Woman, what have I to do with thee?

[vovat]

When bethje and I were listening to a Christian radio station this morning, a preacher [1] was giving a sermon on the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife, and trying to make it relevant to his own life. According to him, when he was young and studying in England, girls would ask him to walk to class with them. Then when he'd get to one of their houses, the girl would still be wearing a nightgown, and claim to be depressed. And according to him (this isn't an exact quote, but I think it's pretty close), "If I'd closed the door, it would have been all over." So a girl in a nightgown saying she's depressed is, to this guy's mind, basically saying, "Fuck me"? [2] Anyway, he eventually went on to talk about how gay marriage is wrong, and kids who grow up in same-sex households get messed up (and, as you might have guessed, not bothering to cite any actual evidence).

I've noticed that a lot of these folksy preachers seem to have unbridled contempt for women. Their joking anecdotes will often be about how women are obsessed with shopping, or are cunning temptresses. If it's folksy to be misogynistic and homophobic, you'll pardon me if I don't want to be one of the folks.

[1] I don't think this particular preacher was Greg Laurie, although he had another sermon on the same station. I remember seeing signs for Greg Laurie, and thinking of HUGH Laurie. The fact that House's first name is Gregory didn't help matters in that respect.
[2] Come on, British chicks aren't interested in folksy American preachers! They all want footballers.

Comments

[bec-87rb.livejournal.com]

Hm, how old is this guy?

I ask because in some times and places, if a man was alone in a place with a woman where they might have had sex, they didn't get the benefit of the doubt for not having sex. Also, if a woman failed to avoid that sort of place, it might be assumed she was at fault for having failed to avoid it.

I've noticed that a lot of these folksy preachers seem to have unbridled contempt for women. Their joking anecdotes will often be about how women are obsessed with shopping, or are cunning temptresses. If it's folksy to be misogynistic and homophobic, you'll pardon me if I don't want to be one of the folks.

Think how it sounds if you're a woman!

I think that the women they know behave like that, so they assume all women do. Kind of the flip side of women who think all men like beer and watching football?

[vovat.livejournal.com]

I really don't know how old the guy is.

Also, if a woman failed to avoid that sort of place, it might be assumed she was at fault for having failed to avoid it.

And if she was wearing something revealing, she was asking for it?

I think that the women they know behave like that, so they assume all women do.

Well, that's probably the kind of woman who's attracted to that sort of guy.

[bec-87rb.livejournal.com]

I see you take my meaning.

I'm not excusing it, but I do understand where people like that are coming from.