Feminism Part 1: Origins and Early Stages

I've recently been inspired and driven to write about something that has caught my attention as of late. It's always been present in our world, had its' surges and lulls. Uttered in secrecy, to proclamation in the streets. Given a voice to young and old, both positively and controversially. Has faced acceptance with open arms, to dismissal and rejection. What is this thing, you may ask, that causes such diverse reaction? It is defined by Webster as, "the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes." Answer? Feminism.

Feminism has definitely faced its ups and downs, even to this day. It especially struggled during its early development in the 19th century. Before this time, women held to the ideas and principles of what is known today as the "Cult of Domesticity" or the "Cult of True Womanhood". The idea of this was that a woman held to four virtues; Piety, Purity, Submissiveness, and Domesticity. To put it generally, a pure, religious mother and housewife. This view was widely accepted until 1848 when opposition began to develop and the Seneca Falls Convention took place. Women such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, along with other women and men supporters, took the first steps towards women's suffrage.

                                                                  Lucretia Mott

Anyone reading a School House Rock fan? Cause I am! Be it "I'm Just a Bill" or "Conjunction Junction", but they also had one about women's suffrage, entitled "Sufferin' Until Suffrage", and suffer they did.

 They battled opposition and fought for decades for voting equality. Through the 1850's, until 1861 when the Civil War began, and it fell to the side. Shortly after it ended, the 15th Amendment was ratified, classifying that "the right of citizens of the United States to vote, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude". "Citizens" here referred  to African American men now being allowed to vote.

                                                                 Susan B. Anthony
This faced both positive and negative reactions from women suffrage advocates. The opposing side included Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. They used this to bring awareness and campaign for universal suffrage, to include women. It became a state by state struggle and process. In western states however, they were far more sympathetic to this cause and states such as Wyoming and Utah had already given women suffrage rights, during the 1870's. By 1920, 14 states, primarily western, had given women the right to vote.

Finally on August 18th, 1920, the 19th Amendment was passed allowing the "Rights of citizens of the United States to vote, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex". Women had won the right to vote and thus ended what is known as the first wave of feminism.

These early stages of Feminism battled for equality with men for voting rights in our country. Feminism has since then evolved into something different then what these ladies fought for. What I plan to do in the following posts, is to go in depth and show that the battle for equality has now become the battle for supremacy. And also touch on the subjects of modern Feminism, male roles in it, and how we've lost the true meaning of real manhood, and womanhood. Thank you for reading.

Winter-Time

Winter sets in and it grows colder, daylight is shortened and the night lingers.

The trees are bare, they seem aged and older. I look on as the air bites my fingers.

I glance at the midnight sky, the stars appear to quiver. A lonely leaf upon a tree, in the wind it shivers. 

"By the breath of God frost is given" Job 37:10

For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth; likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of his strength.  Job 37:6

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mom, you're my dream come true"

I wanted to share a little story that I had heard at work a while ago.

I was working at the grocery store, piling up the apples and the corn, when I heard a voice behind me. A little girl and her mother shopping amongst the fruit and veggies, she says, "Mom, you're my dream come true". "Oh?" says her mother, "and why is that?" 

"Well, you're my favorite because you're buying me blackberries"

I couldn't help but look up and smile at the little girl.

"Yep, blackberries are my favorite!" Now mom had noticed I was listening in on their conversation and shoots me a wink and replies, "Well I thought I was your favorite"

The little girl says, "well you are! Because you're buying me blackberries" 

Oh the little things that warm out hearts. Moms especially! The things they do for us without hesitation, be it making us our favorite supper, doing a load of our laundry (even when we are 22), giving us a hug when we need it most, or something as simple as buying us blackberries. :)

This post is a little late for Mother's Day, but remember there is never any harm in telling Mom on a Tuesday afternoon, "Mom, you're my dream come true"

Empty Places

~~~~~~~~~~

The days'd begin at the foot of the bed
We'd wake, and through the house we'd tread
Out to the kitchen, with the thought in mind
To the garden to see what we could find


We'd check it everyday
In the early light
 To see what had been there during the night


Around to the deck
To watch the rising sun
In our place with coffee cup in hand
Our day had now begun


I watch you as you nap

In your place by the stairs

Thinking 'bout your early years
Oh how mischief was your flare!


Do you remember the place
where that puddle was?
So proud to find it...
All full of mud.


Or the spot were you'd hide
After snatching up a cake
Or the day you got your mama's bread
Too tempting not to take


What about the coffee table
That spot you held so dear
Where you'd still place your head
Though it couldn't fit your rear


Though the most important place
The one that's set apart
Is the spot you have inside my heart

Now I walk around the house, the yard

Searching different spaces

 Expecting to see you in these spots

Your places

The places where you'd play

And the ones where you'd lay

Just passing the time away

These places now sit empty

your spots now lay bare

Though I still look for you

Your no longer there

You blessed us with your life

You blessed us with your smile

You blessed us with your time

Even though so short a while

You have a new place now

 In the yard beneath the tree

Watching over your garden

And your family.

~~~~~~~~~

. 

~A Few Pictures From Today~

Today was full of picture taking with senior pics, prom, and other random ones. Here are a few of my favorites I got...

This is my brother (Stephan) and his girlfriend (Anna), two wonderful people in my life.

Makes me wish I had a prom, homeschoolers don't have those. lol

It looks like Kristie and Marcus are already dancing, but no, they were admiring their shoes. :D

Sisterly love. 

The studly gents!

But this is my favorite of all the ones I took today, I also had fun editing this one too. :) 

LOVE THIS!! :)

Witchcraft and Wizardry: A Dangerous Fascination

Harry Potter, Edward Cullen, Jacob Black, one must simply turn on your TV or walk into a local Barnes and Noble to see these names and faces plastered everywhere. Vampire movies being filmed as fast as they are being released. "Mediums" on TV. They've certainly "cast a spell" of wonder and fascination upon the world, and children/young adults in particular. This blog post might make a few people upset, but I think this issue needs to be addressed, the issue is... that these things, such as Harry Potter, Twilight, etc, come from witchcraft, and that witchcraft is evil.

But why you may ask, like many people I know, friends, coworkers... "why is it so bad"? "it's only a book." "it's not like it's real or anything"

~~~

Yes, it is a book, and the storyline of Harry Potter never really happened. But witchcraft and sorcery is however, real. Since Biblical times there have been those who "Inquire of the mediums and necromancers who chirp and mutter" (Is. 8:19 ESV). And "He (Saul) broke faith with the Lord, in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance." 1 Cron. 10:13.
"Did not keep the command of the Lord"? What is His command, does he have something to say about it? Yes indeed He does!!

Here is what God says:
“When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you." (Duet. 18:9-12) Clear enough? 

But, you may ask, what does this have to do with things such as Harry Potter or Twilight, or Lord of the Rings for that matter? Now, I have not read the H.P. series (the first book I have, long time ago before I was a believer however), but I have read the LOTR books. Now, both have the same basic story line, good versus evil, giving ones all, fighting for what is right. But from what I've seen and read, there seems to be a difference in the underlying tone of the two;
Both do deal with darkness, a sense of evil that is shrouded with a force that is not meant to be tempered with. LOTR has it's wizards (Gandalf, and Saruman), they have a pivotal role, but their magic, I would argue, doesn't share the significant role as the magic does in Harry Potter. Harry and his friends have to go to school and make wizardry their life, (for the first few books of the series). They become indoctrinated with it, and it becomes who they are. The LOTR story does not revolve around "those who practice divination; sorcerers", but rather the destruction of something (the Ring) that was made by an evil being, who was actually called a necromancer in  "The Silmarillion", (by J.R.R. Tolkien).
"Do not turn to mediums or necromancers, do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them, I Am the Lord your God" (Lev. 19:31). We should not seek out those who practice these things, that which glorifies it; I believe H.P. does this, not in a way so blatant as saying, read these books and watch these movies to defy God, but in a devious, less obvious way. By making it "okay" because they are using it for good. (And to be clear, reading them or watching them won't send you to hell, it is bad when it becomes prevalent in your life, talking about it continuously, and when it becomes such a focus and fascination, that is when it becomes wrong and sinful.) Even Gandalf knew when the weakness of himself, his sinful nature you could say, when it goes too far and what happens when it does consume you.
"No!" cried Gandalf, springing to his feet. "With that power I should have power too great and terrible. And over me the Ring would gain a power still greater and more deadly" His eyes flashed and his face was lit with a fire within. "Do not tempt me! For I do not wish to become like the Dark Lord himself. Yet the way of the Ring to my heart is by pity, pity for weakness and the desire to do good. Do not tempt me! ... the wish to use it would be too great for my strength" (The Fellowship of the Ring, Ch 2)
Now if you are a Believer and you have read these books, do you find yourself placing yourself in the roles of the characters? Glorifying it? Does it consume your thoughts and your time? Or do you say, "do not tempt me!" and pull away?...

Linking with spiritual sundays

A Silly Picture

My friend Benjamin sent me this picture one day right after I started blogging, he like many other people thought the name was "Chicken in a Fedora" which it does upon first glance, this picture made me smile and giggle. :)