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Loading... Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven: Women, Sexuality and the Catholic Church (1988)by Uta Ranke-Heinemann
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. An absolutely splendid book. Not only is it revealing, entertaining, incredibly well researched and presented, and filled with interested and sad examples from history, but it is also incredibly angry. Whether on Original Sin, Marianism, masturbation, abortion, contraception, sex outside marriage, sex inside marriage, or sex in general, Ranke-Heinemann reveals the Catholic church to be morally wrong and almost invariably making it up rather than interpreting doctrine. I love an angry rant that is so well presented, so full of citation and explanations. By far the best book I've read in a while and absolutely recommended if you have the slightest interest in ethics or religious ethics, especially if you're trying to break from the celibate fantastists of Rome. ( ) This book is written by someone who is still part of the church, so, while she is extremely critical of almost all Catholic church teaching on women and sex, she does think Christianity itself is not the problem. I think folks still involved in Christian churches will find her arguments enlightening. Not sure how it will read to someone who has left or never belonged. My favorite line in the book is "Jesus was a friend to women, the first and practically the last friend women had in the Church." no reviews | add a review
"Here at last--unexpectedly from the pen of a German theologian--comes the definitive study of the oppression of women in Western society. The tale Uta Ranke-Heinemann has to tell--fascinating and horrifying by turns--begins with ancient, pre-Christian taboos and the relatively healthy attitudes of the ancient Jews toward sexual matters. Dr. Ranke-Heinemann confronts us with the incontrovertible evidence that the early Christians chose, not the Jewish perspective, but the pessimistic pagan models of sexual conduct. In this vivid, richly documented report, Dr. Ranke-Heinemann proves that for most of its twenty centuries the Catholic Church (as the principal voice and institutional focus of worldwide Christendom) has been cruelly manipulating and mutilating the sexuality of believers. From the Apostle Paul to Pope John Paul II, the church has denigrated sex, degraded women, and championed a perverse ideal of celibacy. It has glorified Mary's virginity, implying that all normal conception and childbearing are somehow polluted. It has denied the undeniable fact that Jesus had brothers and sisters (Mark 6:3, Matthew 13:55). It has damned birth control, while blessing "rhythm." It has campaigned fiercely against masturbation, which is never mentioned, much less forbidden, in the Bible. With a sort of crazy consistency, it has even banned the use of condoms by AIDS patients. As a loyal, but doggedly critical Catholic, Ranke-Heinemann demands that the Church acknowledge the enormous casualties of its age-old war against genital pleasure. Her incisive account of that war challenges both Christian and non-Christian readers to re-examine the fateful role of religion in shaping the sexual behavior of the Western World." -- Provided by publisher No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)241.66Religions Christian Devotional Literature and Practical Theology Christian Ethics Christian ethics not otherwise covered Christian sexual ethicsLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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