraffe]

The Church has many rich documents uplifting the differences of men and women.

I remember hearing that we are created man/ woman for all of eternity; that our soul and glorified body will forever glorify the sex we are created as. If anyone has were this came from, I’d love to read more … I’ve heard it several times, so I’m hoping it’s taught often.

Two encycycals touch deeply on the differences of man and women. One is John Paul II’s letter to women and Pope Benedict Xiv encyclical on love. vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est_en.html#_ftn13

vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_29061995_women_en.html

 

[phil_at_dayboro]

Huh? I’m not a visual artist, but my husband is. He’s our designer and coordinator. He grew up in a wealthy suburb, I grew up in a rural area as one of the boys. I’m the one who does the building, repairing, s

hooting, and if I must, fishing.

You know women have brains in their heads too, right? We’re good at more than pretty colors.

I was trying to generalise ,,,, as per usual.....:rolleyes: I'm WRONG.......oh well....

 

[Vico]

The Bible seems to imply that gender is a gift from God. Currently the modern culture seems to say that outside of our bodies, men are women and women are men. Even Christians seem unwilling to ask what makes men, men and women, women for fear that we will stereotype the one or the other. I feel though to not ask the question would be to ignore an important part of God’s design.

I don’t think this is settled doctrine, but outside of our sexuality what makes men men and women women? Also, can anyone recommend any good philosophy/theology books on the subject?

God Bless!

Marriage is the key relationship to consider for complementarity of male and female, therefore, outside of sexuality, man and woman compliment each other through:

1. “a partnership of their whole life ordered to the the well-being of the spouses”.This is expressed as shown in the 1983 Code of Canon Law:“The marriage covenant, by which a man and a woman establish themselves a partnership of their whole life, and which of its own very nature is ordered to the well-being of the spouses and the procreation and upbringing of children, has, between the baptized, been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament.”

This is shown to be helping each other in becoming images of Christ, which can be see in the encyclical *Casti Connubii *of Pope Pius XI:

“that man and wife help each other day by day in forming and perfecting themselves in the interior life, so that through their partnership in life they may advance ever more and more in virtue, and above all that they may grow in true love towards God and their neighbor.” [AAS 22 (1930) 547-548]​

2. Being of of one mind that they may be united in the afterlife.Shown in the Catechism of the Catholic Church quoting St. John Chrysostom in 2365:
St. John Chrysostom suggests that young husbands should say to their wives: I have taken you in my arms, and I love you, and I prefer you to my life itself. For the present life is nothing, and my most ardent dream is to spend it with you in such a way that we may be assured of not being separated in the life reserved for us… I place your love above all things, and nothing would be more bitter or painful to me than to be of a different mind than you.149
3. Working together for others, united with the Lord’s Cross.Seen in Catechism 2379:
The Gospel shows that physical sterility is not an absolute evil. Spouses who still suffer from infertility after exhausting legitimate medical procedures should unite themselves with the Lord’s Cross, the source of all spiritual fecundity. They can give expression to their generosity by adopting abandoned children or performing demanding services for others.

 

[LongingSoul]

I was trying to generalise , as per usual… I’m WRONG…oh well…

I think it is important to generalise. I was watching a show about crime profilers and their techniques. Women and men are quite different when it comes to criminal motivation. If there was no general difference, the profilers wouldn’t be so successful and depended on as they are. We are fundamentally different and no ones going to negate that fact at the end of the day.

 

[JamesBond007]

Not always. More often than not, it’s just the opposite.

We have to be very careful here. Various personality traits and preferences cannot be pinned down as “male” or “female.”

Even the way the brain is wired can be male or female. Generally speaking, in men the logical and the emotional “sides” of the brain are separate (this happens in the womb), while in women, they are fused. This is why many women have “instincts” that most men don’t have.

BUT…there are exceptions. In many men, the separation of the brain lobes is incomplete, and that means that they think like women!! This is true biology/embryology, not speculative psychology! In fact, many times it is the is the left-handed males who have an incomplete separation of the emotional and logical sides of the brain, giving them the ability to think more like women.

Also, the brain is an amazing organ, and women can and do learn to think more with the logical side than the emotional side.

OP, complementariansim is really is all about sexuality, but human sexuality emcompasses a lot more than just sexual intercourse. Men and women have a totally different genetic makeup, and are totally different.

In all other respects than sexuality, though, men and women are more alike than different. Truly, anything a man can do, a woman can do, too. It would be an interesting study to try to find something that men can do that women can’t do. (Yes, even bathroom practices–devices have been invented to help women do it like men do!)

Yes, complementarianism is mainly about sexuality, but again, that means more than just intercourse. I think it’s obvious from the conflicts in many marriages and relationships that men and women are not necessarily complementary.

Most of these claims have been debunked by RECENT neuroscience. That whole “men have less connections between brains” was a study done on guys with brain damage. Other studies have shown men have more connections.

Still though, the brain is neuroplastic and changes based on environment. Age is also important. Still yet, even if there is few connections between the spheres to quantify how much that impacts thinking is impossible and any legit neuroscientist will tell you that. Think of it like this:

1 + 5 = 6
4 + 2 = 6

The above gives the same result even though the (name removed by moderator)ut is different. The same is thought to be true of the brain. Men and women use different parts of the brain to do the same thing. Comparing women to men in terms of brain activity / structure is almost like comparing oranges to grapefruits. They are different but have many of the same properties.

 

[chevalier]

We have logic. They have ‘emotional intelligence’.

 

[Caroline723]

We have logic. They have ‘emotional intelligence’.

Really? Because math is at the foundation of logic and most men these days can’t put 2 and 2 together.

Call me old-fashioned but the happiest marriages I know are the most stereotypical. And the most authentic representation of the differences in nature and complementarity of the sexes is most excellently portrayed in the movie The Quiet Man.

 

[ynotzap]

As to the difference between man and woman, I have to look at the human make up. There is no difference in the spiritual nature of a man or woman, that half in both is spiritual. The difference between the physical nature is obvious. Each is endowed with special qualities. This is not to say that they do not share similar qualities. There is a general pattern in a man’s physical nature that is pretty consistent, and the same can be said for a woman. I personally find a woman is gentle naturally, there may be exceptions, this gentleness is consoling to a man like oil on a rough sea smoothing the waves. I also see a woman as a person of beauty in her motherhood, and also her appearance. I also see her generally a person with sensitive feelings. She can empathise, and sympathize much better then men. Some say she is rich in emotions. Emotions are natural to humans, but it appears to be stronger in women. All emotion is natural to man, and it consists of two parts, feeling and thought. It’s the feeling part women emphasize most in their reactions because of their gift.

As for men in their physical nature they are structured to do the heavy work naturally. Their thinking is more analytical, rationalizing, more abstractive naturally. They can show what appears to be an insensitivity to feelings of others, they are explorers, inventors, and leaders. There is generally a big difference between sexes in there psychological and physical make up that is complimentry. This again is not to say that each can’t exhibit characteristic found in the opposite sex Viva la difference

 

[manualman]

I’ll probably get called all sorts of names for this, but what the heck.

Virtually all men I know find women bewildering. They tell us they want to talk. We sit down and listen to them explain their problems. We proceed to work on fixing those problems. They get mad and tell us we aren’t listening! What?? Of course I listened or I wouldn’t have know what the problem was that needed fixing! Now, she gets even madder. She then proceeds to tell me that she doesn’t NEED me to fix her problems. She just wants me to listen and be on her side.

Who built these weird creatures, anyways? The way you show somebody you are on her side is by helping work on the problems they are having! What good is sitting around TALKING about it going to do?

My conclusion: Men and women ARE complementary. If we were all like women (generally), we’d all sit around discussing things endlessly and never get anything done. If we were all like men, we’d all be working at cross purposes to each other until we got ticked off and all killed each other. Put us together and it’s messy, but maybe the world has at least a shot…

 

[Captain_America]

Men’s and women’s brains are wired differently as part of our biology. I think we should celebrate our differences and stop trying to make everyone the same. Equal in dignity but different in other ways.

I agree with this. I think men reflect certain humankind ideas very well, while women reflect other humankind ideas, and that full maturity means coming to an understanding of femaleness and maleness, as well as care of young and old. This is one reason I believe, by the way, that sodomite “marriage” is a sick joke, and something wholly flimsy and indefensible.