Christian masculinity from the Manosphere

[johngalt1]

A post from a group of blogs called the manosphere:

http://freenortherner.wordpress.com/...n-masculinity/


Thoughts?

[Cow Poke]

I think Paul handles this much better in his letters to his son (in the faith) Timothy, encouraging him to "war a good warfare".

On 3 August 1943, General George S Patton did something that generated quite a bit of news. Was it capturing a German city? Liberating a French town? Destroying a Panzer division? No, it was "slapping a soldier" for being in an evacuation hospital with no visible injuries. Patton saw "battle fatigue" as a horrible excuse to get out of fighting, while other men were suffering horrific injuries, and wanting to stay IN the fight. While that's a whole 'nuther story, Paul handles this a whole lot better, encouraging Timothy to endure hardship, to "war a good warfare", to not get dragged down in the things of this life.

And he tells Timothy (2 Tim 2:2) "The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."

Paul was teaching Timothy about Christian masculinity.

[johngalt1]

Thanks Cow poke.

I will also like to add that Paul condemns effeminacy as well as homosexuality in Christian men:

"...Be not deceived: neither the whoremongers/promiscuous [pornoi], nor idolaters [eidOlolatrai], nor adulterers [moikhoi], nor sissies/effeminates [malakoi], nor male-bedders [arsenokoitai], nor thieves [kleptai], nor the covetous/envious/greedy [pleonektai], nor drunkards, nor revilers/trash talkers [loidoroi], nor extortioners [harpeges], shall inherit the kingdom of God."

And malakoi may simultaneously refer to passive homosexual partner and effeminate men in general I will quote:

Malakia was a particular type of cowardice, associated with effeminacy in men, that was widely condemned in ancient Greek society.

...To the Greeks, men could be made either manly or effeminate. The Socrates character in Plato's The Republic observed that "too much music effeminizes the male," ...."when a man abandons himself to music to play upon him and pour into his soul as it were through the funnel of his ears those sweet, soft (malakos), and dirge-like airs of which we were just now speaking..." Music softens the high spirit of a man but too much 'melts and liquifies' that spirit making him into a feeble warrior.

Aristotle writes that "Of the dispositions described above, the deliberate avoidance of pain is rather a kind of softness (malakia); the deliberate pursuit of pleasure is profligacy in the strict sense."; "One who is deficient in resistance to pains that most men withstand with success, is soft (malakos) or luxurious, for luxury is a kind of softness (malakia); such a man lets his cloak trail on the ground to escape the fatigue and trouble of lifting it, or feigns sickness, not seeing that to counterfeit misery is to be miserable."

A writer of the peripatetic school (c. 1st century BC or AD) elaborated a little more on Aristotle by labeling effeminacy as a vice. He writes that "Cowardice is accompanied by softness (malakia), unmanliness, faint-heartedness." It was also a concomitant of uncontrol: "The concomitants of uncontrol are softness (malakia) and negligence." It had educational implications for the Greek paideia. Pericles in his famous Funeral Oration said that the Athenians "cultivate… knowledge without effeminacy (malakia)". This statement and idea of education without effeminacy was visible in the educational philosophies of Victorian England and 19th century America.

"A true man must have no mark of effeminacy visible on his face, or any other part of his body. Let no blot on his manliness, then, ever be found either in his movements or habits." St. Clement of Alexandria (c. 195, E), 2.289.

"What is the purpose in the Law's prohibition against a man wearing women's clothing? Is it not that the Law would have us to be masculine and not to be effeminate in either person or actions — or in thought and word? Rather, it would have the man who devotes himself to the truth to be masculine both in acts of endurance and patience – in life, conduct, word, and discipline." St. Clement of Alexandria (c. l95, E), 2.365.

"Therefore, we also reckon that the woman should be continent and practiced in fighting against pleasures, too. Women are therefore to philosophize equally with men, though the males are preferable at everything, unless they have become effeminate. To the whole human race, then, discipline and virtue are a necessity, if they would pursue after happiness." St. Clement of Alexandria (c. 195, E), 2.419, 420[15]

source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malakia

[Manwë Súlimo]

Hm. Problem is people like to expand the definition of "masculine" to a degree not called for and just succeed in alienating men who don't fit societal norms for manly men, like artists, dancers, introverts, or whatever.

[johngalt1]

Hm. Problem is people like to expand the definition of "masculine" to a degree not called for and just succeed in alienating men who don't fit societal norms for manly men, like artists, dancers, introverts, or whatever.

You are correct in that regard. Either there are ways that those roles are done is manly or that men do manly things that is alongside what is essentially gender neutral. There are good reasons why men regard femininity as suspicious and as a threat to their masculinity:

http://www.podles.org/files/Church-I...t_Chapter3.pdf


Masculinity in psychological terms is a separation from the safe world of the feminine and the embrace of the volatility of masculinity.


Masculinity is like fire. Dangerous when unconstrained but essential to be able to face adversity. It optimizes the strength of the male sex. Although morality can play into it. Masculinity is possessed by both the evil(Julius Caesar) and the good(Samson and David). A Criminal can be as manly as Jesus.



A simple scientific test can be used to test whether certain actions or professions are "masculine". Do they increase testosterone(except for artificial means)?