September 23, 2005--Friday Feature: Fanaticisms
This new Friday Feature will report on various forms of fanaticism. A subject of considerable significance since many would contend that fanatics of all stripes are making quite a mess of the world.
Today, I begin by returning to a subject I blogged about a few days ago—how the Vatican was about to dispatch commissioners to look for evidence of homosexual activity (and signs of New Age practices) in America’s 229 seminaries.
Yesterday, the NY Times reported that this new policy will be officially announced in just six weeks and that it would include new, not-previously-reported strictures: Earlier, the intention was to leave celibate, non-practicing homosexual seminarians alone. The new rules will require that they too must be rooted out. Celibate heterosexuals are OK; celibate homosexuals are not OK.
In attempting to explain the difference, one anonymous Vatican official claimed that this will not represent any theological shift because Church catechisms consider homosexuality “objectively disordered.” In an article today (see link), conservative priests in the US welcomed the new rules. For example, the Reverend John Trigilio, president of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, said that barring gay men from seminaries was “for their own good, just as the Church once barred epileptics from the priesthood.”
And then there is the article (also linked below) about news from another of the Religions of the Book: A Barbie clone called Fulla, a dark-eyed doll with “Muslim values” is jumping off the shelves throughout the Middle East. Though Fulla shares Barbie’s size and anatomical proportions (get the picture?), she comes with either a black abaya or a white head scarf and long coat. Parents are especially pleased that for a few extra Rials, one can purchase a pink girl-size prayer rug.
This set me to wondering about head scarves. I did not recall reading about them in the Koran. A little research revealed that the head scarf is of rather recent vintage. For example, in 1981, after the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Abol-Hassen Beni-Sadr, the first president of the new Republic, announced that “scientific research had shown that women’s hair emitted rays that drove men insane.”
The final Religion of the Book, Judaism, also appears to have come to the same conclusion, requiring orthodox women to shave their heads after marriage to keep men, I assume, from becoming insane. But rather than head scarves, these women are expected to wear wigs (sheitels), some of which cost thousands of dollars and are quiet glamorous. But even here there have been problems. Recently, the Lubavitcher Rebbe in Brooklyn made all the women in his congregation burn their wigs at a public bonfire because he learned that many included “Hindu hair,” hair from women who had participated in “pagan [read Hindu] rituals.”
More fanaticisms next Friday.
Today, I begin by returning to a subject I blogged about a few days ago—how the Vatican was about to dispatch commissioners to look for evidence of homosexual activity (and signs of New Age practices) in America’s 229 seminaries.
Yesterday, the NY Times reported that this new policy will be officially announced in just six weeks and that it would include new, not-previously-reported strictures: Earlier, the intention was to leave celibate, non-practicing homosexual seminarians alone. The new rules will require that they too must be rooted out. Celibate heterosexuals are OK; celibate homosexuals are not OK.
In attempting to explain the difference, one anonymous Vatican official claimed that this will not represent any theological shift because Church catechisms consider homosexuality “objectively disordered.” In an article today (see link), conservative priests in the US welcomed the new rules. For example, the Reverend John Trigilio, president of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, said that barring gay men from seminaries was “for their own good, just as the Church once barred epileptics from the priesthood.”
And then there is the article (also linked below) about news from another of the Religions of the Book: A Barbie clone called Fulla, a dark-eyed doll with “Muslim values” is jumping off the shelves throughout the Middle East. Though Fulla shares Barbie’s size and anatomical proportions (get the picture?), she comes with either a black abaya or a white head scarf and long coat. Parents are especially pleased that for a few extra Rials, one can purchase a pink girl-size prayer rug.
This set me to wondering about head scarves. I did not recall reading about them in the Koran. A little research revealed that the head scarf is of rather recent vintage. For example, in 1981, after the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Abol-Hassen Beni-Sadr, the first president of the new Republic, announced that “scientific research had shown that women’s hair emitted rays that drove men insane.”
The final Religion of the Book, Judaism, also appears to have come to the same conclusion, requiring orthodox women to shave their heads after marriage to keep men, I assume, from becoming insane. But rather than head scarves, these women are expected to wear wigs (sheitels), some of which cost thousands of dollars and are quiet glamorous. But even here there have been problems. Recently, the Lubavitcher Rebbe in Brooklyn made all the women in his congregation burn their wigs at a public bonfire because he learned that many included “Hindu hair,” hair from women who had participated in “pagan [read Hindu] rituals.”
More fanaticisms next Friday.
posted by Steven Zwerling at
11:32 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home